Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Caleb

"Coffee?" Tony greeted me early the next morning by holding out a steaming travel mug. "I already added enough milk and sugar to make it closer to dessert."

"Thanks." I smiled sheepishly. He knew me a little too well. "I've come a long way in cleaning up my diet, but my sweet tooth has never fully gone away."

"Aww. Stay sweet, Caleb." Chuckling, Tony waited for me to unlock the truck. We'd agreed last night to take my truck since it had four-wheel drive. Tony had his own mug of coffee plus a light backpack slung over one shoulder. I'd already put my pack in the truck after hurriedly tossing in two hydration flasks, my first-aid kit, some trail mix with a dubious expiration date, and a few protein bars. Tony saluted me with his mug before climbing into the truck and putting his backpack next to mine on the back seat. "And I even added sugar to my coffee. Had a hard time sleeping last night."

"Hard, huh?" I leered at him.

"That too." A flush spread up his neck. "But couldn't do much about that… situation . The house is extra-full and noisy right now. Maren, the oldest kid, is in town for a visit before college starts back up in a few weeks. She had a bunch of old friends from high school over, and they were laughing in the backyard till late. I gave up on sleep and went and cleaned the kitchen until they left."

"You're a good friend for staying with Eric and helping with the teens." I patted his arm before putting the truck in Drive.

"Eh. It helps me as much as Eric. I like staying busy, and I'd rather not stay with one of my sisters until I figure out my next move."

"No sharing bunk beds with Cosmo?" I teased.

"God no." His shudder seemed genuine, not faked for my benefit. "And I'm really enjoying the time with John and the football team."

"You seem good at helping them. Funny how I'm closer in age to them, but you seem to relate better to the kids."

"Yeah, well, all those years dealing with eighteen- or twenty-year-old new recruits didn't hurt." Tony reached toward the center console and clicked over to the GPS feature. The destination he entered appeared to be little more than a teeny dot in the vast forest surrounding Mount Hood.

"I've done some hiking around Mount Hope and closer to Mount Hood, but I've never heard of this hike. Does it even have a name?"

"Nope." Tony gave a sly smile. "It's one of those well-kept secrets that if you know, you know not to mention, especially on tourist sites or best-of-area lists. Eric shared the hidden trailhead with me years ago."

"So you're saying I'm special since you're telling me?" I preened to get a laugh from Tony.

"You're something all right." He leaned back in the seat and took a sip of coffee. Despite the early hour, the sun was already up with temperatures threatening to break one hundred degrees before evening.

"I'm not sure how waking up early and hiking will keep us cooler." Despite my complaints, I enjoyed the drive out of Mount Hood and into the national forest as we gained elevation and left civilization behind us.

"Trust." Tony waved a hand like trust was no big deal. I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it, instead swallowing hard. Somehow, I did trust Tony, and on a different level than I relied on my crew or other friends. I believed Tony had my best interests in mind. Given the bullying I'd experienced when younger, that sort of faith was something I'd struggled with. But I trusted Tony, which was both weird and awesome at the same time.

We drove in companionable silence before Tony asked, "Did you bring water?"

"Of course." The next turn indicated by GPS took us onto a skinny side road deeper into the rocky forest. The road featured steep edges without guard rails, so I kept my eyes on the terrain, not Tony. "And I brought a few things that might resemble food."

"Ha. I've got lunch covered."

"Did you pack us a picnic?" For a not-a-date outing, Tony sure had leaned into romance—secret location, special food, and personalized coffee.

"Picnic might be overselling it." He offered me a boyish smile that made him look decades younger. "More like glorified crackers and cheese with fruit and some deli meats."

"Better watch out, I'm going to think you're a closet romantic."

"I wouldn't know romance if I tripped over it." Tony let loose a laugh that was closer to a bark. I was nowhere near convinced as he wagged a finger in my direction. "You, though, you're the romantic."

"How do you figure that?" I scoffed.

"You're on a break from looking for a relationship, not a permanent hiatus. And you're not jaded. You believe in love and all that crap."

"For others, possibly." I shrugged, hoping I managed to appear indifferent. "Maybe I'm destined to be the king of hopeless crushes."

"Nah. You'll find your someone." Tony said it offhand like there was zero possibility I already had, pouring a bucket of ice water over the flicker of hope in my chest.

"Perhaps." I flipped on a playlist to get us the rest of the way to the trailhead. The skinny road widened slightly to allow for parking on the shoulder near the start of the trail. Barely marked with a wooden post, the trailhead was one of those squint-and-miss-it things. Tony hadn't been kidding about needing to be in the know to find it. Given the remote location and early hour, I wasn't surprised when we were the only vehicle parked nearby, and indeed, we hadn't passed another car in many miles.

Tony hadn't been lying about it being cooler up here though. The spot was way cooler than town had been all week, with a gentle breeze ruffling the trees and foliage. The hike started out relatively flat and easy, but the terrain turned rockier as we gained elevation through several switchbacks.

"When do we get to the creek?" I tried not to sound too whiny.

"Soon." Tony chuckled before grabbing my elbow, helping me save myself from slipping off a rock. "Careful. It's steep through here."

"I see." I quirked my mouth. "You're living dangerously by bringing my lack of coordination on a complicated hike."

"You're not that clumsy. I've seen you at work."

"Thanks." My cheeks heated. "Maybe it's simply team sports I'm allergic to. Or anything involving a ball."

"I've seen you play with balls." Tony's eyes sparkled as I groaned. I'd walked right into that one. "Besides, coordination starts in the brain, not the feet. Yesterday, I laid out a set of exercises for the kids designed to stretch their brains as well as their muscles. Reflexes are tricky because you can lift weights and get ripped yet never improve your reaction time."

"Yep." I paused to catch my breath as we finished another uphill portion. "And what's this about you coaching the team?"

"Not coaching." Tony wiped his face with the edge of his shirt, revealing his fuzzy belly and flat abs. "Just helping out where I can while Coach Willard is recovering. The fundraiser is important, but I also owe a lot to him specifically. He believed in me at a time when not many in this town did."

"That's awesome. I'm glad you're able to give back." Our gazes met with fresh understanding. At first, Tony's younger self had seemed like this sort of athletic golden boy winning all the girls and social acceptance that came with that reputation, but the reality had been complicated by his crappy home-life situation. My jaw tightened at my own judgmentalness while my chest ached for the teen years he'd had to spend worrying about his sisters. "It's easy to forget that everyone has their own shit to shovel."

"That's one way to put it." Tony offered a crooked smile. "And thanks. I know you understand."

"Absolutely. I don't know where I'd be without my dad's friends mentoring me when it counted."

"I'm glad they did." He gave me a sharp nod before grabbing my hand and murmuring, "Another tricky section."

However, he didn't drop my hand once we were back on level ground. I liked the security of our linked hands far too much. The gesture made my shoulders lift and my steps lighter. Although he'd teased last night about finding a convenient bush while hiking, the connection didn't feel sexual. Instead, my anticipation was more about finding other things in common, new areas of mutual understanding. And that was far more dangerous than any steep switchback.

"Wow. This view." I stopped as we reached a clearing. A short ways off the trail, beyond some trees and brush, the promised creek glistened in the late morning sun. Beneath us, rolling hills provided an epic view of the surrounding mountainside.

"Priceless, huh?" Tony beamed at me, clearly pleased.

"Yeah. And you were right, it's way cooler up here." I ducked under low-hanging trees to make my way toward the creek. "I love how it feels like we're the only people in the whole state."

"Well, likely for several miles at least." Shielding his eyes from the sun, Tony surveyed the clearing before following me. "Every time I come, I'm surprised no enterprising pioneer put down a cabin right here."

"A cabin with this view would be sweet." I made my way down to the creek, but Tony continued to look around, deep in thought.

"Maybe someday…" He trailed off, taking a deep inhale. "Someday, I might like a cabin of my own. Seeing your place and you teasing me about my lack of style got me thinking about what sort of place might tempt me to buy."

"And a cabin would? Like on some acreage?" I kept my tone encouraging as I grinned at him, enjoying this chance to dream together. "But with indoor plumbing, right?"

"Yeah, can't be without showers. I had more than my share of cold ones in the army." He extended one arm overhead, stretching his triceps. "But a place to breathe. Walk outside naked, no worries about neighbors, no lawns to mow, or Joneses to keep up with."

I joined him in laughing before sobering. "You want a place where you can be yourself."

"Maybe." Tony pursed his lips as he joined me on the bank of the creek. We both set our backpacks under a convenient tree, an unspoken agreement to take a rest. "Still not precisely sure who ‘myself' is. Sometimes, I envy the kids coming up now. The younger generation."

"Yeah, cause you're so ancient." I shook my head at him, but he stayed serious.

"I see Eric's kids like Rowan and Wren and their friend groups. And then Cosmo and his crew, which seems to include all sorts of kids. It seems like it would be easier to be oneself with those kinds of friends."

"It would." I huffed out a breath. "And it's relatively recent. I sure tried to be myself in school, but even a decade ago, it wasn't easy."

"I know." He reached out to rub my shoulder. "You're something of an inspiration, the way you're fearlessly yourself."

"You mean being out?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, but more than that too. There's a certain…danger in showing your true self, being open and honest."

"Absolutely." I patted his jaw, enjoying this embrace. His touch made me warm and giddy and more than a little reckless. "But it's worth it. And you like risk."

Moving slightly away, I peeled off my T-shirt, a quick-drying gray one I often used for workouts at the gym.

"More like you enjoy tempting me." His tone was scolding, but gold sparks danced in his merry eyes. "And apparently, you like sunburn."

"SPF 100 everywhere, baby." Continuing to face Tony, I stepped backward toward the creek, hands on the waistband of my hiking shorts. "Dare me."

Tony took his sweet time, a stand-off as I fiddled with the button of my fly while waiting for his go-ahead.

"Do it," he finally ordered, voice a harsh noise in the still forest.

I skimmed out of my shorts, kicked off my hiking boots, and gleefully waded naked into the cold shallow creek. The water was welcomingly bracing on such a warm day, and I motioned him closer. "You too."

"I didn't bring you here to fool around skinny dipping." Tony was hardly convincing, especially when he went ahead and pulled off his faded black army T-shirt.

"The hell you didn't." I beckoned him again with a crooked finger. "And it's more like skinny wading."

"The better to see your ass." Quickly shedding his own hiking boots and shorts, Tony came up behind me in the creek to grope my ass. Despite my crack about sunscreen, the nearby trees provided enough shade that I wasn't too worried about either of us burning. Or at least not from the sun.

Burning up from lust seemed far more likely. Tony naked was a thing of beauty, like a painting in an Italian cathedral. His Mediterranean good looks were complemented by his lush black hair, gently threaded with silver that glinted in the sun. His full mouth inspired all sorts of sinful thoughts, and his lean, strong muscles spoke to a life of physical activity. He had a little more body hair than me, and I splashed water on him for the sole purpose of watching the droplets roll down his fuzzy chest.

"Hey!" He made a startled noise before bursting out laughing and splashing me in return.

"Oh, it's on." I kicked at the rushing creek to send a wave of water his way. We played around, splashing, kicking, and roughhousing like we were teens. I felt buoyant as a beach ball and free as a fish, a giddiness inside me that kept escaping in near-giggles. Fooling around like this, naked in the sun, was pretty much perfect.

And then Tony pulled me in for a deep kiss, water rushing around our calves, cocks finally taking an interest in the proceedings, and that was true perfection. He kissed me like I might be the only thing keeping him from being swept downstream, clinging to me as he sucked and nipped at my lips.

We kissed until we had goosebumps from the cold water and ragged breathing from the kissing and touching. We stumbled back to the creek bank, and naturally, Sergeant Prepared had an outdoor blanket in his backpack—nylon on one side and quilted plaid flannel on the other.

"Fancy," I teased as he spread it under the tree where we'd left our backpacks.

"Figured we might need a rest…or something."

"Or something ." I stretched out on the blanket, yanking him down next to me. "Come here."

"I've never done this." He gave an uncharacteristically nervous titter.

"Fooled around naked outdoors?" I waggled my eyebrows at him. "Me either."

"Not just that. I mean sex that feels more than recreational. Like fun, but on a different level?" He wrinkled his face, mouth twisting and brow furrowing. "I'll shut up now."

"Don't." I stroked a hand down his almost-always bristly jaw. "I get it. And it feels like that to me too. Fresh and new and different in ways I can't explain."

"Yeah." He kissed my forehead. "Guess we can be lost together."

"I trust you to get us back home in one piece." I looked deeply into his brown eyes. "That. That's the difference, at least for me. I trust you."

My heart hammered as I gave voice to my earlier realization.

"Me too." Tony opened his mouth like he might be about to say more, but I silenced him with a hard kiss. I wasn't sure I could bear liking him more than I already did. I kissed him until we were both back to breathing hard and clutching at each other, all conversation long forgotten.

I started to slither down Tony's torso, but he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, I was going to blow you. No fair beating me to it."

"There's a way we can both win." I grinned up at him. "Scoot onto your back, and we can sixty-nine. Use your hand to control my cock. And don't feel like you have to deep-throat or anything. Just licking or sucking the tip is fine."

"Just the tip." He snort-laughed as he followed my directions while I flipped around. I hadn't done this particular act very much, so I hoped I didn't accidentally choke Tony or forget what I was doing the second his tongue touched my cock.

With that in mind, I tried to get ahead of my nerves by licking a broad stripe down his cock, gratified by his answering moan.

"Race you." I winked at him over my shoulder before getting down to business. If I could get him off first, so much the better. I truly loved going down on him, and outdoors like this simply added to the pleasure, the sun warming my back and ass as I sucked his cock with a slow and steady rhythm.

"Oh Jesus, you want to kill me."

"Yep." I chuckled around his cock, teasing the tip with my tongue before adding, "Death by orgasm."

Tony replied with something smart and French, so I sucked harder.

"You're cheating."

"Nah." I wiggled my ass happily. Straddling his face like this could have been super awkward, but with Tony, the position was fun and playful, like the rest of the outing. I liked the unusual angle as well because it let me slide farther down his length than usual, making me look like a deep-throating rockstar. I added some of the hard suction he always loved before pulling back slightly. "I've just figured out what you like."

"Fuck, yeah, you have." He reached down with the hand that wasn't on my cock to push lightly on my head, encouraging more attention from my mouth. And I was only too happy to give it, sucking and licking, determined to make him moan loudly enough to shake the trees. He was lazily licking my cock, and it did feel amazing, warm and wet, but my attention was very much on making Tony come first. Judging by the copious amounts of precome he was leaking, I was near victory. "God. Close. But I wanna win."

"Nah." I sucked harder, sliding up and back, rocking on my knees to facilitate the motion of my hand and mouth.

"Let's both win," he pleaded breathlessly.

"You first." I was relentless, sucking and milking his cock with my tongue.

"Twist my…" He trailed off into a series of moans. "Oh hell yes, Caleb, keep doing that." His body tensed, back arching, hand falling away from my cock as he came in my mouth. "Fuck."

The way he shuddered and shook was almost enough to get me there, more so when he started sucking my cockhead and jacking me even before he fully caught his breath. I swallowed the last of his come and rested my head on his firm stomach. Now that I'd gotten him off, I could focus more fully on my own pleasure and on how damn well Tony already knew my body. Lots of friction with his hand, a little suction with his mouth, a few flicks of the tongue, and I was on the edge.

"Yeah. More." My hips started rocking again, involuntarily chasing more sensations as Tony added a spit-slick finger teasing my rim. He was indeed a fast study. "You're gonna get me there."

"Good." He chuckled, breath warm against my balls. "Kinda inventing stuff on the fly."

"Well, it's working." My ass clenched as he sucked my cock in a little deeper, fist tightening on the base. "There. There."

My chants gave way to moans as I came. Surprisingly, I burst out laughing as I came, giddy, uncontrollable chuckles. I'd never experienced an orgasm quite like this, a true release of tension, what felt like years' worth. I came and came, and Tony swallowed it all, rubbing my hip encouragingly as I laughed my way back down to earth.

"That was surreal."

"Agreed. How does it keep getting better between us?" he asked like he might not expect an answer.

I suspected I knew, but the real answer was likely to send him running for the hills, so I adopted a cocky tone. "Maybe I'm just that good."

"You are." He swatted my ass lightly as I flipped myself back around. "We're all sweaty and sticky." He shook his head as I settled in against his chest. "So much for keeping cool."

"Nah. We'll just rinse off again." I gave him a fast, sleepy kiss. "No regrets."

"No regrets." Tony echoed my words, but tightness around his eyes called him a liar. And I should have made him talk it out, but he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. We both yawned, and all I wanted to do was nap in the sun with this man, regrets be damned.