Nathan Jackson lay in his clinic, the lamp off, the window curtains drawn. He sighed heavily, trying to will the ever-escalating headache away.

By all accounts he should be over in the saloon with the six other peacekeepers, celebrating their victory over another gang of failed bank robbers, but the hit he'd taken to the head, and the other blows he'd endured when he'd took on two of the fleeing men had suddenly caught up to him.

He rubbed gingerly at a bruise on his ribs through the material of his long underwear and muttered a soft curse as he wished he could shut out the sounds from the street – the voices, the pound of horses' hooves, the squeal and rattle of wagons, and the occasional piercing laughter from the saloon. Each sound entered his ears and rolled around inside his head, banging against tender flesh and increasing the debilitating pain.

He reached up and carefully unbuttoned his long underwear, pulling it open, trying to make sure he wasn't too hot or too cold. Telling himself to relax, he felt the muscles in his neck and upper shoulders go slack, then immediately tighten up again.

"Damn," he breathed, considering getting up just long enough to pour himself another drink, but the alcohol he'd had already hadn't seemed to help any, so he decided to save the bottle for later. He might need it too, especially if the celebration got a little rowdy.

So there was nothing left to do now except suffer through the pain until it decided to go away. He sighed.

Damn, damn, damn… Why couldn't he figure out a way to treat himself?

He heard the door to the clinic open, then the sound of light footfalls as someone entered the semi-dark room.

"Nathan? Ya all right, pard?"

It was Vin. "I'll live," the healer replied quietly, his own voice reverberating painfully through his skull and making him grimace.

"What's wrong?"

It warmed some part of Nathan's heart when he heard the genuine concern in the tracker's voice. "Head feels like it's ready to split wide open."

Vin's voice dropped to just above a whisper, "Ya need anything? I can get it for ya."

"No, I'll be fine." He sighed again, hoping the tracker wouldn't decide to leave. He liked having the man there, especially when he was hurting like this.

"Think it'd be all right if I sat a spell?" Vin asked.

"Go ahead."

Nathan listened as Vin sat down, the wooden chair squeaking under his weight. Knowing the tracker was there, and would stay, Nathan let himself drift into sleep, confident Vin would wake him if he was needed.

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It was completely dark when Nathan awoke next. He lay still for a moment, afraid if he moved the headache might come back, but he needed to relieve himself, and it wasn't long before he had to take care of that.

With a soft grunt he sat up.

"Nate, ya all right?"

"Vin?" he asked, peering through the darkness to see the man still sitting on the chair. "What're you still doin' here?"

"Wanted t' make sure you was feelin' better," was the honest reply.

Nathan forced himself to stand and shuffled unsteadily over to the chamber pot. He took care of his needs, then headed straight back to his bed, his head throbbing painfully with each movement.

"Ya feel any better?"

"No," the healer admitted. "Head still hurts like fury. Might've got a concussion."

"Sure there ain't somethin' I can do?"

"No, but I appreciate you stayin' as long as you did. Why don't you go get some sleep now? I'll be fine."

"If it's all the same, I'll just sleep right here on the floor."

Nathan thought a moment, then said, "Well, if you're gonna stay, you can sleep in the bed. There's plenty room."

The healer heard Vin stand and walk over to the bedside. The soft rustle of leather and fabric told him Vin had stripped down to his long underwear, which made sense – it was a warm night. The bed dipped slightly as the tracker climbed in beside him, and Nathan felt a sudden surge of libido.

Not now, he growled at himself. The healer had realized years ago that he found men attractive in a particular kind of way he'd always been too afraid to think too much about. Normally his attractions were easy enough to hide, since he was a Negro and always kept at arms length from potential companions. More recently he'd been able to hide his feelings for some of the men he worked with under the guise of friendship, or the freedoms commonly shared as comrades-in-arms. And when that didn't work, he sometimes rid himself of his inclinations by indulging in a paid relationship with a women, on the rare occasion he could find one who would take money from him. But even his dalliances didn't erase his feelings, only drove them from his mind for a time.

More often than not, he took care of his own needs when they arose, but while he did, he imagined himself with another man.

And now things were slowly growing more and more complicated. The decision to work with the other six peacekeepers meant he spent a lot of his time with them. They rode together, worked together, played poker together, ate together, drank together, and, like tonight, sometimes slept together. And through it all, they treated him as an equal, even Ezra, who had, at first, refused to ride with him.

Nathan felt a rush of heat uncoil in the pit of his stomach and shoot into his manhood. He grunted slightly and rolled onto his side so Vin wouldn't see or feel the evidence of his arousal.

He knew too well that intimacy made for complications, and in his life complications could get him killed, so Nathan had never allowed himself to speculate what it might be like actually lie with another man. But now, with Vin so close…

No, he snapped at himself, things are just the same as they've always been. Maybe more complicated. And he certainly couldn't tell Vin about his interest. Tanner was—

The bed creaked and bounced and Nathan cracked one eye open when he felt Vin's hand on his shoulder. "What?" he asked, letting his irritation concerning the entire situation spill out in the single word.

"Shh," Vin whispered softly.

Nathan lay still, listening, waiting and trying to figure out what the tracker wanted.

"Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"You considered a stiff drink?"

"Didn't help." The healer reached up and ran his hand over his short, dark hair, then rubbed at his still-throbbing forehead. He reached down with his free hand and touched himself. Finding his prod flaccid, he rolled back onto his back.

"Ya want a wet cloth t' put over your eyes?" Vin asked. "Saloon girl in Yuma did that for me once – I'd got whacked on the head by a poker player – felt real nice."

"Maybe that would help."

"I'll get it," Vin said, rolling carefully out of bed so he didn't shake Nathan too much. He padded on bare feet to the water pitcher sitting on a small table in the corner. He dipped a cloth, taken from the shelf above, in it and wrung it out. Carrying it back to the bed, he laid it gently on Nathan's forehead.

The healer sighed, enjoying the coolness that radiated from the cloth into his forehead and temples. "Thanks," he muttered.

"You're welcome," Vin replied.

Nathan almost sat up when he felt Vin's hands on his shins, but he was just starting to feel better and he refused to risk the agony a move like that would generate. Instead he grumbled, "Vin, what the devil you doin'?"

"Rest of the treatment."

"Treatment?"

"Yeah, that gal in Yuma I told ya 'bout, she gave me a rub that chased that headache right outta my skull. Ya just lay there, I'll see if it'll work for you, too."

"Rub, huh?" Nathan echoed, grateful that the washcloth and his black skin would hide his blush.

"Think ya can unbutton them clothes? Need t' take 'em off."

Nathan reached up and unbuttoned his long johns all the way. Vin's hands slid the fabric over his shoulders, then tugged it down so it pooled at the small of his back. The healer lifted his hips slightly and Vin pulled them off from the ankles. A sharp cut of pain sliced through Nathan's head as a slight shiver shook his exposed body. Before he could complain, Vin settled a blanket over him.

The tracker started his treatment with Nathan's feet, rubbing the soles, pulling his toes and squeezing his heels.

Nathan moaned softly, enjoying the massage and the tingle it set off in his legs. Vin's strong, sure hands moved up to his ankles and calves, working the muscles until they felt like warm, molten lead did before the blacksmith hardened it.

Then the blanket shifted, covering his lower legs before the tracker moved up to work on Nathan's thighs. The black man moaned again when Vin shook the big muscles with his hands, the vibration creating a pleasurable buzz in the healer's groin as well.

Vin made no reply to the moans, moving instead to cover Nathan's legs before he started with the base of the healer's throat and working his way down with small, circular motions that eased much of the remaining tension away. When he reached Jackson's hips, he squeezed and kneaded.

Nathan moaned again, arching up a little before he could stop himself. He was pleasantly surprised when there was no answering flare of pain in his head.

The blanket replaced the hands working on his chest just before Nathan found his fingers being pulled, then his arm was rubbed, rolled and kneaded. As each arm was finished, it was returned to the warmth under the blanket.

"I'm gonna take the cloth, okay?"

"Okay," Nathan mumbled, feeling slightly drunk and very relaxed. Maybe that glass of whiskey he'd drank earlier was finally catching up with him.

The weight over his eyes disappeared, but the strong fingers immediately set to work, rubbing across his forehead, over his cheeks, jaw, and along the front of his ears. The fingers dipped down his neck, rubbed delightfully behind his ears, and massaged over his hair and scalp. The sensations were overwhelming and Nathan felt his headache begin to dissipate like a morning fog under a hot sun.

"Can ya turn over?"

Nathan considered the question for a moment before he replied. "Think so."

"Give it a try."

The healer kept his eyes closed as he slowly rolled over and eased himself down again. The blankets shifted, covering his upper body and thighs before Vin returned to start work on his feet again.

This time when the tracker pulled his toes, Nathan choked back a gurgle of pure pleasure. A chuckle issued from the bottom of the bed.

"Like that, do ya?" Vin asked. "Me, too. That gal was real talented."

Nathan concentrated on the hands that worked their way up his legs, chasing away what was left of his headache. When Vin reached the upper portion of his thighs, the healer prepared for the back rub to follow, but the hands dug into the muscles of his butt, drawing another low moan out of the former slave.

Too soon, as far as Nathan was concerned, the blanket moved down, warming his legs as Vin moved on to his back. For a brief moment he was sorry, but the pleasure the fingers coaxed out of his muscles took over and he sighed heavily.

"Ya should relax more," Vin said, "muscles are tied up in knots."

"Mmm," Nathan agreed as the tracker's hands worked over his shoulders, up the back of his neck and over his hair again. He sighed again and arched back slightly, pressing his head against Vin's hands, and the tracker squeezed, then moved, his touch trailing lightly down Nathan's spine before circling out.

Jackson shivered.

"Cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

The hands settled on Nathan's shoulders, the palms warm from the friction. They moved in the same direction, working firmly outward and away from his backbone as they progressed down and along his sides until Vin reached the healer's buttocks.

Nathan groaned as Vin continued circling down his butt to the upper part of his legs, then reversed the process, working his way back up the healer's body… and down again.

The blanket was pulled all the way off, sending a chill of anticipation down the dark-skinned man's spine.

When Vin finished below his buttocks, Nathan was afraid the treatment was over, but then he felt Vin plant his hands firmly on the lowest part of his butt, and push up along his spine. It set off a slow, heavy, molten wave of pleasure that threatened to engulf his head. When the hands reached his neck they reversed, skimming lightly as a feather over his skin.

Nathan wasn't sure when it happened, but he suddenly knew that the treatment was more than just a helping hand – or hands, as the case might be. Vin was pleasuring him, and now it was up to him to decide how he was going to respond. He could ignore it, and life would go on like nothing had happened, or he could act, and…?

He wasn't sure.

A throb in his temples told him not to think too much about it, but his body told him to go along, enjoy the sensations that had already left him feeling heavy and light at the same time.

"Turn over," Vin instructed and Nathan responded without conscious thought, realizing too late that his arousal would be clearly evident.

Nathan was saved any embarrassment when Vin gently stroked his fingers across the healer's chest. He groaned softly, his shoulder blades pinching slightly together. A fingertip pressed lightly against each nipple and the groan shifted to a moan of pleasure.

"Feel good?" Vin asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"Yeah," the healer breathed, "very good, and you damn well know it, Vin Tanner."

The tracker's fingers moved feather-light down his chest, stopping just above the patch of dark pubic hair. At the same time, the hint of soft beard-shadow brushed over the skin of Nathan's chest. A warm, wet tongue-tip flicked across one nipple, then the other.

"Ahhh," Nathan breath. "Vin—"

"Hush," the tracker growled. "This time ya need someone t' look after you fer a change."

A man after my own heart, Nathan chuckled to himself. Not to mention my body.

A soft rain of kisses blended with light caresses all over the healer's body, punctuated occasionally by a seductive suck or stroke. He felt his erection grow and wane several times over the duration of the assault. As the petting grew more intimate Nathan felt his manhood grow hard and knew it was going to stay that way until Vin gave up or he reached the climax he was hoping for.

Tanner's strong hands slipped under Nathan's butt, kneading with the pads of his fingertips and prompting the man's narrow hips to lift slightly. The hands shifted, pressing Jackson back down against the bed.

"Slow down, will ya? You're relaxin', remember?"

"Oh, I'm relaxed all right."

The hands traveled down the healer's thighs, and Nathan's legs fell open, giving Vin freedom to explore anything he wanted.

And he wanted to explore everything.

The tracker's hands stroked back up his thighs, then he reached in and cradled Nathan's scrotum in his hand like he was mentally calculating the weight of the man's balls. Then he jiggled and squeezed them lightly, Nathan moaning in response, his head rolling side to side, the ache definitely gone for the moment.

Tanner's fingers inched forward, bumping behind the root of Nathan's cock and driving the healer's hips up off the bed for a second time.

"Ahh," he gasped cried out, his fingers curling tightly into the blanket as he released himself to the sensations.

"If'n ya want me t' finish this, I gotta get somethin'," Vin said, his voice rough with desire.

Nathan eyes cracked open. "You sure 'bout this?"

A decidedly wolfish grin was his immediate answer. "I always finish what I start," Vin promised.

"Go on, then," Nathan replied with a smile, nodding toward the door. "But make it quick."

Vin swiftly dressed and left, returning much quicker than Jackson expected. He guessed Tanner had only gone as far as his wagon, which was parked along the rear of the building where the clinic was located.

The tracker sat back down on the bed, stroking a finger down Nathan's still semi-hard cock, making it jump under his light touch.

"Why?" Nathan asked.

Vin leveled another wolfish grin on his friend. "Later. Close your eyes."

Jackson followed the man's order, wondering what lay in store for them, and enjoying the fact that it was Vin who was taking the lead.

He listened as the tracker pulled the stopper from a glass bottle, then set the container on the small bedside table. The sound of hands being rubbed quickly together came next, and anticipation caused his manhood to fill. A moment later, colors exploded on the black screen of his eyelids as Vin grasped the base of his cock, his hand sliding slowly up, then down again. He continued the slow-motion seduction, tightening his grasp just slightly with each stroke. At the same time the tracker used his free hand to fondle and tease Nathan's scrotum again.

The healer's head rolled back and forth with each stroke, his breath coming in shorter and shorter pants. Starting in his lower abdomen, he felt a flush spread over his body, swelling his nipples erect, the small buds somehow tempting Vin to bend forward in he darkness to suck on the closest one.

"Ah, Vin, please," Nathan pleaded, his hips circling and bucking in response to the manipulation.

Vin picked up the speed, pumping the healer harder and faster, his other hand circling faster on one nipple while he sucked the other.

"I'm gonna, I'm gonna…" Nathan panted, already beyond his ability to prevent, delay, or in any way control the inevitable. He groaned and shoved his hips upward, forcing his manhood into Vin's slick hand as pleasure exploded along his nerves.

When it was over, he collapsed back against the bed, all traces of his headache vanished. He felt Vin climb off the bed, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to see where the tracker had gone.

A minute or so later Tanner returned, and using the damp cloth, he gently cleaned the healer's groin.

Nathan cracked his eyes open, watching. The image and his expectations clashed and he closed them again. What the hell had he done?

"Nate, ya okay?"

He opened his eyes. "Why did you do that?"

Vin stood and carried the washcloth back to the bowl, then returned to the bed. He sat down on the edge and shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea. Ya didn't like it?"

Nathan pushed himself up so he could lean against the head of the bed. Reaching out, he grabbed the discarded blanket and pulled it up over his legs and stomach. He grinned. "Oh, I liked it, and I have t' agree, it was a heck of an idea, but that still don't tell me why."

Vin stood and walked the three steps to the window on the far side of the small room. His back to Nathan, he replied, "Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought y'd be glad."

The healer leaned forward on the bed. "I am glad," he said softly.

Vin turned. "Ya mean it?"

He nodded. "I do. But I'm not sure it was a good idea."

"Why?"

"It— I'm— Hell, I don't know," he concluded, chuckling softly and shaking his head.

"Ya don't know what?"

"I used to be a slave."

"So was I."

Nathan's eyes widened. "You? How?"

Vin nodded, saying, "When I was with the Comanche, I was basically a slave, but I was able t' earn my way into the tribe after a couple 'a years."

The healer said softly, "Wish I could've done that."

Vin nodded and silence fell between them for a moment before the tracker asked quietly, "Ever make ya mad at folks like me?"

Nathan gave him a concerned, slightly confused look.

"White men," Vin clarified.

The healer shook his head. "Used to be, but not now." He grinned at Vin. "Not since a couple 'a white men risked their lives to save mine – that made an impression on me, taught me there's good in all people, no matter what color they are."

"Yep," Vin agreed, "come to think the same thing myself." He returned to the bed, climbing in next to Nathan, who immediately pushed the tracker back and set about removing the man's clothes, one piece at a time. Vin did nothing to help him, preferring to lie, his eyes closed, while Nathan did the work.

Jackson got the man's shirt off, then unbuttoned his long johns, pushing them back over Vin's shoulders and sliding his hands over the man's bare chest, teasing the already hard nipples with a light touch. He squeezed the nubs, drawing a moan out of the younger man. He chuckled as Vin pressed his hips up, inviting him to remove his pants and the long underwear, and Nathan took the man up on his offer, pulling both down Tanner's legs. That done, he turned his attention to a different kind of doctoring.

A soft moan filled the room when Nathan nibbled on Vin's nipples, his hand rubbing down the man's ribs.

Nathan pressed his face against Vin's neck, starting a steady assault down the exposed skin to the waiting collarbones and beyond. But then he sucked in a sharp breath when he felt Tanner's touch. "Oh no you don't. This is my turn," he said, rolling Vin onto his belly and setting to work, kneading the tracker's backside.

Vin responded, his hips circling as he moaned in surrender. He pressed his hips up.

Nathan shifted, grabbing Vin's shoulder and forcing him back over onto his back. Letting his fingertips run along the top of the tracker's shoulder, he dipped his touch down the arm and back up again, then drew his fingertips down the same path, only harder. Goosebumps marked his trail.

Cupping his hand at the back of Vin's neck, he leaned forward and brushed the man's lips, then pressed harder. The tracker's lips parted slightly and the tips of their tongues explored the others. Tanner moaned slightly as the kiss became a subtle game of tag, each man shifting back and forth between hunter and hunted.

Nathan stretched out, moving so Vin was pressed firmly against his side. The heat emanating from the man's groin excited him all over again.

It was Vin who came up for air first, gasping while his hand reached for Nathan's chest, his fingers trembling with building anticipation.

"Oh no," the healer repeated, pushing the tracker's hand away before reaching down to rub his own hand along the top of Tanner's thigh. "I told you, my turn." He gave the man's hip a teasing squeeze before moving to enfold Vin's manhood in his hand.

Tanner bucked forward, his swelling cock spearing against Nathan's leg.

Jackson pushed Vin down again so he was lying on his back, then captured the pulsing cock in his hand and squeezed. Vin arched up, pressing against his palm. Nathan chuckled. Holding the hard cock in his hand, he was able to heft the length, establishing a familiarity he hoped would last for a long time. Reaching past

the cock, he gently cupped the man's scrotum, kneading gently, forcing the tracker's hips to circle in small, tight gyrations.

With his free hand Nathan reached out, tugging, rolling and pressing the erect nipples like Vin had done with his.

"Ahhh," Tanner sighed.

Nathan captured the throbbing head of the cock in his mouth, dragging a startled gasp, followed by a low feral moan from the man. Nibbling, sucking, biting, and licking along the shaft, he felt Vin's fingers curl into the blankets. He momentarily wondered if he might hurt the man, but he seemed to be enjoying every moment.

The healer's hands stroked hard nipples and passion-tight abdominal muscles. Vin groaned, his back arching in reply to the achingly gentle hands, and rough mouth.

Nathan stopped just long enough to roll over, bounce off the bed, and grope for the glass bottle until he found it in the dark. Vin moaned, but waited without comment.

"Roll over on your side," Nathan directed and Tanner obeyed without hesitation, and the trust implied startled and humbled the healer. Nathan had a feeling Vin didn't trust easily.

Maneuvering so he was lying alongside Vin, Nathan reached out and tapped behind the man's top knee. "Lift."

Vin did, and Nathan positioned the leg where he wanted it – the man's foot on the bed, exposing his groin to whatever the healer had planned.

Pouring out some of the oil, he set the bottle on the bedside table, then turned back to the inviting, pulsing cock. Bending over, he nipped at the tip and felt the shaft jump. He sucked the head into his mouth again, and at the same time he gently drew his oily fingertip in circles around the outside of Vin's sphincter, causing the man to groan.

He used his tongue to press the crown of Vin's cock against the roof of his mouth, barring deeper penetration. The tracker pressed harder, trying to bury himself in the warm depths of Nathan's throat.

Jackson tapped at the entrance to Vin's ass, and the man shifted backward, pressing against the retreating finger. Frustrated on two fronts, he groaned.

Nathan smiled inwardly, sucking the straining cock further into his mouth and, at the same time, slipped his finger inside, twisting gently.

"Ah," Vin choked as Nathan pressed his finger in farther. He bucked forward and the healer sucked harder. Tanner arched into the sensation, then bore down on the manipulating finger.

Straightening, Nathan gripped his friend's pulsing manhood and pumped. That was the last straw. Vin bucked up and exploded.

Nathan chuckled when the tracker collapsed a few moments later, then rolled off the bed. At the dresser he grabbed the washcloth, rinsed and wrung it out, then carried it back to the bed to clean Vin off. That done, he tossed the cloth back onto the dresser and lay down next to Tanner.

"Not bad, for a first try," Vin panted.

Nathan chuckled. "Think so?" He reached out and ruffled Vin's long hair. "You didn't do so bad yourself."

"Thank Esther Louise."

"That the saloon girl in Yuma?"

"Um-hmm," Vin sighed. "Had more tricks 'n one of them travelin' medicine men; more 'n Ezra."

"Mmm," Nathan replied. "Like they always say, it's practice that makes perfect."

"Guess that means we got a ways t' go."

"Well, a little practice never hurt no one," Nathan philosophized with a grin.

Vin shook his head and returned the grin, wondering where this path would take them, but not really caring; it was going to be one hell of a ride.

　

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