by Ariel Tachna
“You swear sometimes too.”
“I know. It’s a bad habit I need to break,” Chris said. “More than that, though, you said Jason was only fourteen. Do you want Jason’s dad to decide you shouldn’t come around because you’re a bad influence on him?”
“No.”
“Then watch your mouth so he doesn’t have a reason to question you being there.”
“I will,” Seth promised. “I really want to stay. I won’t do anything to mess that up. I promise.”
Chris pulled Seth into a tight hug. It hurt his ribs, but he held on anyway. He didn’t know how badly Seth needed the embrace, but he knew how much he needed it. It would just have to hurt.
Finally Seth squirmed a little in his arms so Chris let him go. “So who else did you meet today? Anyone?”
“One other jackaroo,” Seth said. “His name’s Jesse. He’s also a mechanic, although I don’t think he was hired for that. I think he hired on just as a jackaroo.”
“It sounds like you’ll have plenty of people to teach you then,” Chris said. “That’s good.”
The bell tolled signaling mealtime. “Help me up so we can go eat dinner. I’m starving.”
Seth helped Chris get out of bed and stayed at his side as they negotiated the steps. By the time they made it to the canteen, it was full of men waiting for their dinner. Chris looked around for any familiar faces, but he really only knew Caine, Macklin, and Neil, and he didn’t want to impose on the boss. Seth solved the problem by dragging Chris over to meet Jason and his father. Chris smiled politely and let the rest of the conversation drift past him as they discussed the various kinds of machinery on the farm.
“You look bored.”
Startled, Chris looked up into the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. “N-no,” he stammered, fighting not to let his eyes linger inappropriately on the other jackaroo. He’d learned how to look without being caught, but it was hard not to stare since they were actually talking. “Lost, but not bored. I’m not much of a mechanic, so their conversation is completely over my head.”
The other man laughed, the smile softening his face. He wasn’t weathered enough to have the whole carved-from-granite thing going on like Macklin did, but Chris figured he only needed another year or two to get there. Until he smiled. “I’m sure it is. I’m Jesse Harris. Nice to meet you.”
“Chris Simms. I’d offer to shake hands, but, well….” He lifted his cast to show Jesse his injury. “Not exactly in top form at the moment.”
“You’re Seth’s brother. He mentioned you’d been hurt, but I didn’t realize it was quite that dramatic. You’ve got a beautiful bruise on your cheek there.”
Chris lifted his hand self-consciously to his cheek. He hated looking less than his best at any time, but especially sitting next to someone as… potent as Jesse. He didn’t hold out any hope the other man was gay, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t look. “Does it look awful?”
“Not awful,” Jesse replied. “Painful, but it’ll heal. I’m sure the other guy looks worse.”
If only, Christ thought with a grimace. “There were five of them. If it weren’t for Macklin and the others, I’d be dead.”
“I heard Ian and Kyle bragging, but I figured they were talking shite. You were really bashed like that?”
“That’s what they said before they attacked me,” Chris said, “but I think we’ll be safe here.”
“Yeah, it would take quite a drongo to hassle someone for being gay when the boss and foreman are both gay too,” Jesse agreed. “Have you worked on a station before?”
Chris shook his head. “We’re city kids through and through, but we won’t let Caine and Macklin down.”
“They do seem to inspire that determination in people,” Jesse said. “I haven’t figured out what it is about them, but the year-rounders and the ones who’ve been here before all agree this is the best station around to work at. I figure that’s about the best recommendation you can get.”
“This is your first year too?” Chris asked.
“My first year at Lang Downs,” Jesse replied. “I’ve been working other stations since I was eighteen.”
“So not quite as much of a blow-in as I am,” Chris said.
“Stick with me, kid,” Jesse said with a grin, the expression making Chris’s stomach turn over with desire. He wondered how hard it would be to jerk off left-handed. “Well, when your arm gets better anyway. I’ll show you the ropes.”
“Thanks,” Chris said. “I’d really appreciate it. I’m feeling a little lost at the moment. I’m supposed to help in the kitchen starting tomorrow, but I don’t know much about cooking, and with my arm in a cast, I can’t even do the heavy lifting and leave the rest to Kami.”
“I’m sure Kami will teach you,” Jesse said. “He’ll be the one listening to the complaints if he doesn’t. I’ve eaten in a lot of canteens in the past ten years, and this is one of the best. He’s not going to let that suffer because his jackaroos are used to this quality. From what I heard in the bunkhouse, nobody’s shy about expressing their opinions.”
“I couldn’t believe they talked about Caine and Macklin like that,” Chris said, lowering his voice. “Can you imagine if one of them had walked in on that conversation?”
Jesse chuckled. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be in their shoes if that happened, that’s for sure. Macklin would hang them out by their balls for that kind of talk, but I can live with that.”
“Why would it be a problem for him to do that? I mean, he has the right to defend himself.”
“It’s the reason why,” Jesse explained. “Here, Macklin would do it because he’s the foreman and Caine’s the boss and it’s nobody’s business but theirs. Everywhere else I’ve worked, the foreman would’ve done it because someone implied he was a pillow biter. Same result, but entirely different feeling.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Chris replied. “Nobody seems to care that they’re gay. The conversation wasn’t mean. They’d have made the same kind of comments about a man and his wife if she had him pussy-whipped.”
“And that’s a rare and precious thing,” Jesse said. “The line’s died down so I’m going to get some food. It was good talking to you.”
Chris watched the other jackaroo walk across the room, admiring the way his jeans stretched over his arse, before turning his attention back to the plate in front of him. He’d known Caine and Macklin were special, but the conversation with Jesse drove home just how special this place was. Chris hadn’t asked how people found out about Caine and Macklin or how they first reacted, but he could see how they reacted now. Neil had been perfectly clear that afternoon, and Jesse agreed with the assessment. Chris was safe here.
The end of the conversation made Chris wonder a little if Jesse was gay too. It would explain some of his cryptic comments, but even here, where Chris didn’t worry about being bashed again because of his sexuality, he didn’t want to make assumptions about other people’s preferences. Jesse didn’t strike Chris as gay, but then neither did Macklin, so maybe Chris wasn’t as good a judge as he thought he was. He certainly wouldn’t have believed Macklin was gay if anyone other than Macklin himself had told him.
With a sigh, he finished his dinner and headed slowly back to his room. He needed to sleep if he was going to help Kami in the morning.
WHEN JESSE finished eating, he wandered outside and stared up at the night sky. The stars always seemed brighter when he was on a station. Intellectually he knew it was because of the decrease in light and air pollution, but that never took away from the magic of the stars spread out above him in all their magnificence. They seemed even brighter than usual tonight. He told himself it was his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of rightness.
After ten years of wandering from station to station looking for a place to fit in, he’d finally found one he thought might be a good fit. He’d heard some of the other jackaroos talking in town when he’d arrived to try his hand at New South Wales after having worked farther no
rth. Word had gotten around that the grazier at Lang Downs was gay, not that most of the jackaroos used that kind a word for it. He’d noticed a group of men not joining in, and he’d asked them about it.
“We can’t argue with them about the boss being gay,” one of them replied. “It just doesn’t make a difference to anyone who actually knows him.”
“Why don’t you say something?” Jesse asked.
“They won’t care what we say, and Caine wouldn’t appreciate us getting in a fight over him,” another man replied. “Let them say what they want. It’s less competition for us when the Lang Downs crew gets here.”
“You really don’t mind working for him?”
“He’s a fair boss, he runs a good station, and he treats everyone well,” the first man said. “What’s to mind? He’s not trying to sleep with us.”
That didn’t tell Jesse who the boss was sleeping with, but he figured it wasn’t any of his business. It was enough to hear the jackaroos say it wasn’t an issue. When the time came to sign on with a crew, he hadn’t hesitated to approach the men from Lang Downs even if he’d kept his reasons for doing so to himself.
Then Neil had surprised him with the announcement of Caine’s partner that afternoon. Jesse had met Macklin, of course, as the foreman grilled him on his experiences and references with Caine sitting right beside him, a united front for sure but without any undertones Jesse could detect. As he stood there staring at the stars, though, he saw Macklin making his rounds for the night. He nodded to Jesse as he walked by and up the path to the station house. He let himself inside with complete ease, closing the door behind him. The light in the living room went out a few minutes later.
However strange it might seem from the outside, Macklin lived in the station house and was partnered with the station owner, and everyone familiar with the station accepted that.
Jesse took a deep breath, smelling new grass over the smell of the sheep in the nearby pens. Spring was coming even here in the highlands, and he was getting a new start along with it.
Thoughts of Chris filtered through his mind as he enjoyed the cool night air. He couldn’t imagine what the kid had been through. He’d always been careful not to let people find out he was gay unless he was absolutely certain of their reaction precisely because he didn’t want to end up beaten or dead. Jesse didn’t know whether Chris was careless or stupid or simply unlucky, but Jesse’s worst nightmare had played out in Chris’s life. From the little bit of conversation they’d shared and everything Seth had said about his older brother earlier in the day, Chris seemed like a good guy, far more responsible than the typical person his age, but that came with a price. Chris could probably use a friend, and Jesse saw just enough of himself at that age in Chris to want to be that friend.
It didn’t hurt that Chris was cute, in a not quite pretty but definitely attractive kind of way. The summer was looking up in more ways than one, if Chris happened to be interested in a little… recreation.
“LET ME see your hand.”
“It’s just a few scrapes on my knuckles,” Macklin said.
“You’re the one who lectured me on letting little cuts get infected,” Caine replied, “so don’t argue.”
Macklin gave in gracelessly, holding out his hand so Caine could examine the bruised, scraped knuckles where Macklin’s fist had connected with someone’s jaw. He shook his head as he pulled Macklin toward the sink so he could clean and disinfect the cuts.
“Chris is going to need a lot of help adjusting over the next few weeks,” he said as he scrubbed Macklin’s skin gently.
“I’m more worried about Seth.”
“Seth?” Caine asked, pouring hydrogen peroxide over the cuts. “Why?”
Macklin hissed as the cool liquid seeped into the sores. “He’s sullen and angry. He’s behind in school. He’s gotten used to not having any structure. He’s going to resent being forced to do schoolwork, probably resent having to work as hard as he will here. He’s sixteen, and this isn’t the life he’s chosen for himself.”
“Really?” Caine asked, reaching for a tube of antibiotic ointment. “Are you sure? I didn’t get that impression at all.” He smeared the gel on Macklin’s knuckles. “I got the impression of someone so grateful not to be living on the streets again that he’d do anything we asked not to have to go back there.”
“Maybe I’m misreading him,” Macklin said. “I just know how I felt at the first station I worked on.”
Caine wiped his hand and nudged Macklin back toward the bedroom. “You want to tell me about that now?”
“Not really.”
“It wasn’t a question, Macklin.” Caine had let various comments from Macklin go in the past, either because Macklin had refused to talk, as he’d done the first time it came up in the early days of their acquaintance, or because it had come up at a bad time, as it had when Chris was in the hospital.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything there is to know about you. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”
Macklin scowled. “You already know everything that matters.”
“If it doesn’t matter, then you won’t mind telling me about it,” Caine retorted. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to push this, but Macklin had been pensive since they’d rescued Chris and Seth. Caine had learned to live with taciturn, but pensive didn’t fit Macklin at all.
Macklin’s scowl deepened. “Why is this so important to you?”
“Because it’s important to you,” Caine replied. “You’ve been out of sorts since we found them, moody and withdrawn. You haven’t f-fucked me since we left to go hire the new hands.”
“We can fix that,” Macklin offered, pulling his shirt off and advancing on Caine.
“Oh, n-no,” Caine said, backing away. “Not until you tell me about how you came to Lang Downs.”
“I already told you,” Macklin said. “I ran away from home and Michael took me in.”
“N-not g-good enough,” Caine replied.
“I think it is,” Macklin said, catching Caine’s arm. “You’re already stuttering. You know how that turns me on.”
Caine rolled his eyes even as Macklin leaned in to kiss him. He still hated to stutter, but given he only stuttered rarely these days unless Macklin was making love to him and given Macklin’s clear pleasure in Caine’s reaction to him, he’d stopped fighting it. He wouldn’t win anyway. He returned the kiss eagerly, determined to lull Macklin into relaxing before trying again to find out what he wanted to know.
He bided his time as Macklin stripped him to the waist, giving in to his lover’s dominant side because it felt too good not to. When Macklin pushed him toward the bed and started undoing his own jeans, Caine shook his head, shoving Macklin’s hands out of the way so he could bare his lover himself. Macklin looked like he might protest, so Caine pulled out the big guns, dropping to his knees and nuzzling Macklin’s erection through the cloth of his underwear.
“W-want t-t-to b-blow—” Caine got out with difficulty.
“Be my guest,” Macklin said with a grin, settling back on the bed and spreading his legs.
Caine scowled up at him for the interruption. He hadn’t finished his sentence, but he had what he wanted, Macklin sprawled on his back across their bed, waiting for Caine to make love to him, so he didn’t bother complaining. He simply tugged at Macklin’s pants and underwear until he had his lover completely naked. Kneeling between Macklin’s feet, he kissed the inside of Macklin’s knee, licking his way slowly up one hair-dusted thigh toward his ultimate goal: Macklin’s cooperation.
Working his way higher, he nuzzled Macklin’s balls, letting the hint of whiskers from the day add the slightest bite to the softer touch of his lips and tongue. Macklin gasped, making Caine smile as he lifted his head. “T-t-tell me the s-story.”
“Bloody hell, pup,” Macklin roared, his fingers pushing on Caine’s head. “Finish what you started.”
“Only if you t-tell me the story,” Caine insis
ted. “After if you w-want, but you have to t-tell me.”
Macklin looked so troubled that Caine almost relented, but he doubted he’d get another chance at this. The entire situation had Macklin ill at ease, and Caine needed to know why.
“After,” Macklin said finally.
Caine didn’t question Macklin’s promise. His lover was a man of his word. Now he had to remind Macklin he wasn’t telling this story to a stranger, but to his partner, the man who loved him and intended to spend the rest of his life supporting him. He lowered his head again, licking the musky skin of Macklin’s perineum. Macklin might not be comfortable letting Caine top yet, but he’d taken to rimming like a duck to water, and Caine intended to use that to his advantage.
Macklin lifted his legs, making it easier for Caine to reach his target. He didn’t immediately dive between the spread cheeks, though. He wanted to linger, to make Macklin so eager he’d accept not only the rimming but anything else Caine felt like doing to him. As hard as the thought of driving into Macklin’s tight heat made Caine, he knew that wouldn’t happen tonight, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t introduce his lover to other delights.
Peeking up at Macklin’s face and seeing his lover’s eyes closed, Caine sucked on his index finger, wetting it thoroughly before licking Macklin’s entrance. Macklin gasped again and squirmed, his delight in Caine’s attentions obvious in every line of his body. Caine smiled and continued what he was doing, using everything he knew about Macklin to lavish pleasure on him. When Macklin started groaning and thrashing on the bed, begging Caine to let him come, Caine decided the time was right.
Pulling back slightly, he replaced his tongue with the tip of his finger, wiggling it just inside the still tight entrance. Macklin froze but didn’t pull away, so Caine took that as permission, licking around the entrance a few more times to add to the wetness already there. He pressed his finger a little deeper and left it there as he sucked Macklin’s balls into his mouth, teasing them with his tongue.
By the time he’d licked his way to the tip of Macklin’s cock, he had his finger inserted to the second knuckle and could press on Macklin’s gland. With a grin, he sucked Macklin’s erection into his mouth at the same time he flicked his finger across the little bump of flesh. The shout Macklin let out echoed off the walls of the room, making Caine grin wider. He hoped Chris and Seth were sound sleepers, because if not, they were about to get an education.