Chapter Eight

~ Wright ~

Wright read a lot of books.

Like, a lot, a lot.

He felt like a Dr. Seuss character: he read inside and outside, on the couch or the bed, at the table or even on the grass. Sometimes he would take a book and read on the front porch of the main house. Tracy joined him from time-to-time, sitting silently on the glider chair and enjoying the nice weather. They had a hell of a storm over the weekend that flooded parts of the ranch. Being in the guest house with the tin roof, Xander assured him it sounded worse than it was. Regardless, Wright had curled up against Xander a little more with each crack of thunder.

It was clean up and catch up all week. Xander came to the house each night exhausted and sweaty, but he would take a shower and then they'd head over to the main house for supper. Wright hadn't joined him for another shower since the first one and they didn't talk about it.

The shower played a constant loop in his mind. Xander was a big guy compared to him, but he was always so gentle. The light touches, the teasing of his fingertips against the most sensitive part of him. His lips skimming his shoulder. It had been enough to send him over the edge in under five minutes. He wanted to do it again, but he didn't want to push Xander. It'd been a tough week, but the weather was back to a dry heat and the land was drying back up. Today was their first day that they had time to go for a walk before the sun started setting.

Despite the slow pace of his life, he was more than grateful for it. He didn't have to worry about having a clean house or a hot meal ready when Xander came home. Xander was actually happier when the bed was messy and there was a dish or two in the sink. He said it meant that Wright hadn't lifted a finger or overdone anything. Two weeks had also been the longest he'd gone without being hit or yelled at. It was boring. And he loved it.

"Honey, I'm home!" Xander's voice traveled through the house and Wright smiled to himself. He had a different greeting for each time he stepped through the door. Wright was waiting for the day when he ran out of things to say. He knew that the bedroom would be his first stop, so Wright didn't bother to get off the bed. "Hey there, gorgeous."

"Hey there yourself," Wright said as Xander started stripping out of his clothes. He looked like he was in a good mood, not his usual tired and grunting self. "Good day today?"

"We finally got the fence on the south end fixed." Xander was in nothing but his boxers now. "And the ones that Patrick sold have been loaded and taken to their destination." He moved to the edge of the bed where Wright was propped up. He had his sling on still. Technically, he was okay to get rid of it a few days ago, but Xander told him since he'd been defiant for most of the first week, he was making him wear it longer. Just to make sure he was properly healed. "And it's finally dry enough we can go on a walk tonight."

"Can't wait." Wright did his best to keep from showing how excited he was for it. He'd never been on a date before. He wasn't sure if Xander was considering this a date or not, but regardless, he'd never done anything remotely close to it. Blame him for being excited. "Go shower so we can do this."

"Want to join me?" Xander ran his hand through Wright's hair. The question was genuine and not in any way suggestive, but Wright smiled to himself. "Or have you showered already?"

"I haven't," Wright said. He shifted himself to get his feet on the floor.

"Any more pain today?" Xander started walking across the room to the bathroom.

"None more than the fading bruises," Wright answered. He finally got off the bed and set the book down on the table between the bed and wall. After a quick lunch with Tracy, he'd laid in bed hoping to finish the last few chapters of the book. Xander wasn't kidding when he said he had a good selection hidden away. Wright had gone through four of them in the week. It was a good distraction to everything going on.

Xander turned the water on and helped Wright out of his clothes. He paused when he was down to his boxers. "What do you want to do?"

"You've already made me come once," Wright said with a smirk. "Not much else new for you to see."

Xander laughed and cupped Wright's face in his hands. "Oh gorgeous, you have no idea what else there is I'd like to see from you."

"What?" Wright didn't mean for the word to come out so high pitched. Xander's smirk turned to a laugh and he dropped his hands to help Wright out of his boxers. "Are you talking about… Like, sex? With me. You want that?"

"It's a discussion we should have," Xander said. "But not right now. Not until you are entirely healed. For now, let's shower and make it quick so we can go walk."

Wright let Xander lead him across the bathroom to the shower. The water was warm on his skin. Xander washed his body off first, giving Wright a view to enjoy for a few minutes. He'd been so worried last time they were in this situation that he hadn't fully taken in all of Xander. He was exactly the kind of man that Wright would picture himself with, on the rare occasion he gave into his urges. Big and muscley. Protective and sweet. Great smile. Funny. Caring and gentle. He was admiring his ass when Xander turned around and he got a full view of his front then.

"Holy hell," Wright said before he could stop himself. He looked up, into Xander's eyes. "You're huge."

Laughter filled the shower space and, just like last time, Xander held his hand out for him to step closer. He was only damp at best, but the water hit his chest when Xander stepped around to stand behind him. "Like what you see?"

"I don't know," Wright said honestly. "I'm pretty sure that should be registered as a weapon."

"You are too kind, gorgeous." Xander turned him around and leaned him back so his hair was getting wet. He closed his eyes while his fingers massaged his scalp. "But you won't have to worry about that, okay? Once you're cleared by the doctor, we can talk. Until then, you're just going to have to deal with me making you feel good."

"I would joke about that being such a terrible life, but we both know that isn't true. I'll settle for it, though." Wright was joking with him, but his stomach was knotted. He really didn't have any experience when it came to sex, but he knew the gist. He watched videos. Clearly.

"As long as you're with me, you'll never have to go through anything like that again." Xander said the words with such conviction. Wright smiled as he turned him back around again. He let the silence grow between them while Xander cleaned him. He used a cloth to wash his body, still being gentle around his ribs and side. He used his bare hand around his dick, stroking him a few times, to really get him clean as Xander whispered against his ear. It wasn't anything more than a tease and he was left half-hard when Xander turned the water off and towel dried both of them.

He could finally get himself dressed without too much pain, but he still enjoyed when Xander helped him. The added kisses along his shoulders helped. Before he knew it, he was dressed and ready to go back outside. Xander was waiting for him by the front door with a blanket draped over his arm. "I asked Tracy if she could pack us a couple of sandwiches instead of eating supper with them. I hope that's okay."

"That's fine with me," Wright said. "How far are we walking today?"

"Not that far," Xander said as they made their way over to the main house. "I was thinking we could walk around and then go up the field where William and Clark got married to watch the sunset. The sun is beautiful just over the hill when you look at the back of the property."

"Have you talked to them recently? How is their honeymoon?"

"They have another week in the Bahamas, so I say they're doing great. Brett is coming back next week. The tenants are all doing well in the houses, so he took an extra week off to be at home."

"Tracy has been showing me pictures of him, his husband, and their little boy. He's cute."

"Which one?" Xander asked with a sarcastic tone when he opened the door to the house. Tracy and Patrick were both in the kitchen, clearly in the middle of dancing to a song playing on the radio. It was an older country song, one that Wright had heard before but couldn't name immediately. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt the dancin'."

"Nonsense," Tracy said. She patted her hand against Patrick's chest and smiled at them. "Patrick was distracting me anyway. I have your basket ready to go. Let me get it."

Patrick looked from his brother to Wright and back, a small smile on his face. Wright held back, standing at the door, while Xander moved further into the house. He loved their family, but still sometimes felt like an outsider. It wasn't anything that they did, just his brain catching up that he was in a safe place. He'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop and each day that it didn't, he either felt better or that sinking feeling that something big was going to hit him grew. It was always one or the other.

"Heard you're going on your first date tonight," Patrick said lowly beside him. Xander was looking through the basket on the table, talking to Tracy. Well out of ear shot.

"Is it a date?" Wright looked up at Patrick. He was definitely Xander's brother. They looked so similar, same eyes and build. Their noses were both curved to the right just slightly, not quite like a broken nose, more natural. Like a genetic thing. Xander's smile was a bit wider, though. But Patrick walked into a room and demanded everyone's attention.

"My little brother seems to think so," Patrick said. "Do you not want it to be? If so, you might want to tell him that up front."

"No, I do. I, uh. I like that idea. Of dates."

"I'm glad to hear."

"Glad to hear what?" Xander asked, walking back up to them with a smile.

"Nothing," Wright said. "Ready to go?"

"After you."

They walked for about fifteen minutes. The house was plenty far enough behind and there was nothing but empty fields around them. It was amazing to see. It made Wright feel small, but also free. The weather was perfect. They didn't talk much as they walked. Wright offered to carry one of the items but Xander wouldn't let him.

"It's nice out here," Wright said with a long sigh. He had walked around the area immediately surrounding the houses and barn numerous times, memorizing most every detail he could. But further out in the fields, there was less to look at. Not that it wasn't beautiful. The lack of buildings gave it a peaceful feeling. There were sparse trees here and there, a fence in the distance that he could barely see. Further out, there were a couple of hills where the sun was on its path to setting.

"It is." Xander agreed. He nudged Wright's shoulder and pointed to a spot off the dirt road on the left, behind the barn. "If you look closely, there's a path here that we take with the horses to get to the big pastures back behind the main house. The whole land is about six hundred acres. Most of the cattle live on the backend of that, so never go there on your own, okay? It can be dangerous, especially if the animals aren't used to you."

"Don't go around the giant animals that could eat me. Got it." Xander rolled his eyes at the joke and Wright smiled.

"More like defend themselves using their horns. You do not want to get impaled on one of those."

Fear shot through Wright's body. "Does that really happen? Why would you keep them?"

"We don't keep them," Xander said. "We raise cattle to sell for meat. But that's a very rare occurrence, so you don't have to worry about it, okay? They only turn violent when seriously provoked or startled. Only trained ranchers will ever deal with them so you have no worries. Most of the time, they're docile and safe enough to walk up to but again, only those that are trained will ever get close to them like that."

Xander stopped and set the basket down in the grass. Wright couldn't help but look around for any signs of animals. There was nothing. They were up on a slight hill, giving Wright an advantage and view he hadn't seen yet. The house was off in the distance, far enough away he could just see the cars parked in front. There was no way they'd be seen from where they sat on the grass.

"Hey," Xander said softly. Wright turned from the views around them to him. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted you to know to be careful around the animals here."

"No, I'm glad you did. I probably wouldn't have gone near them either way, but it's good to know if I'm going to be here for a while. I'd like to start doing something to help out once I'm back to full strength. I don't expect to live here rent or work free when everyone else does something to pitch in."

"You don't have to," Xander said. He started pulling things from the basket. He flicked his eyes to Wright when he opened his mouth to protest. "But if you're going to be stubborn about this, I'll talk to Patrick and see what he thinks. If anything, we could maybe use some help on the grounds since the summer activities are going to be ramping up soon."

Wright nodded. Tracy had really packed them a full meal. There were chicken salad sandwiches, fresh vegetables and Ranch dip, and bottles of water. Their conversation trailed from work to the book that Wright was reading. Xander recommended one for his next read. A few times, Xander had reached over and wiped the corner of his mouth off. Eating one handed was still a pain, but he was able to move his arm a little more even in the sling. Still, he was a bit messy. Not that he minded the way Xander's thumb would brush against his lips.

The sun was hitting the horizon, casting the sky in an array of pinks, reds, and oranges. Wright moved the basket and scooted closer to Xander, cuddling up to his side. After a moment, Xander shifted them so they were laying down on the blanket, staring at the sky. It was nice.

"Thank you for this," Wright whispered. He traced his finger over his chest. "It's nice out here."

Xander dressed up a little. Instead of his usual tee and shorts or pajamas pants- depending if they were going to the main house for supper or not- he was wearing a button up over a white shirt and a nice pair of jeans with a belt. He had on his ‘good' pair of boots as well, not the ones he kept on the porch to work in. Wright was in a pair of sweats and a long sleeve shirt. He'd kept two pairs of jeans from William, surprised they were his size, but his skin was still sensitive with the bruises that he didn't risk wearing them yet.

"It is," Xander said. "One night, we'll have to go out to one of the farther pastures with my truck and spend the night stargazing. The stars are beautiful ‘round here."

"I don't think I've ever seen the stars," Wright said. Xander's hand snuck up the back of his neck and brushed along his scalp. Wright smiled at the touch. Ever since telling him that he'd never had someone play with his hair, Wright had fallen asleep to that exact thing each night. "My evenings were usually spent cooking dinner and then I'd go to my room by seven or eight. I wasn't allowed to go out at dark."

"We'll make it our next date," Xander said. Wright was lying against his side and could hear the rumble of his voice through his chest. The deep sound was soothing. He could easily fall asleep. He slipped his hand farther around Xander's body and hugged him. He'd taken the sling off since they weren't doing anything more than sitting and talking. "You okay?"

Wright lifted his head and looked at Xander. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. His Stetson hat was laying on the blanket beside them, his hair sticking up just a little from putting it on while his hair was still damp. Wright only knew that because Xander had spent a solid twenty minutes talking about the different hats, styles, and how to care for them.

His eyes were clear and deep, a shade of blue Wright had never seen before. His lips were curved in a small smile. Wright had had those lips against his hair, his temple, cheek, and even his neck. He knew they were as soft as they looked.

The moment between them grew as Wright continued to stare at Xander. He knew he was older, an age gap between them that most would question. Especially with Wright just getting out of an abusive situation and only being nineteen. But the way he felt about Xander- it was something real. He didn't have any feelings toward the other men that have helped him. Patrick was like a father he never had. William gave off the vibe of an older brother. But Xander was everything he'd dreamed about. Everything that made him feel safe and cared.

He shifted his body further up, leveling his so he was staring down at Xander. He rested his hand on the middle of Xander's chest, feeling his heart beating below his palm. Xander's hand moved from his hair to brush over his cheek. It was his go-to move and Wright leaned his head into the touch. When Xander cupped the back of his head and pulled him down, Wright closed his eyes and his stomach flipped with excitement.

The moment their lips touched was something that Wright would never forget. Xander's lips were just as soft as he knew they'd be. He moved his lips against Wright's, adding pressure to the back of his head to seal their lips together more. Wright tilted his head to the side, parting his lips just slightly. Xander pulled back and they both breathed heavily.

"You are…" Xander's words trailed off and Wright smiled at him. The sentiment was the same.

Xander moved again, gently pushing Wright onto his back. He went willingly, smiling when Xander shifted his body so he was now the one hovering over him. He brushed his hair back from his forehead and then dipped his head to kiss him again. This time, it was a little more heated. Wright lifted his arms to wrap around Xander's neck; Xander moved so he was straddling one of Wright's legs. Their bodies were intwined with one another as they continued to kiss. Wright's brain went on overdrive when he felt Xander's tongue brush against the seam of his lips. He'd seen people kiss before but the experience firsthand was so much better.

He pulled back before Wright could make the decision, though. He was resting on his knees and elbow, careful not to put any of his weight on Wright's body. He appreciated it, as much as he wished he would. Maybe in a couple weeks. They stared at each other for a second. In that moment of time, something shifted and they both initiated at the same time, tongues meeting before lips. Wright had never kissed someone before, and he was definitely letting Xander lead, but it was everything he thought it would be. He'd read about it, watched it in videos. But this? This was incredible.

"Fuck, Wright." Xander whispered the words against his lips as he pushed his hips down against Wright's thigh. "You are incredible, gorgeous."

Wright didn't have any words. He had no idea what to say. He just wanted Xander to kiss him again. He lifted his head to chase after his lips and smiled into the kiss when he succeeded. Xander continued to thrust his hips against his thigh, small grunts pouring into his mouth with each movement. Wright was harder than he'd ever been himself. He was rocking up to meet Xander, ignoring the small pang at the motion.

That was until Xander pulled back and saw something in his expression that caused him to stop. "Shit, Wright. I'm sorry, gorgeous. I got too caught up in that kiss."

"Don't be," Wright said. "It's okay."

"No, it isn't." Xander shook his head and moved to sit back on his heels. Wright's leg was still trapped between Xander's knees. "I told you; we'll do more when you're healed. I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"I get and appreciate that you don't want to hurt me," Wright said. "But please don't leave me like this, Xander." To make sure he knew what he was talking about, Wright moved his left hand to his crotch, slipping his hand below the sweats and briefs. He gripped himself tight, his eyes rolling at the first contact. Xander's eyes narrowed, focusing on where Wright's hand was instead of his face.

Wright smiled when he heard the sound of Xander removing his belt. He watched the man kneeling above him as he undid the button of his jeans and the slide of his zipper. His boxers below were a sandy color, with a black band. He could see the head of his cock peeking over his waistband. God, he was big.

He left his jeans open and moved his hands to pull Wright's sweats down. He pulled his boxers down just enough to free him from the fabrics. "I don't want you to move, okay? I know you're already feeling the pain so don't deny it. This is meant to be a reward for you actually following the doctor's orders this week."

"Not much of a reward if I'm having to work so damn hard for it."

Wright was cut off from saying more when Xander leaned down to kiss him once again. It was sloppy and they were both laughing when Xander pulled away. The world around them was starting to get darker, but Wright didn't want to leave their little bubble here. He focused on Xander and watched as he licked his own palm before wrapping his hand around Wright's erection. He had to keep himself from rocking his hips up, knowing that Xander would stop if he did.

Xander fumbled with his free hand to pull his own underwear out of the way. Wright's body was writhing already from the pleasure and seeing Xander's cock in the open, so close to him, had him growing hard under his palm. He wasn't even sure how that was possible. "Xander."

"Yes?" Xander started stroking himself in time with the pleasure he was giving Wright. Wright reached his hand up and pulled on the front of his shirt until Xander moved closer. He was resting on his left elbow, his right hand still moving up and down Wright's length. "God, you're so beautiful."

"You are too," Wright said breathlessly. "Let me- Can I touch you?"

"No," Xander said softly. He leaned down and kissed him, sliding their tongues together until they both needed air again. "This is for you. Let me make you feel good."

Wright nodded and kept his eyes on Xander. His hand disappeared, but Wright felt the tugging sensation of his pants being pulled down to his knees. Xander pulled back and did the same to his jeans. Their size difference was something that Wright was keenly aware of whenever they dressed or undressed. He liked that Xander was bigger than him, played the clear role of protector. But his cock was massive. He had to be at least eight inches, if not more. And he was thick.

Xander covered his body once again, rubbing their cocks against each other. The friction was heavenly and Wright could hear himself whimpering with need. He was close already. "Please, Xander. Please."

"I love the way you beg for me," Xander whispered into his ear. His hand went back around him, but this time his cock was sliding right alongside his. "Fuck. You're so hard for me."

"I'm so close," Wright cried. He could feel himself shaking with need.

"Not yet, gorgeous." Xander's hand circled his head, collecting the bead of precum on his slit. Wright couldn't see what he was doing, but the slide of his hand got a little easier. He was sure he was leaking like crazy, wondering if Xander was in the same state. His hand picked up speed as their breaths got quick and shallow. Wright's mouth was set in an ‘O' shape as his pleasure built. He curled his toes in his shoes, trying to hold off his orgasm.

A new sensation hit him. Xander had stopped moving his hand, but he continued to thrust his hips, fucking his hand alongside Wright's cock. The friction was indescribable and Wright cried out as the first wave of his orgasm hit him. One hand gripped the blanket below them while the other still held on to Xander's shirt.

"Damn, Wright. You really do that every time." Xander moved to sit back on his heels again. He wrapped his hand around himself and all Wright had the energy for was to just watch as he fucked himself with his hand. Xander used his free hand to push Wright's shirt up his chest just as he let himself go. The noises that Xander made when he came were beyond hot. He grunted, a mix of heavy breathing and half noises filled the space around them. "Fuck, fuck." Wright's eyes watched as Xander's pleasure hit him and he released ropes of cum onto his skin. He ran his fingers through the mess on his stomach, a mix of both their pleasures. He looked at Xander with a bright smile.

"Best first date ever," Wright said.