The Hollow Hills - 5. Chapter 5

Joshua

I smiled broadly as Roger walked through the front door and into my arms. I inhaled his spicy scent and tilted my head up to kiss him. The feel of his tongue in my mouth and hand on my ass almost made me forget the look on Galen’s face when I informed everyone that Roger was coming over.

“I missed you so much, Josh. I need you… now,” he growled low in my ear, sending a rush that coursed south through my veins. He grinned and grabbed my hand, dragging me toward my bedroom. He stopped when he saw Alannah. “You could join us, you know.” He laughed and winked at her.

She shot him a scathing look. “I’m going to do barn check,” she said, then walked out the door.

Roger stared after her. “Too bad,” he muttered. He said it almost soft enough that I didn’t hear. I hated it when he talked like that. Alannah thought he was serious, even if I didn’t. At least, I thought he wasn’t.

He pulled me toward my bedroom and embraced me again once we were inside, kissing me all over my face and neck. It didn’t take long before he was shoving me down on my knees. It never did. I undid his belt and slid his jeans down past his underwear, taking time to nuzzle the ample bulge that was forming and inhale his unique scent. I ran my hands as far up his back as I could reach and played teasingly with the waistband of his briefs. He stepped away from me and kicked off his jeans, pulling off his underwear and grabbing my head, thrusting his crotch in my face.

“C’mon, Josh. You know what I need.”

I took him in my mouth and bobbed my head up and down, cupping his balls and gently squeezing. Roger groaned and thrust into my mouth, causing me to gag and pull off. He pulled me upward and shoved me on the bed with a wicked smile. I undid my jeans and pulled them and my boxers off in one motion, kicking them to the floor. Roger went into my nightstand and grabbed the lube, pouring it onto his erection.

“Flip over,” he commanded.

I felt him probe my entrance none too gently and winced as he penetrated me with his finger. It wasn’t long before he added a second one, then I felt the cold wetness of the lube followed almost immediately by his cock. He thrust into me with one long stroke and I grabbed the bedspread with both hands, gripping it tightly until the pain subsided. It didn’t take long before he established a steady rhythm and I moaned in pleasure. It had been a long time since Roger’s last visit.

I found myself wondering what Galen would be like in bed, then immediately felt guilty for thinking of the beautiful blond man while my boyfriend was making love to me. It was bad enough that I had kissed Galen behind Roger’s back. I knew that I needed to control myself better around him. I wasn’t a cheater and felt ashamed of my actions. I didn’t want Galen to get the wrong impression of me, especially knowing what Jamie put him through.

Roger thrust hard and fast into me and I knew he wasn’t going to last long. His breathing and rhythm both faltered and I felt a hot burst as he came inside me. He collapsed on top of me and then rolled onto his back, grinning.

“You are so amazing. I can’t get enough of you.” He panted. “Let me watch you finish yourself off. I’m exhausted, babe.”

I didn’t last very long. I was imagining blond hair and bright green eyes that seemed to look directly into my soul. After I finished I went into my bathroom and got a warm washcloth to clean up my black-haired boyfriend, and feeling incredibly guilty.

Roger hugged me from behind as I put a pot of coffee on. I turned in his embrace and wrapped my arms around him. I craved his touch. I ran my fingers through his jet-black hair and traced the stubble on his cheek. I loved the feel of it. I kissed him and laid my head against his chest.

“Are you hungry? There’s some shepherd’s pie left over. I can heat you up a plate.” I said.

“Nah. I can’t stay. I have an early meeting tomorrow morning.”

I frowned. I hadn’t seen him in close to a month. “You just got here. Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“I’m sorry, babe. Work is killing me lately. I really wish I could.”

“When will I see you again? I miss you, Roger. It seems like I hardly see you anymore.” I hugged him tighter.

He drew away from me and brushed my hair back, kissing my forehead. “I miss you, too. I’ll be out of town the next couple of weeks, but I’ll call you when I get back.”

“Two weeks?” I frowned. At least it wasn’t a month.

“I’ll make it up to you sweetheart, I promise.” He kissed me and ruffled my hair as he walked out the door. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said to my boyfriend’s back.

*****

I tossed and turned for a couple hours before giving up on sleep and padding my way into the kitchen. I made some hot cocoa and put a log on the embers that were still glowing in the fireplace. The cocoa tasted smooth and chocolaty, with just a hint of cinnamon. I relaxed as I sipped it in front of the fire, wrapped up in a soft blanket. Hot cocoa was my go-to comfort drink in the winter. There was just something so soothing about sipping it curled up in front of a hot fire. My thoughts drifted to Galen, as they seemed to do quite frequently ever since I met him.

I surprised myself when I let him help me in the kitchen. I was glad I did, though. It was so much fun teaching him how to cook. It reminded me of Henri’s cooking lessons. I sighed deeply and took a sip of cocoa. I hadn’t thought of Henri in years. He was the only man I ever considered settling down with, and although he wanted the same thing I refused to live my life in the closet. It took me two years to figure out that he never planned on leaving it.

I realized with a start that the urge to settle down with someone had been reawakened in me. It felt so natural being around Galen and I wanted him around all the time. He was so funny and smart and beautiful. I’d never met a better-looking man in my life. He could be a model. It wasn’t just those bright green eyes that looked at me with a mixture of innocence and knowing, or his delightfully messy sandy-blond hair with every strand exactly where he wanted it that appealed to me. There was something about the man as a whole. He had a thirst for knowledge that made it a delight to teach him. I couldn’t wait to get him on a horse. I stopped teaching beginners a long time ago, but for him I’d make an exception.

Galen and Roger were as different as night and day. I scowled into my cup. I had those feelings for Roger once, but accepted our arrangement long ago. We fulfilled a need in each other that no one understood, especially Alannah and Liam. I wanted nothing more than for Roger to move in with me, but he worked so far away from the farm that it wasn’t practical, especially in the winter. The Hollow Hills was my home and there was no way I was leaving it, not even for Roger. I loved him and wished we could spend more time together, but after Henri I gave up on the notion of spending the rest of my life in domestic bliss with another man. It just wasn’t in the cards for me.

I needed to stop thinking of Galen as anything more than just a friend. I wondered what the beautiful blond saw in me. He could have his choice of men. Why me? I was nothing special. I was older than him by about ten years I guessed. I wasn’t gorgeous or famous. Well, I was in both the cooking and show-jumping worlds, but Galen wasn’t a part of either.

I finished my cocoa and headed back to bed, hoping that sleep wouldn’t continue to elude me.

*****

I yawned as I turned the bacon in the sizzling pan.

“Rough night?”

“I had a lot on my mind.” I swatted Alannah’s hand when she tried to swipe a slice of already cooked bacon.

“Roger left awfully early.”

“Please don’t start.”

“It was just an observation.”

“Nothing’s just an observation with you.”

“I don’t want to argue,” she said, pouring a cup of coffee.

“Then don’t.” I stirred the scrambled egg mixture with a fork and poured it into the pan with the hot bacon grease. When they were cooked, I put some shredded cheddar on top and scooped the fluffy eggs into a bowl before setting it on the table.

I poured us each a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice and sat down to eat.

“Do you have any lessons tonight?”

I nodded. “Just one. I have a big article due Friday, so Caroline’s going to teach the rest of my lessons this week. Galen’s coming on Saturday. He’s my next lesson after that.”

“You don’t usually teach beginners,” she said with a smirk.

“I know, but he’s a friend so I made an exception.”

“Are you giving him a cooking lesson, too?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “And if I am?”

She laughed. “I think it’s wonderful you’re finally letting someone in your kitchen. If I’d known all it would take is a hot man, I’d have found you one ages ago.”

I set my fork down with a loud clatter. “I already have a man.”

“Relax, love. I wasn’t disparaging Roger.”

“I wish you’d stop talking about him so negatively. You just don’t understand him.”

“You’re right, I don’t. You deserve better.”

I scowled as I stood and cleared my dishes. “I’m heading to the office. You can clean up.” I grabbed my briefcase and coat and slammed the front door on the way to my truck. I know it was childish, but it made me feel slightly better.

*****

My office phone rang and I was grateful for the distraction. I was having a hell of a time trying to concentrate on writing my article.

“This is Joshua Riordan, how can I help you?”

“Hey, sweetheart. I just needed to hear your voice.”

My heart swelled upon hearing Roger’s voice. “Hey, it’s good to hear from you.”

“Is everything ok? You seemed a bit distracted last night.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just missed you so much. It’s going to be hard to wait two weeks before I see you again.”

“I know the feeling. I was just remembering how incredible last night was and thinking about your mouth and the things you do with it.”

I could hear the smirk in his voice. “I can’t wait to do those things to you again.”

“Tell me what you want to do to me,” he said in a low, sexy voice.

“I can’t do that here! I’m at work!”

“Aw, c’mon…

I jumped when I heard a loud knock on the door. “Hang on a sec, Roger.” I covered the phone with my hand. “Come in!”

Margaret, my secretary, poked her head in the door. “Lunch is here, Josh.”

“Ok. I’ll be out in a minute.” I exhaled before putting the phone back to my ear. “I gotta go, hun. Lunch is here.”

“C’mon…you don’t have a minute to describe what you’ll do to me the next time I come over?”

“It will take a lot more than a minute. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Same here. Bye, Josh. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Love you.”

He had already hung up.

I ate my lunch with a big smile on my face. I even managed to get a large chunk of my article written, despite being distracted by thoughts of my hot boyfriend.