The Heart of Texas (13 page)

She had never had Gerald's love, not really, nor that of her eldest son. She had driven away Riley and had failed Eden. Still, this wasn't the way to deal with these mistakes or with her despair. She was a strong woman, and generations of women in her family had been in worse situations than this. Carefully, she placed the tablets back in the bottle and replaced the stopper on the decanter, a stronger determination in her shaking hands. She had things to do. Gerald needed to know some things. Lisa needed help. Her daughter needed saving. And, as for her middle child, her beautiful strong man who held so much weight on his shoulders, well, he needed to know the whole truth. She needed to place another call to Jim. It was long overdue.

She wasn't ready to die today.

Chapter 26

Jeff sat in the car for a long time, considering every word he was going to say, looking at the shell of the burned barn and cursing his idiot brother and that fag Campbell for what they'd managed to do. With the horses surviving, with Campbell able to carry on with his half-bitten excuse for a farm, Jeff was left with weaker leverage. Still, he had what Jack needed, money, and he intended to just go on in and ask. It was Campbell himself who climbed down the steps from the front door, meeting Jeff as he got out of the car.

"Hayes."

"I came to visit my brother," Jeff replied.
Enough with the pleasantries.

"He's sleeping at the moment; if you wanna wait in the house then you're welcome."

"Well, I have a small piece of business that we could maybe discuss while I'm waiting on him." Jack's eyes narrowed, and the cowboy folded his arms and planted his feet in his Texas dirt, his face carefully blank. Obviously the cowboy wasn't going to let this be taken into the house.

"Go on," he prompted.

Jeff tried to call the bluff, moving towards the house and then stopping when Jack didn't move a muscle. Well, Jeff decided inwardly, that was a good thing really, wouldn't want his little brother to find out just yet.

"I have an offer for you," he started, pulling himself tall as he attempted to loom over Jack, who merely blinked at him in return. "I heard about your unfortunate… incident… with the barn and your horses. Damn shame, heard they were good horses an' all."

"They're still good horses. One has foaled, and momma and baby are doing fine," Jack pointed out.

* * * *

Jack thought back to the telephone conversation he'd just had with the fire investigator, who had categorically stated the fire was arson and not the fault of a lightning strike. Jeff seemed mighty nervous for all his blustering dominance, and something somewhere in Jack's mind started to connect.

"As I said, I am very pleased y'all are okay."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Was it just his imagination or were the man's words slurring with his Texas accent, pushing through the clipped vowels of his expensive education? A sure sign Jeff was struggling with the wording of what he was saying. Jack knew it because Riley did that too.

"I wanted to thank you for what you've done for my little brother, helping him the way you did with the whole arranged marriage business, and I want you to know that the Hayeses always make good on favors. I want to make you an offer on both horses in exchange for something that won't be a hardship."

"My horses?" Jack chose to ignore the reference to arranged marriage. He was so not going to rise to subtle innuendo and devious guesswork.

"Ten million dollars for the foals, outright, passing them to me immediately, in exchange for the money. It's more than enough I imagine to breed again. All I want from you is proof of annulment."

Jack considered every word Jeff had just thrown at him, then sighed, exaggerating the movement, his fists clenching and unclenching as his anger pushed to the fore. "An annulment? Do they even do those anymore?" he finally asked, pasting an innocent and curious look on his face.

Jeff obviously didn't register the change in Jack's demeanor, or hear the sarcasm in his voice because he just pushed on. "I know you can't have consummated the
marriage.
" This he spat out like a nasty taste in his mouth. "And I understand why you did it. You probably only entered into the marriage for money for the ranch. I'm more than willing to match and double whatever Riley agreed to pay you if ten million isn't enough. It won't be any loss to you. You sign the papers that I'll get written up, and there it is. End of the marriage. Then you can leave my little brother to me. He won't be your problem anymore."

"Well, I'm kinda enjoying having him around," Jack responded, trying his best to appear calm. "You may have to offer more'n ten to buy me out of this one."

Jeff nodded eagerly. "I can do that; I can push it to fifteen if it's a done deal by the end of the week."

Jack sensed Jeff's hidden glee that he almost had a deal, the billion-dollar oil company would easily swallow fifteen million in a day.

"Tell you what, then." Jack moved one step closer, not at all intimidated by the tall hard-nosed businessman standing in front of him with the smirk on his face. "I have a one-time only offer for you." Jeff leaned in, expectation on his features. "You take your millions and get the hell off my land, and I don't shoot you in the ass."

Jeff's eyes widened. "Campbell, what the—"

"Campbell-Hayes," Jack snapped back, some of his control slipping. "Campbell-freakin'-Hayes, and I'll thank you to remember that from now on." He took a small step closer, and in an unconscious movement, Jeff stepped backward. And so it went until he had his back against the car, and Jack stood toe-to-toe with him.

Jeff blustered, "He's not even gay! He's not a fucking fag, and it's not real." More words tumbled out of Jeff's mouth in a sudden torrent of anger. "I'll take this to court. You won't get away with it. It's a lie, and I'll prove it."

Jack leaned even farther towards the tall man, trying damn hard not to hit him. His voice was a low contained growl, heavy with intention to make his point.

"If you do, then I will bring photographic evidence of me and your brother making love on every single surface at the Hayes Mansion, including the bed in your apartment." Jeff pushed him away, open disgust and disbelief on his face, and climbed into the car. "Fuck you, Campbell," were his parting words before he gunned the engine and drove off with a squeal of tires and a cloud of dust and debris.

Jack stood for a while, watching the cloud of dust dissipate.
Campbell-Hayes.
He sighed.

* * * *

Riley was standing at the side window, a spectator to the end of the confrontation. Jack didn't realize he was being watched, and Riley wished he could have helped except he was too doped up to do anything except lean weakly against the sink. The glass of water he had come for was cold in his hand.

Riley moved away as Jack looked back at the window. He stumbled to the table and sat, waiting for Jack to come back in, his heart in his throat. He had heard part of it, just some of the conversation near the house before Jack crowded his brother towards the car and out of earshot. It was the kind of stunt he expected his brother to pull, to try and buy Jack's support, but it still cut him to the core. They'd never really been close; there had always been an edge to Jeff that Riley felt uncomfortable with. He'd seen a few too many deals fall into Hayes Oil's lap against all odds, and he wasn't a stupid man; Jeff or Gerald was clearly paying off parties to obtain contracts. To offer Jack that much money though? It was more than he would make staying with Riley. Jack may well have thrown Jeff off of the Double D, but once he had thought Jeff's offer over he would see it was more financially viable than keeping Riley around. His throat was tight with emotion, and he searched for reasons why Jack should stay with him.

He looked up as Jack entered the kitchen, and he waited for the storm.

"Fifteen million," Riley stated finally as Jack grabbed a beer and slid in the chair opposite. No other reasons for Jack to stay had presented themselves, and he didn't want to have to resort to upping his own monetary offer because he didn't want to sink any further than he already had. "You should take the money." Jack shook his head.

"I don't want the money, and I won't pull out now. A deal is a deal, and you stand to lose a lot of money if you don't get your percentage."

Riley sighed quietly. "Jack, do you have any idea how much I'm worth? Even with just the percentage I have?"

"How far past obscene are we talking?" Jack asked with a laugh. "I'm guessin' maybe I should've asked you for more for the D?"

Riley just nodded, deadly serious. "I can give you more, if you agree to stay married." He was anxious to hear Jack's response, his stomach churning. He didn't even know what he was saying. He wasn't sure he even wanted more of Hayes Oil any longer. How could so much have changed in such a short time, with so many new doubts circling in his head? Was he actually considering buying the rest of the year with Jack, just to keep him in his life? Jesus. How sad did that make him?

"I'm gonna forget you said that," Jack replied, tipping back to swallow down half the beer in one go.

Chapter 27

Beth slid further into Steve's hug as they talked softly, his left hand over hers, feeling her daughter kick back at the touch. His right hand was curled into her long hair, stroking and soothing gently.

"Beth, can I ask you something?"

"Mmm hmm."

"And you promise me not to get angry in return?" Steve felt a full body sigh go through Beth as she burrowed into his shirt with a soft murmur of agreement. "The father of your baby… Do you love him?"

Beth stilled, lifting her head, blue eyes wide with shock. "No, I hate him."

Steve closed his eyes, dropping a small kiss on the top of her head, inhaling the smell of apple and feeling every muscle in his body relax.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"You're pushing it, Murray," she said softly, a smile on her face, a smile that gave him strength.

"Elizabeth, you know I love you, and I hope, in my heart, that one day you could come to love me too. Or at least… Jeez… Beth, will you marry me?" He waited, and the seconds grew to a minute, but he didn't push it. He just waited, imagining the reasons, each slightly wilder than the last, that Beth would give for saying no.

"Yes."

* * * *

It had been three days since the sponge bath-blow job incident, something that Jack hadn't instigated a repeat of since, much to Riley's confusion. It had been good, hadn't it? Riley had certainly enjoyed it, but maybe Jack hadn't. After all, Riley's experience in the whole gay sex thing was limited to anonymous one offs. He was so confused. Was this
thing
they had a real marriage now? Had they really taken that step that meant, for the rest of the year of the marriage, they would be with each other in more than name? Every time Jack was with him, talking to him, helping him to shower, never taking it further than just helping, the anticipation was enough to kill Riley.

He'd actually managed a full dinner tonight. He'd sat at the scarred table in the kitchen with Donna and Jim and Beth, just listening to the teasing between Jack and his sister, and desperately missing Eden. Jim had become somewhat of a fixture at the D, and Riley was learning a lot about his real dad, about the pressure the eighteen-year-old had been under to just walk away from the woman he loved. They spoke of the threats to Sandra that Gerald had loved to make— that she would be cut out of his life, he'd take their sons, and publicly disown her. Jim told Riley of the last day, the single day that would live with Jim forever, the day Sandra said she didn't love him, could never love him. The day she'd chosen Gerald.

Riley had gone into one of his daydreams. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. His brain was processing all the things he was hearing, and all the things he was feeling. Still, this evening he could concentrate on nothing but Jack. The thoughts that twisted in his mind, wondering what it would be like to have sex with a man. Not just any man, but making love with the gorgeous sexy cowboy he'd married. It just made his head spin. Sense memory of the feel of him, hard and soft, muscled and strong under his hand, was making him hard in his jeans, a constant problem around his husband.

"You with us, Riley?" Jack asked, startling Riley out of his thoughts, causing him to glance round the table with a blush climbing his cheeks. He wondered if Jack could read his thoughts. "Tired? Sore?" Jack added softly, subtle concern crossing his face.

Riley blinked steadily, not sure what Jack wanted to hear, too used to giving answers that people expected, and having to really think how he
did
feel.

"No, not so tired," he started. "Feeling good, actually." He saw Jack's eyes widen, and the older man sat more upright in his seat. "Just missing Eden, I guess," Riley finished.

Jack moved abruptly to stand, clearing the table, scraping plates and loading the dishwasher, all the while humming under his breath. Every so often, he glanced back at Riley who looked back steadily at him while listening to Jack's mom and sister talk babies.

* * * *

Jack wondered if Riley felt anything for Beth, wondered if his husband's heart had thawed enough for regret over what he'd used against Jack to get him to agree. He'd sensed a change in Riley since the fire, a softening in him, an understanding, as the spell of the Campbell family was cast about him. He couldn't say he had anything other than healthy lust for the tall man who sat at the kitchen table, but respect was at least starting to build alongside the desire to bury himself in that—

"Jack, did you hear me?" Donna asked, laughing, pulling Jack out of his daydreams of fucking Riley.

"No, Momma," he replied, smiling ruefully at her, knowing that tone, knowing he was on the teasing end of her tongue.

"So then," Beth piped up, "he just plain jumped off the roof, straight into the pile of manure." She collapsed in giggles at the grimace on Jack's face. Thing was, Riley was smiling as well, and also kind of smirking, and Jack groaned inwardly.Great
,
now he had ammunition from the great raft of embarrassing things Jack did as a child. Making the decision, he reached out to Riley.

"Time to bring the torture to an end. Bed for the invalid, I think," he said simply, daring Riley to say differently.

There was a slight pause, Riley's eyes widening slightly. The smile that had been on his face fell into a look of discomfort, and he began the whole worrying his lower lip with his teeth thing. It was probably only seconds, but it seemed like minutes, as the question hung in the air between them. Finally Riley stood, taking Jack's hand and curling his fingers through Jack's. Beth startled to giggle again, Jim looked strangely proud of the open affection, and Donna just looked on fondly as the two men left the kitchen.

* * * *

Riley followed Jack along the long corridor to the back of the house where Jack had his own rooms. Just two, one the bedroom with the large queen-size bed —the sick room— where Riley had slept for so long, and the other set up as an office full of paperwork and schedules, photos and posters for seasonal schedules. Jack had spent some time in the bedroom earlier, after he'd sat Riley at the kitchen table to chat to Donna as she prepared dinner. The window was slightly open to the warm Texas evening, the filmy curtain material moving subtly, and the lights were low. He'd put fresh sheets on the bed, and the whole room smelled less like illness and more like… more like Jack. Riley frowned, tugging his hand free of Jack's, sighing and crossing to sit on the bed. He guessed from the way he'd been pulled into the room that he had done or said something wrong at the dinner table, and he waited to be told.

It startled him when Jack crouched down between his knees, looking up at him, his hands solid against Riley's thighs.

"You gotta promise me," Jack started with a smirk, "that you tell no one the stories you heard at dinner, on pain of death."

Riley wasn't sure what to say. It didn't sound like Jack was angry with him or disappointed in his family for sharing all those stories of Jack's childhood.

"I won't," Riley finally offered, ducking his head again, suddenly unaccountably and stupidly shy.

With a sudden surge, Jack stood and encouraged Riley to scoot back on the bed, only hesitating when Riley winced at the pull on his chest.

"You may fancy yourself all fixed, Het-boy, but you're still hurting, aren't you?"

"A bit, nothing major." Riley lay back on the soft pillows.

"Jeff's visit today got me thinking, Mr Campbell-Hayes, that there's no sense in us both going without for the rest of the year."

* * * *

"Sex, you mean?" Riley offered quietly, and Jack felt like smacking him for sounding so miserable. He chose to ignore what Riley had said.

"Tonight we could maybe make this marriage a real one, consummate it, become lovers in every sense of the word. Then your brother will have no more ammunition left." He kneeled on the bed and then leaned in to drop a gentle kiss to the skin on Riley's long neck, opening his mouth and kiss-biting into the warmth of the pulse below his lips. Tenderly he traced more kisses up his husband's chin and settled his mouth onto Riley's, his tongue encouraging Riley to open his mouth for a kiss.

He sensed Riley pull back against the pillow in the half-light. "I haven't… I've never had sex with a man, bottomed, topped, nothing. I don't know if I can do this."

"For tonight, just let me do all the work, eh?" Jack paused to steal a heated kiss, kissing away any words Riley wanted to throw into the conversation. He lifted his head. "Okay, here is how we play it. I want you to fuck me. I'll show you, open myself up. You can help, and then you can just lay back, and I'll show you what it can be like."

Riley whimpered and breathed a sound somewhere between a groan to stop and a plea for more, arching unconsciously into Jack's weight across his groin.

"You wanna do this, Het-boy?" Jack noticed the nickname didn't drip its normal sarcasm; it was affectionate and intimate, and Jack couldn't fight the feeling of wanting more, of wanting Riley inside him.

"Do you… is that what you normally do?" Riley seemed spooked, and Jack chased a trail of kisses from his throat to lips.

"I'm flexible," he finally said, dipping to taste Riley's sinful mouth with a heated exchange of tongues.

Riley finally got with the plan, pushing with his hand to move slightly down the bed and lay flat. Jack could taste Riley for hours, just kiss and suck and tongue-fuck his mouth until neither of them could breathe anymore; it was so damn natural it was scary. Riley responded with equal ferocity, and Jack was being ultra-careful not to lean on his husband's chest where the bandages still lay, raising to his knees and arching over his new lover. He began talking, over and over as he would to a spooked horse, repeating words to still Riley's fears."Beautiful… Needy… Mine. I'll look after you…" a narrative of kissed words over his body. He slipped Riley's clothes from him as they kissed until finally Riley lay naked under him, pliant and warm.

Pushing his own jeans and boxers off and lifting his T-shirt over his head, Jack lowered himself to one side, reaching into the bedside cabinet. He pulled out what he needed.

"Okay? Last chance."

Riley didn't seem to want hesitation or the time to think, demanding kisses and touches, grabbing Jack's arms and just holding on. It blew Jack's mind the way this man arched up under him, stealing breath with every touch. He couldn't remember a connection this instant, this intense, with any partner before. He knew he should stop, give them time, not race after this so fast. But if he'd taken the time to stop and think about this, he might never have touched Riley in the first place. It was like playing with fire. He sat up, Riley chasing the kisses, his head lifting from the pillow. Jack hushed him with a single finger on his kiss-bitten lips as his lover tried to ask why Jack had stopped.

"Don't ask me if I want to stop now. I don't want to stop," Riley whispered urgently.

As if to emphasize the point, he pushed himself against Jack's thigh and, at the same time, letting out that God-damned half-whimper that curled lust and want into the base of Jack's spine. It was an invitation to sin, Riley spread out on the bed against the white cotton, his limbs languid and stretched, the dips and lines of muscles so simple to trace with tongue and teeth. Jack leaned back on his haunches, smoothing slick over his fingers, capturing Riley's hand and mixing the smooth oil over his hand as well.

"Remember the game, Riley. Copy what I do," Jack whispered, and Riley nodded, watching intently as Jack pushed a finger inside himself and studying as he pressed in a second. He pulled at Riley's hand covered with the slick and encouraged him to explore with one finger alongside Jack's own fingers. The feelings were intense, strange, both the heat and the touch. Jack keened and leaned over, pushing back on their joined fingers. It was too much, and he could feel his orgasm starting to build.

He wanted to say,
"I need to slow down; it's too fast",
but all that came out was a muffled half groan as Riley arched up under him. His husband was seeking any kind of friction for his neglected dick, and Jack pulled his fingers and Riley's out just to slow things down a bit, exploring his husband's long lithe body instead with taste and touch, focusing on bruised lips that demanded to be kissed. Leaning up and away, he pulled a condom from the small pile and held it in front of him. They were both clean, the contract had demanded tests, and he really didn't want to use the extra barrier. Riley seemed to understand, reaching for the condom and throwing it to the floor. From then on, it was pure sensation, awkward, uncomfortable, embarrassing, and ultimately, the most intense sensations Jack had ever felt.

Primal need and the chase for ecstasy made Jack move into position ,and he breathed deep as Riley's dick pushed past the strong muscle. He was nearly there, and the look of astonished fear in Riley's face would have made him laugh, but he knew the almost religious joy that Riley was feeling. When Riley stopped, finally seated, joined completely, Jack could barely breathe. They moved together, Jack positioned just so, Riley pushing up in counter rhythm at the right angle, and soon, there was nothing except a need to come
right the fuck now.

"I can't, Jack… I can't…" Riley moaned, pulling Jack's head down by his hair, his damp hands tangled in the strands, insistent that Jack should be kissing him.

Jack was so near, and Riley's eyes were closed, his muscles tense. Jack could see it would be seconds before Riley lost it inside him. Jack just needed… needed…

"Touch me." he half ordered, half begged, and Riley was there, wrapping a huge hand around Jack's dick and moving and twisting to push Jack over the edge.

It was Jack who lost it first, by seconds, hot and hard and clenching around Riley so tight it must have helped to push the younger man over the edge after his husband. It was intense, and it was perfect, Jack half falling as he moved into the ripples of orgasm that chased along his spine. Riley had tears in the corners of his eyes. Jack kissed them away with murmured praise and thanks until he finally stilled his movement and, careful of Riley's chest, sank in for kisses that he needed more than air.