“Huh?” He stammered and then said, “Yes, of course.” Will moved over on the bench in order to accommodate him.
Martin sat there silently for several minutes before speaking. “I heard you had some trouble over at the Gerard ranch the other day.” Martin turned toward him. He was smiling, but his tone was grave.
“Trouble?” Will questioned. “Not really.”
“Something happened with John?” Martin prompted. He seemed uncomfortable asking this question.
“It really wasn’t anything,” he dodged.
“Will, you need to tell me what John said to you.”
Will was confused by Martin’s persistence in this matter. “Why are you so interested?” he asked. The whole conversation was beginning to feel intrusive. “It really isn’t worth repeating,” Will told him firmly.
“Let me explain,” he said and rubbed his chin, contemplating how best to do this.
“Elijah has cut off all relations with the Gerard ranch.” He paused to acknowledge Will’s expression of shock. “This will be a devastating financial blow to Adam Gerard. You see, the Hunter ranch is their largest buyer. Without our business, the Gerard ranch will probably not survive.” Martin took a deep breath and then riveted him with his stare as he continued. “Elijah believes that John somehow offended you.”
Will’s expression turned from confusion to concern. “Elijah would do this, just because of me?”
“Yes. Elijah is a hard man, and he has a few fundamental rules he lives by. One of these rules is that he will not tolerate disrespect directed at himself or someone close to him.” Martin turned to look at him directly. “He will not change his mind on this matter, unless… I or you can convince him that the incident was not as it appeared.”
Will realized that his explanation was important and Martin needed to hear it. He didn’t want to be the cause of the Gerards’ ranch going under. “I met John on the plane from Billings.” He spoke slowly and chose his words with care. “I wouldn’t have given him another thought if I hadn’t met him again at his ranch.”
“Did he offend you?” Martin pressed impatiently.
Before Will could respond, they heard someone approaching. They both looked up to see Elijah rounding the bend in the walkway and coming toward them.
“Is this a private conversation,” he asked, “or can anyone join?” Without waiting for them to answer, he walked over and sat down on the other side of Will. The bench was not very large, so he found himself pinned between the two men. Elijah automatically took Will’s hand and held it in his, a friendly gesture that comforted and confused him.
“Will was telling me what took place between himself and John the other day,” Martin explained. Elijah nodded, and then everyone sat there in silence waiting for Will to continue.
Will glanced up into the dark, starry night, wishing that he were anywhere but here. What am I going to say to them? I can’t lie. Elijah would see through that. Will was also quite certain that another of Eli’s fundamental rules was that he did not abide liars.
“I feel really awkward discussing this.” He fumbled with his words. He decided that it would have been much easier to have just explained this to Martin. Having both of them there listening and waiting was unnerving.
“Relax, Will,” Elijah reassured him, sensing his discomfort. “It’s just us.”
Will smiled to himself. He stated it as if the three of them had known each other for years rather than just a few weeks.
He steadied himself and began again. “John Gerard recognized me from the plane and came over to speak with me.” He paused, wondering how to explain this without making him look too bad. He didn’t want Elijah punishing everyone at the Gerard ranch because of a few reckless words spoken by John.
“He asked me if I was staying with you and seemed surprised by the fact that I was.” He fidgeted with his shirt and his hair as he struggled with the right words.
“You looked upset when I saw you,” Elijah prompted. “What did he say that upset you?”
“I probably just misunderstood him. He probably meant nothing by it.” Will tried to make light of it.
“What did he say?” Elijah insisted.
“He insinuated that I was staying here… that I was allowed to stay here because….” He couldn’t find the words. “It seemed to me that he thought that….” He drew a shaky breath and tried to arrange his words. He said I was fucking you. How do I gloss over that? His nervousness and hesitant speech told Elijah all he needed to know.
“He accused you of providing one or both of us with sexual favors,” Elijah concluded.
“Just you, and he tried to get me to sleep with him as well,” Will whispered.
“I’m going to destroy him,” Elijah stated calmly, but with cold finality.
“Please don’t,” Will pleaded. “I didn’t want to say anything about it. I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I don’t care what John Gerard thinks of me, he can think I’m fucking the whole ranch for all I care. He means nothing to me. In a few days, I will be home, and none of this will matter anymore.” Will winced with the pain of Elijah’s grip. Something he’d said had agitated him.
“You’re not the one causing trouble,” Elijah said and turned to regard him squarely. His eyes were dark and thunderous. There was something brewing and stirring just below the surface. “John made his own trouble, and he will answer for it.”
“I was hoping it was just a misunderstanding,” Martin said. “But this is serious, and I agree with whatever action you take in this matter.”
“Please don’t hurt Mr. Gerard because of something his idiot son said,” Will insisted, but Elijah was not listening to him, or rather, Will assumed he wasn’t listening. “Why does everyone at the Gerard ranch have to pay for this?” Will’s frustration was becoming evident, yet Elijah continued to stay silent, as if he was ignoring him. Finally, Will had enough and jumped to his feet. Without another word, he walked away.
By the time Will reached his room, his anger had reached a fever pitch. He slammed the door shut behind him and let loose with a string of profanities. “This is just fucking great!” He screamed. “Not only do I have my cunt of a sister and my home to worry about, but now I can carry around the guilt over Adam Gerard’s demise as well. Isn’t staying at the Hunter ranch grand, just a fucking wonderful vacation?” He threw himself on the bed and buried his face in the pillows as he continued to weave a profane tapestry of words.
Elijah and Martin remained in the garden for a while, talking.
“I think he’s upset,” Martin observed.
“I think you’re right,” Elijah agreed.
“What do you plan to do in regards to the Gerards?” Martin asked.
“I’ll speak with Adam. I’ll leave it to him to deal with John.” He glanced over at Martin, who was freshly amazed at the power Will seemed to have over Eli. His look of disappointment was all it took to turn him around. “If Adam doesn’t deal with him, then I will.” Elijah made this very clear.
Martin smiled. “Whatever you decide, I will back you completely.” He paused. “Not to change the subject, but might I ask what it is that’s going on between you and Will?” Martin ventured. “Are you still testing him?”
“He’s completely innocent as far as the blackmail stunt. He knew nothing of what Katrina was up to until she called him for help. He’s just one more of Katrina’s victims. Will is a good person.” When Elijah described someone as a good person it was his highest compliment of character. He’d never been verbose or eloquent but he had always been clear. Martin knew the value of the word “good” when attached to an individual.
“You seem to like him.”
“It’s much more than that, Martin.” He ran his fingers through his hair and stared up at the stars. “God help me,” he muttered with a grin.
Will showered and changed into a fresh pair of pajama pants and a cotton robe. Sleep wasn’t going to be easy tonight. He sat down on the window seat and
looked out over the ranch. It was an impressive operation. Elijah had worked hard and wisely to make it what it was. Will shouldn’t question his methods, but this incident involved him, and the outcome wasn’t sitting well. William Drake would be the ruination of an entire ranching operation, and that was exactly what it would boil down to. He would be the cause for many people to lose their jobs, their homes, and who knew what else. Without his realizing it, tears began to fill his eyes. It started slowly, with a single tear running down his cheek, and then he erupted into sobs before he had a chance to stifle the emotion. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried. He hadn’t even cried at his parents’ funeral. “I’ll cry later,” he told his aunt, but he never did.
Will heard a light knock at the door but decided to ignore it, hoping that whoever it was would just go away. He was in no mood to be seen. Will kept his eyes focused on the window as the knocking persisted. Finally, the door opened, and someone entered.
“May I come in?” Eli asked contritely.
Will didn’t answer him. He quickly took his arm and wiped his eyes. He didn’t want Eli to know that he had upset him to this degree. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Instantly, Elijah was on him, taking his face in his hands and gently turning Will to look at him. His eyes looked down into Will’s with what appeared to be care and concern. With his thumbs, he wiped away the last of Will’s tears and kissed his forehead. He seemed so different at this moment, so different from the frenzied passion they had experienced during their picnic. There was a connectedness that Will hadn’t felt before, and a true tenderness that touched his heart and caused the tears to flow again.
“I’m sorry,” Eli whispered. “Don’t cry.”
Will expected him to demand to know why he was crying, but he already knew. He knew too much sometimes.
“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter. You have to do what you have to do,” he choked. “It isn’t important.” He wanted to end the searing contact with Eli’s skin and his eyes. He needed Eli to go away and let him wallow in his pity.
Elijah leaned over and kissed him lightly on both eyes and then on his lips. The kiss was gentle and apologetic, not demanding. He was comforting Will as if he were someone he cared deeply for.
“It does matter,” Eli said as he slipped his one arm under Will’s legs and his other arm around him and, in a slow, almost hypnotic movement, lifted Will in his arms and carried him over to the bed. I should be struggling, but I’m not, Will thought. Eli sat down on the edge of the bed and held Will on his lap, holding him and soothing his tension.
Will snuggled into his chest and just decided to forget who he was and what he was doing. He just wanted to feel good, and Eli made him feel very good. His arms felt like a security Will had never in his life known. It was the security of knowing that someone cared about him. This isn’t real, he reminded himself, but he was willing to fool himself for a few moments.
“I won’t dissolve relations with Adam Gerard,” Elijah whispered against his cheek. “Not yet, anyway.”
“What changed your mind?” Will asked, his voice hoarse from the tears. His breath brushed Eli’s throat and sent a sensual tremor down his spine. He wondered what it would feel like if Will actually kissed him there. Will he ever be at ease enough with me to let himself go completely? He came close this afternoon, but there always seemed to be a limit. His fear and distrust of me remained in the way.
“You changed my mind,” he answered, turning Will toward him and hugging him even tighter. He ran his hand down Will’s back and cupped his thigh, pulling him against him. His face was buried in Will’s hair that was hanging in thick waves just above his shoulder. “You grossly underestimate your importance around here, William.” Elijah’s voice was husky and possessed a desperation that was uncharacteristic.
Will sighed deeply, but did not speak.
Elijah lifted Will’s head to look at him. He then ran his hand along the side of his face, threading his fingers in his hair and holding him firmly in place. He wanted to tell Will that he loved him, but he wouldn’t hear him, or if he did, he wouldn’t believe him. He looked back at Eli with dark, misty eyes. Eli’d never enjoyed touching and being close like this with a man before. I can’t lose him. I will do whatever I have to, even if it means kidnapping Will and running off to a cave somewhere. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Elijah smiled at the desperate rambling of his own thoughts.
“I don’t believe John meant to be offensive,” Will mumbled into his shirt collar. It was an attempt to pull himself back to normal, but it failed. Elijah wasn’t interested in John or what he said. He wasn’t interested in anything except Will, the feel of his body in his arms and the touch of his lips against his.
“Let’s not talk about John,” he whispered against Will’s lips as he lowered him to the bed and shifted his body, positioning himself between Will’s legs.
His lips were warm, soft, and loving. He wasn’t demanding anything; he was just being close to Will, caressing, savoring, and relishing the moment. He could be such a gentle man that Will had difficulty equating him with the man everyone had described him to be. Will knew he could be rigid, cold, unrelenting; he had seen that in him, but he’d also seen the better part of him, the understanding, kind, and considerate Elijah Hunter.
Elijah’s mouth moved from his face to his throat, burning a trail of desire down and across Will’s shoulder. Gradually, he eased Will’s robe off as his hand moved, stroking his clothed thigh to his now-bare chest and stomach, his hands running over the tight abdominal muscles. Eli’s hand moved beneath the band of Will’s thin pajama bottoms, heading closer to full intimate contact. Will gasped as Eli began running his fingers through the tuft of hair above his dick, marveling at its softness. This wasn’t about pulsing, all-consuming lust, but about tender love and an exploration of each other’s bodies.
Will found Eli’s mouth and captured it in a searing kiss as Eli took him in his hand and began stroking the fullness of his member. Will clawed at Eli’s shirt, finding him much too clothed for the situation, and he was quickly divested of the item. Will ran his lips across Eli’s defined chest muscles, taking each hard nipple bud into his mouth and running his tongue in circles around it. Eli grunted in pleasure, feeling his own cock growing rock hard in his confining work jeans.
Will found himself entirely intoxicated by Eli’s farm-honed body, nothing but tanned skin and hard muscles, an entire buffet for his sexual appetite. Pushing him back, Will kissed down Eli’s body, running his teeth down Eli’s rippling stomach until he reached his goal. Popping the button on his jeans, Will made short work of them, and Eli lay completely exposed in front of Will. Eli’s throbbing cock pointed skyward begging for release, which Will heartily gave.
He took Eli in his mouth in one swift motion, causing Eli to gasp with surprise at Will’s enthusiasm. Will couldn’t believe how much he wanted this man; he was willing to do things he hadn’t done for anyone else. Never before had he blown someone with such gusto and want, lapping up and down the immense length. He opened his throat and, with a hand on the base, took as much as he could.
Eli felt like his head would explode if he didn’t come soon; Will’s ministrations were setting his body on fire like nothing else had. He grabbed Will under the arms and dragged him up his body, reconnecting their mouths in a kiss that Eli hoped would convey the depth of his love for him. Rolling them over, he decided that he needed to be inside Will, desperately.
Reading the look in Eli’s eyes, Will got on all fours and opened himself up for penetration, wanting nothing else in that moment other than the feeling of Eli pushing inside him.
Eli groaned at the wanton display of Will opened up in front of him and he dove in, eating Will out. Will felt his eyes bug out at the feeling of Eli’s tongue piercing him, loving him. Eli had never done this to a guy before, feeling himself above the act, but now nothing seemed too good for Will, and he was willing to give his full measure of devotion a
nd beyond. Finally sheathing his cock, he positioned himself at Will’s entrance and entered slowly, groaning at the tight heat that enveloped him. When he was buried balls-deep inside of Will, he stopped and continued stroking Will’s back, waiting for him to get used to the fullness. Will gave him the go-ahead, and he began pushing in and out, savoring the feeling and the closeness of their sex act.
Will arched his back and moaned like a whore in love, wanting more and more of Eli inside of him. This was the closeness he had yearned for his whole life, the feeling of being totally loved and adored. If only this wasn’t an act for him, Will thought sadly before pushing the thought from his mind and letting himself be once again carried away by the sensations.
Eli pulled Will flush up against his chest as he continued pounding away at the tight glove. He let his hand wander down Will’s sweat-slicked chest, not stopping ’til he found Will’s fully erect dick, bouncing with each thrust. He knew he was close, and he wanted Will to come with him. He matched his strokes with his thrusts as he endeavored to bring Will to climax. Within a few minutes, Eli was grunting and Will was gasping as Will painted the covers in front of them with his seed, and Eli filled the condom deep within Will. They collapsed in a sweaty, cum-covered heap as they kissed each other through their orgasms, not wanting to be separated just yet. Eli noticed Will’s eyes begin to fill with tears and was immediately concerned that he’d gotten carried away.
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