sex. His eyes. Always those damned eyes. He’d shut down completely a couple of times. Acted and reacted only to Eli’s demands. “Yeah, uh … okay. About tomorrow. It’s going to get cold soon, and I can’t help but notice that you don’t exactly have much in the way of clothes. Maybe we can—”
“It gets cold here? Come on, this is Florida; it doesn’t get cold here. And my clothes are fine. I don’t need any advice from you, shorts boy.”
Eli looked down at his cargo shorts, forgetting he’d grabbed a pair of bright blue ones that a former friend had bought him last year. All of his normal clothes were dirty. Miss Lulu would be out tomorrow to clean and do the wash, but until then he was stuck. A sharp, damp breeze came in through the open window, making him shiver. “I’m not your boy either, so shut up about my shorts.”
“You could at least wear clothes.”
“Why? It’s my house. If I want to walk around naked, I will. Get over it.” Eli let his feet fall still. He cocked his head and grinned as the thought struck him. “Besides, you liked it yesterday.”
“Temporary insanity. Won’t happen again.” He didn’t even crack a smile. Too serious. Too cold. Too hard to piss off. He hated Creed’s control. Always had. That’s what drove him crazy all these years. His goddamned lack of emotion. He wanted to see him get angry. Just once, to completely lose himself in the moment. “On that note, I’m turning in.”
Eli looked at the clock on the stove. It was a little before nine. Too damned early to go to bed—to sleep anyway. Except that he’d found himself getting up earlier and earlier as the week had passed. Somehow they’d fallen into a working pattern. Creed’s breakfast-making skills were much better than his. Eli cleaned up. Out to the barn not long after breakfast. So far they’d cleaned out most of the vermin and had three stalls back in usable order. The office and tack rooms were works in progress. Since his heat episode, Eli hadn’t let Creed venture out into the field; instead he borrowed Kip and went alone to check the cattle. Lunch was a fend-for-yourself deal. They worked on supper and cleanup together. Odd how you fell into a pattern. But he didn’t like this sitting around with nothing to do during the times he was usually out looking for a little hell to raise.
“Yeah, okay. ’Night.”
Creed took his book, one finger between the pages to mark his place, and started to leave. His eyes met Eli’s for a brief second, a flicker of something there. Invitation? Longing? Regret? Eli couldn’t decide and then he was gone, leaving Eli sitting on the counter, his thoughts scattered in a million different directions.
“Takes one to know one.” The words from the day before fluttered through his memory. The way he smelled. How he tasted. The sounds he made. Or didn’t make. Eli wondered if the detachment he’d sensed several times had been real. Almost as if Creed had pushed him that far only to bend over and take it. He’d wanted to kiss him so damn badly. It was just a fuck. But dammit, Eli had wanted more than a fuck. When it was over Creed had gathered up his clothes and left him lying in the hay wondering what the hell just happened. “I can smell you, Eli, makes me want to taste you.” Eli knew one damned thing for certain. There had been no tasting of anything and that didn’t sit right with him.
Eli took his time turning the lights off and closing the windows on his way to his room, even though it was early and he wasn’t the slightest bit tired. He could watch TV or surf the Internet for porn or something until he was tired. He stood in front of the dresser that had been his as a kid, looking at himself in the mirror. The sound of the water running in the guest room made him shiver. “Takes one to know one.” Was that true? If it were true, why didn’t they know this about themselves years ago? Why didn’t he ever get a single gay vibe off Creed?
“It gets cold here? Come on, this is Florida; it doesn’t get cold here. And my clothes are fine. I don’t need any advice from you, shorts boy.”
Eli looked down at his cargo shorts, forgetting he’d grabbed a pair of bright blue ones that a former friend had bought him last year. All of his normal clothes were dirty. Miss Lulu would be out tomorrow to clean and do the wash, but until then he was stuck. A sharp, damp breeze came in through the open window, making him shiver. “I’m not your boy either, so shut up about my shorts.”
“You could at least wear clothes.”
“Why? It’s my house. If I want to walk around naked, I will. Get over it.” Eli let his feet fall still. He cocked his head and grinned as the thought struck him. “Besides, you liked it yesterday.”
“Temporary insanity. Won’t happen again.” He didn’t even crack a smile. Too serious. Too cold. Too hard to piss off. He hated Creed’s control. Always had. That’s what drove him crazy all these years. His goddamned lack of emotion. He wanted to see him get angry. Just once, to completely lose himself in the moment. “On that note, I’m turning in.”
Eli looked at the clock on the stove. It was a little before nine. Too damned early to go to bed—to sleep anyway. Except that he’d found himself getting up earlier and earlier as the week had passed. Somehow they’d fallen into a working pattern. Creed’s breakfast-making skills were much better than his. Eli cleaned up. Out to the barn not long after breakfast. So far they’d cleaned out most of the vermin and had three stalls back in usable order. The office and tack rooms were works in progress. Since his heat episode, Eli hadn’t let Creed venture out into the field; instead he borrowed Kip and went alone to check the cattle. Lunch was a fend-for-yourself deal. They worked on supper and cleanup together. Odd how you fell into a pattern. But he didn’t like this sitting around with nothing to do during the times he was usually out looking for a little hell to raise.
“Yeah, okay. ’Night.”
Creed took his book, one finger between the pages to mark his place, and started to leave. His eyes met Eli’s for a brief second, a flicker of something there. Invitation? Longing? Regret? Eli couldn’t decide and then he was gone, leaving Eli sitting on the counter, his thoughts scattered in a million different directions.
“Takes one to know one.” The words from the day before fluttered through his memory. The way he smelled. How he tasted. The sounds he made. Or didn’t make. Eli wondered if the detachment he’d sensed several times had been real. Almost as if Creed had pushed him that far only to bend over and take it. He’d wanted to kiss him so damn badly. It was just a fuck. But dammit, Eli had wanted more than a fuck. When it was over Creed had gathered up his clothes and left him lying in the hay wondering what the hell just happened. “I can smell you, Eli, makes me want to taste you.” Eli knew one damned thing for certain. There had been no tasting of anything and that didn’t sit right with him.
Eli took his time turning the lights off and closing the windows on his way to his room, even though it was early and he wasn’t the slightest bit tired. He could watch TV or surf the Internet for porn or something until he was tired. He stood in front of the dresser that had been his as a kid, looking at himself in the mirror. The sound of the water running in the guest room made him shiver. “Takes one to know one.” Was that true? If it were true, why didn’t they know this about themselves years ago? Why didn’t he ever get a single gay vibe off Creed?
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