Breaking Boundaries (5th in Breaking Series)

Chapter Thirty-two

    Nick chuckled, took Aiden's arm and led him around the house. "Oh dear God!" Aiden gasped once they were out of sight, "That was the most horrible tasting lemonade I've ever tried to drink!" 

    "You should have listened to Brody," Nick informed him. "Around here it's a pretty safe bet that if Liz had any hand in making something, you shouldn't taste it... hell, you probably shouldn't even sniff it." 

    "How do they not starve to death?" 

    "Ellie cooks quite a bit and I hear tell that Brody's a good cook himself." Nick cranked the hand pump several times and Aiden filled his hands with clear water and gulped it down greedily. "Are you gonna make it?" Nick teased.

    "I hope so," Aiden mumbled as he stood back straight and wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve. Away from the lanterns and fires Aiden realized just how late it had gotten. The sunset was nearly passed and darkness was falling quickly. 

    "I'd say you're tired aren't you?" he asked Nick and Nick nodded as he slid up behind Aiden and wrapped his arms tight around his waist before resting his head on his shoulder. 

    "Brody made me a fairly surprising offer today... well he made us the offer I guess I should say." 

    Aiden leaned back into Nick's embrace, loving the peace and safety he always felt when the other man held him this way, "What was the offer?" 

    "A place of our own to live here on the ranch. He said we can stay in the ranch house for a couple months while our home is built or if we choose we can have Sally and Thomas's house once they leave for Wyoming."  

    "Really?" Aiden asked with surprise as he turned his head to look at Nick's jaw. 

Nick turned his head as well and kissed him lightly, "Yeah really." 

"He's going to give us a house?" 

"No, he's going to give it to us as loan and we have ten years to pay the loan back.... Of course I think he just said that to save my pride." 

    Aiden smiled, "You do have a wagonload of the stuff." 

    Nick shrugged and held Aiden a little tighter, "So what do you want to do?" 

    "Thomas and Sally's place is real nice," Aiden admitted, remembering the afternoons he had spent there. "It's small and simple just like what we'd need. And the pond is real peaceful right beside it." 

    "I like ponds," Nick whispered low as he let his lips graze along Aiden's jaw. 

    Aiden trembled in Nick's arms and felt his knees weaken, "I remember."    

    "Ya reckon we could call it a night and move on into the ranch house today? I'd like to have you alone," Nick admitted. He ran one big hand down Aiden's stomach and teased at the waistband of his pants. Aiden swallowed hard. He and Nick hadn't been intimate over the last month at Doctor Montgomery's. They hadn't had much privacy there and Aiden had been too worried about Nick's healing to think about anything else. 

    "It's either we do that or we make the trip back to town faster than anybody's ever made it before," Aiden stated as he turned in Nick's arms and laid a kiss against his neck, "That bunkhouse just ain't going to cut it tonight." 

    Nick let out one of his animalistic growls then and moved away from him, "Let's go say our goodnight then and figure out what damn room is ours. I ain't gonna wait much longer." 

***

    Nick woke the next morning to the feel of Aiden's lips caressing his bare chest. Nick felt the blood in his veins instantly begin to pump a little faster. Aiden's tongue shot out and caressed Nick's right nipple and Nick nearly shot from the bed. He barely had time to absorb the pleasure before Aiden was moving lower; his tongue flicking and caressing the tight firm muscles of Nick's stomach and then lower still until.....