WARNINGS: Graphic Graphic description of male-male sex. This one's for Lorin!
The late autumn storm had been unexpected, but welcomed by weathermen and residents alike in the hopes it might help ease the lingering drought that had plagued Colorado for the past few years. At his ranch, Chris Larabee looked out at the snow-swept landscape, a stark contrast to the bright blue sky overhead, and smiled. It was beautiful.
Beside him, Vin Tanner also gazed out across the open landscape at the tall mountains that filled the western horizon. The man's almost shoulder-length hair was blown back by an icy breeze coming off those same mountains, giving him a slightly wild look that made Chris's heart race. Tanner was just so damned… Well, he was beautiful, and Chris wanted to reach out and tangle his fingers into that mane of chestnut hair. He wanted to pull Vin around and kiss him – hard. But there was something in the younger man's eyes that stopped him from doing either, although he wasn't sure what it was – some kind of innocent wonder that Chris had lost too many years ago to really remember, and he didn't want to spoil or disturb it just to enjoy himself.
After a few more silent moments spent relishing the grandeur spread out before them, the two men continued on to the barn, the horses greeting them with soft whickers from inside their warm stalls.
They spent the next hour feeding the animals, checking on the new foal they had both watched birthed as the snow had fallen the night before and, finally, patching a leak they had found near one corner of the building. Then they headed back to the house for a shower and a hot dinner.
Halfway back, Vin stopped, stooped down and scooped up a huge handful of snow, shaping it into a sphere, which he lobbed at the back of Chris's head. It struck, exploding into a halo of icy white fluff that rained down on Larabee's hair and shoulders.
The blond spun, green eyes narrowed, lips curled back into a feral smile. "You're gonna pay for that, Tanner," he growled menacingly.
"Oh yeah?" was the cocky reply as Tanner wagged his eyebrows and danced on his toes like a boxer. "And who's gonna make me? You, old man?"
"Old? You callin' me old?"
"Hell, yeah! Yer an old man," Vin teased, bending down to scoop up more snow. "Older 'n me anyways."
Larabee's green eyes narrowed even farther. "Don't you throw that," he warned.
"What? This?" Vin asked innocently, shaping the wad of icy crystals into a second good-sized snowball.
"Yes, that," Chris growled, bringing the infamous Larabee glare to bear on the man.
"Y' don't want me t' throw it?"
"Vin…" He had a terrible feeling his expression, usually enough to reduce hardened criminals to puddles of fear, was having no effect. Nothing unusual there.
Tanner drew his arm back, wagged his eyebrows again, and let fly. The snowball struck Chris right in the middle of his chest, exploding like a bug against a windshield.
"Vin!"
The sniper laughed and leaped back when Larabee made a half-blind grab for him, then reached down to scoop up more of the abundant white stuff.
Chris huffed, knowing if he didn't get started he was going to be sorry. He bent over, scooped up two huge handfuls, and quickly shaped it all into a super-sized snowball. But before he could line up a shot, another icy puffball exploded on his chin, blinding him. "Goddamn it, Tanner!"
"Yer gettin' slow, old man," Vin teased, racing up and shoving a handful of the white stuff down the back of Larabee's shirt.
"Aaahhhh!" Chris howled. He slammed the super snowball down on top of Vin's head, grinding it in to the man's hair.
"Hey! Whaddaya think yer doin'? That's cold!" Tanner yelped.
"I know it's cold," Chris replied through nearly clenched teeth. "Hard not to notice while it's slidin' down my back!"
The taunting smile flashed back onto the sharpshooter's face and, before Chris could stop him, Vin dropped down, one leg shooting out in a swift arc, sweeping Larabee's legs out from under him and dumping him into the snow on his butt.
Larabee sank at least a foot into the deep, sparkling powder. "Fuckin' smartass!" he bellowed.
A fit of laughter exploded from Vin as he launched himself, landing on top of Larabee, who responded with a huge whoof as the majority of the air in his lungs was forced out in a rush.
As Chris struggled to breathe again, he also fought to keep Vin from shoving more snow down his shirt-front. But the younger man had him pinned and managed to souse him pretty thoroughly. Not to mention that his butt was getting a good soaking as the snow he was lying in melted under him, the cold dampness seeping into the thick material of his jeans.
Larabee was able to dislodge Tanner, tossing him off and into the snow. Air rushed back into his lungs and he closed his eyes in relief as they filled.
"Y' need a hand, lover?"
Larabee's eyes opened at the word and he stared up at the proffered hand. He took it with a sigh, letting the sniper pull him upright. The breeze immediately wrapped around his legs, turning his wet jeans into sheets of clinging ice. He shivered.
"Gotcha!" Vin crowed, and the next thing Chris knew, he was lying face down in the snow, Tanner sitting on his butt this time.
"Gdddmmmttt, Tnnnrrr, gtttt ooofff mmmm," he yelled ineffectually into the snow.
"What was that?" Vin asked him, pulling up Larabee's shirt and pressing his icy-cold hands against the man's skin.
"Aaaaahhhhhhh!"
"What?"
"Gtttt ooofff mmmm!"
But Tanner was too busy chewing on the back of Chris's neck to listen, the action sending jolts of excitement shooting through Larabee's frozen veins and pooling in his groin, creating a distracting contrast to the cold that otherwise held him in its grip. The man definitely didn't play fair. "Dmmmmttt, Vnnnn, gtttt awfff!"
He felt the sharpshooter shifting, then Tanner's hands were smacking against Chris's already tingling ass. "Vnnnnn!" he whined in frustration.
Tanner must have taken pity on him because he pulled him up and Chris sucked air into his burning lungs. He heard Vin snort and laugh.
Revenge sang in the blond's veins.
Larabee grabbed the sniper, tossing him into the snow with a triumphant "Ha!" But Tanner was immediately moving his arms and legs, scooping out a snow angel in the deep powder.
Chris couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. There were times he had to wonder just how old Tanner really was, but then that was part of the man's appeal. At least that's what he kept telling himself – and most days he actually believed it.
"Come on," Larabee grumbled, shaking his head as he held out his hand. "Let's go change and get something to eat. I'm freezing and I'm hungry."
Vin reached up and grabbed the man's hand, letting Chris help pull him to his feet, but then he shoved forward and Larabee fell back into the snow again, Tanner landing on top of him a second time.
Chris opened his mouth to yell at the man yet again, but Tanner cut him off, his lips descending onto Larabee's. It was an interesting contrast – the cold of their lips, the heat of their mouths. Puffs of white twined together and rose as they panted through their noses, tongues battling as they tasted and explored one another.
They were both breathing hard when Vin finally pulled back a little, grinning down at Chris. "Mmm, y' sure taste good, ol' man."
"This 'old man' is gonna kick your scrawny ass all the way back to the house if you don't help me up. I'm gonna freeze to the freakin' ground if I lay here any longer!"
"In a minute," Tanner replied, kissing a path over Chris's face and nibbling at his neck.
Larabee closed his eyes and groaned softly, his skin tingling wherever Vin's lips touched him. He felt the goose bumps rise on his skin, although he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the excitement Tanner had ignited inside of him.
When he felt Vin's growing erection rub against his own, he reached up, his hands on either side of the younger man's head, guiding his lips back to join his in another long, lingering kiss. Then he pushed Tanner up a little and hissed, "My ass is turnin' blue here, damn it. And my balls are gonna freeze and fall off. Then where will you be?"
Vin chuckled and rolled off him, standing and offering his hand. "Hell, can't have that now, c'n we?" Chris took it and was pulled to his feet. He tensed, waiting to see if Tanner would pounce again, but he didn't. "C'mon," the sharpshooter said instead, "I'll race ya."
"Oh no, I'm not racing."
A snowball exploded against his chest.
"Tanner!"
But it was already too late. Vin was off, loping through the snow as best he could in a dash back to the house. Chris shook his head and started after him, knowing he'd never catch up and determined not to try. But it wasn't easy.
They both stopped at the back door, pulling off their snow-caked boots and beating them against the side of the house to knock the clumps of snow off before going inside.
Once there, they crossed the kitchen on stocking feet to the laundry room, pulling off their wet clothes and tossing them into the washer to be cleaned later. Then, shivering, their teeth chattering, they hurried to the master bathroom, Chris pausing to switch on the heater while Vin went on ahead, turning on the water and letting that heat up before he turned on the twin shower heads.
The two men climbed into the large shower stall, each standing in one of the streams of water, sighing in tandem as the hot water warmed their chilled bodies, making their skin tingle almost painfully, especially their toes.
They let the falling water melt the kinks in their pleasantly tired muscles, then reached for the bottle of soft soap hanging there, squeezing out large dollops that they used to lather their bodies.
Chris finished quickly, then rinsed and looked over at Tanner, hoping he was almost done, too. He was hungry and he wanted to put a couple of big burritos in the oven, make some coffee. He swallowed hard. Oh Christ. Tanner wasn't just soaping his crotch, he was jerking off. And, to top it all off, he was facing Chris while he did it, his head up, his shoulders back, his cock pointed straight at Larabee like it was some kind of freakin' gun.
The blond stood, unable to stop staring. He was lost in the flow of muscle into muscle… the honeyed tones of Tanner's skin… the way the hairs matted on his lower belly… and that long, fat cock that filled his moving hand.
When Vin saw he had Larabee's attention, a smile curled the corners of his mouth and he started jerking himself a little faster, his free hand rubbing over his chest, giving one of his nipples a pinch. His cock jerked in his hand and he let out a little grunt of pleasure.
Oh shit. The damn Texan just didn't play fair – ever. Chris licked his lips and reached up, pinching his own nipple. His cock reacted, smacking against his belly.
Vin chuckled. "Nope, no time fer that. C'mon," he said thickly, grinning as he turned and rinsed himself off, then turned off the water. He opened the glass door and stepped out onto the plush carpet, Larabee following him.
Vin grabbed a thick towel and turned before Chris could grab one of his own, running the soft white terry material down the older man's chest and gently dabbing his dick before reaching under to attack his balls.
"Vin…" Larabee grumbled, beginning to fidget, but Vin ignored him, patting his legs dry and then turning him around and slowly drying his back, planting kisses across Chris's shoulders as he did.
Then he dried Chris's thighs and calves and moved back up to his ass. He drew the towel across the cheeks, then down between the older man's legs, which Chris parted slightly without thinking. When the towel fell away, Chris whimpered with frustration.
Tanner turned him around, kneeling and taking Larabee deeply into his mouth, running his tongue around the flange of the man's cock head, flicking along the groove and directly over the opening at the very tip.
"Oh, Christ," Chris gasped.
But then the enticing warmth was gone. Chris frowned as he watched Tanner quickly dry himself and then, with a hungry smile, reach out and lead Larabee into the large bedroom they now shared.
Chris wasn't quite sure how he'd actually gotten to the bed, all rational thoughts evaporating under the heat of Tanner's mouth as the man sucked his cock back into his mouth for a moment. Then Vin was kissing a path up Larabee's body. He stopped at Chris's left nipple, taking it into his mouth and biting gently, then swishing his tongue around it. He moved to the right one and did the same.
Reversing direction, he kissed his way down Chris's chest to his navel where he put his mouth over it and sucked.
Larabee gasped, shuddered, and ground his ass against the bed.
Tanner slipped his tongue inside and probed. He kissed Chris's belly and nipped at the hair, then eagerly licked all around the base of the blond's cock. He attacked Chris's balls with his tongue, licking his way below them, torturing Larabee like no one else ever had.
"Vin…" Chris panted desperately.
Tanner clamped his mouth on the older man's cock, pressing it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. He dipped his head, sliding it farther in, and then pulled back. Chris groaned lowly, his eyes closing as he was lost in the incredible sensation.
And then it was gone again.
Tanner had spun around in the center of the bed, his knees tucked under him, his ass held high and ready. "I need you, Chris," he said thickly. "Now."
Chris swallowed hard, but he rolled over and opened the top drawer of the nightstand, pulling out a bottle of lube. A moment later he had his finger buried inside Tanner, greasing the path he planned to follow as quickly as possible. Vin whimpered in anticipation, but Chris purposefully took his time.
"Do it, Chris," Tanner pleaded, his hole sucking on the probing finger. "C'mon, do it now."
Larabee pulled his finger free, lubed his throbbing cock, and then brushed the aching tip against Vin's hole until the younger man moaned with frustration and fluttered his feet against the mattress. "Chris," he begged, pressing back, "now!"
Chris grinned and his glans slipped in, making both men sigh with relief. Then, slowly but steadily, Larabee pressed forward until he was buried inside his lover. Tanner shivered and spasmed like he was caught in a mini-climax.
Chris stopped, letting Vin adjust while he watched the muscles in the man's back knot, beads of sweat forming in the hollow of his lower back. When Tanner began to rock his hips, the older man began to thrust slowly, pulling nearly all the way out before pushing back in with a steady rhythm.
As his knob skated Tanner's rim, Vin tried to trap him inside, the sound he made something between a moan and a cry. Chris stilled again and Vin began twitching his hips, sliding up and down on his pole, building up a irresistible friction that forced Chris to lean over the man, grabbing him around the torso and pulling him up tight against him, unable to get enough of the feel of Vin as he squirmed under his hands.
"Let me go," Tanner rasped out, struggling harder.
Chris was teetering close to the edge, every muscle straining, every nerve inflamed with passion. He didn't want to let go.
"Chris," Vin begged.
Reluctantly, he let Vin go.
Tanner pulled himself free and spun around, lying down and rolling back onto his shoulders, spreading his legs. Chris plunged his cock back through the swollen lips guarding the younger man's channel, stabbing in hard and deep. Vin grunted, his strong legs wrapping around his lover's waist.
Larabee leaned forward and gripped the headboard with both hands. Then he threw his hips into it, riding Tanner frantically, listening to Vin's little cries of pleasure and lust as he dug deep. He closed his eyes and threw back his head, feeling the hot hole grabbing at his cock. He thrust in again and again, felt the tingle increasing in his veins, reaching the edge, and pushing beyond. The tingle became a throb and his body shook as he contracted in an orgasmic frenzy. Tanner bucked under him, jacking Larabee's cock with his ass.
And they were both coming, shooting again and again.
All of his strength flowed out of him and Chris collapsed on top of Tanner, pinning him to the mattress.
The muscles in Vin's legs relaxed, slipping from around Larabee's waist.
Chris stayed right where he was. His cock gradually softened and slipped out of the warmth of Vin's body. He sighed softly when Vin reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
A few minutes later they slowly untangled themselves and walked, side by side, back to the shower. They quickly cleaned up, then dried off, dressed, and headed for the kitchen.
"Would you look at that?" Vin said, pointing to the window.
Chris looked as he pulled the burritos from the freezer, frowning when he saw snow was falling again. "Where is this coming from?"
"Don't know," Vin replied, pulling out the pan for their burritos. He handed it to Chris.
"Go turn the TV on. Maybe the weather guys can tell us what's going on, and if it's going to last."
Vin nodded, heading to the living room where he turned the TV on, then started the fireplace. He missed the older wood-burning fireplace, but at least the new gas version didn't add to the brown cloud that sometimes settled over Denver in the wintertime. He closed the curtains and settled into his spot on the sofa, watching while the news passed by. Chris came in and handed him a cup of coffee, sitting down when Larry Green came on to talk about the snow.
"Six to eight inches?" Larabee echoed the report. "Man, the roads are going to be a bitch tomorrow."
Vin nodded. "Hell, Chris, it's Sunday, ain't got anything goin' on, all the paperwork's done… Let's play hooky an' take a day off tomorrow."
Chris opened his mouth to say no, but stopped, thinking about it for a moment. Vin was right. They had closed the two active cases they had been working and they hadn't been given a new assignment. Travis was out of town until Wednesday, so the likelihood that they would be given a new case tomorrow was remote. They had the hours… "Why not," he said. "I'll go call Buck, tell him to let the others know we're all taking a mental health day."
Vin grinned. "God knows he needs all the help he c'n get."
"I'll tell him you said that," Larabee said, heading off to make the call. When he returned a while later, he was carrying two plates with the burritos and some chips. Two bottles of beer were tucked under his arm. He handed Vin the plate first, then one of the beers after he had set his own meal on the coffee table. They settled, enjoying the meal while they watched the rest of the news. When they were done, they carried the plates and empty bottles back to the kitchen, tossed the glass into the recycling bin, cleaned the plates and put them in the dishwasher.
Vin stretched, asking "Y' wanna watch a movie?"
Chris thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's just read a little and go to bed."
"All right," Vin agreed, his blue eyes twinkling.
"What?"
"Nothin'."
Chris's eyes narrowed. "Vin…"
"Nothin'," Tanner repeated. Then, he grinned. "I was just thinkin' 'bout what I wanted t' do t' y' in the mornin'…"
"The morning, huh?" Chris said. "Well, come morning we'll just have to see."* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"So, was this what you were thinking about last night?" Chris asked.
"Mmm," Vin said, pressing a little closer. He was stretched out along Larabee's side, his arm over his chest, his head resting on the man's shoulder. The sound was relaxed, content. "It sure is."
"I like the way your mind works. Sometimes."
Tanner's hand rubbed over Chris's belly, then dropped down to cup the man's flaccid cock, cradling it in a gentle touch. "Got other things on m' mind too, Cowboy… But this is good fer now."
"Yeah," Chris said softly, turning his head so he could kiss the top of Tanner's head, "this is good. Damn good…"
Author's Note: This story first appeared in the Mag 7 zine, Seven Card Stud #6, published by Neon RainBow Press, Cinda Gillilan and Jody Norman, editors. When we all decided to post the stories that have appeared in the issues of Seven Card Stud that are more than two years old, we opted to use a generic pen name because, while Patricia Grace is the primary author of this story, she had so much help from the other folks writing for the press that it just made sense to consider the story to be written by the Neon RainBow Press Collective! Resistance was futile. So, thanks to the whole Neon Gang – Sierra Chaves, Michelle Fortado, Patricia Grace, Erica Michaels, Nina Talbot, Kasey Tucker, and Lorin and Mary Fallon Zane. Story lasted edited 11-7-2005. Art by Shiloh (shigal13@excite.com)