aprilshower

Ezra stood at his window, tugging at his tie, carefully loosening the silk cravat and sliding it
out from around his collar. Without conscious effort, he folded the material neatly and then
roughly bundled it into the pocket of his black pinstripe pants, keeping his hand there to help
relieve the tension of the material against his growing erection. The warmth of his room
caused droplets of condensation to gather on the chilled windowpanes, but not enough so
that he couldn't observe the rainy alleyway below.

He continued to unbutton his Parisian shirt, frilly cuffs tickling against the smooth skin of his
gradually exposed chest, as he watched his lover slaving outside in the downpour.
Shrugging the expensive garment off his shoulders, he reluctantly dragged his gaze from the
alleyway long enough to throw the shirt onto the rocking chair, next to the haphazardly
discarded buffalo-hide capote and flannel shirt. He twitched his nose delicately as the
musky smell of horses and dust rose from the delightful ensemble.

The sun had been shining in the chilly April afternoon when Vin had stolen down the
backstairs of the saloon to fetch more firewood for the stove, wearing nothing but his
buckskin pants, barefoot, bare-chested, braces dangling past slim hips. Moments later, the
sky turned black and the heavens opened to a seasonal deluge that would have made
Josiah's biblical flood look like a light shower.

Returning his attention to the lean form below, Ezra loosened his gun-belt, the heavy leather
sliding from his hips, and slung it behind him, unerringly finding its home on the end-post of
the large feather bed. He watched as Vin stood from his crouch by the woodpile – the
beating rain running rivers of water over his sinuous, muscled back, his long wavy hair
slicked and sticking to his neck and shoulders in wet curls. His pale buckskins, now dark
and soaked through, clung like a second skin to his buttocks and long saddle-toned thighs.
Ezra hummed in appreciation and felt his pants grow more confining, the heat rising in his
veins searing compared to the gentle warmth of the room. He rested his forehead against
the cool glass, sighing as it ran a chill across his brow.

He watched as Vin stooped lower, reaching deeper into the woodpile. The wet material
pulled taut across the tracker's backside, his delectable ass pointed skywards as he
strained to reach for the dry wood protected from the elements by the lean-to.

His groin burgeoning against the seam of his pants, Ezra muttered a curse. Vin was doing
this on purpose. The bastard had eyes in the back of his head! If he didn't get his scruffy
ass back up here in a short time, Ezra was going to have to throw his hatred of wet weather
to the winds and go drag his errant lover back to where he belonged.

-------

Vin had an armful of dry wood out from under the pile. He got up from his crouch, stretching
his back and enjoying the way his spine cracked, intending to return to Ezra's room.

Looking up at the window, squinting against the driving rain, he saw a dark form outlined by
the soft glow of the gaslight. Cold and wet though he was, the heat emanating from emerald
eyes that he could make out clearly from where he stood burned a path straight to his groin.

The sound of the pattering rain faded as he fell into a trance under the weight of that hypnotic
stare. He barely noticed the droplets of water as they gathered on his eyelashes to fall and
run down his cheeks as he blinked them away. He wondered briefly what deal the gambler
had made with the devil – 'cause he sure was bewitching him right now. He stood stock still
in the dank alleyway, mesmerized by the way the flickering lamp light from the room beyond
traced loving caresses over the defined chest and clean-lined jaw. It ran like liquid gold over
high cheekbones and casting little flames of burnished copper in the slightly wavy, short
auburn hair.

Clutching the rough wood to his bare chest, the bark scratching at his smooth skin, he didn't
notice until too late that a log had worked loose from his grip, falling heavily onto the toes of
his right foot and coming to rest in the puddling water. Snapped out of his reverie by the
sudden pain, he swore with a creativity that would have impressed Chris, had he been
around to hear it.

Vin shifted his stance and, bettering his grip, hoisted the wood to his right hip, freeing his left
hand to teasingly caress his rain-slicked chest then run down past his navel and into the
warm gap between his flat stomach and the tight waist of his buckskins. The sodden
material clung to his groin, his arousal clearly defined in the mock twilight. He was sure that
if he glanced down there would be steam coming out of his pants. He watched in satisfied
amusement as Ezra's eyes narrowed to predatory slits and heard a groan slip past his own
lips when the pink tip of the southerner's tongue slid out to lick at his pouting bottom lip.

Screw standing here in the pissin' rain teasing the man.

He sped through the muddy puddles to the stairs that would take him back to his lover.

The worn bare wood, slippery underneath his cold wet feet, Vin bounded up the steps two at
a time and shoved the back door open with his shoulders. Shivering slightly, he entered the
relative warmth of the dark landing beyond. Shaking his head to shift a few stray locks from
his eyes, he strode swiftly to Ezra's door, which swung open just as he approached allowing
him into the warm, golden-lit room. Dumping the bundle of wood by the stove in the corner,
he turned to be caught in a warm, fluffy embrace.

-------

Ezra had watched as Vin darted up the staircase and went to the door to allow him in.
Watching the sodden tracker dump the firewood on the floor, he grabbed a large cotton towel
from his vanity and moved up behind him, engulfing Vin with it as he turned. Rubbing his
lover's shaking body vigorously with a sense of determination born of the fear of pneumonia
and Nathan's hen pecking, his hands stumbled to a halt as a warm chuckle reached his
ears. Looking up, he saw Vin's deep blue eyes regarding him with open mirth and affection.

"What?" he asked, hands stilled against his lover's hips, wrapped firmly in the soft towel, the
toned chest now dry and glowing honey-gold in the muted light. Vin smelled of rain, fresh
and cool, unlike his usual dust-and-sweat-and-leather scent.

"Reckoned you were gonna throw me inta bed – figures ya'd want ta dry me off first though,"
Vin grinned, perfect white teeth flashing.

"I…what?" Ezra asked, smooth brow knitting as his eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"Well, ya'd hate ta get yer bed all messed up, me bein' wet through and all," Vin explained,
leaning in to steal a kiss from those pouting lips.

He was denied a taste of his favorite southerner as Ezra's head whipped back, defiance
burning in his eyes. "I was concerned for your health!" he snapped.

"Oh," said Vin, looking sheepish.

Not able to look into his lover's eyes, Ezra stared at the floor and noticed for the first time
that Vin's feet were covered in mud. "You are not going anywhere near my bed with feet that
filthy!" he stated.

Looking down, Vin cursed. The sticky mud clung to the cuffs of his pants, and big gooey
lumps filled the gaps between his toes. It oozed as he wriggled them. He sighed in
frustration. They didn't have any hot water available as Inez was running errands today…
and he so wanted to be in that big feather bed with Ezra wrapped around him.

"How 'bout I dangle 'em off the end?" he suggested hopefully, running callused fingers
teasingly up the smooth muscular arms that held him.

The gambler's gaze didn't soften.

"Fine. The floor it is then," snarled Vin, grabbing Ezra's arms and kicking his legs out from
beneath him, landing with a grunt on top of the surprised gambler on the unforgiving floor.

Ezra writhed and bucked in Vin's embrace, but the tracker held on like he was breaking a
bronco.

"Fuck!" Ezra exclaimed in a most un-gentlemanly fashion, his head slumping back onto the
floor in defeat.

"Glad ya see it my way," Vin grinned, leaning in for a taste that would not be denied this
time. He captured the gambler's soft lips under his own, kissing him hungrily. Forced to
breathe through his nose, the warm sultry scent of Ezra's cologne pervaded his senses. He
lapped his tongue against smooth teeth and groaned in approval as the gambler's, hot and
clever, darted out to duel forcefully with his own.

Feeling the hard heat of Ezra's arousal as it twitched against his thigh, Vin shifted his weight
to bring his own aching erection in line with his lover's and ground down in a tight circle.
Heat and lust spiraled through his body. He released his claim on Ezra's mouth and hissed
in pleasure.

An answering moan from the man beneath him had Vin recapturing that hot mouth, tongue
thrusting into the moist cavern in a rhythm that matched the thrusts of his hips. Aroused
beyond thought as he humped the southerner into the floor, Vin felt his impending release
tingling from the base of his spine. Digging his toes into the rough floorboards, he picked up
the pace, surging against the rutting man, their incoherent moans mingling in synchronicity
in the quiet of the room.

Arching his back, Vin gripped Ezra's hips, pinning him with his weight as he snapped his
pelvis back and forth against the hard groin of the southerner. His wet buckskins rubbed
against his aching cock in a delicious friction that bordered on pain, their cool dampness
doing nothing to take the edge off the burning heat of his erection.

Lost to the sensations, Vin bucked frantically, his chest now glistening with sweat. He felt
Ezra reach up and grab his ass with both hands, fingers clawing to gain purchase on the
sodden material. Those strong arms flexed, adding further weight to his thrusts, a muscular
leg wrapped around his jerking hips and pulled him impossibly close.

Ezra chanted his name over and over, "ahvinahvinahvin," barely audible over his own keening.

He drove against his lover's body with the determination of a man set on winning the race.
His eyes were screwed shut and his heart beat wildly with effort. Reduced to animalistic
grunting, Vin threw his head back, wet hair whipping his back, and with a guttural roar he felt
his orgasm overtake him. His whole body tensed and shook, vibrating in ecstasy. Over the
gushing flow of blood in his ears, Vin heard Ezra cry his name one last time and felt his firm,
hot body buck against him once, twice, three times. His own hips snapped and twisted
erratically as he pumped cum into his pants.

When the stars pouring over his vision finally faded, Vin felt reality return as they lay gasping
for breath, their groins still rocking against each other, riding out the aftermath of their
orgasms.

The sound of pounding rain filtered into his perception – the deluge continued unabated
outside, drumming a staccato rhythm against the window and shale roof overhead. The
room was darker than he remembered, corners shrouded in shadow, the gaslight illuminating
in flickering gold.

Lying a sweat and rain soaked head onto the heaving broad chest below him, Vin waited for
his breathing to level out. The hands on his buttocks had relaxed their death grip and
remained, a comforting hold. Letting his own grip release, Vin lifted his weighted arms and
drew his hands up to caress the jaw of the slack-faced gambler. Heavily hooded eyes
blinked slowly open and slits of emerald glimmered up at him.

A satisfied grin plastered itself across Ezra's face. In the distance, thunder rumbled.

Vin brushed a damp lock of hair back from his lover's forehead and sighed in contentment.
Realizing that the gambler was pinned beneath his entire weight, he shifted to support
himself on his elbows and knees, leaning down to place a gentle caress over parted, kiss-
swollen lips.

Ezra tilted his chin so that he could look down between them.

"Mister Tanner," he drawled, "your saturated apparel is ruining my pants."

"You jest done come in yer pants and now yer worryin' 'bout gettin' 'em damp?" said Vin
incredulously, nudging Ezra's groin with his own to make his point.

He watched as Ezra's eyes narrowed back at him – the hunger barely satiated. Fire flashed
deep within emerald eyes and Vin groaned in appreciation as he felt the gambler's grip
tighten, drawing him down onto his lover. Feeling the swelling of the gambler's lust, his own
flaccid cock jumped back to attention.

"Bed. Now," growled Ezra, an order more than a request.

"My feet…"

"Now."

"But, yer fancy sheets," Vin protested as the gambler pushed him to his knees, then stood
and reached down for him, pulling him up and throwing him bodily onto the turned down bed.

"I'll have them laundered," Ezra said with indifference, as his eyes roamed hungrily over the
man who lay before him, drinking in the way the light played across every taut muscle, every
line, every angle and curve. As he approached the foot of the feather bed, a flicker of
lightning lit up the room for a brief moment, searing the image of his sprawled lover into
Ezra's mind.

Any further protest died on Vin's lips as Ezra crawled seductively up the bed, hovering mere
inches above his sensitized body, a predatory light in his eyes. He felt like cornered prey
being stalked by a mountain cat. He let his head loll back onto the pillows. His eyes rolled
back as he felt the gambler working his buckskins loose, warm breath huffed against his
neck before a hot wet mouth clamped down over his pulse point, sucking and biting, sure to
leave a red angry mark of passion.

He realized with a needy groan that Ezra was going to devour him and his whole body
thrummed with longing. His cock, now free of the confining material, was a heavy weight
against his stomach, the ache in his groin growing stronger with his rising anticipation.

The drumming of the rain increased, a sudden surge of renewed force to the downpour
coinciding with another crack of lightning and seconds later a deep rumble vibrated the
window in its frame, resonating in Vin's chest.

Vin loved to be outside in the elements when a storm hit. The raw power of nature filling his
soul, calling to him, the way it ignited something untamed deep within him… but if this was
how Ezra reacted to stormy weather, he'd have to make sure he stayed inside with him more
often.

Watching as the tracker was again illuminated by a flash of white brilliance, Ezra leaned
back on Vin's thighs, his weight supported by his knees where he straddled his lover. He
admired the mark he had left on the tracker's sweaty neck, smirking, satisfied that his lover
was going to have to wear his bandanna for at least a week to hide it.

His attention was redirected as Vin's hips wriggled underneath his own. His gaze was drawn
to admire the thick, turgid shaft that lay on the flat stomach before him. His own arousal had
become painfully engorged and restricted within his black dress pants. Shifting his weight
slightly, he swiftly unfastened his pants and lifting his hips he shucked them down past his
thighs, where they bunched at his knees. His cock was dripping with the evidence of his
recent orgasm and the cooling air was welcome, relieving some of the burning heat of his
flesh.

The room had darkened further, lamplight wavering in a draft that breached the warm confines
of the room, the thunder outside and constant rainfall creating an oppressive air.

He felt Vin's thumb swipe over his crown, gathering a bead of pre-cum as it leaked from his
bobbing shaft. Looking down, his gaze met with eyes dark as indigo and he heard himself
groan as Vin sucked the dripping digit into his voluptuous mouth.

He watched with bated breath as Vin licked his lips and curled them into a sultry smile.
"Got a real bad itch, Ez."

"Vin…" he warned, his voice tight.

"Right up inside a me," the Texan whispered roughly, running callused hands across Ezra's
broad chest, leaving a tingling trail wherever he touched.

"Perhaps I could assist you in scratching that itch?" he groaned, as Vin's mouth clamped
down on his pectoral. Ezra bit on his lip and suppressed a moan as he felt Vin suck hard on
his chest, the tracker scraping his skin with his teeth then lapping at the tender mark with
broad sweeps of his hot wet tongue.

"Mine," Vin growled against his chest.

"Always," hissed Ezra, breathing deeply in the tangled damp curls that rested at his chin.

"Need ya, Ez…need ya ta fuck me… fuck me good with that big hard cock a yers."

In answer, Ezra reached out to the bedside table and grabbed the tin of grease that sat
there, pushing it into Vin's open palm.

Crawling back in haste, his bunched up pants hindering his progress, Ezra moved his knees
to rest together in the space between the tracker's legs as he spread those naked limbs
further to allow him access to his goal. He slicked his own cock with his residual cum, and
reached out to dig his fingers into the tin of grease that Vin proffered up to him. He leaned in
for a bruising kiss and Vin rose to meet him, corded neck muscles standing out with the
effort. Tongues thrust into each other's wide open mouth, they fell into a familiar rhythm,
sucking with urgency, as Ezra's grease-slick fingers reached between them, swiftly finding
Vin's tight entrance.

Ezra bit and sucked on Vin's tongue as he pushed two fingers deep into the burning heat of
the writhing man, finding him already relaxed and dilated with arousal. He stifled a groan of
desire as the tight opening clenched around his invading digits. He dropped his sweaty
forehead down onto Vin's shoulder as the tracker rotated his hips against his hand. The
ache deep inside his chest grew as blunt fingertips clawed down his back, marking him.

Desperate to be joined with and surrounded by his lover, Ezra withdrew his fingers. Grabbing
Vin's hips, he lifted him roughly to rest that wanton ass on his thighs, the tip of his cock
poised at the entrance, enjoying the way the slicked-up hole spasmed in anticipation, before
pushing deep into Vin. His slow, firm thrust was met with a drawn out groan of completion
from the man on his lap.

Pausing only a second to allow Vin to adjust to the sensation of being stretched and filled,
he pulled back almost to the point of withdrawal before ramming himself back in, this time to
the hilt. His balls snug against Vin's buttocks, it was now his turn to groan as the man
arched his back into the movement, grinding himself down and forcing Ezra's shaft even
deeper.

Vin sat forward, wrapping his arms around Ezra's torso, his legs already locked behind the
gambler's ass. Supported on Ezra's lap, the gambler's strong arms wrapped around him,
hands clasped together at the small of his back, holding him at an angle as the gambler
thrust up into him. As Ezra drew back, he pulled down with wild abandon onto the throbbing
heat that filled him. Bringing his stomach forward, he sandwiched his own cock between the
two of them. His head fell back, as his back arched and he met Ezra's pounding rhythm.

The room fell into sudden cloying darkness as the gas lamp gave a final dying flicker and
went out.

Ezra surged up on his knees, and fell forward with a grunt, pinning the tracker to the
mattress; Vin's arms and legs still wrapped around his back. He pumped hard into his lover,
rotating his hips to an angle he knew by rote would force his cock to rub continuously over
the sensitive nub inside Vin, pressing his stomach down to rub against the tracker's hard
length. The force of his thrusts propelled them up the bed, until Vin's shoulders were backed
against the headboard, which rapped hard against the wall in time to their undulating bodies.

Pulling his hands out from under Vin, he reached between their sweat-slicked torsos to
stroke Vin's tumid flesh, eliciting further moans of encouragement from his lover. Taking one
nipple in a pinching grip, he twisted and toyed with it, lowering his teeth to its partner, biting
and tugging until they both stood dark and erect, Vin's head thrashing back and forth against
the thudding headboard.

Pressing his forehead against Vin's shoulder, he bit into the muscle there, sucking at the
flesh, marking his mate again, as the storm outside grew in ferocity. The cacophony of the
roaring skies overshadowed the loud pounding of the headboard into the wall, the squeaking
of the mattress as it took more punishment.

"God, Ez… harder, harder!" The Texan drawl ran over his senses and his heart constricted
within his chest.

His thrusts grew faster, harder and more urgent, both of them speeding towards mutual
completion. He raised his head to bring his lips in line with the tracker's open gasping
mouth, sharing heated breaths as they panted in time, each thrust of his hips forcing a hot
exhalation that huffed against his sweating face. Feeling the fire within him burn hotter, the
flames scorching his insides, his balls tightening against Vin's ass, Ezra opened his eyes,
blinking back tears of exertion and sweat. His eyes locked on Vin's, which were staring
back at him, laying bare his soul for Ezra to see, pupils so wide his eyes appeared
completely black.

Knowing he couldn't hold out any longer, Ezra released Vin's mouth and cock, and pressed
his chest tight to Vin's as they humped together, increasing the pressure and friction on the
trapped member.

Tugging his hips back hard, Ezra drove violently into Vin, hitting the nub with such force the
tracker cried out, his face twisted in a grimace of intense pleasure. Latching onto the full
lips, Ezra desperately plunged his tongue into the hot cavern, delving deeply and rejoicing in
the low rumbling groan that reverberated up from within the tracker's chest. His tongue was
sucked on hard as he thrashed into the willing body that bucked and gyrated against him.
He felt his cock grow harder inside its prison, painfully hard.

All sense of the crashing thunder vibrating through the room was lost to Ezra as his
perception narrowed to a single point – the man beneath him in the throes of passion, his
beautiful sculpted form caught in the flashing incandescent light.

Taking an earlobe between his teeth, Vin's stubbled cheek rasping against his own, he
growled out in a breathless drawl, "Come for me."

With a ragged cry, Vin did just that, internal muscles constricting as his juices pumped out
between their chests. Ezra cried out on a long drawn out breath, his hips working in short
hard jolts that forced him deeper as he came, nailing the tracker into the mattress, hot seed
pumping as those clenching muscles milked him dry. His chest heaved with barely caught
breaths, sucking desperately for oxygen.

With what amounted to the last of his energy, Ezra eased himself out of Vin. He rested his
head on Vin's chest for a moment, listening to the thundering heartbeat slowly subdue and
return to a more normal rate. The room came back to him slowly, and he realized with some
relief that their unusually loud encounter had been effectively hidden by the sounds of nature
outside.

He raised himself onto his elbows to look at his lover's face. The handsome features were
passive, eyes shut, with a look of supreme contentment on his face. Vin was asleep. Ezra
let out a fond sigh and lay gentle kisses on his eyelids.

Clambering to unsteady feet, he kicked out of his pants, which were a tangled mess at his
ankles. With shaking hands he re-lit the gas lamp. Standing back, Ezra surveyed the
damage done to his fine imported linen. He should have been upset, hell – he should have
been mortified. He was facing some rather expensive laundry bills in the very near future, but
he couldn't keep the self-satisfied grin off his face. Vin lay there, fast asleep in all his naked
glory, looking like a man who had been ridden hard and put away wet – muddy feet and all.

'Ah, if only mother could see me now…' He glanced down at his cum-spattered chest and
the red angry mark that Vin had laid on him, and his grin grew even wider. 'On second
thought, perhaps not.'

He grabbed the towel discarded earlier and wiped himself down. Moving back to the bed, he
tenderly cleaned off Vin too, before turning the blankets up over his slumbering lover. He
then put a few logs into the stove to keep the room heated through the night.

Finally, he ambled to the window, yawning and stretching. He levered it open, letting in a
cool draft, his sweat-covered body coming out in goose-bumps. The fresh, slightly metallic,
post-storm air gradually replaced the potent smell of sex. Lightening still flashed on the
horizon, but the thunder was only a distant rumble now. Even the rain seemed to be lifting,
the brunt of the storm having passed. A quiet hush descended in its wake, the sense of
heaviness lifting from the town.

Crawling back into bed, he snuggled against the tracker's warm body, shivering slightly as
the chills abated. Getting his head comfortable on his down pillow, he couldn't suppress a
sigh of contentment as Vin rolled over beside him to spoon against his back, one arm
draping itself possessively around his waist. His final thought before sleep claimed him was
that bad weather wasn't so terrible after all.

FIN