by J. D. Walker
We sat like that for a long time, even after he quieted down. Eventually, we slowly made our way back to the house. The fire on the beach was out by now, and neither Tory nor Maury were in sight. The moon above us was beautiful.
When we got to the house, I suggested going on the deck. “I know it’s getting colder, but we have lots of warm blankets and pillows, and it’s clear. How about it? We can pretend to be kids again for a little while, camping out.” A little levity would do him good. Me, too, for that matter.
For a second, I thought he’d say “no,” but instead, the corners of his mouth quirked up and he nodded. “Okay.”
Five minutes later, security light turned off for the night, both of us were settled in comfortably on the deck on an old mattress pad with pillows, blankets, and everything we needed to stay warm and stargaze.
“You said you’ve lived here how long?” Murphy asked, staring at the sky.
“Ten years or so. I needed a change from what I was doing before, and I’ve always lived by the water, so this was perfect. I bought out the previous owner of this property and setup the bookstore.”
He shifted a little next to me. “What were you doing before this?”
“I worked in a university library. Got bored.”
Silence, then he asked, “Ever been in a relationship with anyone?”
“Nothing long-term. Always been more of a confirmed bachelor. If I needed to get with a guy, it was always a quickie. Lately, though…”
He turned to face me, the moonlight casting shadows on sharp features and making the scars stand out. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and had beard shadow. “Lately what?”
“I’ve been feeling a little dissatisfied with life. Maybe I need a change or…I don’t know.”
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Sure.”
“When was the last time you had sex with anyone?”
I laughed heartily at the unexpected question. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“I can see where you’d think that, but there’s always opportunity on the road. Around here, doesn’t seem to be much.”
“You’d be surprised.”
He smiled, and it was like the moon shone a little brighter. “Maybe I wouldn’t. I saw the two guys on the blanket as I stumbled down the beach.”
“There are more of our kind here than you’d think. The folks in this community have adopted a ‘live and let live’ mentality that has served us well. Not to say folks aren’t nosy.”
“I bet. You haven’t answered my question,” he persisted.
“Why are you interested?”
“You intrigue me in spite of myself. You offered a perfect stranger a job and decent money, and even a place to sleep for a couple of nights. I haven’t met anyone like you in all my travels, and despite how standoffish I’ve been, I really appreciated it. I also noticed that there wasn’t anyone in your life that I could tell and hoped you did indeed have a companion. Someone to keep you warm at night and take care of you. You deserve that, and more.”
I felt my face heat and hoped he couldn’t tell. “Well, thanks. Maybe I will one day.” I yawned and snuggled into the blankets. “I have to be at work by ten-thirty tomorrow. Are you staying through the weekend?”
“Leonard and Sheila have invited me to a barbecue on Sunday, so I’ll be here at least until then.”
“You can stay here if you like, unless you’re gonna go back to Leonard’s.”
He studied me before replying. “I’d like to spend some time with you, if you don’t mind.”
My fifty-year-old heart stuttered a bit at the warmth in his tone. “N-no, I don’t mind.”
“Good.”
A reticent, surly Murphy was one thing. But a Murphy who was cooperative and sweet? Hell.
* * * *
I left Murphy to his own devices as I headed to work on Saturday. I wasn’t sure what to think of this more open, talkative version of the man. It was a good thing, for him, but I didn’t know how much more my heart could take.
When I’d awoken that morning—a lot later than my usual time—he’d been curled up behind me, arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder. In all my years, I’d never awoken in someone’s arms, preferring to fuck and go. My body was a little stiff, as were other things, but I remained still, just soaking up the frigid air, juxtaposed against the warmth of his body. How my old heart wished he would decide to stay.
I’d slowly removed myself from his embrace, not wanting to wake him. I’d sat up and stared at his face, the rising sun making his sleeping features stark and gorgeous. I wanted to touch him and kiss away all his fears. Calling myself ten kinds of silly, I’d carefully stood, tucked him into the blankets, and walked inside the house to pee.
It was difficult to do since my dick was throbbing, but eventually, I had release. I stepped into the shower, dick still hard, and with the use of some shower gel, slowly pulled on my cock, one hand against the tiled wall as I thought of what I’d like to do to Murphy, and he to me. All those muscles that were barely contained in his clothing, all that power from years of hard labor, would surround me and it would be wonderful. It didn’t take long before I released white spunk that washed down the drain. Damn.
As I dried off, I looked at myself in the mirror, blue eyes sparkling, gray hair mixed with brown in need of a cut. The crow’s feet at the corners of my eyes, the laugh lines on my face, all spoke of a life lived, and yet, I had room for one more experience, and I wanted it with Murphy.
* * * *
When it was lunchtime at the bookstore, I left Maury in charge and headed to the diner. I saw Murphy’ bike out front, and through the glass, I glimpsed him leaning against the counter, talking to Bertha.
I entered the restaurant and greeted both of them. “I got lasagna for you today,” Bertha said and went right back to flirting with Murphy. He was giving as good as he got, and though I felt a little envy, I was happy he had relaxed enough to have some fun.
When I seated myself in a far booth, Murphy joined me on the other side. “Bertha’s trying to recruit me to work in her kitchen.”
“She’s shameless, is our Bertha, and pretty single-minded. Don’t let her force anything on you.”
He grinned, and the sight of it hit me like a freight train. “No one ever forces me to do anything I don’t want to. You can believe that.”
“I do.”
A few minutes later, Bertha brought two helpings of lasagna and iced tea for both of us. “Enjoy, boys, and Austin, make sure you convince Murphy to stay. We need more good-looking men in this town.”
“What’s that say about me?” I retorted.
She just laughed and walked away.
“So, what do you think?” I asked as I took a bite of my food.
Murphy shrugged. “I dunno. I like cooking, and I don’t have anywhere to be, but I can take it or leave it.” He drank some iced tea, and the wetness of his lips was distracting.
“Keep an open mind,” I replied. “Not too many places like this around. And you have a friend here in Leonard, and me, too, if you’d like.” I focused on my plate and wondered if he heard the undertone.
“You thought I was asleep this morning when you untangled from me, didn’t you?”
I almost choked on my food. “What are you talking about?”
He smirked. “I pretended to be asleep when you got up. It was nice to wake up with someone in my arms. Hadn’t had that since the army, and being on the road is damned lonely.” And just like that, the mood changed.
“Is that what you want? To be with someone again, in a relationship, or some such? Would that make you feel human again?”
“I wouldn’t mind it at all, but I’m also used to moving around, too. I don’t know if I can have both those things, or if my wanderlust is permanent.”
“I guess you’re gonna have to figure it out, huh?”
“Yeah.”
We finished our meal and I went back to work, ho
ping for the impossible.
* * * *
Sunday, just before closing, Leonard invited me to the barbecue he and Sheila were having. It was being held on the beach behind Sheila’s place. I accepted the invitation and, once everything was closed down for the night, I headed over there.
It turned out to be a fairly big event, with a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. I spied Leonard and Murphy talking off to one side. I was pleased that Murphy had that outlet.
“You like him, don’t you?” Maury said in my ear.
I turned to face him. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve caught you staring at him from time to time. I heard he’s a veteran, like Leonard.”
“Yeah, they were in the army together, but had lost touch.”
Maury sipped his beer. “So is he staying in town?”
“Dunno. Bertha offered him a job. He’s used to moving around, so who knows?”
“Maybe you should give him a reason to stay.” Maury smiled, then walked off to join Tory, who stood next to Sheila.
I shook my head and went to say hello to Leonard and Murphy before grabbing some barbecue chicken for myself and finding a spot to sit on a rock.
“Mind if I join you?” Murphy asked before plunking his butt down next to me some time later.
“Not at all.” I bit into a chicken leg, then said, “Having a good time?”
“Yeah. The people are nice here, though I can tell they want to know more about me.”
“Be warned. Give them an inch and they’ll take a thousand feet.”
He chuckled. “Noted.” It was nice to see Murphy so lighthearted and smiling, even. Who knew he could be like this?
We ate in companionable silence, enjoying the cold night air and the fires that were lit all around us. What Maury had said earlier was food for thought, but I didn’t want to pressure Murphy in any way. He had his own path to follow.
After we finished our food, Murphy and I went to get blueberry tarts and hot apple cider before wandering down the beach, away from the crowd.
“It’s so peaceful here. I could get used to this.”
“Then stay,” I replied.
Murphy finished his tart and cider. He folded the empty paper cup and placed it in his back jeans pocket. He walked to the edge of the water and stood there, arms folded on his chest. I stood beside him.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, not looking at me but staring straight ahead of him.
My heart stuttered. “You can’t ask me that, Murphy. That’s not fair.”
He turned to me. “Why not?”
“I can’t make those decisions for you. I don’t want to be the one to pressure you to do something that might end up making you miserable down the road. Then you’ll hate me. We barely know each other, and we’re worlds apart in experience, and I’m old—”
His cold hands cupped my cheeks. “You’re not old, and I could never hate you. You gave me a reason to stop for a while and take stock of things. You gave me back a friend I thought I’d lost forever, and with that, helped me find some closure on something that had caused me pain for years.”
I looked at him, his colorless eyes dark. “I can’t be your reason to stay or go. You have to make that choice, you understand?”
“I do.” He stared at me in earnest. “I want to feel alive again, even if it doesn’t last. And I want to experience that with you, if you’re willing.”
What had I gotten myself into?
* * * *
We took our time returning to my house, hands occasionally brushing against each other as we sauntered along, the moon guiding our footsteps. What would happen when we got back home? And if he meant what he said…
Apparently so, because the minute we were inside and the doors were locked, Murphy turned around and pushed me up against the door, a leg between mine as he leaned against me. His body was huge and surrounded me with his strength. I felt my cock grow.
“You know, this body of yours has been tempting me since I first saw it.” He leaned in and nibbled on my neck while he placed his hands on my hips and squeezed.
I tilted my head so he could have more access to skin. “I couldn’t tell,” I murmured, running my hands up his hard chest to his shoulders so I could play with his hair. We were almost the same height.
“It’s true,” was his only reply before moving his lips to my ear, biting the lobe, then trailing his mouth up my cheek to the forehead. “I’ve seen guys younger than you who don’t take care of themselves as well as you do. You’re a fine-looking man, Austin. I want you to know that.”
“Thank you,” I said before grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking back his head so I could suck on his Adam’s apple. He tasted really good there.
Soon, the need for words was gone as Murphy took over, grabbed my face in his hands, and took charge of my mouth like a soldier storming the battlefield. Everything about the man called to me like never before, and I let myself be swept along in a haze of lust.
We ate at each other, the flavor of cider and blueberry still sharp as I sucked on his tongue and counted his teeth. Murphy grabbed my ass and lifted me up onto my toes, and I felt lightheaded.
“Take me to my room, Murphy,” I urged, wanting him to have complete control of this encounter. We bumped into walls and photographs and each other as we stumbled down the hall to my bedroom.
By the time he tossed me on the bed, I was pikestaff hard and needed to be naked, quick.
“Come on, Murphy. Get rid of those clothes, right now. I want to see you. All those muscles of yours have been giving me sweet dreams,” I said as I stripped as fast as my limbs would let me.
“Well, here I am,” he replied, finally, gloriously nude and like a god before me. I was struck dumb with want, all those muscles of his making me want to lick and worship every inch of his body. I guess I’d found a kink. I mean, I’d always liked my men a bit bigger than me, but having someone as solid and built as Murphy was really turning my crank.
He stood at the foot of the bed, the light on the bedside table casting both of us in shadow. “Looks like someone has a thing for muscular men, hmmm?” He flexed his bulging biceps and I leaked. He moved his pecs up and down and I almost came.
“Stop,” I begged, closing my eyes against an all-too early orgasm. “Come here and let me touch you.”
Murphy complied, slowly crawling up the bed between my legs so I could run my hands over his sexy, taut skin. “This is just so hot, you don’t know.” I pulled him down on top of me and wrapped my arms and legs around him, the better to be surrounded by his strength. “God, you feel so good.”
“You do, too, you know,” he replied before he flipped us so I was now on top. “I’ve been with guys before who wanted me to pose for them, do lat spreads or whatever. Is that what you want?” He reached up a hand to cup my cheek. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll gladly give it to you. You’ve already given me so much, it’s the least I could do.”
“I just want to feel you all around me, and I want you to enjoy yourself, too. This is for both of us, you know?” I kissed his mouth, then moved down his body, licking his firm nipples and massaging those bulging pecs.
“I know you’ve always done hard labor of some kind, but how did you keep up these muscles?” I asked as I kissed and licked his well-defined stomach, his balls, his knees, everything.
“I do a lot of pushups and sit-ups. I guess I just grew into my size. It’s not that hard to maintain.”
“That’s good to hear, because I really like you looking like this.” I moved to his crotch and swallowed him down.
“Shit, Austin!” Murphy growled as he arched into my mouth. I felt his muscles bunch beneath me and almost shot a load at the display of restrained strength.
I pulled off and went down on him again, over and over, always slow enough to keep him from coming, but wet enough to keep him interested.
Pretty soon, Murphy had had enough. He pulled on my hair so his cock popped wetly out o
f my mouth. “You either get on my cock right now, or I won’t answer for the way you get fucked.”
Something in my facial expression must have said “do with me as you will,” because he had me beneath him in seconds, his mouth sucking on my asshole and a hand pumping my cock dry with only precum to aid the friction. I was almost delirious with pleasure as he brought me to release so fast, I keened to the stars.
“Goooooooddamn,” I yelled as I spurted high in the air, Murphy still tonguing my butt. When he was done, he used my cum to lube my channel.
“Got a condom somewhere?” he asked as he probed me with his fingers. I pointed to the drawer, and he got out a rubber and handed it to me. I tore it open, and when he sat back, I rolled it down his cock. The condom was pre-lubed, so he positioned his cock at my hole, stared me down and plunged all the way in.
“You’re so tight,” he whispered, awed at what we were doing together. A stranger who had become something more, and a bookstore owner who’d felt something was missing from his life, and found it. Murphy pulled out, then plunged back in.
“More, please more,” I pleaded and he gave it to me, just the way I wanted him to. I hung onto his muscular arms as he pleasured me time and again, my head hanging back as I got caught up in the sensations we created between us.
His grunts got louder and louder as he pounded me, and the veins in his arms stood out. When Murphy lost it, his entire body went tight and all the muscles stood out as he fucked us through a massive orgasm, something that needed to happen again in the near future. Over and over. I’d beg, if I had to.
He collapsed next to me, taking care to grab the edges of the condom and tossing it in the direction of the basket beside my bed, though I think he missed. That was the most powerful encounter I’d ever had with a man, and it marked my soul.
He threw an arm over his head, his breathing still labored. “Fuck.”
“You just did,” I replied, “and it was spectacular.”
* * * *
Monday morning, Murphy and I walked on the beach, hand in hand, as we searched for treasures and watched the waves.
We’d showered together, frotted, slept in each other’s arms, and given each other a blow job in the morning. I was in my fifties, so of course I didn’t get it up as often as he did, but Murphy didn’t seem to mind.