Skipping Stones

by D. J. Manly

  Leo wrapped his hand around his cock. His eyes closed. He licked his lips, went to his knees. He pressed his lips against his shaft, licked his balls, and Reed's hand squeezed his shoulder hard as he groaned. "Yes, go on. Go on, Leo. Shit."

  Leo sucked his balls into his mouth, feeling his hard cock brush his cheek. Sweet. God, so sweet, so damn beautiful, every inch of him, and he tasted like heaven.

  "Um...yeah...stop," he urged. "Stop."

  Leo looked up at him.

  Reed dropped to his knees. He pushed him back on the floor, opened the tube of cream, spread his fingers with it, and slicked his own cock with it.

  Leo watched him. It was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen, his cock glistening with a mix of cream and come.

  Reed spread Leo's legs. He leaned over him, his dark hair in his eyes. He kissed his mouth again, then his throat as he rubbed his creamy fingertips over Leo's hard nipples and then licked at them. Leo moved his hips up off the floor, and moaned.

  "You have great nipples," he whispered. "Sensitive."

  "Connected to my cock." Leo grunted.

  "Here?" Reed asked, stroking his shaft.

  "Yeah, oh yeah." Leo closed his eyes.

  A greased finger dipped up into his ass. Leo made a pleasurable sound in his throat.

  "Roll over on your stomach."

  Leo did so willingly.

  One of Reed's strong arms pulled him to his knees. "Oh, baby, you're so hot." He nuzzled his neck, one hand pinched his nipple, the other played with his cock slowly.

  "Oh God." Leo let his head go back.

  The finger went back into his ass as Reed continued to play with his cock, handle his balls, and kiss his neck, nibble his earlobe.

  Two fingers were now up inside his ass, deeper and hooking until they found what they sought.

  "Goddamn it," Leo cried out.

  "Shush," Reed said softly, bringing his head around so that he could kiss his mouth. "I don't want an audience."

  The fingers continued to do their magic in his ass as come accumulated at the tip of his cock. "Baby," he pleaded.

  "I don't have a condom. I'm clean."

  "Me too...just fuck me. Please, Reed, now."

  "Well, since you asked me so nicely." He growled, withdrawing his fingers and grabbing Leo's hair. He pushed him forward on the floor.

  Leo was breathing hard. Goddamn it. He'd never been this excited before, this hot. Reed was exactly the right kind of wild, his hands gentle yet bold, and with just enough force to make it feel like he was really his.

  "I'm going to fuck your ass, Leo. I going to make you think it's the first time. Your ass is sooooo..." The head of Reed's big cock pressed through the first ring of muscles.

  "Ah," Leo grunted. He squeezed his eyes shut. Reed was a big guy and for a big guy, he knew how to use his cock. There was no pain, a little discomfort, but he moved his body in such a way that his cock fit Leo like a glove. He went deeper, pulling Leo's hair a bit as he did, and Leo licked his lips, balancing his palms on the floor. "Jesus God," he whispered. "Fuck me, do it, do it."

  Reed was inside of him. He seized his hips hard and pulled almost all the way out, then went in again. Within minutes, Reed was fucking his ass hard, riding him, coaxing sounds out of him he'd never heard before, and rocking his body with sensations of pleasure that made him want to scream his lungs out. But he didn't. Instead, he bit into his bottom lip and whimpered softly, slamming his hips back against Reed's cock with violent abandon until Reed's warm cream filled his heated cavity and his hand stroked Leo to release.

  Leo lay on the floor, face first, his breathing labored, sweat in his eyes.

  The warmth of Reed's body left him. He stretched out his hands and moaned with pleasure. When he lifted his head, Read was standing at the window.

  Leo sat up, a little dazed. He wasn't sure what to say, or if he was supposed to say anything. He scrambled up off the floor, picked up his sweatpants, and stepped into them.

  Reed turned around. His hair was wet, plastered to his forehead. His eyes were unreadable again.

  The door opened.

  Both looked at Mark and Adrian as they walked in.

  "How's it going?" Mark asked, his gaze zeroing in on Reed's naked body.

  Adrian's attention was riveted to the same place.

  Leo picked up the sheet that had slid onto the floor and walked over to Reed. He handed it to him. "Cover up. We're finished for today."

  "Let's see it," Mark announced, moving in the direction of the easel.

  "No," Leo said, rushing over and turning the easel around. "No one sees it until it's finished."

  "So how long before you need us?" Mark asked.

  "Hard to say," Leo said. "It's a process."

  Reed moved toward the door and walked out without saying a word.

  "Well," Adrian said, "I should get going. My book is waiting for me. See you guys later."

  Both men said goodbye.

  Mark was watching him closely, and Leo felt it hard to look him in the eye. Jesus. He'd let Reed fuck him. What in the hell had gotten into him? Reed was the love of Mark's life, and he was Mark's best friend. And what in the hell had gotten into Reed anyway? Why had he seduced him like that?

  "Are you okay, Leo?" Mark asked him.

  "I'm tired. What time is it?"

  "Nine-thirty."

  "I have painting to do, and not the good kind." He laughed.

  Mark nodded. "No hurry. Sleep a bit and then--"

  "No, I'll never get it done. I'm going now."

  "Take a break for lunch. I'll make homemade soup around one?"

  "Okay, thanks, Mark."

  * * * *

  An hour later, he was busy putting the second coat on the cabin. The tingling in his ass reminded him of Reed. He could still feel him there. "Bastard," he hissed, smearing paint on one of the beams.

  "Who's a bastard?" a deep voice inquired.

  Leo looked down from the ladder to see Reed standing there.

  "What...what are you doing here?"

  "I told you I'd help you."

  "It's not necessary. It's..." Leo was frantically trying to rub paint off the beam.

  Reed came over to stand beside the ladder. Having him this close made Leo nervous. Nervous? Who in hell was he trying to kid? It made him horny as hell. His cock betrayed him with a vengeance.

  "You need to put painter's tape first."

  "I know but it takes a long time to..."

  A hand settled on his calf. "Saves problems later." The hand moved higher to his thigh and then around to the inside. "You'll need paint remover to take that off."

  Leo closed his eyes. "Reed, don't."

  "What, Reed don't?"

  "I'll fall off the ladder."

  "No, you won't," he said, reaching up and pulling him down into his arms.

  Leo let out a holler. "Reed, are you nuts? What are you doing?"

  He pulled him closer, letting him down on the floor, capturing his mouth with his.

  Leo clung to him, pulling at his T-shirt.

  Reed undid his jeans and pulled them down. He kicked them away and then attempted to undo Leo's pants. "Leave my pants." Leo laughed, playfully pushing his hands away.

  "They're actually my pants," he said, pulling them down over Leo's hips. He grabbed his legs and lifted them around his hips, tipping Leo over the sofa.

  Laughing, they fell together on the sofa. He put his hands in Reed's hair, realizing that he was getting paint all over him.

  It didn't matter, none of it mattered. Reed's mouth was on his, his hands were on his cock, and on his ass and minutes later, his cock was inside him again.

  "Jesus God." Leo grunted, tearing at Reed's hair as he held him close to his body as Reed pumped into his ass furiously.

  Leo was almost doubled in half on the sofa, his legs in the air while Reed fucked his ass, still half standing on the floor.

  "God, you're so tight." Reed moaned. "God, what an ass, fuck Leo...fuck....
" He was coming, and the look on his face made up for all the times Leo couldn't read his expression at all. This one was a mix of strain and tension and then sheer pleasure.

  Leo thrashed out his orgasm on the sofa as Reed pulled out of him, clamped his mouth onto his cock and sucked him to completion. It was a pure goddamned masterpiece.

  Leo came on Reed's chest and his stomach and then pulled him down onto the sofa with him, cradling him in his arms. He kissed his hair, his eyes, his mouth, ran his hands over his incredible abs, his biceps. His breathing slowed. He closed his eyes. He inhaled his scent, the sweetness of his sighs. "Reed."

  He glanced at him. "Um?"

  "What are we doing?"

  "What do you mean, what are we doing?"

  "You belong to Mark."

  He pushed away from him. "I do not fucking belong to Mark." He got up. "I don't belong to anyone." He searched for his clothes and began to dress.

  "Mark is not going to understand."

  "You know what?" He sighed. "I'm really tired of hearing about Mark, and how he's not going to understand and how he needs...needs...fuck, what about what I need, Leo?"

  Leo sat up. "You could have them lining up to take care of your needs, Reed, and long after you're on your way to God knows where, Mark will still be there for me."

  "Fine. I hope you and Mark are very happy together, Leo." He gave him a little salute and walked out of the cabin.

  Leo didn't go back to the house at lunch. He had to think, to be alone. He continued to paint, trying to put what had happened into perspective. So, they'd had sex. No big deal. He continued to paint.

  At six o'clock he decided to call it quits for the day. He was tired and exhausted. He walked slowly back to the house to find Mark sitting alone in the kitchen, a bottle of half drunk scotch in his hand.

  "Hey, you all right?"

  "Reed is leaving tomorrow."

  Leo's mouth opened.

  "He's forcing me to buy him out, or put the place up for sale."

  Leo pulled up a chair. He couldn't help but think that Reed's leaving had something to do with him. "What do you want to do? Do you have the money?"

  "He'll take payments. I can pay him over time."

  "Do you want to stay here?"

  He nodded. "He's not coming back. He told me. Look, why don't you clean up? Let's go out to eat. I don't want to be around Reed right now. Actually, I wish he would just leave and get it over with."

  Leo stood. "I'll be right back down."

  He ran upstairs, and met Reed coming out of his room. He had his suitcase with him.

  "Reed?"

  Reed put down the suitcase, his face shadowed in the semi-lit hallway.

  "You don't have to leave because of me."

  "Don't flatter yourself," he said. "Me leaving has nothing to do with you."

  "Reed, considering what happened between us, I--"

  "Just like with the kiss, it's forgotten."

  That hurt like hell. "That was pretty insensitive," Leo said softly.

  "Well," he replied, picking up his suitcase again, "that fits in nicely with your opinion of me."

  "Can't you work it out with Mark?"

  "Is that what you want, Leo, for me to work it out with Mark?" His voice was slurred, sarcastic.

  Leo lowered his voice. "Have you been drinking?"

  "Yeah. I've been drinking. Now you can add drunk to your long list of descriptors."

  Leo put a hand on his forearm. "Mark's heart is breaking."

  He jerked his arm away. "Well, there's a club for that." He walked by him, pausing suddenly. "And, Leo, why don't you ask Mark to tell you the truth about him and I someday?"

  "I know all about that."

  "No," he said, "you don't know all about it."

  Leo watched him head to the stairs. He swallowed the pain. He wanted to call out his name. Please, Reed, don't go. Tell me then. Tell me what I don't know. Just don't leave. I'm not sure how I'm going to...live without you?

  No, no, Leo, two fucks does not translate into love. You don't love Reed Owens. You're just a sucker for gorgeous men with killer eyes who fuck the shit out of you.

  "What about the painting?" he asked softly in the darkened hallway. He stood there for a few minutes, waiting for a reply, but there was no one there to answer him. Reed had already gone down the stairs.

  A car door shut outside. Leo hurried to the window at the end of the hall just in time to see the taillights moving away.

  Then he heard sobbing coming from the room under him and his eyes welled up with tears. Mark.

  Chapter 4

  * * *

  Mark cried himself to sleep on the sofa while Leo cradled him in his arms like a baby. The clock ticked loudly in the hallway. Leo stared at the second hand. It went round and round and so did the thoughts in his head.

  Why don't you ask Mark to tell you the truth about him and I someday...I never loved Mark...maybe one day he'll forgive me...a man died...the man I love is dead...

  It was all a jumble in his head. None of it made much sense.

  I love you, Leo. I didn't know how to tell you I was married. I'm going to leave her. I'm just waiting to...

  Pierre.

  He got up off the sofa with a grunt, suddenly realizing he was exhausted. He covered Mark with a blanket and wearily made his way up the staircase. He paused at his room and then walked down to the end of the hall. The door to the attic stood open. He walked upstairs. The sun was coming up. He glanced at the lounge chair, which sat in the corner. The red sheet had fallen on the floor again. His entire body began to shake. He saw them there together, kissing, touching, fucking.

  Touch me, Leo. Touch me.

  The tears flowed down his face. "Rebound," he whispered. Felix had warned him about that after he split with Pierre. "It isn't real," he told the chair.

  "No," he said aloud again, trying to push the image of Reed laying there naked from his mind. "It's only a fantasy."

  * * * *

  Mark crawled into his bed and stayed there, sleeping most of the day away. He needed escape, not to think about what had happened.

  When a knock came on the door, he groaned. "Leave me alone, Leo."

  Leo opened the door. "You need to eat."

  "I'm not hungry." Food was the last thing he wanted.

  "I'm not going to let you do this, Mark." He came over and sat on the bed beside him.

  "It's really over this time." He struggled up to his elbows. "He's not coming back. He means it." The words choked him.

  Leo rubbed his shoulder. "Maybe it's not the best time to ask you this, but I really need to know. It's driving me out of his mind."

  Mark hunkered back down into the pillow and pulled the blanket up over his head. That didn't sound good.

  "Listen to me." Leo pulled the blanket down and forced him to turn on his back. "Reed said some things before he left. If I'm going help you get through this, I need to know..."

  "What did he say?" Mark swallowed hard.

  "He talked about a man being dead. He said...I'm sorry, Mark." Leo winced. "Reed told me that he never loved you."

  Tears rolled down his face.

  "I'm sorry. That must be hard for you to hear after thinking that he did love you. He lied to you. He never--"

  "He didn't lie to me," Mark interjected. There was no need in pretending anymore. "Reed never loved me, and I've always known that. I'm the one who deceived him."

  Leo narrowed his eyes. "I don't understand."

  Mark sighed deeply as he sat up in the bed. "It all started that year my family brought me here on vacation, the first time I ever set eyes on Reed."

  As he talked, it was like it happened yesterday, and as he took Leo back, he went back there himself.

  * * * *

  Spring, 2005

  Leo was pissed at him. They were supposed to spend spring break together, but Leo needed to work, and Mark was bored with hanging around on campus. There were no good-looking guys there. And Mark was
looking for adventure.

  When his parents told him they were taking a holiday to Florida, he didn't pay too much attention. Who in the hell wanted to spend March break with their parents? But then one night, he was in a gay bar, and he mentioned the name of the resort his parents were going to the bartender. The bartender told him the place was well-known for catering to gay men and that many hot guys went there to party.

  His parents were shocked when he informed them he'd changed his mind and wanted to go with them on holiday. He gave them a whole speech about needing to spend time with his family, and he gave the same speech to Leo.

  The irony was that, at that time, his parents didn't know he was gay, and they didn't know about the reputation of this resort either. It was perfect.

  If he could have taken Leo with him, he would have, but Leo couldn't get time away from his job. And, truly, he was already miles ahead of Leo when it came to sexual experiences, and figured Leo would be a bit of a drag.

  Leo had had a few boyfriends and sex maybe five or six times, but Mark had snuck into gay bars at fourteen and experienced some hard core sex. He was addicted to the physical pleasure, and to beautiful men.

  The cabin was mediocre, but the guests were sensational. He'd already staked out several prospects in the first few hours, and agreed to meet three muscle bound hunks that night after midnight. All he had on his mind was cock.

  His parents had no idea the men around them were gay. They lived in another universe, and that universe was terminally straight.

  The first time he saw Reed Owens, he was coming out of the water, sun on his skin, in his hair, and Mark's heart almost stopped. Every guy within viewing distance ogled him with their tongues hanging out, and Mark knew he had to have him.

  The hunk, who turned out to be the son of the resort owners, seemed oblivious to the fact that men gawked at him. Maybe he was straight, but Mark didn't care. If he was, he'd find a way to change that.

  As Reed dried off with a towel, Leo made a beeline for him, heading off another guy with the same intention. "Hello, I'm Mark. I'm the love of your life."

  The hunk looked up at him, removing the towel from his face. "I doubt that," he murmured.

  This guy was older by a few years, perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three, just the way Mark liked them.