Note: Thanks Judy for the advice and read through. A little nonsense to try and jump-start my writing.
Chris nudged Vin’s thigh with his own and whispered, "Could we always hear your kitchen clock ticking?""Hmm," Vin murmured.
Chris nudged him again, harder. He repeated, "Vin, could we always hear that clock?"
Vin sighed. "What? No, ya can’t hardly hear that clock when you’re standing under it."
"Then what’s that ticking sound?" Chris leaned up on his elbow, looking around in the dark.
Yawning, Vin replied, "I don’t know. Go to sleep, Chris. It’s late."
It had been well after midnight when Vin was awakened by the sound of Chris’ key scraping in the lock. Vin hadn’t been expecting him but roused himself pretty quickly. As tired as he was, the sharpshooter would not pass up the opportunity to fool around with Chris, if that was what the older man wanted. It was and they had. Now Vin was exhausted. Chris should be, too. Apparently not.
Chris shook Vin’s shoulder. "I think it’s getting louder." He sat all the way up, concentrating on the source of the intrusive noise.
"Should I call the bomb squad, or will you?" Vin asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Do you think-," Chris began.
"No, I don’t think," Vin said. "Ya gotta lighten up, cowboy, and let me get some sleep." Vin shifted, seeking the warmth that had left him when Chris sat up.
"I can’t sleep. That ticking sound is keeping me awake," Chris said.
Vin reluctantly sat up and turned to his lover, placing a gentle but insistent hand on the broad bare chest. "The sound ain’t keeping you up. Thinking about the sound is. Don’t think about it. Just lay back and close your eyes."
Chris did lay back, his lips curving into a feral smile. He whispered huskily, "Maybe I need something to distract me." The blond kicked the covers off, reaching between his legs to gently stroke his penis.
Vin shook his head. "Ain’t you the one with the seven a.m. meeting?" he asked. But he pushed Chris’ hand away, bending low to skim his lips across the older man’s belly. It was déjà vu all over again, but Vin didn’t really mind. It wasn’t every night he had Chris Larabee in his bed. He took Chris’ penis in his hand and held it lightly as he licked it from base to tip. After teasing at the slit with the tip of his tongue Vin opened his mouth wide. He’d only just swallowed the head when Chris’ hand slapped the mattress, startling him.
Chris sat up, breaking his body’s contact with Vin’s mouth. ‘That’s gotta be a first,’ Vin thought vaguely, watching Chris get out of bed. Before he could protest, Larabee flipped on the overhead light. Vin pressed his forehead to the sheets and groaned.
Chris pulled on his jeans then his boots. Vin heard the snapping sound of Chris putting his clip into his weapon. He dropped to his side, staring at the obsessed blond in disbelief.
"You’re taking your gun?" Vin asked incredulously.
Chris shrugged, glancing at the window and the fire escape just beyond. "Need to be prepared."
"For what? It’s probably a woodpecker. I think some species are nocturnal." Vin actually had no idea but very much wanted to dissuade Chris from going up on the roof in the middle of the night brandishing his gun.
One blond eyebrow shot up. "A woodpecker? In the city?"
"Yes, a woodpecker," Vin said irritably. "Us poor city folks have our own flora and fauna, too, ya know." He watched Chris move toward the window. "Cowboy, you’re not really gonna do this, are ya?"
"Have to, Vin. Can’t sleep not knowing what that sound is."
"Damn, Chris," Vin griped. "Don’t have to be so stubborn all the time just because it comes so easy to ya."
Chris ignored that, only asking, "You gonna watch my back?"
Vin shook his head. "I’m going back to sleep. Why don’t you join me?" He rolled onto his back, canting one hip slightly toward Chris. Taking his cue from Chris’ brief playfulness, Vin stroked his own penis. "We can try that distracting thing again."
Larabee didn’t even notice. He started climbing out the window. "It’s definitely coming from out here," he said over his shoulder.
"Oh, goodie," Vin replied. "Hey," he called after his lover, "the light!"
But Chris was gone, the bedroom filling with the sound of the fire escape rattling under his weight. Vin got up and hit the light. He dove under the covers, mumbling about all the other lovers he could have had, but no, he wanted Chris. Chris, who was currently stalking around with weapon drawn after a ticking sound at almost two o’clock in the morning. And Vin was letting him. He didn’t know which of them was crazier.
Vin realized very quickly that he wasn’t going to get any sleep with Chris out on the roof. Plus now all he could hear was that damn ticking. Still, he refused to get up. Just as he was about to cover his head with a pillow, the noise stopped. And there hadn’t been a gunshot. That was a relief. The sharpshooter lay there waiting for a few minutes. No Chris.
"Son of a …," Vin mumbled, throwing the covers back. He turned the light on again and glanced around for his sweats. He spotted them just outside the door and had to chuckle. Chris had been pretty frisky when he arrived tonight. Just before he went insane.
+ + + + + + +
Chris may be nuts enough to go around in the middle of the night in only his jeans but Vin was going to layer up. He went to the dresser for a sweatshirt but turned when he heard his lover.
Chris came in through the window and stood leaning to one side, gun at his hip. He was shaking his head lightly.
"What was it?" Vin asked.
"Don’t know. It stopped before I could find the source." Chris sounded as if they’d just lost the trail of Denver’s biggest gunrunner.
"Well, hallelujah, anyway," Vin said. "Now can we get some sleep?"
Chris’ brows were knit and he was staring intently at the floor. Vin was not yet resigned to going the rest of the night without sleep while Chris pondered the mysteries of the ticking sound.
"Tell ya what, Chris. Let’s go back to bed and I’ll call the EPA in the morning. They might have something on it."
Chris didn’t say anything for a long while. Finally he looked at Vin. "Sorry?"
Vin sighed, shaking his head. "I said ‘therapy,’ Chris. I hear it can do wonders. You stay here all night if ya want sorting it out. I’m going to sleep. If ya go back out, try not to fall off the roof. People'd ask too many questions I just ain’t up to answering." He turned and left, stopping at the linen closet in the hall to get his extra blanket. Wrapping himself in the soft chenille, Vin lay down on the couch.
He heard Chris pad into the living room a few minutes later. He didn’t open his eyes, not even when he felt Chris’ weight atop the length of him. Even through the blanket Vin could tell Chris had lost his jeans along the way.
"Think I might need to take my key back," the sharpshooter said. "I’ll still come see ya at the ranch. You don’t get so crazy out there."
Chris stroked his fingers through Vin’s hair. He leaned down and kissed his lover’s earlobe. "If I promise to stop, will you come back to bed?" he whispered.
"Do ya promise?"
"Scout’s honor," Chris said, nuzzling Vin’s neck below his ear.
"Well, okay," Vin said after a minute. "But only because this couch ain’t all that comfortable."
Chris slid off Vin, letting the younger man go ahead of him. He waited while Vin hastily folded the blanket and put it back on the top shelf of the closet. The apartment was light enough for Chris to clearly see the play of muscles rippling across his lover’s back. Not to mention the fine ass covered only by a thin layer of cotton.
Chris wrapped his arms around Vin and pressed his lips to Vin’s shoulder. He tried to press his groin into the sharpshooter’s backside but Vin pulled away.
"Don’t rightly think I’m in the mood anymore," Vin said hiding a small smile. "And I believe you promised to behave and let me get some sleep." The sharpshooter knew his drawl sounded raspier than usual, knew how it would tease at Chris. He wondered what his lover would do.
Chris didn’t make him wait long. He grabbed Vin and spun him, pushing him against the wall next to the bathroom door. He flattened his palms against the wall on either side of Vin’s head.
When he felt Chris grab him, Vin couldn’t help but let his smile spread into a cocky grin. But one look into those intense green eyes and the corners of his mouth sagged. Chris didn’t get like this often. Vin loved it when he did. For the next little while there’d be no pretending they just enjoyed a casual fuck-fest with one another.
Vin hooked his arms under Chris’ arms and clasped his shoulders. He brushed his lips lightly against the older man’s. Chris was still watching him, still serious. The second time Vin let his lips linger until Chris closed his eyes and opened his mouth. The kiss was hot and hungry, like they were both starving and could only find sustenance in each other.
Chris buried his fingers in Vin’s hair and tilted his head back. He broke the kiss to nibble Vin’s beautifully square jaw and the exposed column of his throat. Vin moaned as Chris sucked on the skin over his Adam’s apple. He ran his hands down Chris back, gently squeezing his lover’s firm ass. Chris kept licking and sucking his way down Vin’s chest, pausing to flirt with his already pebbled nipples.
Then Chris was on his knees. His tongue swirled around Vin’s navel, teeth nibbling the sensitive skin there. He pulled the sharpshooter’s sweats off, careful not to cause any more discomfort to Vin’s already swollen cock. Vin a little clumsy but trying to help. Chris kissed each of Vin’s thighs before licking the purpling flesh in front of him. He tasted the saltiness of it, inhaled the musky scent still lingering from their earlier lovemaking.
Vin groaned his pleasure as Chris’ tongue teased his cock. He combed the fingers of one hand through Chris’ hair, murmuring encouragement. Chris really didn’t need any, taking Vin’s length into his mouth and sucking hard. Every time Chris swallowed it sent a chill down Vin’s spine. It never ceased to amaze him that Chris was not only willing to suck his cock but was incredibly good at it. His stomach did little flip-flops as he watched Chris’ mouth move over him. He enjoyed the feel of Chris softly massaging his skin as he worked a hand between Vin’s thighs, one finger probing his hole. Vin spread his legs and pressed down a little, his back arching away from the wall. He felt the tension building, felt the wonderful tingling at the base of his spine. He clenched the fingers gripping Chris’ hair, his other hand grabbing Chris’ shoulder.
He cried out Chris’ name in a broken hoarse voice. Chris kept sucking, kept swallowing Vin’s release until Vin was utterly spent. His mouth formed a wordless protest when he felt the loss of Chris’ warm mouth and gently prodding finger. But Chris was there hugging him, kissing him. He hugged Chris back with one arm around his shoulder, wedging his hand between their bodies, palm up to skate along the velvet erection pressing against his belly.
Chris reached across Vin’s lean frame to grab one of his wrists in his opposite hand then grabbed the other. He turned Vin a little roughly, uncrossing his arms and pulling them up so that Vin was holding onto the molding over the bathroom door. He brushed his lips along Vin’s shoulders, gently pushing his erection against Vin’s ass.
"Don’t move," Chris whispered, his breath a soft caress along Vin’s neck.
Vin could hardly stand, but he did, holding onto the molding for support. Chris returned and proceeded to once more kiss his shoulders only with a little more urgency. He felt Chris’ hand between his legs, nudging them further apart. The finger that had visited him a moment ago was back, this time slick with lubricant. Chris pushed in, finding Vin still open from before and maybe almost completely relaxed. He tickled Vin gently, dragging his fingertips down Vin’s side then up his chest as he continued to test the muscle at Vin’s entrance. Vin shuddered.
"Make love to me, cowboy," he gasped. He turned his head and Chris met him, kissing him slowly and sweetly. Chris pulled his finger out and Vin went up on the balls of his feet, sinking down again as Chris eased into him. They moaned in unison at the sensation. Chris didn’t move right away but Vin didn’t mind. He adjusted to the feel of Chris inside him, easier this time but just as sweet. Chris’ sweaty chest was molded to his back, his hot breath on Vin’s neck. He knew in all his days he would never get enough of this man. He wanted Chris to fuck him. Hard. Vin held the molding tighter, pulling himself all the way up on his toes. Chris read the signal and started thrusting. Only not fast. Rather, with excruciating deliberateness. Vin threw his head back on Chris’ shoulder and groaned gutturally, the slow torture profoundly exhilarating.
"Oh God, Chris. Oh God, oh God," he sobbed. Chris held him as he moved, one hand on Vin’s hip the other pressed to his flat stomach. Vin dropped one arm to cover Chris’ hand with his own but Chris wanted both arms up. Vin had no strength or any real desire to resist but he did urge Chris on. "Need you," he gasped. "Need…"
Chris sped up, nibbling the tiny folds of skin at Vin’s neck and raised shoulder as he thrust harder. Vin rocked with him, bracing his hands against the doorframe so he could push back against his lover. Chris’ finger delved into his belly button, then his hand slid down to Vin’s cock. He stroked it roughly, the rapid pace front and back driving Vin wild. Then Chris’ thrusts slowed, his hand still pumping.
He turned his face and kissed Vin’s cheek and jaw. He whispered, "Ready?"
"Yes," Vin cried hoarsely. He never wanted this to end but seriously thought he would lose his mind if it didn’t. Chris sped up again, relaxing his grip on Vin’s cock ever so slightly. Vin felt his own release just as Chris’ flooded his insides. He could no longer keep his arms up, falling against Chris, nearly insensate. His lover soothed him with tender caresses and soft words murmured in between ragged breaths.
Vin twisted in Chris’ arms, seeking the older man’s mouth. He sucked gently on Chris’ tongue then pulled away, resting his against his lover’s chest.
Chris pressed his warm hands to Vin’s cheeks, coaxing the younger man to look at him. He smiled at the fatigued and almost vacant expression on the handsome face. He kind of enjoyed wearing Vin out. It certainly wasn’t easy. Chris kissed his eyelids and spoke softly to him, his warm breath blowing across Vin’s cheek.
"Think maybe I love you, Vin."
Vin snorted, breath still uneven. "Think maybe I love you, too." He leaned against Chris, convinced he lacked the energy to even make it to the bed. But Chris held him, guided him into the bedroom. He pushed Vin down carefully and lay beside him. He tried to take the sharpshooter in his arms but Vin moved, rolling over and out of bed. He stumbled through the door and Chris could only assume nature had called. Sounded like Vin headed for the living room, though. He sat up curiously. Vin returned a moment later with a pair of fuzzy red earmuffs. He put them on Chris, kissed him and wrapped his arms around him.
Chris chuckled, laying back and waiting while Vin settled against him. He thought maybe Vin was snoring but he couldn’t tell. He closed his eyes, earmuffs in place and smiling still.
Finis
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