Forever, p.22
Forever, page 22
part #2 of Always & Forever Series
“I love it here,” Robert said, bringing the golf cart to a stop.
“I can see why.” Landon’s smile matched his.
“This was the other place my granddaddy Paulie took us camping.” Robert parked the cart and left the keys in the ignition. He went to the backseat and checked the basket strapped there. “We’d come out here in the fall and play in the leaves. Autumn would get them snagged in her hair. She’d cry while they had to brush it all out. I once tried to show her that brushing her hair was better than being pinched. I got in some trouble for my reasoning.”
Landon came around the cart. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he stared down at his feet as he walked. He had on his new walking shorts and a short sleeve button-down. He looked like a J.Crew model straight off the pages of a magazine. The wind played with that short, dark silky hair, giving him a rugged windblown look. Robert extended his hand. Landon glanced up and didn’t hesitate to take it. Their instant connection radiated through Robert every time they touched.
“You’re being quiet. Tell me what’s wrong,” Robert said as Landon walked out in front of him, stopping at the cliff’s edge.
“It’s incredible here. The ocean’s very calming to be so dangerous.”
“I know. I’ve always been drawn to water,” Robert said and wound both arms around Landon, encircling his firm body before pressing himself fully against Landon’s back. The water wasn’t the draw it had once been—it came second to the man in his arms—and Robert lowered his head to Landon’s shoulder. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
Landon gave no hesitation when he answered. “I’m afraid I’ll embarrass you or your family when people start digging into my past,” Landon said quietly, his eyes downcast and chin tucked to his chest. “I’m in over my head with you. I can pretend it’s all okay when we’re alone together in your house, when it’s just me and you, but coming here…”
“You could never embarrass me, Landon,” Robert answered honestly, turning Landon in his arms. “Not ever.”
“That’s not true and it freaks me out. One wrong move and you might wake up and see what you’ve done,” Landon said, his indignation shining through in his tone. Robert respected the honor and integrity Landon brought to everything he did, but it did make for a war of wills sometimes, and that was okay, he was up for it.
“Wake up and realize I’m with you?” he asked.
“Yeah. And I’m waiting for that day. I’m trying to keep perspective, but you make it so fucking hard.” Landon tried to turn back toward the ocean, and the struggle was real to keep him facing Robert so he could look into his eyes.
“You want to stay with me?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. You know that.” He lost the battle and got Landon’s back again.
“I hoped. You haven’t actually said that’s what you wanted.” Robert had long past decided he and Landon were worth fighting for, and that was exactly what he intended to do. There was no way he was going to let Landon’s reservations slice away at their forever. “Stop putting all this between us. I’m crazy about you. Are you crazy about me?”
“You know I am, and I can’t accept the gift… And you know I can’t,” Landon said decisively over his shoulder. Robert didn’t want to spend their precious alone time together rehashing it all again.
“I want to show you something. Follow me.” Robert took his hand, glad when Landon relented and followed without another argument. He led him to the grouping of stately trees. Trees so tall they towered over the property like guardians. Dense foliage acted as a barrier, blocking them from view of any boats that might pass along this part of the coastline. The only part of the property kept in its natural state.
“All the Adamses who have lived here have treated this particular piece of the property as sacred ground. The history goes like this…” He scanned the area until he found the tree he was looking for and went there. “My great-grandfather bought the property while in office. He missed Minnesota, but my great-grandmother mourned her home. Back then, it wasn’t considered such an easy jaunt just to fly home so freely. This was as close as he could get to bringing Minnesota to her. The first night he brought her here, he carved this into the tree. He made her a promise: if she would trust him, he would build her a house on the property and together they would make this their home.”
Robert ran his fingers over a faint heart that had been knifed into the tree many years ago. Initials carved inside. “My grandfather proposed to my Nonnie right under this tree and she accepted.” He stepped to the next tree in the row where a second carving was etched into the bark then moved to a third tree. “The first time my dad brought my daddy here, he lovingly carved their initials. My daddy was like you—hesitant.” Robert felt the rough bark beneath the pad of his finger. “I believe this happened after they were married.” Robert’s heart grew full as he outlined his fathers’ etched heart on the old oak tree like he had done many times in his life. The wounds the memories used to open had dissipated, only their love filling his heart as he stared at the sweet declaration that remained of his parents.
“What’s this?” Landon let go of his hand, moving to a tree diagonally opposite from his fathers’ tree. Robert chuckled, following Landon the few feet, remembering Autumn had met the man of her dreams when she was twenty-two years old. She proclaimed that tree as hers and carved their love there. There were now three hearts on the tree, the biggest being hers and Cam’s.
“Autumn’s love history carved for the ages.”
Landon’s fingers lightly traveled down Autumn’s etched hearts.
“Do you have a tree?” Landon asked.
“No, I’ve never brought anyone here before. You’re my first,” Robert confessed, watching Landon weaving between the trunks.
“Which tree would be yours?” Landon asked, stepping to another large tree, feeling the wood with his hands. Robert had never seen anyone but Paulie do something like that before.
“I don’t know.” Feet from Robert, Landon stopped in front of a larger oak then rounded it before coming back to the spot next to where Robert stood.
“What about this one?” Landon pulled a small knife from the pocket of his shorts. Robert’s heart swelled as he began to understand Landon’s intention. Landon stared at the other hearts before digging into the tree. He worked at defining their initials for a good fifteen minutes before he set to making a heart encasing their initials. Robert came in behind Landon, laying a hand on his back so not to startle him as he worked. He trailed both palms down the flexing muscles and slid them around Landon’s waist. With a loose hold, he watched Landon work until the knife stopped.
“It looks good, right?” Landon asked, staring at the tree.
“It’s perfect,” Robert answered honestly against Landon’s ear. Everything about this moment was perfect.
“It is.” Landon bent the blade into the knife and pocketed it. He brought his hands to Robert’s where they still circled his waist. “I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, but I wanted you to always remember your first.”
“Me too. It’s why I showed you. You’re my first, and if I get my way, you’ll be my last, Landon.” There was silence again, and Robert pressed his lips to Landon’s neck and breathed the man in, letting that fresh masculine scent fill his soul. Landon was his last, the man who owned his heart and would forever. He didn’t let himself overthink as he lifted his lips to Landon’s ear and said what he had wanted to say so many weeks ago, “I love you. I don’t want anyone else’s initials on our tree. Just yours and mine.” He pressed his lips to the warm pulse in Landon’s neck, opening his mouth over the tender flesh. “I want forever with you, Landon.” Robert felt his lover’s heartbeat accelerate against his lips.
Landon stiffened, not in the good way. There was a second of hesitation before Landon relaxed fully back into him. “I love you, too.”
“Say it again.” Robert wanted to hear those quietly muttered words said again and again.
Landon turned his head slightly, their breath mingling as Landon repeated the words. “I love you. I suspect I’ve been in love with you since Germany.”
Robert tightened his embrace, crushing Landon even closer to him. If he’d only known. “When I left Germany, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You were in every thought I had, every day. I was disappointed when I thought you friend-zoned me. I wanted you. I knew from the minute I saw you crossing the street to me on our first date, right then, I knew I loved you.”
“Let me turn around, Robert,” Landon said, but Robert found he couldn’t let go of the tight hold he had on Landon.
“I don’t think I’m going to like what you’re going to say,” Robert said. He felt Landon maybe overthinking his response and he didn’t want to entertain any negativity, not right now.
“It doesn’t change reality.” Landon pried Robert’s hands apart and turned, encasing Robert’s face between strong palms, keeping him from leaning forward and kissing the protest from Landon’s beautiful lips. “We’re too different, and I can’t see how we’re meant to be. I don’t belong in your world. I’m not comfortable there, and you’re gonna resent being tied to mine.”
Landon couldn’t have been more wrong, and Robert had to tell him. Landon pressed a thumb to his lips, stopping him from speaking. “I love you. I know I’ll love you until the day I…no, even longer than that. I’ll love you forever. I want this to be everything you want it to be. I’ll follow where you lead, but I’m being careful…” Landon shifted nervously against him, sighing deeply before continuing. “If it doesn’t work out, it’ll end in heartache for both of us. At least for me it will. If we were smart, we’d cut and run now before this gets too far out of our control.”
Robert didn’t want to cut and run. He pushed through Landon’s hold, crushing the man to him as he took his mouth in a claiming kiss. He was never leaving Landon, and by God, he’d never let Landon leave him. In a dance of tongue and teeth, he devoured Landon, taking every nip and suck into his soul. Slowly Landon relaxed, becoming pliant in his arms.
Seconds later, Robert yanked his mouth free. He needed air. Landon’s lips found his neck as his lover’s hands tugged at his polo. “I want you.”
“I want you too. Make love to me out here under the trees and the stars with the waves crashing against the rocks. I’ve dreamed of us that way.” Robert brought a hand to Landon’s chest, holding Landon in place as he started for the blanket and basket he had secretly hidden the supplies in. “I brought condoms and lube.”
“You thought of everything.” Landon smirked and manhandled him back into a kiss, continuing to tug at his clothes. “I just want you naked right now.” When Landon’s hard dick pressed into his, Robert abandoned his plans of grabbing the supplies and just kissed Landon back with everything he had. He licked across Landon’s lips before deepening the kiss. He held Landon pinned against the trunk of their tree, the tree that held their initials for all eternity.
Landon broke the kiss and nibbled a path along his jaw. “I’ll bottom,” Landon growled in his ear as he cupped Robert’s cock through his shorts and massaged, making Robert grind his hips from the pleasure. Landon was such a tease. Robert wanted inside Landon so badly he couldn’t think as it was. “And you use that sexy voice to ear fuck me with all those love words.” Oh, if Landon didn’t stop talking like that and playing with his dick, he was going to come right there before they ever got started.
“Okay,” Robert panted. His brain cells scrambled. At this point, he’d be just as willing to drop to his knees and suck Landon off right here. The hand on his crotch slowed, the pending orgasm eased, and Robert opened his eyes to a grinning Landon.
“You agreed.”
“That I did,” he said and nipped Landon’s ear.
Robert’s love had come through in every touch, every kiss, every soul searing glance. In the way he’d carefully placed the basket within reach, then spread the blanket in the perfect spot beneath their tree. They’d managed to kick off their shoes before tumbling to the blanket to make out. It would always be their tree. A hundred-year-old oak with massive branches that now had their initials carved deeply into its bark, the intimate gesture meant to solidify their commitment. Landon still hadn’t come back down from the thrill of it all, and he didn’t want to.
The sinking sun in the western sky colored the evening with brilliant shades of reds, purples, and golds. But that perfection couldn’t compare to the man he held in his arms. This moment would be etched forever in his memory. The beauty surrounding him. The look in his lover’s eyes. Everything he’d been afraid of had been chased away with the sincerity in Robert’s gaze. He should know, he’d drowned in their depths.
He lost himself in the feel of Robert’s hands as they moved over his body, almost reverently. Robert undid his shorts between hurried kisses. Waves crashed against the rocky cliff, and the wind rustled the leaves above them, urging on his frantic need.
Robert’s tongue slid across Landon’s lips then slowly dipped inside when he opened for more. Robert mapped Landon’s chest and stomach, and that wicked tongue danced over his in a sweet and tender exploration. The wind kicked up, sending a salty gust of water-cooled air ruffling Robert’s blond hair. Landon ran his fingers through the silky strands and tilted his head to draw a breath of fresh air into his lungs.
“Want you.” Robert latched on to his neck and…fuck. Robert was so damn intense, and sexy as hell. Those lips moved over his jaw, and he stole them back for his at the first opportunity, letting Robert seduce him with hungry kisses. Landon searched for the button on Robert’s shorts in a panic to rid him of the clothing. His moves were clumsy and awkward, frantic to feel Robert’s naked skin on his.
“Babe…”
“Let me.” Landon almost protested when Robert gripped his wrist to release his hold and wiggled out of the khaki-colored material then flashed that sexy ass smile that had Landon almost coming. “You’re killing me here.”
“Just trying to help you out. The quicker I get out of my clothes”—Robert pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it to the side—“the quicker I can get you out of yours.” Those big blue eyes twinkled with mischief. The moment so endearing and sweet it sent a rush of emotions through his veins and wrapped his heart in a blanket of happiness.
Robert was romancing him, and he was falling…had fallen.
Head.
Over.
Heels.
Landon finished pushing his own shorts and underwear down. His hard cock slapped against his belly as he kicked out of them and he ripped his shirt over his head.
“I’m yours,” he said and let his gaze slide down to Robert’s erect cock. His own cock twitched at the sight.
Robert kissed the tattoo on his chest and sat up on his knees. Landon knew the fascination the tattoo held for Robert. The smile on Robert’s face as he stared down at him let him know he was in trouble about two seconds before he was flipped to his stomach.
“Yes. You are.”
Robert’s strong hands pulled his hips high into the air, then his lover locked him in place, nudging his thighs apart with his knees. Those cruel lips traveled over his spine and the swell of his butt as he balanced on his forearms. Robert smoothed a heavy palm over his ass cheek, his fingers sinking into his flesh to spread him, exposing his most intimate place. A warm tongue slid over his hole, electrifying his body. Robert always knew exactly what he needed.
“Robert,” he sighed and melted back into the pleasure of Robert’s mouth.
His attention was zeroed in on Robert’s tongue as it slid over his balls then penetrated him over and over again while those long slender fingers moved in him in all the right ways. Felt so good that his thighs shook with anticipation.
“Want you in me.” He didn’t care if he sounded desperate. He was way past that.
Robert pulled away from his body, bit his ass cheek, dragging kisses over his bare skin before reaching for the wicker basket next to the blanket. Landon glanced over his shoulder to watch as his lover quickly produced the supplies.
Robert tore open the condom package then rolled the latex down his cock. He used the lube to slick his fingers. The brush of Robert’s hair on Landon’s thighs made his ass clench in anticipation when Robert moved in behind him. He circled Landon’s opening then two slick fingers breached him. He pushed back against the digits pumping in and out of him. Just as he’d considered begging, Robert withdrew his fingers and teased his entrance with the cock he craved.
Robert pushed into him from behind, stealing his breath as his body stretched, opening to accommodate his lover. Damn, Robert filled him so damn full, the delicious burn making him pant through the sweet pain of being taken in this way. He used his hand to stroke himself as his body squeezed around the welcome intrusion.
“Fuck me now.”
Robert flexed his hips, pushing into him, and stars danced behind Landon’s eyes. His lover did it again, and he tilted his ass, chasing the growing pleasure. He let go of his dick and pushed up on his hands, raising his chest off the blanket, unashamed of how needy he’d become as he took his man deeper.
Robert pounded into him then slowed, driving him mad with the variation. Hard and fast. Deep and demanding. His lover gripped him so tightly, controlling his hips.
He turned to watch Robert over his shoulder. Robert changed his angle. Landon slammed his eyes shut and quickly squeezed his shaft to keep from coming. That move had him biting his lip to conceal his moan.
“Fuuckk…”
“Love that filthy mouth…” Robert skimmed his lips up his spine before ending at the base of his neck. “So perfect for me.”
His lover kept doing things to him that left him defenseless, stealing what was left of his heart with every word mumbled against his skin.
