Between the Bars Pt. 04

I huddled on the back of the ATV behind Madison. It made her so happy when I let her drive; she was a good driver, and I remembered being fourteen and desperate to be treated as a grown up. Daniel eyed up the inflatable raft and asked if he could ride on it.

"But it's five miles," I protested. "It's dangerous, you could be killed."

He shot me a brilliant grin, making my heart skip. His eyes were exactly the same shade of blue as the sky behind him. I forgot about the kids, watching with interest, and stared at him with my mouth slightly open. God, he was fucking beautiful.

"If an inner tube can do what drug dealers, crooked cops and Iraqi soldiers with machine guns haven't managed yet, then my number is up."

I had to laugh, shaking my head. Dammit. He had a point.

The wind was cold in my face as we sped across the frozen field, following the set of tracks made on the way over. Pulled behind Jeremy's four-wheeler, the raft bounced over bumps and flew into the air while Daniel clutched the handles with snow flying in his face, whooping with glee. I grinned. He looked like a kid, face flushed with the cold, laughing, wild and daring and completely in love with life. At first, I'd hated him for dragging me kicking and screaming out of my neat, quiet little life but now when I thought about going back without him my heart seemed to sink; but I put it out of my mind for now... Plenty of time to think of that later.

Finally, we pulled up into Paul and Charlotte's back yard. Their house was also in the middle of a field, with a big metal storage barn and a few smaller outbuildings gathered around it; heavy equipment was parked neatly in a line next to the barn. Paul owned his own excavating business, and my aunt Charlotte was the school secretary at our old grade school. Their brick split-level home was solid and spacious and a lot more comfortable than the drafty old farmhouse. I carried the grocery bag of dirty clothes I'd held in my lap the whole way over, as well as another with my notebook and our toothbrushes. I took Daniel's gloved hand as the kids sped off on the four-wheelers and he wrapped his snowy arm around me, red-faced and grinning, as we walked up to the porch.

"That was fun. You should've tried it."

I shook my head. "No thanks. If it was about eighty degrees, I might."

He laughed just as the door flew open. My aunt flung open the screen door and threw her arms around me.

"Squirrel Bait!"

"Monkey Butt." I hugged her back. She hurried us into the big, spacious kitchen; it was so warm and smelled delicious, of fried chicken and rolls and spices. I breathed in appreciatively, my stomach growling. Charlotte was talking a mile a minute while Daniel and I shed our snowy boots and coats and peeled off scarves and sweaters.

"I can't believe you've been over there in that cold house all this time. It must've been awful. I told Paul to bring you back but he said you had plenty of firewood and you wanted to stay although I have no idea why when you could've been nice and cozy over here. You have to be hungry. I made your favorite, Rylan." She turned and smiled at Daniel, who was hanging back a bit, uncharacteristically shy. "And you must be Daniel."

"Yes ma'am," he said, shaking her outstretched hand. His mellow drawl dripped from his lips like sweet, thick honey. I shivered, sharing Charlotte's appreciation. "Daniel Braden, nice to meet you."

She looked him up and down admiringly and by the way she was smiling, I could tell she liked him. "Listen to you! Such a proper Southern gentleman."

"Not always," I said under my breath and I grinned to see Daniel's cheeks redden slightly more, this time not from cold. I'd never seen him blush. I didn't even know he could blush.

Charlotte punched me on the arm. "Shut up, Master Squirrel Bait. Daniel, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Charlotte Harlin, Ryan's aunt. I'm so sorry you've been trapped over there in that icebox, come in and get warm. Do you like fried chicken?" she asked as she headed toward the stove across the room. I arranged our snowy boots on the doormat with the other shoes and barn boots that already lay there, and hung our coats on the pegs over the furnace grate so they could dry. On the other wall, next to the fireplace, a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree twinkled. I'd totally forgotten it was only two weeks until Christmas.

"Yes'm, I do," Daniel answered politely. "Thanks for having me, Ms. Harlin."

"Oh, Lordy," she laughed and I smirked. "Don't call me that, please. It's Charlotte. Come in and eat. Everything's ready. Rylan, get you and Daniel a plate while I go round up the kids to eat."

"Where's Paul?" I asked.

"He's out with the county snow crew." She pulled on a coat and slipped her feet into oversized boots.

"You mean..." I looked over at Daniel quickly. His eyes widened in comprehension. "The roads are clear?"

She shook her head firmly. "No, they're still closed to traffic, only the road crews can get through. But tomorrow you'll be able to get out."

When the door closed behind her, I turned around to Daniel. "Well, looks like tomorrow..."

"Yeah." He grinned and wrapped his arms around my neck, drawing me closer. "I'm sorry in a way. This has been kind of fun. But we can't stay here forever, and I know what our first stop is going to be."

"Mmmhmm." I closed my eyes as his mouth captured mine and he scraped his tongue lightly over the edge of my incisors, teasing the tip of my tongue with his until they played lightly. I clutched his shoulders, moaning softly. I wanted him so fucking bad and just the very thought of finally procuring that all-important latex disc just made my knees go weak and butterflies flip in my stomach.

Grinning, I pulled back and took Daniel's hand to lead him toward the food before Charlotte got back with the kids.

"Hey Squirrel Bait," Daniel whispered.

I cringed at the nickname. "Huh?"

"I can't wait to fuck you," he said under his breath just as the door swung open and I had to turn to the stove quickly to hide the hard-on that suddenly dug into the crotch of my jeans.

****

Chapter 20

"He's beautiful. Those blue eyes."

Charlotte gave a dreamy little sigh as she gazed out the window at Daniel, who was walking toward the storage building with Jeremy and Maddie hanging on his every word. Amidst the conversation over lunch, it turned out Daniel was a classic car buff, which I didn't know because it never came up before, and so Jeremy was taking him out to show him the 1968 Mustang Paul had been restoring for years. Maddie went along because she followed her brother everywhere he went. I smirked, scraping chicken bones onto a plate.

"Yeah. I know."

"And he likes you a lot, too. I can tell." She nodded.

"You think so?" I asked, trying to sound like it didn't matter. "We haven't known each other that long."

Charlotte gave me a knowing look over her shoulder. I wasn't fooling her. "Doesn't matter. He watches you, even when you're not aware of it. That means he likes you."

"He does?" I blushed deeply and Charlotte laughed.

"And you like him a lot too, don't you."

"Yeah." I nodded shyly, my face flaming. I put my hand on my stomach. "I... I get this funny feeling when he smiles at me, you know?"

"Really? So you're fall --..."

Charlotte stopped mid-word when she glanced at me and saw my eyes bug out and my mouth start to open in protest. She smiled and reached over and pushed my hair back from my eyes, stroking my red cheek. Then she gave it a little slap.

"So, tell me how you ended up on a road trip with this gorgeous man without any condoms. Are you fucking crazy?"

"The trip wasn't planned," I answered with a shrug. I knew Paul would tell her the whole story so it was no surprise she already knew about our dilemma. "We were just running to Birmingham, Alabama really quick and ended up here."

"And how did that happen?"

I hesitated. "Well, that's Daniel's story to tell, not mine. He'll have to decide if he wants to tell it to you."

Her brow wrinkled curiously, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow. That was just how Charlotte showed affection; I was used to it. She used to hold me down and tickle me until I pleaded for mercy and nearly wet my pants. No wonder I was screwed up in the head.

"So... you don't have any condoms in the house, do you?"

Charlotte laughed. "I'd kill Paul if I found a condom and I don't even want to think about the kids having any."

"Doesn't hurt to ask." I dodged her, grabbing her arms as she snapped my butt with a dishtowel.

Twisting out of my grasp, Charlotte somehow got behind me and pulled my arm backward; I swiped with my ankle and knocked her off balance. We were rolling around on the kitchen floor when Daniel and the two kids came back into the house, laughing and talking. They were obviously fast friends now. Daniel looked startled to see us pummeling each other, while the kids just rolled their eyes and ignored us. They were used to it.

"Mom, can we go tubing down at the Millers' hill? It's not that cold out," Jeremy assured her as we lurched to our feet and straightened up our clothes, breathless with laughing. "Daniel's never been tubing."

"Yeah... okay... but don't stay long. And get your long johns on because it most definitely is cold, young man, don't try to bullshit me."

"I might go with them, it sounds fun," Daniel said while they ran to their rooms to get dressed. "Wanna go?"

I shook my head. "No, but you go ahead if you want. Or, you can stay here and take a nice steamy shower with me while the youngsters are away, instead of going out there in that nasty cold. What do you think?"

"Um," he gave Charlotte an uncertain glance but when she just rolled her eyes and turned away, he grinned at me. "You make a good argument."

"I can be very persuasive," I breathed right next to his ear as the kids ran back in the room. Won over by Daniel's charm, they were disappointed he wasn't coming along but finally they left and I grabbed Daniel's arm.

"Mind if we borrow your shower, Charlotte?"

"Sure. Use the one in mine and Paul's room. It has a safety bar," she grinned. "Towels are in the closet behind the door. I'll put this laundry in when you get out." She called after us as I quickly marched Daniel down the hallway. "Have fun."

"You sure she doesn't mind?"

"Nah. Don't worry about her." I pushed him against the back of the door, locking it with one hand while unbuttoning his shirt with the other. He grinned at me, letting me pull his clothes off while I nibbled at his chin and down his neck with short biting kisses.

"How quiet can you be while I tongue-fuck you?"

Peeling off his shirt, I shivered. My dick was so hard and he hadn't even touched me.

"Can you be totally quiet?" he went on in my ear, his breath hot and relentless. "Not make a sound while I eat you out?"

I was sure I couldn't, but I nodded my head to speed the process of getting us both naked. I turned on the water and let the steam rise over the top of the glass enclosure while I peeled his off his layers of clothing - flannel shirt, long underwear, jeans, socks, greedy to touch his skin, smell him, trace the line of his hipbones with my fingers down to his soft golden brown pubic hair. He caught a breath when I raked my fingers in the silky curls. I wrapped my hand around his cock and it was so warm and solid and beautiful. I whimpered longingly, like a hungry puppy. The urge to fall on my knees was almost more than I could resist but I needed that shower first. The rising steam made me flushed and damp, and I hastily shed my own clothes while Daniel watched, still leaning against the door, naked, with his eyes heavy-lidded and sultry.

The water felt so fucking good splashing on my face. The hot water streamed down the back of my neck and my shoulders and down my back into the crack of my ass. So hot and steamy and soothing, washing away the days of never being quite warm. Daniel didn't get in the shower with me but now the glass door slid open and his lean body pressed against me from behind, every inch of me in contact with his skin. I felt his hard shaft against my ass, nestling into the crack, and I leaned back against him and sighed with contentment. Oh, yeah.

Soapy hands washed me from head to foot. I was grateful for the stout metal safety bar attached to the enclosure wall because gripping it was the only thing keeping me from slipping to the tiles in a boneless heap. I tilted my head backward, eyes closed, as Daniel lathered deliciously sweet-smelling shampoo into my hair, massaging my scalp with his fingers while the tip of his dick danced and slid over my butt cheeks and his wet, slippery skin grazed the back of my thighs, my lower back, my shoulder blades, everywhere I was most erotic and sensitive.

"God... Daniel, that feels..." I let out a groan. He laughed softly, moving me under the spray to rinse away the lather. When my hair was squeaky clean, his hands turned me around to face him. Then, I was drowning in wet slippery golden flesh and a hot hungry mouth and streaming water, a very hard cock sliding over my belly, everywhere at once, nudging at my balls. It felt so good I threw my head back and clutched his shoulders, biting back a moan. Pressure gathered in an aching knot in my balls and my legs almost couldn't support me.

"Turn around so I can wash your back," Daniel said. His voice was strained and harsh and I had to smile knowing this affected him just as it did me. The head of his cock was deep red and swollen, so tempting, but I didn't have any willpower to do anything but what he told me.

Turning around, I braced my hands against the tiles. To get better balance on the slick molded plastic floor of the enclosure I spread my legs a bit and leaned my weight onto my hands. This naturally lifted and spread my ass and I chuckled when Daniel sucked in a breath between his teeth. Being spread for him like this made my knees tremble with a mixture of shame and excitement and I needed his hands on me, to reassure me it was okay

Teeth nipped at my shoulder while his soapy hands slicked down my back, making slow circles, down my spine to my hips and then finally cupping my ass. He soaped up my cheeks, then ran his fingers down my crack. My hole tingled but I didn't move. His slid down slowly, circling my hole, teasing it and then slipping away when I pressed back to get his fingers in me. He chuckled softly in my ear and I closed my eyes and lost myself in the feeling of his slippery finger stroking that little spot under my balls. Nobody had ever lavished this much attention on my ass - I'd never let anyone - and it felt so good. My cock leaked and twitched as he ran his thumb around the base of my balls, swirling in little circles, then cupping them gently in his hand. I spread my legs more to give him better access and he pressed into me, his other hand running lightly over my back. For once, he wasn't talking dirty in my ear, he was just breathing, touching me, moaning slightly now and then.

The weight of his cock was warm and solid resting on the top of my ass. His balls were soft against my crack. I drifted, losing myself in his hands and his body against me and his breath getting raspy in my ear while the water pounded down on us in our own little steamy glass-enclosed universe. His hand wrapped around my cock and stroked it slowly. Dimly, through my sexual cloud, I felt his cock slide down my crack. Electricity shot through me. His hips took on a slow rhythm and I bit back a scream from the pleasure of his hand jacking me while his cock slid up and down in my crack so slippery from the water and the soap.

"Jesus... fuck..." Daniel groaned under his breath.

So hard to stay quiet, my knees buckled and I threw my weight against my hands. No thinking, just the pleasure and the water on my face; I wanted to scream and cum while he fucked me. His cock caught at my hole and I wanted him in me so bad, filling me with his warmth, ached for him I couldn't stand it...

"Daniel."

The head of his cock teased my hole and the noise in my head was so loud I couldn't think, don't care anymore just fuck...me... fuck.

Suddenly, he shoved me forward away from him. I was confused and bereft, my head still spinning in my haze of need; I looked over my shoulder at him, standing there with his face red, panting like he'd just run a marathon. When he ran his hand over his wet face, I saw his hand shaking.

"Gotta stop," he growled. He swallowed hard while I stared at him blankly. His eyes burned, dark and clouded like someone in a fever. "You better get out before I fuck you raw."

A flash of his cock inside me without a barrier of latex, just feeling nothing but his flesh and the hot spurt of his cum deep in me made me go weak, but I forced the image out of my mind and the reality of what had just almost happened dawned on me. The animal lust was still there but reason returned and I nodded, swallowing hard. I reached out and touched his flushed cheek before I slid the glass door open and stepped out onto the rug.

Still dazed and stupid, I stood and stared at myself in the mirror. My own face was blazing red and my mouth was open and panting. I can't believe what we almost did. And I almost let it happen. I knew I was clean and disease-free and he'd already told me he was too, but we both knew that was no guarantee. He was the first person I'd been with since splitting with Neil after two years of monogamy; but Daniel admitted he still picked up tricks in bars down in Tallahassee and that made the equation very different. I made an accusing face at myself, glared sternly into my own eyes in the mirror. Are you fucking crazy?

"Daniel. I'm sorry," I said over the rush of the shower. I'd only noticed in the back of my mind but the water had gotten noticeably cooler; he was about to get a blast of cold. I half-smiled when I heard him give a little gasp of dismay.

"No, it was my fault."

The water went off with a squeak of turning faucet and he pulled the glass door open and grinned at me. I stared at him, naked and dripping, blue-eyed, fucking delicious. My cock was hard and eager but at least my brain was back in control.

"I had an unfair advantage," he told me.

"Yeah, you did." I grabbed two towels out of the cupboard behind the door and tossed him one. "You were holding my dick hostage."

He laughed and there was a little silence as we dried off. He was still just as hard as I was but we both held off. I watched him the mirror, drooling over the luscious curves and hard lines of his beautiful body, his luscious ass and long legs, all that smooth golden flesh and his dick so tempting and ready.

Finally, he looked up into my eyes in the mirror before us. "Would you have stopped me, if I'd actually started to push inside?"

"Yeah, I would've stopped you." I nodded emphatically. I needed to convince myself of that just as much as I did him; he had so much on him already, he had to know that he wasn't solely responsible for what happened between us. It was too much of a burden for him to carry alone. "We just got too carried away."

"Uh-huh." Dropping the towel, he wrapped his arms around my neck and dipped his head to kiss me deeply. I clutched his hips feeling the room tilt off-kilter. "Soon," he whispered against my jaw. "We just have to wait a little longer. We're almost there. I can't wait to bury my dick inside you so deep you taste it."

"Mmm," was all I could manage to half-whimper. Reaching back, I dropped the toilet seat and sat down on it, pulling his hips close to me. He put his hand in my wet hair as I licked the head of his cock and then swallowed it down my throat. The low, sexy moans he couldn't keep back turned me on and I stroked myself rhythmically while I looked up into his eyes, sliding my mouth up and down his shaft. I could see his ass in the mirror behind us and I loved seeing the muscles flex, watching him buck into me, fucking my face.