Page 23 of The Earl's Wrangler
Randall chuckled, looking into Sawyer’s eyes.“Then I guess I’ll have to think of other ways to keep you on your toes.”
“You do that,” Sawyer nearly growled.“That’s enough talk,” he declared, and kissed him again, building up the heat between them until Randall shook with energy he didn’t know what to do with.“Did you bring… stuff?”Randall stilled and then shook his head.They’d left fast enough that he hadn’t thought about that.“No problem….”
“Okay,” Randall whispered as Sawyer shucked off the covers and slid down him before taking Randall between his lips.The wet heat was sublime, and he groaned softly, becoming louder and more insistent as Sawyer took him harder, sucking more vigorously, bobbing his head, tugging on him with his lips until Randall knew he was going to come unglued at any second.He gripped the bedding, using it to anchor himself in the present or else he was going to fly apart.“What are you doing to me?”Randall whispered.
“Tasting you?”Sawyer answered before taking him once more, and this time Randall barely had a chance to breathe before he was flying.For a second he imagined himself over those grand peaks, seeing them from the air like a bird.Then Sawyer drove him higher and the peaks got smaller; he flew faster until he could contain it no more.Clamping his eyes closed, he held on to the very last threads of his control before letting them go.He soared even higher, the light disappearing completely, with stars flashing behind his eyes before he tumbled back down and into Sawyer’s arms.
Sawyer held him as Randall shook, trying to get enough air into his lungs.Once his body calmed, he rolled over to get closer to Sawyer.“I just need a minute and….”
“No need,” Sawyer whispered.“Everything is perfect just as it is right now.”He stroked the hair out of Randall’s eyes and then gently kissed him.“All is good, and you ain’t got to worry about anything.”
“Okay.”He closed his eyes once again, dozing for a little while until a growl filled the cabin, and Randall groaned as he realized it was his own stomach.“Sorry.”
Sawyer snickered and slowly got out of bed.“With tummy rumbles like that, I think you and I need to get you something to eat.”He leaned over the bed and kissed him.“I’d stay in here all day if I could.”
“Me too,” Randall said softly, watching Sawyer’s taut body as he headed to the bathroom.He couldn’t help sighing at how stunning he was.As soon as the door closed, Randall got out of bed, grabbed his bag, and pulled on clean clothes.By the time Sawyer came out, he was dressed, and Sawyer did the same as he took care of business.
“Where are we going today?”Randall asked.
“The Jackson area.It’s a pretty amazing place.It’s a place where a lot of stars make their homes.The town is one of those anomalies out here.Real estate is sky high, and estates outside of town are often measured in hundreds of acres.But there are some amazing views, and if we have time, we could head to Jackson.The ski area is closed this time of year, but some of the lifts are running, and you can go to the top of the mountains for some pretty spectacular views.Then tonight we can return to the cabin before making the return trip to the ranch in a day or so.”
“Sounds like a great plan, as long as you don’t mind doing the driving.”He grabbed his things for the day along with a couple bottles of water and followed Sawyer to the truck.He hadn’t been able to see it last night, but the trees around the cabin made the entire area seem so remote, and yet five minutes later, they were on the road heading south.“You’d never know the cabins were here.”
“That’s the beauty of it.Kyle, the owner, rents them out mostly through Airbnb, but I just called him, and he happened to have one available.We got lucky for this time of the year.They’re usually pretty full.”
The drive to Jackson was almost as spectacular as their trip the day before, with an amazing view almost everywhere he looked.
The town of Jackson was rustic and yet beautiful.“This is most definitely a western town.The bars are themed around cowboys mostly, and they have mechanical bulls and things like that.”Sawyer continued driving, turning a corner before they came to a park.
“What is that?”
Sawyer laughed.“The antler arches.There’s one on each corner of the park.It’s a tradition in this town dating back decades.The arches are big enough to walk under.”He parked, and Randall got out.He wasn’t sure if he was impressed or appalled, but Sawyer explained that they came from the Boy Scouts who collected dropped antlers in the elk refuge.That made him feel better as he walked around the park, taking pictures of each of the four arches.
“This is so unique,” he told Sawyer after seeing each of them.
“Like I said, this was an old, rough-and-tumble town.Now it’s very gentrified, but it didn’t used to be.The people here made their living off the land, and they were as rugged and craggy as the mountains.There are tons of stories.”Sawyer led him into one of the bars.“This one serves a really good breakfast.”
Randall leaned close.“After last night, I think I deserve two.”
Sawyer’s eyes seemed to dance as he pulled open the door, and they went in and took a seat at one of the booths along the side.
“What’s your poison, darlin’?”the server asked as she pulled out her pad and a pen.Randall almost answered that it was the guy across the table, but he managed to keep it inside.
“YOU WANTto go on that?”Randall asked as they stood in line near the ski lodge.He could just imagine the activity in winter, with everyone bundled up against the cold, skis slung over shoulders, excitement filling the cold mountain air.He’d been skiing in Switzerland and knew the routine, but he could just imagine this place would be more raw, less genteel and mannered.Maybe he needed to return in the winter and check it out.For a second, he wondered if Sawyer could ski.But standing at the base of the tram, looking up toward the top, gave him pause.“It’s a long way.”
“Come on,” Sawyer said as the line moved forward.“Are you scared of heights?”
“No.”He just wasn’t sure about going up in that thing with only what looked like a string to keep it in the air.He always had this hesitancy at times like this, but he pushed it aside.“But it should be fine.”He hated to admit any sort of weakness.His father had taught him that.If he showed any sign of being weak or scared, his father always picked up on it, and then he’d be punished.At school, things hadn’t been much better, with the other boys pouncing at the first indication of insecurity.He stood straighter, determined to power his way through.
“We don’t have to do this.I thought you’d like to go to the top.It’s supposed to be a great view.At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Randall smiled and nodded.“It should be great,” he lied.They inched forward, and Sawyer reached the front of the line for tickets.They got the last pair for a ride to the top in half an hour, which gave Randall thirty minutes to wonder and worry.He hated that he felt this way, and yet he was not going to miss the chance to see from the top just because he was nervous about going up in the lift tram.
He watched as the group before them filed inside and then the lift slipped out of the station on its way up the mountain.“What’s got you so tense?”Sawyer asked.“And don’t tell me you’re not worried.The lines around your eyes and mouth are deeper than the crags on that peak over there.”
“I don’t like ski lifts, okay?”he admitted grudgingly.He should have been able to power through it.Weakness wasn’t something he wanted to show to anyone.“Usually it’s not too bad, but I went on a ski lift in Biarritz, France, with my parents when I was a kid.They skied there every winter, and I practically begged to go along.I must have been ten, and my mother gave in.My father wasn’t too happy about it, but we had a good time.Everything was great, and even my dad and I got along.We went skiing together and kind of connected.”It seemed like the one time he’d really gotten along with his father.They actually had something in common.
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before releasing it slowly.“My father showed me how to ski down the various hills, and I remember him smiling.We had a good time.Until we got on the lift.We made it halfway to the top and then it stopped.My father and I swung back and forth in the wind, which seemed to grow colder.I remember leaning closer to him just as the lift lurched.I thought we were going to fall, and I grabbed for my father.I must have screamed, because I was ten….”He sighed and bit his lower lip.“My father tensed, and the next thing I know, one of his skis had fallen off into the area below the lift.”
