Cope laughs as I groan, wanting the ground to swallow me whole. “You guys, too,” he offers, humor lacing his every word.
“Obviously,” Shooter drawls. “I aim to please.”
The sound of bare feet padding across the floor sounds moments before the makeshift curtain to Cope’s space pulls open. Shooter’s grinning mug travels from Cope’s face to mine, then down to our still naked and exposed bodies.
“Shit,” I hiss, falling off of Cope, accidentally flashing his dick to Shooter while I scramble for the blankets—which he’s lying on top of.
Shooter chuckles. “Don’t worry, Xan-man. I’m not looking at your junk. Get dressed, guys. Let’s go smoke.”
And then he’s gone.
Glancing over at Cope, I groan. “He’s got no boundaries.”
Laughing, he says, “Not even one.”
Shamelessly, I watch Cope get dressed, loving every dip, muscle, and curve, feeling my cock twitch all over again.
“Quit ogling me, perv.” Whipping my leg with his shirt, he chuckles. “Up you go.”
I’ll never quit ogling you, Copeland Murphy.
33
COPE MURPHY
We’ve stayed at these campgrounds before. A couple of times, actually. It’s like that with a handful of the towns we stop in; either there’s only one option due to the town’s small size, or there’s only one good option. This one’s the former, but the views are gorgeous, so I don’t mind. It’s a quarter past seven, the air is crisp, birds are chirping in the trees all around us, and I can already tell it’s going to be a scorcher. But for now, it’s comfortable.
Shooter and Sterling are cooking a big breakfast for everyone back at the campsite before we start the day. There’s some well-known zoo here that apparently has baby red pandas. When Daisy heard that, she was all over the idea, so that’s what we’re all doing before we have to hit the arena later on. For now, though, before breakfast and before we gotta get a move on, I’m taking Xander to a spot just off the beaten path that I think he’s going to love.
He's slightly ahead of me as we hike the short distance to where we’re going and, of course, I can’t help but check him out. The soft blue sleeveless shirt he’s wearing gives me a teasing peek at his chest. From the right angle, I can even see hisjeweled nipple. It makes me want to take it between my teeth and play with it with my tongue. A pair of black athletic shorts sit right above his knees, and his Vans are white and in pristine condition. The top of his head is free of any type of hat, his black curls sleep tousled and beautiful, and with the way the sun is sitting in the sky, his profile is highlighted by the soft glow, all his sharp lines and smooth skin accentuated.
Xander tosses me a look over his shoulder, totally catching me checking him out. A sly smirk tugs on his lips. “Quit ogling me, perv,” he parrots my words from last night, causing us both to chuckle.
“Can’t help it, city boy.” I shrug innocently. “You’re just so damn sexy.”
He rolls his eyes, trying to hide the smile that brings him. His cheeks pinken from the compliment, and it’s moments like these I especially love how he wears his every emotion on his face. He can’t hide it from me because his expressions give him away every time.
Almost to our destination, I reach out, slipping my hand into his. Xander glances down at our joined hands before meeting my gaze, a softness overtaking his eyes.
“Come on,” I say, clearing my throat of the sudden emotional lump building. “It’s right over here.”
We veer to the left, coming to a clearing through the tall, thick trees. Xander scans the area for a moment before whispering, “Wow.”
This place is nowhere near as beautiful and special as the spot I’ve taken Xander to back home, with the mountain peaks and the river below, but it’s an easy close second. A shallow, rocky river runs through surrounding trees. The mountains sit in the far distance, and the sun peeks out from behind them, basking the sky in a rich, orange glow. The sound of the water trickling over the rocks is a calming one, and there’s a wide-open area we can sit on. Slipping my backpack off my shoulders, I unzip it and pull out the blanket I stuffed in there so our asses don’t get wet from the dewy grass.
“This place is beautiful,” Xander mutters as we both take a seat.
“Isn’t it?”
“You’ve been here before, I’m guessing?”
I nod. “A couple of times. I found it a few years back.”
Xander leans over, wrapping his arms around my middle as we both lie back. He nuzzles his nose into my neck as I look up at the clear sky, trying to swallow down the feelings rushing through me. Sometimes it takes me aback how strongly I feel toward him—and in a relatively short amount of time. It hasn’t even been a year since I met him broken down on the side of the dirt road. Hasn’t even been a year since he unknowingly rocked my world in a way I didn’t even know possible.
Being away from him this season has been hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. He hasn’t been able to come out nearly as much as I’d hoped. All I keep doing is telling myself that I’m biding my time. This is temporary, and hopefully, at the end of the season, he’ll take me up on my offer to move in.
It’s not something we’ve talked about much since I first asked him before I left for the circuit. He told me he wanted to let our relationship progress without the added pressure, and I’ve tried my best to respect that. But as the days go by, and the more I learn about Xander, the harder I fall. The more I feel.
