Cultivating Love

Chapter 1: Dead?-2

Ed ended the call and set down his phone. He tapped his pencil on the table and swallowed as he reread his notes. It was all arranged. He would meet the lawyer in Mayfield early tomorrow morning, sign a bunch of papers, and get the keys. After that, he and Joe would be pretty much on their own to figure it all out. Keep it, sell it, the lawyer didn’t care; it would be out of his hands.

He smiled. Apparently, his earlier worries had all been for nothing. Joe was willing to give up city life—such as it was in Omaha—with all its inherent activities, to move to the boonies with him. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

He’d spent too much time simply staring at the lawyer’s cover letter, trembling with a fear he couldn’t quite place, until it had hit him like a runaway freight train. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal to sell the farm and invest the money. Or he could have hired some help while learning the ropes. But the idea of losing Joe had panicked him. He’d never spent time thinking about it before—had taken Joe for granted—but he’d do or give up anything to stay with the man.

The water turned off in the shower. He stood and walked toward the bedroom to strip for his own shower. He kicked off his work shoes and peeled off his greasy coveralls, then ambled into the bathroom.

Joe had already dried off and was combing his short summer-blond hair. Ed’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the flex of Joe’s back muscles. Back, ass, hamstrings, arms—hell—all of him. The potent effect of Joe’s nakedness on his libido never ceased to amaze him.

Ed picked up the nail brush and casually turned on the water at the sink. “Don’t bother getting dressed.”

Joe hooted. His hazel eyes gleamed at Ed in the mirror. “Not a problem. It’s my turn, by the way.”

“Is not.” Ed loaded the brush with grease-removing hand soap and started scrubbing. He yelped when Joe slapped his ass, and attempted a scowl—though it better resembled a leer—at Joe’s self-assured grin reflecting back at him.

“Is too.”

“You have to fix dinner then.” Ed’s stab at a hardline mien wasn’t any more successful than his glower.

Joe snickered again, turning away. “Whatever” came from over his shoulder as he walked toward their bedroom.

Ed smiled as he finished scrubbing his nails. He hurried through his shower and dried off to the beat of the Rolling Stones reverberating from the living room.

Joe looked up and grinned when Ed walked into the bedroom. As promised, Joe was still buck naked and lay across the bed with a book. He got up as Ed approached. “I put some potatoes in the oven to bake. I’ll throw some steaks on the grill—after.”

“Cool. I like a domesticated man.”

Joe’s laughter was full and robust—rather like his d**k. Ed stared, swallowed, and licked his lips.

Circling around to Ed’s back, Joe put muscular arms around him and nibbled behind his ear. Ed’s hands covered Joe’s, and he leaned back his head, resting it on Joe’s shoulder. The touch of Joe’s mouth, licking and nipping along his neck, sent shivers down his spine, melting him. Joe caressed his abs and chest in slow, teasing circles, leaving his c**k aching to be touched. His reaction didn’t go unnoticed. Joe spoke softly into his ear. “Assume the position.”

Ed grimaced as his traitorous c**k jumped at the cheesy words. He didn’t want to give Joe the satisfaction of knowing what that did to him.

He turned in Joe’s arms, and their mouths and bodies crashed together. There was nothing soft or gentle about their embrace, all hard bodies and stiff d***s pressed together, grinding. Tongues seeking, finding, then seeking more.

Joe broke the kiss, his breath ragged. “Jesus, Ed. Now. I need you now.”

Ed’s skin tingled where Joe’s fingertips trailed down his arm. He climbed quickly onto the bed, then looked over his shoulder. “Lots of lube.”

Joe already had the bottle out of the drawer. “I know, I know.” He slathered his d**k in the stuff and pushed more into Ed with first one, then two fingers. Ed grimaced at the sudden stretch.

Joe rubbed Ed’s tense shoulders with one hand while prepping him with the other. A soft moan escaped as Ed relaxed into the massage.

“Ready?”

“Yeah. s**t, get it over with.”

Joe snorted while his hands moved to Ed’s hips. “Like you aren’t going to come with my d**k up your ass.”

Ed closed his eyes, forcing himself to loosen up. Joe slowly pressed in, breaching the tight muscle ring. Ed groaned. “Fuck.”

“Patience.”

Ed ignored the quip and bore down until Joe’s pelvis pressed flush against his backside.

Joe moaned. “f**k, yes. Damn, you feel so good, Ed.”

The sensation of fullness was incredible. Joe kneaded his hips, and the heat of Joe’s hands spread soothingly through his body. Ed peered over his shoulder. Joe had his eyes closed with his head dropped back. After a moment, Joe brought his head up and winked when he caught Ed’s gaze, adding a saucy grin.

Rolling his eyes, Ed turned to the front. Joe tightened his hold on Ed’s hips, pulled back, and established a rhythm. With each thrust, Joe flexed his grip, and a fresh image of their future flashed through Ed’s mind. Joe climbing onto a tractor. Joe tossing a hay bale, or standing in the sun, lifting his hat and using his forearm to wipe the sweat of his labors from his brow. A delicious shudder rippled through Ed’s torso. Joe standing beside Ed, wearing a huge grin as he looked out over a field of…whatever.

Ed caught his breath when Joe adjusted his angle. His body quaked, and he dropped his head. His c**k ached to be touched, but he resisted the urge. Joe’s grunts as he pounded into him excited him further, until he ached so acutely he couldn’t bear it and started babbling. “Oh, God, Joe, please. Please Joe, please.”

One of Joe’s hands slid forward, grabbing. Ed instantly reacted to Joe’s tight grip. Overpowering sensations soared through him before converging on his c**k. “f**k!” He spilled his load onto Joe’s hand.

Ed jerked, and his ass tightened around Joe. He felt every inch of the shaft as Joe thrust into him one final time. His lover’s grunt turned into a groan, and the rock-hard length pulsed, spilling into him.

Joe leaned across his back and his other hand pulled Ed tighter against his chest. Ed closed his eyes and relished the closeness. Caring was evident in the way Joe held him—with fingers swaying gently back and forth. Did Joe have any idea what that did to him? His previous lovers had never conveyed anything deeper than an appreciation for a good lay, and he’d never felt anything deeper toward them, either. Yeah, he and Joe were solid.

They rolled heavily to their sides, and Joe slipped out, pulling Ed tighter against him. It was a nice moment, but Ed knew it wouldn’t last long. It never did. The “rules” of their relationship didn’t allow for sentimentality, particularly afterglow schmaltziness. Sometimes Ed wanted just a little more, though.

He turned in Joe’s arms and started a heartfelt kiss. Joe responded enthusiastically, as always, as long as Ed initiated the moment. They lay together noisily kissing, tongues exploring until Ed pulled away with a deep, satisfied sigh.

He stretched, languidly. “Let’s clean up and get dressed so you can get those steaks on. I’m hungry.”

Joe smiled and gave his ass a squeeze before rolling away. “Yeah, me, too.”

* * * *

Joe turned the steaks on their little backyard grill. He inhaled deeply, taking in the delicious aroma of charcoal mixed with sizzling beef. His stomach growled as he stepped inside to finish the dinner preparations.

“Ed! Dinner’s about ready,” he called through the house.

“Smells great.” Ed came into the kitchen and opened up a readymade vegetable tray. “That lawyer is expecting me at eight in the morning, so it’ll be an early start. Mayfield is—what—three hours away?”

Joe laughed. “Farmer’s hours. Get used to it.”

“You do seasonal farm work now, and you don’t usually leave that early.”

“It’s not too far off, though. You can expect our workday to start around five-thirty or six in general. That’s about the same as what I’m doing now.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I guess we’ll just go to bed earlier, too, huh?”

“It’s gonna have to be okay if we do this. Not much choice. Anyway, depending on the season and what needs to be done, we’ll work out a plan for who’s doing what, and when. We don’t even know what this farm has on it yet.”

“True.”

Farming was hard, physically demanding work. Ed was in good shape and used his strength in his job now, but it was nothing compared to the stamina needed to, say, toss hay bales onto a trailer all day long in the hot sun. They had a lot to think about, but there wasn’t much point in dwelling on it until they knew the details of what they were getting into.