The Broken H (21 page)

Shane smiled and touched his cheek. “The day after I got here when I met you. You looked up at me with these big green eyes full of awe and you asked me—”

Gray smiled back, his tears coming faster now. Shane’s face blurred in his vision but he finished the sentence. “Are you a war chief or a peace chief?”

Shane brushed a tear off Gray’s face with his thumb and sniffed, visibly getting himself together. “You looked up at me with such wonder in your eyes, such respect, that I realized I couldn’t possibly be useless. From that day on, I knew I was somebody who meant something, who had a place in the world, because you admired me.”

“I still do. There aren’t many men who deserve as much respect as you do.”

Shane trembled. “I was half afraid that after you knew the truth you would be ashamed.”

Gray tilted his upward to stem the flow of tears and shook his head. God, what a pair they made. Crying and clinging to each other like a couple of girls when they’d already faced down a guy with a shotgun cool as you please. He almost laughed. “Knowing how you got here and what you went through only makes me love you more. And you know what?”

“What?”

“I finally have an answer to that question.”

Shane frowned. “What question?”

“What kind of chief you are.”

Shane smiled and raised a brow. “Yeah? What kind of chief am I?”

“You’re
my
chief.”

Epilogue

Gray poked the fire one last time, getting it going nice and hot. Three days before Christmas and it was colder than a witch’s tit outside. He sat down on the big red flannel blanket he’d laid in front of the large rock fireplace and stretched out his legs. Wiggling his sock-clad toes, he rested his hands behind his head.
Vacation here I come.
Oh, yeah! This was the life, even if he wasn’t going anywhere. Just hanging out on the Broken H was as good a break as a guy could ask for. He’d been re-elected sheriff, Kauffman had been sentenced to a year in the pen, Sherry Ann had gone to live with her aunt and uncle and pretty much everyone who’d criticized Shane for knocking Sherry Ann up had done as predicted and claimed they’d known it couldn’t have been true. Life was good.

He had almost everything he needed for the makings of a great nap: fire in the hearth, Christmas music playing quietly in the background, his favorite pair of sweats on. Too bad that he hadn’t thought to make himself some hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows before he’d lain down. A nap was always better on a full stomach.

He was just about to fall asleep when the backdoor slammed. Gray rolled his head back, arching his neck a little to see the kitchen doorway.

Shane came stomping into the living room, looking madder than hell. He froze abruptly just inside the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, his surprised but pleased gaze landing on Gray. His expression lightened a little. There was even a hint of a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

Shane pulled off his thick wool coat and tossed it onto the couch, then peeled off his gloves and flung them on top of the coat. His hands went to his lean hips. “I mean, what are you doing home?” He glanced at the clock on the mantel. “It’s only three o’clock.” He moved around to stand at Gray’s feet so that Gray didn’t have to break his neck to look at him, and grinned, his eyes twinkling. Gray could almost see the last of his bad mood slipping away. “You know, I paid good money to get you re-elected and I know damned well I pay my taxes. So why is my sheriff lounging about in his pajamas in my living room instead of out catching bad guys?”

Gray chuckled. “Your sheriff is on vacation as of two o’clock this afternoon.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” Gray sat up and patted the floor beside him.

Shane smiled. “I thought your vacation started tomorrow.” He dropped down onto the blanket and tugged one boot off, then the other.

Gray shrugged. “I decided to get an early start. Your tax dollars allow me to do that.”

Shane laughed. “Oh, they do, do they?”

“Yup, they surely do.” He touched the spot next to him again and laid down. “But that’s another story. What’s got you spitting nails, old man?”

Shane slid all the way onto the flannel blanket and scooted himself around until he was lying next to Gray. “Your daddy.” Shane turned on his side, propping himself on his elbow to stare down at Gray.

“Yeah? What’d he do?”

“He willed me half the Broken H.”

Gray nodded absently, tracing a finger down Shane’s magnificent, albeit covered, chest. The man had way too many clothes on. “Yes, he did, so what?” He raised up so he could unbutton Shane’s shirt.
Oh, yeah, there we go…luscious bare skin.

Shane stilled Gray’s hand. “You knew about it?”

Shit!
“Uh, yes.” He pushed Shane’s hand away and unfastened another button.

Shane stopped his hand again, this time clasping it in his own.

“Oh, come on, chief!” Gray flopped down onto his back. He didn’t want to do this now. He was on vacation, damn it!

“Grayson?” Shane arched a brow.

“Shane, does it really matter? Think of it this way. One way or another, you get half of the Broken H when they’re gone. You are my partner, my love. What’s mine is yours. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t put it in your name, too?”

Shane opened his mouth and closed it.

“So, why don’t you just let them do this for you? You know they love you. Just say thank you and deal with it. You’ll make them happy. With any luck, they won’t be gone for quite a long time, anyway.” He waited for Shane to argue, but all Shane did was smile.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Gray was skeptical of this seemingly easy acceptance.

Shane nodded firmly. “Okay. I’ll go thank them right now.” He started to get up.

Gray grabbed his arm. “Wait! Can’t you thank them later?”

“I thought you wanted me to let them know I appreciate what they’ve done.” His eyes twinkled.

Gray yanked Shane down and rolled on top of him, straddling the denim-clad hips and started working the shirt again. “Later.” Gray freed the last button and pulled the material open.
Oh, yeah! More skin!
His cock perked right up at the sight.

Gray dropped forward onto his hands and caught a nipple in his mouth, rubbing his growing erection against Shane as he did.
Ooh, baby!
He wasn’t the only one getting into things. Shane was pretty damn hard himself.

Shane grinned and grabbed his ass, rocking him. “What did you have in mind?”

He raised his head. “A sixty-eight?”

One of those black brows raised.

“You blow me and I’ll owe you one.” Gray fluttered his eyelashes shamelessly.

Shane guffawed. “Okay, but I want mine right afterward.”

“Deal. Let’s get on with it, old man.” Gray hopped up and tugged his sweat pants down and his t-shirt over his head. He stepped back above Shane and clasped his lover’s cock, stroking, stroking, stroking.

“Umm, come here.” Shane’s gaze raked over him; he licked his lips suggestively.

Gray settled himself over Shane on his knees. He leaned down on one hand and brushed his prick across Shane’s lips with the other.

Shane licked around the head, then opened up wide, taking Gray’s cock halfway, then sucking strongly.

“Oh, fuck, that feels good.” Shane’s eyes flicked up to his. There was a glare on his glasses from the fire, but Gray could make out those beautiful big brown eyes just fine. Was there anything finer than the sight of Chief sucking him off?

Shane held his gaze and continued sucking for a moment before he closed his eyes and got down to some serious business, really working Gray’s dick. He took hold Gray’s ass cheeks, pressing him forward and, with sexy noises, encouraged him to fuck his mouth.

Sensation raced through Gray, making him moan. His lids swept down and he moved his hips, rocking himself into his lover’s mouth faster, while still holding the base of Shane’s cock. Shane’s hand slid down his crease and found Gray’s balls, tugging lightly.

Gray tightened, his testicles pulling away from the attention. Saliva ran down his shaft onto Shane’s hand. Shane squeezed, adding to Gray’s pleasure.

Shane moaned.

He looked down, watching his dick, shiny with spit, sliding in and out of Shane’s mouth. There was a drop of something on the lens of Shane’s glasses. Sweat or saliva or…“Oh, fuck!” Gray bolted upright, pulling his prick from Shane’s mouth and releasing Shane’s cock. He pumped his own cock fast, his eyes focusing intensely into Shane’s through those lenses. He pushed his shaft down, still pumping vigorously and came…on Shane’s glasses. He fell onto one hand, the other one still wrapped around his erection. Oh, damn, that had been incredible. Just the thought of spunking on Shane’s glasses had made him come.

Shane wiped a splotch of semen off his cheek with his finger and stuck it in his mouth. Then he froze, finger between his lips and blinked. His eyes crossed for an instant as the white splotches on his glasses apparently registered. Those brown eyes zeroed in on Gray, his lips twitching. “You little shit.”

Loose Id Titles by J. L. Langley

The Tin Star

The Broken H

The Christmas Tree Bargain

J. L. Langley

J.L. writes M/M erotic romance, amoung other things, and is fortunate to live with four of the most gorgeous males to walk the earth…okay, so one of those males is canine, but he is quite beautiful for a German Shepherd. J.L. was born and raised in Texas. Which is a good thing considering that Texas is full of cowboys and there is nothing better than a man in a pair of tight Wranglers and a cowboy hat as far as J.L. is concerned.