Cowboy Summer - 8. The Sound of Crickets

Rhydian wasn’t sure what do with his hands once he was in the truck. He fiddled with the radio for a while, found a stationing playing something he vaguely recognised from his sister’s preferred playlists, and then settled to picking bits of hay and chaff from his jeans and t-shirt. He fiddled with the brim of his new hat, and watched Jase drive.

The big cowboy flashed him a bright smile, cool and sexy, every time he turned his head, and Rhydian felt his heart lurch every single time he did it. It was nice to be in the cab of the big truck with the handsome man in the black hat and the chequered shirt. They drove out past Bee’s and through the centre of town, which didn’t take more than a few minutes anyway, and then Rhydian was distracted from looking out of the window at the passing fields by the feeling of Jase’s thick fingers on the back of his neck. He almost didn’t want to move, because the heat and roughness made his skin shiver and his bones felt weak. Jase’s thumb rubbed across the bumpy vertebrae, and Rhydian looked at him, smiled, and Jase grabbed him around the neck and pulled him across the big bench seat. Rhydian froze, then melted into Jase’s side.

They drove a while further out of town, before Jase took a little dirt road out into the fields, heading the direction of trees. They went slower, and his fingers played against Rhydian’s ribs. His heart was hammering under his ribs and he felt hot, his jeans tight. Jase grinned out at the landscape as he drove.

“So what kind of orchards are they?” Rhydian asked, trying to keep his voice level and even, “It goes on for miles...”

“The nearest ones are cherry,” Jase punctuated his words by stroking the boy’s skin, hand moving under his t-shirt, “We have peach and plum too, and about thirty acres of apples, but they won’t be ready for a while yet.” They drove past a whole field of trees, peppered with dark red fruit, and then another punctured with people picking, shaking down the trees and gathering the harvest. Jase took a right and drove them down a narrow dirt path between the trees, the fruit nearly close enough to pick straight from the open window of the pick-up.

They drove up into the middle of the field, and Jase killed the engine. Rhydian made to sit up, to move towards the door, but Jase arm kept him pinned.

“Easy there Rhyder,” Jase’s hand was warm and rough against his bare skin, wrapping around his waist, “You’re good.”

“Um…” Rhydian looked up at the cowboy. He didn’t know where to put his hands, Jase’s chest was broad and muscled, tan skin showing at the neck of the shirt, and anything below the waist was just tempting and scary. Jase took his hand and kissed his knuckles softly.

“You OK there cowboy?”

“I…” Rhydian hated the idea of admitting how innocent he was, “You wanna come for a walk?”

“Well sure,” Jase’s hand moved in circles on his skin, “Anything you like Rhyder.” Jase jumped out of the cab and came round Rhydian’s side to help him out. He took the paler boy’s hand as he jumped down and Rhydian was delighted to find that Jase didn’t let go once he was safely on the ground. “That was some lovely riding you were doing this morning bud.”

“Really?” Rhydian glowed with the compliment, “I thought my rope work was sloppy, but we’re way better at the jumps now.” He rubbed his hip with his free hand, he’d fallen, though he barely remembered it each time he came off, the scramble to get back on and get it right way more important to him now than licking his wounds. “Maybe one day we can go riding together.”

“You bet pretty boy.” Jase lead him along the lane to a small pathway between the rows of trees. He wrapped his arm around the boy again, but not over his shoulder, placing a hand on his waist, tucked up under his t-shirt, skin on skin. “I’ll bring Sugar on over tomorrow and we’ll hack out eh?”

Rhydian swivelled out of his grasp and smiled, walking backwards, thumbs in his pockets.

“You’ll have to help round up the goats first. Caleb’s got me practising roping them.”

“I’ll rope you in a minute Rhyder, if you keep trying to get away.” Jase started after him, the playful glint in his eyes, mixed with a hunger that Rhydian recognised in his sister’s boyfriend’s, and Rhydian backed away, glanced over his shoulder, grinned, turned, and fell flat on his front with his foot caught in a root.

“Ah! OW!” Rhydian snarled. It was one of those falls that was going to hurt for about twenty seconds before he was going to feel stupid, “Dammit!” Rhydian rolled over, and found Jase looking down at him. The big cowboy dropped to his knees, hands either side of Rhydian’s shoulders.

“I got you now.”

“Oh…” Rhydian found his breath coming short as Jase settled over him, closing the distance between them with a sexy smile.

“Hey Rhyder,” Jase’s hand was wrapped around the back of his head, rubbing his short hair. Rhydian felt himself melting into the contact, the warmth between them as Jase’s weight settled over him, “You’re alright.” Jase’s dark eyes hovered over his own and Rhydian tried to breathe, found that he couldn’t, and then Jase’s lips were touching his, the hand stroking the back of his head, his hard on digging into Jase’s hip. The touch made him gasp, his mouth opening for the older man’s tongue.

It was his first kiss, and it was the kind of thing that first kisses were made of. Soft and sweet, and full of fire. Jase gave him just enough room to feel like he was in control but was aggressive enough to make Rhydian melt between his lips. Jase pulled back to let him breathe, transferring his weight to his hips, grinding gently into Rhydian’s crotch and the boy moaned, craning his neck to taste Jase’s lips again. The cowboy tasted like apples and mint.

After a few long minutes, Jase leant up on his elbows with a smile, before jumping up onto his boots. He reached out a hand and hauled Rhydian to his feet, pulling him against his chest with a soft thud. Rhydian panted.

“Well then pretty boy,” Jase sounded short of breathe too, “You wanna go for a little walk?”

“Yeah.” Rhydian could feel his cheeks hurting from the force of his smile; his heart was beating in an elated sort of way, “That would be nice.”

Jase picked cherries from the trees as they walked, and Rhydian found himself jostling shoulders with the older man as they went; Jase feeding him cherries, both of them spitting the stones into the undergrowth. Rhydian lips were stained red from the juice. They talked some, Rhydian chatting about his family back home and how much he loved working with Shura. Jase told him a little about how he’d gotten into rodeo, working with horses because his father did, the rush of wrestling a steer in the ring. Rhydian found himself holding Jase’s hand again as the big cowboy led him through the trees.

They came out into the edge of a meadow, long grass up to Rhydian’s knees, and the summer blue sky was dotted with butterflies and the passing of birds overheard. Jase pulled him up the slope, grabbed both his hands, and leant back, falling into the grass, hauling Rhydian down with him. The boy landed heavily in his arms and Jase coughed as he caught his breath again, laughing at the horror and embarrassment on Rhydian’s face. Rhydian felt stupid, but Jase was kissing him again, his hands running over Rhydian’s body, pressing into the small of his back. Rhydian couldn’t help but moan.

Jase brought his knee up, pinning Rhydian along his front as his hands came down past Rhydian’s waist, palming his butt. He squeezed. Rhydian gasped.

“J-Jase!”

“Yeah?” Jase kissed his throat, warm and wet, his stubble scratching Rhydian’s skin in a delightful sort of way, “You want me to stop?”

“N-n-no…” Rhydian was panting, Jase was kneading his arse with one strong hand, and his head was full of heat and fog. There was nothing but the sound of crickets all around in the long grass. Rhydian’s heart hammered in his chest. Jase was probably the most beautiful man he’d ever seen, and Jase wanted him. Rhydian could feel the shape of Jase’s erection pressing hard into his thigh, and it was sort of scary and exciting.

“C’mon pretty boy. Let me make you feel good.” Jase shifted his weight, and then it was Rhydian who was staring up at the blue sky and the cloud of long grass stalks haloing them. The crickets were deafening over his heartbeat.

“Um…”

Jase was moving down his body, pushing up his shirt, kissing his chest and Rhydian couldn’t focus on anything other than the feel of Jase’s lips on his skin, the muscles in his abdomen jumping. Jase pressed over his crotch with one palm and Rhydian’s breath came short. The cowboy ground into him, hips rocking together through two layers of denim, and Rhydian couldn’t work out where to put his hands, how to breathe properly, what to do about the heat building in his crotch. A cricket was playing violin in his ear, and the noise pulled him out of the experience as Jase kissed his navel.

Jase thumbed open the button of his fly, set his fingers on the zipper, and Rhydian found his hands wrapped around the back of his own head, all his muscles tense. Jase’s breath was hot on the bulge in his underwear, and he made an appreciative growl of satisfaction with what he found. It was too much. All too soon there was a familiar and unwelcome sensation in his crotch, and then Rhydian was panting, nearly crying out with the goodness of it all as he came. Jase stilled, leant up looking at him with own eyebrow raised and Rhydian thought he might die of the humiliation. He rolled away from Jase, face in his hands.

He felt so stupid. Jase was lying there looking at him and probably thought that he was nothing but a stupid child. He’d come in his boxers like a hapless teenager just because Jase had kissed him and now he felt awful, pathetic, ridiculous. He wanted to curl up into ball and just cry until it got dark so he could escape without making even more of an embarrassment of himself.

“Rhyder?”

Rhydian sniffed, trying not to snivel and cry.

“Hey, Rhyder… pretty boy.” Jase’s hand on his shoulder was stronger than he was, and Rhydian found himself wrapped in Jase’s strong arms, crying into his shirt front, “Take it easy bud. You’re OK.”

The sound of crickets chirping filled the air, and Rhydian clung tight to Jase’s shirt, getting his heartbeat back to normal, still feeling like an idiot. Eventually he let go of the death grip he had on the chequered cotton and lay on his back, staring at the blue sky and the pale grass all around. It took him a long time to manage to say anything.

“I’m sorry.” He felt sticky and uncomfortable, “Jase…”

“Hush,” Jase leant up on one elbow, placing a hand on his chest, “First time jitters. It happens.” Jase bent down, kissed his neck, his lips soft and insistent.

“But…”

“Rhyder,” Jase was looking right at him, hot dark eyes full of unexpected understanding, “It’s OK. Hey pretty boy,” Jase took his chin and turned his face back to look at him again, “What’s say we take you home, get you all cleaned up, and I’ll take you out tonight, eh?” Rhydian felt his chest thud at the words, “Show you how the experts kill a Saturday night ‘round here.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Jase’s smile was soft and sexy.

“You don’t think I’m… pathetic or anything, do you?” Rhydian twisted his fingers in his shirt when he spoke, and he knew he was blushing.

“Rhyder, I think you’re hotter than hell. You ain’t got nothing to worry about pretty boy.”

*

“Hey love birds!” Jase shouted from his truck the second the engine died as they pulled up in the yard out front of the ranch house at Iron Hill Lake. Caleb was sitting on the yard fence, Sam was standing leaning with an elbow on his boyfriend’s thigh, hat tipped right back on his head. They both looked happy and tired after a long day’s work.

“Hey-up Jase,” Sam waved with his hat and smiled, “You brought our young ‘un back then?”

Rhydian leapt down from the truck cab and managed not to fall over this time. It continually seemed like such a long way down for him. Jase grinned like a fool as he jumped down and came over.

“Party time people,” He collared Rhydian and knuckled the boy’s short hair, “We gotta show this English boy how it’s done.”

Caleb frowned.

“When Jase says ‘party’,” He said evenly, “What he means is drive out into the country and set something on fire.” He turned to Rhydian, turning his hat around in his hands, “You’ve got duties to tend to before you go running off into the middle of nowhere, and you’ve been gone all day.”

“Ease up Cay,” Sam rubbed the native man’s knuckle with a thumb, “He is a guest.”

“He’s on full roster duties.” Caleb shifted away from Sam and jumped down from the fence, he turned to go, “Rhydian! Haul ass boy. There’s work to do.”

Rhydian glanced between Sam and Jase and Caleb’s retreating back. He could feel Caleb’s anger radiating from him, so with a small self-depreciating smile, he ducked out of Jase’s warm arms and scurried after Caleb.

Sam watched the boy go, acting like a kicked puppy.

“That’s not going to go well.” He stuck his thumbs in his front pockets, “So what, we picking up the keg this time?”

“Nah. Brad’s boys have got that covered. Can you guys get the ice and bring some buckets or something yeah?” Jase rubbed the back of his head, “I suppose I’ll meet you guys there?”

“Rhyder will be disappointed. It all went well today then?”

“Yeah,” Sam recognised the smugness in his friend’s tone. But there was not the note of satisfaction that would have told him that Jase had already gotten everything he wanted, “We went for a walk. It was fun.”

“You know that Caleb is warning him off you even as we speak?”

“Wouldn’t expect him to do anything less. I know he hates me.” Jase shrugged like it was nothing.

“He doesn’t hate you. He cares a bit about the kid. Lord knows the boy needs someone to care about him,” They both stood and looked at the point where Rhydian and Caleb had vanished for a moment, “I don’t think Cay ever got over the fact that we forgave each other really.”

Jase rubbed around his left eye with one thumb. Two years ago, Sam had hit him there hard enough to fracture the bone and left him looking like a lopsided panda for weeks. But they’d gotten over it. Jase had forgiven him for the fact that all he got for weeks were sympathy fucks, and Sam had forgiven him for his unashamed poaching tactics when Sam had first gotten together with Caleb.

“No point holding onto grudges is there?” Jase smiled, “Look dude, I’m gonna go get the speakers from Bry’s and then go into town and get some food OK? Tell Rhyder I’m lookin’ forward to seeing him.”

“I will. Jase?”

Jase stopped with one hand on his truck.

“Yeah?”

“Try not to break him too much yeah?”

“God, you two sound the same. He’s made you all serious Texan. See ya!”

Sam raised a hand and watched Jase drive away. Beer, corn liquor, things on fire in a field, Jase’s dark eyes and lots of dark quiet places to hide away in sounded like either a great place to put Rhyder, or a recipe for disaster and plenty of tears later. Sam had been leaving home and rodeoing around the country at that age, he figured that Rhydian could be trusted to decide how far he wanted to go. Caleb was no doubt putting the boy’s back up about it, and that was either gonna help some, or Caleb was going to push Rhydian right into Jase’s warm and welcoming arms. Either way, they were going to have themselves a party.

Heated summer Saturday nights were always hell raising and fun.