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Surprisingly, Loren slept better than he ever had before. He woke up and found Stone watching him with his big dark eyes.
“Morning.”
Stone nodded.
“Breakfast?”
He nodded again then jumped off the cot. While he transformed to human, Loren got to see his entire body bare for just a few seconds before his clothing covered him again. Stone had more tattoos. He had them in places Loren couldn’t wait to explore.
“Let’s clean up first then get things rolling.” Stone clapped his hands together.
“Good idea.” Loren thought they might talk about Jon and Channing, but what was there to say? Clearly, things weren’t going well between them. Nothing he or Stone said or did would change that situation. In fact, Loren worried that if they stuck their noses in, they might only make things worse. Better to stay out and give them time.
Dressed and ready for the day, they got the kitchen set up and got the coffee going while they pulled out things for breakfast.
Channing came up, filled his coffee mug, then went away without a word.
Loren and Stone exchanged a glance but kept right on making breakfast.
A while later, Channing returned, dressed for a day on the river.
“More?” Stone lifted the coffee pot.
“Yes, please. And thank you.” Channing added cream and sugar. “Do you need help with anything?”
“I thought you would have learned your lesson by now.” Stone tasted the oatmeal then handed the spoon to Loren.
“I really don’t mind helping.”
“You’d be one of the few.”
“There’s only the two of us who don’t mind,” Loren said, cleaning the spoon then placing it back by the pot.
“Three,” Stone said. “Jon can always be counted on to lend a hand.”
“He likes to cook?” Channing sipped his coffee casually, but his wide eyes conveyed a lot of interest in the answer.
“He does.” Stone tasted the oatmeal again then added more salt. He handed his testing spoon to Loren, who cleaned it and placed it back by the pot again. “There are very few things Jon hasn’t tried.”
“What about men?”
“Pardon?” Stone stopped stirring the oatmeal and stared at Channing.
“I’m just wondering...a man as attractive as him must have a string of boyfriends behind him.” Again, Channing seemed to be trying too hard to be casual when he clearly wasn’t.
“I wouldn’t know about that.” Stone frowned and turned his attention back to the oatmeal.
Channing went over to the water’s edge.
“Okay, I can’t decide if his behavior is good or bad.” Loren moved closer to Stone so no one else could hear them. “On the one hand, he sounds jealous about Jon being with other men and that’s good. He also seems like he’s trying to feel out just how domestic Jon might be, which is also good, but on the other hand...”
“It sounds like he’s looking for a reason to stay away from Jon.” Stone shook his head. “I honestly don’t know.”
“But he can’t say no, right? It’s a mystical bond.” Loren had never considered if human will could defeat magic, mainly because he’d never considered the possibility of magic being real.
“I wish knew.” Stone turned and kissed Loren’s cheek. “Everything is just so up in the air. It’s maddening.”
“Maddening.” Loren didn’t think he’d ever used that word before, but it was the only one that fit. The only thing he knew for sure was that Channing was hurting too. From the way he held and carried himself, staying away from Jon took effort.
Of course, that made him worry about Channing. He didn’t want him to leap into a relationship with Jon and then be trapped. Just because he could see similarities between the two men didn’t mean they’d make a good couple. Then again, the same could be said about him and Stone. Only, Loren didn’t want to fight his feelings. Stone was his mate. Once he’d accepted it, he found a curious inner peace he’d never experienced before.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Stone gently bumped him with his hip, drawing Loren’s attention back to making breakfast. “It’ll all work out.”
Loren nodded despite not agreeing with that sentiment. Even now, in the bright light of day, with everyone around them, he couldn’t stop thinking about being alone with Stone, and letting what they’d been dancing around happen whether it suited Jon or not. As much as he understood and respected Stone’s need to put Jon first, there was only so much they could do to resist one another.
Stone called everyone to breakfast. They had oatmeal, fruit, ham, and eggs. None of it lasted long. Afterward, Stone tapped four people to do dishes and then everyone gathered around the fire pit.
Jon stood. “Okay, here’s the plan. We’re going to make sandwiches again so we don’t have to completely derig. We’ll stop at Nankoweap Canyon so those who want to can climb up to the granaries.”
“Granaries?” Channing asked Jon but it was Alistair who answered.
“Ancestral Puebloans hauled their grain up to these granaries to keep their food dry during floods and to keep it safe from rodents.”
“And we can just walk right up to them?” Channing asked.
“It’s more of a vertical hike, but yeah.”
“And the place is still standing?”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re getting at.” Alistair darted his gaze between Channing and Jon.
“People haven’t destroyed it?”
“It’s hard to get to. And the people who take the time to hike up to it wouldn’t dare do anything to damage the structure.”
From the frown on his face, Channing couldn’t believe that.
Loren understood, though. The only way to get to the granaries was to go down the river and everyone who went down the river had to pony up their identification. No way would any self-respecting person allow a member of their trip to harm a historical site.
“After that, we’ll eat lunch and then get back in the water and head down to Carbon Creek,” Jon said.
“For more hiking?” Channing asked, his shoulders slumping.
“Not at this camp.” Jon smiled at him, which seemed to make Channing perk up. Oh, yeah, they had the hots for one another. The resistance wasn’t over physical things but mental stuff. “We’re going to get in early and have a lazy evening.”
While everyone else cleaned up the camp and rigged out the boats, Loren and Stone made sandwiches in mass quantities. Since they’d done the same thing the day before, they were almost twice as fast.
“Like a well-oiled machine.” Stone put the last of the sandwiches in the bread bag while Loren washed the last of the dishes.
Soon, they were on the river.
“It’s funny,” Loren said, pulling the string of his hat tight.
“What?”
“How quickly I’ve gotten used to this. To the rhythm of it.” Loren sighed and leaned against the gear so he could peer up at Stone. “I think I could love this kind of life.”
“You mean you’d leave the city?”
“Would I have to?” Loren hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“No.” Stone dug deep with the oars, using every muscle from his shoulders to his toes. “It doesn’t matter where you live.”
“Where do you live?”
“Everywhere.” Stone grinned. “I spend probably nine months of the year going on adventures. The other three months, I’m at our place in Colorado.”
“Our place?”
“We all live together in a big house.”
“And the neighbors don’t think that’s weird?” Loren could only wonder what he’d think of a house full of men.
“I have no idea what they think.” Stone’s grin widened. “I only know they wouldn’t say anything to guys who are twice as big as they are.”
“Good point.” Loren rolled his head and stretched. “Does everyone have their own room?”
“Of course. It’s nice to share with your buddies, but everyone needs some alone time too.”
“So it’s like a big frat house?”
“Gods no.” Stone laughed. “What are you thinking? That we all hang out, drink beer, and chase sexy humans?”
“Yeah. That’s pretty much exactly what I’m thinking.”
“We don’t have hookups over to the house. House rules. Jon’s rule, actually. Now that we’re starting to get mates, I have no idea what we’re going to do.”
“There’s no room for mates there?”
“Well, there is, in our bedrooms, but I see that getting real crowded real quick.” Stone considered as he rowed a few times. “My guess is we’re going to have to come up with another plan.”
“I guess we won’t be living alone together, then.”
Stone stopped rowing.
“I’m not saying I don’t like that idea.” Loren pulled his shades off so they could see each other’s eyes. “It’s just I’d have to get used to it.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“Are you upset with me?”
“Not at all. I have never thought about what would happen after I got a mate.” Stone started rowing again. “I never thought I’d get one.”
“Are you happy?”
“Are you kidding?” Stone laughed loud and long. “I’m so deliriously happy I might just break out into show tunes.”
“Know anything from Hamilton?”
“I do not, but I’d like to learn.” Stone swung the boat around. “Seriously, though, I don’t know exactly what we’ll do, but I won’t make any decision without you.”
Loren not only believed him, but he also appreciated that this would be a true partnership.
“Are you...how committed are you to staying in Denver?” Stone asked.
“Well, I have a good job with great benefits. They like my work ethic. They like me. And they’ve repeatedly offered me telecommuting.”
“Why didn’t you take them up on it?”
“I guess I like getting up every day and having a place to go. I like seeing other people. I think I’d be lonely if I stayed home all the time.”
“You’d love living in our house, then. There’s always someone around.” Stone grinned. “We have a lot in common, you and I. I don’t like being home alone either. A little solitude is a great and wonderful thing, but too much and I think I’d go nuts.”
“We’ll work things out.”
“We will.”
A distant roar grew ever louder. Loren stood up to see what was coming then settled back in his seat. He didn’t feel so much as a flicker of worry. Not one at all. Stone could get them through anything.
Loren considered all the possible changes but didn’t worry about them either. He could live anywhere and work. He might not want to go on all of Stone’s adventures, but he would certainly want to go on some. He could see a life filled with times of them being together and then times of the two of them being apart. He believed they would be very happy with that type of situation.
“Do you do adventures up in the mountains?” Loren asked.
“You worried about your cabin?”
“No. Just curious. I’ve always felt the most at home there.”
“Me too.” Stone turned his back downriver and dug in with the oars. “I wouldn’t mind living in a big place in the mountains. A place where all of us can stay close but maybe have our own houses.”
“And a big communal kitchen.”
“Yeah. That would be ideal.”
“It sounds like a summer camp.” Loren sat up straight.
“What?”
“When I was looking to buy my cabin, there was an old summer camp for sale.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I have no idea what kind of condition it was in. I just noticed it in passing.”
“Something to keep in mind.” Stone frowned.
“What?”
“I just want a place where I can grow food.”
“With the right equipment, you can grow a garden almost anywhere.”
“Is that so?”
“That is so.”
“Careful. I feel those show tunes coming on again.”
“Why, because I’d want to garden with you?”
“You would?” Stone stood up and sang a few lines from Rent then settled back in the boat.
“I take it that makes you happy?”
“Very.”
“You have an amazing voice.”
“Thank you.” Stone practically preened.
“There’s a lot of layers to you.”
“Please don’t say I’m like an onion.”
“Well, with your affinity for food it seems like a natural choice.”
“Yeah, but, well, I’ve always imaged myself more like sandstone.”
“How so?”
“For one, it’s a sedimentary rock. Layer after layer of tiny grains of sand all joining together to make huge sheets of rock.” Stone grinned then added, “And my name.”
“Right. Okay. You’re like sandstone.”
“And you’re like a Southern little layer cake.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had that.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.” Stone practically drooled. “It’s got twenty tiny layers of moist, dense cake separated with chocolate icing. It’s decadent and rich and completely addictive.”
“How is it I’m getting so turned on by a description of cake?”
“I am too.” Stone dug in with the oars until sweat popped out over his face and neck.
Loren wished he had something to do similar to what Stone had. A good, hard workout might be the only thing that would get his mind off finishing what they’d started.
When they reached the sandbar, everyone helped pull up the boats.
“You want to do this hike?” Stone asked.
“I need to do this hike.” Loren added a bottle of water to his backpack. “The only thing that’s going to help my hormones is exercise.”
“This one will do it. It’s almost straight up.”
“We have to do rock climbing?”
“Not that intense. There’s a path that takes you up by switching back and forth horizontally. By the time you get up there, though, you’ve walked a lot more than you think.”
Loren considered the side of the cliff.
“If you can’t make it, you can always turn around and come back down.”
“And be shamed for the rest of the trip.”
“No one will do that.” Stone took his hand. “Not only will I put icky seasoning in their food if they do, but I’ll also pick them for dishes twice as much as everyone else.”
Loren laughed. “Okay. Let’s do this thing.”
“Let’s.”
Within the first two switchbacks, Loren was out of breath. “Thank God I don’t smoke.”
“I don’t know anyone who smokes anymore.” Stone didn’t sound out of breath.
“You could probably run up this path, couldn’t you?”
“I don’t think so.” Stone stayed behind Loren.
“You don’t have to stay back here with me.” Loren had to stop for a break so often he felt thoroughly ashamed.
“Are you kidding? I get to look at your ass all the way up.”
“My sweaty, shaking ass.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You are so warped.”
“I know what I like.”
“As long as you aren’t bored out of your mind.”
“It’s not a race. Besides, every time we stop, I get to see the river from a different angle.”
“You try to find the positive in every situation, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Eventually, they made it to the top. After having a rest, Loren and Stone checked out the granaries.
“They brought bags of grain up here?” Loren whistled lightly. “I had trouble with my backpack that only has three things in it.”
“I guess if it was your only food, you’d do whatever you could to protect it.”
“Feel how much cooler it is in here.” Loren stuck his arm through the opening. “It’s like, twenty degrees cooler. Maybe more.”
“And it would be dry, tucked under the shelf of the cliff.”
“Amazing.” Loren clucked his tongue. “I forgot my camera.”
“In the ammo can?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll come back here again.”
Loren got a warm and fuzzy feeling when Stone talked so casually about the future.
“Whoa!” Alastair grabbed Channing’s arm to stop him from falling down the curved sloping ground that jutted out below the ruins. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks. I think I need to sit down.” Channing struggled away from the granaries then settled on a boulder. Jon handed him some water, but he spit it out. “Sorry. I probably wasn’t supposed to do that.”
“It’s only water. It’s fine. Just relax.” Jon settled next to him.
Everyone moved away to give them some privacy.
“Is he going to be okay?” Loren asked Stone.
“He’s fighting what really can’t be fought.” Stone put his hand on Loren’s back. “I think things are going to come to a head a lot sooner than we thought.”
“It won’t kill him, will it?”
“I don’t know. But for his sake and Jon’s, I really fucking hope not.”
After milling around for a while, they decided that they should probably leave the two of them alone to talk.
“We’re going to head back.” Alistair darted his worried gaze between the two of them. “Unless you need help.”
“We’re okay,” Jon said.
Loren and Stone waited for everyone else to go in front of them. Even though going downhill was easier, Loren still had to stop and rest.
“Now it’s my knees.”
“Don’t rush.” Stone moved in front of him. “If you fall, you’ll fall into me, okay?”
“I just hope I don’t fall.”
“We’re not in any hurry. Remember, look at this view.”
Loren had never seen anything so awe-inspiring. Of course, when they started down the trail again, he got a spectacular view of Stone’s ass.
“I’ll bet you could crack walnuts with your butt cheeks.”
“Well, I probably could, but who’d want to eat them?”
Loren chuckled then sobered. He glanced back up toward the top of the cliff. He couldn’t see Jon or Channing, but he felt them, felt the push and pull of their attraction to one another.
“It’s going to be okay,” Stone assured him again.
Loren nodded. His gut told him tonight, regardless of what Jon and Channing did, he and Stone would complete their mating. He just hoped Stone would be okay with that.