STORY EXCERPT

“Yes!” He smiled as he sat up and looked at the scroll. Man, his friend had certainly been right. This place was amazing!

After standing, he brushed off the dirt and dried plants clinging to him and whistled. An energetic bark filtered to him before a black-and-white dog came bounding up out of the brush. “Hey, girl.” Kyle scratched behind her ears and set off for another location. He’d spotted a set of high rocks just a bit behind him and knew he could get some great shots from up there.

Heading for the trails, he tossed a stick ahead of him for Amber to chase. The pit mix had never left his side since he’d found her on the streets in Toronto, and he didn’t think his life would be the same without her. Together they’d gone everywhere. India, Egypt, the Congo, China, Japan, Brazil, and Tanzania. Recently he’d just gotten back to the States from another trip to India. He loved that country and the natural beauty found there.

Upon reaching the rocks, he set his bag down and pulled out some rope. A trick he’d learned from a wildlife photographer—sometimes you had to risk your life to get the best shots. Kyle tied one end of the rope to a secure, live tree, and then wrapped the other end around his waist. He made sure the rope would hold and shuffled to the end of the rock so his arms and half of his chest were dangling over the ledge.

Just as he’d thought, this vantage point gave him the best visual lines, unobstructed by the rest of the natural land.

Amber sat behind him, her attention set on keeping him safe. He doubted there was anything for her to protect him from out here. Then again, who was he to tell her not to do her job? She didn’t argue with him when he moved them all over the globe, so he could humor her desire to constantly keep him safe.

Taking two deep breaths, Kyle tuned out of the world and focused only on what he could see through his lens. The mastery. The beauty. The details only found in nature. All of it came alive through his lens. Ducks coming to land in the lake. Deer peeking out to get a drink. Fish jumping, disturbing the tranquil surface. And all of it encased by the mountains reflected perfectly on the dark water.

He was so lost in his pictures that he didn’t notice Amber growling until he heard someone ask, “What are you doing?”

Amber barked, meaning his visitor was getting a little too close for her comfort.

With effort, Kyle maneuvered back onto the rock and turned onto his back. Quickly, he snapped a photo of the man who’d snuck up on him.

“Taking pictures.” Kyle smirked as he sat up. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Rock climbing. Poorly,” the man gibed, his charming, boyish looks tugging at Kyle’s desires. Yeah, fine, it may have been a minute or two since he’d last gotten any. The countries he frequented weren’t exactly known for their open-minded views on same-sex relations.

The man took a step toward him, and Amber barked in warning. “Easy, girl.” Kyle ran his hands down her smooth, short coat. “He doesn’t mean us any harm, do you?”

Okay, a presumptuous thing to assume considering the amount of people in Kyle’s life who did mean him harm. There was just something about this stranger, though. Kyle couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew on instinct that he wasn’t there to hurt them.

“No, I don’t mean you harm.” The man took a step back as if to show Amber he was friendly.

Kyle got to his feet and dusted himself off again. He did that a lot in his profession. As he fretted about his own appearance, he appraised the one before him. Thick, even luscious, golden-blond hair shone in the evening sunlight. Eyes the color of the greenest emeralds captured his attention and held him in thrall. The rest of the stranger was equally easy on the eyes, but not overly gorgeous. There was a definite male quality to him that drew Kyle in.

“I’m Brannon,” the stranger said easily, that boy-next-door charm seeping through.

“Kyle.”

Brannon took a step forward, and Kyle instinctively mirrored the action. It was Amber that got between them and growled again, warning Brannon away. As Kyle took a step back, his foot slipped on a few loose rocks, and he lost his balance.

Cursing, he fell backward over the rock face.

“Kyle!” Brannon shouted while Amber barked worriedly.

“I’m okay.” Kyle let out a gasp, the rope around his middle digging in painfully. Maybe he should invest in a harness?

“I’m going to pull you up.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He heard a couple of grunts and growls, and Kyle grinned at the effort put in. When he got back to the top, he saw Amber tugging on the rope with Brannon. As soon as struggled onto the ledge, she rushed him, licking his face before grabbing his shirt and tugging directly on him.

“My hero,” Kyle said with a laugh, petting his dog once he got clear of the danger.

“Are you okay?” Brannon demanded, worry in his gorgeous eyes as he came to kneel in front of Kyle.

“I am now. Thank you. How about I repay you for the rescue with dinner?”

“It’s a date.” Brannon beamed.

ADULT EXCERPT

Brannon gripped Kyle’s ass and kneaded the firm muscles. “Now that the baby is in bed, where were we?”

Brannon leered, and soon Kyle found himself flat on his back again. With effortless motion, Brannon removed Kyle’s pants and returned to teasing his cock. Even with the small interlude with Amber, his erect dick hadn’t gone down at all. Brannon sucked and licked at Kyle’s balls, stroking his hand along Kyle’s rock-hard shaft.

Kyle closed his eyes and just gave himself over to the pleasure building inside of him. He’d won out with this rescuer. Brannon was amazing! Of course, the underlying current that seemed to thrum between them was definitely helping things along. The more they touched the closer they got, and the further their desires took them, the more intense that energy grew. Kyle could barely hold out. When Brannon finally took his cock fully into his mouth, Kyle screamed, his hips jerking upward, and drove himself deeper down Brannon’s throat. Brannon didn’t complain. If anything, he seemed to accept Kyle’s insistence for more and let him take control.

More than happy to have the reins, Kyle threaded his fingers into Brannon’s golden hair and used his grip to control Brannon’s movements. He wasn’t looking to take this slow. He wanted to come, to have the edge taken off. If he didn’t, Kyle didn’t know what was going to happen. He honestly felt like he might go insane if he didn’t come soon.

“Oh, fuck,” Kyle shouted to the heavens as Brannon tightened the seal of his lips around his dick and sucked. That was it. The pressure dragged Kyle’s release from him like a scream of freedom, and his voice rang out with equal elation as he came.

Brannon swallowed and licked him clean before flipping him over. He kissed down Kyle’s back as one of his hands slid to Kyle’s ass. “Can I?” he asked, his finger teasing at Kyle’s entrance.

Kyle scrambled for the lube he’d brought, then handed it to Brannon and grinned at him. “I’m next.”

The widening of those gorgeous green eyes had Kyle hesitating, but Brannon didn’t reject him. Instead he leaned up and kissed Kyle deeply as he popped the cap, poured a decent amount onto his hand, and then pushed the first finger into Kyle’s ass. Groaning, Kyle dropped his head forward and pressed his forehead into the blanket. There was a pinecone or something there too—he could feel it. Thankfully, it wasn’t a sharp rock.

A second and then third finger soon joined the first, and Kyle’s cock stood back at attention. He thrust his hips in time with the movement of Brannon’s fingers. He wanted more. There was an insistent desire that still hadn’t been filled despite coming earlier. With every thrust of Brannon’s fingers fucking him, that need only built.

“Brannon,” Kyle moaned, pulling away so Brannon was forced to remove his fingers. “Now.”

“You sure?” Brannon asked, running his hands up and down Kyle’s back.

Kyle nodded.

Brannon blanketed his back and pressed a kiss to Kyle’s neck that felt way too tender for what they were doing, two strangers having sex, but at the same time it felt so right. Kyle’s heart gave a small flutter and his stomach tightened at the gentle gesture. Oh yeah, something was definitely happening between them. Kyle just couldn’t figure out what, and with Brannon pressing the head of his cock against his loosened ass, Kyle didn’t really care.

Like he was afraid of hurting him, Brannon slid inside of Kyle with care. Brannon continued to kiss him as he entered him. He smoothed his hands up and down Kyle’s sides.

“Oh, god,” Kyle groaned when Brannon was finally fully inside. “You’re big.”

Brannon chuckled. “Thank you.”

“Can you use that big dick?”

“Challenge accepted.”

Without further warning, Brannon pulled out and thrust back in with strength Kyle hadn’t experienced before. His cock found Kyle’s prostate instantly, making him scream in ecstasy as Brannon set a demanding pace that had Kyle’s fingers digging into the blanket.

“Kyle.” Brannon growled his name, and that just helped fan Kyle’s passion higher.

“Brannon,” Kyle answered back. His lover’s name sounded sweet on his lips as he gave himself over to the raging swirl of emotions cascading down on him.

He couldn’t describe it, but it was like as Brannon and he soared to whatever heights they were destined for, something inside each of them reached for the other. That something mixed and left a lasting mark inside, deep, hidden away from everyone else. Despite how much that should scare the crap out of him, Kyle couldn’t help but want the feeling to continue.

“Shit.” Brannon fell forward and kissed that same spot from previously, a bit harder and more demanding this time. On instinct, Kyle moved his head so his lover would have more room. He didn’t care if Brannon left a hickey. For some unexplainable reason, he wanted Brannon to mark him. “Kyle, can’t last much longer.”

“Me either,” Kyle admitted.

A sting at his neck had Kyle screaming again, his second release erupting from him as Brannon came inside of him. The moment seemed to last forever. It left them panting side by side, their bodies coated in sweat.

“That was…” Kyle couldn’t help but smile.

“Amazing,” Brannon added.

“And now”—Kyle maneuvered so he was hovering over Brannon and leered down to him lecherously—“it’s my turn.”