Indigo Road (14 page)

“
I’m okay.
Keep driving,” Alex muttered into his hands. I encouraged him to
shuffle closer to me. I needed to touch him, to reassure him and
myself as I drove, and it wasn’t long before he had his head
resting on my shoulder, his hand tight
on
my thigh.

Entwining our
fingers, I let the warmth of his body
soothe me as I drove until the sun came up.

ALEX, WI
TH the help of
his phone, directed me to
an RV
park just outside of San Diego. I don’t know how
long I had been driving
for,
but it couldn’t have been much more than an
hour. The sun had just risen and made the day clean and fresh. It
was hard to believe what had happened as the light of the
California morning dawned bright and cheery.

I pulled into
a powered site shaded by large trees and ordered Alex into the back
of Maude. He hadn’t spoken the entire
drive,
but he was noticeably
calmer. He hadn’t bothered to dress yet and he climbed over the
seats still naked without saying a word. He snuggled under the
blanket and buried his head in a pillow.

I pulled on
some jeans
, and as I opened the door to
get out, Alex’s voice broke the silence. “Where are you going?” he
asked, jerking upright, alarm coloring his tone.

“I’m going to the office to pay the fees and
then I need to hook up the fridge. I’ll be back as soon as I can,
okay?” I said evenly.

“Hurry.”

“I will.”

It wasn’t long before I opened the back door
and climbed in next to Alex.

“
Hey,” I
said, closing the door behind me. It was early morning and I
thought
about cooking
breakfast,
but it didn’t appear
Alex wanted any right then. I didn’t even get the usual “horse” I’d
come to expect. Instead, he grabbed me in a fierce hold and pulled
me on top of him, devouring my mouth in hard, demanding kisses. The
sex we’d shared so far had been a bit on the dirty side, but I
didn’t know he liked it rough as well.

Alex grabbed
at my shoulders, his blunt fingers digging into my flesh, frantic
with
need. His kisses were brutal as he
bucked upward, letting me know how ready he was.

Eager
. Desperate.

My jeans were
a hindrance, but this wasn’t about me. I knew what he needed. I
pinned his shoulders to the mattress
.
Despite being shorter than him, I was broader and stronger, but he
fought me anyway.

“Stop fighting me,” I growled.

Alex’s eyes
flashed
, then softened as he went limp
against the bed, the air rushing from his lungs.

“
Better. Now
relax, I’m here and I’m going to take care of you. For today only,
we don’t step outside this van. We only go to the
shower
s and back, and we go together,
okay?”

“
I like the
sound of that,” he said, his voice sounding calm but with a tinge
of
anxiety creeping in.

I kissed him
gently, sliding my lips over his. I didn’t want him to think right
now, only feel. I deepened the kiss, sucking his tongue
into my mouth with a practiced caress. Alex
moaned as he explored my back and ass. We still hadn’t really
touched each other there, but it was only a matter of time; I could
feel the inevitability like a warm blanket.

I kissed the side of his mouth, his cheek,
his throat as I made my way to his collarbone, the one spot certain
to clear his mind of anything else except what I was doing to him.
And sure enough, he sucked in a breath when I wrapped my lips
around the bone and grazed it softly with my teeth.

I didn’t linger for too long as I made my way
down his chest, giving each nipple equal attention as I headed
south.

Alex’s cock
was bigger
up close than I thought it
would be. I’d seen him naked numerous times in the shower during
college, usually after a little one-on-one basketball. But having
it so close to me now as I wrapped my hand around the base and
tasted the head with a flick of my tongue, I realized just how big
he was. I wasn’t small myself, but Alex had it in
spades.

I ran my
tongue
around
the ridge of the crown, listening as Alex’s breathing
changed. I wondered why I’d waited so long to do this for him. It
didn’t feel strange or weird to have his cock in my mouth. I loved
knowing I could make his breathing hitch and his fingers clench the
blanket with nothing other than a well-placed lick.

The texture
on my tongue felt like I thought it would, like
silk
-covered steel. It tasted of sweaty
skin and a spicy musk that wasn’t offensive to my taste buds.
Filled with confidence at this new information, I took him into my
mouth. I knew not to go too far down for fear of gagging, so I took
what I could easily manage and made up the rest of his length with
my hand. I pumped his shaft as I sucked and licked at the bulbous
head, and before long Alex’s hands were on me as he threaded his
fingers through my hair. He didn’t push me down, just held me in
place.

His shaft
thickened as I played
him with my tongue,
my saliva making the slide of my hand easier.

“Josh, gonna come,” Alex groaned, his voice
thick as his fingers tightened around my skull.

I pulled off,
not ready to taste him yet. I stroked him quickly half a dozen
times before he came, almost yelling my name with his release. I
let him come on me, his spurts hitting my neck and chest, a wayward
one catching my chin. I couldn’t see the appeal of coming
on
someone’s face, but
I knew he’d appreciate it.

Alex’s
wide smile was all the reward I needed. “Fuck,
come here.”

I crawled up
his body, leaning over him as
he wiped
the come from my chin. “I really like having my spunk all over you.
It feels primal, possessive almost. I fucking love it.”

Alex held his
fingers close to my mouth, wanting me to taste him. I hesitated for
a fraction of a second before sucking them in and twirling my
tongue around the digits, tasting not only his
come,
but his warm skin as well.
It was bitter, but not unpleasant. Next time I gave him a
blowjob
, I was
definitely swallowing.

Alex cleaned
the rest of his come of
f me with his
tongue and at the same time fumbled with my jeans. I shucked them
off and crawled into bed next to him, feeling his warmth soaking
into me.

Alex grabbed
my cock and starting stroking, but I placed my hand over
his
, stopping
him.

“Not needed. That was just for you. Let’s get
some sleep, huh?”

Alex guided
me to
lie on my other side as he snuggled
behind me. Wrapping his arms around me tightly, his softening cock
nestled in the crease of my ass as he kissed the back of my neck.
I’d never played the little spoon before. Sure, we’d cuddled with
my head on his chest and every night previously we’d fallen asleep
holding hands, which I loved.

But this felt better. Safer.

WE WOKE a little after lunchtime and I broke my
promise of staying in the back of the van all day when I went to
the park store to buy us some lunch. Alex stayed behind and when I
crawled back into Maude, my arms filled with sandwiches and soda, I
saw he hadn’t bothered to get dressed. Luckily we weren’t expecting
visitors.

Alex had been
unusually
quiet since waking up,
murmuring his thanks for the food, but not much else, so when he
spoke after finishing his sandwich, it felt extra loud against the
silence.

“One of them had a gun.” His simple statement
came out of nowhere and it took me an extra second to realize what
he’d said.

“A gun?” No wonder he’d gone pale when we’d
sped out of the parking lot.

“Yes.”

“
You saw it?”
It
wasn’t that I didn’t believe him; I
was just having a problem processing it.

“Yes, it was pointed right at me.”

“
What the
hell?” My voice pitched
up as more shock
took over.

“
When I
looked in
the mirror, my eyes locked with
one of them. He was standing at the back, behind my door, and when
he saw me in the reflection, he raised his arm and aimed at my
head, my head in the mirror anyway. As we sped
off,
he raised the gun quickly,
jerking it in a kickback, like he’d taken a shot. I thought he had,
the blood pounding in my ears had me questioning whether I’d heard
it or not, and I looked
at
you to see if you’d heard anything.”

Alex’s voice
was quiet while my veins turned to ice. I tried to keep a calm
demeanor, not wanting Alex to see how much his words affected me.
If I freaked out
, then he would
too.

“
He didn’t
shoot
; that’s not something you forget. I
didn’t see the gun, I only saw the guy holding a baseball bat.” I
took a gulp of my soda, hoping it would drown my rekindled
nerves.

“
Why would
one of them ask for a rock to break the window when they had
a bat?”

“My guess is none of them are roaming the
streets because they’re smart.” I smiled, hoping to dissipate the
uneasiness we were both feeling.

“
Let’s avoid
the big cities from now on, okay? The biggest city I want to see is
Fort Wayne.”
Alex shook his
shoulders,
like he was
releasing the tension.

“Or San Francisco,” I countered.

“Or San Francisco.”

WE DIDN’T
leave the van for two entire days except to get food and use the
showers, and even then we didn’t leave each other’s sides. We lay
together mostly in silence, pressing our bodies close, never
letting the other move too far away. Our kisses were warm and
gentle. We didn’t touch for excitement
as
our hands and fingers ran over
every nook and cranny the other possessed, caressing the
dips,
valleys,
and mounds of soft, warm skin. Our touches spoke more of
tenderness and appreciation and we were content to lie in each
other’s arms, holding one another close. If I enjoyed cuddles
before, I now craved them. We used the time to comfort and reassure
each other that we were both okay—unharmed and whole.

It was the first time I realized just how
lucky we were.

WE
STAYED
in a hotel Christmas Eve night,
nothing too flashy, but it had a great breakfast buffet in the
dining room. It also had a shower big enough for two. After
breakfast, Alex led me back to our room and gave me his present.
When he presented the little black box, I thought he was going to
get down on one knee and propose, and my heart skipped a little as
I wasn’t sure what my answer would be. He didn’t give me enough
time to figure it out as he slipped the ring from the box and
pushed it over my left thumb. It was silver with a black scroll
insert.

“
I saw a guy
in San Francisco wearing a similar one and all I could think was
how good it would look on you. I think it suits you.” It was
engraved on the inside
:
Josh. Alex.
Simple, yet seeing our names permanently etched into
something made my eyes burn. “Merry Christmas,” Alex said, his
voice quiet just before he kissed me. I dragged him into the
shower, stripping him completely before blowing him under the spray
of the hot water.

“
SIRS, IF you
would follow me, please.”

Alex and I
followed the tuxedoed waiter to a small table next to a large
picture window overlooking San Diego Bay. Small linen-covered
dining tables dotted the large upscale restaurant. Crystal and
silver gleamed on each table, and the room was decorated especially
for Christmas Day. Gold balls and mistletoe hung from strategic
points while green and red wreaths decorated each door and pillar.
It was understated and tasteful. Nothing gaudy here. Soft carols
coming from the overhead speakers and lit candles added to the
classy and expensive feel. I could see why Alex made such a fuss
about getting to San Diego for Christmas; this wasn’t a restaurant
you could just turn up to without
a
reservation.

We were
dressed in jeans and our one good button-up shirt each, but
although we were neat and presentable, I felt decidedly
underdressed.

I played with
the thumb ring Alex had given me that morning as I shuffled after
our waiter. I hadn’t given him my present yet. After he
had given
me what he
called a ‘friendship ring for guys,’ my present felt lame. I now
felt stupid because he probably thought I didn’t get him
anything.

Our lunch
was
huge, a set menu especially for
Christmas Day comprised of a lobster appetizer, Caesar salad,
roasted turkey with all the trimmings, prime rib, ham, candied
yams, green bean casserole, baked potatoes, traditional pudding and
custard, pumpkin pie, and a dessert cheese platter with coffee. I
was so stuffed I couldn’t move and Alex offered to roll me back to
the hotel. I didn’t have the energy to laugh at him.