Chase the Stars (Lang Downs 2 ) (24 page)

“Maybe we should go upstairs,” Macklin said, finally breaking the kiss. “We wouldn’t want them to come back and find us on the couch. They might not care that we’re gay, but they don’t need to see it either.”

Caine chuckled and rose, holding out his hand. Macklin took it. He planned to spend the rest of his life taking it.

They walked upstairs to their bedroom, hand in hand, pausing to kiss occasionally, but mostly walking together like it was the simplest thing in the world. Macklin wasn’t sure if it was the simplest or the most complicated, but he knew one thing to the depths of his soul: it was the most important.

Inside the bedroom, Caine turned into Macklin’s arms, renewing the drugging kisses from the couch. Macklin leaned into them, drawing the courage he needed for what came next.

Caine wanted him.
They undressed slowly, arriving at a silent accord of tenderness rather than lust. The lust would come, Macklin knew, but only when they had loved so thoroughly that lust was an afterthought. Macklin lingered over every bit of Caine’s skin as it came into sight, kissing, caressing, licking, or stroking, cherishing his lover as dictated by his heart and the new commitment between them. When Caine was naked, he returned the favor until Macklin knew himself loved beyond the slightest doubt. His legs trembled by the time Caine was done undressing him, and he had to hold onto the bedpost to stay upright, but he didn’t ask Caine to hurry. The moment could not be rushed.
Finally Caine rose to his feet again, their bodies touching from toes to lips. Macklin kissed Caine deeply, languidly, lingering over this thorough possession of Caine’s mouth. His lover tasted sweet, which made no sense since they had eaten curry for lunch, but Macklin didn’t try to chase down the explanation. It was enough to taste, to explore Caine’s mouth again with all the ease of familiarity and all the determination of the first time. Caine leaned into him, asking for more, so Macklin obliged, running his hands over Caine’s back and down to his arse, pulling him close to rock their hips together. Caine groaned into the kiss and rubbed against Macklin more urgently.
“Don’t come yet,” Macklin warned, pulling back just enough to allow air to pass between them. “You can’t make love to me if you come first.”
“What?” Caine said. “But you didn’t want….”
“And now I do,” Macklin said. The thought still made him nervous, but the time had come to let that go. Caine wanted him. Nothing else mattered.
“You won’t regret it,” Caine promised. “I’ll make it so good for you.”
“I know you will,” Macklin said. That had never been the problem. The problem had been his own hang-ups and issues, but they all seemed insignificant in the face of Caine’s proposal. If they lost more men because of it, they’d hire new ones. If they had to work twice as many hours to get everything done, they’d do it.
Caine wanted him.
Everything else paled in comparison.
“Lie down,” Caine said, giving Macklin a little shove toward the bed.
Macklin reclined on the pillows, eyes fixed on Caine as Caine pulled the lube from the drawer and knelt next to Macklin. He really was the most beautiful thing Macklin had ever seen. Macklin lifted a hand to Caine’s cheek as Caine stroked Macklin’s erection with a slick hand. “I thought you were fucking me.”
“I will,” Caine said, “but I thought I’d make you feel good first.”
“You make me feel good just by being in the same room with me, pup.”
“Then this will feel even better.”
Macklin grinned as Caine nipped at his skin, lingering on his nipples until they were hard little buds, desperate for more attention. All the while, Caine moved his hand slowly on Macklin’s cock, keeping the stimulation constant. Macklin shifted on the bed, spreading his legs as he planted his feet so he could thrust into Caine’s hand. Caine chuckled and shifted his attention from Macklin’s nipples to his balls, licking and sucking at them without speeding the damnable slow rhythm of his hand. When he felt the fingers of Caine’s other hand slip into his crease and begin their explorations, he didn’t even tense. He’d grown accustomed to their touch. Not immune, not by any means, but he no longer tensed up in rejection as they slipped through his guardian muscle and probed inside, stretching and opening him.
“Don’t wait too long, pup.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll come.”
“Can’t get it up twice anymore?” Caine teased.
“I’m not twenty anymore.”
“I bet I could persuade you,” Caine said, fingering Macklin’s prostate and licking at the head of his cock. “I know all your hot spots.”
Macklin couldn’t argue with that. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I want you, Caine.”
Caine’s answer was to kiss Macklin until Macklin dug his fingers into Caine’s back. Then he felt Caine’s weight settle against him, covering him as he slotted his cock against Macklin’s entrance and pushed until the head popped through. They both froze, breaths coming in pants, bathing each other’s faces.
“I love you.”
The instinctive need to tense fled and Macklin relaxed completely, allowing Caine to slide deeper inside him. “You’re inside me.”
“Some,” Caine said, pushing a little more. “You okay?”
“Never been better,” Macklin said, and he meant it too. All the reasons for refusing suddenly seemed ridiculous in the face of the overwhelming sense of rightness. He belonged to Caine and Caine to him and the station—and the future—to them both. The need that had been building slowly demanded more attention now. He wrapped his legs around Caine’s hips, urging him to move. He felt each thrust from beginning to end as Caine drove into him, still careful but less hesitant as Macklin urged him on.
The scent of musk and desire surrounded them, so that Macklin breathed it in with each inhale. His eyes closed without his volition, hiding the sight of Caine’s beloved face, but Macklin didn’t need to see to know every nuance of desire and love as Caine pushed them toward release.
“Please, pup,” Macklin begged, needing to come.
Caine’s hand returned to Macklin’s cock, providing the final stimulation Macklin needed. He clenched and cried out as his orgasm escaped him. Seconds later, Caine joined him. Macklin could feel the stickiness between his thighs and the sensation made him quiver with renewed need. He wouldn’t be ready for round two anytime soon, but he’d carry the memory with him all day, and that would have him ready again come tonight.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“For what?” Caine asked.
“For loving me enough to stay.”
Caine’s only reply was another long kiss.

E
VERYONE
on the station had come out for Christmas dinner as far as Chris could tell, even the families who probably had or would later have smaller celebrations just for them. Chris was glad for the huge dinner. It lessened the feeling of missing his mum and of not being able to make it a real holiday for Seth. Their little house might not have much more in the way of decorations than the wreath Caine gave them, but Seth was still getting as much Christmas cheer as any teenager could ask for.

“How’s the ham?” Jesse asked, sitting down next to Chris with a plate piled high with ham, lamb, spuds, and all the fixings for a perfect Christmas feast.

“Delicious,” Chris said, skewering another piece with his fork, “but everything Kami makes is delicious.”
“One of the great joys of working at Lang Downs,” Jesse agreed.
Chris pouted. “You mean I’m not?”
“I didn’t say that,” Jesse said, tapping Chris’s protruding lower lip with his fork. “I said
one
of the great joys, not the only or even the greatest.”
Chris knew he should leave it at that, but he couldn’t stop the words. “And what is the greatest?”
“If I say it’s not having to hide being gay, I’m going to be sleeping in the bunkhouse tonight, aren’t I?” Jesse teased.
“Maybe not,” Chris said after a moment’s internal debate. “After all, not hiding means being able to be with me more.”
Jesse chuckled and shook his head. “The best part of this summer has been you without a doubt, Chris. I was just teasing.”
Chris wanted to say he’d known that and reply in turn, but the words meant too much now that he’d admitted to himself how he felt about Jesse. Jesse’s comment might not be a declaration of love, but it was one of regard, and that made Chris’s heart beat just a little bit faster.
He wanted to say more, but some conversations needed privacy, and the canteen in the middle of Christmas dinner did not provide anything resembling privacy, so Chris changed the subject. “Seth’s birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. Mum always made a big deal out of it so he wouldn’t feel like it got lost in Christmas, but I have no idea what to do for him here.”
“We’ll have a surprise party,” Jesse said immediately. “Jason will help us keep Seth away from your house while everyone comes over. We don’t have to invite the whole station if you don’t want to, but I bet if you really wanted to do it up big, Caine and Macklin would let you use the canteen and have it here. It could be almost as big as Christmas.”
“That
would
make Seth feel good,” Chris said. “They’ve done so much for us already, though. I’d feel bad about asking for more.”
“But that’s just it,” Jesse said. “Kami’s already cooking, so it’s not like he’d be cooking anything extra except maybe a cake. We’d have to get decorations from Boorowa, but we can pay for those. The only thing you’d be asking is permission to use this space instead of doing it at your house, and that doesn’t cost them anything.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Chris said, turning the idea over in his head. “I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but it’s for Seth. It’s been such a hard year. He deserves to have something special.”
“Exactly,” Jesse said. “We’ll talk to Caine after dinner and see what he says. If he says no, then we’ll plan it at your place instead.”
Chris still wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of asking Caine and Macklin for more special favors, but it was for Seth, and he’d do for Seth things he wouldn’t consider doing for himself.
“What’s his favorite meal?” Jesse went on. “We can ask Kami if he’d be willing to make it that night. With a couple of weeks’ notice, it shouldn’t be a problem to rearrange his menu even if he’s already planned that far ahead.”
“He plans meals at least a month in advance so he can be sure to have supplies on hand,” Chris said, thinking back to his tenure in the kitchen, “but if it’s something he makes regularly, he could probably swap days without too much trouble.”
“So what would you have him make for Seth?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know,” Chris said, squirming internally at the thought of being so out of touch with his brother despite all the time they’d spent together. “Before we came here, we ate whatever we could afford or I could bring home from the restaurant, and once we got here, it’s been whatever Kami served. There hasn’t been a lot of time to think about what we’d have if we actually had a choice.”
“And asking him would ruin the surprise,” Jesse said. “There’s Caine. Let’s ask him about using the canteen. We can figure the rest out if he says yes.”
Chris checked to make sure Seth was still occupied with Jason and the other kids. When he saw that Seth wasn’t paying attention, Chris nodded and waved Caine over.
“Merry Christmas,” Caine said. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes, very much,” Jesse said. “Chris wanted to ask a favor.”
Chris glared at Jesse. “Happy Christmas,” he said first. “It’s Seth’s birthday in a couple of weeks, and my mum always had a big party for him so he wouldn’t feel like it got lost in Christmas. I know it’s a lot to ask, but could we use the canteen and have his party here?”
“Of course,” Caine said immediately. “We’ll get Kami to bake a cake and everyone will celebrate.”
“We want it to be a surprise,” Chris said. “We thought Jason could help distract him.”
“Jason will love that,” Caine said. “He loves a good surprise. We’ll give Seth a party he’ll never forget.”
“It’ll be enough to decorate the canteen and have everyone here.”
Caine frowned. “When’s his birthday?”
Chris gave him the date.
“My parents will still be here. Let us give Seth a party he’ll remember. We can tell him it’s for my parents, since they’re leaving soon after and I don’t know when I’ll get to see them again. That way he won’t be suspicious of any preparations he might see or overhear.”
“But then your parents won’t have a going-away party,” Chris protested.
“No, they’ll have Seth’s birthday party, and they’ll enjoy that far more. Trust me. My father hates people fussing over him. This will let me do it without upsetting him and while making Seth happy at the same time. You and Jesse figure out what you want to do and let Kami know. I’ll tell him to make it happen. If it means an extra trip to town, well, there’s always a list of things to buy so it won’t be wasted.”
Emotion welled up in Chris’s throat, making it hard to talk. Kami had told him months ago that he only had to stretch out his hand and take what Lang Downs had to offer, but Chris hadn’t really believed him then. Even the offer of moving into Neil’s house hadn’t convinced him completely, because it served Macklin and Caine to have Chris and Seth elsewhere. This, though, this was different. Caine didn’t have any reason to do this other than to be kind to Seth. Sometime over the past three months, Chris had become a part of Lang Downs, and now he was benefiting from it, just as Kami had promised.
“Thank you,” Chris said, too touched to say anything else.