A Hunted Man (The Men of Halfway House)
Page 35
"I'm not sure if I want to take the vocational school up on their offer. It's only a couple of hours a week but, seriously, a latte art class? It's a nice change, but who the fuck would want to attend? It has no academic bearing whatsoever," he said with a shrug then looked away again.
Hunter stroked Cam's cheek with his thumb. Cam had become stronger than ever and more confident, but he still had random moments where he questioned himself and the interest of others. "Sometimes people take classes just to learn something new without a need to have it be career-based. Besides, do you know some of these high end coffee shops send their baristas to schools where they teach classes on latte art?"
Cam's vision snapped back to Hunter. "Really?"
Hunter nodded. "I know you say it's not a big deal but I see you smile every time someone gets excited about a design."
He brushed the hair out of Cam's eyes, carefully watching a mix of emotions flicker across his expression. They had visited the local café soon after their arrival to the new town. Cam fidgeted when he saw the barista fighting the machine—the same model he had used at the diner. Hunter asked the distressed cashier, who was also the owner, if she'd mind if Cam showed her barista how to work the machine. She immediately agreed and Cam raced behind the counter to rescue the poor teenager before she burned herself. Within minutes, the teenager had brewed her first cup without a burn.
"That's the first time she's made a cup without cursing up a storm," the owner confided. "Thank you."
Cam handed the owner a cup with a heart design, sealing the deal for a job offer. Cam respectfully declined but asked if he could swing by the coffee shop and help if he had an itching to do more art. The owner enthusiastically agreed and Cam had made random appearances every month when he needed to do something creative, outside of the landscaping.
Small town with people so open and nice. A quick invitation like that would have never happened in Miami. They were still getting accustomed to the slower pace and new life.
"People spend their hard-earned money on those coffees, they should get something nice," Cam said, jolting Hunter back to the present. "I'll think about it. They gave me until the end of the month to give them an answer on the class for the next semester."
Hunter looked over to the newly planted flowers along the perimeter of his father's area of the house. "This looks really good. I can't believe you finished it so quickly." He lifted Cam's shirt and stroked his lower back.
"I wanted to make sure Pop had his garden nice before Father's Day."
Hunter smiled at Cam's endearment. Cam had refused to call Thomas by his new name and said it was too weird to call him Dad.
"Pop's making dinner. Do we have time for a quick shower before then?"
Hunter smiled wickedly. "Our showers are never quick."
Cameron laughed. "C'mon, perv," he said, dragging Hunter by the hand to their room. "We've got about thirty minutes before it's time."
After a quick shower with mutual blowjobs and a promise for more post-date, they returned to the backyard again for their daily ritual.
The sunrises, Cam said, he had shared with his mom.
The sunsets, Cam declared, belonged to Hunter.
Hunter lay in their hammock with Cam resting against him as they waited for the sun to begin its descent. He pulled Cam closer, enjoying the body heat and the smell of fresh soap mingled with the scent he had fallen in love with instantly almost a year ago. Cam inched closer and rested his head on Hunter's shoulder, pressing his nose against Hunter's neck.
Cam reached under Hunter's shirt and splayed his hand on Hunter's chest, running his fingers through the sprinkling of hair.
Hunter closed his eyes as his chest tightened with each puff of warm breath that skated across his skin. "How did your meeting go?"
"They hate me," Cam mumbled.
Hunter slid his hand under Cam's shirt and ghosted his fingers along Cam's lower back. "You have a bunch of contract options. Not getting this one—"
"I did get it."
Hunter stopped stroking Cam's back and tried to sit up. "I thought you said—"
"I have to wear a polo shirt uniform while I'm on the golf course. Me, in a fucking polo shirt. Even though I'm a contractor, they're making me stick to the damn staff dress code. Fuckers hate me."
Hunter tightened his lips as he held back a smile. Cam had become accustomed to rebelling against imposed structure and requirements. It was what drove him to want to start his own landscaping company.
"Polos aren't bad," Hunter said, sitting back in the hammock.
"They're yellow and black."
"Those colors work well together," he said, resuming the circular patterns on Cam's lower back.
"The polos are striped. I'm going to look like a fucking bumblebee."
Hunter bit the inside of his cheek and screwed his eyes shut, holding back a laugh.
"You're my bumblebee."
"You'll pay for that later." Cameron laughed.
"Mmm, I'm looking forward to it," he said, kissing Cam's temple. Hunter sighed, enjoying the rumble of Cam's laugh. That beautiful sound came more easily than it had so many months ago. He would never tire of hearing the melody of Cam's laughter, especially when it echoed throughout the walls of their home.
"You could always decline the contract if you really hate it."
Cam shifted, lifting his weight on his forearms to lean over Hunter. "Hell no. I've been itching to do something with all that green space they have. I'll have everything finished there in a few months. After that, I want to take you on vacation somewhere."
Hunter smiled. "Where do you want to take me?"
Cam shrugged. "I don't know yet. But I want to do something for you."
"You always do something for me," Hunter said, staring into Cam's fierce gaze. He reached up and rested his hand against the side of Cam's face.
The corner of Cam's lips curved upward in that teasing way that always seemed to make Hunter's breath hitch. "I always do something to you, not for you."
Hunter pulled him down for a slow kiss, the ones that still drew the sounds from Cam that drove Hunter crazy with need.
Cam withdrew and laughed. "Later. I promise," he said, returning to his spot pressed against Hunter.
Cam stroked Hunter's chest while Hunter grazed his fingers along Cam's lower back. Hunter would never get tired of the way Cam's body contoured perfectly against his. They patiently waited in their hammock for another ten minutes until the sun decided to make its descent. The bright orange rays cast their light on the bottom of the clouds, leaving a hint of darkness to border the moon's new home for the night. The sun fought through the clouds, trying to paint its colors wide before it disappeared leaving a wash of deep blues, purples, and pale pinks to illuminate the sky against the dark silhouette of the mountain edge.
Hunter heard Cam sigh. He held him closer and rested his cheek against Cam's hair.
"I love you," Cam said quietly, nuzzling into the crook of Hunter's neck.
Hunter closed his eyes and let the words fill the silence between them. Since the day they left their other lives behind, Cam had made every effort to open up to him—yell when he was angry, talk about the nightmares that still haunted him, and share a memory, however difficult they were to relive. Not a day had passed without the three words spoken. It seemed Cam needed to hear them just as much as Hunter craved saying them.
"I love you, too."
~The End~
About the Author
Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.
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A Better Man
A Hunted Man
…More to come…