“That’s cool,” Kyle agreed. “Hell, I might need one as well. We can both get shit-faced over our fucked-up memories.”
“Are yours that bad?”
The kid gave a humorless laugh. “Let’s just say my family would be the byproduct if The Sopranos fucked The Kardashians.”
“Wow. That’s an image I didn’t need in my brain.”
Just like that, the tension was diffused, though it had never been between them exactly. There was something growing between him and Kyle, though he wasn’t quite sure just what that something was. Perhaps it was a vision of the two of them against the world, or at least, against a picture and a memory. He didn’t know what was on Kyle’s photo but could it be as hollowed as his own past? It must be to be life altering otherwise he wouldn’t be sitting next to Del in the rig. They were both running and their journeys had brought them together. Cosmic, or some shit like it.
Del rolled his eyes at his own sappy mentality.
Foolish thinking, right? He couldn’t afford to think of any type of future when he was always dreaming of the past. He shot a quick glance over at Kyle. Immediately, his blood heated and his cock stiffened, yet under the immediate attraction was something slower. Deeper. Maybe it was something, then again, maybe it was just his imagination. Perhaps a form of loneliness he hadn’t fully comprehended until Kyle had shown up. No matter what happened in the future, however, he had come to know a person could only run so far and then shit had to be dealt with. His way of dealing had been to spend two years talking to therapists while shoving pills down his throat for everything from sleeping to shitting. Not the most pleasant way to cope, but it had worked. He had learned to handle survivor’s guilt.
Whatever Kyle was suppressing would only stay buried so long. Question was, would he be around long enough to help the younger man through it?
Chapter Seven
“Well,” Del said with a grand flourish around him. “This is the life of a trucker.”
They stood in the middle of a parking lot, much like all the other truck stop parking lots they had been in before. There were rigs parked for the night, side by side monoliths in the moonlight. The truck stop was a large cement building with windows still decorated for Christmas, though the spray-on white snow was peeling and flaking in parts. Someone had scratched a heart and initials inside a snowman while another person scratched a phone number to have a good time.
They stopped for the night on the west side of Knoxville, Tennessee because truckers were only allowed eleven hours of consecutive drive hours. The first day on the road Kyle couldn’t look away from the scenery. The Appalachian Valley had been pictures in magazine and books, or the backdrop of films, breathtaking vistas that he’d never thought he would get a chance to see in person. Heavy January clouds sat on top of the high peaks, obscuring much but giving a mysterious quality to the towering slopes. He itched to take a photo of it, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. The camera was tainted and he tried hard to ignore the mockery of it sitting in his pocket, preventing him from doing what he loved most.
He played tourist while a dead girl cried out for justice.
The souvenir shop lay in the front of the store, tempting any erstwhile drivers to pick up a bobble or two before heading into the diner. Tucked away stood a rack boasting a sale on t-shirts, which weren’t in demand because of the bitter winter weather. In fact, Del had said it was fortuitous that snow hadn’t closed the altitude challenged roads crisscrossing the mountain range.
“Go ahead, I’ll be right there,” he said, already making a beeline over to the sale collection.
Del nodded and walked on as Kyle went to check out the shirts. Most of them had slogans for beer or whiskey and some had suggestive sayings like Pull My Finger with an arrow pointing down to the crotch area. But they were five bucks each so he grabbed the two least offensive ones before heading over to the toiletries. He found an overpriced deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush, and sighed when his purchase took half his money.
Del sat at a booth toward the kitchen area and he threw his bag onto the seat before sliding in.
“Can I borrow your super awesome shower this evening? I’m starting to offend myself.”
Del smirked. “Yeah, I was wondering when you were gonna notice.”
“Shut it,” Kyle said smoothly as he grabbed the menu.
When the waitress came around he ordered water and soup. Del raised his brows and ordered for himself pork chops, baked potato, and mixed vegetables. Kyle sent him a glare. But the soup was surprisingly good and filling so Kyle wasn’t too disappointed, even when Del ordered desert and made blissful sounds of pleasure as he ate the apple pie.
“Real mature,” Kyle muttered.
“Listen,” Del said as he pushed his empty pie plate away, “I don’t mind paying for the dinners. If you want, you can keep track and pay me back when everything is settled.”
“Hmm,” Kyle replied as if thinking about it. “I suppose those terms are acceptable. Otherwise, it makes me feel funny, letting you buy me stuff since we, you know, got closer.”
“That’s an interesting phrase.”
Kyle shrugged. “Appropriate.”
“Well, then, deal. Now, shower. And laundry. Seriously.”
Kyle stuck his tongue out.
“Right,” Del said sarcastically. “Real mature.”
****
Although the shower’s water pressure wasn’t all that high, it was hot, which made all the difference. Kyle scrubbed his hair and his body, then brushed his teeth. Just being clean again felt like a slice of heaven.
After the shower, Kyle slipped on a pair of Del’s sweatpants, tying the drawstring tight around his narrow hips, and one of his new t-shirts. Del had left him alone to go do laundry at the courtesy area behind the truck stop for the truckers.
Kyle looked in the small fridge and grabbed one of the beers. As he screwed off the top, he settled down at the table and placed the camera in front of him. It was difficult touching the damn thing, never mind trying to take a picture. A little voice in the back of his mind told him all he had to do was pick it up and delete it, get rid of the picture that haunted him. Problem solved. But his conscience was nagging at him to do the right thing. As he stared at it, another memory formed. The hazy veil lingering in his mind parted just for a moment and he remembered her smile. Ruby red lips, bright white teeth. She was pretty, if one liked pretty girls. Those lips puckered, blowing a kiss, and he’d taken her picture.
Not much later, she had been dead.
A headache blossomed and Kyle rubbed his temples, trying to ease the pain. He grabbed the camera and put it back in his jacket pocket, hoping the old saying out of sight out of mind would work. Yes, he was running, a coward if ever there was one, and that burden was beginning to weigh heavy on his shoulders.
Chapter Eight
As Del walked back to the rig, he realized how nice it felt that he was actually walking back to someone. Driving a rig was a lonely profession, and sometimes having nothing but memories for company wasn’t the best thing to have. When he entered the sleeper cabin, he found Kyle nursing a beer, lost in thought.
“You look better clean,” Del commented as he put the freshly washed clothes away.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied. “The shower was nice and hot.”
“I might have scrimped on some things, but hot water was a necessity.” Kyle folded his arms and studied the younger man. “So what’s up?”
Kyle finished the beer and then stood. He put the empty bottle in the sink before turning to face him.
“I want you.”
Those three little words shot directly to Del’s dick. Without saying anything else, he pulled Kyle into him, melding their lips together, starting out the kiss slowly to let the magic build. It didn’t take long since desire had simmered just below the surface all day. Already his heart pounded heavily in his chest and his hands were a little unsteady as he pulled Kyle’s hips into his. He ground against Kyle’s hard cock,
the friction the jeans created giving a sweet ache. Del ran his hand upward, grabbing Kyle’s shirt and easing it up his chest, his knuckles gliding over the muscled plains of his stomach. They contracted against the ticklish caress and Kyle laughed into the kiss.
This time, Del was determined to take things slow. Savor the moment between them. To learn his lover, what he liked, and what drove him crazy. Before it had all been a little too rushed, too overpowering. Kyle’s hands clutched his shoulders as if clinging for dear life, and Del liked it. Liked having someone want him so much he was afraid of letting go. Dear lord, did he ever like it.
Slowly, Del undressed him, first easing off his shirt and then untying the drawstring. Del slid his hands inside the pants to grab his ass and pull Kyle more firmly into him. Wild need surged through him, and for a second he was tempted to rip off all their clothing, turn Kyle around, and sink his cock deep inside the younger man. The image was so sharp and clear in his mind that lust temporarily blinded him. He grabbed at his own clothing, yanking and tugging until he was naked. But as his hand settled on Kyle’s arm to spin him, he looked into Kyle’s deep blue eyes and saw happiness. It made the frantic fervor cool enough for him to get a handle on his animal instinct.
“Come on,” he murmured and turned to get onto the loft bed. He held out his hand and grasped Kyle’s as the young man joined him. Their lips met again, softly, silkily. Their arms and legs came together, meshing, wrapping around one another. Del moaned again at the incredible feel of Kyle’s lithe body straining against his own, making his senses spin.
Their breathing constricted and though Del was in heaven, he wanted more. He craved more. So, he broke the kiss and turned his body until he was staring at Kyle’s hard cock. The blood-engorged member stood proud from a dusting of fair curls. It was shorter than his own, not quite as thick, but it curved beautifully toward his stomach. Del bent his head and licked the sack, feeling each individual ball, weighing and playing with them as he palmed Kyle’s dick. He ran a finger over the top, catching the moisture leaking from the tip and using it to coat the head. He rubbed it over and over, back and forth as his mouth kissed the hot skin at the base of the shaft before moving upward, taking his sweet time to enjoy it. Pre-cum leaked steadily from the tip and Del sucked it into his mouth, using the flat top of his tongue to massage the crown. He held onto Kyle’s hips as he started his momentum, devoting all his attention to the blowjob.
Yet, Kyle wasn’t just taking without giving. Taking advantage of the sixty-nine position, he settled his mouth over Del’s cock. Together they pleasured each other, sucking and licking, tugging and jerking, until they were both worked up.
Del pulled back reluctantly from Kyle’s delicious taste because as much as he would love to finish here and now, he needed to be inside Kyle when he came. Kyle let out a groan of loss and tried to grab his hips to return to sucking his cock, but Del turned around, staring into Kyle’s eyes. He roamed his hands over Kyle’s chest, rolling his nipples between his fingers until Kyle arched his back.
“Please,” Kyle begged between gasps of air, “fuck me. Please fuck me!”
Del could no longer stand it either. He reached for the side drawer and pulled out a condom and a bottle of lube. Kyle took the condom out of his shaky hands to sheath him, loving the feel of Kyle’s hands on his cock, simply because he needed to be buried inside him so badly.
As quick as possible, Del squirted lube onto his fingers and then bent to find Kyle’s tight hole.
“Fuck,” Kyle moaned, closing his eyes. “That feels good.”
Del agreed but was beyond speech as he concentrated on widening Kyle’s passage. When he inserted another finger, he felt the muscled ring relax completely and knew it was time. He withdrew his fingers and used more lube on his covered cock before angling his hips. Del leaned down, kissed Kyle and entered him. There was no resistance as he slid into deep heat.
Del moaned, trying to steady his breathing and control his shaking limbs. His body flushed in mind-tingling pleasure all over and he was on the verge of losing control. He couldn’t, not yet. Not until he made Kyle come. So he began to move slowly, withdrawing only to plunge back in, taking a moment between each thrust to let them both really feel the bliss of being joined. Little by little, Del increased the tempo until he had a smooth motion going. Kyle’s fingers plunged into his hair, gripping tightly with each surge, urging him on with little rapturous mewls.
Their bodies were flush against one another but Del wiggled one hand between them to grasp Kyle’s cock, using the steadily leaking fluid to lubricate him, allowing his hand to pump up and down, in time with his hips. All thought, rhyme and reason fled as control dissolved. Del could feel himself letting go, swelling.
“I’m going to come,” he gasped in Kyle’s ear. “Oh shit! Oh fuck!”
“Yes!” Kyle moaned back, his hips undulating wildly under him. Del pumped him faster and faster until he erupted with a splash of hot juice coating his hand. And with the feel of Kyle climaxing, Del finally let his own go.
With a shout, he surged once, twice, and exploded. Boneless, he collapsed upon Kyle’s sweaty body, breathing heavily as his heart pounded in his chest. Kyle’s arms snuck around him, holding him tightly. For a long moment, Del hugged him back.
“Damn,” he said, a bit breathlessly. “I’ve never had sex so good.”
“Me either.”
Del leaned up on his elbow to look down at him. “Seriously. You must’ve put a spell on me or something.”
Kyle grinned. “I think the mojo works both ways.”
Del withdrew from Kyle’s body and removed the condom, tossing it toward the sink so he could throw it away later. Then he snuggled down with Kyle. How could such romantic feelings rise up in a short amount of time?
It was a question he pondered until he fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
Kyle woke and knew he was alone in the bed. It would have been hard to miss given the fact that bed barely held both of them. He leaned over the end and looked down, seeing Del sitting in the dim cab lighting, holding a beer. Kyle sat up and climbed down, heedless of his nudity. He saw Del give his body a head to toe appraisal and his blood heated from the look, but he turned away and went to the bathroom to relieve his immediate need, then used the shower to wash himself again.
He draped a towel around his hips and stepped back into the living area, grabbed a beer from the ‘fridge and sat down opposite Del at the table.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“Yeah, I slept. Not one nightmare. Not quite used to such quality sleep.”
“I’m sure I can find a way to tire you out if you want to catch a few more zzz’s.”
Del smiled at the implication and clanked his beer against Kyle’s. They fell into an easy silence, drinking beer in the dim light.
“So how far we going tomorrow, er, I guess today seeing how it’s just after midnight.”
“Little Rock, probably,” Del answered.
“Hey, what did Tennessee? The same as what Arkansas. Delaware a brand New Jersey.”
Del’s brow furrowed. “Come again?”
Kyle shrugged. “Something my dad used to say to me. Always thought it was stupid but somehow it seems very appropriate right now.”
Del laughed, a full-bellied sound that sounded nice. Kyle had to laugh along with him. After a few minutes the laughter died down to a chuckle and Del whipped his eyes. But the pinched look was gone from between his brows, which Kyle was thankful for.
“Were you close to your dad?” Del asked him.
“I don’t know. I only remember bits and pieces of him.” Kyle thought back to his childhood. “I remember every Sunday he would take me out and play ball. And when he could, he would sit down with me and do homework. What I don’t remember is how tall he was, or the color of his eyes.”
“My dad had light brown eyes,” Del said softly. “Kind of washed out ‘cause of his age. He was eighty-two when he died.”
“You said you were an oops?”
Del nodded and took a sip of his beer. “He was forty-eight when I was born but he was a great dad. His death hit me hard. A week later, I was in Afghanistan leading a squad when we came across what we thought was a deserted town, except there was this orphanage of kids happy to see us. I left my men to wash up, like I said, and about fifteen minutes later I heard explosions. Unfortunately, it was something I’d heard enough to know what it was. I thought maybe IEDs but…”
He took a deep breath. Kyle reached out and took one of his hands in his own. Del looked at him, his eyes full of pain.
“You don’t have to talk about it,” Kyle murmured.
“It’s okay. You see, the children were the bombs and when they ran up to hug each member of my squad, they were detonated. They were so happy because their mission was about to be fulfilled.”
“Oh my God,” Kyle whispered. He tightened his grip on Del’s hand.
“Everything was coated in blood and body parts. The walls, the floor, the desks. From my men, from the kids. And it was my job to check each of them for survivors but I only found one alive, a private. I had to stuff his guts back into his stomach and patch him up best as I could. I called for an emergency MEDEVAC but after that I don’t remember anything. I just … fell apart, so I’m told. They found me curled up in a ball, unable to talk.”
He took another sip of beer.
“I woke up two years later in a hospital,” he said matter of fact. “How pathetic, eh?”
“What are you talking about? Your friends were blown apart, Del. And children, God. No one could have gotten through that and stayed sane. You think that makes you a weak man?”
Del shrugged and chugged down the rest of his beer.
“What happened to the private?”
“He’s still in the army.”
“So you saved his life.”
“One man, Kyle. Out of twelve.”
“Two.”
“What?”
Run So Far Page 4