PART 1
The tree was still up in the living room, although all of the presents were gone, opened and carted home by the men and women who had been at the ranch to celebrate the holiday with Chris Larabee several days earlier. And outside it was cold, but the sky was a brilliant blue, the air scrubbed clean by a recent snow that had almost melted. The world felt new, and full of possibilities. Chris smiled; he felt like he'd gotten everything he'd wanted for Christmas when Vin had agreed to start moving in.
He wasn't sure how he was going to break the truth to the rest of his men, but once they got over the initial shock, they would be happy for them; he was absolutely sure of that. He just hoped the shock didn't last too long. But their friendships were strong; in fact they were more like family than friends these days, and that, he hoped, would hold sway over any objections they might have, be they moral, professional, or personal.
He glanced around, trying to decide if he was ready for the upcoming blitz - the 2nd Annual Team Seven New Years' blow-out. Two years? Had he really had his team for two years now? He shook his head. There were days it felt much longer. And when it came to Tanner, he had to remind himself regularly that he hadn't known the man his whole life.
The weekend-long event would open with a pot-luck, late lunch/early dinner on December 31st and last through New Year's Day, and the outcome of the Rose Bowl game. There would be plenty of food, drink, poker and college football over the two days, and the rest of Team Seven would camp in his spare bedroom, living room, and maybe out in the barn, if he knew Tanner. With the others there, Vin would be too nervous to share the master bedroom with him... so he'd just have to share the barn with Vin.
He glanced out the window, wondering what was taking the sniper so long. Tanner had taken off a few hours earlier to make the liquor run. He had also planned to swing by his apartment in Purgatorio so he could pick up some more of his clothes and a few other "odds 'n' ends" as he called them. Chris had expected him to be back by now, but there could be any number of explanations for his absence. He'd probably run into traffic, but it still made Larabee a little anxious.
They still hadn't decided exactly when they should break the news to the others, and Chris had been hoping they could finalize that decision before the others arrived. But that was not to be, he acknowledged, watching Buck drive up, JD riding shotgun with him. He went to open the front door as the two men began unloading their "supplies" for the extended party.
"Hey, stud!" Wilmington greeted him, grinning widely as they reached the door. "Where's Junior, there's plenty more stuff to bring in."
"He's on a run to restock the bar," Chris said, taking several of the plastic grocery bags from the pair and leading the way to the kitchen.
Buck and JD went back twice more before they had everything inside. And they had just finished putting it all up when Josiah and Nathan arrived, forcing them to start the process all over again with the bags they had brought.
Chris knew some of the leftovers from the weekend would still be in his freezer and cabinets when they did this again over the 4th of July weekend, but that was just fine by him.
Once they had everything situated, Chris handed each of the men a beer, and then grabbed one for himself. They all headed into the living room and had just got settled when the doorbell rang. Chris knew it had to be Ezra, since Vin had stopped ringing the bell long before they had started sleeping together.
Pulling the door open, all he saw were two paper grocery bags, crammed full, and a pair of legs, covered by expensive wool slacks.
"It is customary for the host to invite his guests inside, Mr. Larabee," the smooth-talking Southerner drawled, shifting impatiently from foot to foot under the weight of the bags.
Chris shook his head, saying, "Just trying to decide what this... stuff on top is."
"Something I'm sure your unsophisticated palate would no doubt reject," Standish replied dryly, then stepped inside when Larabee moved, heading straight to the kitchen where he made sure to immediately refrigerate several items from his bags.
Chris leaned against the doorframe, watching and waiting for Standish to finish. He wasn't sure what quite a few things he saw removed were, but Standish usually came up with some kind of surprise for them that turned out to be delicious, unpronounceable, and made from things most of them would never knowingly ingest.
"Grab yourself a beer," Larabee told his main undercover agent. "We're just waiting for Vin."
"Ah, our Mr. Tanner is running late as usual."
Chris grinned, deciding he better not reply to that comment, or he might be talking about him and Vin a lot sooner than he wanted to.
The two men walked back to the living room, where someone had turned on the big screen television, although the volume had been muted on a program Chris didn't recognize.
Larabee returned to his favorite recliner and Ezra settled on the empty end of the smaller of the two sofas. Conversation picked up, the men chatting for a time, but it trailed off when they noticed the worried look on Larabee's face as he glanced out the window to check the long gravel driveway that led from the road to the house.
"Hey, don't worry," Buck said. "The roads were still pretty bad. He's probably just stuck in traffic."
Larabee sighed and nodded, the conversation picking up again until JD squeaked, "Ohmigod, look!"
The men turned their attention to the television as JD fumbled with the remote, trying to release the mute.
"C'mon, JD," Buck snapped, sliding to the edge of his seat.
There was a "breaking news" banner on the screen, and a collage of worrisome images - police cars, their lights flashing, ambulances, medics, people running back and forth behind the camera man, and the worried-looking reporter, speaking into a mike. The breaking news banner was right above the words "Deadly Shooting in Purgatory."
The volume came on suddenly, the reporter's voice filling the room. "...an officer on the scene has confirmed that there are at least two dead and several others injured. We're standing by to bring you more information as soon as we get it. Stephanie?"
The picture shifted, returning to the regular news anchors back at the CBS station. Larabee was already up and heading for the door before they began to speak.
"Whoa, Chris, call him first," Buck said, heading his friend off at the front door. "He's probably on his way and nowhere near Purgatorio."
Chris huffed out a breath, but he turned and headed straight to the phone in the kitchen, dialing Vin's number at his apartment. It rang four times and the answering machine picked up. "Hi," said Vin's voice, "I can't get t' the phone right now, so leave a message after the beep an' I'll call y' as soon as I can."
"Vin, it's me," Larabee said. "If you're there, pick up." He waited a moment, then added, "Now, damn it."
Buck grinned briefly and shook his head. "You're a real people person, stud."
Still nothing, and then the beep sounded, letting Chris know the connection had been broken. The blond turned, determined to leave this time. But Buck stopped him a second time, his hand on Larabee's arm.
"Try his cell," the ladies' man said, silently praying Tanner picked up this time.
Chris' eyes narrowed, but he reached out and grabbed the phone again, punching out the number to the sniper's cell phone, which rang and rang and rang before it finally shifted him over to Tanner's voice mail box. He hung up before the message from Vin could begin.
"Guys!" JD called anxiously from the living room.
Buck and Chris hurried back down the hall, walking in as the broadcast shifted back to the crime scene.
The reporter appeared, saying, "Earlier this afternoon a deadly shootout took place here at the Purgatory Liquor Barn." The camera closed in on a pool of blood on the sidewalk. "A spokesman for the Denver Police Department is confirming that three people have been killed, and two others were seriously wounded. The wounded have been taken to area hospitals."
The image shifted to footage shot earlier - a woman being loaded into the back of an ambulance that then pulled away, sirens wailing. Then it shifted back to the reporter. "Other shoppers who were in the store at the time of the robbery were injured by flying glass when the gunfire broke out, but their injuries are not life-threatening and they are being treated at the scene by paramedics, or taken to local hospitals."
As the reporter spoke, the camera closed in on a man, seated on the curb, a medic working to clean the blood of the side of his face.
"Harold Reynolds, police department spokesman, had no comment about who was responsible, but an official statement should be released within the hour. This is Daniel Huang, Channel 4 News, in Purgatory. Now, back to you, Stephanie, Larry."
"We couldn't reach Vin," Buck stated flatly.
"Let's go," Chris said, his voice soft but intense.
The others stood, all of them worried now. They went out, splitting into two vehicles for the drive to Purgatorio. Chris took his truck, Buck and JD riding with him. Josiah took Nathan and Ezra in his Suburban. They pushed the speed limits, arriving at the scene as quickly as possible.* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The street in Purgatorio looked almost exactly like it had on the news - run down, walls covered with graffiti, whatever paint hadn't been covered gone grey with dirt and grime. Police cars were still scattered around the Liquor Barn, some of their lights flashing. Two ambulance trucks remained closer to the store, medics crowded around the opened rear doors of both vehicles, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.
Chris and Josiah double-parked, the six men climbing out and heading across the street, stopping the traffic that was crawling by while the drivers tried to see what was going on. The ATF agents showed their IDs, slipping past the first layer of uniformed officers protecting the crime scene, which included the sidewalk in front of the store and the entire parking lot alongside it.
They continued across the lot, but were stopped when they neared the building by a plainclothes detective, a broad-shouldered man in his early 40s, his short, light brown hair shot through with silvery-grey. He looked imposing, and had at least three inches and twenty-five pounds on Larabee, who was leading the way.
"Gentlemen," the detective said matter-of-factly, "I'll need to see-"
Larabee fished his ID out again, letting the detective take a look. "I need to get into the scene," he said and took a step forward.
"Why?" the detective asked suspiciously, shifting to block Chris' path and earning himself one of the blond's icy green glares in response. "Is there an on-going ATF investigation-?"
"One of my agents may have been involved-" Chris began.
"May have been?" the detective asked, cutting him off.
"Look, Detective...?"
"Speer. What is his name?"
Chris fought back the anger and the fear that inclined him to just deck the man and keep walking, but he drew a deep breath and said, "Tanner. Vin Tanner." And he could tell from the flash of recognition that crossed Speer's face that Vin had, indeed, been involved at the scene.
The other members of Team Seven saw it too.
"Is he all right?" Buck demanded, locking gazes with the detective.
Chris, however, didn't hear Wilmington's question. He had swallowed hard, a soft roar beginning to fill his ears when he saw a man ease past the tangle of medics and start toward him. Larabee's gaze was riveted on the blood soaking into the front of the man's long-sleeved T-shirt and he felt his knees begin to shake. Then his gaze lifted and he saw more blood on the man's face.
It was a ghost, a fucking ghost. He moaned softly, strobes of white and yellow lights beginning to explode in front of his eyes.
"Chris?" Buck yelped, lunging to catch his friend before he dropped to his knees. He looked around, frantic to understand what was going on. Then he saw what had affected Larabee so profoundly. "Jesus Christ," he breathed.
"Chris?" Vin called, frowning and breaking into a jog, hurrying over to the man. He knelt and reached out, grabbing Larabee's shoulders, and getting into his face. "Chris, it's all right. 'M fine. I ain't hurt. Y' hear me? I'm fine."
Larabee's eyes narrowed. The ghost was talking to him, touching him. Chris' hand came up and he touched the ghost's face. He saw and felt the slight turn of Vin's head as the man almost followed his initial impulse to kiss Chris' open palm, but he caught himself just in time.
"Chris, 'm all right," Vin said again, intense blue eyes locked on Larabee's green.
"What happened?" JD asked, staring worriedly at the blood on Tanner's shirt.
Vin took a deep breath and started to speak, but then he spotted the reporter and cameraman moving closer and jerked his chin in the direction of the ambulance. "Over here."
The others followed him over, Detective Speer staying behind to move the press back again.
"What happened, brother?" Josiah asked when Tanner slumped against the side of the ambulance.
"Was at the Barn, picking up our stuff; I paid and was takin' it out t' the Jeep when I saw this guy go in. He gave me a bad vibe, so I slipped back inside t' take a look." He looked down at the ground and shook his head. Then he lifted his chin, pain-filled blue eyes locking on Josiah's as he said, "He didn't say a word, J'siah, just started shootin'. It took me too damn long t' get a shot, but I finally dropped the bastard." He looked down at the blood on his shirt. "One of the ladies in the store," he said softly. "I hope she makes it. She was talkin' 'bout her little girl..." He shuddered, too easily remembering the large exit wound in her upper chest.
Josiah reached out and rested his hand on Tanner's shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. "You did everything you could, Vin."
The sniper nodded, but it was clear he was hurting and blaming himself for not being able to act quicker.
One of the uniformed officers stepped up to join them. Sergeant Timothy Argrow was a handsome black man, a little taller than Buck and as wide as Josiah. He smiled at the agents as his gaze swept over them. "Agent Tanner, I just spoke to Detective Speer; he said you're free to go now. We have everything we need for now."
Vin nodded. "Any news on the injured?"
Argrow shook his head. "I'm sorry. They were taken to St. Joseph's, though. I'm sure you could find out..."
Tanner nodded again.
"Detective Speer asked if you'd stop by tomorrow to read over your statement and sign it."
"He'll be there," Chris said, watching the officer. There was honest admiration in the man's eyes.
Argrow extended his hand to Vin, who shook it. "Agent Tanner, that was damn amazing shooting. The rest of those people-"
"Two people died," Vin said flatly. "It wasn't good enough."
The officer nodded, understanding the sniper's feelings. "Still, it could've been a hell of a lot worse if you hadn't been here." He looked at the other agents and added, "The owner and a customer were killed, two other patrons were seriously wounded, but the rest only had minor injuries, mostly from flying glass. Agent Tanner dropped the perp, saved four others in the store." He looked at Vin, Josiah still standing at his shoulder, then back at the others. "The witnesses said Agent Tanner stepped out into the open, tried to talk the man into surrendering. He was holding a wounded woman in front of him, using her as a shield. She'd already been shot by the store owner when he tried to defend himself. His shot went wild when he was hit and killed by the perp. That woman was bleeding to death. Agent Tanner made what had to be a one in a million shot. My partner and I saw it from outside. Then he kept pressure on her wounds until the paramedics got here."
"Christ," Buck breathed, easily able to imagine the scene playing out as the officer described it.
"Yeah," JD added in agreement.
"You did everything you could, Vin," Nathan said. "I'll call the hospital, see if I can get some news for you."
Chris nodded, letting Jackson know he should do that, and they watched Nathan trot away, headed for Josiah's Suburban.
One of the medics moved in to stand next to Argrow. "Agent Tanner, you sure you don't want us to check you over?" she asked, looking worried.
Vin shook his head. "No, thanks, I'm fine," he told her.
"All right," she said, "but take it easy, okay?"
Tanner nodded again, then looked up at the others saying, "I need t' go home, change."
"Ill go with you," Chris said, his tone one that warned them all he'd brook no arguments. "The rest of you can head back to the ranch," he told the others, tossing his keys to Wilmington. "We'll meet you out there in an hour or so."
Buck nodded. The color had returned to Larabee's face and the blond seemed steady enough on his feet now. But the ladies' man wasn't at all sure why his friend's reaction had been so extreme. Nor was he sure why it had looked like Vin had almost kissed Chris' hand. He had some questions for the two men, and when they got back to the ranch, he planned to get himself some answers.* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Chris drove Vin's Jeep to the sniper's Purgatorio apartment building, the two men climbing the stairs to Tanner's fourth floor home when they saw the elevator was out of order once again.
Vin opened the door and stepped inside, listening as Chris followed him in, then closed and locked the door.
Heading straight to the bathroom, Vin pulled his blood-soaked T-shirt off and threw it into the small trash can sitting by the counter. His jeans followed, and he wadded them up, shoving them into the can as well. Then he turned to the shower, cranked on the water, and stepped out of his underwear, which went into his hamper. A moment later he was standing under the hot water, eyes closed as he let the powerful stream wash the blood off his chest and legs.
And a few moments later, hands were touching him, moving over his body - demanding hands, hungry hands. Hands that wanted to own him.
And he wanted to be owned, badly.
Chris pressed himself up against Vin's back, the blond's hard erection sliding into the crack of Tanner's ass. Larabee's hands rubbed over the younger man's ribs, his fingers closing on already hard nipples, squeezing them, pulling on them. There was no slow seduction here, just raw need, and that suited Tanner just fine.
In response, Vin reached out and placed his hands on the wall of the shower stall in front of him and stood, the cascading water beating against his chest. He spread his legs, planting his feet wide apart, an open invitation he hoped Chris would accept.
And accept he did.
Chris took the bar from the soap dish on the wall and worked up a good lather that he rubbed, with both hands, over Tanner's butt cheeks. Then he slid both hands toward the crack and dug them between the hard cheeks and into that deep crevice.
Vin bent over, bracing both of his hands on his thighs, groaning softly as Larabee rubbed the sudsy foam up and down the velvety crevice. Then the older man teased the puckered hole with his fingertips, finding it tight and twitching. His fingers strayed down to Tanner's balls, one hand cupping them, massaging soap into the hair.
Vin moaned, louder this time, his head dropping. He moved his feet farther apart while Larabee's hand continued to fondle his balls.
It was a signal Chris didn't miss and his hand moved higher, up between the sharpshooter's spread thighs, finding his stiff hard-on. He rubbed soap over the twitching shaft, slowly and deliberately, as he stared down at Vin's spread ass cheeks and the white foam coating the mounds and the deep crack. His own erection rubbed against one of the soapy cheeks, making the sniper whine.
While one hand continued to stroke Vin's stiff shaft and play with his balls, the other ran up and down his soapy crack, grazing across his puckered hole with every pass.
"Feels good..." Vin sighed, "feels so damn good."
Chris settled his attention on the wet hole. He stared down at it. And with Vin's legs wide apart like they were, he had a perfect view. But he wanted more, needed more. Right now.
His finger traced the crinkled ring of flesh at the entrance, then stopped at the center of the soapy slot and poked. The flesh was tight, but pliant, and the soap lubricated his pressing digit. The rim began to open up.
Vin knew he was wound tight, but he also knew he had to relax, that Chris wouldn't be able to wait long. So he dropped his ass slightly and his sphincter bulged outward, allowing Larabee's finger to slide deep inside.
Chris moaned softly, the passage hot, tight, and throbbing. And Vin's ass quivered in response to the sound, his hole pulsing and spasming around the invading finger.
Larabee slid his finger out, shoved it in deeper, and then pulled it nearly all the way out again. Vin moaned, loudly, his thighs beginning to shake. Chris' other hand was pumping his stiff cock, and Vin was soon wiggling his ass in slow, grinding circles, fucking himself on Larabee's digging finger. And the blond kept shoving it in deeper and harder with each stroke.
When Larabee finally felt Vin blossom open, his tight anal walls gaping apart, he knew the man was almost ready for him. Without thinking he took advantage of that yielding and plunged a second soapy finger up the channel, ramming them in as deeply as they could go.
Vin grunted, his hips circling harder, demanding satisfaction.
Chris panted hard as he watched his fingers sliding effortlessly in and out of that sudsy hole while Vin's ass cheeks clenched and squirmed around them. His other hand kept up a steady jerk on the sharpshooter's hard cock.
"Chris," Tanner groaned, and his hole swelled outward as he squatted down. He growled, the sound frustrated and delighted at the same time.
Chris held his breath and added a third finger. Vin cried out, his asshole convulsing around the three digits, which Larabee was twisting around inside the younger man. He felt Vin's hole clamp down like a vice on his fingers when he rammed them in and worked them in circles. And the next moment he felt Vin's cock jerk and the sniper was coming, his milky seed spilling over Chris' fingers and falling with wet splats on the shower floor.
Tanner shook and groaned, and finally fell to the wet floor of the stall, his ass in the air, Chris' fingers still buried inside his spasming hole. His cheeks were still covered with the suds, quivering wildly, while his whole body continued jerking in the throes of his orgasm.
Chris knew what Vin wanted, and his own cock was drooling and aching so badly he thought for a moment that he might burst apart just watching. But then he slipped his fingers from Tanner's swollen hole and gasped at the sight of the oozing suds escaping behind them.
Larabee whipped up more lather from the bar of soap, coating it over his stiff cock, which he then pointed at that upturned, inviting ass. He spread Vin's soapy cheeks wide and rammed forward with his cock, the well-stretched hole welcoming him like a perfectly-fitted glove.
There was nothing between Larabee's sensitive cock and the pulsing walls of Vin's sudsy anus, and the fleshy glove wrapped cozily around his shaft as Chris jabbed in and out of that welcoming hole. And Vin lay there, moaning and shoving back to meet every thrust.
Chris' gaze was riveted to the sight of the younger man's hole, wide open and taking his thick cock easily. Then, with an effort, he slowed down. He wanted to own Vin, wanted to savor being right where he was. But it was impossible.
Larabee lunged forward, burying himself to the hilt and held himself there. Vin grunted and his muscles leaped and twitched around Larabee's entire shaft, sending sparks of pleasure racing through the blond's groin.
Chris ground his balls against the younger man's soapy butt cheeks, the silky flesh smooth and slippery.
"Chris," Vin breathed. "Move, please... I need y', Chris... fuck me, damn it."
Larabee lost control and, using both hands, he held tightly onto Vin's cheeks and began to pummel him, pumping all the way in and then pulling all the way out so only the flared head of his cock remained trapped in that heated, velvet passage.
The sound Vin made in response, half-groan, half-whimper, to each drilling of his ass took only ignited Larabee's lust even more. Chris knew he had to slow down, that he was ready to shoot. He had to stop, or lose it.
He pulled his cock all the way out and stared down at the gaping orifice. He rubbed more soap over it, then slid two fingers inside to feel the heated interior.
Vin grunted when the fingers slid into him, and groaned, "Chris... please."
Larabee pulled his fingers out and stuck his cock back inside, burying it to the balls. Tanner grunted again and wiggled his butt in response.
"Yes," the younger man sighed. "Yes. Give it t' me... give it t' me."
But Chris pulled his cock all the way out again and stuck his fingers back inside.
"No!" Vin wailed.
Chris laughed and continued repeated the action, over and over, amazed by how loose and slippery Vin's ass had become. And Tanner lay there on the floor of the shower, the water pummeling his head and shoulders, while his soapy ass was fucked. Softly he began to chant, "Yes... Oh, Chris... yes... harder... harder..." whenever the blond's cock was filling him.
Larabee buried to the balls, slipped over the edge of conscious control. He crouched over Tanner's spread ass, held onto his cheeks and drilled his hole like a madman.
"Oh, fuck!" Vin cried. "Yes. Chris. Yes."
The friction in the slippery but tight hole was quickly taking its toll on Larabee. He grunted along with Vin and rammed into the man, going faster and faster. He felt the wave of his orgasm approaching, then overtaking him. He shoved in, mashing his balls and holding himself tight against Vin's ass, his entire body seemingly turning inside out. He could feel his semen spewing from his cock head, draining out of him in a hot, raging river, and Tanner's thirsty ass was drinking him dry as it bucked and shook.
Chris fell over top of Vin, the spray from the showerhead drenching him.
They stayed like that on the floor, Larabee's cock still buried up Vin's ass, for a long time. Finally, Tanner pushed up to his knees and he dislodged Chris with a groan.
"Gonna be sore fer a month," he drawled thickly, then smirked as he turned to face Chris. They helped each other up, both men still shaking slightly.
Chris grabbed Vin, pulling the younger man into his arms, holding him tightly as he whispered, "Christ, Vin, I thought you were dead."
"I know," Tanner soothed, his hands running up and down Larabee's back. "I know. I'm sorry, Chris. I'm so sorry."
They held each other until the water began to cool, then finished their shower and turned the water off before it went completely cold. They dried in silence and dressed.
Vin combed out his hair, then turned only to be captured in Chris' embrace again, the blond's lips possessing his, his tongue forcing its way into Tanner's mouth.
They parted a short while later, both men panting for breath. Fear and hunger still haunted Larabee's green eyes.
"Y' need me, don't ya." It wasn't a question, the truth too easy to read in Chris' haunted green eyes.
Larabee nodded, and he reached down, opening the fly on his jeans, pulled them over his hips, and stepping out of them. "Now." He pulled his sweater off, tossing it on the floor of Vin's bedroom. Turning, he leaned over the corner of the bed, his ass up and open, begging to be fucked.
Vin couldn't say no, didn't want to, either. But he undressed slowly, knowing it would just make Chris hotter. Then he went to the nightstand, removing the bottle of KY before he went around to where that beautiful ass was waiting for his attention.
When Vin's finger entered him, the images of the blood-stained T-shirt finally disappeared from Larabee's mind, replaced by the thrill of penetration.
Vin gave him a good prodding, playing his prostrate until Chris groaned and began to shake and twitch. Then Tanner's other hand reached between Chris' legs, cupping his balls and rolling them in his palm while his finger kept on working inside of him.
Chris moaned with pleasure, and when Vin withdrew his finger, he waited for two, or a cock, to replace it. When neither was forthcoming, he turned, looking over his shoulder, frowning. Vin was smiling at him, slowly stroking lube onto his own cock.
"Hands and knees," Tanner drawled softly. "'M gonna fuck y' good, old man."
Chris swallowed hard and did as he'd been told. He felt the squirt of lube, then Tanner was behind him, going in.
Larabee let out a long, low moan, pleasure mixed with pain, but that was exactly what he wanted.
"God yer tight," Vin hissed, forcing himself deeper.
Chris came almost immediately. It was as if all the fear and turmoil had pooled in his balls and had suddenly found an outlet and his cock fired semen onto the spread in long, thick strands. His muscles tensed to the feel of Vin's thick cock snaking up his bowels, and his hole involuntarily clamped onto the moving shaft.
"That's it, Cowboy," Vin cooed, but he didn't stop thrusting, didn't allow his lover any respite as Chris reeled from his climax, he just kept on drilling him, the slap of flesh filling the room.
As Chris shuddered, then nearly swooned, Tanner held him at the waist, riding his ass like they were out on the range - a galloping fuck.
Then things evened out and Chris began to really enjoy what Vin was doing to him. Vin was alive. Vin was fucking him. Vin's cock up his ass was the only thing that mattered any more. But then Vin was gone.
Chris whimpered.
"Don't worry," Tanner whispered into his ear. "I ain't done with y' yet."
Tanner had Chris lie back on the bed, then raised the older man's legs high to reveal his aching hole. Two of the sharpshooter's lubed fingers slid inside.
Larabee's eyes slid closed and he moaned, losing himself in the feeling. He wanted Vin to take him, wanted him to fuck him into oblivion.
Vin watched his fingers sliding in and out of the twitching hole, grinning when Chris reached up and pulled his legs up higher and squeezed his muscles around the invading fingers. Tanner added a third and leaned over, his mouth closing around Larabee's cock.
"Shit! Vin!" the blond cried, feeling the man's tongue on him, sliding up the underside of his cock, his mouth closing in. "Oh God, oh God, oh God." The fingers kept fucking him, the mouth sucking on him. And he came again, shooting down Vin's throat.
And Tanner sucked him completely dry.
When he was soft, Tanner still didn't let that stop him. He rolled Chris' limp cock around in his mouth, played with it, pulled and slurped. When he finally relented he withdrew his fingers as well.
"Keep 'em up," Vin said when Chris started to lower his legs.
Larabee's eyes opened and he watched as Vin made himself ready, then settled and pushed his cock back into him.
"Yes," Chris sighed, feeling alive again.
Vin took his lover's feet in his hands and Larabee let his arms fall out to the side. And pushing Chris' legs up around his ears, Vin bore down into the blond.
Chris was loose, Vin's fingers and blow job having relaxed and opened him, and the younger man's cock slid in far beyond the reach of his fingers, snaking into uncharted territory.
Chris' rectum screamed, but he reveled in it. "Yes... Vin..."
"'M alive, Chris," Tanner said, pumping the man's ass. "'M alive an' 'm gonna make y' come again." He thrust hard and deep for emphasis.
"Yes," Chris moaned, green eyes locking on the blue above him. But they were almost black now, pupils dilated with desire. "Take me. Fuck me."
"Yer mine, Chris," Tanner replied, his drawl becoming more pronounced as he rammed into the heated, tight channel, pumping harder, grinding himself into the blond, growling with pleasure even as Larabee grimaced in a mixture of pleasure and pain.
"Yes," Chris hissed. "Take it, Vin. Take it."
Tanner growled again, going kind of crazy, his cock in control, his body a mere appendage now. He pumped and moaned. He shook his head from side to side, the sweat flying off his face, more running down his chest.
Chris jerked his hips, wanting Vin to bury himself inside of his body, wanting Tanner to slide completely into him, to live under his skin, to possess him completely. He felt his balls begin to draw up again, surprising him. They ached, and he wondered if he could come again. But the cock sliding in and out of his ass was determined.
Vin let up on Larabee's legs slightly and reached down to cup Chris' ass, adjusting the angle.
Larabee cried out when the head of Tanner's cock struck his prostrate, the thick shaft sliding past it. His hips jerked frantically.
The wild abandon of Chris' body nearly undid Vin, and the sniper rammed himself into the man's tight heat over and over, his own body beginning to shake as he felt his release beginning to build. It was like a cramp, deep in his groin. Then he heard Chris call his name, and the first burst of warm semen struck his chest, sliding down as a second spurt hit him on the nipple and the tight channel he was ravaging began to spasm around his own aching cock.
Vin threw his head back, a burst of fire shooting through his veins as his hips drilled Chris' ass as hard and as fast as he could. Then he lunged forward, burying himself as deeply as he'd ever been and began to come, pouring rush after rush of his seed into his lover's bowels. And below him, Larabee twisted and jerked, still caught in the throes of his own orgasm, although it was mostly dry, his cock jerking, trying to expel more semen that wasn't there. The sight of that struggling cock kept Vin shooting until he himself was empty and still pulsing.
Then, his strength gone, Tanner dropped onto Chris, trying to breathe, trying to find his body, which had somehow fallen through his cock, disappearing into Larabee's body. He shook and moaned, unable to free himself. Arms closed around him like they had in the shower, holding him, making him feel again, making him live.
Vin sighed contentedly, sinking into the love those arms signified. He was safe. He was alive, and he had Chris. Nothing more mattered.
And Chris, lying trapped under Vin's weight, feeling the younger man's cock slowly softening, finally slipping free of his ass, knew for certain that Tanner was alive. They were together, still... always.
Together, they could survive anything.
Vin groaned and carefully eased himself off his lover, dropping down next to Chris, shivering as the sweat covering his body began to dry.
"You're cold," Larabee said, frowning and reaching for the edge of the spread.
Vin stopped him. "Y' told 'em an hour or so. We best get another shower an' get goin'. Gonna be late as it is."
Chris sighed and nodded. Vin was right. But all he wanted to do was climb into the bed with Tanner and sleep. Soon enough, he told himself. He would make sure Vin shared his bed tonight, and the rest of them be damned.
The two men climbed stiffly off the bed and made their way back into the bathroom. Vin grabbed fresh towels and started the shower, grateful that he'd helped install new hot water heaters last year.
They washed each other, their touches not meant to arouse, but to comfort, each other and themselves. Then they dried and dressed for a second time, and headed for the Jeep.* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
They rode in silence as they headed out of the city and toward the ranch. But Chris finally asked, "You all right?"
Vin nodded. "Yeah."
Larabee studied the younger man's profile for a moment, deciding that the answer was an honest one. "Even if the woman doesn't make it?" he probed.
Tanner sighed softy. "I know I did all I could... I wish it could've been more, but-"
"Best we can do is the best we can, Vin," Chris said, reaching out to rest his hand on Tanner's thigh, giving it a squeeze. "You gave me one hell of a scare today, Vin."
Tanner nodded. "Would've called y' sooner, but they-"
"I know," Larabee interrupted. "But when I saw you..."
"It's over, Chris," Vin said. "Let it go."
The older man nodded, knowing he had to do just that, but he wasn't sure it would be that easy, even after what had passed between then earlier. He sighed, determined that he would get Vin out of Purgatorio before the end of January. "So, how much is left in your apartment to move?"
Vin flash him a grin. "Not much. But don't y' think we better talk t' the others b'fore I set up house out here?"
Chris nodded. "Guess we'd better do it over this weekend, then." Then he remembered the look in Buck's eyes and added, "I think Buck might have figured it out already. Or he's at least suspicious."
The look Tanner shot him was half-surprised, half-afraid.
"He's seen me in love before, pard," he told Tanner. "Seen me fall apart when Sarah and Adam died, too."
Vin swallowed hard. He didn't want to lose any of his friends, but if it came down to a choice, he knew he'd be spending the rest of his life with Chris. He just hoped the others could, and would, accept that.
"It'll be all right," Larabee assured him, squeezing his thigh again.
Vin nodded, silently praying Chris was right. They would find out soon enough...
Continues in
Bloody Ghost, Part 2
Author's Note: This story first appeared in the Mag 7 zine, Seven Card Stud #7, published by Neon RainBow Press, Cinda Gillilan and Jody Norman, editors. When we all decided to post the stories that have appeared in the issues of Seven Card Stud that are more than two years old, we opted to use a generic pen name because, while Pat is the primary author of this story, she had so much help from the other folks writing for the press that it just made sense to consider the story to be written by the Neon RainBow Press Collective! Resistance was futile. So, thanks to the whole Neon Gang - Sierra Chaves, Dana Ely, Michelle Fortado, Patricia Grace, Erica Michaels, Nina Talbot, Kasey Tucker, and Lorin and Mary Fallon Zane. Story lasted edited 6-27-2006. Art by Shiloh