Luke

by Jan Irving

  “No, Doc, it’s not,” Luke growled, on surer ground now, even if it felt like a skim of ice over too deep water. He swallowed, and his fingers reached for Morgan’s as they stood on opposite sides of the open doorway; at the last moment, he let his own fall. But then he moved closer so his breath brushed Morgan’s lips. “Don’t keep closing your door and leaving me on the outside. I know our schedules are fucked. I know I fucked up a lot in the past with my one-nighters, but don’t lock me out anymore, Doc.”

  Morgan studied him, blue eyes calm and mysterious as the starlight over the lakeside. What was he thinking?

  Luke swallowed again, since his throat was already dry.

  “I want you for a lover.” He flushed, but held Morgan’s gaze.

  “Doc, show me….”

  This time when he put his hand out, Morgan took it, and Luke knew it would be okay.

  “IT’S beef stew,” Luke said, shrugging as if the meal he’d procured was no big deal, but he was watching Morgan closely for signs that he liked it. “I didn’t make it, and I’m sorry I couldn’t get you something fancier.” What would be fancier, Luke didn’t know exactly. “It was on special in the diner and Gina said it had the right vegetables for her theme.”

  Morgan’s lips twitched, and Luke colored when Morgan took a sip of his wine—red, thank fuck—and looked over his shoulder at the waiting bed, made up with pressed white sheets and also decorated with ivy and pinecones. The women had gone a little overboard, so it resembled a wedding bed, but everything felt significant somehow, like sign left on a trail. Luke just didn’t know where it led.

  But he wanted to.

  “Luke, when Jess got sick, I found myself worrying it was meningitis,” Morgan admitted. “And I never do that before diagnosing a patient.”

  “You were scared too?” Somehow, that seemed important.

  “Yeah.” Morgan put his fork down, having apparently enjoyed his stew. Luke had been too nerved up to eat much himself, like a groom at his own wedding. “I think this is the first time we’ve ever been alone together. Without Jess, I mean.”

  Luke got up from the table and walked to the window, looking outside at the forlorn trees holding rags of leaves.

  What had seemed almost magical earlier had evaporated like a soap bubble. What was he doing? Maybe Morgan was right… impulsive. He’d never been with another man. Could he please him?

  He started when Morgan wrapped his arms around him from behind, but then the steady heartbeat and lean body and rasp of Morgan’s beard against the skin of his neck settled him. Weird. He’d never thought he could feel—

  “I’m a little nervous,” Morgan confessed.

  “Yeah!” Luke breathed out a laugh. Morgan felt that way too? “At least you’ve been here before.”

  Morgan’s blue eyes were solemn. “No, I really think I haven’t.”

  Luke’s throat tightened. “I want it nice. I want to make it nice for you….”

  “Just kiss me the way you did that first time,” Morgan asked, his eyes on Luke’s lips, and then Luke cupped his face and bent down and met Morgan warmly, caressing him with his tongue. He moaned at tasting him, pulling him closer.

  His erection ground against Morgan’s, nudging, and there was no guessing now. He knew he was wanted. His hands cupped Morgan’s ass, squeezing, and then Morgan gave a little leap, almost like he was mounting Luke’s horse again….

  Luke crashed against the side of the wall and some of the decorations clattered to the floor. He gasped out a laugh, Morgan’s legs hooked around his hips. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m a bottom, well, mostly,” Morgan whispered, blue eyes roaming Luke’s face until they ground together again, perfect, and Morgan’s head fell back. “So I’m doing what comes naturally.”

  Luke felt another moment of uncertainty prickle his spine and mix with the cocktail of wanting to just rut himself against Morgan again. Oh, yeah, spill his come on his legs, his penis, and look into his eyes and know that he belonged to Luke alone. But he was supposed to be the one to…?

  Morgan hooked a leg higher and Luke spun around so Morgan was lodged half on the wall, half on a side table under the window. A lamp fell, rolled, and the cabin was abruptly a little darker.

  Morgan’s hands cupped Luke’s neck, his eyes promising—

  Luke’s breath panted a rapid tattoo against Morgan’s skin as he reached down and freed himself while Morgan pushed down his own jeans so they sagged.

  “Condom?” Morgan prompted.

  “In my pocket, Doc,” Luke said, but he needed to press himself against Morgan’s groin again. He wanted to rub his cock there, dominate Morgan….

  Morgan fumbled, touching more than Luke’s pocket so Luke thought he’d shoot in the other man’s hand. Oh, God.

  He wanted Morgan all the time now. He’d wanted him the first time lightning had hit him in the mission, meeting his eyes, though he hadn’t been ready to process it then, and now he wanted him when he was rocking Jess in his arms, listening to Morgan talk about his day, and he wanted him when they went riding and got soaked in the rain, so he imagined pulling him down to the mud and climbing him—

  “Here,” Morgan offered, but Luke dropped it.

  “Shit!”

  “It’s all right.” Morgan’s eyes were dilated so that the black iris only left a thin rim of blue, seeming to swallow Luke’s reflection.

  “Doc….” Luke found the goddamned thing, but he couldn’t get it on himself. Fuck! He’d been putting them on for years, but he was shaking so hard—

  Morgan rolled it on, hands competent, smooth, though he was also panting. “It’s lubed,” he said.

  Lubed. That meant…. One of Morgan’s legs was up on his shoulder and the table was trembling like it would fall like the lamp, but he needed to fuck, needed to fuck Morgan, and he positioned himself and pushed, sweat running down his back. Slow? He had to… he couldn’t just use the other man like a stallion.

  Morgan hissed and his hands clenched on Luke’s arms, locking him in place, and Luke didn’t know if he was doing this right, but Morgan’s hot tight body was fitting him snug, milking his cock. The table wobbled and they slid to the floor, and Luke pressed Morgan so his back was against the wall, but he couldn’t… gravity made it awkward, Morgan still sliding…. Luke lifted him with desperate hands, digging into his ass, hammering into him at a shallow angle because it was the only goddamned angle he had, and Morgan growled out a curse as if Luke had touched on something that really made him live. Morgan’s arms were around him, and Luke had meant to make love to him, but this was fucking.

  “Morgan, take it!”

  “Luke!” Morgan’s body tightened and jerked and then Luke felt hot jizz splash his skin where his T-shirt was shoved aside and he pressed his lips against Morgan’s as he spent inside him, nailing him against the wall….

  LUKE’S ankle throbbed, swollen in his boot, and he stared at his hand, which was fisted possessively in Morgan’s twisted T-shirt. He blinked, damp in places, chilling, hard floor, sore knees, and his face stung since he’d kissed someone who had beard shadow.

  He jolted away, but Morgan was there with him, completely there, as if he’d been waiting, and his eyes were serene as he smoothed a hand down Luke’s cheek.

  “So much for ambiance, cowboy,” Morgan drawled. “I think you broke me for the saddle.”

  “What? Really?” Luke stiffened, trying to untangle, but sticky and Morgan’s legs were practically around his neck in some kind of fucking yoga position and all Luke wanted to do was melt his body into Morgan’s.

  “Oh, yeah,” Morgan whispered, and Luke blushed, self-conscious now that he’d finished ramming into the other man like a spring bull.

  “I guess it’s nothing like what you’d… no culture or foreign films.”

  “Just someone who wanted me the way I’ve never been wanted before,” Morgan agreed, smiling faintly, blue eyes heavy and satisfied. “Are you all right?” His brow wrinkled in conce
rn.

  “I want to stay here with you and Jess until spring,”

  Luke blurted. “Can we, Doc?” He wanted to ask if they could stay the next year… or more, but spring seemed less intimidating, a smaller jump to take.

  Morgan was up now, wobbly, reaching for one of the linen napkins to rub off his spunk from his body… and Luke’s. “Oops, dropped it,” he said, kneeling, but his face was between Luke’s spread legs and he pressed it against Luke’s thigh, nuzzling him with open lips. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “You’ll get fucked again, doing that,” Luke warned. He swallowed; Morgan’s words…. He guessed that meant he could stay.

  Morgan’s eyes glinted.

  But Luke’s BlackBerry buzzed from their dining table and Luke reached for it, sighing but not surprised. “Jess won’t settle.”

  “No, she’s used to us both putting her to bed,” Morgan agreed, also not surprised. He kissed Luke’s leg and then climbed to his feet, finishing wiping away their spill more briskly. Both men pulled up their jeans, Luke raking a still-trembling hand through his hair.

  “I heard what you said, Doc,” Luke said. He cleared his throat. “I guess two men can… love each other.” Say it. Tell him.

  But Morgan’s eyes said he knew already. And then the Blackberry buzzed again and the message read For God’s sake, get back here! It’s too early for Jess to be teething, right???

  “We didn’t get to use the fancy bed,” Luke lamented as they both left the cabin, closing the door behind them.

  “It’ll keep, cowboy,” Morgan said, putting a hand in Luke’s back pocket and squeezing his ass.

  Luke smiled, feeling that. “Let’s put our girl to bed,” he said.

  Epilogue

  “SHHHHH, Jessie girl,” Morgan whispered. Although he was focused on settling the baby in his arms, he was aware of the whispers behind him in Sylvan’s mission church. Morgan was here, Jessica’s biological mother and sometime baby sitter, Zelda, was here… the church was in fact packed with neighbors and friends and patients, all here at sundown to attend little Jessica’s christening with the two men who were raising her.

  The only one conspicuously absent was Luke, Morgan’s cowboy lover.

  “I’m sure it’s the usual stuff: one of the new foals needs the vet, or….” Gena shrugged, standing near Reverend Doyle as they waited on Luke. “If it’s not you I have to hold dinner for some nights, it’s Luke.”

  Morgan sighed. “I know.” Ever since Luke had taken Morgan at his word and started up his trail-riding business, he’d been working like a man possessed. He’d called in favors from the other operations he’d worked for, getting advice, renting horses, and hiring two experienced hands.

  And Luke also had to go out with the tenderfoot tourists and guide them through the foothills, giving them a taste of real Western life.

  “He’ll be here. He’s very responsible!” Zelda added. “Just like you, Morgan.”

  Morgan hid a grin. Yes, he and Luke took their responsibilities very seriously: Morgan to his patients and to Jess and Luke, and Luke to his new business and his lover and child. But even when they were stiff with exhaustion, once they were under Morgan’s handmade quilt, Luke was definitely hot to explore lovemaking with Morgan. And he especially enjoyed making love to him on the trail rides they went on together when they could cobble together the time.

  The mission door banged open, and a perspiring Luke ran into the church. There was a cough from the pews that sounded like a stifled laugh. Luke flushed, yanking off his cowboy hat and hitting his chaps to knock off some of the dust, which were also crusted with mud. His fawn-colored hair was sticking to his neck in sweaty ringlets, but his labradorite gaze, those compelling blues and greens that had ensnared Morgan the first time he saw Luke here in the mission, went right to Morgan.

  Their gaze held, and feeling built like wood stacked for a bonfire.

  Then Luke took a deep breath and gave a rueful half-smile before walking more sedately to where Morgan and Jess waited.

  “Hey, Doc,” he drawled. “Sorry I’m late.” He reached out and touched Jessica’s yellow christening gown in awe.

  “Whew! She looks like a porcelain flower. I’m almost afraid to touch her.”

  “She was waiting for her daddy,” Morgan said softly.

  “Look, before we do this….” Luke huffed out a breath, color touching his tanned cheeks. “I was never one to ask for help.” He faltered, and Morgan knew Luke was remembering the first night they’d met, when the desperate cowboy had come to the mission.

  “I know, Luke,” Morgan said, wanting his lover to know he understood. “But it was more than you who found what you needed that night.”

  Luke swallowed thickly, staring into Morgan’s eyes, and Morgan could read the love there. Sometimes, deep in the night, Luke whispered the words against Morgan’s skin.

  Luke put his arm around Morgan and Jessie. “Well, all right then, Doc.”

  About the Author

  JAN IRVING has worked in all kinds of creative fields, from painting silk to making porcelain ceramics, to interior design, but writing was always her passion.

  She feels you can’t fully understand characters until you follow their journey through a story world. Many kinds of worlds interest her, fantasy, historical, science fiction and suspense—but all have one thing in common, people finding a way to live together—in the most emotional and erotic fashion possible, of course!

  Visit Jan’s blog at http://jan-revealed.livejournal.com.

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  Luke ©Copyright Jan Irving, 2010

  Published by

  Dreamspinner Press

  4760 Preston Road

  Suite 244-149

  Frisco, TX 75034

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art by Dan Skinner/Cerberus Inc. cerberusinc@hotmail.com

  Cover Design by Mara McKennen

  This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

  Released in the United States of America

  June 2010

  eBook Edition

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-563-0