River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  29

  Brody

  Dak held his hand over Brody’s eyes as they reached the top of the staircase. Brody said, “I can smell roses. You got me roses. I love roses. The flowers downstairs are amazing, but I really love roses. My mom always had them in the house on my birthday.”

  Dak wanted to thrust a fist into the air. He’d hit the jackpot. With two well-timed exits from downstairs, he filled the bathtub with hot water. It was a perfect temperature by the time they were ready. The rose petals were icing on the cake. Dak couldn’t wait to see Brody’s reaction.

  As Dak pulled back his hand once they were standing in the bathroom, Brody gasped. “Oh my God, Dak!” He stared at the rose petals scattered on the floor, a bath filled with bubbles, and the flames of candles gently waving in the dim light. He turned to Dak and grabbed him tight smothering his face and neck with kisses.

  “I did well?” asked Dak.

  “If this is an example of what’s to come in the future, I just landed in the center of Main Street in heaven.”

  Dak laughed and began to pull his T-Shirt off over his head. He said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take a bath.”

  “I’ll beat you to it,” countered Brody.

  Dak was the first completely undressed, and he slipped into one end of the bathtub nearest the candles. He looked up at Brody’s naked body and said, “You’re not sitting at the other end. You’re climbing in right up here with me.”

  Brody slipped into the tub and slid along the smooth bottom of the tub until his bare back rested against Dak’s chest. Something hard slipped into the crack between his ass cheeks. Brody leaned his head back against Dak’s shoulder and turned his head to share another kiss.

  Dak wrapped his arms around Brody shoving his hands below the bubbles and water until they found Brody’s cock. Brody whimpered softly when Dak began to stroke. He asked in a whisper, “Are we doing any bathing?”

  “Oh, is that what this is for?” asked Dak. He slid down slightly against the back of the tub until his cock pressed upward at a more advantageous angle.

  “It works even better if I turn around,” said Brody.

  “You want to go for a ride?” asked Dak.

  “I don’t think you’re going to stop me.”

  Dak stared up at Brody’s long, tall body as he stood and then turned to face Dak. “I’m the luckiest damn guy in the world, Brody.”

  Brody smirked and said, “Don’t expect me to disagree.” He reached down to spread Dak’s legs to the side of the tub and carefully lowered his body back into the water.

  Dak grunted when Brody’s hand aimed Dak’s cock head at his hole. “So so hot,” whispered Dak.

  “And just a little tease before we finish it in bed.”

  Brody shook his head no when Dak tried thrusting upward. Instead, he lowered his ass just enough so Dak’s rock hard cock brushed against an ass cheek and then touched lightly in the ass crack. “You’re gonna kill me doing that,” moaned Dak.

  “Are you ready for bed?” asked Brody. “It’s been a long, long day for me. Do you think you can send me to sleep happy?”

  “There’s not a single doubt in my head about that.”

  Brody whispered, “I promise I won’t make you work too hard. Soft and slow. Making love, Dak. Does that work for you?”

  As they climbed into bed naked between the sheets, Dak spooned up behind Brody and said, “It’s the gentle fuck tonight. No three-finger spread; it’s sexy, slow and easy.” Dak reached down between his legs and slowly rolled the condom over his cock while he kissed Brody’s neck inhaling the clean scent and tongued at the rugged jawline.

  Brody raised one leg slightly and leaned his head back against Dak’s shoulder. When he felt the firm pressure between his cheeks, he pushed back to let Dak inside.

  “Oh fuck, that’s so good,” moaned Brody when Dak’s head slipped past his ring. He reached a hand up and behind to tangle his fingers tight into Dak’s hair. In his mind, he was staring into Dak’s blue eyes while they rocked together in perfect unison.

  Dak nearly pulled out and then slid deeper inside while Brody squeezed tight as he pulled back and then relaxed for Dak’s powerful drives. Dak whispered, “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever taken to bed. Hands down. There’s no competition.”

  Brody said, “I can do better than that. You’re the sexiest man on the face of the earth.”

  Dak wrapped his arms tight and teased Brody’s nipples while he increased the tempo of his thrusts. He listened for the hisses from between Brody’s lips and licked the soft skin just behind Brody’s ears.

  “Ohhhh…” moaned Brody. “You’re my dream come true, Dak. I think you know that, but I’m just making sure.”

  Dak’s thrusts came harder and faster as he said, “I didn’t think I could have you. I was happy to have you as my best friend and settled for second best in my bed way too many times.”

  “Yours, Dak. All yours…” Brody inhaled sharply when Dak’s right hand gripped his cock.

  “Gonna cum with me Brody?” asked Dak with his lips close to Brody’s ears.

  A long low moan escaped Brody’s lips as he whispered, “Yes.”

  Dak’s expert stroke synched up with his thrusts. His abs began to tense, and he powered them both forward toward the edge. “Close, Brody, close…”

  “Right with you, Dak.” Brody turned his head until their lips met. As Dak’s tongue slipped between his lips, Brody began to suck, and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

  Dak’s tongue darted forward and back, all of his body moving in perfect rhythm. Brody’s cock throbbed in his hand. Dak’s cock buried itself to the hilt.

  Dak pulled his tongue back from Brody’s mouth throwing his head backward and howling as his body hurtled off the cliff into a mind-blowing orgasm.

  Brody gasped desperately for breath and yelled out wordlessly as his own cock followed Dak’s lead and erupted spraying white ropes of cum.

  Dak bucked into Brody’s ass while Brody’s fist pulled Dak’s head back forward into the side of his neck. Their bodies locked together in perfect synch while the intense, explosive waves slowly subsided.

  “I’m yours and nobody else’s,” whispered Dak.

  “I was about to say the same thing.”

  30

  Dak

  Dak watched the river flow on its endless journey south to the Gulf of Mexico as the sun rose. Brody squatted down to pick up a smooth, flat-sided rock. He said, “There was one positive takeaway from my unsuccessful Little League baseball career.”

  “Baseball? I didn’t know you played.”

  “I didn’t play well,” said Brody.

  “What was the big takeaway?”

  “Johnny Mellon taught me how to skip a rock properly. We came down here for a team picnic, and he showed me how. I’ve never forgotten. I think I do it pretty well.”

  Brody started to sweep his arm forward to toss the rock into the water. Dak gripped his forearm and said, “Wait. You played baseball with John Mellon? The pitcher who took us to the state tournament in high school?”

  Brody said, “I think it’s most accurate to say that Johnny played baseball while I desperately tried to hit the ball with a bat. I think I had three base hits in the entire season.”

  “When was that?” asked Dak. “I don’t remember seeing you on a baseball team.”

  Brody chuckled. “It was second grade. You weren’t living in Coldbrook Bend yet.”

  Dak reached up to wrap an arm around Brody’s shoulders. “If it helps, baseball wasn’t my best game either.”

  “Dak, I think that’s all relative. You were in the starting lineup on that team that went to the state tournament.”

  “Yeah, by the skin of my teeth,” said Dak. “John was the real star, and he made it to the minors for five years.”

  Brody said, “I hope you don’t feel bad that I’m glad you didn’t make it to the minors.”

  Dak turned his head and aske
d, “I don’t think I feel bad, but why wouldn’t you want me to make it?”

  “I don’t think you would have come back to Coldbrook Bend. I’m selfish. Now that I have you, I don’t want to think about a life without you.”

  Dak smiled as he stared once again at the river. He asked, “Did you ever find out any more about your mom’s reasons for keeping the story of your great-uncle secret.”

  “Oh, that’s right, I didn’t tell you,” said Brody. “I found an entry written about a year before Wiley Tarrant died. It wasn’t easy to read. She said she talked to him on the phone, and he was very sick.”

  “Wow, so it got him, too,” said Dak.

  Brody nodded. “She said that he thanked her for keeping their story private. He wanted to die while still in the good graces of his family. Apparently, multiple members were very phobic.”

  “And did it say anything about you?”

  Brody hesitated before speaking. He said, “This next part might choke me up. She said Wiley wanted to share part of his estate with her. She said she told him my story. I was almost twenty at the time, and I was still in the closet to almost everyone but you and my mom. She suggested that he plan for whatever he wanted to leave to her to be given to me after she was gone.”

  “That was a wonderful thing to do,” said Dak.

  “She said they both hoped by that time we would never again have to keep the joys of our lives private and locked up in our hearts.” Brody reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

  Dak gripped Brody’s chin with his free hand and shared a kiss. He stared at the river again and asked, “Do you remember when we camped out in your backyard in fifth grade?”

  “You mean the night the tent collapsed, and I thought I was fighting some kind of animal attacking me?”

  Dak laughed hard. “Well, yeah, that’s not the specific thing I was thinking about, but that was hilarious now that you mention it.”

  Brody pursed his lips and said, “Yeah, it wasn’t you fighting the beast, but I never understood how you got out so quick, and I had such a hard time.”

  Dak turned toward Brody with a weak smile and said, “I guess I have a confession to make.”

  “A confession?”

  “I…uh…might have pulled a stake out of the ground.”

  Brody groaned, “Damn, Dak; really?”

  Dak pushed past the confession and said, “But what’s more important is the memory I wanted to share.”

  “Which one was that.”

  “Well, I remember that we got the tent put back up on our own because neither of us wanted to have your mom make us go back inside. And when we woke up in the morning, we were both lying in our sleeping bags on our backs staring at the ceiling of the tent. Do you remember what I said?”

  “I don’t think I remember the specific words, but I know that I’d forgiven you by the time we were eating our cereal at the table in the kitchen.”

  “I remember it almost like I wrote it down on the inside of my brain.”

  Brody reached up and scratched the side of his head. “Damn, I bet I’m going to feel bad because it was probably something I should have remembered.”

  Dak squeezed Brody’s shoulder and said, “I forgive you already.”

  “So what did you say?” asked Brody.

  I said, “You’re the best for me, and I’m going to be your best friend forever.”

  Brody turned his head and asked, “You said that?”

  “I said that.”

  Brody reached a hand up behind Dak’s head and kissed him. “You’re the best for me, too, Dak.”

  Dak said, “I’ve been thinking about something else, too.”

  “Another big thing?” asked Brody.

  “Well, I guess it is pretty big. I want to take a month off from the river.”

  As the smile spread across his face, Brody says, “Be careful saying it right here. She’s only about ten feet away. She just might slap us with a tidal wave.”

  Dak laughed and said, “I think we’re pretty safe from tidal waves. I’ve never heard of them on the river.”

  Brody stared into Dak’s ocean-blue eyes. “Are you sure you want to do that? I want you how you are. I don’t want to change you.”

  Dak shook his head. He said, “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for me. Some days I feel like a boxer letting my body get beat up so I can scrape together enough money to barely survive. You need a guy that’s still in good shape when he’s 50.”

  “Well, I hope so,” answered Brody. “Do you know what you’ll do during that month?”

  Dak tilted his head to the side and said, “Be your boyfriend, I suppose. Maybe I’ll pull some weeds. Or I could travel to the big cities for a weekend with my boyfriend. How does that sound for a plan?”

  “It’s perfect to me,” said Brody. “I only have one plan.”

  “And what might that be?” asked Dak.

  “I’m planning to be your best lover forever and ever because I think together we’re the best there is.”

  31

  Epilogue - Six Months Later

  Lacey was fidgeting when she walked into the office at Home Pro first thing in the morning. Brody looked up and asked, “Is something going on? You’re acting like a second grader who can’t stand still.”

  “I need to tell you something, Mr. Sexton, and please, don’t think I’m crazy. Be happy for me. I’m more excited than I’ve been since Billy Green invited me to the prom. My mom says I shrieked at the top of my lungs then. She was worried I was going to faint.”

  Brody turned away from his computer and rolled his chair toward Lacey’s desk, but he kept his left hand hidden out of sight. He said, “You have to share the details. I want to be excited, too, and it must be good because I’ve never seen you like this before. Just don’t faint on me. That four-day weekend must have been a doozy.”

  Lacey held up her hand to show Brody a ring. She shouted, “He popped the question! I can’t help it, Mr. Sexton! I want to squeal like a little girl!”

  “Seb? That old devil.”

  Lacey put her hands on her hips. “Of course it was Seb. Who else would it be? We’re so in love. He was so, so sweet. He got down on his knee in the lobby of the movie theater.”

  “The movie theater?” asked Brody.

  She grinned. “Yeah. It’s where we went on our first date, and we were back again to watch a chick movie. Seb takes me to romantic movies, and he gave me the ring before the movie started. I don’t remember anything about what happened in it. I could only think about being married to Seb. I confess. I started thinking about colors and seeing him in a tux. He’s so sexy.”

  Brody grinned. “I’m so happy for you, Lacey. I don’t think you’re crazy at all. The two of you are the best couple I know except for another one that I know.”

  Lacey looked confused. “Another couple? Who are they, Mr. Sexton?”

  “I have some news of my own to share.” Brody pulled his hand out from behind his desk to show the engagement ring on his finger.

  Lacey squealed and jumped up and down. “Oh, Mr. Sexton! That’s fantastic! You and Dak? Wow!”

  “Yes!” Brody reached out for Lacey, and they shared a big, warm hug. “He got down on his knee, too, except he did it on the bank of the river instead of at a movie theater.”

  “That’s very sweet,” said Lacey. “The river is pretty important to the two of you, isn’t it?”

  “I guess it is. There are a lot of memories there. I used to go to the park downtown with my grandparents and Grandpa grilled hamburgers and zucchini. Then Dak started working on the riverboats.”

  “When is the big date, Mr. Sexton?”

  “We haven’t settled on it for sure, but we’re thinking October. We both thought it would be fun to have it close to the date of my mom’s birthday. You know, when Dak offered me the ring, and I said yes, I thought I could feel my mom hug me from behind. I think she would be pleased about me marrying Dak. She always liked h
im. I’m sure she’ll be at the wedding.”

  Lacey said, “Oh, I know she will. Her spirit won’t miss it. She loved you so much, Mr. Sexton, and she was such a good mom. Look how you turned out!”

  Brody blushed. “I guess I’m okay.”

  “I think you’re the best boss in town. I’m not the only person here at Home Pro who feels that way.”

  They both turned when they heard a knock on the office door. Dak peered in through the door’s small window. Brody said, “It’s Dak. I wonder why he’s here.”

  As Brody reached for the door, Lacey said, “I can leave you alone in private. I can find something to do out in the store.”

  Brody said, “No, not yet at least.” He reached out to hug Dak.

  Lacey said, “Congratulations Dak! Mr. Sexton just told me about his ring.”

  “Did he tell you about the other big news?”

  Lacey turned toward Brody and said, “No, I don’t think so. Did you get a job up in Minneapolis, Dak? Mr. Sexton said awhile back that you were keeping your eyes open when the two of you go up there on weekends.”

  “Oh, I haven’t heard anything. I’m not pushing so hard on the job now,” said Dak. “We’re working on something much, much better.”

  Brody grinned. “No, I haven’t said anything about this to anyone yet. It’s one of those things I’ve kept secret and close in my heart.”

  “Can I tell her?” asked Dak. “I mean, you probably know what I found out already, Brody. It’s good news.”

  “Not the really huge news, though?” asked Dak.

  “No, but we’re on our way now.”

  Lacey turned her head looking first at Dak and then back to Brody. She asked, “Will somebody please tell me what you’re talking about? I’m dying of curiosity.”

  “We got accepted into adoption classes,” said Dak. “Every time I say that my legs feel like rubber.”

  Lacey exclaimed, “Congratulations! That’s so exciting! The two of you are going to be dads? I’m so jealous of your little boy or girl.”