I walked out to the stables in response to a note from my missing lover. Come to the stables at two. Love, Buck

Chuckling, I'd put a few supplies into my jacket pockets before heading out to our rendezvous. Chaucer was already saddled and ready to go but Buck was nowhere in sight. However, another note tied to my pommel quickly gave me the next clue. Go to the jail and pick up something from JD.

Ah, so it was to be a treasure hunt, I chuckled to myself. But I would always obey any decree from my dearest love and he enjoyed giving me surprises. I rode over to the jail and was about to dismount but JD came out grinning with a pair of saddlebags in his hand. "I think you're looking for this, Ez'. You're to stop at the saloon next and pick up something from Inez. Buck said he'd meet you at Swan pond."

I chuckled again and accepted the saddlebags. "It appears that we shall have our swim finally. Nathan gave me the all clear yesterday."

He nodded. "With everybody busy preparing for the Fall Festival, it should be nice and private for you."

And I had to work not to blush at his knowing smile. Really, this falling in love business turned people into rabid teasers. "Good day, Mr. Dunne."

"Have a nice time, Ezra." He grinned and waved at me before going back inside the jail.

I guided Chaucer to the saloon and picked up what appeared to be a bottle wrapped in burlap, then to the outskirts of town and onto the road that led to Sarney to the south and mountains to the north. Swan Pond was nestled into the northern foothills and fed by a spring that legend had it never ran dry. The water was clear and cold but a smaller dip in the rock to one side always seemed to be sun-warmed. After a bracing swim perhaps I could entice Buck to the hollow for some sun bathing.

Chaucer continued on his way and I thought back over the last two weeks. Buck and I had spent most of those days and nights together. His boisterous persona covered a quiet man with a romantic soul. His attentions bordered on the worshipful and every touch reminded me that his experience with love was vast. And yet ...

I felt beautiful when he touched me.

No one had ever concentrated on my comfort. No one had ever brought me to such heights of rapture that I flew. The strong arms that tossed me to the skies were always there to catch me when I fell. He put my pleasure first every time and never failed to wring a climax from me that left me shaking. I had no experience with such selflessness and I worried that my fumbling couldn't possibly satisfy him.

But he said my name when he came even if it was only my hand wrapped around his shaft. I'd tasted him more than once and the slightly bitter liquid was fast becoming my favorite beverage. There was more that we could do but he hadn't brought up going further and I was afraid.

Oh, I wasn't afraid of the physical pain although his organ was quite large. I know how to accept pain. I was afraid that I couldn't satisfy him. My shaft isn't the equal of his and I was afraid that I'd disappoint him. Today, I was determined to bring my fears out into the open and ask him straight out if he wanted to ... to fuck me.

That sounded crass but the euphemisms didn't do the act justice. I'd always thought of it as one person taking another but I once heard that the person being taken also felt pleasure and I wondered how that was possible. Buck was sure to know so I made a solemn vow to myself to ask him straight out.

I knew he would tell me the truth.

I recognized the boundaries from desert to oasis and Chaucer was already turning towards the water he could smell nearby. Buck's horse was peacefully grazing in a stand of evergreens and I soon had Chaucer unsaddled so he could enjoy the fresh grass. Slinging the saddlebags over my shoulder, I gathered my courage and walked towards the pond.

Coming through the stand of alders that ringed the pond, I saw Buck's sleek head break the water in the middle of the pond. He looked so beautiful in the sunlight that I had to stop and catch my breath. Those blue eyes turned towards me and I flushed from the heat of his glance. "Ezra."

I was paralyzed and I watched him swim to shore and arise from the clear blue water like a male version of the Venus Arising. He smelled like rain and he took the saddlebags from me, setting them gently to one side, all the time keeping his gaze on mine. Then he leaned in and gently kissed my parted lips. I concentrated on the rich taste that had come to mean safety to me. I was half-undressed by the time I noticed what his hands were doing.

"Ezra, I need you to lift that leg, darlin', so I can get your boots off." He was patiently waiting for me to let go of him but my fingers kept smoothing the drops of water from his skin. He chuckled and captured my hand, bringing it to his lips and laying a kiss in my palm. "Naked Ezra is what I'm trying for here, darlin'. Just a little cooperation and I promise that you can touch me all you want."

So I let him keep on stripping me until I was as naked as he was. The next kiss was even better than the preceding ones because all my skin was pressed to his skin and we heated up almost instantly. "Buck."

He pulled just far enough away to let his glance slide over my skin like a caress. I swear that I could feel it like I'd felt his hands. "Ezra, you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Come swim with me?"

I nodded breathlessly, unsure of my voice. He was the beautiful one, all clean lines of muscle that rippled in the sunlight. His chuckle brought a smile to my face and he picked up the burlap bag and walked backward, pulling me forward until all three of us slipped into the cool water. It felt like a benediction to my overheated skin and I ducked my head so I was wet all over. I loved swimming and rarely got to indulge.

But here in the hot afternoon sun with my lover by my side, it was nirvana. We touched often but mostly we swam back and forth; ducked under water to tickle and tease; shared soft water flavored kisses. Finally, he drew me forth, along with the burlap bag from the underground shelf it had rested on, onto the grassy bank with a blanket spread out invitingly. I gathered up the saddlebags and brought them over to our nest. We didn't bother to dress again and a warm breeze kept us comfortable.

Inez had cooked well and the bottle of wine revealed from its cooled bag was a good one. "I'm impressed, Buck. This wine will go very nicely with our chicken."

"I asked Judge Travis for a good wine." He shrugged good-naturedly. "He sent this one out for us. It seems a little sweet to me?"

I chuckled and leaned in to kiss him. The wine lent a piquant taste to our normal kiss. "It's less robust than a good red but that fits beef not chicken. You are the most wonderful man in the world to think so far ahead."

"Got to keep up with you, Ezra." He fed me a bite of chicken after dipping it in the barbecue sauce that Inez had provided. I chewed and fed him part of one of the fresh baked rolls. We feasted while lying on our sides, propped on elbows and lazily taking our time with the meal.

The last of the wine was split between our glasses and I savored the slight buzz that it engendered in me. Perhaps I could ask my questions now.

"Buck, would you tell me something?"

His blue eyes smiled at me. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, Ezra."

I dropped my gaze to the debris left behind by our meal and found myself busily gathering it all up to put away. It seemed that I wasn't quite as calm as I'd thought I'd be. "Buck, you would tell me if I was doing something wrong?"

"Wrong?" He sat up and stilled my hands with his. "Ezra, you haven't done anything but love me just the best you can. That isn't wrong."

"But is it enough for you?" I felt a little shiver up my spine and I forced my eyes up to meet his. "Someone told me once that men ... that men can be more intimate."

His eyes were so warm on mine. "Ezra, there is more we can do but we don't have to just yet. I'm hoping that we've got the rest of our lives to explore all the ways we can make love."

"And you're not disappointed because I'm smaller than you?" I had to ask.

"Your cock is just about the prettiest one I've ever seen, Ezra P. Standish. Size isn't that important and any woman will tell you so. Anyway, yours isn't that much shorter than mine and I think you're thicker than I am." He leaned in and kissed me slowly until I almost forgot my question. When he pulled away, his look could only be termed devilish. "Let's compare sizes in the hollow. I'll touch yours if you'll touch mine."

And I had to laugh at my fears because I saw nothing but truth in his face and heard nothing but joy in his voice. Perhaps we were really all right. I let him pull me to my feet and lead me up the slight dirt path to the hollow above the pond where the warm water waited. It was only about two and a half-foot deep and about eight feet across. The first dip of my toes to the sun warmed water felt wonderful.

We settled in side by side and Buck pulled me in for a long kiss. I could feel the tingle that always came from one of his kisses begin at my toes and travel up my legs to my stomach. When he pulled me up and over him like a blanket, I suddenly had his hands on my back, ghosting long caresses down my spine and over my sensitive nether cheeks. He'd done that once before and I'd shivered at the sensations.

"There's about a million nerve endings here, Ezra. Nathan told me that the reason that men play down here is those nerves and a gland hidden inside." His hands cupped my cheeks and pulled them far enough apart so he could trail a finger down my crease. It did feel good, I had to admit.

"And sometimes, um, penetration takes place?" I wasn't sure of my terminology.

"Yup, that gland is inside of here," his finger rubbed gently on my entrance. "It can feel real good when someone carefully and with some lubrication slides inside and strokes that gland."

"Really? It feels good to the person being penetrated ... and to the person doing the penetration?" I could feel my cock hardening against his and wondered what that would feel like.

"Done right, it does. A lot of men don't take the time to do it right and that's no better than rape, Ezra." His mouth was stern and his eyes were clouded with old memories.

"Did someone hurt you, Buck?" I suddenly felt fiercer than I'd ever felt before. No one should have ever hurt this kind and gentle man.

"Not me, Ezra, but a friend. He was small and beautiful, kind of like you and he thought his companion loved him." Buck's arms held me tightly and I could feel him shiver. "He was so wrong about the animal who took him without any preparation at all. Tore him all up inside and left him in a room to die . He lost too much blood and died the next morning after I found him. I never wanted to kill somebody so bad in all my life."

"Oh, Buck, I'm so sorry about your friend." I held him tight and scattered kisses all over his beautiful face. "I love you."

He blinked away tears and smiled at me, taking my lips with a gentle kiss. "I love you, too, Ezra. I don't ever want to take the chance of hurting you like Michael was hurt."

"You would never hurt me, Buck. I think that I would like to know more about this gland." I didn't want a bad memory to keep us from anything. "Could you show me a little something about what it feels like?"

He bit his lip. "You sure?"

"Yes, I want you to show me first so I can explore you later." I didn't want any ghosts in our bed. "You said we were going to compare ourselves."

He finally lost that little wrinkle between his eyes and his chuckle was music to my ears. "Ezra, you are without a doubt the most curious man I know. Thank goodness."

I dimpled up at him and wiggled just a little to remind him of our cocks, dueling for space between us. He chuckled again and sat straight up, guiding my legs around his waist. The clear water made it easy to see our organs lying side by side. He was right, he was only a little longer than I was but I couldn't see the thickness difference. What I could feel was his finger sliding down my crease and teasing my entrance.

Wiggling again, I leaned in and kissed him, giving him my trust. The long finger gently slid inside of me, just a little at first while I tried to relax. Then it slid in further and seemed to be wiggling around. And that's when I felt something like a flash of heat lightning tingle through my private parts.

"Buck?" I flexed a little and he obliged me by touching that spot again.

"Does it feel good, Ezra? Like heat?" He asked me, ghosting over my throat with his soft lips.

"Yes, like lightning and ..." I flushed from head to toe and felt my cock grow harder than hard. "Oh, Buck!"

He chuckled when I clenched around his finger. "Darlin', I don't think anything could be hotter than you are inside. Let me out for a minute, Ezra, this rock is getting damn hard."

I tried to relax but it still ached a little when his finger left me. I couldn't decide if the ache was from having him inside of me or losing him. But I knew he had to be sore with my weight on his legs "Should we move to the blanket?"

"Good idea, darlin'. My backside could use something soft to sit on and I brought some oil that will help us play with each other." He shifted me off his lap and I stood up first, pulling him up with me.

"You want me to be inside of you, too?" I had to be sure that I understood him. He was the more experienced and I thought he would want to be the one in charge.

"I love you, Ezra and I'll always want you inside of me." He smiled that warm smile that had always warmed my heart even when I was sure that none of the others liked me. "Sides, now that you know how good it feels, I want to feel that good, too."

"Oh, of course, you do." I finally smiled at him and promised myself that I'd make him feel even better so he'd know how much I loved him. I didn't ever want him to doubt what I felt and words just didn't seem to be enough.

We sank down onto the soft blanket and I watched eagerly while he pulled out a bottle with a rubber and wire stopper like Nathan made up for his patients. "This is a liniment that Nathan makes for Josiah's knee. He told me that it's safe for anywhere on the body and I tested it first inside of me so I know it won't hurt either of us."

"Oh, Buck, you take such good care of me." I felt tears well but stopped them with some of that control that Mother had instilled in me.

"Ezra, I love taking care of you." He set the bottle aside and pulled me into his arms. "It feels so good to love you and have you love me back." He kissed me softly and I could feel my eyes widen at his declaration. "I'm going to be loving you for a very long time, Ezra Standish, so you better get used to it."

I hid my face against his shoulder and shivered a little. "I didn't think I could love anybody, Buck. But you showed me how and now I want to take care of you, too."

"Just let me love you, darlin'." He rocked me a little and lay us back on the blanket.

"Yes." I hugged him close and listened to his heartbeat beneath my ear.

His chuckle was kind of drowsy and I tried to hide my yawn but he caught it. "I think a little nap after our exercise would feel real good, Ezra."

I hummed my acquiescence and fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. I woke up first almost an hour later and I watched him sprawled by my side with a smile. He looked so young and innocent when he was asleep. I spied the bottle and I decided to wake him up with a massage. Pouring some of the viscous liquid into my palm, I sniffed the pleasant odor of the herb lemon grass.

Rubbing my hands together, I began to lightly ghost soft caresses onto the tanned skin of his torso. The lotion left a slight sheen behind and I admired the highlighting of his long muscles. His stomach rippled a little under my strokes and his shaft began to lift towards me. I teased his legs apart and knelt between them to slide my hands down the tender white skin of his inner thighs.

"Ezra?" His sleepy murmur of my name made me smile with delight. I loved it when he did that. It told me so much about what he was thinking and feeling about me. "Darlin', I'm feeling a little left behind here."

"It's my turn to love you, Buck." I gently rolled his ball sack in my slick fingers and he sighed. "Is that all right?"

"Absolutely perfect, Ezra." He arched up a little and my fingers slid over the same area that he'd touched on me. The hitch in his breath told me that it was all right and I tenderly fingered the area he said had so many nerve endings. His little growl when I kept on rubbing made me smile and I took a deep breath before sliding my finger through the tight muscle.

He hiccuped and pressed down a little so that I went further in than I'd meant to go. "Buck, don't let me hurt you."

"You're not hurting me, Ezra, but you are teasing me something fierce." His pout was beautiful. "I need more, darlin', lot's more. There's a little nub inside of me that you need to find and rub."

I smiled at him and began the search for the gland he'd told me about. It just didn't seem to be there at all until I went in as far as I could go and he moaned. I froze but then relaxed when I saw it was a good moan. Trying again, I felt the tiny protrusion and rubbed it lightly while his cock stood straight up in the air.

"Right there, Ezra, oh God, right there." He was panting and his skin flushed all the way down to his toes.

I grinned to myself and leaned in to lick away the tasty seed that welled from the long slit in his crown. He was shivering and those big hands, that were so tender, combed through my hair and caressed me. He murmured my name over and over while I took in a little more of him and his hips began to lift towards me a little.

Sucking hard, I swallowed a little more seed and went back to rubbing that special spot. He was leaking more and more while I tried to get all of him inside of me but to no avail. I hadn't learned enough yet. But I was determined and I flicked my tongue just under the crown, which always made him start to pant.

"Ezra, you're killing me here. I need more." His blue eyes shone down to mine. "Put in two fingers and stretch me some more. I want you inside of me, now."

I wasn't sure about that but I was willing to try two fingers. The lotion was still pretty much there and I wiggled out before coming back in with double digits. He was so tight around me and hotter than anything I'd ever experienced in my whole life. His groans were music to my ears and I smiled around him at the thought of his pleasure.

"Ezra, oh God, Ezra." He was panting and I could tell that he was almost to the point of no return.

So I sucked harder and scissored my fingers until he sighed my name and came. I swallowed again and again while he relaxed with little jerks that told me he was still really sensitive so I should be careful. I licked him clean and very slowly withdrew my fingers. I didn't want to hurt him now.

He was still limp and I slid up beside him to hold him in my arms. That was always the best time -- when I held him close, knowing that I was the one who'd brought him such pleasure. I'd never been a very giving man but I wanted to give to him. It would never be enough to match the great love and care that he gave to me but it was a start.

I was learning. And these lessons I would make sure I got right.

**************
The end for now