HAPPY'S EVER AFTER

STORY EXCERPT

Marc slammed his truck into park and jumped out, running up to the fight happening in the street in front of the store. “That’s quite enough!” he shouted as he pulled Jeff Murkily and his brother Brad off of another man. He stepped between the three men, pushing them apart. “Enough!”

“He started it!” Jeff said right away, pointing to the other man.

Marc’s mouth dropped as he looked at the other man, and realized he was looking at the man’s chest. He had to raise his eyes up several inches to see his face.

Damn.

“What happened here?”

“We were just minding our own business when this meathead came up and started shouting at us,” Jeff said. “When we told him to leave us alone, he started throwing punches.”

“We were just defending ourselves,” Brad insisted.

Marc turned to look back at the biggest damn man he had ever seen outside of a wrestling event. “What do you have to say?”

The man’s lips thinned as he pressed them together, but that was his only response. Marc wasn’t even sure he blinked.

“See?” Jeff said. “He knows he was in the wrong.”

“Is this true, sir?” Marc asked. “Did you start the fight?” Marc wanted to grind his teeth together when the massive man just stood there. “Sir, you need to answer me.”

Jeff laughed snidely. “Maybe he doesn’t hear you, deputy. Maybe he’s one of those—”

Marc pointed a finger at Jeff. “Say it and I’ll lock you up for the next month.” He hated bigots.

“You can’t do that!” Jeff’s eyes blazed. “I didn’t do anything.”

Marc leveled a stare at Jeff. He had known the man since high school and he was nothing but a bully, one of the reasons Marc hadn’t automatically believed him when he arrived on the scene. Jeff had been a bully in high school and he was still a bully.

“Try me.”

“Just wait until the sheriff hears about this.” Jeff’s face flushed red as his voice rose. “I’ll bet he’d be real interested to hear his new deputy is threatening to lock people up for defending themselves.”

“I heard it,” said a deep voice from behind Marc. “And I agree.”

Jeff grinned as if he had won that argument.

“Say one word out of place and I’ll lock you up for a month.”

Jeff’s jaw dropped. “You can’t do that.”

Sheriff John Riley’s grin was even bigger than Jeff’s had been. The man crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Jeff with an expression that dared the man to argue with him. “Try me.”

 Jeff sputtered for a moment then fell silent.

“What seems to be the problem here?” John asked as he turned his attention to Marc.

“I’m still trying to figure that out, sheriff,” Marc replied. “Jeff and Brad say that this man attacked them and that they were merely defending themselves.”

“Is that true, Happy?”

“No, sir,” came the quiet reply.

Marc’s eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t sure if it was from hearing the man speak or hearing his name. Or from the fact that the eyes that finally rose up enough so he could see them were the most stunning blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. It was like looking into someone’s soul.

“Tell me what happened, Happy,” John directed.

“I was sweeping the sidewalk just like Mr. Gus told me to and then these two came and started kicking dirt up on it.” A wrinkled frown worked its way across the large man’s forehead. “I didn’t hit anyone, Sheriff.”

“He didn’t, sheriff.”

Marc glanced up to see Gus Fletcher standing in the doorway of his shop with a couple of customers.

“Jeff and Brad started the whole mess. When Happy ignored them, they got pissed and started shouting at him. That’s about the time I called the station. Happy just held his arms up in front of his face.”

“Mama gets mad when they hit me in the face.”

Marc felt a growl burn deep in the pit of his stomach. “This has happened to you before?”

Happy shrugged.

“As I’m sure you can understand, Happy has had a few problems due to his size,” John said. “People tend to either be intimidated by him.” John waved his hand toward Jeff and Brad. “Or they think they need to fight him to prove themselves.”

Marc could see where that could be an issue. He stood at six foot two inches tall, not a short man. Happy stood at least half a foot taller than him, and a good hundred pounds heavier. The man was simply massive.

“Do you want me to lock them up?”

“No, but we’re not going to have any more trouble, are we boys?” John cocked his eyebrow at the two men. “Because if we do, not only will I be going to have a talk with your pa, but I’ll be locking you two up for a good long while.”

“Now, look here, sheriff—” Jeff began.

“Do we need to take this down to the station, Jeff?”

“You can’t do this!”

Marc as waiting for the man to stomp his foot.

“Shut up, Jeff,” Brad said as he started pushing his brother toward the other side of the street. “You want him to call Pa down here?”

“Fine!” Jeff shouted. “But this isn’t over.”

“It had better be,” John said, “or you and I are going to have a serious difference of opinion.”

Marc stood with his boss and watched Jeff and Brad climb into their pickup and then spin their tires as they took off down the street. “You want me to follow them and give them a ticket for speeding through town?”

“No.” John chuckled as he turned toward the feed and seed store again. “I’ll give their father a call later and let him know those two are up to no good again.”

Marc nodded even as his eyes strayed back to Happy. He was intrigued by the unusual manner in which the man was watching him. It was almost shy in nature as if he wanted to look but was afraid to get caught. It wasn’t something he could have expected from such a large, intimidating man.

“Happy, how’s your mother?” John asked.

Marc inhaled sharply when the sweetest smile he had ever seen spread across Happy’s face. It changed the man’s whole demeanor. Marc suddenly realized that he was dealing with a gentle giant. He doubted Happy had a mean bone in his entire body.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Hey, you listen to me.” Happy stumbled forward when Marc grabbed his shirt and yanked him forward to stand between his legs. “You’re not stupid, Happy. You have a lack of knowledge due to not being exposed to the world. I have no doubt that once you have access to learning, you will pick it up in no time.”

Happy nervously moistened his dry lips. “You think I can learn?”

“I have no doubt that you can.”

Happy’s brows drew together as he agonized over telling Marc the truth. He wanted the handsome man to have a good opinion of him, and if he told Marc the truth then the man might not look at him with that special sparkle in his eyes.

But lying by omission was still lying.

“My grandfather beat me over the head with a brick when I was younger. Mama says that’s when things started taking a little longer to make sense to me.”

“I know, but that doesn’t make you stupid. I’d be slow, too, if you showed me the periodic tables and told me to find zinc.”

Happy just stared.

“Scientific stuff, Happy.” Marc chuckled. “I never could make heads nor tails of it.”

Happy worried the corner of his lower between his teeth. “You really think I could learn this stuff?”

The corner of Marc’s mouth curved up. “I do.” There was pure confidence in that response, enough that Happy started to believe Marc’s words might be true.

He leaned his head down and pressed his forehead against Marc’s. “Thank you.”

The other side of Marc’s mouth curved up, the man grinning. “Anytime, Happy.”

Happy started to move back when he realized he stood between Marc’s legs, his groin pressing against Marc, and the guy was hard. Happy licked his suddenly dry lips as his eyes dropped.

Oh man.

When his eyes flickered back up to Marc, the man was watching him with hooded eyes. Something burned in their blue murky depths that Happy was unfamiliar with, but he sure wanted to know what it meant.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Happy.” Marc’s hand curved around the back of Happy’s neck, pulling him closer. “If you don’t want me to, say something now.”

Happy pressed his lips together, refusing to say anything. He wanted to be kissed. He dreamed of being kissed. But only by Marc. He didn’t really want anyone else kissing him. Well, maybe his mama but not like he wanted Marc to kiss him because that would just be icky.

Marc started to lean closer, paused and let out a small chuckle, and then closed the rest of the distance between them. Happy wasn’t sure what to expect when Marc’s lips brushed against his. He had been kissed before, but only by his mother, and then only on the forehead or the cheek.

This was nothing like that.

This made Happy’s toes curl and his body start to sing. He groaned, wanting whatever Marc offered him. There was a burning lust in his eyes that left Happy speechless.

The hand Marc had wrapped around the back of his neck tightened and pulled him closer as Marc’s tongue slid over his lips. Happy’s body tensed with need when he felt Marc’s other hand grab his hip then slide around to the small of his back.

Happy’s lungs burned for oxygen, but he refused to pull away. He opened his mouth when Marc’s tongue pressed against the seam between his lips, the man’s tongue plunging in, sweeping and exploring.

Happy grabbed Marc’s hips when his head began to spin. He started to move, thrusting his aching dick against the apex of Marc’s thighs. Marc pulled Happy closer, grinding against him as their tongues dueled. He lightly bit Happy’s bottom lip. Happy gasped before returning the careful nip.

Marc consumed him with one kiss that seemed to go on forever. Happy didn’t want it to stop. Marc’s tongue flickered over Happy’s lip, teasing, tantalizing. He murmured Happy’s name, sending Happy into a wild craze.

He began to thrust against Marc in earnest, feeling his hard cock sliding against Marc’s over and over again, the only thing between them was the thinness of their pants. His thigh muscles quivered, his legs threatening to give out as his balls drew so tight to Happy’s body that they actually hurt.

FARMER IN THE DELL

STORY EXCERPT

“Who’s the cutie?” Mitchell Walker asked as he watched the sexy little blond across the burning fire pit from him. He didn’t know if it was the way the flames seemed to highlight the sandy-blond curls that bounced around his face when he tossed his head back and laughed or the simple joy the man seemed to take in just sitting with some friends around the fire.

Whatever it was, Mitch hadn’t been able to look away since the man sat down.

“Dude, could you be a little bit more specific?” Russell Bozeman, Mitch’s best friend since kindergarten, replied as he waved his beer bottle toward the bevy of beauties sitting around the fire. “There’s a lot of cute out there.”

Mitch chuckled, his beer bottle hovering just inches from his lips. “The cute little blond sitting next to your brother.”

“Ah, that cutie. That’s Elliot Foster, Adam’s new roommate. I guess he doesn’t have any family to speak of so Adam invited him to come spend his vacation here with us. Mom adores him.”

“So, he’s just here for a couple of weeks?”

“Yep. They have to head back to the university in ten days.”

“That’s too bad.” Mitch kept his eyes locked on the cute little blond as he tipped his beer bottle up and took another swig. “I’d tap that.”

“Yeah?” Mitch could hear the curiosity Russ’s voice as the man gazed out across the fire. “He’s cute enough, I suppose.”

Mitch snickered. “He’s fucking adorable.”

Russ’s head snapped around. “I thought you didn’t do twinks.”

Mitch grinned wickedly. “There’s always a first time.”

He quickly downed the rest of his beer then scooted off the tailgate of his truck. Mitch walked over to the cooler someone had brought for the party and grabbed himself another beer and a Coke for Elliot. Mitch hadn’t missed the fact that Elliot was not drinking alcohol.

Mitch took the long route, walking around the outside of the fire line before stepping over the log Elliot was on and sitting down beside him. He tapped Elliot’s empty soda can with the new one, holding it out to him.

Elliot’s eyes widened for a moment, and Mitch almost felt like preening under the man’s clear astonishment. “I’m Mitch Walker.”

“E–Elliot Foster.”

“Yes, I know. I asked,” Mitch said, nodding toward the Coke in his hand. “I thought you might be ready for a new one,”

“Um…” Elliot’s eyebrows drew together in confusion as he took the soda from Mitch and popped the tab on the top. “Thanks.”

Mitch hid his grin behind his beer and quickly took a sip. “I hear that you and Adam are roommates at the university.”

Elliot smiled as his eyes went to Adam. “Yeah.”

“What are you studying?” Mitch asked, wanting Elliot’s eyes back on him. He liked the shy way the sweet little man looked at him.

“Same thing as Adam,” Elliot replied as he looked back. “That’s how we met in fact, in school.”

That surprised Mitch enough that his eyebrows rose up. “You’re going to be a veterinarian?”

“Yep.” Elliot smiled as if he was proud of that fact.

“That’s cool.”

“What about you?”

“Naw, the university isn’t for me.” Mitch chuckled lightly as he shook his head. “I barely made it through high school.”

“Oh.”

“I’m a third-generation farmer. Always have been, always will be.” Mitch wasn’t sure if it was curiosity shining in Elliot’s green eyes or disdain at his chosen profession. But he wasn’t ashamed of what he did. He loved it. “I’ve been working the farm since I was old enough to ride on my daddy’s knee. I’ll do it until the day I die.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.” Mitch took a sip of his beer, turning his gaze toward the roaring fire. “There’s something very satisfying about watching your hard work grow right before your eyes and knowing that at some point, it’s going to feed your family or your neighbor’s family.”

Elliot’s head tilted, a quizzical smile crossing his lips, making him go from simply cute to astonishingly handsome. Mitch knew he’d have to get the guy to smile some more. He wanted another one of those devastating smiles.

“You really do love it, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Mitch hid his nervousness at the question by taking another sip of his beer.

In this day and age, not many people understood his love of farming. It was a lost art as far as he was concerned. Most people either bought their food at the supermarket or owned large commercialized farms that produced product for mass markets.

The individual farmer was a thing of the past.

“That’s cool.”

Mitch glanced at Elliot out of the corner of his eye, not sure if the guy was laughing at him or not. The earnest look on Elliot’s face surprised him. “You think being a farmer is cool?” Mitch had heard weirder things, but not many.

“I don’t know much about being a farmer but loving what you do is cool. I think if more people did what they actually wanted to do instead of what they were told to do or thought they had to do, there would be a lot more happy people in the world.”

“Yeah.” Mitch took another sip of his beer, watching Elliot. He was a strange little dude, cute, but strange. “So, you always wanted to be a veterinarian then?”

“Oh yeah.” A wide grin spread over Elliot’s lips. “When I was around six years old, a couple of baby birds were born in a nest outside my bedroom window. I was fascinated by them, watched them for hours every day. When one of them fell from the nest, my mother said I was hysterical. She brought the baby bird inside and put it in a box.”

Elliot chuckled as his gaze dropped down to his hands. “I think she thought the bird would die and was preparing it to be buried in the backyard. Instead, I took the bird down to our local veterinarian. I went down every day, taking out the trash and sweeping the floor to pay the bill. Several weeks later, the vet and I freed that baby bird. As I watched it fly off, I knew that I wanted to be able to do that, to keep animals from dying and set them free.”

Okay, it was definite now. Mitch was totally intrigued.

ADULT EXCERPT

Mitch rolled to his back, a deep chuckle vibrating through his chest as he laughed. Elliot soon joined in the laughter. He was really beginning to adore Elliot. The last week spent with the man was turning out to be one of the best he could remember in a very long time.

Mitch reached over and pulled on Elliot until the man was draped over his chest, looking down at him. He groaned and grabbed Elliot’s hips as Elliot squirmed around, their cocks brushing together through their jeans.

“I want to fuck you, Elliot.”

Elliot’s eyes widened, and he nodded after a hard swallow. “Okay.”

Mitch was a little shocked. There had been some kissing and light touching between them since that night at the lake, but nothing more than that. Mitch was pretty sure that Elliot was inexperienced or close to it. No matter how horny Elliot made him, he didn’t want to do anything the man was uncomfortable with.

But he had to ask.

He reached into his pocket, grabbing the lube and condom he had stashed there before leaving his house that evening. He wasn’t exactly planning on getting laid, but he had been raised to always be prepared for anything.

And he had a lot of hope.

“Get naked.” Mitch could barely remember to strip his own clothes off as he watched Elliot get undressed. Short the man might be, but small he was not. Apparently, god had made up for Elliot’s smaller body by giving him a very impressive cock.

Mitch wondered if Elliot had ever topped and if he could talk him into it at some point. Mitch liked it both ways. And he would love to feel that bad boy pound into his ass.

But first…

“Turn around. I want to watch you stretch yourself for me.”

Elliot’s entire body flushed at Mitch’s request. He bit his bottom lip and then turned around, giving Mitch a beautiful view of his ass. Mitch flipped the lid on the lube and squirted a small amount down Elliot’s crease.

“Give me your hand.” Elliot reached back, giving Mitch his fingers. Once he lubed his lover’s fingers, Mitch set the bottle aside and guided Elliot’s lubed hand toward his hole. “Have you ever done this before, Elliot?”

“No,” Elliot admitted as his fingers felt around his tight entrance and then one of the digits pushed past the ring of muscles. Mitch’s cock hardened even further at the sight. He groaned as he watched. Elliot slowly pushed another finger inside of his ass.

Mitch reached between their bodies, grabbing the base of his cock to stop the orgasm threatening to erupt at the sight. After Elliot inserted a second and then a third finger, Mitch reached up and massaged his pale mounds, kneading them in the palm of his hands as he watched the erotic sight right before his eyes.

“I’m ready.”

Mitch moved his hands out of the way as Elliot turned back around. He started to climb off of Mitch, but he stopped Elliot from going anywhere. “I want you to ride me.”

Elliot bit his lips as he glanced around.

“I’ll show you, honey.” Mitch repositioned Elliot while holding the base of his cock. When the tip of his shaft touched Elliot’s hole, Mitch had to breathe out. “Go slow.”

Elliot placed the palms of his hands on Mitch’s chest as he slowly lowered his body, impaling himself onto Mitch’s aching erection. Mitch tensed and groaned, his cock aching in ways it never had before.

“You feel so good, Elliot. You’re so fucking tight.”

Elliot blushed at Mitch’s words. It was cute as hell.

Mitch grinned up at him and then gripped Elliot’s sides. “Tell me when you’re ready to move, honey.”

Elliot took a few breaths and then nodded. Mitch braced his feet on the ground and then tightened his hold on Elliot’s sides as he thrust upward.

“Oh god!” Elliot shouted as he fell forward. “Do that again.”

Mitch wrapped his arms around Elliot and began to drive up into the man’s tight ass over and over again. His head was swirling and his body was humming as his cock took pleasure in his lover’s body.

Elliot leaned forward and captured Mitch’s lips. The kiss sent new spirals of ecstasy through Mitch as he thrust harder. Mitch broke the kiss, nipping Elliot’s ear. “Am I hurting you?”

“No,” Elliot grunted as he pushed back, sitting up straight and planting his feet on either side of Mitch. Mitch lifted his hands up, giving Elliot something to hold onto as his lover took over and rode Mitch like a pro.

“Oh, this feels so fucking good.” Elliot’s head rolled back onto his shoulders as his lips slightly parted. He bounced on Mitch’s cock, taking Mitch straight to the edge.