He turned to look at her. “Are they gonna make me leave? I mean, as far as the law is concerned, I’m nothing to him.”
She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, his distress at the thought of being made to leave was palpable. “As far as this law is concerned, you’re his family. And I’ll make sure they know that.”
She knew about Jake’s family. She and Jake were good friends. He’d told her about his dad, and knew he wouldn’t want him anywhere near this. Or near Ryan. She was probably the only person who Jake had confided in about being gay, and she knew his father would make life miserable for Ryan and Jake.
“Is there anyone you want me to call? Some family or something?”
Ryan just shook his head. “My family lives in Illinois. They would just worry, and I’m fine.” He wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was just sitting there, stroking Jake’s arm, playing with his fingers, brushing his hair off his face.
“Ryan, I have to go and deal with that stupid witch down at the station. I’ll talk to the doctors and nurses and make sure they understand. I’ll be back to check on you guys later, okay?” She patted his shoulder, and when he turned to smile at her in gratitude, she understood Jake’s attraction to him. He had the face of an angel when he smiled. She smiled back and left them alone together.
Ryan finally let out the tears that had been threatening to overwhelm him all night. His chin was resting on his hands, which were still clasped around Jake’s. The tears fell silently, his body shaking in grief and terror as he saw in his mind’s eye the horrifying image of that huge gray horse crashing down on the man he loved.
He heard the door open, and the nurse who had helped him earlier came in. He quickly wiped his face on the sleeve of the sweater she had given him and turned to face her.
“Ryan, we have to take him for the CT scan now. You can wait here, okay? There are a bunch of people in the waiting room, and I’m sure you’re not up to facing them right now.” He smiled at her and watched as she let in an orderly to wheel Jake out. He stood up, kissed Jake gently, and whispered in his ear.
“You have to wake up. I need to tell you something. It’s important!” He kissed him again and watched them roll him out of the room before sinking into the chair. His arm hurt, and he was so fucking tired. There was a knock on the door, and the nurse came in again.
“Ryan, I brought you something for the pain in your arm. And some water. Can I get you anything else? Oh, and my name is Mandy, by the way.”
He shook her hand and took the pills and water she was offering. “Nice to meet you, Mandy, and the only thing I want is Jake, here and awake. How long is it gonna be?”
She looked at her watch. “This time of night? Not too long. About an hour, with waiting and prep time. Try and get some rest.” She noticed he had started shivering again, so she stepped out and came back quickly with a couple of warmed blankets. She put one around his shoulders and one over his lap. There was a little stool beside the bed, so she lifted his feet up on it, making him as comfortable as possible. He looked lost, and she couldn’t help but want to make him feel better.
He sat there, staring into space, and she knew he wouldn’t sleep, but she hoped he would rest. She left him there, and he sat and shivered, waiting for Jake to get back.
Chapter 18
He had been sitting in that chair, beside Jake’s bed, for thirty-three hours. He had barely left to go to the bathroom, and would only leave the room when directly ordered by the doctors or nurses. Then he hovered outside, pacing in front of the door, waiting to be let back in. The tests showed nothing wrong in Jake’s head, so he was just left to wait and wonder.
He had finally given in and phoned his parents, telling them the whole story and breaking down several times before composing himself and assuring them he would be fine and would keep them informed.
He should have known better. Twelve hours after the call, there was a knock on the hospital-room door, and when it opened, he just started sobbing. He was immediately enveloped in the biggest parental hug he had ever experienced. It had been six months since they had met up with him in Kansas City to spend a weekend together, and he had missed everything about them. The strength of his father’s arms helped steady him, and the tenderness of his mother’s kiss on his forehead let him know it was okay to be sad and scared and feel lost.
When he had cried himself out, they found a couple more chairs, then sat and listened while he told them all about Jake and what he had found here. He held Jake’s hand, stroking the strong fingers, remembering how gently they had touched him. He told them about finally feeling like a part of something special again, something he thought he had lost forever when he had felt compelled to leave Galesburg.
They were amazed at the depth of the feeling their son had developed for the handsome man in the bed in just a few days, but they didn’t question it. After all, hadn’t they fallen almost as quickly? So they sat and told Ryan about his brother’s and sister’s school stories, his Gramma Ida’s latest church project, his grandmother Evelyn’s latest antics in the board room, and all the stories about his family that he had missed, being so far from home.
Only, Ryan knew something his parents didn’t yet understand. Ryan was home now. Wherever Jake was, that was going to be home. He just needed Jake to wake up now, so he could tell him.
Ryan sent his parents to their hotel to get some rest, and then sat, talking to Jake quietly before falling asleep, head on Jake’s shoulder, still holding his hand.
The first thing he felt was a gentle tug on his hand. It took him a second to wake up enough to process what was happening. Then it happened again. He lifted his head slowly, turning his gaze to Jake’s face, and was met by sparkling blue eyes looking into his.
“Jake….” It was a whisper. He reached a trembling hand up to touch Jake’s face. The brunet had the biggest smile on his face, but there were tears in his eyes too.
“Baby, what’s the matter?” The hand still in Ryan’s twisted to grip his tightly. Ryan’s free hand was running through the curls on Jake’s head but came down to wipe away the tears that started to fall.
Jake opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry, and he coughed a bit. Ryan quickly reached for a glass of water and held the straw up to Jake’s lips. After the drink, Jake tried again.
“You’re okay. He didn’t hurt you.” The tears were still falling, but slower now.
“I’m fine, Jake, I promise. I’m not the one who had the horse land on him.” He tried to sound stern, but the only thing coming through was relief. He reached down and pushed the call button for the nurse.
“Yes, Ryan?” Mandy’s voice was tinny on the intercom.
“Mandy, could you please let Dr. Martinez know that Jake is awake?”
“Well, isn’t that a bit of pleasant news!” Ryan could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll let him know right away. Should I make those other calls as well?”
“Yes, please, and thanks, Mandy.” He saw Jake’s questioning look. “You have a lot of people worried about you, Mr. Evans. She’s just going to let them know you’re awake.”
Ryan couldn’t take it anymore and leaned down to gently kiss Jake, smiling at the way Jake tried to deepen it.
“Behave yourself, stud. That doctor is going to be walking in here any second. You don’t want to embarrass yourself.”
“Don’t care. Just want to kiss you some more.” He sounded almost as petulant as Ryan in the middle of a full-on Andrews snark.
“We’ll get our chance. When I get you home, I’m gonna show you how grateful I am that you’re alright.”
“I’m going to hold you to that. In fact, I’m just going to hold you.”
Ryan smiled happily, tears in his eyes, just running his hand over Jake’s hair and face and arms.
The doctor came in then, and he asked Ryan to leave while he examined Jake, and he did, reluctantly. He had been standing outside the room for about ten minutes when he heard the sound of
footsteps. He looked up into the beaming faces of his parents, and the hug they shared this time was full of joy. When the doctor came out a few minutes later, he told them that Jake seemed fine, there were no real injuries, but they were going to keep him for another night, just for observation. Ryan could imagine Jake’s reaction to that.
He pushed open the door and peeked in. Jake’s face was dark and unhappy, but as soon as he saw Ryan, it was like the sun coming out.
“Jake, there’s someone here to meet you, okay?”
He nodded, curious. When they walked in, Jake knew who they were right away. The woman had Ryan’s eyes, and the man looked at Ryan with such pride.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.”
Ryan grinned at his parents’ surprise.
“Your son has your eyes, ma’am.”
“Well, this seems unnecessary now, but, Jake Evans, meet Jim and Beth Andrews. They flew out from Galesburg to check up on me.”
“Geez, Ryan, how long have I been out of it?”
“About three days!”
“Three days…? I gotta get out of here, the horses….” He started struggling to get up.
“Whoa, slow down, cowboy, you’re not going anywhere. Ben and his boys have been taking care of the horses. They’re fine.”
“What about Smoke?” Leave it to Jake to worry about the horse that had almost killed him.
“He’s fine. Now sit back and relax. I don’t want them keeping you here any longer than necessary, got it?” He crossed his arms and tapped his foot and fixed Jake with his best stern stare.
Jake just grinned. He loved him some bossy Ryan. Let’s face it, he thought. He just loved Ryan, period. Now, the best way to tell him?
Jake spent one more day in the hospital, waiting to go home, getting to know Ryan’s parents. It didn’t take him long to figure out where Ryan’s amazing spirit came from. He loved the way they looked at their boy with so much love.
It was finally time to go home. The Andrewses left, heading home to their other children, who were missing them. There were lots of hugs and forehead kisses, for Ryan and for Jake. When Beth mentioned something about Christmas, Ryan got sad for a minute, and Jake knew that his next mission in life was to get Ryan home for the holidays, for all their sakes.
At last they were gone, and Ryan helped Jake down to the truck. As they left, they passed the huge cookie bouquet Ryan had ordered for the nurses, to thank them for taking such good care of Jake. Mandy smiled, and Ryan was pretty sure he had made a good friend there.
They chatted all the way home, and Ryan could see the happiness in Jake’s face when they pulled up to the house. Of course, he insisted on checking on the horses before giving in to Ryan’s demand that he get in the house and get into bed. Ryan missed the sly smile on his face.
When they got in the house, Ryan followed Jake up the stairs, carrying the bag of clothes and stuff from the hospital. Jake immediately headed for the shower, shedding his clothes along the way. By the time he hit the bathroom door, he was naked, and Ryan’s mouth went dry.
Ryan busied himself putting stuff away and turning down the bed, doing his best to not think about Jake, naked and wet in the shower, when Jake’s voice broke into his daze.
“Hey, Ryan, could you come here? I need your help.”
Ryan headed for the bathroom, concerned. “What’s up, babe—” His voice was cut off by a strong hand gripping his, pulling him under the warm water.
“This.” His hand was brought down to wrap around Jake’s rock-hard cock.
“Oh God, Jake, we shouldn’t.” It was hard to protest with Jake’s tongue in his mouth.
Jake reached for the hem of Ryan’s T-shirt and pulled it off, whining a little at the loss of Ryan’s hand. He attacked Ryan’s mouth again, determined not to give him a chance to think too much.
“I’m fine. Dr. Martinez said so. You heard him.”
“He said you were supposed to get lots of rest.” Ryan’s protestations were not what they should have been. It was hard to think with Jake’s hand sliding below the waistband of his very soggy sweats. When he pushed down, they fell willingly at Ryan’s feet, and he kicked them off.
“I plan on going to bed and staying there all day.” Jake’s voice was a growl in his ear as he nuzzled into Ryan’s neck. “Satisfy you?”
Ryan couldn’t fight it anymore. He didn’t want to. “Oh yeah!” He slid both arms around Jake’s waist, loving the feeling of his warm, wet skin under his fingers.
Jake grabbed his hips and pulled them together from knees to chest, gasping at the feeling of their cocks sliding together.
They kissed for what seemed like hours, Ryan’s heart overflowing with happiness that this gorgeous man was alive and well and apparently desperate to make love to him.
Jake knew how close he had come to losing Ryan. If that horse had landed on him, the outcome would have been grim. He pulled him closer, determined to keep him safe forever. He leaned back and pushed the hair out of Ryan’s eyes, so he could see them. He needed to tell him.
Ryan could have stood there looking at Jake’s face all day and been happy doing it. He had one hand on Jake’s chest, and he could feel his heart beating under his palm, and he was so grateful. He needed to tell him.
“Jake, I….”
“Ryan, I….”
They ended up saying it together. “I love you!” They stood there, looking at each other in shock and amusement for a second before leaning in for a kiss that was loving and tender, both of them conveying their feelings with something so simple.
Jake reached back and shut off the water, then grabbed a towel off the rack. He dried Ryan and then himself before wrapping Ryan in his arms and walking him backward into the bedroom.
Chapter 19
Ryan let Jake steer him toward the bed, pushing himself as close to him as possible without tripping him. When Ryan felt the back of his knees hit the bed, he let go of Jake’s neck to get on it, being careful of Jake’s sore muscles.
He scooted back up the bed toward the pillows, and his breath was taken away by the predatory gleam in Jake’s eyes as he crawled after Ryan. When his hands reached Ryan’s ankles, he ran them up his legs, over his hips, across his stomach, never stopping the exploring that was really him worshipping the body of the man he loved.
He settled himself in the vee of Ryan’s legs, one hand on his hip, the other supporting his weight. Ryan’s hands touched him everywhere, and they were both aware of the fact that they could have lost everything that night. It made everything sharper and richer, made every touch more intense, every kiss full of gratitude.
As their eyes met, their hearts swelled, and Ryan’s hands came up to pull Jake down to fully rest his weight on him, needing the weight of him, needing every inch to touch, so he could remind himself that Jake was still there, alive, unhurt, and he wasn’t alone again.
Jake closed his eyes for a moment and saw horse’s legs flying, heading toward Ryan, and he shuddered. He had come so close, and he was pretty sure that Ryan had no idea how close he came to being severely injured, or even killed. He wouldn’t tell him. He had an idea that Ryan would be pissed if he knew that Jake had deliberately sacrificed himself to save him. And a pissed-off Ryan would not be nearly as fun right now. That thought made him smile, and he opened his eyes to see that smile reflected back at him. It was breathtaking.
He dove in and captured Ryan’s lower lip between his teeth, causing him to gasp before growling and biting back. They couldn’t seem to touch each other enough, and they were both thrusting against each other. Jake guessed that long and slow was gonna have to wait till next time.
Ryan loved how Jake felt stretched out across him, but he had other ideas for today. He wanted Jake to take it easy, as much as possible, so he had a plan. Or as much of a plan as he could have when confronted by his naked, very aroused boyfriend.
“I want you to fuck me, Jake. I need to feel you inside me.” He reached up to suck an earlobe between his te
eth and bit down, just a little. He felt Jake’s cock twitch, and it made him roll his hips, grinding them together.
Jake reached for the drawer, grabbing the supplies he needed before turning his full attention back to the writhing man under him. He kissed his way down Ryan’s body, paying attention to all the sensitive spots he’d discovered and discovering a few more. The tender crease where thigh meets torso made Ryan squirm in pleasure when Jake nuzzled his nose there and took a deep breath, the smell of Ryan overwhelming him. He ignored Ryan’s throbbing cock and slid his mouth down to taste between his thighs. He had something he wanted to try, but he wasn’t sure Ryan would let him.
He slid his hands up behind Ryan’s knees, pushing them up and out, exposing more of Ryan to his ministrations. He kissed down the very sensitive and slightly ticklish skin of Ryan’s inner thigh before leaning down to kiss the sensitive skin behind his balls. This coaxed a shocked moan from Ryan’s throat, and Jake loved how it sounded. He wanted more. He reached out his tongue and used it to slide along the soft skin that led back to that tempting pink pucker.
“Oh God, Jake, what…?” But his words were cut off when Jake’s tongue passed over that sensitive muscle. Ryan cried out in pleasure and instinctively grabbed his own legs, pulling back, leaving Jake’s hands free for more interesting things. He used his hands to pull Ryan’s ass cheeks further apart and opened Ryan with his tongue, seeing what would make the most delicious noise come from him. Ryan was almost sobbing in pleasure, and when Jake’s hand slid down his cock, it was too much for him. He came with a shout, shaking so hard Jake thought he was gonna break.
He licked his way back up Ryan’s body, cleaning the sticky mess off of his stomach and chest with his tongue, loving the taste of him. Once Ryan had control over his movements again, he anxiously pulled Jake up so he could kiss him.
“You surprised me with that one, Evans.”
Cowboy Way Page 10