Texas Pride

by Kindle Alexander

  By day four, Austin seemed to eat, drink, and sleep Kitt Kelly. He craved everything about him, thinking of little else for most of each day. Without question, Austin was totally taken with his super-hot cowboy, and he felt like Kitt shared his feelings. It seemed like a win-win situation for them both.

  Yet, something changed last night. He’d watched Kitt sitting outside on his porch, relaxing and waiting for him. The moonlight hit Kitt just right, and Austin lost his mind for a moment. Kitt looked stunningly handsome. His strong jaw and chiseled hard features were softened by the long sweep of hair falling down across his forehead. The moonlight shone right down on him. In that moment, Kitt literally took his breath away. Austin took the steps separating them, and the strong emotion he felt for Kitt grew with each step.

  In every way, Kitt was perfect for Austin. He didn’t make a big deal about Austin’s celebrity status or fame. He never wanted anything from Austin. If Austin made a meal for Kitt, Kitt insisted on returning the favor. They spent as much time at Kitt’s house as they did at Austin’s. Kitt seemed to just be happy with his company, and he seemed to like their sex just as much as Austin did. Those were both such foreign concepts to Austin that they helped seal the deal for him. But, as he took the porch steps up to Kitt, jealousy racked through him like nothing he’d ever experienced before.

  Austin hadn’t asked about Fisker since the first day, and Kitt hadn’t volunteered a word. But, if he was going out of town, it gave Kitt the opportunity to see the guy. That would never do. Austin might have to order one of his security guards to shoot Fisker on sight for daring to touch what Austin claimed as his….and then, having Fisker killed would create all sorts of complications for him, because surely, there was someone who might miss him. However satisfying the idea of killing Fisker was, he quickly decided it also would be a very bad idea. Besides, Austin didn’t truly have a killing bone in his body. So, instead of having the guy offed and buried six feet under, he needed to ask Kitt about him.

  Kitt owned the title of Expert Dodger. He excelled at avoiding direct questions. But, Austin had learned; the best way to get answers from Kitt was through sex. Kitt couldn’t lie during pleasure, and it was the coolest thing in the world to know he could have that effect on another. So, as any normal person might do, Austin manipulated the situation, moved them past dinner and straight into bed. In return, Austin promptly forgot the questions he wanted to ask and lost track of what he tried to accomplish when Kitt put his lips on Austin’s ass.

  Armed with new-found determination, Austin decided he’d find those answers tonight. If everything went the way he hoped, by tomorrow night he’d have an exclusive commitment from Kitt, Fisker no longer in the picture – without bodily harming the man – and Cara in rehab. Please God, let it end like he wanted it to!

  ~~~~~~

  Austin got a good look at Kitt as he climbed over the fence, and realized Kitt had dressed up for him. His sexy almost boyfriend could easily be a male model for Wrangler. The thought tugged a smile on his lips.

  Kitt wore starched jeans, a pearl button, button down, shiny belt buckle and equally shiny boots. His cowboy hat, that Austin had grown to love, rested on the hood of his truck as he worked to load their gear in the back of his Silverado. Kitt wore that hat regularly, and it fit him and his style perfectly.

  Austin didn’t say a word on his approach. He carefully positioned his backpack with their dinner in the bed of the truck. Kitt kept it casual as the air between them intensified. It crackled as Kitt started to walk past Austin back to the cabin, never willingly doing a PDA even out here so isolated from everyone. They were clearly the only two around. Austin grabbed Kitt by the waist, easily gathering him in his arms. He leaned in to give a tender kiss, adding only a small swipe of his tongue in the chaste kiss. He loved kissing Kitt. His reward was the slight tremble of Kitt’s lips. God, he loved that tremble!

  “I’m sorry I’m late again. I missed you.” Austin’s voice emerged low as he looked down between their bodies, letting his eyes freely roam over Kitt. “You look seriously hot all cowboyed up like this...” He let his palms push down over Kitt’s ass to grab each cheek.

  “Are you sure it’s safe for some of your security to know about us?” Kitt’s body stayed tense in the embrace, causing Austin to narrow his brow. No simple hello or I missed you too, just straight to the point.

  This morning Kitt finally noticed the security lurking around when Austin left. He’d only spotted one of them, and Austin tried to play it off as the man being his bodyguard. He should have known better than to think Kitt bought it. He was too smart. The look Kitt gave him just now made it clear he’d figured it all out in his head.

  “They’re keeping everyone else away, I promise. They keep me hidden, and the cameras away. They keep Mike, or Jose, or anyone else from finding my four-wheeler out here or yours at my house. I’ve never had a problem with any of my security staff. They sign all sorts of confidentiality agreements. And, I asked them to stay away tonight, so it’ll be just us,” Austin said. Kitt listened, but tugged free of him to finish loading the last few things from the cabin into the back of the truck.

  “It worries me,” Kitt said on a pass by he made a minute or two later.

  “I know it does and I’m sorry for that, but it can’t be helped.” Austin didn’t let Kitt pass by again without taking his hand. Austin walked beside him up to the house. “What else do we need?”

  “Just the sleepin’ bags, they’re by the door. Everything else’s loaded.” Kitt stepped in to grab the two sleeping bags. Austin took one from him, tossing it on the sofa.

  “This will be more than fine,” Austin said.

  The move erased the worry from Kitt’s brow. He laughed and let Austin circle him in his arms as he pulled Kitt back out the front door. Kitt tossed the one sleeping bag in the back seat of the truck while Austin made his way around and got in on the passenger side. He watched Kitt grab his cowboy hat, and place it on the center console as he slid inside the truck.

  “We dub this place Kelly Ridge,” Kitt said, as he started the truck and backed away from the house.

  “I used to hear about that place. What’s the story?” Austin asked, content with just listening to the sound of Kitt’s voice.

  “It sits overlookin’ the back pasture on a slight hill. There used to be a pond down there, but it dried up years ago, before I was ever born. My dad used to take me down there to camp when I was little. You can see for miles and miles…” Kitt said, sounding a little distracted. He didn’t finish the thought, but turned on the radio to the local country station he liked. He turned the volume down low.

  “Lots of memories then,” Austin said, taking the cowboy hat and carefully placing it in the back seat. He lifted the console before sliding in the middle of the seat, closer to Kitt. He couldn’t decide if it were a good thing or bad thing to be going somewhere Kitt’s father use to take him.

  There wasn’t a trail and Kitt drove slowly. The headlights of the truck bounced around with every rut they hit. Austin watched Kitt as closely as Kitt watched the pasture in front of the truck. He lifted a hand and brushed Kitt’s hair back from his forehead. Austin got a sideways glance and a small grin as he ran his hand down Kitt’s thigh, scooting in as close as he could.

  “I used to do this in high school. The girls sat right next to me. I think about that when I see you in this truck. Me sitting right here next to you,” Austin said, tucking his hand between Kitt’s parted thighs, and sliding his fingers under Kitt’s leg.

  “My friends always did it too. Their wives still do it,” Kitt said. His eyes returned to watching the field in front of them.

  “You never did?” Austin asked. His only real care in the world seemed to be the man sitting next to him.

  “Nah, I never dated any girls. I haven’t ever really dated anybody. I’ve always known I was gay from the time I was little.” Kitt said it all so matter of fact, keeping his hands on the wheel, navigating all the ruts in
the pasture. He only tossed them around a little as he drove.

  Austin kept his eyes on Kitt, watching him closely for any sign of emotion about what he just said. He wasn’t at all sure he liked that statement. Kitt deserved someone to be nice to him. Take him out on a date or vice versa. He was sure Kitt would be an excellent date. Someone you’d be glad to have on your arm. The thought brought a smile to Austin’s face before his heart ached painfully. He wouldn’t ever be the man to take Kitt anywhere. He closed his eyes, turning his head back straight.

  “What?” Kitt asked, looking over at Austin.

  “Nothing,” Austin said absently.

  “What?”

  “I just wish I could take you out on a real date, and I realized that it will never happen,” Austin finally said.

  “No, it can’t. I’ve got too much ridin’ on things right now. I’ve learned to live with it. And so have you.” Kitt bumped Austin in the shoulder; giving him another sideways glance. The truck hit a good, deep rut and bounced them around, making Kitt quickly cut his eyes back to the pasture.

  “It’s not bad, Austin. It’s actually the only life I know, so I’m good. We should probably slow this down some between us. If we keep goin’ every night, someone’s gonna catch us.” The words came so easily, like it truly was an option for them. “Maybe this trip you’re takin’ would be a good time to start makin’ this a weekly deal or something like that.”

  “Ah, well, Kitt Kelly, you just managed to take the small ache in my heart and balloon it into a major throb. I’d hate to slow this down,” Austin said, his brow narrowed. His eyes focused on Kitt’s face. It took a minute, but Kitt looked over at him, slowly giving him that grin of his until another damn rut lurched the truck, making Kitt turn his eyes back to the pasture.

  “I’d hate it too, but it’s risky what we’re doing.”

  Austin didn’t reply. Instead, he lifted his hand between Kitt’s parted thighs and slid it up his dick. The bulge under his hand hardened inside the Wranglers.

  “So…you’ve never had sex with a girl?” Austin asked, keeping his hand massaging Kitt’s cock. One thing was for certain, Kitt’s cock seemed to really like Austin being around.

  “Nope, not once,” Kitt said, his voice a little deeper since Austin began the intimate massage.

  “Huh.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Just huh, nothing more,” Austin said casually. He’d had more sex with women in his life than with men. As he got older, he needed to be drunker, and even stoned. But honestly, he’d learned to take sex however it was offered. A girl’s ass wasn’t much different than a guy’s, and if he closed his eyes and imagined, he seemed to get through it alright.

  “I couldn’t even get it up with a girl. You probably go both ways, right?” Kitt asked.

  “I’m all of a sudden a little ashamed to say yes to you. I prefer men. I need to drink quite a bit to be with a woman, but I do it,” Austin said.

  “Have you been with Cara?” Kitt asked, now looking directly at Austin. The truck slowed almost to a stop.

  “I’m not sure I wanna answer that,” Austin said, looking out the front window.

  “So it’s a yes,” Kitt said, their gazes switching places. He looked out the front window as Austin looked at him.

  “Not recently. Once I decided I was really done with that world, I sobered up, put the drugs down and cleaned myself up. I’ve only been with men since then,” Austin said.

  “How did you work that and keep it quiet?”

  “I wasn’t always discreet. There’re lots of rumors out there. Cara’s good at lying about where I was, on and on.”

  “But she isn’t here if we get caught.”

  “No. But for me, I’ve decided it can’t really affect me anymore. I left that world behind although no one seems to believe me. It’s just the cameras are such a pain in the ass. I need a few years to be out of the picture, prove I’m really retired before I let anyone know. If I ever let anyone know. I want my privacy. I miss my privacy.” Austin said it all again for what felt like the hundredth time in the span of just a few days. He moved his hand back and forth across Kitt’s thigh, finally tucking it back under his leg.

  “I can’t ever come out, Austin. No way this ranchin’ world would ever accept it. It’s like the 1950’s around here. It would ruin everything, and I just can’t have that. I have Lily and my sisters to think about.”

  “No one questions you?” Austin asked.

  “If they do, I never hear it. We’re here.” Kitt brought the truck to a stop at the base of a small ridge. He put it in park, resting one arm on the steering wheel while he hooked his other arm around Austin’s shoulders. He used his thumb to lift Austin’s chin as he leaned in to kiss him. When he pulled away, Kitt slowly opened his eyes.

  “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore. It depresses me. I like what we have right now, and the future doesn’t look so good for either of us. Just know that when you’re ready to go, it’s okay, no hard feelings at all,” Kitt said, looking straight at Austin. Austin leaned forward, kissing Kitt again, swiping his tongue forward this time before he brought his hand up around Kitt’s neck. He pulled him back to deepen the kiss, and drove his tongue forward, dominating the kiss. Beneath his palm, he felt Kitt’s heart pounding in his chest when they broke apart.

  “We need to set up camp,” Kitt whispered still in Austin’s face, searching his eyes with his own.

  “Kitt, I don’t want this to end between us. I feel more alive now than I’ve felt in years. If we have to stay hidden, then so be it, but I want this between us.” Austin realized he gave Kitt no choice but to stay close as he gripped Kitt’s shirt. Kitt nodded, looking at him closely for several long moments before he pulled away and slid out of the truck. Damn how he hated it when Kitt went quiet on him!

  Chapter 11

  They set up camp right on the ridge overlooking the pasture. The night was clear, and the wind blew a mild breeze through the overgrown grass. Tall trees swayed in the distance. The two of them lay spread out on a blanket. A roaring fire flickered just a few feet away, keeping them and the food warm as a mild cool front pushed through the area from the north. Dinner was excellent. They ate small, bite size pieces of food Austin had cooked himself.

  “Here, taste this last bite for me. It’s hot like you like it. It’s a shrimp, jalapeño, bacon something. I found the recipe online.” Austin ran the bite over the peppered jelly before lifting it to Kitt’s mouth. Kitt relaxed on the blanket, his body sprawled out with his head close to Austin’s knee. His standard Bud Light sat close by while Austin opted for wine.

  “I’m gettin' full,” Kitt said, but still opened for the bite. No way he would refuse anything from Austin, especially something he cooked with his own two hands. Kitt chewed and swallowed as Austin leaned in.

  “I got some jelly on the side of your lip,” Austin murmured, leaning further in to swipe the sweet and spicy mix from the corner of his mouth. “Mmm…you taste delicious.”

  “That’s your food you’re tastin’,” Kitt said and leaned up on an elbow to reach for another shrimp.

  “It tastes better on you.” Austin chuckled at the roll of Kitt’s eyes.

  “Whatever! Open up, have you tried it? They’re delicious.” Kitt rose further up to give Austin the bite he just picked out. Austin sucked his fingers in, licked them as Kitt pulled them out.

  “Mmmm…you’re delicious. I think you need to be on the menu.” Austin waggled his eyebrows as the perfect follow up on the cheesy line.

  “You’re a mess, Austin,” Kitt said, as he reached over to grab another bite. He popped it in his mouth before he lay back down on the blanket, looking up at the stars. “I’m glad no storms came with the front. I like us bein’ out here together.”

  “Me, too.” Austin brought another piece of shrimp up for Kitt who ate it easily.

  “We eat too well. You’re gonna get me fat.” Kitt swallowed and lifted up to take a drink of his
beer.

  “Yeah, I don’t think there’s any fear of that. You work way too hard. But you know, it might not be such a bad idea for you to gain a hundred or so pounds. Maybe it’d help my insecure heart not worry about Fisker, or any others coming to steal you away from me,” Austin said absently.

  Kitt cut his eyes directly to Austin. There was a lot of meaning in the words just spoken. He laughed at the funniest thought. “If I gain a hundred pounds, I’m not sure you’ll wanna keep your eye on me, but give me another bite! We can try it and see which theory proves true...” Kitt swiped the shrimp through the jelly before popping it in his mouth.

  Austin just laughed at him. He’d slowly put things away as they were finishing. He moved the shrimp now, keeping it close to Kitt, but making room for himself to lie out beside him. Austin propped his head in his hand. He was at the right angle for Kitt to move in and kiss him softly. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “So this is your favorite place on the planet?” Austin asked.

  “Mm-hmm.” Kitt managed to look out over the darkened pasture. “My dad and I came up here when I was a little boy, before things got so messed up between us. And, my oldest sister sometimes came out here with me when I’d come home to visit. I imagined if I ever got married it would be right here. I would have to plan it perfectly with the wind blowing gently, like this, but in the daylight.” Kitt loved this part of his land. It was in the very back of the property, right along the property line, and he’d spent so much time here throughout his life it felt like his personal sanctuary. Tonight was no different. As he lay there looking out over the pasture, he watched the night. It took him a minute to realize what he’d just said, and he felt the heat creeping up in his cheeks. He tried to cover it as he pushed up on his feet to stoke the fire.

  “I think I was just ensuring I’d never marry. What person in their right mind would agree to have a wedding out here?” Kitt chuckled. He tried to make light of the thought, adding logs to the fire. As he worked, Austin unrolled their sleeping bag.