Well, since I guess we're now posting our secret summer fics, I guess I'll post mine. Mine was originally for Emily, but when she left, it got switched, I think, to Emma. I hope she enjoyed it, too. The funny thing is that the episode is was based on came on Friday. Serendipity. TITLE: The Ride AUTHOR: Makingamochrie PAIRING: Ryan/Colin (first time) DISCLAIMER: FICTION. SUMMARY: "Vroom! Vroom!" "It's obvious Colin's never ridden one." Songs of the Motorcycle It was an odd Monday for me. The Whose Line taping had ended on a high note the night before, but I hadn’t gone out with the rest of them for the traditional post show booze fest, so I wasn’t hung over and wanting to die. Drew had cancelled taping on his show for the day—some technical malfunction or other, and the wife and kids were up in Washington, relearning how to breathe fresh air. So there I was, all alone in a huge, silent house, wondering what to do with myself, when my cell rang. It was Colin, and that was my first shock of the day—which should have warned me about how the rest of it was going to turn out, but didn’t. Colin never calls me at home. Ever. The second shock came when he told—not asked, told—me that he would be coming over at 2pm, and that I needed to be ready. Ready for what, he didn’t say. Just ready. It’s a rare day when Colin tells anyone to do anything. Not that he can’t; he just doesn’t have to. Instead, he asks, and any one of us would willingly slit our wrists if that’s what he wanted. He’s just that kind of guy. Not this time, though, and I’ll admit, that alone had me curious. Besides, what was I gonna say? No? Any day with Colin is a good one in my book, so I told him I’d be ready and waiting for whatever it was he had in mind. Even though it was only a little past eleven, I hopped in the shower, dressed myself in my usual attire of ratty jeans and a T-shirt, then perched on the couch, half-listening to whatever mindless crap passes for daytime television these days as my mind came up with and discarded various ideas of what might be in store for me. I threw the first one—a day filled with hot, passionate sex—out immediately, though reluctantly. I loved Colin, and he loved me, but my love for him had an ‘in’ before it, and his didn’t. I was fine with that; I’d been in love with him for decades and had learned to accept the fact that it would always be one sided. That didn’t mean I didn’t tease him about it almost every chance I got, but that was just to see the blush color his cheeks. What can I say? He’s adorable. Especially when he blushes. Yeah, I know, I’m a bastard, but raise your hand if you’re surprised. Didn’t think so. Anyway, the hours passed quickly—my mind can be an inventive little fucker when it wants to be—and soon it was nearly show time. Just as the second hand on my watch met with the minute hand at 12, the doorbell rang, and there he was, dressed a lot like me, bearing a grin on his face and a glint in his eye that had my curiosity rise even as my stomach fell. I knew that glint well, you see, and so do you, if you’re a fan. Just check out any one of the hoedowns where someone, usually Drew, or Greg, or Chip, or hell, even Wayne, uses their verse to crack on Colin. He gets this look that says that whatever you just gave him, he’s gonna return, doubled, and damn if he doesn’t do it every single time. That same exact look was now greeting me, and I quickly ran my mind back through last night’s taping, trying to come up with anything I’d done to earn it. Sure, we’d teased one another—that was par for the course with us—but he gave as well as he’d taken, and with Colin, once he gets you back, that’s the end of it. The man wouldn’t know a grudge if it bit him in the ass and stayed around for desert. So I thought, and I thought, and came up totally empty. That must have shown on my face, because his grin became a little bit evil, and the glint in his eye only sharpened, causing my mouth to dry. I swallowed, and the rat bastard actually chuckled! At me! I glared at him, and he just stood there, cool as a cucumber, and then neither of us could hold the act anymore and we wound up in each other’s arms, hugging tight and laughing. When we finally pulled away, he looked me up and down, critically. “That’ll do,” he said after a long moment. “But get a jacket. That leather one that Pat got you for your birthday should be fine.” I cocked my head at him. “Colin, maybe you don’t realize this, being Canadian and all, but this is summer. In Los Angeles. Unless you’re in San Francisco, there’s a law against wearing leather this time of year.” Arms folded across his chest, he stared at me. And stared. And stared. And fuck me if I didn’t cave in, like I always did when he stared at me like that. Muttering swear words not-quite-under my breath, I went to the hall closet and dug around for the jacket he had in mind. And damned if I didn’t find it, too, even though I could have sworn I’d left it back in Washington. I refused to put it on, though. After all, he wasn’t wearing one, and I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. Yeah, so I’m just a really tall kid. Deal. Not even frazzled by the look I was giving him, he simply turned away, expecting me to follow. And, of course, I did, after making sure the alarm was set and everything was locked up tight. Can’t be too sure in this day and age. Especially where I live. I followed him onto the driveway, then stopped, frozen and breathless like I’d just been punched in the gut. Standing before me, gleaming in the sun, was a wet dream come true: a ’97 Harley Davidson Fat Boy in black and midnight blue, totally tricked out in black leather and studded silver, with Long Shot pipes and a tank that sported an extremely realistic painting of a snarling blue eyed black panther. I could feel myself getting hard just looking at the thing and didn’t even mind the knowing smirk Colin was giving me, though I could feel it. Oh, yes. “Jesus H. Christ,” I finally managed to gasp out. “Where in the fuck did this baby come from?” “Oh, I dunno,” Colin replied in a tone of completely fake disinterest. “Maybe the Motorcycle Fairy dropped it here. Cause,” and now his voice slipped into dripping sarcasm, “obviously, I’ve never ridden one before.” And then it hit me, like a second punch, only this one in the area of my nuts. Last night. Greatest Hits. Songs of the Motorcycle. Colin making ‘vroom vroom’ noises, and my reply to that. And that little pout he did afterwards, that Drew copied, and I totally ignored. Oh, shit. I finally managed to meet his eyes. The glint was still there, though it had softened somewhat. Thank God. “I—uh…” Good going, huh? Maybe one day, I’d learn to speak in full sentences! He snickered. “Is…is this yours?” “Actually,” he replied, “it belongs to a friend of mine. Kind of a long haul down from Toronto, you know.” A friend, huh? Must have been some friend. I don’t think I’d trust my own mother with a bike like that. I wondered if I should feel jealous. And then he was moving, walking toward that wet dream and removing a black, full face helmet with a smoked visor from the padded backrest and handing it to me. “This should fit over that big melon of yours.” I should have cracked back, I know it, but that would have meant that I would have been treated to a view of that baby, and Colin, driving away at full speed, and that was something I was not willing to risk, even at the cost of my pride. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and slipped the helmet on. It was a perfect fit; tight, but not too tight, just like I’d imagined Colin…you know what? Never mind. I watched silently as he put on his own helmet, a match to the one he’d given me, then slipped on some black leather driving gloves and, lastly, a soft, black leather jacket. Wow. The things seeing him in that getup did to me. Then he was straddling the beast and, with the ease of someone with a helluva lot of experience, kicked the fucker on. Oh, what a sweet, sweet sound that was. I could feel the rumbling in my teeth. “Well?” he said, staring at me like I was fresh out of the loony bin. “Put on your jacket and hop aboard!” Now, I’ll admit that math has never been my strong suit, but riding a Harley, plus being plastered against the back of Colin’s ass for God knows how long equaled the best time I was going to have for a long while, and I wasted no time obeying his command. “Now you can grab onto the pegs, or my belt, or me, but make sure you hold on tight,” he continued right in my ear—the helmets had mics and speakers, apparently, and his sarcasm was coming through loud and clear, “because, motorcycle virgin that I am, I just might crash us riding over an ant or something.” That was me saying something about Colin never holding a grudge, wasn’t it? I think it was. Not that it mattered, really, since before he could finish his sentence, I was glued so tight against his body that you couldn’t have slipped a piece of paper between us. “That better be a pistol in your pocket,” he grumbled, sliding my clasped hands up so that they were resting, more or less, just above his beltline. “Nope!” I replied cheerfully. “Just happy to see you!” I snickered when he didn’t reply, and gave out a loud “Yee-haw!” when he finally put the bike into gear, revved the throttle and took us down the driveway and out into the street. ******* “Heaven, I’m in heaven,” I was crooning an hour or so later as the city receded further and further behind us and the brown and green of the mountains began to take its place. “Stop, please,” came Colin’s droll reply. “You’re making my ears bleed.” So, of course, I only sang that much louder, and that much more off-key. I really was in heaven, or as close to it as I could imagine. Colin was an excellent driver, and the bike was as comfortable as it was possible to be for a man my height. It should go without saying that most of my comfort came from being pressed up against my best friend, moving as he moved. It was a sweet torture, and I enjoyed every second of it. It began to get a little chilly the further up we got in the mountains, and I was glad he’d convinced me to bring the jacket along, though I’d rather have my toenails pulled out with hot tongs than ever admit that, not that he didn’t know my feelings on the matter already. He reads me like a book sometimes. Okay, most times. Happy? We eventually stopped off at this hole-in-the-wall country store-slash-diner-slash feed store, and there, I had the best roast beef sandwich I’d ever eaten in my life. It was more like a prime rib sandwich, the beef thick, warm and rare, the bread freshly made, warm and crunchy on the outside, and the sauce with enough bite to tingle but not to clear out the ol’ sinuses. Capped off with a fresh brewed beer that wasn’t half bad, and I couldn’t remember when I’d enjoyed a meal more. After we’d both drained the lizard, so to speak, we paid up and went back to the bike. I was mighty tempted to ask him if I could drive it, if only to feel the warmth of him against my back, but in the end decided against it. If it was his bike, I might have, but since it wasn’t, I wasn’t going to take any chances. So we got on as before and continued up into the mountains. The ride was incredibly smooth until he turned off onto a narrow trail, pines growing close on both sides. Now, a Harley is a touring bike, not meant for trail riding, so things got a little rougher, but the trail was pretty well used and after maybe a half hour, we crested yet another rise and Colin pulled to the side of a small clearing and turned off the bike, clicking down the stand with his boot. He slid off first, then doffed his helmet, and I followed, watching as he opened up the saddlebags and pulled out two bottles of that beer I’d enjoyed at the diner, along with a soft, red blanket he’d evidently already stowed. “Follow me,” he said softly, and so I did. The woods were quiet as we walked through with just a hint of wind whistling through the branches of the trees, the rustling making it sound almost as if they were whispering to one another in whatever language trees have. Ent-ese, I suppose. See? I read the classics. Sometimes. Ok, just the Cliff-Notes, but that counts. I felt calm, content, and totally at peace with the world at that moment, walking through a quiet wood with my best friend, the city, and my problems, nothing more than a distant memory. “Here we are,” he commented finally, and I stepped beside him into a tiny clearing. Before us was a small lake, bordered by foothills on one side and deep forest growth on all the others. “Wow,” I whispered. “It’s beautiful.” “Thought it might remind you of home, a little.” Leave it to Colin to say something out of the blue that turns my insides to mush. I resisted the urge to tell him, quite truthfully, that home was wherever he was. It would have ruined the moment. Instead, I smiled and nodded. “It does. Thank you for bringing me here.” The smile he gave me was one of those sweet, shy ones that always gets my heart going, and my hands reached out automatically when he handed me the beers so he could shake out the blanket and place it on the leaf littered ground. “Figured we could watch the sun set from here. With those clouds coming in, it should be a nice one.” Nodding again, I lowered myself to the ground and handed him back one of the cool bottles, cracking my own open and holding it up for a toast. “Here’s to never underestimating you again.” He chuckled, but didn’t drink. “Underestimate me all you want. Keeps life interesting.” “Okay, then, how about to friendship?” “That I’ll drink to.” Clinking our bottles together, we both took long, delicious swallows as the sun began to sink behind the mountains, coloring the sky first in golds, then in pink, rose, and purple. The colors were reflected in the calm water of the lake, making what was already gorgeous doubly so. We didn’t speak much, but then again, we never do. Colin’s the type who enjoys silence, and me, well, I like being around someone who understands that I don’t want to be the life of the party every waking moment. Instead, we communed with nature, and with ourselves, arms occasionally brushing as one or the other of us lifted the bottle for a drink. When the beers were finished and dusk had officially settled, he turned to me. “I don’t particularly enjoy driving in the dark, and from the looks of those clouds, it’s going to storm soon, so what do you say we get a move on?” I nodded, though reluctantly. Times like this, alone with him, were all too rare, and I was unwilling to give up a single second of it. Still, he had a point. Riding in the rain was no fun, and the way the clouds were rolling in, it appeared we were going to be doing just that sooner or later. Best make it later. Maybe I could talk him into staying with me in the house overnight. Rising gracefully to his feet, he gave me a hand up, making me appreciate yet again just how damn strong the man was. I wanted to feel that strength more intimately—God, did I!—but pushed the fantasy back where it belonged, deep in the cavern of my own slightly crazed mind. Instead, I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Col,” I said as I pulled away. “You made this a wonderful day for me.” There was something secret in his smile, but for the life of me, I couldn’t seem to catch it. Shrugging internally, I helped him gather up the blanket and we made our silent way back down the trail. Packing our gear and garbage, we got back on the bike, and within moments, were off again, headed, sadly, back to our old lives once again. I chanced a look behind me once or twice, but the clouds didn’t seem to be hurrying along all that fast, and I began to hope we’d make it back dry and intact. So what Colin did next gave me my next shock of the day. Slowing down, he executed a perfect turn into the drive of a two-story log-cabin type abode that, based on the rustic sign standing outside, was The Windy Pines Bed and Breakfast. Shutting the bike down, he slipped off, turned to me, pushed up his visor and gave me a look. “I didn’t feel like getting drenched,” he explained. Well, I didn’t mind in the least. More time with Colin was more time with Colin, and since I didn’t have to be at the studio until early afternoon the next day, this seemed as perfect as perfect could possibly get. Taking off my helmet and stowing it under my arm, I joined him as we walked up the wide, wooden steps. The bell above the door jingled softly as we opened it, and the owner, or who I took for the owner anyway, gave us both a bright smile as we entered. “Welcome to the Whispering Pines, gentlemen,” he said. “How may I help you this evening?” And yet another shock. “Do you have a reservation for Mochrie?” he asked, studiously ignoring my dropped jaw. The owner’s smile broadened. “Certainly, sir. Come right this way, and we’ll take care of the particulars.” I took a good look around as Colin busied himself with the other man, taking in the scent of cedar, which I’ve always loved, and checking out the sturdy, rough-hewn furnishings and homely checked curtains that framed the many windows. A minute later, Colin was back at my side, room key in hand. “Ready to go up?” “You planned this whole thing, didn’t you.” He shrugged. “I figured it might be nice to just get away from things for a night. If you’d rather head back home, I’ll understand.” He meant it, too. But I had absolutely no intentions of being anywhere but where I was at that very moment. “Hell, no,” was all I said, and his smile captured me yet again. “They usually don’t serve supper, but the cook made an especially appealing chowder this evening, so some should be arriving at our door shortly,” he explained as we ascended another set of wide, wooden steps onto the upper landing. “Sounds good,” I replied, following him to the second door down and watching as he keyed the lock and opened it. Stepping inside, I was again hit with the scent of cedar, this time accompanied by the smell of clean linen. The room was done in a variety of warm earth tones, all very soothing to the eye. A small table with chairs sat off to one side and a long hand-made dresser ran across the front wall, a large television bolted to the top of it. A king sized bed sat opposite the dresser, and opposite the door was another door that probably led to the bathroom. “This is nice,” I said. “Yes, it is.” He headed for the other door. “If you’ll excuse me for a minute.” We traded places when he exited—it was indeed a bathroom, and a pretty good sized one, too—and by the time I came out, the soup had been delivered and Colin was on the bed, sitting against the backboard, drinking it down as whatever was on the television flickered over his pale skin. “It’s very good,” he offered up before digging back in. Taking my own bowl from the table, I joined him on the bed. He was right. The soup was delicious, and though I got a look for slurping, I enjoyed every drop. After he was finished, he got up and put the bowl back on the table and turned to me. “I’m going to take a hot shower to work some of these kinks out. Would you like to go first?” “Nah,” I said, waving my spoon. “You go. Just remember to save me some hot water.” Tipping me a salute, he disappeared, and I finished my soup, telling myself that whatever was on television was much more interesting than that infernal vision that kept popping into my head of Colin in the shower. Colin in the shower naked. Colin in the shower naked, and wet and only five feet away. Shit. If I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I was wrong. Colin came out after about fifteen minutes, wet, flushed, and clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist. “All yours,” he said as he went to the vanity mirror to comb what was left of his hair. Oh, how I wished those words were true. Well, they were. Just not how I wanted them to be. Suppressing a sigh, I got up from the bed, not even bothering to conceal what the sight of him did to me. After all, what would be the point? My desire for him wasn’t a secret to either of us. I took care not to touch him as I passed him on my way into the steamy bathroom. As I stepped beneath the hot water, the temptation to take matters into my own hand was almost more than I could bear, but I decided not to. It seemed, hell, I dunno, cheap, somehow. When I came out, wrapped in my own towel, he was back in the bed, sitting atop the covers, apparently engrossed on whatever he’d managed to find on television. Knowing him, it was probably some weird sci-fi movie that would bore me to tears in no time flat, but I’d cheerfully watch a fucking test pattern if it meant watching it with him. God, I’m such a sap. Joining him on the bed, I saw that I’d been right. It was sci-fi—crappy sci-fi whose special effects made the props we used on Whose Line look positively state-of-the-art in comparison. I was getting ready to do my Mystery Science Theater schtick when he suddenly snapped off the television and turned to face me, situating himself so that he sat crosslegged at an angle to me. I’d like to tell you that I tried not to sneak a peak beneath the now precariously perched towel, but hell, I’m a guy, and I’d be lying. Didn’t see anything though, damn it all. Then he took my hands, and I immediately noticed that his were sweaty, a sure sign of his nervousness even if I hadn’t seen the fear in his eyes. Suddenly, my stomach dropped to my feet. I was sure what he was going to tell me was something I wasn’t going to want to hear. Like he was sick, maybe. Or, God forbid, dying. He looked that bad. “I need to talk to you,” he said, and I could only nod dumbly, my heart racing so fast that I think even a doctor with a stethoscope wouldn’t have been able to count the beats. “You’re right when you said I set this up,” he continued. “And I did it for a reason.” “To get me back for the motorcycle crack?” I joked weakly. He quirked his lips, but the smile faded so quickly, I was left wondering if I had only imagined it. “Well, that was the first part, but after that, no.” Gripping my hands tighter, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “Then what is it, Col? Tell me. You know I’ll listen. Whatever it is. I’m here, buddy.” “I know,” he whispered, eyes still closed. “I know.” Then he opened his eyes and looked straight into mine. “The day you introduced me to Deb was one of the best days of my life.” I could only blink at him. Whatever I might have expected, it certainly wasn’t that. “And when we married, and when Luke came along, well, those were right up there, too. God knows they were. Are. Always. And I’ve taken what you’ve so unselfishly given me, my wife, and through her, our son, and made it my goal to make them as happy as I can possibly make them.” He took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. “But, it’s not working.” “What?” I asked, shocked yet again. “Col, you’re…you guys aren’t getting divorced, are you?” “No! No, Ryan, we’re not. No. Not at all.” “Whew. You scared the shit out of me for a minute there, man.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” “It’s alright, Col. But, if you aren’t getting divorced, what’s the problem?” “The problem is that to a man, to me, the day he meets his wife, the day he weds her, the day she has their child, those should be the happiest moments of his life.” He shook his head, nearly in disgust. “But they’re not.” “They’re…not?” “No, they’re not.” His eyes were so deep and so dark, I could have melted into them. “The happiest day of my life, Ryan, was the day I met you.” If I hadn’t been leaning against the headboard, I would have probably fallen right off the bed and onto the floor. “Wh-what?” “You heard me. I’m not making my family happy because I’m not happy. At least, not the way I should be. Because though I love my wife, and I love my son, I also love you. And it goes so far beyond the type of love that one friend has for another that it’s not even funny. Or conceivable. I’ve loved you from the first day I met you, and that love has only grown stronger over the years.” He laughed, a little. “Deb, God love her, finally resorted to sitting me down and forcing me to admit what I’d been trying to hide from myself for years. I’m in love with you, Ryan. I have been for years. And I brought you up here today to tell you that.” “Damn,” I breathed, shaking my head like a boxer who’d taken one too many hits. “I didn’t even know.” “I know, and that’s entirely my fault, and I can never apologize enough for it. You’ve always been so open in your feelings toward me, and I never tried to use them against you, but I know that it had to hurt, and for such a long time.” He hung his head in shame. I wasn’t about to let that happen. Reaching out, I tipped his chin back up with gentle fingers. “I understand.” “But--.” “No. I listened to you. You listen to me. I understand, Colin. I understand what it’s like to try and hide your feelings out of obligation, and fear, and yes, love. God knows I do. And I also understand that no matter how much it might have hurt me, it hurt you twice as much. I’ll never know the courage it took for you to share those feelings with me, but I do understand it.” “I…god, this sounds so incredibly selfish of me, but…do you…still love me…that way?” “I never stopped.” The way he slumped into himself, I thought for a moment he’d fainted, but his grip on my hands remained strong, and I squeezed gently, offering what support I could. When he looked up again, his eyes were deep, dark shining pools. “May…may I kiss you?” “God, yes.” He leaned over, and our lips met, and it was everything I’d dreamed it would be. His lips were warm, and soft, and yielding, and when I traced the tip of my tongue across them, he opened to me readily, accepting me inside, welcoming me into a home I thought I’d never have. It quickly grew out of control, the way kisses will between two people who have let their hidden attractions smolder for years, and we both had to take a break, or risk ending the party before it even had a chance to start. “Jesus,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine and panting, “I never thought….” “I didn’t either.” After a moment, I reached for the ends of his towel, meeting his eyes squarely. “May I?” His own eyes fluttered closed, and he bit his lip. Then he nodded. “Yeah.” It was like a present on Christmas morning, and I unwrapped him with reverence. When he was fully displayed to me, I had to stop. My head was spinning, and my mouth went completely dry. “Jesus Christ, Colin,” I murmured, awe-struck, “you’re fucking beautiful!” I could feel the heat from his blush, but couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight before me. I’d always known he was well-endowed, but he was even thicker and longer than I thought he’d be, and his shape was absolutely perfect in my eyes. I wanted to taste him so bad that my previously dry mouth was filled with spit. I began to move, but he stopped me, placing firm hands on my shoulders. “I want to see, too.” Nodding, I allowed him to take the towel from my hips, and like me, he stared down at my erection, mouth pursed in a silent ‘o’. “If I’m beautiful,” he rasped, “you’re…indescribable.” He reached out to touch me with tentative fingers, stroking so lightly up and down my shaft that I felt I would go out of my mind with want for him. But gathering up patience from god knows where, I let him continue to explore, and when he wrapped his hand around me and began to pump, slowly, I gasped and cracked my head a good one against the wall. “Ryan!” he shouted. “No! No, god, please don’t stop. I’m fine. Jesus am I fine!” “I…need….” And then he slid around and when he took me into his mouth, I cried out. Oh, heaven is a fine, fine place. “Harder, Col. Jesus, please, harder!” He’s always been expert in following instructions, no matter how subtle, and mine were as subtle as a sledgehammer between the eyes. I grabbed the cover with one hand and cupped the back of his head with the other, encouraging without forcing. The man was a quick study. Man was he a quick study! When he took me to the back of his throat and swallowed experimentally, my eyes went so far back in my head, I feared they’d never come back around again, but oh, what a way to go! “Do that again,” I gasped. “Please. Do that again!” And he did it, again and again and again, his hand continuing with its short strokes over my shaft as his other snuck down and played with my balls. I didn’t think it was ever possible to feel this good and still be alive, but the blood racing through my ears convinced me I was still on planet Earth and enjoying every second of it. After several moments, however, I pulled out and pushed him away. He looked down at me with such a mixture of shock and horror I wanted to smack myself upside the head with that sledgehammer. “Did…did I….” “You did everything right,” I assured him. “Perfectly, in fact. I just want to do something else.” His eyebrows lifted. I smiled. “I want you inside me, and I want to come along for the ride, if you know what I mean.” “I-Inside? I mean….” My smile deepened. “Don’t worry. You won’t hurt me. I’d really like it if you did it, Col.” After another moment of doubt, he finally nodded. “Don’t…don’t we need some…lube?” “Not to fear,” I said, smirking as I reached for my pants which I’d laid at the side of the bed. Pulling out my wallet, I slipped a small packet of lube out and shook it at him. “Always pays to be prepared.” “You’ve done this before.” I gave him a look. “Of course you have. What am I saying?” “Besides,” I added, “I sometimes need it for the ladies, too. Don’t you?” He blushed faintly. “I’ve only ever slept with Deb since I married her. I guess I wouldn’t know.” “And before?” “Let’s not talk about that.” “Consider the matter closed, then.” I handed him the packet. “Open it up and drizzle some on your fingers. Not a lot, just a little bit to prepare me.” Nodding, he did as I asked, then held up his shiny, lubricated fingers for me to see. “Ok. Now I’m going to make this a little easier on us both. Hang on.” Bending at the waist, I lifted my legs and brought them carefully over his head and down past his shoulders to clamp around his biceps and cross at the ankles. He was already up on his knees, so this made the position perfect for both of us. “Now, spread the lube around my entrance, and then slip a finger or two in when you feel the muscles loosen.” He still looked very doubtful, but ever game, did exactly as I asked. Oh, his fingers felt so fucking good against me, circling around and around, pressing lightly before retreating. The man was a natural and I knew I was fast becoming addicted. “Inside!” I gasped. “Now!” Tentatively, he slid one finger inside, just to the first knuckle, and I resisted mightily the urge to just grab his wrist and shove him in the rest of the way. He needed to get through this by himself. Mostly. Ok, partially. Hey! I’m only human! He seemed to read my mind, or at least my intent, and slid the finger the rest of the way home. And I thank God and all his angels for long fingers, because he hit my prostate on the first go, though my gasp had the poor man thinking he’d hurt me. “No…you’re doing great. Perfect. Add another finger. Please? You have to…stretch me out.” And so he did, and soon he had three inside me and I was left with desperately thinking of every boring baseball statistic I knew just to keep from coming right then and there. “Okay,” I managed finally. “Now you. Take your fingers out, and lube yourself up. Then we’ll get down to the real fun.” Watching him stroke himself had me thinking baseball again; the sight was almost too erotic to take. He looked up at me questioningly, and I winked at him. “I think you know how to take it from here.” Blushing deeply, he positioned himself at my entrance and, with a grunt of effort, slipped past the ring of muscle and inside me. “Oh…dear…God!” I gasped, my back arching, legs clamping convulsively around his ribs. “More!” He was well lubed, and I was horny as hell, and though he was bigger than anyone I’d taken before, he slipped inside easily, and the colors that washed before my eyes rivaled any sunset I’ve ever seen. His rhythm was slow and a bit jerky at first, but he soon found one he could live with, and boy, it was a good one. I could feel it down to my toes and, because I simply couldn’t take it anymore, reached out, engulfed my shaft, and began to tug. “No,” he said immediately, displacing my hand. “Let me.” His lubed hand was cool around me and moved easily to the rhythm he’d finally established. Newcomer or not, this was already the best lay I’d had in my life. He began to make these adorable little “oh, oh, oh,” sounds, and then slammed into me to the hilt and stilled. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his hand more tightly around me and pumped for all he was worth. Maybe five seconds later, if that, I came all over his hand and my belly, and when he lifted his hand to take a curious taste, I thought sure I was going to pass out from the sheer eroticism of it all. Then, evidently, he couldn’t take it anymore either, and he grabbed my hips and began thrusting into me with a will. Those ‘oh’ sounds came again, and then he froze, eyes wide and dark and sightless. And then, with a soft “Oh…Ryan….” he came within me, filling me with his wet heat. He collapsed, then, and I unhooked my legs, bearing his full weight easily on my body, loving it, actually, as the sweat from our flesh combined and slid together with every panting breath we took. I pulled him up so that our heads were on a level and peppered him with kisses on his lips, cheeks, nose and chin, telling him how much I loved him, over and over and over again. He calmed, finally, and gifted me with a smile that was as much wonder as it was adoration. “I never knew,” he whispered. “Well, now you do.” I cuddled him close to me, palming his head so it rested on my shoulder. “Sleep now. We’ll try step two later.” ******** We got well past step two before the night was out, and neither of us was looking forward to a long ride home on a motorcycle. But we did it because we had to, we had obligations after all. Any pain we suffered, however, was drowned in the memories of how that pain came about. Both of us were more than grateful, though, when we finally arrived back in my driveway. I’m sure that motorcycle seat would have some mighty interesting stories to tell its owner once it arrived back to him. Hell, I was tempted to buy the damn thing off of him simply because of those memories, but in the end, decided against it. We had a lifetime of memories ahead of us, Colin and I, and I was determined to treasure each and every one. “Please,” I said when it looked like he was turning to leave, “stay with me.” “But Pat? The kids?” “Are away for the summer. Please. I…Col, I don’t think I could let you go right now.” He stepped into my arms, giving me a tight, loving hug. “I don’t think I could let you go either.” I knew that we would soon be facing trials and battles that would test us and our love for one another, but I also knew that what we felt between us could weather the strongest of them, if only we stayed committed to it. They say that love conquers all, and I do believe they’re right, even if I don’t really know who ‘they’ are. THE END