Sam

I’m just about finished packing for our trip when Cooper strolls into our bedroom, a bit breathless. He whips off his jacket and tosses it on the bed. “Sorry I’m late. I had a steady stream of folks at the shooting range all day.”

Cooper smiles at Beth, who’s sitting on our bed watching me fold my T-shirts before I put them in my duffle bag. “Hey, kiddo,” he says, barely sparing her a glance. And then, to my utter shock and delight, Cooper leans in and kisses me right on the lips, in front of Beth. “Hey, baby.” When he pulls back, he winks at Beth, and she laughs, her cheeks turning pink.

“I need to grab a quick shower,” Cooper says, pulling off his sweatshirt as he heads for the bathroom.

“Well,” Beth says, grinning at me. “It looks like Cooper’s really coming out of his shell. I can’t believe he actually kissed you in front of me.”

“I know, right?” Ever since our trip to Sweetwater, Cooper’s been much more relaxed when we’re around others. Of course, Beth hardly counts as others—she’s family. But still, he’s much more comfortable in public, and I love it. I never dreamed this would happen. I don’t expect him to hold my hand in public and declare his undying love in front of an audience, but if he can keep doing what he’s been doing these past few days, I’ll be one happy camper.

I grab my hiking boots from the closet and socks and briefs from the dresser. “That’s about it for my clothes.” Then I head into the closet and bring out my portable handgun backpack and check its contents. I have three handguns in there, with plenty of magazines for a short, weekend trip—not that we’ll be doing any shooting, they’re along for the ride as a precaution—as well as a first-aid kit.

Beth frowns at the guns. “You’re bringing guns? Why?”

I give her a duh look. “Two gay men alone in the woods? Really? I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Her eyes widen, and I feel like a heel for saying what I did. The last thing I want is for her to worry about us. I set down the gun pack and take her hands in mind. “Hey, relax. I just want to be prepared, that’s all. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

I can tell that her mind is working over what I said. “The cabin is pretty isolated,” she says. “And there’s no reliable cell signal out there—not in the woods anyway. In town, yes, but not at the cabin. Jake does keep a satellite phone in the cabin for emergencies.”

Ah, shit. Now I’ve scared the daylights out of her. “Hey, come here.” I pull her off the bed and into my arms for a bear hug. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry about what?”

We both jump at the sound of Shane’s voice coming from the open doorway. When we look his way, we see him leaning against the door jamb.

“You do that a lot, you know,” I say.

“Do what?”

“Sneak up on people and join their conversations. You scare the shit out of me sometimes.”

He shrugs. “So, what’s my wife not supposed to worry about? Why are you scaring her?”

Beth glances at the gun case. “They’ll be okay out at the cabin, right? It’s pretty isolated, and there’s no cell signal out there.”

Shane pushes away from the door and walks into the room. “They’ll be fine, honey. You don’t need to worry.”

Shane glares at me over the top of Beth’s head, and I receive his message loud and clear. Quit scaring my wife. “I’ll give Mitch a call to let him know they’ll be staying at the cabin. He can keep an eye on things.”

“Who’s Mitch?” I say.

“Sheriff James Mitchell,” Shane says. “He’s a good friend. You can count on him.”

Cooper comes out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, water droplets clinging to his chest. He pauses for a moment, eyeing us all warily. “I didn’t know we were having a party.”

Shane laughs as he leads Beth toward the door. “Sorry. We’ll get out of your hair.”

Shane closes the door as they leave, and I take advantage of the opportunity to lay my hands on Cooper’s bare chest. No man has a right to look this good, I think, as I run my hands across his well-defined pecs, up and over his broad shoulders, then down his arms, squeezing his rock-hard biceps.

I feel heat and desire pool low in my belly, and all I can think about is sex. I dip down to flick one of his nipples with the tip of my tongue, teasing it. He arches his back and makes a low, rough sound. His chest expands with a deep breath as his hands come around me to grasp my ass.

“We’re supposed to be packing,” he says, groaning again when I switch to his other nipple, licking it before I trail kisses up to his neck.

I laugh. “I am packing.”

He swats my ass, chuckling. “I mean packing clothes, for our trip.”

I groan when I feel his dick stir beneath his towel. My hand drops down to palm him through the damp material, and I rub him from root to tip, feeling him thicken beneath my palm

I kiss my way up to his ear and whisper, “Are you going to make me wait until we get to the cabin tonight?”

He laughs, the sound a little ragged. “Hell, yes, I’m going to make you wait. I’m going to keep you hard all evening until we settle in. Then I’ll take you in front of a blazing fire.”

I sigh, knowing it’s useless to try to change his mind. He loves having the upper hand where my dick is concerned.

“Did you pack everything?” he asks, pressing his erection into my hand.

I moan into the curve of his neck, taking in the scent of his warm, wet skin and a residual hint of soap. “Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s finish packing and get on the road. We have a two-hour drive ahead of us, and it’ll be a while before I can get you naked.”

* * *

We commandeer an Army green four-wheel drive, reinforced Jeep from Shane’s fleet for our trip…just in case we want to do some off-roading. With our bags in the back, my handgun case, a sack of groceries, and cooler full of beer and ice, we set off for the great wilderness.

“Two hours, huh?” I say, turning on the radio to the local pop station.

“Yep. Straight north, follow the lake. Harbor Springs is a small, out-of-the-way fishing village. Jake’s cabin is about a mile out of town, deep in the woods. He owns about ten acres of dense forest. Very secluded. We’ll stop in at the little grocery store on the way into town to pick up some steaks and other perishables.”

Cooper is driving, so I settle back in my seat and get comfortable. “We should get some marshmallows for the bonfire.” I give him a sideways glance. “In case you were wondering, there will be a bonfire.”

He smiles. “Not a problem. Jake’s probably got two years’ worth of seasoned wood stacked in the shed.”

“Good. What else is there to do, besides build fires and hike?”

“It’s mostly woods. There is a stream nearby that ends at a waterfall. That’s a nice hike. There’s a small downtown with a diner, a bar, and a wharf. We could fish, if you want to, or rent a boat. Other than that, prepare to be ravished. I’d be fine with never leaving the cabin. Hell—I’d be totally fine with never leaving the bed.”

I grin. “I’m on board with that.”

It’s dark when we arrive at Harbor Springs, so I can’t see much. Cooper stops at a little mom-and-pop grocery store on the outskirts of town to pick up enough groceries to get us through the weekend.

It’s another mile before Cooper turns onto a nondescript lane that leads deeper into the woods. It’s a narrow lane, just wide enough for one vehicle to pass along the rutted dirt path. It’s spring, so there’s been a lot of rain, and the ground is soft. It’s a good thing we brought a four-wheel drive vehicle.

The lane eventually opens up into a spacious clearing, in the center of which stands a quaint, one-story wood cabin with a covered front porch.

Cooper parks the Jeep near the front door, and we unload our gear and carry it up to the door. In contrast to the rustic nature of the cabin, there’s a sophisticated electronic panel beside the door. Cooper enters a numeric code, and then the system beeps as the door unlocks. Inside, there’s another panel embedded in the wall, just inside the door, providing a schematic of the cabin’s floorplan.

“Jake didn’t mess around,” I say. “This place is wired.”

It takes two trips for us to carry in our duffle bags, my gun case, and the groceries.

Standing in the center of the living room, Cooper gives me a quick rundown of the place. “There are two bedrooms, with a shared bathroom. The kitchen’s there, and behind the kitchen is a small workout room. There’s a back porch, too, with a grill and a hammock. Out back there’s a shed with firewood and kindling.”

The living room offers the basic comforts: a long, comfortable-looking sofa, a coffee table, two rocking chairs, and stone hearth. There’s a large, flat-panel TV hanging above the fireplace and a bookcase holding a small library of DVDs and books. The wood floors are old, but well maintained.

Cooper carries our duffle bags into the back bedroom and sets them on the bed. As I stand in the doorway, watching him unzip his bag, a sudden wave of emotion comes over me. I know this isn’t a honeymoon, but God, it sure feels like it could be.

I walk up behind him and slip my arms around his waist. Leaning forward, I drop a kiss on his shoulder, and am gratified to feel him shiver. Then I kiss the side of his throat, slowly, letting my lips linger over his pulse point. The feel of his skin beneath my lips, his heat and scent, make me hard. God, I want to christen this bed right now.

He turns in my hold and wraps his arms around my waist, and we stand perfectly eye-to-eye. My throat tightens when I think of how close I might have come to ending us. I was so angry after Beth’s wedding—when he refused to dance with me at the reception. Angry, and so bitter. I could have ruined everything with my impulsive reaction.

“Thank you for bringing us here,” I tell him. There are so many other things I should say.

Thank you for not giving up on me.

Thank you for trying to meet me halfway.

His eyes turn pained suddenly, as if he can read my mind. “Thank you for coming back,” he says. He swallows hard, and his fingers grip my shirt tightly as if he’s hanging onto me physically, afraid to let go.

My eyes burn as tears form, blurring my vision. “I love you.” I’ve said it before to him, and he’s said it to me, but somehow it means more this time, in this quiet space, with just the two of us.

He reaches up to brush the lone tear tracking down my cheek, catching it just before it disappears into my beard. “Sam.” He runs the pad of his thumb along the top edge of my beard, stroking my face. “I—the words ‘I love you’ don’t even begin to do justice to what I feel for you. I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve this.”

I grab his hands, which are cupping my face now, and latch onto him. “Why do you say that?”

“I’ve spent my whole living either running or hiding from who I am. I look at you, and I’m ashamed of myself. You’ve never hidden who you are. You face life head-on, with so much courage and determination.”

“We were raised differently. You can’t expect yourself—”

“No, don’t make excuses for me. I should have manned up a long time ago. But for some lucky reason, you’re still here, and I get another chance to win you.”

I laugh. “You don’t have to win me. You already have me, babe.”

At that moment, my stomach betrays me by letting loose a loud growl. I grimace. “That was so not sexy.”

Cooper laughs as he pats my stomach. “How about I make us some dinner while you bring in the firewood. We’ll eat in front of the fire, and then see where things go from there.”

“Deal. I can tell you right now where things are going to go.” I slip my hands down to his waist and pull his hips forward to meet mine. We’re both hard. “We are so going to fuck tonight.”