Love Worth Pursuing

by Max Hudson

  Steve didn’t even feel like he was in reality anymore. He lay, panting hard, as Euan got up, giving him a little relief from Euan’s weight. “Fuck, that was amazing,” Steve finally gasped out.

  “Yeah, I thought you didn’t want anyone to know I was here?” Euan asked with a smirk.

  “Was I loud?”

  “You were screaming,” Euan replied, grinning widely now. “I loved it.”

  Steve blushed and sat up a little. “So, do you need me to…?” He reached over, feeling how Euan was still hard and throbbing.

  “I suppose you won’t be able to make much noise with something in your mouth,” Euan agreed, standing and swiftly removing his jeans and briefs.

  Steve gasped a little. Euan’s cock was glorious. Very wide, long enough but not too long, uncut, with the head already fully emerged and glistening. He had a thick black bush that spread down over the tops of his thighs and up onto his belly. Steve, on his hands and knees on the bed, leaned in and licked the tip of Euan’s cock tentatively. Euan slipped his fingers into Steve’s hair and gently guided him forward.

  The length would have been no difficulty if it weren’t for how thick it was. Even before Euan’s hard cock got to Steve’s throat, he found himself struggling to keep his jaw wide enough. It took a few tries, gliding back and forth, to get Euan’s cock to the very back of his mouth. Euan moaned in satisfaction, his voice deep and low. Euan’s hips were rocking, obviously doing his best not to just start thrusting. Steve slowly, teasingly, slid back, until only the very tip rested on his lips, and began swirling his tongue around the head of Euan’s cock, slowly at first, then faster, taking in the musky scent and taste. Euan’s fist clenched in Steve’s hair, but he didn’t move Steve’s head. Steve closed his lips around the head of Euan’s cock and sucked ever so lightly, the insides of his lips and cheeks forming a near vacuum around Euan as his tongue continued to flick over and over.

  Steve lifted one hand up and wrapped it around the shaft, stroking with a feather-light touch, feeling the soft skin sliding over the rock-hard meat beneath, every vein pulsing desperately. Each pulse and throb made Steve more eager as well, hungry to taste Euan, needing to completely satisfy his lover as his lover had satisfied him.

  Taking a deep breath through his nose and bracing himself, Steve took Euan’s cock deeper and deeper, sliding back and forth, bobbing his head faster and going deeper each time. Now Euan clearly could not resist. His grip on Steve had released, but he was thrusting hard, as though chasing Steve’s mouth each time Steve withdrew. Steve kept his hand on Euan’s cock, trying both to prevent Euan from thrusting too deep and to keep stroking every part of Euan he could not comfortably fit into his mouth.

  Looking up, Steve saw Euan’s chest glistening with sweat, his head thrown back, gasping and moaning in breathless, near-silent bursts. Steve’s hand released Euan’s cock, gagging a little as it began to fill his throat, but still reaching up to caress Euan’s hairy body, his strong hands and arms, and, reaching around, grabbed Euan’s ass, squeezing firmly. Every part of Euan was just perfect.

  As Steve squeezed Euan’s ass, he felt the cheek clench at the same time as Euan’s cock began pulsing. Steve braced himself, drawing back as fast as he could, feeling Euan’s hot cum fill his mouth. It was hot, and there was so damn much of it, Steve couldn’t swallow it all. He felt a bit drip out of the corner of his mouth with each subsequent throb, until finally, Euan pulled out with a deep sigh.

  Euan looked down at Steve, eyes hazy, cheeks and ears flushed bright red, a goofy smile on his lips.

  “I… better go clean up,” Steve remarked, suddenly becoming aware of what a mess he was. “Coming with me?”

  Euan nodded, clearly still a bit giddy. “I’m glad I skipped work today,” he remarked, as he followed Steve into the en suite.

  Chapter Six

  Steve felt invigorated every day he spent with Euan.

  Far from distracting him, their afternoons and nights of passion over the next four days gave him the energy and focus he had needed to get his work done. And the tours and talks about the town were of enormous help to him as well.

  He was actually looking forward to his meeting with his manager, Alex, this time. Usually by this point he would be preparing himself to talk about things he was not interested in, justify his failure to submit certain documents, and give a deadline. Now, he wanted Alex to know all about Aberystwyth.

  “Good morning,” Alex said as the video glitched a little before settling.

  “Good morning,” Steve replied. “Or, I guess afternoon.”

  “Yep,” Alex said with a laugh. “Timing these things never gets easier. So, I’ve seen everything you sent through.”

  “And?” Steve asked.

  “You’re doing pretty good,” Alex remarked. “Either Wales has a much more interesting culture than I’d thought, or you really like it there. The only issue is how long you are prepared to stay and travel and write.”

  “How long are you happy for me to be here?”

  Alex hesitated a little. “To be fair, if you keep returning work like this, as long as it takes. We published your first blog posts and the interest in Wales on our sites has spiked across the board. It’s looking like a great prospect. How are you getting so much good stuff?”

  “I made a friend here,” Steve admitted. “He knows the area well, and is studying cultural and historical stuff, so he has been showing me around and telling me about the sort of things that make Aber unique.”

  “Aber? I like that,” Alex said. “You should use it more, maybe write a bit about local slang?”

  Steve nodded.

  “You know what, seeing as he is basically a tour guide for you, how about we get him on a payroll? That way we can ensure he will be available to keep this quality of content? Or maybe I can just set you up with a tour guide fee, and that way you can pay him, or whoever else you might want to hire to show you the area?” Alex suggested.

  “I suppose it would be good if I could pay him for the support, it would let him get away from his usual work a bit more,” Steve said. “If you can work that out?”

  “It’s no problem, you said in your email the other day that you wouldn’t need a hire car, so we can probably redirect some of that money,” Alex insisted. “How about we offer him a hundred a day for tour reasons?”

  Steve was almost reluctant to accept. It was a lot, considering that Euan was already willing to spend time with him, and considering that he already had a budget for travel and the likes. But Alex seemed determined, and maybe it would be for the best to actually pay Euan.

  After the call, Steve headed down to the bakery to tell Euan the good news, and maybe work out a day trip.

  On the cafe floor, Euan was busy filling the bulk-buy bins again. Steve never ceased to be amazed by how easily Euan could carry around even huge sacks labeled 25 kg. It was like they didn’t matter to him at all. So, Steve stood, silently watching, all his thoughts briefly taken away by the sight before him. He wondered, if Euan could lift and throw around those sacks with one hand, how well Euan could lift and throw Steve around too. That was something to explore later.

  “Oh, hey Steve,” Euan said with a wave. “How are you? Did the call go okay?”

  “It was great, my manager actually said he was willing to send me some money to pay you for all your work,” Steve explained. “A hundred bucks a day, just for tourism stuff.”

  “Wow, you didn’t need to,” Euan began.

  “He really insisted,” Steve said. “Besides, maybe the extra money might mean your father would be more accepting of when you leave the bakery a bit longer, right?”

  “I guess, with that payment, I could take you to the vineyard,” Euan mused.

  “Vineyard?” Steve asked. “You have a vineyard in Wales?”

  “Loads of vineyards,” Euan corrected. “We’ve been making wine since the middle ages. It’s a better business these days, technology and all that, but it’s part of our his
tory. The one I was thinking of taking you to is like, maybe forty minutes away by car. Not too far.”

  Steve smiled widely. “That sounds great,” he said. “If you have the time.”

  “I do, I do, just let me sort this and I will close up for the morning,” Euan replied.

  It was the perfect day to go out to the countryside. The sun shone brightly and only a few fluffy white clouds billowed by, in strong winds too high up to bother the young men. Steve was excited to explore something new again, and to experience what he perceived as more of a secret side to Aberystwyth. It was little things like this that reminded him why he loved his job.

  The drive down was peaceful, a bit faster than anticipated, and uneventful. Which left Steve plenty of time to enjoy Euan’s company.

  “You really are a kind person,” Steve said. “I can’t get over how ready you are to help.”

  “Well, you offered to pay me, I should make it worth your while, right?” Euan replied.

  “Yeah, but you could have just accepted the money. Alex was happy to pay for what you are already doing,” Steve explained.

  Euan shook his head, his hair waving gently with the motion. “That wouldn’t feel right.”

  “And that is why you are a kind person,” Steve said.

  Euan reached over and held Steve’s hand for a moment. “And you could have not told me and just pocketed the money. Many people would have. You are a good person too. Now, don’t forget to get some pictures during the trip.”

  Steve felt a little excited and content at Euan’s show of care. Although he did begin to take notes and pictures, he was beaming the entire time, genuinely happy to be spending this time with someone so wonderful.

  When they arrived, the first thing that struck Steve was that the fields were beautiful. If it weren’t for the weather, Steve could have been forgiven for assuming this was France or Spain. Unfortunately, when they arrived some dark clouds were already speeding overhead, and, after a few photos of the fields, a light drizzle was already falling. They ran up to the main building, managing to get to the front desk only minutes before the skies truly opened and a cascade of torrential rain crashed down.

  Waiting in the entryway, drying their hair off with a towel offered by the receptionist, Steve looked around, wondering why the place was so empty.

  “Normally they don’t do tours without notice,” Euan remarked. “But my dad knows the family here, so we can at least have a look around and learn about the wines their grapes go to.”

  Steve was a little in awe of this. “That is pretty cool,” he said.

  Euan shrugged, taking his towel and placing it on the seat beside him. “I guess. It wasn’t really important to me, not my thing. But if it helps you, then I guess that’s cool.”

  Truth be told, the vineyard would make a great write up, but so would literally any other part of Aberystwyth and its surroundings. There was plenty to do and to see. Steve was just glad to be there with Euan.

  The receptionist returned, followed by a well-dressed young woman, who was smiling widely. Steve wasn’t sure if it was just her customer-service face or if she was really excited to have something to do on what seemed to be a dull day.

  “If you come through this way, we can give you both a tour of the facilities,” the young woman said.

  Steve wasn’t too interested in the history of the place, but he made sure to take pictures and notes anyway. The wine-tasting, on the other hand, was pretty good.

  “I wouldn’t say I am a wine-guy,” Steve said. “But this is really good. And the experience is amazing.”

  Euan nodded. “I know, right? It’s a great experience. And maybe your company can arrange for tourists to visit for this same kind of experience. That would be neat.”

  Steve put his glass down and took another picture of the table where the bottles were being presented. “I guess I should stop now, don’t want to drink too much.”

  “Yeah, some places do the sip and spit thing, but I figure this approach is a bit better. Hygienic,” Euan replied. “Only downside is after a certain number of drinks you have to ask yourself if you are wine-tasting or just drinking.”

  “You know, I wouldn’t mind getting drunk in Wales, though,” Steve said. “A proper night out, you show me all the good spots, we have some fun, I can report on what there is besides history and architecture.”

  Euan sipped some more wine. “We could. It would be fun. Want to do that tonight?”

  “Sure thing,” Steve replied before he could stop himself.

  “Well, it’s a deal then.”

  Sitting in the van, on the way back into town Steve felt a bit apprehensive. He had suggested it more as a joke, but Euan seemed pretty excited about the prospect of a night out. There were a lot of things that could make it a problem, though, and Steve’s brain was working overtime, trying to bring up all of them. It was exhausting. A part of him wanted to call it off, but Euan looked so happy that Steve felt guilty at the idea of ruining this for Euan.

  “So, what were you thinking?” Steve asked. “Know any good spots?”

  “Well, we could do a pub crawl, or see some of the clubs. There is this place I love, really great energy, mostly gay patrons,” Euan explained. “Yeah, that would work. Skip the pubs. Pub crawls take a bit of organizing.”

  “What’s a pub crawl?” Steve asked. “It sounds a bit weird.”

  “It just means going from pub to pub, getting progressively drunk. You get to taste a load of different drinks and have a great time. But it can start to taste all the same after the first three or four,” Euan replied. “We did them a lot at University, but I think it’s more fun when you are in a large group. It’s all about the energy, the banter… I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”

  Steve laughed. “I guess it’s a cultural thing. Kind of? We have similar stuff in the US, but it sounds like it is more of a thing here.”

  “Pub culture is a whole textbook worth of history in and of itself. And not really my department,” Euan replied. “But it is odd. Almost there now, I’ve got to sort some stuff at the bakery, but we can head out around, I don’t know, ten? Meet you in the foyer?”

  ***

  Getting back into the B&B, Steve quickly stripped out of his still slightly damp clothes and looked for something to wear to a club. Steve was not prepared for a night out at all. He had brought a simple suit and polished shoes, a couple of shirts, but nothing he would consider club wear. The best he could do was jeans and a t-shirt again.

  Just as he was done getting changed, he heard a knock at the door. Euan was already standing outside, in a pretty nice shirt and some clean black jeans. The way his shirt barely gripped his shoulders and chest, and the tightness of his jeans were a sight to behold. Steve knew he would have a hard time keeping his hands-off Euan that night. It was also a relief that, though Euan looked a bit more put together, he wasn’t much more dressed up than Steve.

  “Is this okay? I feel like it isn’t enough for a club,” Steve remarked.

  “Nah, casual is fine. Just need some better shoes,” Euan said, pointing down at Steve’s trainers. “Besides that, you’re good to go.”

  “I still feel underdressed,” Steve insisted. “Are clubs around here more casual?”

  “I don’t know, more casual than what?” Euan replied, following Steve into the room.

  “Than… I guess clubs back home. But I guess you wouldn’t know that,” Steve said, feeling not particularly clever.

  “You’ll just have to find out, then,” Euan replied.

  ***

  It wasn’t bad. Nothing much like the clubs back at home, pretty muted, almost dingy, but it was fun, the people were cheerful, and the music was familiar. Steve took a few pictures at first, but before long he found himself getting caught up in the energy of the club.

  When approached by a slim young man with dyed green hair and full sleeve tattoos, Steve was more than happy to get up and dance. There was this rapturous energy that swept him away,
making him want to just relax and have fun. He hadn’t felt like this when he went clubbing in the US, but maybe part of the appeal was the forbidden element of doing this when he was technically working.

  The green haired man leaned in to kiss Steve, and the spell was broken. Steve stepped back and shook his head. He hadn’t been anticipating that. The green haired man shrugged and wandered off into the crowd again, looking for a more receptive partner. Steve made his way back to the bar.

  As he approached his seat, he saw Euan, looking directly at him, somewhat stern. Steve noticed that Euan seemed almost… jealous? Steve got back onto his barstool and smiled, hoping to ease the tension.

  “Having fun?” Euan asked with obviously forced friendliness.

  “Yeah,” Steve said, already feeling a bit deflated. He reached for his drink. “Are you all right? You seem a bit mad or something.”

  “Nah, I just-” Euan shook his head. “Never mind.”

  “It’s fine, you can tell me,” Steve said.

  “Nah, it’s dumb,” Euan insisted.

  Steve could tell that Euan had something on his mind. “Are you sure you-”

  “I am.”

  Euan’s bluntness caught Steve a little off guard. He had not quite prepared himself for this response. Euan was usually so polite, so nice. If this was something he didn’t want to talk about, then it was not really something Steve wanted to press about. Steve had a feeling he knew the cause. He just wasn’t ready to think about it yet. Neither of them were.

  “Wanna check out some more places?” Euan asked.

  Steve knew what the smart reply would be. He knew he was already tipsy, technically this was for work, and he had to get up early to write. He was also just tipsy enough to not care. “Yeah, sure thing,” he said, standing up and finishing his drink in one go.