Carol Lynne

Rex was kicking himself as he changed the sheets on the double bed. What else could he have done? Gabe was obviously exhausted. Rex couldn’t imagine trying to sleep in that house. Hell, he even hated to look at it. The problem was he liked to look at its owner. He’d had his eye on Gabe since the first time he’d seen him. Gabe came to the ranch with the rest of his ex-SEAL team to help rescue Jenny from Buck.

Rex noticed Gabe right away. He was tall and broad, tapering down to the hardest, sexiest ass he’d ever seen. His hair had been cut military short but the dark brown strands were starting to grow out now. His longer hair framed his light gray eyes to perfection.

Rex remembered watching him stretch on the porch a few minutes ago. He thought Gabe’s white t-shirt was going to rip at the seams as his muscles flexed. Rex was getting hard just thinking about it.

He finished making the bed and went to the closet. Not much was really stored in here—some old Christmas decorations and winter clothes. Rex decided he’d box up the clothes and take them to the main house for storage. He pulled out the big box of Christmas stuff and carried it to the porch. Then he went to the supply shed to look for a couple of empty boxes for his clothes. He found what he was looking for and headed back to his house.

Rex boxed up the clothes and set them on the porch. He decided it would be easier to just haul the boxes in his truck to the main house. That way Gabe could use it to haul his stuff too. He pulled his cherry red quad-cab pickup up to the porch and loaded the three boxes.

He drove the short distance to the main house and began unloading. Once he got all the boxes on the porch, he let himself in the front door. He would just take them up to Jake’s old bedroom. Rex knew Gabe wasn’t using it for anything. He carried the first box up the stairs and stopped. He heard a grunting noise coming from Gabe’s bedroom. Thinking Gabe might need some help lifting something, Rex opened the door.

Gabe was stretched out on the bed with his jeans down to his knees and his shaft in his hand. He was so busy working his cock he didn’t hear Rex open the door. Rex knew he should leave and shut the door but his feet were glued to the floor and his eyes were glued to the huge dark red cock in Gabe’s fist. Gabe started really pumping his cock and reached back to finger his own asshole. It was the most erotic thing Rex had ever seen. Rex knew Gabe was about to come so he stepped out and quietly shut the door. Just when the door was almost shut Gabe must have started coming because he moaned and groaned and then he called out a name. Rex shut the door and closed his eyes. Fuck him. Gabe had just called out Cotton’s name as he came. Rex didn’t have time to think about it now.

He quietly crept back down the stairs and out the front door. He stood in front of the door again and knocked loudly and then opened the door and called Gabe’s name. “Gabe! I thought it might be okay if I stored a few boxes in Jake’s old room.” He started climbing the stairs and came face-to-face with Gabe at the top. “Oh hi. I thought I’d store a couple boxes in Jake’s room if that sounds all right.”

Gabe nodded and shifted from foot to foot. “Yeah. That’s fine. No reason not to use the house for something.”

Rex carried the box into Jake’s room and put it in the closet. “I brought my pickup so we can haul your stuff down to my place.”
Gabe nodded and went into his room. Rex followed him. He noticed Gabe’s scent as soon as he entered the small bedroom. Gabe’s cologne smelled like citrus fruit but the room was a combination of his cologne and his seed. The combination was overwhelming to Rex’s senses. He grabbed a suitcase and headed out of the room. “I’ll just take this down while I’m at it.”

Gabe stopped packing another suitcase and looked up. “Oh, okay. Thanks, Cotton.”

Rex continued loading the truck until all of Gabe’s things were in the back. “Is that all?”

Nodding his head, Gabe climbed into the four-wheel drive and shut the door. When Rex climbed in Gabe turned to him sheepishly. “I know it’s sad for a man my age but I don’t have many material possessions. I guess it comes from a childhood spent moving from one foster home to another. You learn really quickly to travel light, otherwise the things you get attached to get left behind.” Gabe looked out the side window.

Rex felt a knot form in his stomach. He could see that Gabe still carried around a lot of pain from his childhood. “Is that where you learned to ride so well? I mean, were some of the foster homes ranches?”

Gabe nodded. Rex thought that was all he was going to get out of him but he cleared his throat and began speaking in a soft faraway voice.

“The foster homes were in and around Cheyenne, Wyoming. Most folks that took me in just seemed to want an extra ranch hand. It was perfect for them. They got help with the chores and someone actually paid them for it. After the busy season was over I always got sent away to a new home. It was a cycle. I’d spend my summers on ranches and my winters usually in town with a family that had a houseful of foster kids.” Gabe shrugged his shoulders. “At least I learned a lot about horses. They became my only friends. I didn’t have a single friend until I joined the Navy and entered the SEAL unit. Those five guys that made up my team—Remy, Ben, Nicco, Jake and Cree—became the only family I’ve ever had.”

Rex pulled the truck up to his porch and sat there. He wanted to pull Gabe into his arms and comfort the sad lonely little boy inside him. Instead he reached his arm across the cab and put it on Gabe’s shoulder. “You’ve got a home of your own now, Gabe.”
Gabe wiped his eyes and turned to face Cotton. “Yeah. A home I’m too freaked out to even sleep in.” He got out of the truck and went to unload his stuff.

Rex joined him at the tailgate. “Consider my house your home. I want you to be comfortable here, Gabe.” He picked up the two suitcases and headed to the spare bedroom.

Gabe followed, carrying a box of books and miscellaneous stuff. He set the box on the bed next to the suitcases. “Thanks for this, Cotton.”

Nodding, Rex started to leave the room. “I’m going to put a chicken in the oven for dinner then go out to the barn and work until suppertime. You unpack and make yourself at home.”