Page 102 of Refraction

“I know. God, I know.” He heard Calvin breathing, a sort of slow, exaggerated inhale and exhale, followed by a whimper now and then as Calvin shifted in his lap.

“Damn. That was…. Damn.” Words were not his friends.

“Yeah. That was. You’re so… powerful. Beautiful. Your muscles all pumped and you just light up when we…. Jesus, tiger.”

He took another kiss. It was the best way he understood to say thank you. God, he felt like he could breathe, like his chest had opened after so long.

Calvin shivered again and turned in his lap, curling into his chest. “Getting chilly.” He could feel the goose bumps on Calvin’s arms.

“Come home, then. We’ll take a shower, maybe have some eggs.”

“Shower. Snack. Snuggle.” Calvin licked at his throat and kissed his jaw.

“The good things.” God, he was going to have to figure out how to stand up.

Calvin dressed without leaving his lap, even managed to pull those low-ride blue jeans almost all the way on without moving. He gave his lover a little boost, and Calvin struggled upright with a groan and fastened up the top button.

“Now you.” Calvin stuck out a hand to help.

“You’re assuming I got bones.”

“Such a compliment. Thank you.” Calvin teased him, flirting, a smile brighter than the moon on his lips. “Come on. Try.”

“Yeah. My butt will get tired down here.” He stood up on shaky legs and managed to get his shorts on, and then worked on covering the embers with ash. No burning down the house.

Calvin helped him, and they had it banked in no time. “Will it burn out overnight, do you think? Or do we need to come back out tomorrow and put it out?”

“It’s fixin’ to rain tonight. Thunderstorms. No worries.” He couldn’t wait to watch it roll in.

“Yeah? Ooh. I love thunderstorms!” Calvin’s eyes lit up, and he looked like a teenager for a minute.

“We can watch from the porch or the bedroom or the loft.” Whatever turned Calvin on.

“Let’s see where we end up. Maybe the hammock on the porch if it’s not too cold.”

They headed back the way they’d come, hand in hand, Calvin leaning close. The walk didn’t seem to take nearly as long as the walk out. It was always a faster trip home. By the time they got home he could smell the ozone on the breeze. The storm was coming in.

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