He didn’t wait for any more arguments. He kissed Trace on the lips and got out of bed before the man he was so attracted to could deepen the kiss. Xavi knew if Trace really wanted to seduce him, he would end up staying the night.
As he left the room, he could feel those light-blue eyes watching him.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Xavi found himself seated at a huge dining room table in the big house, surrounded by a whole bunch of good-looking cowboys. He already knew Adam and, of course, Ms. Lucy. He had also been introduced right away to Graham and his partner Tyler Hayward. He had liked Graham right away and had managed to even say hello to him. But all of his words disappeared when he saw Tyler Hayward. Did he mention he had met Tyler Hayward? Tyler Hayward, the professional baseball player, Tyler Hayward. He had stood there with his mouth hanging open, just staring at the man, until Trace used his finger to close his mouth. Xavi would have been embarrassed, but he was now sitting at the breakfast table with Tyler Hayward.
“Hey, Trace, I think your assistant is crushing on the boss’s partner,” Adam teased.
“You’re just mad because he isn’t falling for your charms, Casanova,” Trace said.
“Knock it off, guys,” Graham interrupted. “Everyone, this is Xavi. He is Trace’s new assistant. I expect you to all to show him how we do things at the Crazy Angle. If you need anything, Xavi, don’t be afraid to ask.”
Xavi nodded at Graham and hoped it was enough. He was about two seconds away from bolting out the door.
“Welcome, Xavi, I’m Callum. I take care of all the horses on the ranch here and at the other ranches in the surrounding area. If you see any of the horses having problems, you let me know.” The big blond smiled warmly at Xavi, his blue eyes friendly.
Xavi nodded and said, “Hi.”
Trace turned towards him, looking at him in surprise. Then he casually put his arm on the back of Xavi’s chair.
“Now that we all acknowledge that Trace has staked his claim, I’d like to say hi, Xavi. I’m Zaiden, and I take care of the fields and the garden. Hope you enjoy working at the Crazy Angle as much as the rest of us do.”
Xavi couldn’t get over how big all of these men were. Zaiden was huge, with short, red hair and pale-blue eyes that were now sparkling with humor at Trace’s antics. He was also covered in freckles. Xavi could see that Zaiden was one of those redheads that didn’t tan, only gained a few more freckles from the sun.
“Hi.” Xavi nodded at Zaiden and received a nod back from the redhead.
Xavi thought he was doing okay so far until he looked at the last man he needed to greet. Holy crap on a cracker, the guy was by far the biggest man at the table. Heck, he was bigger than any man Xavi had ever seen. Trace had told him he was six foot five inches tall, but this guy had Trace beat. He had short brown hair, muscles that strained the seams of his T-shirt and the most piercing green eyes.
“I’m Nolan. I take care of the machinery,” Nolan said, his voice a deep baritone.
Nolan didn’t say anything else, and Xavi realized, as he looked at him, that they both shared the painful affliction of shyness. Their eyes met and each nodded at one another in understanding.
“Okay guys, let’s eat.” Ms. Lucy set a huge platter filled with bacon and sausage down on the table. Seconds later, she brought in another platter filled with eggs. A couple more trips and there were hash browns, pancakes and more being passed around the table.
The rest of the breakfast went well. Then Xavi went with Graham and Adam into the office and discussed ranch procedures and also reviewed all the paperwork he had to fill out. Although, it was more like they talked, and he nodded. Xavi took comfort in Trace never leaving his side throughout the whole ordeal. For a while, Xavi thought Graham was going to tell him to get off the ranch, because he was so stupid and couldn’t even talk to him. But he didn’t. Both Graham and Adam were patient and tried their best to make him feel at ease during the meeting. Xavi knew Trace must have told them about his problem.
Xavi spent the rest of the day getting to know the layout of the ranch and the horses. Trace wasn’t shoeing any horses today, having decided to give his bruised leg a little more time to heal. Instead, he gave Xavi a tour of the granary and the tack room. Then they went into the largest barn, going from stall to stall and meeting each of the horses.
In the attached arena, Xavi enjoyed watching Tyler work with a young colt, getting the horse used to the feel of human hands running over its back, legs, and hoofs. Xavi was impressed. He could see that the colt was reacting well to Tyler’s ministrations. While they were there, a beautiful orange golden retriever came over and stuck his cold nose into Xavi’s hand. That was how Xavi met Barney. Xavi instantly fell in love with Barney, who washed his face with doggy kisses and wagged his tail so hard he almost fell over.
Next, Trace took Xavi over to the fouling barn and Xavi enjoyed watching the babies’ antics. Most people loved the fouling barn, with all of the newborns that were so cute and innocent. Xavi liked it, too, but personally, his heart belonged to the big geldings. They were the ones that pulled the fancy wagons and competed in contests to see who could pull the heaviest weights. Those were the horses that always claimed Xavi’s heart.
“Would you like to go for a ride on the four-wheeler and see some of the property?” Trace asked.
“Sure, that sounds like fun,” Xavi answered.
The next thing Xavi knew, he was holding onto Trace’s waist for dear life as they went down trails only Trace could see. Xavi decided that Trace had only one speed in his brain, and that was “bat out of hell.” After an hour of the scenery flying by, Trace finally slowed down and parked the four-wheeler in a grove of trees, next to a good-sized pond.
“We use this pond for swimming and fishing. Sometimes everyone comes down here in the evening and we swim. Afterward, we break out the beer and build a campfire.” Trace pointed to a circle of blackened rocks, which held the remnants of ashes in its center.
“That sounds like fun.” Xavi climbed off of the four-wheeler and stood looking at the pond, trying to give his cock a few moments to settle down. Xavi hadn’t been afraid of the wild ride Trace had just given him. He had liked it and the side effect was his current hard-on.
“Xavi, why don’t you come over here for a minute?”
Xavi turned and found Trace leaning against the four-wheeler with his legs slightly spread and lust burning in his eyes. Today he was wearing a dark T-shirt with the sleeves cut off and faded jeans that Xavi could see were struggling to contain a raging hard-on.
* * * *
Trace watched Xavi slowly walk towards him. With each step he took, his hips gave a little twist. That twist was like catnip for Trace, and he was ready to pounce. His attraction to Xavi was growing steadily, as well as other feelings that he wasn’t ready to think about.
When Xavi got close enough, Trace reached out and cupped his hand around the back of Xavi’s neck and pulled him in between his legs. He tilted his hand a little and brought their lips together. Gathering Xavi up against his body, he pressed his tongue between Xavi’s lips, tasting his sweet mouth. Trace felt Xavi pull the band from his hair and bury his finger through the strands, pulling them a little, causing Trace to become even more excited.
Trace broke the kiss and looked into Xavi’s beautiful gray eyes. “Suck me.”
Xavi didn’t hesitate. He immediately dropped to his knees and opened Trace’s jeans. He pulled the jeans and underwear down a few inches until Trace’s granite-hard cock popped out. Then he stopped and stared.
Trace knew he was big. Hell, he was a big man everywhere. For a second, he thought he had finally scared Xavi away, until he saw Xavi slowly lick his lips. Then Xavi leaned forward and lick the bead of pre-cum off the head of Trace’s cock. Without hesitation, he took Trace’s cock into his mouth and started sucking.
Trace couldn’t contain his groan when Xavi pulled slightly away and licked the underside. Then Xavi again sucked T
race’s cock into his mouth as far as it would go. Xavi’s hand crept around the base and started twisting it as he fucked Trace’s cock with his mouth. Trace just about came when Xavi started humming and groaning, all the while sucking him in deeper and deeper.
Trace lost it. He grabbed Xavi’s head and took control, plunging into his mouth with deep, hard strokes. He would have worried he was hurting the smaller man, but Xavi opened his mouth as wide as he could and tipped his head, letting Trace in even deeper.
Trace felt Xavi burrow his hand into the opening of his jeans and gently hold and roll his balls. That was all it took for Trace to come, spraying jet after jet into Xavi’s mouth and down his throat. Xavi kept sucking until Trace’s thrusts lessened, and then he licked Trace clean.
Trace took a moment to catch his breath. He was not a selfish man, and soon pulled Xavi up to his feet to take care of his need. With a flick of his fingers, Trace had Xavi’s zipper down and was palming the hard, slim prick inside. It only took a few strokes until Xavi whimpered and covered his hand with cum. Trace held Xavi in his arms until they both calmed down. Then Trace’s lips met Xavi’s, allowing some of the feelings that were rapidly growing to bleed into the kiss.
* * * *
A few weeks later
It was right after breakfast one morning and Xavi was busy in the barn, setting up Trace’s equipment so they could shoe Aces today. Out of all of the forty-plus horses on the Crazy Angle, Aces was Xavi’s favorite. Trace was in his workshop and Xavi knew he would be down to the barn soon. Xavi took pride in always making sure everything was just right.
The last couple of weeks had been a whole new world for Xavi. The men who worked at the Winston ranch had been friendly enough, but the people who lived on the Crazy Angle were more like a solid family. Everybody worked together and most of all, nobody had a hidden agenda.
Xavi also felt he and Trace were growing closer. They spent most of their nights after the evening meal in the family room at the big house. The room contained a big screen television, a foosball, and a pool table. Outside there was an in-ground pool that everyone enjoyed more nights than not. Sometimes Xavi would curl up with a book in the corner on a huge, overstuffed chair while Trace played pool. Other times, he actually joined in. He was finding that he was comfortable enough around all of the men that he could talk to them and didn’t feel overwhelmed when he was with any of them.
Later in the evening, they would walk back to the farmhouse and always ended up in Trace’s room. Xavi could admit that he loved sucking Trace’s cock. And every night, that’s what he did. Sometimes he came at the same time as Trace and sometimes, Trace’s hand brought him relief. They also spent a lot of time giving each other blowjobs at the same time.
Trace wanted more from him, Xavi knew this. But he wasn’t ready. Trace was a big man, with big hungers, in all the areas of his life. He could tell that there were times when Trace was reining in some of his wild side. Xavi knew he could handle the bad boy, but he had to admit he, too, was holding back part of himself.
Every night Trace asked him to stay and every night Xavi answered, “Not tonight.”
From the other side of the barn, Xavi heard the heavy hoof steps of a horse coming down the aisle. Xavi looked up to see Stan leading Aces to the cross ties in the shoeing area. Graham hired Stan, who lived in a nearby town, part-time when the ranch needed the extra help. Xavi found he was pretty good with the horses and did a decent job at whatever he was asked to do. He also was the most flaming gay man Xavi had ever met. That didn’t bother Xavi at all. The way he figured it, people were who they were. What did bother him about Stan was that he wanted Trace and didn’t make a secret of it.
Xavi went over to Aces and started rubbing his neck and feeding him a piece of carrot out of his pocket. The big Belgian gelding nuzzled his shoulder playfully.
“Hey, Xavi, is Trace going to be down soon?” Stan asked.
Xavi nodded. He watched as the man in his neon pink T-shirt and fashionably torn jeans started rearranging the box of tools Xavi had just brought into the area.
“You know, it’s too bad you’re so quiet. It must really be hard not to be able to say what you want.” Stan had moved on to finding and picking up Trace’s protective leather apron. Many a day had Xavi envisioned Trace wearing nothing but that apron. Stan had about two seconds to put the apron down before Xavi was going to physically make him put it down. And then he was going to make him put the tools back where they were supposed to be.
Trace walked into the barn to see Aces shifting around nervously and Xavi absently rubbing his neck. There was a pinched look on his face and he was glaring daggers at one of the part-time helpers. Trace didn’t like that Xavi was so close to the huge animal and not paying attention to its actions. That was an accident waiting to happen.
“Xavi, watch what you’re doing,” he ordered. Xavi looked at him in surprise and then turned his attention back to Aces, calming the horse down. Trace noticed Xavi’s face was now flushed and the pinched look was even more pronounced.
“Oh Trace, you’re looking so fine today. I’ve checked everything to make sure it’s just the way you like it. Here’s your apron, let me help you with it.” Trace remembered the part-timer now. Stan had been a pain in his ass since the man had started at the Crazy Angle last year. Trace didn’t mind the neon T-shirts, but Stan’s constant yakking drove him nuts. Shit, it was going to be a long day.
Stan came over to Trace holding the apron up with both hands ready to put it over his head. When he was close enough, Trace grabbed the apron and slid it over his head, while he sidestepped Stan and walked past him. Did that stop the blabbing man? No, it didn’t.
“Trace, I was so impressed with the way Becky’s shoes fit her. No one can shoe a horse like you. I think you should give classes, you know just….”
Trace blocked out the rest of the man’s yammering. He’d rather concentrate on the clearly irritated man who was feeding Aces another piece of carrot. Somehow, he had to figure out how to get Xavi into his bed and keep him there.
Trace went over and let Aces smell his hand, and then rubbed his nose. “You having a good day today, big boy?” he murmured to the gelding. “We’ll get those hoofs fixed and you’ll feel so much better.” Trace always got acquainted with each horse he was about to shoe. These gigantic beauties needed to be calm when he was practically underneath them, messing around with their feet.
Trace smiled down at Xavi and was ignored, which he didn’t like. But Stan was still yakking away and he couldn’t ask Xavi what his problem was. Trace moved to the horse’s side and got into position. He then picked up the shoe stand, setting it where it needed to be, and lifted Aces’s hoof onto it.
Trace reached for a little pair of pliers and it wasn’t in the side section like it always was. The way he was crouched over with the horses leg between his, there wasn’t a lot of maneuvering he could do. He had grown used to Xavi having everything just the way he liked it and had gotten to the point where he didn’t even have to look for a tool anymore. He just automatically reached for it.
“Xavi, where’s the pliers?” Trace asked.
“Oh, Trace, I’ll get them for you,” Stan said.
“No, Stan, you hold Aces. Xavi, get over here and find my pliers,” Trace ordered.
Xavi was immediately by his side. After searching through the toolbox, he found the pliers and handed them to Trace.
After a few minutes of working the horse’s metal shoe loose, Trace reached for the rasp. Much to his irritation, it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. What the hell?
“Xavi, I need the rasp.”
Trace could hear the clink of tools being moved around and then the rasp was put in his outstretched hand. All through the shoeing of Ace’s hoof, Trace had to ask for each tool he needed. By the time he was done, he was irritated as hell. It didn’t help that Stan kept up his nonstop chatter. Every once in a while Stan would stop holding Aces’s halter and move to Trace’s side,
asking him something, while touching his back or shoulder.
Trace finished the one hoof and stood up. “Stan, take a break. Xavi, come with me.”
Trace didn’t wait to see if Xavi followed him into the tack room. When he got there, he turned to confront his assistant that hadn’t done his job.
“Xavi, I hired you to have my tools ready. What the hell is going on?”
Trace had to duck when a grooming brush whipped past his head. He caught a glimpse of the furious look on Xavi’s face, before he grabbed a curry comb off the shelf and pitched it at him. That one missed Trace’s ear by a hair.
“You want to know why your tools aren’t where they’re supposed to be?” Xavi shouted. “Mr. Hot Pink Shirt messed them all up right before you got to the barn!”
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Trace ducked another comb that sailed right past his shoulder.
“What! What should I stop him from doing? Running his grubby hands all over you? Stop him from giving you all those compliments?” Xavi’s voice became high-pitched as he started mimicking Stan. “Oh, Trace, your shoulders are so wide. Oh, Trace, your hair is so shiny. Oh, Trace, I want to suck your dick.”
Trace had had enough of Xavi’s temper tantrum, especially when a finishing brush hit him square in the chest. With a roar, he ran at Xavi and lifted the man up against the door. He made sure Xavi was face-to-face with him and looking him right in the eye.
“You listen to me, you little punk. You are my assistant and are responsible for my tools. No one touches them but you and me. As for sucking my dick, let me make it crystal clear right now. You are the only one sucking my dick.” Trace ordered, “Now get that tight ass of yours onto the four-wheeler parked outside and wait for me. Now.”
Trace let Xavi slide down until his feet touched the ground and watched in satisfaction as the smaller man rushed out of the room. Taking his time, so his temper could cool, he walked out of the tack room
Xavi's Wild Ride [The Men of the Crazy Angle Ranch 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 4