The music was loud, as usual, and the dance floor was crowded with hot young male bodies, also as usual. Justin was getting more than his share of looks and propositions, but didn't care about the former and declined the latter. The clubs were all pretty much alike, full of men, music, booze and backrooms. Fuego just happened to be in San Antonio.

 

"Come on, Amigo," Ernesto said, giving Justin a little shove toward the good looking, dark haired man who was eyeing him. "He's cute."

 

"Uh huh," Justin murmured without much enthusiasm and took another drink of his beer. The cute guy walked away in hopes of finding someone a little more fun.

 

"Where's that hot guy who used to burn up the dance floor at Babylon?" Justin just stared at him. "Okay, I give up. You are officially a party pooper."

 

"No. I'm just not into backrooms and one night stands anymore."

 

"What are you interested in?"

 

Justin sighed. "I'm not sure, but I know I'll know it, or him, when I see him. He's been in my head for a long time and I know he's out there."

 

"But in the meantime you can't live like a monk, my pale friend. The music's too hot to just stand here. Let's go." Ernesto grabbed Justin's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

 

Justin left San Antonio just after five on a rainy Friday evening. He enjoyed his reunion with his friend from PIFA and he would have loved to have stayed a few days longer, but he promised Daphne he would be in Phoenix before Monday and a thousand miles was a lot of road, even if it was an interstate. Maybe it being an interstate made it even worse. There was just mile after mile of road with no streetlights, no pedestrian crossings, no hot young guys walking down the street showing off their assets in tight jeans. "Whoa, boy," Justin said aloud. "Let's not go too far with that thought. We're driving here, remember." He smiled and reached for his bottle of water. "Besides, Granpap would be very upset if I wrecked his car, well my car.

 

The big old Packard moved easily down the wet highway. Justin almost looked small in the spacious interior that was common in the older cars, before the words compact and subcompact came into usage. He could still remember, as a child, sitting on his grandfather's lap behind the steering wheel and pretending to drive.

 

"Come on, Little J," his granpap would say. "Let's go for a spin in the old Packard." And off they'd go. Of course, his feet couldn't reach the pedals and the car never went very from the dirt road in front of the farmhouse, but he felt important then.

 

"Someday, Little J, this car will be yours and you can drive it all over the country. You'll have such adventures and meet lots of interesting people. Perhaps even the love of your life."

 

"Granpap, eww. Gross. I'm never getting married. Girls are icky."

 

"We'll see. You are a little young just yet to think about such things."

 

Later on, Justin began to realize he was different; that he didn't look at girls the same way his friends did. His grandfather still kidded him about finding the love of his life and that he should follow his heart in that matter and not worry what others thought or said. Along about his sixteenth birthday, Justin understood what his wise, loving grandfather was saying. Somehow, he knew his grandson's secret and it didn't matter to him.

 

Granpap Andersen always brought a smile to Justin's face. As far back as Justin could remember, his grandfather would say what he meant, and "damned be to anyone who didn't like it." He was honest and funny and fiercely loyal to his family and Justin loved him. He was one of the few people who stood by a seventeen year old Justin when he 'came out' to his family. He told Justin, "I don't understand it, Kid, men liking men that way, but if that's who my favorite grandson is, then it's up to me to live with it. Don't let the rest of those damned narrow minded people get you down. Remember, I'm only a phone call or bus ride away." And he always was. Right up until he died last year at the ripe old age of 92.

 

The rain had let up a little, but the extra strain of driving the wet road was causing Justin's neck and shoulders to ache. Besides, it had been hours since he ate and he was getting hungry. A truck stop sign loomed up ahead and he exited the highway and pulled in among the other cars and trucks. Make that the other car and many, many trucks. He'd never seen so many pick-up trucks in one spot outside a car dealership in his entire life. He was almost afraid to enter the restaurant, surely a hangout for the local rednecks. He knew there was no way he could pass for straight like some gays, and he'd had his share of run-ins with homophobic assholes, but, all in all, really tried to avoid those situations. His growling stomach, sore muscles and the setting sun took over any fear he had. He made sure his wallet was in his pocket, carefully locked the car and pocketed the keys.

 

"Granpap, I hope you're with me right now." He took a deep breath and entered the noisy room. Few took notice of him, he was happy to see, although a few conversations did stop as he walked by. He slipped into a booth and picked up a menu from the holder. Diner food was always the same, whether in Pittsburgh or Texas. He ordered a BLT, usually a safe bet as long as the bacon was crisp and the toast wasn't burnt, and a coke, then headed for the restroom. He was a little dismayed to see two burly truck drivers at the urinals. Deciding he wanted a little privacy, he opted for one of the stalls.

 

"Hey, Bo," Justin heard one of the men say.

 

"What, Earl?"

 

"You ever see any of them sissy boys around here?"

 

"Can't say as I have, Earl. Why ya askin'?"

 

"I think we got us one."

 

"Ya don't say."

 

"Yep."

 

Justin flushed the toilet and took a deep breath. His grandfather always told him to face his fears and he wasn't about to stay in the stall forever. With a little smile, he opened the door and sashayed to the sink. "Evening, men," he said, as the water ran over his hands. "How's the food here? I sure hope it's as good as it smells. I've been driving a while and I'm starving." He watched the soap bubbles swirl down the drain then pulled a few paper towels from the holder. As he dried his hands, he turned to the two men. "So, how's the food? You never answered me."

 

"Uh, fine," the one with 'Earl' written on his blue shirt pocket said, a little taken aback at the brashness of the younger man.

 

"Apple pie's good," added Bo. "Homemade."

 

"I love homemade apple pie. Thanks for the tip. I'll try it." Justin walked out of the room with just a little extra sway in his hips and took a deep breath once the door closed behind him. His meal was waiting when he got back to the booth. It must have just been delivered because the perfectly toasted bread was still warm and a chip of bacon on the plate said that the bacon was nice and crisp. He ordered coffee and a piece of the warm apple pie for dessert and was pleased to find it one of the best he had ever eaten. After he paid the tab, he walked by the booth occupied by Bo, Earl and two other flannel clad men.

 

"Earl, Bo, I'm so glad I ran into you again. The pie was as delicious as you said. Thanks." He gave one of his best smiles and walked toward the door, only imagining the looks on the four men.

 

Brian leaned against his tow truck, sipping from a cold bottle of Dr Pepper he had just gotten from the vending machine. It had been a long day and he was anxious to get home, although spending Friday night at home was not what he had in mind. He looked at the sky, wondering how soon the rain would start. The unseasonably warm morning had only gotten warmer as the day wore on. It was probably just as well that he didn't have to drive the sixty miles to Scheffield's estate. At that thought, he smiled and shook his head. What was he thinking? He'd drive there in a blinding snow storm if he had to.

 

"See ya Monday, Boss," Charlie, his mechanic said. "Thanks for being on call for me tonight and this weekend. Pamela Sue doesn't usually get weekends off and, well, you know." Brian smiled and waved to Charlie as he got into his old Mustang and sped off to his waiting wife. Brian shuddered, thinking about what the "you know" might entail.

 

Brian put the last of the tools away, washed his hands and face and changed his t-shirt. Since his plans for the night were effectively canceled, he decided to stop at the small café in town before heading home. Lindsay was working tonight. They had been friends since grade school and knew each other's innermost secrets.

 

"Hey, Bri," Lindsay greeted from behind the counter. "What'll it be? Meatloaf is good tonight."

 

Brian leered at her as she laughed. "Just my usual turkey sandwich and a side salad. Make that to go. How about a cup of coffee while I wait, too."

 

"You got it. Thought you were going out of town this weekend. You're going to get a late start."

 

"I was going out of town, Linds. But Pam has some extra days off, so…"

 

"You thought you'd take call so Charlie and his bride could have the time together. You old softie."

 

"Yeah. Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold in this one horse town." He added sugar to the cup of coffee Lindsay placed before him. "How's my son? Over the sniffles yet?"

 

"Almost good as new. Next time he gets sick, you get to take care of him. Sick men of any age are just babies. He's so pathetic, just like his daddy."

 

"What? You're calling me pathetic?"

 

"You are and if the shoe fits…I seem to remember a dreadful two day hospital stay when you had your appendix out and the week that followed while I nursed you back to health."

 

Brian laughed as Lindsay went to get his sandwich. He finished his coffee just as Lindsay brought his takeout.

 

"I put a couple of those chocolate walnut brownies in there just in case you get a craving," she said as he took the bag. Before he could say anything, Lindsay added, "Don't forget how well I know you, Buster. I saw you eat three of these brownies at the Fourth of July picnic last summer, even though you were hiding behind that statue."

 

"Okay, you caught me, but I'll deny it to anyone who asks and you better do the same."

 

Lindsay held up her right hand and crossed her heart with her left. "I swear. That'll be four-eighty. Oh, you're going to be at Claire's for Sunday dinner, aren't you? I mean, since you're going to be in town."

 

"I'm always there, you know that. I'm anxious to see Gus." Brian gave her a twenty and left. He was looking forward to seeing his son. Being gay, he never thought much about being a father, but along came Gus, and he knew the moment those little fingers wrapped around his finger that it would be like that forever.

 

The '71 'Vette easily gained speed on the back road to his house. He made sure he didn't go too far over the speed limit, but just as he came around the last curve, flashing lights appeared behind him and a siren warned him to pull over. He groaned aloud and slowed down, pulling off the road. He turned off the engine and rolled down the window.

 

The police vehicle pulled in behind him and the officer got out, making a big deal of checking the license plate, tires and lights. He then checked the front window for the inspection sticker and registration. Satisfied all was in order, he approached the driver side window. "You know the drill, Brian, license, registration and proof of insurance."

 

"Sam, nothing's changed in the past week." The officer just stood there with his hand out and Brian handed him the papers along with a poorly suppressed sigh.

 

"You were speeding again."

 

"I was only doing fifty-eight."

 

"Speed limit's fifty -five. You know that."

 

"Aren't speed traps supposed to be for tourists, not locals?"

 

"Don't see no tourists about. Got you though," Sam deadpanned as he handed Brian the ticket. "You can pay Clarice on Monday, same as always."

 

"Sam, when are you going to get over the fact that I was made captain of the football team in high school and not you? Don't you think eleven years is long enough? You're married to my sister for Christ's sake. You really enjoy this little weekly ritual of yours, don't you?"

 

Sam saw no need to actually answer Brian's question. He figured it was probably rhetorical anyway. "Nice doing business with you, Brian. See you at Sunday dinner. Oh, and watch your speed." The officer tipped his hat and walked slowly back to the SUV, grinning. Oh, how he loved Fridays.

 

Less than a quarter of a mile later, Brian turned into his driveway and parked under the carport. Despite the usual summer heat and desert like quality of the area, Brian had a large number of trees and shrubs growing around his house. He just made sure he found plants that were hardy and drought resistant, read up on xeroscaping and went to work. From the road, you could barely see the house, which was one of Brian's objectives. Besides shading the house, it increased his privacy and he was all about privacy.

 

Just as he got out of the car, a loud clap of thunder exploded overhead and a heavy spring rain started falling. "Just in time," he said to himself as he hurried inside. He set the bag of food on the kitchen counter and made sure his mobile phone was on in case anyone had trouble in this rain. He pulled off his shirt as he walked into the bedroom.

 

As the cool rain pounded the roof and windows of the secluded house, the steaming water of the shower pounded the hard muscles of Brian's body. His lanky frame belied the level of fitness years of hard work had achieved. Brian was proud of his body, as well he should be.

 

Small bubbles of soap caressed his skin and disappeared down the drain. He was thinking of his failed plans for the weekend. Marcus Scheffield was successful, which translated to rich, gorgeous and gay. Every month or so he hosted a weekend "party" of personally invited guests who could dine on delicious food, swim in an indoor heated pool or, if they were so inclined, have sex in any one of a number of well appointed rooms. Brian had met him when he came through town one day several years ago and stopped at his shop complaining of strange sounds coming from the engine of his Jag. He was leery of trusting his car to a no name, small town mechanic, but Brian proved to be up to the task in more ways than one and ever since then, he was a frequent visitor to the estate. He would drink twelve year old scotch and have his pick of the men. He never had fantasies of meeting the love of his life there. It was sex, pure and simple, one time and usually no repeats. That's how he liked it.

 

He didn't realize how long he had been standing under the warm water until it turned cold. He got out, toweled himself dry and put on a pair of well worn jeans and a t-shirt. The news was just coming on as he sat on the sofa with a cold beer and the salad and sandwich from the diner. It had been a long day and the news was the same old stuff of murder, mayhem and political scandal. He set the partially eaten sandwich back into the carton on the coffee table next to the empty salad bowl, fluffed up one of the sofa pillows and put his feet up. He was soon asleep.

 

An hour or so after Justin left the truck stop, the sky opened up and the rain started falling. "Oh, great," he said as the windshield wipers swooshed away the water. He put his foot on the brake to slow down on the slippery road and was surprised when nothing happened. He pumped the brake pedal and finally slowed down enough to pull off the road. "Now what?" he sighed. He pushed the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor board. "Swell." He peered out the window at the pouring rain, wondering how close he was to the nearest town. He couldn't see any lights or signs, but he wasn't sure whether that was because of the heavy rain or the fact that he was in the middle of nowhere, and there just weren't any lights or signs. He pulled his cell phone from the backpack, but when he turned it on, nothing happened. The battery was dead.

 

He sat there for almost a half hour, during which time not one other car passed him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw the red and blue flashing lights of a police car pulling up behind him.

 

The officer walked up to the window just as Justin was rolling it down. "I'm sure glad to see you, Officer." The rain was running off the plastic covered hat the officer wore.

 

"Is something wrong, young man?"

 

"No brakes. I've been sitting here for quite a while. How close is the next town?"

 

"Couple of miles down the road. Can I see your license, registration and insurance card?" The officer scanned the papers and handed them back to Justin. "How 'bout I call a tow truck for you, Mr. Taylor? It's a small town, but we have the best mechanic around. Not sure what he can do for your car though. Packard, huh? Don't see many of these 'round here."

 

"I guess not. Not too many on the road nowadays. Thanks for the help." Justin watched the officer as he ran back to his car, thankful that it was a cop that stopped to help.

 

Brian was startled awake by the ringing of the phone. His half eaten sandwich sat on the table next to an almost full bottle of now warm beer. He grabbed the phone, stretching the kinks out of his sore muscles as he moved. "Kinney."

 

"Hey, Brian, Sam here. Got a job for you." Sam explained where he was and Brian said he'd be there in about fifteen minutes. Sam braved the rain once more to tell Justin that a truck would be there shortly and to make sure the young man was okay. The rain had slackened to heavy mist by then. "He should be here in 'bout fifteen, twenty minutes. You need anything else right now?"

 

"No thanks."

 

"I'll go back to my car, but I'll wait until the tow truck gets here unless I get a call."

 

Fifteen minutes later a tow truck pulled up in front of the Packard and the door opened. Justin could see a tall figure in the misty glow of the lights. His movements were almost graceful as he walked back toward the car. This was surely not what Justin was expecting from a redneck mechanic and for that he was extremely grateful. Justin got out of his car and walked toward the man just as Sam approached.

 

"Mr. Taylor, this is Brian Kinney, our mechanic."

 

"Just Justin, please," he said as he put his hand out.

 

"Hello, just Justin," Brian said. He extended his hand in greeting. As their hands touched, a jolt of electricity coursed through each man. Neither one wanted to let go, but knew they had to. "Nice car." Brian lifted the clipboard he was holding, not believing that was all he could think of to say at the moment. What he wanted to do was smooth the wet hair away from the beautiful blue eyes of the young man standing in front of him. The lights from the truck seemed to cast a golden glow about the young man. Brian collected his thoughts. "I have some paperwork to fill out, but why don't you get into the truck where it's dry and we'll do that later. I will need to see your registration and insurance card. Let me get the car hooked up and we'll be on our way, okay?"

 

Justin nodded and got his backpack from the car and handed the papers to the mechanic.

 

"Pennsylvania. You're pretty far from home."

 

"Yeah," Justin said, giving a little laugh.

 

Brian opened the door of his truck and watched as his passenger climbed in. It was all he could do to keep from 'helping' him with a gentle hand to the well endowed, jean clad ass. Once Justin was settled, he closed the door and set about doing his work.

 

Sam pulled the police car up beside him. "Need me anymore? Old Mrs. Toliver thinks she heard a prowler, again. She probably just baked some cookies and wants a little company, but I have to go check."

 

"No. Got it covered. Thanks, Sam," he waved and watched as the police car sped off toward town.

 

Brian finally settled into the driver's seat and started the truck. He pulled a towel from a crate behind his seat and handed it to the beautiful blond in the passenger seat. "Here. You'll get cold if you don't dry off a little." He saw the other man hesitate. "Don't worry, it's clean."

 

Justin smiled and took the towel and ran it over his hair and face. "Thanks. That does feel better. Your turn," he said, handing the towel back. Brian's wet t-shirt clung to his body, accentuating the strong arms and broad chest. Justin felt it all through his body as the electricity coursed through him.

 

In the dim light of the truck cab, Brian could see the sparkle in the smile and the clear blue eyes of his passenger. He felt that familiar feeling in his groin and decided that being on call tonight wasn't such a bad thing after all.

 

The two men sat in silence for a while as Brian drove into town. The rain had finally stopped but the sky was still mostly overcast and there was a decided chill in the air. The truck heater felt good against the damp cold. Brian broke the silence by asking what was wrong with the car. Justin told him about the brakes. "Could be low on fluid or the master cylinder is bad. You're lucky it didn't happen somewhere where you could have been hurt." A few lights in the distance indicated that they were coming into town. Brian took the first exit off the interstate, made a few more turns and pulled into the stony lot in front of his garage. "Here we are. Come on, get out and I'll unhook the car."

 

Justin watched the practiced moves as Brian quickly let the car down. There was enough light from the streetlights for Justin to see Brian's muscles ripple under the damp t-shirt as he moved. "It'll be safe here for the night. I'll check it out tomorrow and see what's needed. Probably won't be able to do anything until Monday though. Go ahead and get whatever you need for tonight out of the car."

 

Justin opened the back door and leaned in to get his bag. He turned around in time to catch the mechanic checking him out. "Is there a motel around here? I know it's kind of late."

 

Brian didn't seem the least bit embarrassed at being caught staring. "Motel closed the beginning of the year. Owner died and no one's taken it over yet. No big deal. We don't get much tourist traffic. Um, you're welcome to come back to my place with me."

 

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Justin said, although he was thinking that would be exactly what he wanted to do.

 

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself. You could sleep in the car tonight." Just then the sky lit up wit a flash of lightning, followed a few seconds later with a loud clap of thunder. Brian watched with amusement the look that came across the younger man's face.

 

"Your house, it is. Besides, I haven't filled out the paperwork yet."

 

"Yeah, can't forget the paperwork. Do you need anything else from the car?"

 

Justin shook his head then changed his mind, grabbing his messenger bag.

 

"Come on, then before the rain starts again." Brian placed the bags in the small trunk of the Corvette as Justin got into the passenger side. "Nice car. A little small, isn't it? It can't be very practical for the desert."

 

"It gets me where I need to go around town. I have a 4-wheel drive Jeep for the adventurous stuff. So, where are you headed?"

 

"Phoenix. My friend lives there."

 

"Friend? Close friend?"

 

Justin smiled. "Very close. We've known each other for ages."

 

"Mm." Brian stared straight ahead, trying no to let his disappointment show. He so hoped this gorgeous blond wasn't with anyone. "So, you live in Pennsylvania. Sort of a long distance relationship, isn't it?"

 

Justin was staring out the side window, trying not to give away his secret. "Sort of. How about you, anyone here that will mind my barging in this late?"

 

"No one will mind." Maybe the long distance friend wasn't what he thought. Maybe he was just a friend. Brian's hopes for the night were looking up.

 

"You bring home strays often?"

 

"Occasionally," Brian offered, not wanting to give out too much information. "I live alone. Kind of like it that way."

 

"Oh." Justin wondered exactly what that meant but put it out of his mind. "You keep looking in the rearview mirror like you're expecting someone to be following us. Is everything okay, or should I be worried?"

 

"Don't worry. It's just that the local cop has it in for me, I guess you could say. He stops me for doing two miles over the speed limit." Brian shook his head.

 

"You mean Sam from the highway? He seemed pretty nice."

 

"Yeah, Sam from the highway. I think I've personally paid for his new SUV over the past few years."

 

Justin laughed. "He said you were the best mechanic around."

 

"He did? Well, he's right."

 

"Then my car is in good hands." Justin imagined those hands wandering over his body. A slight shiver went through him.

 

"We're here."

 

"We're where? I don't see a house." He looked around and saw only shrubs and trees, an unexpected difference from the surrounding desert.

 

"I like my privacy and I have a great gardener."

 

"It's like an oasis."

 

"That was the plan." As he pulled into the secluded driveway, a few large drops of rain hit the windshield. Brian retrieved that bags from the car and unlocked the front door. "Come on in." He turned on a table lamp and set the bags on the floor. A loud clap of thunder muffled the sound of the door closing. "We made it just in time."

 

"I though this was the desert. It's not supposed to rain this much here, is it?"

 

"It's a little wet right now, but in a few months, we'll be begging for rain. Would you like something to drink or eat? I could make you something."

 

Justin saw the opened bottle of beer and partially eaten food on the table as he sat down on the sofa. "Um, if you have another beer, that would be great. If not, anything."

 

"Two beers, coming right up." Brian picked up the old food and carried to the kitchen. Justin heard the refrigerator door open and close then what sounded like a paper bag. Brian returned with the beers and a small plate with chocolate brownies on it. He opened each bottle and handed one to his guest. Justin's hand brushed Brian's fingers as they held the cold glass. Again, both men felt the charge as hand touched hand.

 

Justin held onto the bottle just as Brian let go. He took a long drink, hoping his heart would slow down and the pounding in his ears would stop. He didn't know that Brian was having the same difficulties.

 

"I thought you could use a snack, too. They're really good. And, no, I didn't make them. A friend did. I'm going to put on a dry shirt so make yourself at home. It's small, but I like it."

 

As Brian left the room, Justin remembered his dead phone. "Oh, Brian," he said loud enough for the other man to hear in his bedroom.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Is it okay if I charge my phone? It's dead. I'm lucky Sam came by when he did or I'd still be sitting on the highway."

 

"Help yourself. There's an open outlet by the brown chair."

 

"Thanks." He got the phone and charger from his bag and found the outlet. Once the phone was charging, he took another drink of beer then broke off a piece of the brownie and popped it into his mouth, savoring the taste of the rich chocolate. As he ate, he looked around and took in the space with an artist's practiced eye. He wasn't sure what he expected from the home of a small town mechanic, but this wasn't it. The house was spotless. There were two framed photos sitting on a side table. Justin picked them up and examined them closer. One was of a baby wrapped in a blue blanket and wearing a little blue cap with a white pom-pom on top. He was being held by a pretty woman with blonde hair. The other was of an older child, probably four years old, but recognizable as the same child. He wondered who it was, noting the resemblance to Brian. Brian padded silently from the bedroom and stood behind the younger man. "That's my son. His name's Gus."

 

Justin jumped at the sound of Brian's voice. "I didn't mean to snoop. They were sitting right there."

 

"It's okay. I didn't mean to scare you."

 

"I know. It happens all the time. I get so involved in stuff, concentrating so hard, that an airplane could land on my roof and I wouldn't hear it. You have a son?" Justin sat the pictures down on the table.

 

"Yeah. His mom's an old friend of mine. She made the brownies. Her name's Lindsay. That's her holding him right after he was born. He lives with her in town here. I see him fairly often, almost every day, in fact. He's a great kid." He saw Justin's confused look. "Yes, I'm gay. It's a long story."

 

"I didn't mean to pry."

 

"No problem. Sit down." Both men sat on the sofa. "You'll probably be here for the weekend unless you want to catch a bus to Phoenix and pick up your car on the way back."

 

"Maybe."

 

Brian's heart sank with that one word. He was looking forward to having this houseguest for a few days.

 

Justin yawned, covering his mouth. "Sorry. It's been a long day."

 

Brian stood. "Sure, for me, too. Let me get you a pillow and blanket." Brian pointed toward the hallway. "Bathroom's first door on your right. Towels and such are on the shelf. Can't miss 'em. Use whatever you need. If you want to shower tonight, go right ahead."

 

"I'm so tired. I think I'll just brush my teeth and go to bed."

 

When Justin came out of the bathroom he was holding his shirt and his jeans were unbuttoned, showing his pure white Calvins. He was surprised to see Brian tucking a sheet under the sofa cushion. "Oh," he said, startled, trying to cover his bare chest.

 

Brian stared at the pale, perfect skin. "Just thought I'd be a good host and make up your bed. Sorry I don't have a mint to put on your pillow," he said lamely.

 

"I'll get over it, but you won't get a four star rating."

 

Brian saw the bright smile and felt a stirring in his jeans and knew he had to get out of there before something happened. "I'll just be in there," he said, indicating the closed door of his bedroom. "See you in the morning."

 

"In the morning. Okay."

 

"It's pretty comfortable. You should sleep well." Brian walked slowly to his bedroom.

 

"I'm sure I will." Justin stood by the sofa.

 

"The thunder gets pretty loud out here." Brian had his hand on the doorknob.

 

"I don't think it will keep me awake." Justin sat down and picked up the pillow.

 

"I usually wake up early. I'll try not to bother you." Brian pushed the door open.

 

"I'm an early riser, too." Justin fluffed the pillow and set it back against the arm of the sofa.

 

"Good. See you in the morning."

 

"In the morning."

 

Brian closed the bedroom door and Justin turned off the lamp. They each lay in their respective beds, minds wandering to the person in the other room.

 

 

 

 

 

Brian awoke slowly, his mind still foggy from sleep and dreams. Wonderful dreams, if he was remembering correctly. There was soft music in the background and he was holding a golden-haired young man. He opened his eyes when he realized the there really was music playing in his normally quiet, some say too quiet, house. The rustling of silverware and the smell of fresh coffee finally got him out of the bed. He pulled on his jeans, leaving the top button undone and walked barefoot into the living room. His houseguest was staring into the refrigerator with his back to him, giving him another opportunity to admire the firm round butt. The worn jeans covering said butt left nothing to the imagination. It was a very nice sight indeed.

 

"Can I help you find something?"

 

Justin jumped, almost bumping his head. "I'm sorry. I just thought…I mean, I wanted to make breakfast. You really don't have much to work with here, do you?" He smiled self-consciously, like a child being caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. He couldn't help but stare at the morning Brian, standing by the counter. His hair was disheveled, giving him a little boy look, but the open button of his jeans promised so much more.

 

"I don't do much cooking. It's easier to just pick something up at the café."

 

"Mm. I figured. I made coffee," Justin said, pointing to the coffee maker, but keeping his eyes on Brian's abdomen. "I hope that's okay. I really need my coffee in the morning."

 

"Me, too. Thanks. It smells great. I haven't had anyone make morning coffee for me in a long time, except of course the stuff they call coffee at the café and I'm not too sure about that sometimes. What else you got there?"

 

Justin relaxed. "Found some eggs and cheese." He leaned back into the refrigerator and grabbed a tomato. "And a tomato," he said, holding the red orb up in his hand. "I can make an omelet."

 

"Well, okay, then. There might be some not too stale bread over there. I'm going to brush my teeth and stuff." He turned and walked into the bathroom, hiding his huge grin. This morning's shower would be on the cold side.

 

Brian was pleasantly surprised at the breakfast Justin put together. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

 

"My mom, when I was young." He thought back to the happy times of his childhood, before everything turned bad. Brian noticed the change in his manner, but didn't push it. "When I was in college, I worked with a friend of mine who had a catering business. I did a little bit of everything. I helped prepare food, but my expertise was in the presentation. I'm an artist, so I had a flair for the color coordination, centerpieces. Stuff like that. I'll have you know that I could turn a napkin into a swan in five seconds flat."

 

"Five seconds? Impressive." He could barely hide his grin.

 

"You're laughing at me. You asked, but when you're setting up for a wedding reception for 200 people, it's a good thing to be able to do."

 

"I'll take your word for it."

 

Just then Justin's cell phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID and smiled. "I need to take this. It's my friend." He put the phone to his ear. "Hey. What's up? I know, I'm sorry. I should have called last night. My car broke down outside of some small town in west Texas. It's like the middle of nowhere." It was quiet on Justin's end of the conversation. Brian watched him as he stared up at the ceiling and shook his head. "I know. Please, enough about my car. You love my car and you know it." He laughed into the phone. "I'll call you when I know more, 'kay? Now tell me you love me and hang up." With a startled look on his face, Justin hung up. "That went well," he mumbled.

 

"Problems with your friend?"

 

"It'll be okay. She loves me no matter what."

 

"She?"

 

Justin laughed. "Yes, she. Her name's Daphne. We've been best friends for years."

 

"I have one of them, too. Lindsay."

 

"Your son's mother."

 

Brian nodded. They lingered over another cup of coffee and small talk. Brian was surprised at how comfortable he felt sharing breakfast with a virtual stranger. Justin helped Brian clear the table and went to take his shower while Brian finished washing the dishes. When Justin came back into the living room he was dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a blue tee. Brian didn't think he'd seen anything quite so tempting in a very long time. He resisted the urge to take the younger man in his arms and ravage him with kisses. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "Ready to go see about your car?" Justin nodded, picking up his messenger bag. "Let's go."

 

The evening rain had given way to a bright, sunny day. Brian removed the top from his Jeep and helped Justin into the passenger seat, placing his bag on the floor in the back.

 

Two hours later, Justin was sitting on a not too comfortable chair, sketch pad in hand. At first, Justin hovered over the open hood of his car, watching Brian as he slid under the frame, then rolled back out to get a different tool. Justin finally got bored with that since all he cared about was if the car would get him from point A to point B, not how it worked to do it. He loved his car, he really did, but that had to do with his grandfather. Any other car, well, he knew how to pump gas and change a tire and could check the oil level if he had to, but that's all he wanted to know.

 

He glanced up from the pad, pencil hovering over a clean sheet of paper. He had already finished several sketches, the last few of a certain mechanic. He sighed and went back to sketching. As usual, when he was deep in concentration, he didn't hear much of what was going on around him. Brian walked toward him until he was standing behind the chair. He watched the picture take shape and was surprised at how well Justin had captured him. "That's really good."

 

Justin jumped slightly and dropped his pencil. "Jesus, you scared me. You need to quit sneaking up on me," he said, reaching down to pick up the pencil. Brian bent down at the same time and their hands touched just above the elusive object. Neither man moved for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only a few seconds. Brian finally picked up the pencil and held it out.

 

"I believe this belongs to you."

 

"Thanks."

 

"I was right about your car. It's the master cylinder. I can probably get a new one from a place in New Jersey. They can overnight it, but since today's Saturday, it won't be here until Monday. Sorry. That's the best I can do. This isn't exactly your run of the mill car."

 

"No, it's not. I guess you're stuck with me for a few days. Hope you don't mind."

 

"Not at all, Sunshine."

 

"Sunshine? Where did you come up with that?"

 

Brian shrugged and looked at Justin with a smirk. "It just fits." He thought he would sound a little too lesbianic if he said he called him Sunshine because he liked the way the sun shone on his hair and how he could light up a room with his smile. "I don't know…just, Sunshine."

 

Justin smiled one of his best smiles. "If you say so, I guess."

 

Brian put his tools away then called the rare parts warehouse in New Jersey. They had what he needed and said it would go out that afternoon. Hanging up the phone, Brian contemplated spending the rest of the weekend with Justin and found it to be a very exciting idea. Very exciting indeed.

 

Justin continued to sketch when Brian went in to make the call. There wasn't much at all in the way of scenery here. The land was flat and colorless except for some grass here and there and a few early spring flowers. He saw a young boy down the road, throwing a stick for his dog to retrieve. He captured the image of the brown dog as he leaped into the air to snatch the stick between his jaws.

 

Brian closed his office door and locked it, then stood watching Justin sketch. He couldn't tell what the picture was, but Justin looked down the road every few minutes as he added more detail. Brian walked clear of the garage and saw Billy Haskell and his dog Scratch in the road. His feet crunched on the gravel and Justin looked up, a smile on his face.

 

"They sure look like they're having fun, don't they?"

 

"Yeah. And I see you captured all that fun with your pencil. You're really good."

 

"Thanks. Do you know them? I'd kind of like to give this to him."

 

"He'd love that." Brian took a few steps toward the road and called out Billy's name. "Come here, Champ. I have something for you."

 

"Hey, Brian, what's up?" the boy asked, as he and his dog ran toward the garage.

 

Brian stooped down and ruffled Scratch's soft fur. "How ya doin', boy? Billy, this is Justin. Justin, meet Billy Haskell and his dog Scratch. Billy, Justin has something for you."

 

"Cool. Hey, Justin."

 

"Hi, Billy. Great dog you have there. How did he get his name?"

 

"Well, I saw him wandering around town. Never saw him before and he didn't have a collar on or nothin' so I took him home. He was kinda scratchin' hisself and by the time we got to my house, I was scratchin' myself. I ain't never seen so many fleas in my whole life."

 

"Well, it sounds like you gave him the perfect name. Here, this is for you." He carefully tore the paper from the pad.

 

"Oh, wow. No way. This is awesome. Thanks." He held the picture down so scratch could see it. "Look, Boy. It's us. You draw really good, Justin. I'm gonna hang this on my bedroom wall."

 

"Thanks, Billy. Maybe I'll see you around later."

 

"Are you stayin' here?

 

"Just for the weekend, I guess. Brian's fixing my car." He pointed to the Packard by the open bay door.

 

"Brian's the best. I saw the car there this morning. I've never seen a car like that before. Never even heard of it. It sure looks old. I mean it's in great shape, just old looking."

 

Justin laughed. "It is. It belonged to my grandfather."

 

"Wow, your grandfather?" Justin nodded. "It must be old," the young boy repeated. "Hey, I gotta go. Mom'll have lunch on. Thanks again for the picture." The two men watched the boy run off down the street.

 

"You made him happy."

 

Justin shrugged. "So, what did Jersey say? They have the part to send?"

 

"Yep. It'll be here Monday. You are going to wait here for it, aren't you?"

 

"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Justin answered, not too shyly and smiled. He put his supplies away. "Speaking of lunch…"

 

"I'll take you to the best café in town. Actually, it's the only café in town. Just let me close up here."

 

A half hour later, the two men walked into the bustling eatery and sat in the only unoccupied booth. Justin looked around, unable to help compare the pure Texas decorations with the rainbow decorations of his favorite diner back in Pittsburgh. If Brian hadn't have been with him, he might've been scared.

 

"Texas sure is full of itself, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question.

 

"You noticed. There's a lot of good stuff here, if I don't go into the political climate."

 

"Hey, Bri. I wondered where you were. You're a little later than usual."

 

"I had stuff to do this morning. Justin, this is Lindsay, Gus' mother. Linds, this is Justin."

 

They spent a few minutes on the usual pleasantries, then Lindsay asked what they wanted for lunch. "Al fixed some of his famous two alarm chili this morning. It's really good."

 

"Sounds good to me," Justin said. "And a Coke."

 

"The same, with iced coffee. Will Gus be here this afternoon?"

 

"Mom's bringing him in a little while. She has her weekly hair appointment with Trudy."

 

The bell sounded over the door. Brian looked up in time to see his son streaking toward him. "Daddy. You're here."

 

Brian easily lifted the child onto his lap and waved to Mrs. Peterson as she left the café. "Hey, Sonny Boy," Brian said, giving his son a hug. "Are you feeling better?"

 

"Yes, but Mommy still makes me take that yucky medicine. Tell her I don't have to anymore."

 

"Gus, you have to take all your medicine so you don't get sick again."

 

Gus started pouting, then realized there was someone sitting in the other seat and forgot about his problem. "Who are you?"

 

"I'm Justin. Pleased to meet you, Gus."

 

"How do you know my name? You're a stranger."

 

"Yes, I am, but your daddy told me all about you and I saw your picture at his house. He's very proud of you."

 

"I was sick and had to take yucky medicine."

 

"I've had to take yucky medicine before, too." Gus laughed as Justin made a sour face. "But it made me all better so that I could do lots of cool stuff."

 

Lindsay set the ordered drinks in front of Brian and Justin and a glass of orange juice in front of her son. "Hi, Sweetie. Are you being good for Grandma today?"

 

"Yep," he managed to get out before taking a long drink. "Jussin saw my picture at Daddy's house. He knew my name."

 

"He did?" She looked at her son's father with that, "is there something you'd like to tell me" look on her face. With a little smile, he arched an eyebrow back at her. Justin watched the little exchange between the two, knowing they just had a whole conversation. He and Daphne could do that, too.

 

Gus, oblivious to what was going on, tapped Justin's arm. "Daddy's going to take me to the rodeo and I can see all the horses and bulls and stuff. Arn'cha, Daddy?"

 

Brian's attention was again on his son. "I certainly am. But that's not for two weeks and you have to be all better."

 

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Justin added before taking a drink of the Coke.

 

"Can you come with us, Jussin?"

 

"I'm afraid not, Gus, although it sounds like you're going to have a great time. I'm only going to be here for a few days. Your daddy's fixing my car."

 

"If Daddy asks you, can you come?"

 

"Well, I…I'm going to see a friend far away from here and…" Justin wasn't sure what to say.

 

Brian smirked. "Yeah, Justin, if Daddy asked nicely and said please, would you come?"

 

"I'm not sure. Maybe. I'll be coming back through here 'bout then. Besides, I've never been to a real rodeo."

 

"Yippee," Gus yelled, bouncing on his father's knee.

 

"Gus, not so loud," Lindsay said, coming back to the table with three lunches. "Here, eat your hot dog and drink the rest of your juice. Let me get your special seat, so Daddy can eat his own lunch."

 

"He's fine where he is, Linds. I've learned to eat with one hand."

 

"Okay, Dad, but don't blame me if you get mustard all over your clothes."

 

Justin watched the ease with which Brian handled his son and couldn't help but wonder how he became a father in the first place. Brian and Justin sat in the booth with Gus until Mrs. Peterson came back and took him home for his afternoon nap. Before they left, Brian threw a couple of twenties on the table, more than enough to cover the three lunches.

 

"You didn't have to pay for my lunch, you know."

 

"I know, but I did. Come on. No more talk about money." They climbed into the Jeep. "You need to do anything this afternoon?"

 

"Ah, nope."

 

"Good. I'd like to take you to a special spot I know about."

 

"Sure. Where is it?"

 

"That's a secret. You'll see."

 

Brian stopped at a small convenience store on the edge of town and bought several bottles of water, some ice and a few apples. While he waited in line to pay for his purchases, he saw another item he might need and placed the container on the counter with the other stuff. After he paid for the items, he placed the water, ice and apples in a cooler he kept in the back of the Jeep and rummaged through a box of odd items he also kept in there. When he climbed into the Jeep he handed Justin a baseball cap. "You might want to wear this."

 

Justin took the offered hat. "Thanks." He read the logo, the initials WTT, in black, against the khaki colored hat. "WTT?"

 

Brian shrugged, pulling his lips into his mouth before finally admitting, "West Texas Tarantulas." Justin wrinkled his brow. "Okay, it's a softball team I belong to."

 

"Softball? You play on a softball team?"

 

"Regional champions three years running," he said proudly.

 

Justin offered one of his biggest grins. "You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

 

"Here, you may need this, too." Brian handed Justin the small bottle of sunscreen and was overjoyed to receive a sunshine smile in return. Justin put some of the lotion on his face and arms.

 

Once everything was ready, they headed north out of town for quite a while then turned off the main road onto a narrow paved road then onto a narrower unpaved road and headed further into the desert.

 

Almost an hour later they were still driving. A large outcropping of rocks could be seen in the distance, surprising Justin. They were the color of rust and as the Jeep got closer, Justin could see that they were quite large. Brian turned off the bumpy road and headed towards the large mound.

 

"Is that where we're going, to those rocks?"

 

"Yep. But it's more than just rocks. Wait and see," Brian said as he headed toward the eastern slope.

 

"Whoa. I had no idea anything like this could be here."

 

Brian had parked in the partial shadow the towering rocks provided. Justin followed Brian out of the Jeep and walked toward a small pool of water. Several shrubs and small scrub oak trees added some green to the beige and rust colors of the sand and rocks. Two jack rabbits hopped out of the shadows and quickly disappeared.

 

While Justin looked around, Brian got a blanket out of his car and spread it out near the water.

 

"This is great, a little oasis in the desert."

 

Brian smiled, glad that Justin liked the spot as much as he did. "The American southwest version of an oasis, I'm afraid, but I love it here."

 

"I can see why. You don't mind if I do some sketching do you?"

 

Brian pointed to the blanket where his pad and pencils sat. "Not at all. I figured it would be inspiring." Justin picked up his supplies and moved to get a better angle on the oasis. Brian sat on the blanket and watched as Justin settled in to draw. Almost an hour went by before Justin stopped, stretching his arm out and wiggling his fingers, getting the muscles to relax. He had several sheets filled with the scenery and a few even showed a hazel-eyed brunet lounging on a blanket. He had already decided that he would use watercolors to paint the sun-filled scenes. These would be a good addition to his next gallery showing.

 

"Thirsty?" Brian asked, holding out one of the bottles of water. "Your face is a little pink, even with the sunblock."

 

Justin took the cool bottle and held it up to his forehead. "I burn fairly easily. Didn't think I'd need any sunblock this early in the year, though. I misjudged the desert sun."

 

"It can be brutal. Sit over here closer to me. At least there's a little shade from the rocks and trees, even though they aren't very big."

 

Justin wiggled over to where Brian patted the blanket. The fact that it put him up against Brian's reclining body wasn't lost on him. Justin leaned against Brian, closing his eyes and letting his body relax into the other man. "You make a good chair," he said idly. "Very comfortable."

 

"I aim to please. I also make a good pillow. Care to try me out?"

 

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Kinney?"

 

"If it's working, then, yeah."

 

"How do you know I want to be seduced?"

 

Brian ran his hand slowly over the slim chest, stopping just long enough to tweak each nipple then continue along the front of Justin's jeans, gently squeezing the hard cock as he did so. "That's how."

 

Justin moaned softly, arching his hips up into Brian's hand as he laid down on the blanket with his head on Brian's outstretched arm. Brian automatically folded his arm, turning Justin onto his side. He bent his head down a little and brushed his lips across Justin's mouth in a soft, fleeting kiss. When the kiss ended, he looked into Justin's face. His blue eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted as if waiting for more. The next kiss wasn't quite so gentle. Justin moaned deep in his throat, which turned Brian on even more. He knew he wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his life. Justin could feel Brian's hardness through his jeans and moved his hips to rub his own hardness against it. Their clothes were quickly disposed of between deep kisses and soft caresses. They fit together like they had been made for only one person and that one person was right there.

 

 

When they were both satisfied, Brian moved off of Justin, lying on his side with his head propped in his hand. Justin's eyes were closed, his long lashes lying against his cheeks. His skin now had an all over glow from a sheen of light sweat that could be seen even in the shade from the large rock. His breathing slowed and his eyelids fluttered but didn't open.

 

"You're staring at me."

 

"You're the most beautiful thing here. Of course I'm staring at you."

 

Justin opened his eyes and smiled up at the man who just made exquisite love to him. Well, that's how he saw it, anyway. "You're no so bad yourself. You have the most amazing eyes. They're always changing color, gold, green, a little brown. Even your hair has some gold in it when the sun hits it just right." Justin took the ends of a few strands of Brian's hair between his fingers, feeling the softness.

 

Brian was a little embarrassed by the intensity of Justin's comments. He'd been told he was beautiful before, by men and women, but when Justin said it, he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. "I think you'd better get dressed before you develop a sunburn on some very special parts of your very special body." He sat up, gathering the scattered clothes and handed Justin's back to him. "Better shake 'em out. Don't want any scorpions riding back with us."

 

Justin threw his clothes down and stood up, all in one motion. "Scorpions, Brian? You mean I could have gotten bit by a scorpion while I was naked?"

 

Brian started laughing and picked up the clothes again. "I'm only kidding. There aren't any scorpions." He handed the clothes back to Justin. "At least I don't think so." He ducked just as a blue shirt sailed past his head. "Must I keep picking up your clothes, young man?"

 

"Give me that," Justin said, grabbing for his shirt.

 

Before they left the little oasis, Brian handed Justin one of the apples and the bottle of water from before. Justin removed the cap and took a long drink. A small amount of water dripped from the corner of his mouth and he reached up with his hand to wipe it away.

 

"Wait," Brian said, stopping Justin's hand in mid air. "Let me." He placed his lips softly against the pale skin and licked the dripping water into his mouth, tasting sunscreen, perspiration and Justin. Justin shivered at the touch, despite the surrounding warmth. Brian gave the full red lips a quick kiss and moved away before Justin had time to think. "We better start back, Sunshine."

 

"Uh, yeah, I guess we'd better," Justin said softly, still feeling Brian's lips on his.

 

The sun was beginning to set as they drove south, back to town. The sky was streaked with red and orange light. "Brian, how awesome the sky looks. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. I wish I had some paints with me. I'd love to try and capture that on canvas."

 

"The desert's full of wonderful sights," Brian said aloud. "And I'm looking at one right now," he thought while he watched Justin's face as he stared at the evening sky. "Maybe I have a solution." He stopped the Jeep and rummaged around in a box on the floor of the back seat. "Here it is," he said, holding up a Polaroid camera. "Here you go." He handed the camera to Justin.

 

"You keep a camera in the Jeep?"

 

"Sure. I have one in my truck, too, and my 'Vette. Never know when you may need it. You know, accidents, flying saucers, brilliant sunsets. It'll give you something to refer to when you do have your paints."

 

"Thanks," Justin said as he jumped out of his seat onto the sandy ground. He took several pictures, catching each print as it rolled from the camera. "These are awesome." He shared the developed photos with Brian, then they both watched the sun set below the horizon and the orange sky slowly fade.

 

The rest of the ride back was uneventful, filled with small talk and comfortable silences. At some point along the way, Justin reached over and rested his left hand on Brian's thigh. Brian took his right hand from the steering wheel and gently placed it over the smaller hand, curling his fingers around it. They rode like that the rest of the way home.

 

"Are you hungry? We can stop at the cafe again and grab a bite."

 

"How about we stop at the grocery store and get some real food."

 

"I don't cook, unless you want a bowl of oatmeal."

 

"No oatmeal, okay? It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Pasta, salad, easy stuff. You forget, I can cook.

 

"Two home-cooked meals in one day. How will I survive when you…" He stopped, not wanting to think about the fact that the man next to him would be leaving in a couple of days. This was certainly not the usual Brian Kinney train of thought. He was famous for his love 'em and leave 'em attitude. No one spent the night. No one got too close. No one was invited to lunch where they would meet his son. No one went riding in the desert in his Jeep. And no one ever went to his special, secret spot. No one. Except…

 

"Leave," Justin said to himself. After this afternoon, he didn't want to think about leaving.

 

"Al's market should still be open. We can get what we need there and believe me, it won't be fancy.

 

Shopping went quickly and they were soon on their way home. Brian carried the bag of groceries into the house and set it on the kitchen counter. "What can I do to help? I have to warn you, I'm limited in my kitchen abilities."

 

"Well, I'd like to shower while the chicken's cooking. Is that okay?"

 

"More than okay, Sunshine. I'm all hot and sweaty…" He let the image gradually fade.

 

Justin smiled as he opened the package of chicken breasts, trying to keep the image of a hot and sweaty Brian out of his mind. He wasn't doing too good of a job, because he could feel his dick starting to swell in his jeans. Brian couldn't help but notice and bent down to nibble on Justin's left earlobe. Justin moaned. "Ahh, Brian, we'll never get supper started like this."

 

"Who's hungry?"

 

"You are and so am I." Justin let himself lean in a little more, enjoying the feel of Brian's lips on his skin. "Let me get the chicken in the over, then we can shower."

 

"Together?"

 

"Of course, together."

 

"Deal." Brian reluctantly moved away from Justin.

 

Once the chicken was washed, it was placed in a small casserole dish, seasoned and put in the preheated oven. "How much time do we have?" Brian asked, grabbing Justin by the hand and leading him down the hall.

 

"Thirty minutes, give or take."

 

"Plenty of time." Brian turned on the water in the shower stall. Justin was almost completely undressed when Brian took off his shirt and jeans, leaving them in a heap next to Justin's. "Is it too hot?" Brian asked as Justin stepped into the tiled shower.

 

"It's perfect," Justin said, admiring Brian's sleek tanned body.

 

"You got a little pink out there today." Brian soaped a soft washcloth and slowly started to rub it over Justin's chest. "We'll have to be more careful next time."

 

Justin closed his eyes, letting the feel of the soapy cloth soothe and excite him at the same time. "Next time?" Justin thought to himself, opening his eyes. "There's going to be a next time?"

 

"You don't want there to be a next time?"

 

"What?" He didn't realize he said that out loud. He laughed. "I very much want there to be a next time." He reached up and pressed his lips to Brian's soft pouty lips. "I do want there to be next time." His lips trailed down Brian's neck to his chest, stopping at each nipple and teasing it with his tongue before continuing his travels downward. He could feel Brian's hands tangled in his hair, gently guiding him to his hard cock. Justin knew what to do when he got there, too. Brian threw his head back, savoring the feel of the soft warm mouth on his cock. It seemed as if Justin knew exactly what he liked and almost too soon, Brian gave in to the sensations of the licking and sucking and came deep in Justin's throat.

 

"Your turn," Brian said, throatily, when his breathing became normal. Justin, too, came quickly, under the master's hand, or mouth, as it were. They finished washing, then dried off and put on clean jeans. Brian left the top button undone, a look Justin had seen that morning. He quickly decided it was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen.

 

When they returned to the kitchen, Justin checked the chicken, seeing they were just about done. "We made it just in time. Why don't you wash the veggies and cut them up into bite-sized pieces" Brian did as he was told and with a little help from Justin, the salad was put together. "Let's see, salad dressing."

 

"I think there's a bottle of Italian on the door in the fridge. While you're in there, get us out a beer."

 

"I'll get the beer, but bottled dressing? Not on my salad." He handed Brian the opened beer.

 

"Not on my salad," mimicked Brian, as he took a drink from the bottle. Next thing he knew, he was coughing and choking as Justin bumped his hip against Brian's. "Hey!"

 

"That'll teach you to make fun of me." Justin started to pat the still coughing Brian on the back. "You okay?"

 

"Yeah. So, if not bottled dressing, what are we going use for the salad dressing?"

 

"Watch." Justin added some garlic, vinegar, a little mustard and a few other spices to a small bowl then whisked the ingredients as he slowly added oil. He would have preferred olive oil, but all Brian had was vegetable oil. "Taste." He dipped a teaspoon into the mixture and held it to Brian's mouth.

 

"Not bad, Emeril. Not bad at all." Brian licked the spoon clean and put it in the sink. "So, how soon can we eat? I'm hungry. I must've worked up an appetite in the shower somehow."

 

Brian had to admit that the meal was delicious. They worked together to clean up the kitchen then Brian suggested they sit outside and grabbed two of his sweaters in case it had gotten chilly. He took two bottles of water from the fridge and led Justin out the back door to a secluded garden and patio. Brian gave him a short tour of the yard, surprising Justin with how much he knew about the plants. They settled in some comfortable chairs at a cedar table. Neither one spoke for a while. Justin watched as Brian put his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. He wondered if Brian was falling asleep on him.

 

"Listen," Brian said softly.

 

Justin closed his eyes and listened to the night. The whole situation reminded him of his summers on his grandmother's farm. She would sit on the porch every night, rain or shine, for one hour before she went to bed. She would sit and listen to the night and Justin soon learned that he wasn't to say anything until she spoke. He got really good at listening to the night, too.

 

The two men sat like that for quite a while. Brian broke the silence, declaring how much he loved the sounds surrounding him. "You're one of the few people who knows how to keep silent. Hardly anyone else understands."

 

"I had a grandmother who listened to the night like that. Every night before bed. I didn't dare speak until she did." Justin looked wistfully at the stars. "I stayed with her and Granpap every summer. That's the granpap that left me the Packard. I always knew that no matter how bad things got at home, and they got pretty bad when I came out, my grandparents would always love me." He was quiet for a moment. "Sorry, didn't mean to get all sentimental on you."

 

"Anytime, Sunshine. A lot of us had it rough when our families found out we were 'different'."

 

Justin nodded. "Speaking of families, Gus is a great little guy. I'd like to see him again before I le…have to go."

 

"Oh, you will. You're coming with me to Sunday dinner at my sister's house."

 

"Does she know anything about this?"

 

"What? About the dinner or that you're coming?"

 

"That I'm coming, asshole. Won't it be an imposition? I didn't hear you ask her."

 

"Don't need to. It'll be fine."

 

"Are you sure? I can stay here."

 

"No, you can't. You're coming with me and that's final. Gus and Lindsay will be there, my sister Claire and her husband, Sam the cop, their two sons and I'm not sure who else, but there's usually a pretty good houseful. Oh, beware of the questions. They're a nosey lot, believe me. You don't have to answer any questions you don't want to."

 

"Thanks for the warning."

 

"Besides, I have a feeling Sam's already filled her in on the blond I 'picked up' on Friday night."

 

They sat outside for an hour, talking and not talking, enjoying the comfortable silences that seemed to come naturally. The late night desert chill became too much and they went inside.

 

"It's later than I thought," Brian said, looking at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Maybe we should get to bed." He started toward the bedroom.

 

"Yeah, it's been a long day." Justin took off the sweater and laid it neatly on the back of the sofa.

 

Brian watched him and realized what he was doing. "You don't think you're sleeping on the sofa tonight, do you? Get in here where you belong. With me."

 

Justin liked the idea of belonging to Brian Kinney. He removed his clothes and crawled under the covers. Brian immediately snuggled up against his back, holding him with his arm around his waist. Justin knew that this was where he was supposed to be forever. At the same time, he was a little afraid of the feeling. They'd only met 24 hours ago. How could he be sure what was real?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The early morning sun streamed through the window. Although diffused by the trees around the house, it was bright enough to cause him to close his eyes as soon as he opened them and shift his position in the bed.

“It’s about time,” a voice said. “I thought you were an early riser.” Brian laughed when Justin slowly opened one eye to glare at him.

“I am, but something woke me up before the sun was even out. It was hard and kept poking me.”

“Hmmm. That can be a problem. How did you handle it?”

“Well, first I was annoyed,” Justin ran his hand over Brian’s smooth chest, paying special attention to his nipples.

“Pretended to be annoyed,” Brian said, taking a deep breath. He was enjoying the sensation of Justin’s cool fingers on his skin.

“Whatever. Then I figured I had to take it like a man. I just let that hard poky thing inside.”

“Mmm. I seem to remember that.”

“I am unforgettable, you know.” Justin moved his hand down Brian’s well-muscled abdomen and raked his fingers through the dark hair at the base of his cock, then continued on to fondle the heavy balls. Then his hand was wrapped around the hard shaft, moving from base to head and back with just the right amount of pressure.

“Justin,” Brian hissed, pushing his pelvis into the other man’s hand.

“See, you do remember my name,” he said, just before taking the cock into his mouth.

There was no more conversation for quite a while.


Later, in the shower, it was Justin’s turn to feel the delights of Brian’s tongue and mouth as it engulfed his erection. Brian swallowed every drop when Justin came deep in his throat. He flashed to a similar scene just the evening before and sighed contentedly. The still warm water washed over them as they kissed and held each other. Too soon, the water cooled and the two men got out and dried off.

When they were dressed, Justin made a pot of coffee and set out the bagels and cream cheese they bought at the market.

“These are pretty good for Texas bagels,” Justin said, slathering cream cheese and jelly on the other half of his bagel.

“Al’s wife makes them. They moved here from New York, if you can imagine. They were tired of the big city life and wanted to be nearer to their grandkids. You already met one, Billy.”

“This place is full of surprises.”

“Yeah,” Brian said, looking at Justin. “Lots of surprises.” Brian’s thoughts went back two nights, wondering if that was really how long it had been since he met this beautiful man sitting across the table from him. It was a Friday, pretty much like all the other Friday’s in his life, then suddenly, everything changed with one phone call. Only two nights, but, in a good way, it seemed like a lifetime. Yes, life was full of surprises.

“Brian? Are you alright? You zoned out there for a minute.”

Brian smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said taking a deep breath. “I just can’t believe how much of that cream cheese you ate.”

Justin stared into Brian’s hazel eyes and as if he read the other man’s mind, said that he couldn’t believe they’d only met two days ago. “I feel like I’ve known you a lot longer that that.”

“Yeah.”

Brian took hold of Justin’s hand just as his phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but he was still on call. “Hello,” Brian said into the phone. He listened for a few minutes, said he’d be right there, then hung up. “I have to go,” he said, picking up his keys. “I shouldn’t be longer than an hour. Can’t take you with me, as much as I’d like to, so…” He trailed off, hoping Justin wouldn’t mind.

“That’s okay. I should call Daphne and update her, anyway.”

Brian walked over to Justin and kissed him quickly on the lips. “Just don’t say anything bad about me.”

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing bad I could think of to say about you, except maybe that you don’t have any food in your house.” Brian laughed as he quickly kissed Justin again.

As soon as Brian’s Jeep pulled away, Justin straightened up the kitchen, then phoned Daphne.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to be later than Tuesday,” she said indignantly into the phone. Justin reassured her that he would indeed be at her place Tuesday evening.

“So are you bored in Nowhereville, Jus?” Justin didn’t answer right away. “Justin?”

“Imetsomeone…”

“What was that?”

“I sorta met someone.”

“Sorta met? What’s that supposed to mean? Tell me everything.”

“Well, it started when my car broke down.” He talked straight for ten minutes about Brian and the desert, the café and Gus. “Daph, I saw the face of God and his name is Brian Kinney.”

“Justin,” the girl said when he stopped talking. “It sounds wonderful, but are you sure you know what you’re doing? I mean, you don’t have the best track record with men, Ethan and Cody, for example. Look what happened with them.”

“I know, Daph, but I was young and foolish then.”

"You’ve only known this Brian for two days. He’s almost thirty and he has a kid.”

“I know, but this is different. I can feel it.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, I guess, but if I have to pick you up when you get your heart broken…”

“Daph, it won’t happen. I know.” They talked a while longer and then said good-bye.

Justin slouched on the sofa, thinking about what Daphne had said about his track record with men. He fell in love too easily and always ended up with a broken heart. But with Brian, it was different. He just knew it. Would Brian have taken him to his secret spot if he didn’t feel something for him? If he had taken him there just to seduce him, he could have done the same thing the first night right here in his own home. Justin sighed, not wanting to go through all the possible scenarios.

He was sitting in the same position when Brian got home. Brian sat down beside him and asked if everything was okay.

“I was talking to Daphne. She said some things to me.”

“What kind of things?”

Justin sat up and turned so that he could face Brian. “Why did you take me to your spot in the desert yesterday? Was it just to get into my pants?”

“Justin, what are you talking about? I took you there because I thought you’d like it as much as I do. That’s all. The fact that we did have sex…I thought you wanted it as much as I did. I didn’t force you.”

“No, you didn’t. I did want it. It’s just that, Daphne doesn’t have too high of an opinion about my choice of men. I’ll agree that I’ve made some poor choices, but you’re different. At least to me you’re different.” He sighed. “I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

“No, not silly, Justin. I’ll admit I did have ideas about you the first night and it was all I could do to restrain myself. I just wanted to make sure you wanted the same thing and I thought you did.”

“Oh, I did, believe me.” He laughed. “I did want it, even if it was just for this weekend.”

“It doesn’t have to be. I was serious when I asked you to come to the rodeo and not just for my son, for me, too.”

In one swift move, Justin straddled Brian’s lap and kissed him, hard. Brian returned the kiss, holding Justin tight in his arms. After a long moment, Brian pulled back. “As much as I’d love to continue this,” he said, kissing Justin’s nose, “we were supposed to be at Claire’s fifteen minutes ago. But we can continue this later.”

“Definitely,” Justin said, getting up from Brian’s lap. “Most definitely. And no more second thoughts.”

Although Justin was silent on the way to Claire’s house, he looked like he wanted to say something. Finally, Brian pulled into an empty parking lot and turned off the engine. He turned toward Justin and put a hand on his shoulder. “What is it? You said no more second thoughts.”

“Not second thoughts. Who all’s going to be at this dinner?”

“You don’t strike me as someone who’s shy in public, Sunshine.”

“I’m not. It’s just that I’d like to know what I’m getting into. I mean, are they okay with you bringing a…a…”

“Date?” Brian finished for him.

“Not just a date, a guy date.”

Brian laughed. “They’ll be fine with it. They’ll love you. My mom, well, it took her a while to come to terms with my being queer, but she’s okay with it now. And Claire, she was always more interested in being the big sister. You know, teasing and harassing me as we were growing up. In fact, she was the first to know I was gay and kept my secret until I was ready to tell the folks. She even stood up for me with them.” Justin relaxed a little. “You’ve already met Sam, Lindsay, and Gus. Ted should be there. We went to school together, although he was a few years ahead of me. He’s the mayor of our little town, a little nerdy, but okay.” Brian thought for a minute. “My cousin, Todd maybe. He’s in the army, but home on leave right now. Look, you’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. We should go before Sis sends out a patrol looking for us. Believe me, she’s done it before.”

As they drove the rest of the way to Claire’s house, Brian filled Justin in on a few more of the people he would probably meet that afternoon. Arriving at Claire’s, Brian had to park a few houses away, pulling in behind a large silver pickup. He turned off the engine. “Well, are you ready to face the mob?”

“It can’t be as bad as you let on.”

“Just remember those words in two hours, Sunshine. Let’s go.”

Before they were even halfway up the walkway to the neat but modest ranch-style home, a young boy of about thirteen came running from the porch. He wore knee and elbow pads and had a helmet on his head. A skateboard dangled from his hand. “Hey, Unc,” Peter said as he flew past the two men without waiting for a response.

“Hey, Pete,” Brian said to his back. “Be careful.”

“You sound too much like Mom. Want a turn?”

“Maybe later, Kiddo.”

Justin looked surprised. “You skateboard?”

“Not on your life. Do you?”

Justin gave a sly smile. “The world is full of surprises, Brian. Full of surprises.”

The front door slammed and a smaller boy, dressed like his brother, hurried out, also carrying a skateboard. He almost ran into his uncle. “Peter, wait up.”

“Whoa, big guy, watch where you’re going.”

“Hi, Uncle Brian. Sorry. Who’s that?” he asked pointing to Justin.

“That’s Justin. He’s a friend of mine and it’s not polite to point. Justin, this is Sammy, my other nephew.” Justin barely got a “Hi” out before the boy took off after his brother. “Gee, I don’t understand why they’re so reserved today,” Brian dead-panned as he watched the two boys glide easily on the boards.

Brian took Justin’s hand in his. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Just as the two men reached the steps, an attractive woman stepped out. “You boys be careful,” she yelled. “Dinner in one hour.” Choruses of “We will,” and “Okay,” rang back. “Well, little brother, it’s about time you got here.” Justin could tell right away that this was Brian’s sister. She was as tall as Justin but with the same slim frame and chestnut colored hair as her brother. She was wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

Brian kissed his sister on the cheek. “Claire, this is Justin. He’s a friend of mine. Justin, my sister Claire.”

“Well, aren’t you cute?” She glanced sidelong at her brother. “And young.”

“He’s older than he looks, Claire. Don’t start.”

“Are you older than you look?”

“I, ah…”

“Justin,” Brian said, putting his arm around his shoulder. “She’s teasing you. Like I said, Sam’s been blabbing my business again.”

Claire laughed softly and held out her hand. “Welcome to my home, Justin. Sorry about that. It’s not you, it’s him,” she said, nodding towards her brother. “Come on in and meet everyone.”

Brian leaned down to whisper into Justin’s ear. “Just remember what we have to look forward to when this is all over. I seem to recall you were sitting on my lap.” He punctuated the statement with a little nuzzle to Justin's ear, causing an immediate reaction in certain parts of Justin’s anatomy.

“Oh, thanks, now I get to meet your family and friends with a hard-on.” He tried to sound angry, but couldn’t help the smile forming on his lips. He adjusted himself a little and willed his hard-on to behave. “Let’s go.”

Evidently, the word had gotten out that Brian was bringing “someone” to Sunday dinner. It was a packed house. The largest congregation of Kinney family gathered in one spot in a long, long time. Claire whispered to Sam that she hoped she had enough food to feed everyone. The two new arrivals walked through the doorway. Justin squeezed Brian’s hand a little harder and Brian squeezed back, letting him know he wasn’t alone.

All conversation stopped. “What?” Brian asked as if he always brought a guest to Sunday dinner. Several of the people cleared their throats and others shuffled their feet. “If ya’ll behave yourselves, I’ll introduce you.” He looked around the room. “Everyone, this is Justin. Justin, this is everyone.”

“Hi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Before anyone could respond, Gus ran into the living room with a cracker in his hand and grabbed Brian around the legs. “Daddy!” he said, enthusiastically. “Hi, Jussin. Aunt Claire gave me a cracker, see.” He held his hand up, showing the half eaten cracker.

“Hi, little man. I see. That cracker sure looks mighty good,” Justin said, ruffling Gus’ hair just before his daddy picked him up.

“If you say please, she’ll give you one too.”

“I’ll remember that, Gus,” he said before turning his attention to Lindsay. “Hi, Lindsay. It’s nice to see you again.”

“You, too, Justin. Are you enjoying yourself in our little corner of the world?”

“Very much so. Brian’s shown me some beautiful sights.”

“I’ll bet he has,” Ted stage-whispered from the sofa. He was about to say something else when Brian caught his eye with a Kinney death glare. Ted knew when to be quiet.

“That, Justin, is Ted Schmidt, our mayor, for the time being, anyway.” Everyone laughed. Claire swatted her brother across his arm with the towel she held. “Ow, what was that for?”

“Behave yourself and come into the kitchen with me. I need some help.” Brian glanced at Justin. “Lindsay can properly introduce Justin to the gang. Come with me.”

“I think you better do like she says, Brian. I’ll be fine with Lindsay and Gus, won’t I, Gus?” Justin said, reaching out to take the little boy from his father. Gus went willingly.

Brian’s cousin walked out of the kitchen carrying a glass of iced tea as Brian and Claire were walking in. “Hey, Todd, how’s it going?”

“Fine,” the younger man answered, smiling. He joined the gang in the living room as Lindsay was introducing Justin to all the curious guests.

In the kitchen, Claire handed her brother a knife and pointed to assorted produce on the counter. “Start chopping those for the salad, little brother. They’re already washed.” Brian picked up a tomato and started cutting it into chunks, waiting to see how long before his sister started with the inquisition. He decided to delay things a little on his own. “Where’s Mom? I thought she’d be the first one here.”

“On, no. That won’t work,” Claire said, trying to suppress a smile. “You’re not picking the subject this time. Your friend, he is cute, but a little young, isn’t he?”

“Old enough.”

“What do you know about him? Sam says you towed his car Friday night.”

“Sam talks too much. By the way, he gave me another speeding ticket.”

“Don’t try changing the subject, brother dear. I hear he’s staying with you.” Brian put down the knife, turned to his sister and crossed his arms over his chest. Claire looked at him. “Well, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t.” He sighed. “Claire, don’t get all ‘big sister’ on me. I’m a grown man and I can take care of myself. I like him, but he’s leaving as soon as his car is repaired, which, if you must know, will probably be tomorrow. He has his own life. Trust me, okay?”

“I thought so,” Claire said, with the Kinney smirk. “You more than like him. I hope it all works out. I like him, too, even though I’ve known him for all of three minutes. Lindsay and Gus seem to like him. I hope you get what you want.”

Brian started chopping the vegetables again. Claire knew her brother well enough to know that the conversation was over. That didn’t stop her from smiling as she put the dinner rolls in the oven.

A short while later, Claire called everyone to the table and sent her husband out to get their sons. Brian made sure Justin was sitting next to him. Gus insisted on sitting next to his daddy, too. That was definitely nothing new, so Claire had the special chair all ready for him. It was a bar stool she found at a yard sale years ago when her own two sons were little and needed a boost at the table. “There you go, little man,” Brian said as he lifted his son onto the chair. Justin watched the play between Brian and his son and couldn’t help but smile at the tenderness and love he saw. If he didn’t watch out, he could really fall for this man. That is - if he already hadn’t.

“So, Justin, I hope there was nothing seriously wrong with your car,” Sam asked as he buttered a roll. “Not that Brian couldn’t fix whatever was wrong with it, you understand."

“Master cylinder. Brian ordered a part from New Jersey. He should have it fixed tomorrow.”

“That’s good.” Sam saw Brian and Claire staring at him. “I mean, it’s good that there wasn’t anything too seriously wrong with the car. It sure is a beaut.” He looked at Claire and shrugged.

Small pockets of conversation continued around the table as food was being passed and plates and glasses were filled.

“Hey, Justin,” Peter said, stopping long enough from shoveling food into his mouth to speak. “My friend Billy showed me a picture you drew of him and Scratch. It was really good.”

“It was very good,” Brian interjected. “I saw it.”

“You’re an artist?” Lindsay asked. “What medium do you like to work in?”

Everyone moved their attention to Justin, hoping to learn more about him. After all, it wasn’t every day that Brian brought a date for Sunday dinner. Justin took a drink of his tea. He loved talking about art. “I use oils mostly. Some watercolors, depending on what I’m trying to portray, what I’m feeling at that particular time. I also do a little freelance graphics for a few firms back home in Pittsburgh. Helps pay the bills a little more regularly.”

“Linds majored in art in college. She even worked at a gallery in Dallas for a few years after graduation.”

“That was a long time ago, Bri.” Justin couldn’t help but hear the regret in her voice. “I’d love to see some of your work. Do you have shows and everything?”

“I have a few of my sketchbooks with me. I find stuff to draw everywhere. It’s like I can’t pass up a chance to put something interesting or unusual, or usual, for that matter, onto paper. I’d be happy to show you later.” Justin took another drink of his tea. “As for the shows, I’ve had a few back home. I can’t make a living with it yet. That’s why I have the other job. Do you paint, too?”

“I dabble, mostly. My talent lies more toward art history.” Justin nodded, wondering why she was waiting tables in a small west Texas town. Did it have to do with Brian and Gus? Maybe he’d find out, but his country club manners told him it wouldn’t be very polite to ask right now.

“You seem so young to be that accomplished,” Ted stated.

“Like I told my sister, he’s older than he looks, Theodore. You’re just jealous.”

“Uncle Brian, please, I’m eating.” Everyone laughed at Sammy’s remark. Justin, for one, was glad for the break in his own version of twenty questions. He rested his hand on Brian’s thigh and was glad when Brian put his own hand on top and gave it a squeeze.

“Enough interrogation, people. Let the poor man eat in peace.”

Halfway through dinner, the front door opened and an attractive gray-haired woman entered. “Hi, all. Sorry, I’m late.”

“Hey, Mom," Brian and Claire said at the same time and the others also greeted Joan Kinney.

“And who’s this handsome young man?” Joan asked as she sat in a chair Peter held out for her.

“Mother,” Brian said in that tone he used to get a point across. “I know you already know who this is. I’m sure Claire couldn’t keep her mouth shut about my…friend. Justin, this is my mother, Joan. Mom, Justin Taylor.” Justin stood and shook her hand, saying how glad he was to meet her.

“My, so polite. I seem to detect a little accent, young man. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, ma’am, I’m from Pittsburgh.”

“So far from home. Doesn’t your family miss you?”

“I guess.”

“Well, I’m sure as soon as your car is fixed, you’ll be on the road again. This little desert town surely can’t compare with the big city. I lived in Dallas for a while. There’s so much to do, what with museums, plays and all kinds of stuff.” She gave a wistful sigh. “That’s where I met my husband. Brian and Claire’s father, you know.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Justin said unsure of what else to say.

“Mother, I don’t think Justin’s really interested in that.”

“Oh, no, of course not. I’m sorry. But big cities are meant for the young folks. Are your parents still in Pittsburgh?

“My parents are divorced, but, yes, they still live there. And my sister, Molly goes to Carnegie-Mellon.”

Soon, the conversation drifted to other topics, but Justin was stuck with the statement about his leaving when his car was repaired the next day. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to leave that soon.

After everyone had eaten their fill and the dishes were cleared from the table, the whole crowd gathered in the living room.

“That was a great meal, Claire. Thanks. I haven’t had too many home cooked meals over the last few weeks.”

“My pleasure, Justin. Glad you could join us.”

Gus took a coloring book and crayons from a cabinet and took them over to Justin. “Mr. Jussin, can you color with me?”

“I’d love to, Buddy.” Gus put the book and colors on the coffee table and Justin slid off the couch to sit beside Brian’s son. Justin chose a red crayon and began to color the cape of the cartoon super-hero in the picture.

“Wow, how did you know his cape was red? My daddy didn’t know that. I had to tell him.”

“I know a lot about super-heroes. My friend owns a comic book store back home. His favorite is Captain Astro. I like Superman, myself. Who’s your favorite?”

“Mighty Mouse,” Gus exclaimed, sticking out his chest and showing his biceps muscle. “He’s small like me, and real strong. Hey, you color real good, almost as good as my mommy.”

“You color good, too, Gus. I love the color pink you made the clouds. That shows imagination.

“Maginashun,” Gus repeated. “Hey, Daddy, Jussin says I have ‘maginashun’. What’s that?”

Brian laughed. “Imagination, Sonny Boy. It means you see things in a special way.”

“But I see with my eyes. Don’t you?” Gus squinted as he talked to his father. “Why is that special?”

“Thanks, Justin,” Brian said out of the side of his mouth. “Let’s see. It means that you see with your eyes, but also, you see with your heart. It’s like when you and Sammy pretend to be super heroes and get rid of all the bad men.” He watched his son wrinkle his forehead, thinking about what he said. “You’ll understand more when you’re older.”

“I’ll be older tomorrow. Will I understand then?”

“Maybe it’ll be a little longer than that. Just remember, Sonny Boy, imagination is a good thing.” Brian was anxious to end this conversation. “Look, Justin’s almost finished with his page. You’d better get to coloring, or he’ll finish before you.”

The rest of the evening flew by. Lindsay had the breakfast shift at the diner on Monday morning, so she was the first to say she had to leave. Gus had crawled up onto his daddy’s lap an hour before and fell asleep with his head tucked into the little valley between his daddy’s arm and chest.

“I really hate to leave, but it looks like Gus is ready for bed and I have to get up early.” Lindsay reached for her son, but Brian stopped her.

“I’ll get him,” he said, shooing her arms away. “Justin and I need to leave, too.” Gus stirred slightly as Brian repositioned him in his arms and Claire leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

“You did good, little brother,” she whispered to Brian.

Justin said good-bye to everyone and thanked Claire for dinner once more. He walked with Brian to Lindsay’s car and watched as Brian placed his son in the booster seat. Brian gave Gus a kiss on the nose. “Sweet dreams, Sonny Boy,” he said to the sleeping boy then closed the car door. Once mother and son were off, Brian hugged his sister and mother and he and Justin also headed for home.

“So, Sunshine, that’s my family.”

“And an interesting group they are. Tell me, have you and Ted ever…?”

“Don’t even say it ‘cause if you do, you get to walk back to my place.” Brian laughed despite himself.

“Just wondering. I loved watching you with Gus. You know you smile the whole time you’re around him. It’s adorable.”

“I don’t do ‘adorable’. Never have, never will.”

“Keep telling yourself that. What was your father like?”

“My father, well, he had the hardest time with my being gay. We didn’t talk for a long while, but he found out he had cancer. Let’s just say we came to an understanding before he died. I think Gus helped, even though he was just a baby. Jack loved to be around him.” Brian was silent for a few minutes. “What about your family?”

“I already told you about my grandfather. He was great. I’m still my mother’s only son, with all the stuff that goes with that. Basically, she just wants me to be happy. She even fixed me up once. It was pretty much a disaster, so we won’t even go there. My sister, Molly, is a typical little sister, but she thinks I’m 'cool' and asks me to help her pick out 'cool' clothes. As you can see, I’m a t-shirt and jeans kinda guy, but she seems to like what I put together for her. I guess it’s part of the gay gene.”

“Your artistic touch must come in handy for that. What about your father? Difficult?”

Justin let out his breath. “He wasn’t happy at all and tried to throw me out of the house when I was sixteen. Told me I was no longer his son, blah, blah, blah. Mom stood up for me. Said if he couldn’t accept who I was then he was the one who was leaving. They were divorced within a year. He refused to pay for college and I haven’t seen or talked to him in years.”

“Bastard! It’s his loss, though, you know.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s true,” Brian said as he pulled into his driveway.

As soon as they were in the house, Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and kissed him. “Mmmm. I’ve wanted to do that all evening. I almost followed you into Claire’s bathroom.”

“Brian! I’m really glad you showed some restraint. I would have been too embarrassed. But we can make up for it now, can’t we?”

“Oh, yeah.” Clothing couldn’t be removed fast enough, and once they were both naked, they crawled into bed.

This night was different to them. It was hard to believe they’d met only two nights before. It was as if they’d known each other for years.

Brian put his arm under Justin’s neck and stared at the perfect lips, pale skin and blond hair. “Justin,” was all he could say before he leaned down and kissed the other man. Even the sex that night was softer, more caring. More like “making love”. They both felt it, although neither one said anything before they fell asleep in the early morning hours.

 

 

 

 

The alarm startled them awake at seven sharp. Brian waited for Justin to poke his head out from under the covers. He didn't seem to be too quick about doing it, either. A hand appeared and pushed the cover down to the middle of his chest then both arms reached above this head to stretch. "That wasn't really the alarm, was it? Please say it wasn't."

"I have bad news. It was the alarm." Brian smiled at the half asleep man. "Come on, sleepyhead, I have to shower and I'm pretty sure you do, too. Care to join me?" Brian asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Justin tried to pull him back.

"Can't we just stay here for a while longer?"

"Car part being delivered this morning, remember? Come on, Sunshine, get your naked butt in the shower with me. I promise to make it worth your while."

"Well, who am I to turn down an offer like that?"

The shower lasted a little longer than planned, so they ended up having to hurry to get to the garage for the early morning delivery. Despite being late, Brian stopped at the city clerk's office. "Ticket," was all he said. He was in and out in a matter of minutes, then drove the two blocks to the garage.

As they got out of the Jeep, a brown truck pulled up and an attractive man got out, waving to Brian. "Got a delivery for you, Brian. Looks like you just made it in time." He noticed the Packard out front. "Wow, nice car. You working on that one?"

"Of course. It belongs to Justin, here."

"You're kidding? I would have figured and eighty-year-old man drove a car like that." He eyed Justin a little closer, letting his gaze linger below the belt. "Not a hottie like this."

"Stand back, Doug. He's not interested in you."

"Yeah, but he could be."

"Hey, I'm standing right here." Justin tried to sound annoyed, but it didn't work. "The car belonged to my grandfather and now it's mine. It's as simple as that."

"Thought so," Doug said to Justin, noticing how close Brian was standing to the blond, not to mention the possessive arm around his shoulders. Justin wasn't sure whether the 'thought so' referred to the car or to him and Brian, and he didn't ask. He just watched Doug climb back into the truck and drive off.

"Nice guy," he said. "You and he…?"

"First Ted and now Doug. Are you going to ask about every guy around here?"

"Just the gay ones," Justin said, laughing.

"Well, to answer your question, once. He was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yep, just okay."

Justin smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess I'd better get started on this. Let me go inside and do some work on this real quick, then I'll get it installed."

"Mind if I walk over to the diner and get some food? I mean, you won't need me here, will you?"

"Go ahead. Charlie will be here in a little while." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here," he said, handing Justin a few bills. "Get me a coffee, too. Take the Jeep. Keys are in it."

"I have money. You want anything to eat?"

"No, just the coffee. Take the money. Lindsay's working, so give her whatever's left."

Justin nodded, took the money and climbed into the Jeep. Brian watched as Justin drove off in the direction of the diner. "You are in so much trouble, Kinney, so much trouble."

Justin walked into the diner and waved to Lindsay as he sat down at the counter. The breakfast rush was almost over, so there were plenty of empty seats.

"Hey, Justin. You look like you need some coffee. Is Brian with you?"

"Coffee would be great. Brian's at the shop. The part for my car came in this morning, so he's working on that." He gave Lindsay his food order and she left to get his coffee. The bell over the door rang as Lindsay set Justin's breakfast before him. "This looks good. Thanks." He put jelly on his toast and took a bite. "Oh, I brought some of my sketches with me if you'd still like to see them. Later, of course, if you have time."

"I'd love to see them. Can you wait about an hour until my break? Angie will be in and I'll have time then."

"Sounds good. That'll give me time to take some coffee to Brian and come back. Oh, yeah, I'll need some coffee for Brian when I get done."

"You got it. I'll put some food in a bag, too. He probably said he didn't want anything to eat, but he really does."

Justin finished his breakfast and headed back to the garage. A large coffee sat in the cup holder and a bag of food occupied the passenger seat. He noticed two strange cars in front of the garage. A vintage Mustang was parked to the far right where Brian had parked this morning. He figured that was Charlie's car. An older Chevy pickup sat in the previously empty bay inside the garage, the hood wide open. Brian and the two other men were peering into the engine compartment. Justin didn't want to bother them, so he sat the coffee and food on the desk then sat down in one of the chairs by the office door.

Brian hadn't heard the Jeep pull up and was surprised to see Justin sitting there. "Hey, didn't hear you come in."

"No problem. Coffee's here. It should still be hot. And Lindsay sent some muffins. She said you need to eat."

"I figured she would. Look, Hector over there brought his truck in. It'll be a quick repair, but I need to do it before I can get to your car. He needs his truck for his deliveries and Charlie's going to be busy with the tow truck."

"That's okay. I promised Lindsay I'd show her my sketches. I just wanted to tell you breakfast was here."

"Thanks." Brian leaned down to give Justin a quick kiss. Justin was a little hesitant and moved his head so the kiss landed on his cheek. "What's wrong?" Justin indicated the two other men in the garage. "Don't worry about them. They know I'm gay and they probably know your story by now. This is a small town. Now, how 'bout we try that kiss, again?" When Justin smiled, Brian leaned down again and briefly touched his lips to Justin's. "See," he said, "they didn't even blink, did they?"

Justin swatted Brian's arm playfully and walked away. "Later, Brian."

"Later, Sunshine." Justin turned to give Brian one of his sunshine smiles. Brian gave a little wave as Justin got into the Jeep.

"Friend of yours, Brian?"

"You know who he is, Charlie and hadn't you better get on the road? The State Troopers want those abandoned cars off the road as soon as possible and I'd like to keep my contract with the state."

"Ten-four, Boss. Oh, thanks for the weekend off. Pam says she loves you."

"Oh, it was my pleasure." He walked back to Hector's truck and began working.

Back at the diner, Justin and Lindsay sat in one of the booths and looked over the sketches.

"Justin, these are wonderful. You really are talented. Where did you go to school?"

"Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts."

"I've heard of it. Impressive." She finished with the first book and set it aside.

Justin caught the wistful look in her eyes as she ran her fingers over the cover. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure you can. But I'll bet I know what you're going to ask. You want to know how I ended up here and working in a diner."

"Yeah, I did kind of wonder about that."

"How 'bout I get you another coke?" Lindsay asked, picking up his empty glass.

"Sure. Thanks." Justin watched her walk over to the soda dispenser and refill his glass. He knew she was sorting out thoughts in her head. He took a swallow of the fizzy soda when she handed the now full glass back to him.

Lindsay took the seat across from Justin. "I met Brian in high school. I guess you could say I had a crush on him, but at the same time, I was conflicted about my own sexuality. We were paired up on a project in science class. Don't tell him I told you, but he was a real nerd in high school."

Justin couldn't help but laugh. He had a hard time picturing the Brian Kinney he knew with glasses and a pocket protector.

"Anyway, we had a good time working together, got an A on the project and we became good friends. Everyone thought we were a "couple", but he was already sure he was gay. He didn't proclaim his gayness to the world, but he didn't deny it. And he handled any problems, and this being Texas, there were more than a few, pretty well. Like I said, it took me a while longer to accept my being a lesbian. I told my parents my sophomore year of college. Without going into too much detail, let's just say they didn't take it too well. Brian was there for me. I met Melanie a year later. I knew I loved her from the start. We lived in Dallas. That's when I worked at the gallery Brian mentioned. I wanted a baby and I wanted Brian to be the father. It took a while for me to talk him into it, but he finally agreed. Within a year, I had Gus."

"What happened to Melanie?"

"Drunk driver," was all she said for a while. "Do you know who Sam Auerbach is?"

"Sure, who in the art world doesn't know? He did a mural at Penn Plaza a few years ago."

Lindsay smiled and nodded. "I remember when he did that. I've only seen pictures, but it must be magnificent." She was quiet for a moment. "He had a big show in Dallas at the gallery where I worked a few years before the Penn Plaza mural. I helped set it up. Mel didn't really like his type of work and didn't want to come to the opening, but I insisted. She finally gave in. She was running late. A drunk driver ran a red light that she shouldn't even have been at, except she was taking a short cut because I begged her to be at the gallery." Lindsay pulled a napkin from the holder and dabbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just so hard to talk about this."

"I didn't mean to make you sad. You could have told me it was none of my business."

"But it may be your business. Gus was only six months old. Of course, he doesn't remember her except for the pictures I have. He knows she was his other mother. Brian stayed with me for almost two months, until I could get myself together. In the end, I decided I wanted to move back here where my family and friends are. And here I am, or I should say, here we are. Having a grandchild made my mother rethink her opinion of my lifestyle and she's come to accept me as I am. She loves Gus and like you saw, she watches him for me while I work."

"I'm sorry about Melanie. I know Brian's glad to have his son around. He's so proud of him."

"He's turned out to be a wonderful daddy. Spoils Gus rotten, though."

"Don't you miss the gallery and your painting?"

"For a long time, I blamed myself for Mel's death. The usual stuff, you know, and it came down to art. I couldn't paint or sketch for a long time. I dabble a little now and then. I'll never let that go completely, but I'm looking into buying an old store and maybe opening a little gallery here. Not just painting, but different kinds of artwork by local artists. There are some pretty talented artisans around. They just need an outlet for their work."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, I like the idea, but it sure takes a lot of thought and work to pull it together." She shrugged and added, "Maybe one day. Now let me see this other book." She lifted the cover to reveal the first page, which just happened to be one that Justin drew on Saturday of Brian working on the Packard.

Justin blushed. At least in this picture, Brian had clothes on. He had another book back at the house with the more revealing sketches. He learned through experience that it wasn't always good to mix the two types of sketches. You never knew who was going to see them, like your nine-year-old sister who was snooping in your room. His mother wasn't too happy about that episode.

"Hmm," she said, turning the pages. "I like your model. Does he know you drew all of these?"

"He's seen them. He does make a good model, doesn't he?" The longing in his voice was evident. He didn't see the look that Lindsay was giving him.

"Justin, I know you and Brian are getting along really well and I think it's great. But there is a reality here, you know. Your car is going to be fixed and you'll be on your way. Pittsburgh is a long ways away from here."

"Linds…"

"I'm just saying, someone's going to get hurt, and I don't want it to be Brian. And I don't want it to be you, either. It's written all over your face how you feel about him. And I saw the picture of his secret spot, and I know that he wouldn't have taken you there if he didn't have certain feelings for you. All I'm saying is, be careful, okay?"

Justin picked up his sketchbooks and placed them in his bag. "I know what you mean, but being careful isn't always easy." He drank the last of his soda and let Lindsay give him a big hug before he left.

Ever since he woke up that morning, the fact that he was leaving this afternoon played heavy on his mind. He had already developed real feelings for Brian and he was sure that Brian felt the same way. He climbed into the Jeep and drove back to the garage. Brian was just pulling in with Hector's pick-up.

"Hey, Sunshine, did you have a good time with Lindsay? Dazzle her with your artwork?"

"Of course," Justin responded, then reached up and kissed Brian. "The pick-up fixed?"

"Yep. I was just test driving it. One more small adjustment and I'll be done."

"Then we can get some lunch? It's noon already?"

Brian looked at his watch. "I guess it is. Let me finish this and call Hector, then we can eat. How's that?"

"I think I can wait that long. How 'bout I run to the store and come back to pick you up. I'll fix lunch."

"Sounds like a good idea." Brian reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"I can pay for the food," Justin said, stopping him. Brian looked at him and thought about insisting he take the money, but decided against it and put his wallet away. Justin smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back shortly."

A half hour later, Hector drove off in his truck and Brian was washing his hands. He closed the garage and climbed into the passenger seat next to Justin. "Think you can find your way home from here?"

"I think I can manage," he said. 'Home,' he thought. He wondered if Brian realized he used that term to include both of them.

"Well, let's go. I hope you didn't buy anything special for dessert 'cause I know what I want," he said, suggestively. 'Home', he thought. 'I said home.' He realized that sounded just right to him.

Lunch was indeed followed by dessert, Brian's very own special dessert. Justin was quiet as they lay together in Brian's bed afterward. He could still feel Brian inside of him and never wanted that sensation to go away. And he didn't want to think about the fact that he would be leaving soon. Lindsay made him think about the reality of this weekend and what he wanted it to become.

Brian couldn't help but feel that Justin's attention was somewhere else. "You're awfully quiet, Jus. Is something wrong?"

"Just…no, not really…well…" Justin hesitated, not sure how to proceed. He didn't want to put Brian on the spot about his feelings or desires, although he was pretty sure of what they were. But in case he was wrong…no, he knew he wasn't

"Come on, out with it. What's wrong?"

Justin kept his head on Brian's chest as he spoke. "Will you be glad when I leave tonight?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I be glad?" Brian shifted so he could see Justin's face. "Lindsay's been talking to you, hasn't she? What did she say?"

"Nothing bad, honestly. I think she just wants to make sure you don't get hurt. She said she knows you like me in more than just a casual way. And she knows I'm leaving and she knows I really like you. I, uh, showed her my sketch pad with all the pictures of you."

Brian laughed and rolled his eyes. "All the pictures, Sunshine?" You didn't show her the one with the dick doodles, did you? I mean, she has seen in before." Justin started to say something. "Don't ask."

"No, no dick doodles. Those are for my eyes only."

"Good. You were saying we like each other, a fact which I won't deny. And for your information, I've been thinking about your leaving and I'm not too happy about it. I have a little confession to make."

"Confession? And what is that?"

"I could have replaced your master cylinder this morning without any problems. I just used having to fix Hector's truck as an excuse to delay your leaving." Justin tried to sit up, but Brian held his arms around him. "I figured if I take my time, it'll be too late for you to drive all the way to Phoenix tonight and you'll have to stay one more night. Daphne would understand, wouldn't she?"

"Daphne will be madder than hell and I'll tell her it was all your fault." He moved up so he could reach Brian's face and began planting kisses all over it, forehead, cheeks, nose. Not one inch of skin went without a caress from the soft lips.

"If you keep that up, we're going to be even later." Justin didn't care. Neither did Brian.

It was late afternoon when the two men got back to the garage. "It's about time you got back, Boss." Charlie looked knowingly at his boss then at Justin but knew better than to say anything. "Here's the paperwork for the abandoned cars and the truck is all gassed up and ready for tonight. I already switched the phone to ring at my house. It's gettin' late. You still fixin' the Packard today?"

"That's why I'm here. Want to help? You may never get to work on a car like this again."

"Shit, yeah. Let's get goin'."

The two men worked well together, but it still took a few hours to finish the repair. When they were done, Brian sent Charlie home while he cleaned up the tools. He took the car for a ride around the block to ensure the brakes were working well.

While Brian was gone, Justin called Daphne, surprised that he hadn't already received several calls from her asking when he was arriving.

"Daph, it's me." He listened to her for several minutes as she chastised him for being late and asking how soon he'd be there. "Well, that's just it. I'm still in Texas. It'll be tomorrow before I can leave." He held the phone away from his ear as Daphne ranted. "Daph, listen. It couldn't be helped. It's an old car, remember? I promise I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. We'll still have two weeks. Daph, Daph! I promise, tomorrow, before supper. I promise. Have to go. Bye." He hung up as Brian slowly rounded the corner and brought the car to a stop in front of the garage.

"Brakes work fine, as good as new, in fact." Brian handed Justin his keys. "Let me finish up with a few things and we can go. It'll be dark soon. Oh, Linds called while I was checking your car. She invited us to dinner."

"How did she know I was still here?"

"Small town, remember. Any number of people could have seen your car still here and told her. Or she knows me better than anyone else and I'm betting she knows you a whole lot better than you realize."

"I guess we're eating dinner with Lindsay and Gus." Justin smiled one of his sexy smiles and reached up to kiss Brian. "Just how much time do we have before dinner?"

"I don't think she'll mind if we're a few minutes late. I do have to shower, you know." Brian returned the kiss then gently pushed Justin away. "I really do have to finish this paperwork, though. Give me fifteen minutes." Justin stuck his tongue out of his mouth and slowly licked his lips. Brian groaned. "Make that ten minutes, Sunshine, and watch what you do with that tongue. At least until I get you home."

Seven minutes later Brian was locking the garage. "I'll meet you at home. Don't dawdle." Brian got into his Jeep and Justin climbed into his Packard. It felt good to be behind the wheel of his own car again.

Brian kept glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Justin was behind him, although he knew he would be. Suddenly he saw the lights of the local police vehicle. "It's not Friday, Sam," he said aloud. "I have some urgent things to do." He pulled over to the shoulder, noting that Justin did the same.

Sam got out of his car and walked up to Justin's window. "Hey, Justin. I thought you'd be gone by now." Justin was handing him his license, but Sam waved him off. "Not stopping you. Brian was doing two miles over the speed limit. He's the one I want."

"Umm, I was probably doing the same, Sam."

Sam laughed. "I know." Sam looked up at the Jeep. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. Have a safe trip to…Phoenix, was it?"

"Yeah, Phoenix. Thanks."

Sam tipped his hat at Justin and walked toward Brian. "Howdy there, Brian. License, registra…" Brian had all three waiting and handed them to his brother-in-law."

"I noticed you didn't give Justin a ticket. Thanks."

"Now that wouldn't have been too neighborly, would it? Giving a ticket to an out of town friend, why would I do that?"

"Why, indeed?" He handed Brian the ticket, tipped his hat and walked back to the police car, waving to Justin as he walked by. He wasn't sure, but it looked like Justin had been laughing.

When they got home, they couldn't wait to undress each other. Shoes were toed off and shirts, pants, and socks were left in piles on the floor. Brian turned on the water to a comfortable temperature and pulled Justin under the spray with him. Brian washed Justin's hair with his herb-scented shampoo, then washed his own as Justin soaped a washcloth and started washing Brian's chest. As the water washed away the soap, Justin kissed the wet skin. He worked his way down the lithe body, taking extra time to use his soapy hands on Brian's hard cock. His mouth replaced his hands and Brian soon exploded in his throat. When they were both satisfied, they finished washing and dried off with the warm fluffy bath towels hanging on the rack.

Twenty minutes later they were parking in front of Lindsay's house. Dinner was enjoyable and they had fun playing with Gus before it was time for him to go to bed. He agreed as long as "Jussin" could tuck him in, too. Brian carried his sleepy son piggy back into his bedroom and gently dumped him on the small bed. Gus loved when his daddy did that and giggled. He talked Brian into reading him a story. Two pages into the story, Justin tapped Brian on the leg and pointed to a sleeping Gus. They both kissed him on the forehead and quietly left the room.

Lindsay had coffee and dessert ready for them when they came back. They stayed and talked for a while longer and Lindsay showed Justin some of her artwork. He was surprised at her talent. She did more than just dabble, as she was so fond of saying. "Lindsay, you can tell me to mind my own business, but why aren't you still drawing and painting? Your work has such a sensitivity to it." He picked up one sketch that he particularly liked. "Look at that face. You captured his loneliness and desperation so well."

"That was always one of my favorites," Brian said, putting an arm around Lindsay's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "She never believed me about how good it was."

Lindsay took the sheet of paper from Justin. "I'd see him in the park. He intrigued me. That was a long time ago." She put the papers back into the case and closed it. "I still sketch. I have a lot of pictures of Gus and some of Gus with Melanie." She put the pictures back on the shelf. "I didn't realize how much I missed it."

As soon as they could, Brian and Justin said their goodbyes. They were both anxious to get home.

Unlike earlier, the two men took their time undressing each other, like they were unwrapping a precious package. Each area of skin that was exposed was kissed and caressed until they were totally naked and laying on the bed in each other's arms. They shared deep passionate kisses. It was a long time before they had their fill of each other and gave in to sleep. They gravitated to their favorite position with Brian spooned up against Justin's back and has strong arms wrapped lovingly and protectively around Justin.

 

 

 

 

Justin awoke first but didn't move, relishing the feel of Brian's strong arms around him. The sun was just barely above the horizon, and he could see the shadow of the trees and shrubs on the window. A gentle breeze caused them to flutter. This was only the third night that they had slept together and already Justin felt like it was the most natural place for him to be. He closed his eyes and leaned back into the other man as far as he could. He was memorizing the feel of Brian's warm smooth skin against his own. But it was a feeling that was already burned into his mind.

He thought about the whole weekend and wished it didn't have to end. He thought back to Friday night and the fate that brought him to Brian or Brian to him. He wasn't sure which it was. He tried to pick out a favorite moment over the past three days. The desert oasis where they made love the first time, taking pictures of the impossibly beautiful sunset, sitting quietly on the patio listening to the night sounds, meeting Gus. So much had happened and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He promised Daphne he would be in Phoenix by this evening and he couldn't break his promise to her, no matter how much he wanted to stay here. He sighed softly and closed his eyes again.

Brian slowly opened his eyes to the light filtering through the window. He didn't know if Justin was awake just yet and didn't to do anything to disturb the feel of the hard body against his. Even though it has only been a few days, he was becoming very familiar with the feel of that body. So familiar, in fact, that he wasn't sure he could stand to be without it for a very long time. But the cold hard fact was that Justin was leaving today and there was nothing he could do about it. Justin had a life outside of this small town in west Texas, a fact which Brian wasn't too happy about at the moment.

Brian softly kissed Justin's bare shoulder, lingering to take in the feel of the soft skin. The pink color from the sun in the desert on Saturday had already faded, leaving a hint of a tan in its place.

"Mm," Justin murmured, burrowing deeper into Brian's arms.

"I didn't want to wake you. Sorry."

"You didn't. I've been awake for a while. I didn't want to disturb you," Justin said with a little laugh. He turned onto his back.

Brian took advantage in the change of position to give Justin a deep kiss. "Good morning, Sunshine."

"I'm not so sure it's good," he said, flopping his free arm over his eyes.

"I know."

"Maybe I can call Daphne," Justin started, but Brian put a finger over his lips to hush him.

"No. You promised her. I don't want you to leave; you know that, don't you?" Justin nodded. "You won't be there forever. I mean, you'll be back through here. You've been invited to a rodeo, remember, in two weeks. That's not so long. You wouldn't want to disappoint Gus, now would you?"

"I can't disappoint your son, that's for sure." Brian was rewarded with a big smile. "Now, let's do something about not disappointing each other."

When they were finally showered and dressed, the sun was high in the sky. Justin toasted the leftover bagels, sliced some melon and fixed a pot of coffee.

"Let's go outside," Justin suggested. The lovers took their breakfast and coffee to the patio and sat together on the chaise. Brian let Justin feed him pieces of ripe melon, sensuously licking the juice from his chin. Justin ate his bagel and half of Brian's. When they were done with the food, Brian leaned against the back of the chaise and put one arm around Justin's shoulders. Justin leaned comfortably against Brian. Neither said anything for quite a while.

"I love it out here," Justin finally said. "It's so calm and peaceful. I think I could stay here like this forever."

Brian gave Justin's arm a squeeze. "Mm," he said in a noncommittal voice. Brian wanted to add that he wouldn't mind if Justin was there forever, but didn't. He knew Justin had his own life away, far away, from there. He didn't want to get his hopes up that the other man would be willing to give up that life for him.

Justin looked up at Brian and found himself staring into his favorite hazel eyes. "Brian?" he asked slowly. "Are you glad I'm leaving today?"

Brian raised Justin's chin with his finger. "Where did that question come from? No, Sunshine, I'm very NOT glad you're leaving, but I know you have to. This has been the happiest weekend I can remember in a long time, a very long time, in fact."

"Good, 'cuz that's how I feel, too. I just wasn't sure how to take that 'Mm'." Justin took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a little foolish. "I will be back in two weeks. Think you can last that long?"

"I may have to have something to keep me going. Two weeks can be a very long time."

"I've never had sex on a patio in Texas. This is as good a time as any to try it out. What do you think?"

"I think," Brian said, then kissed Justin, "that," another kiss, "you have a perfectly wonderful idea." Brian laid the back of the chaise down and started covering Justin's face and neck with kisses and little nips. He loved the little sounds Justin made when kissed like that. They held each other, hands moving over fresh cool skin as if they were afraid they would forget the feel, the scent, the being of each other over the next two weeks. They made love facing each other, eyes closing for only a second before opening again to gaze at the other man. They came within seconds of each other and Justin pulled Brian down on top of him, wrapping his arms around the strong back. Brian nuzzled the pale skin of Justin's neck. Every part of them that could was touching the other. They lay like that for quite a while until Brian pulled back. "I'm too heavy for you like this."

Justin wanted to object, but Brian already had one foot on the tiled floor. He let Brian pull him up. "I think I love sex on a Texas patio. The desert wasn't too bad either. In fact, sex in Texas is pretty damned good."

Brian let out a hearty laugh. "I've created a monster, but I have to agree." He picked up the clothes that were hastily removed. "Care to join me for another shower, Sunshine?"

"Showers in Texas are pretty damned good, too." He didn't need to be asked twice.

An hour later Brian was helping Justin load his car. Daphne had already called twice telling Justin to "get his ass in the car and get on the road if he knew what was good for him."

When everything was ready, the two men stared at each other then came together in a hug and passionate kiss.

"Later, Brian."

"Definitely later, Sunshine."

"I'll call you, okay?"

"If I don't call you first."

When Justin settled himself in the seat, Brian closed the door. "You look like a little kid in that car." Justin rewarded his with one of his sunniest smiles.

"Lucky for you I'm not, though." Justin started the car and backed out of the driveway.

Brian watched as the car disappeared down the road. "Yes, Sunshine, very lucky for me."