Page 16 of Repentance and Absolution
“Fair enough,” I said, leading Dixie into the barn and trying to think of things that would make my dick stop its stand.
We spent the next half hour looking after the horses and checking on Poke, giving Dixie a bit more feed and all of them some hay. Peter had advised us not to give Onyx a full meal until tomorrow as she’d probably be out of sorts at the change of scenery, and a horse’s digestion could be delicate. But Oscar ran to the house to get Onyx a carrot to make sure she didn’t starve. Tomorrow, she could have the grain mix, same as Dixie and the mule. We’d picked up another bag of it in town that I’d strapped behind my saddle. I put it with the rest of the feed.
We decided to let them all out into the paddock to let them figure things out together, but we did stay to watch in case anyone put up a fuss or acted less than friendly. T’was amusing to watch Dixie and Poke as they observed the coal-black mare who waltzed right up to the trough and took a long drink as if she didn’t care one bit that she was in a different spot to where she’d woke up. Dixie watched Onyx for a moment, then glanced our way as if to sayWho the hell is this now?but soon ambled o’er and nudged Onyx out of the way so she could have a drink. Onyx whinnied and tossed her head, but she moved aside and let Dixie by, so that was good. Dixie was the leader here, and Onyx had better figure that out.
Poke didn’t seem to care one way or the other and waited until the horses had drunk their fill before heading o’er there. I reckoned he wouldn’t be much of a problem. He’d always been easygoing and had stood the myth of the ornery, witless mule on its head more than once. He was a sweetheart and braver than some horses. We’d been lucky to get him.
“She seems all right,” Oscar said, his brow wrinkled as he waited for one of them to make trouble, but it didn’t look like that was gonna happen.
“She’s fine. Looks like they all get along all right,” I said, leaning on the rail of the fence and trying not to make my close observation of Oscar’s stance too obvious. But after so long being with him in town where I couldn’t touch him then watching him ride his horse all the way home, I was raring to go.
Oscar nodded and gazed at me from under the brim of his hat. “You reckon we can leave ’em?”
I cleared my throat as my cock jumped at the thought of getting Oscar into the house. But I kept myself calm and inclined my chin with what I hoped was a look of sage wisdom.
“I reckon so. We can check on them in…a little bit.” Hopefully after I’d had my way with Oscar the way I wanted—needed—to. But I wasn’t worried. We’d hear it if one of them got nasty, but I didn’t expect it.
We walked back to the house. I added some wood to the stove and poked it around until it caught. Then I pumped some well-water into a basin in the sink, and we took turns washing our hands with the fine lemon soap, not saying a word. But there was a buzzing electricity in the air and a knowledge that words had been said and references made to something that needed to happen.
I risked a glance at Oscar. “You’re awful sweet with that horse. She don’t stand a chance. I reckon you stole her heart already, like you do with everyone.”
Oscar grinned and winked. “I never expected that a hasty ‘thank-you’ suck in the hotel room in Dawson would steal your heart, Jimmy Downing. Reckon I just got lucky with that one.”
I blushed, remembering that morning. “I reckon you did.”
“I was lucky you didn’t wring my neck, you bein’ an ex-outlaw and all. I didn’t really think about what I was doin’—no doubt I was still addled from bein’ so hungry and so many days without sleep. You’d said you didn’t want that so many times—but I guess I sensed that, secretly, you did want it…or might.” He frowned and cocked his head. “You know, if you had told me to stop, I would have. You know that, right, Jimmy?”
“I know it. T’was a shock, for certain. But there wasn’t a point that I didn’t want what was happenin’, e’en though it seemed daring and took me a bit by surprise.”
He raised his eyebrows. “A bit?”
I blushed. “I might have…thought about somethin’ like that on occasion,” I mumbled. “Didn’t much admit it to myself until after things had progressed between us. But I reckon I’d had some…questionabledesires, to be certain.” I glanced at him shyly. “You got good instincts, Oscar Yates,” I admitted.
“Why, thank you,” he grinned, drying his hands with the linen towel. “Weren’t nothin’ but a grateful gesture. Now, what happened afterwards…? Well, that was somethin’ truly special.”
“You mean when I hauled you o’er my lap and spanked you till we both spilled?” My voice was a little shaky. That entire experience was engraved on my memory like a film reel. What had happened in that room with Oscar had been a revelation and a shock, not to mention the dirtiest thing I’d ever fucking done with anyone, although I’d done my share of whoring.
I’d gotten more out of a clandestine gamahuche and delivering a spontaneous spanking to Oscar than I did going full bore with a woman. It had been nothing I’d ever been expecting, but when it had happened, it had felt so right.
I reckon I’d gone and lost my mind a little, and that was why I’d not been able to leave Oscar behind when I’d left for Whitehorse. We’d only been separated once since then, and that was when Oscar had been taken by Spook and Whitlaw, and I didn’t want to remember that.
I took the towel and dried my hands, my fingers trembling with anticipation.
“You still hard for me, Jimmy?” Oscar’s soft voice came from behind me.
When I turned around, he was standing by the bed, gazing at me out of dark, hooded eyes. He’d taken off his coat when we’d come inside, and now he hooked his thumbs underneath his gray braces and flicked them off his shoulders.
“Why? What have you got in mind?” I said, my mouth going dry.
He smiled slow. “Oh, I don’t know. But why don’t you come here and undress me?”
I swallowed, my throat feeling thick. “Okay.”
I walked o’er and put my quivering fingers to the buttons of his shirt, making quick work of pulling the tails from his trousers and the sleeves off his arms. His union suit was clean, but it presented a barrier to his flesh that I needed to dispense with.
Instead of going for the flap of his trousers, I undid the tiny buttons of his underwear until I could peel the red flannel back from his shoulders and unwrap him like the gift he was. He helped me get his arms out of the tangle of cloth then stood before me, naked to the waist, his hair still tousled from the wind.
“Like what you see?” he asked.
