Page 267 of The Texas Sterling Collection
Joey reached over, took Felix's hooks, and hung them on the nails again. “I like coming up here. It’s quiet and peaceful, and nobody comes in. It’s like my own private getaway.”
“That is one advantage to having no brothers and sisters,” Felix said. “You can enjoy quiet time all to yourself.”
“Sometimes I come up here when I want to be alone and...um…to play with myself.”
“You mean like a game or something?” Felix scanned the area but found nothing that looked like game pieces or boards.
“No, not a game. Play. With myself…” Joey balled his fist like he was holding an invisible stick and moved it up and down in the air.
“I don’t understand, Joey.”
“With my dick.”
“Dick?”
“Yeah…that thing between your legs.”
The flash of heat rising through Felix’s body lit his face on fire. He never talked about his privates with anyone. He didn’t think anyone else should know what he did or did not do with his own…what did Joey call it…dick. His father would be irate if he knew that thought even entered his mind. He rushed for the ladder. “I think we'd better go down, Joey.” His father told him never to pleasure himself, so he was surprised that Joey would do that.
“Hey, Felix. I’m sorry.” Joey raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“It’s okay.” Felix hurried down the ladder. “I don’t like to talk about stuff like that. My father told me it was unnatural.”
Joey followed Felix. “Hey…don’t worry…I won’t mention it again. The guys at my school joke about it in whispers on the playground, so I thought every guy did it. I guess guys from town are different.”
Felix mulled over the conversation as they mucked out the stalls. He shoveled the manure-laden hay into a wheelbarrow. He eyed the retreating figure as Joey wheeled it out to the pile north of the corral. Did the guys at his school talk about such things? Not having any friends, he never participated in conversations between guys. Besides, his father would have been most irritated. Felix climbed up and threw down two more bales, enough to fill the mangers and pad the stalls. They brought buckets of water from the cistern to fill the troughs, still working without chatting.
Felix couldn’t stop thinking about what Joey said about playing with his dick. His own dick plumped, which disturbed him further. His mind struggled between his father’s stern words about touching his man parts and Joey’s ease with doing that very thing. He forced thoughts of hefty Emmaline Crabtree into his mind to relieve the heavy weight in his crotch.
As they spread the last of the hay in the stalls, Joey removed his shirt. It was a hot afternoon, and sweat stains covered the front and back. He used the shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow and chest. Felix had almost to shoutEmmaline Crabtreein his mind to keep his focus off Joey’s physique. He couldn’t figure out why he liked looking at Joey so much.
That night, Felix struggled with a hard dick he was afraid to touch in his bed. He fell asleep, but vivid dreams of Joey naked in the hayloft resulted in waking up with a mess in his drawers. This wasn’t the first time he’d squirted in his sleep. Over the past few years, it happened regularly. He thought something was wrong with him, but he was afraid to mention it to his father or the doctor. They would undoubtedly send him to a hospital for treatment.
As he cleaned himself and tossed the soiled underwear in the corner, he wondered how he would survive the summer. He had been afraid of spending the summer with strangers, but now he feared spending the summer with a best friend he was attracted to. What could he do?
Chapter Seven
“So, Joey, what are you and Felix doing today?” Grover reached for a biscuit at breakfast the following day.
“Me and Felix are gonna ride fences today. I don’t think we have any issues, but we need to check.”
“I’ll pack sandwiches for your lunch,” Mabel said. “Felix, do you want three or four sandwiches?” She tousled his hair and chuckled. “Can’t have your ma thinking I tried to starve you.”
“Whatever you put in for Joey will be fine for me, too, Ma Sterling,” Felix grinned. He anticipated spending the day with Joey, despite Joey’sdickdiscussion the day before and his messy dream last night.
“We’ll be over by the spring around noon. So we can drink spring water, Ma,” Joey said. “No need to put any milk in with those sandwiches.” Joey smiled at Felix.
Felix’s face blazed. Why did Joey affect him so much? He never had a friend before, so he didn’t know if this was typical of two friends or something else. He hoped to figure it out before he did something friends don’t do. Gosh, this confused him.
They finished their breakfast and went to the barn to saddle their horses. Pa came out with a cloth bag containing sandwiches and a couple of apples. “Ma sent me out with your lunches.”
“Thanks, Pa,” Joey added the sack to his saddlebag.
Grover eyed Felix and Sparkle. “I must say, Sparkle never stayed this calm with Sterling men, Felix. Joey mentioned your magic touch, and I can see it.”
Sparkle turned his head and nudged Felix with his nose as if he agreed with Grover. Felix patted Sparkle’s shoulder. “He’s a good horse, Pa. He’s the one with the magic, not me.”
“Felix, you have more rancher in you than we thought. I’m glad you're taking to it so fast. The day I brought you here, I kinda figured you would prefer staying in your room to read a book or something, but you stuck with Joey every minute.”
