THREE
Chris woke to an empty bed. He sat up in alarm, thinking that he had scared Vin away. He relaxed when he heard the shower in the guest bedroom. He rolled over and stretched. He immediately regretted it when the wound pulled. Chris looked out the window to see a cloudy day. There was also a cool breeze coming through the open window. Chris decided to just snuggle back under the covers. He heard the shower go off and waited to see what Vin would do. After a few minutes, Chris heard footsteps approaching the bedroom. Vin quietly looked in to check on Chris."I'm not asleep."
"Do you want some breakfast?" asked Vin.
Chris looked up to see that Vin's hair was still wet. It framed his face in long ringlets. He also noticed that Vin's lips were blue. Chris choked on his laugh by turning it into a cough.
"Are you alright?" asked Vin in alarm.
"I'm fine," said Chris. He guessed Vin must have taken a really cold shower for his lips to be blue.
"Are you sure?" asked Vin, coming over to feel his forehead.
"Yes!" he mock growled, and Vin jumped back.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
"Eggs would be fine," Chris lied. I really want you, he thought.
"You want them hard?" he asked.
"What?" asked Chris, taken by surprise.
"The yolks? Do you like them hard or runny?"
"Oh hard," he answered, definitely hard.
Vin went out to the kitchen to start breakfast. He got the eggs out of the fridge and took a frying pan from under the stove. He turned it on and stood close to get warm. He was freezing, but the cold shower had banished all thoughts of Chris. He put some butter in the pan, cracked two eggs, and dropped them in. He fried them on one side, then flipped them over and cracked the yolk. He finished frying them, then slid them on a plate. He heard Chris walk into the kitchen and over to the coffeepot.
"Did you make this?"
"Yeah, but don't worry. I made it weak."
They all teased him about how he made coffee. All of them except Josiah. He liked his strong with plenty of sugar. Just the way I like my men, he thought. He stepped away from the stove as he got too hot. Oh damn!!! Now I need another shower.
"You OK?" Chris looked at him in concern. "You didn't burn yourself?"
"Nope. Just stood a little too close. I was getting hot."
I know you're making me hot, thought Chris. He had a seat at the table and watched Vin make breakfast. The younger man was a pleasure to watch. There was no wasted movement. Chris noticed that his sweats were riding low on his hips. God, it would be so easy to take Vin here in the kitchen. He watched Vin's back as he reached for the pepper. The T-shirt was a little snug, and it excentuated Vin's lean muscled back. Chris was glad he had put on a pair of jeans. They gave nothing away, but damn, they sure did get tight. Vin finished with breakfast and placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and fresh tomatoes in front of Chris. He got his plate and sat down across from him. Chris noticed that Vin was crunching on an ice cube. He finished the ice and started on his eggs. Chris had never noticed Vin eating ice before, and he would have to remember to ask Nathan about it. He remembered his mentioning something about some disorder that caused people to eat ice. He ate his breakfast and watched Vin.
Vin didn't say anything. He couldn't. If Chris didn't stop looking at him like that he was going to go mad! He grabbed another ice cube and started crunching on it. At least that helps a little, he thought. Chris asked him a question, and he had been so distracted that all he heard was "coming". He choked on his bacon and started coughing.
"Jesus, Vin, are you alright?" Chris asked as he hit him on the back.
"Y..e..a..h." he coughed. " Just went down the wrong way."
"Are you sure?" Chris said, as he continued to rub his back.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he said pulling away from Chris. "What did you ask me?"
"I asked if the guys were coming over to help paint?"
"No. They had to do something this weekend," he answered. God I wish they were here!
A strong breeze blew through he window, and they both shivered.
"Getting cold out there. Fall's coming quick."
"I reckon."
Vin got up and picked up the dishes and brought them to the sink. Chris was going to offer to help, but he knew that if he stuck his hands in soapy water with Vin he'd be in trouble. He wandered into the living room to look at the damage. They had done a great job of fixing up the bullet holes. Now it just needed the paint. That was something they could do to keep out of trouble. Chris turned as he heard Vin enter.
"So, shall we get some painting done?" asked Chris
Vin was about to answer when the wind picked up and it started to pour. The rain was accompanied by a strong cold wind.
"Oh, shit!" Vin cried. "The horses are out.
He limped out the back door and towards the barn. He heard the door open behind him.
"You get back in that house, Chris!!!"
He knew Vin was right so he went back inside. The cold air was starting to hurt. He shut the door and waited. Chris started to get worried when Vin didn't come back in 45 minutes. He was about to go look for him when he saw him walking up the path. Chris opned the door and a shivering Vin walked inside. Chris could see his lips were a darker blue than this morning. He also noticed that he had his arms wrapped around his body. Chris grabbed him by the shoulders and winced when he felt how cold he was. He ushered Vin into the bathroom. He stripped the unresisting sharpshooter and started the hot water in the shower. He made the temperature lukewarm and got Vin into the shower. He rubbed Vin's arms to try to warm them up. He also rubbed his right leg. There wasn't anything Chris could do for the left. Chris noticed the wound was healing fine, but he could tell Vin had been rubbing it. The shower didn't seem to be helping, so Chris got him out and toweled him dry. All sexual thoughts had left Chris completely. All he wanted to do was get Vin warm. He was still shivering when Chris got him into the bed. Vin curled into a tight ball.
Chris knew just the thing. He went back out into the living room and started a fire. When it was going strong, Chris went to his bedroom and pulled the covers off the bed. He spread them in front of the fireplace. He went back into the bedroom to get Vin. He knelt in front of his friend and could see his eyes were wide open.
"Vin, I started a fire," he said pushing the hair out of his eyes. "It will warm you up."
"OOOKKKK," Vin said through chattering teeth.
Chris helped him out of the bed and into the living room. He noticed that Vin was limping badly. Chris figured the cold must have been bothering his leg. He got Vin lying on his right side, and he curled up facing the fire. Chris watched as the flames danced in his blue eyes. The fire seemed to be working, and the shivering was slowing down, but didn't completely stop. Vin closed his eyes and curled into a tighter ball.
The hell with this, Chris thought. He stripped out of his jeans and shirt. He kept his briefs on and slipped under the blankets with Vin. Either he didn't noticed or he didn't care. Chris got comfortable on his back and pulled the younger man across his chest. The contact of Vin's cold skin sent a shiver running down Chris's spine. He began to rub Vin's arms. He was glad when he finally felt Vin snuggle closer and put his left leg over his. Chris continued to rub him everywhere to warm him up. After a half-hour, he felt one last shiver as Vin relaxed across his chest. Chris got up on his left elbow and looked down at Vin. He had his eyes closed, and Chris stroked his cheek.
The next thing Chris knew, he was looking into enormous blue eyes. He watched a number of emotions run through them, but foremost was longing. Chris caressed his face and could feel Vin try to pull away. He held on tight to the smaller man and continued to stroke his face. Chris could feel Vin's heart racing. He ran his left hand along Vin's cheek then stopped and ran his thumb along Vin's lips. Chris looked into his eyes and saw confusion but also trust. Chris smiled and leaned in to kiss him. Chris watched as Vin's eyes stayed open until the last minute when he closed them tight. Chris kissed him and heard Vin whimper. He could feel him tensing up, but he didn't pull away. He kissed him again and then pulled away. He could see Vin was breathing hard and was afraid he would hyperventilate. He could also see Vin had his eyes shut tight.
"Vin," he called. "look at me."
Vin opened his eyes and tried to calm down.
"I won't hurt you," Chris began. "We can stop right now if you want. I won't be mad."
"Chris, I..I...I."
"I understand. You're confused. You aren't sure what you want. Is that it?"
Vin nodded.
"We'll start out slow, how's that?"
Vin nodded again. Chris bent down and kissed him ever so softly on the lips. He was pleased when he felt Vin's hesitant return kiss. Chris turned on his left side and pulled him closer. Vin's back arched as Chris made lazy circles with his fingertips. Chris captured his mouth again and felt Vin gasp as he ran is fingers up his spine. Chris laughed in delight to find that Vin was ticklish. Vin got his revenge when he placed his cold hands on Chris's chest.
"Oh shit, they're cold!!!" he cried out and Vin laughed.
Chris got carried away and threw his right leg over Vin. He cried out as Chris hit the healing wound.
"Damn!!!! Vin, I'm sorry."
"It's OK. Let's just get our limbs figured out," he smiled.
Chris could feel Vin throw his left leg over his own so that it was on top. Chris got comfortable, and they started over. Vin ran his somewhat warmer left hand over Chris's chest. His right arm was trapped between them. Chris traced the scars on Vin's chest with right hand and he shuddered. He smiled as he watched Vin's nipples get hard from his caress. He wanted to run his tongue around them, but he didn't think Vin was ready for that. He settled for kissing his luscious mouth. Vin hit Chris's wound once in his exploration, and it was his turn to cry out. Vin apologized and burst out laughing. Chris just shook his head and claimed his laughing mouth. He decided to get a little bolder and ran his tongue along Vin's lips. Chris smiled as he watched Vin blush. Vin groaned, and Chris pushed his tongue inside his mouth. He was taken totally by surprise but didn't pull away. Chris ran his tongue along Vin's teeth, then explored deeper. He realized something was wrong and pulled away.
"Breathe, Vin," Chris smiled.
Vin blushed a deeper red and hid his face on Chris shoulder. This was fine with him. It put his ears within range. He ran his tongue along the outside of Vin's ear until he came to the lobe and started sucking on it. Chris could feel Vin completely melt, and he continued the torture. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he was caught by surprise when Vin ran his tongue along his shoulder then stopped to swirl it in the hallow by his neck. Chris gave a low moan when Vin began to suck on his neck by his shoulder. They each explored different areas of their upper bodies. Vin couldn't go any lower than Chris's chest, and that was fine with him. At least this was a start. Chris noticed Vin's hands had stopped on his shoulder. When he looked down, he could see that he was asleep. Chris rolled on his back and pulled Vin so that he was lying on his chest. His wound protested the move and he hissed in pain. Chris continued to run his hand along Vin's back. He didn't go very low because he didn't want to wake him. Chris had found a few ticklish spots on his partner that didn't make Vin happy at all. He smiled in contentment as he closed his eyes and took a nap.