Page 42 of See My Words

Scott and Minh were just around the bend, and Rylan smiled as he drew closer and saw them playing like little boys while they waded in the water, skipping stones and splashing each other. They looked carefree and happy, faces open and beaming, and Rylan took a few rapid-fire shots, pleased with the way the camera’s high-speed setting caught the water droplets arcing in a shimmering rainbow around them.

“Shit!” Minh lost the battle with his balance and sat down hard in the creek, submerged up to his waist. Scott bent over and braced his hands on his knees, his loud guffaws echoing off the sandstone cliffs.

“Help me up, Scotty,” Minh entreated, holding a hand out, and Scott danced back out of the way.

“Nope. I know you want to pull me down.” He gave another loud whoop as he almost slipped, too, windmilling his arms in order to stay upright.

Minh glared at him. “I hurt my ass,” he declared, “on a fucking rock. Help me up.”

Scott relented and hauled Minh to his feet, reaching around to rub Minh’s ass cheek before giving it a pat. “Better?”

Minh responded by scooping up a double handful of icy-cold creek water and flinging it in Scott’s face before turning to run with a yelp of glee as Scott lunged for him. They splashed noisily through the water, Rylan capturing every moment, trying to hold in his laughter at their antics.

When they reached the shore, comprised of a series of large flat rocks, they stripped their T-shirts off, hanging them from nearby branches before finding a patch of dappled sunlight and sinking down to lie on their backs with loud groans of pleasure.

By the time Rylan caught up to them, they seemed utterly relaxed, eyes closed, and Rylan stood over them, unable to resist taking a few photos of Scott, tousled and wet, his chest glittering with droplets and streaked lightly with reddish mud, a slight smile quirking his lips. Scott dragged his eyes open as the camera whirred, the sparkling green vivid against the backdrop of the crimson rocks. “Hey.” He stretched leisurely and then crossed his arms behind his head. “Have a good walk?”

Rylan swallowed hard as the motion made Scott’s biceps bulge, the sexy tufts of hair in his armpits drawing the eye. His brown nipples were pebbled from the cold, and his wet cargo shorts molded his thighs and lovingly outlined what was between them.

“Yeah,” Rylan said, clearing his throat. “I did. This was an awesome idea. It’s so gorgeous here.”

Scott pulled one knee up and waved it lazily back and forth. “Oak Creek Canyon is one of my favorite hiking spots in the entire state.”

“Reminds me a little of the Grand Canyon,” Minh remarked, his voice slurred from relaxation.

“It’s the second most popular tourist destination after the Canyon,” Scott replied. “Goes to show Arizona is a state full of contrasts. Desert, dust storms, and hellacious heat in the Valley, but mountains, hiking, and skiing only two hours north. I love it here.”

Rylan dropped to the rock to sit cross-legged between Minh and Scott, each knee touching one of their sides. Scott moved his hand to rest it on Rylan’s bare thigh, tracing lazy circles with his thumb, making Rylan shiver.

“I come up here whenever I can, but I still remember the first time I saw it. The Grand Canyon is amazing, but Oak Creek—there’s just something about it that relaxes me, makes me feel—I guess at peace.”

“It’s probably the vortex effect,” Minh intoned, waggling his fingers in the air and making a long drawn out “oooh” sound like a ghost. Scott raised his hand to flip him a halfhearted bird and went back to stroking Rylan’s leg.

“What’s the vortex effect?” Rylan asked huskily, his eyes locked on Scott’s sleepy ones.

“Some New Age-y shit,” Minh said, yawning. “Crystals, psychic woo-woo, and stuff like that.”

Scott rolled his head to look at Minh. “More like spiritual and metaphysical energy. The whole area is like a conduit for it, stronger in certain spots.” He shivered. “It’s almost tangible.”

Rylan was intrigued, and he carefully set his camera down before lying on his side. He propped himself up on his elbow, facing Scott, his back to Minh. “Really? You’ve actually felt it?”

“Yeah, many times.” Scott nodded, narrowing his eyes as Minh rolled over to his own side behind Rylan and draped his arm over Rylan’s waist so he could peer at Scott.

“You never told me you felt the woo-woo,” Minh said, resting his chin on Rylan’s upper arm. “What’s it like?”

Scott tilted his face toward the sky, silent for a moment. “The best way to describe it is like a—like a tingling in the nape of your neck and between your shoulder blades.”

“Oooh, sounds scary.” Minh buried his face in Rylan’s neck as if trying to hide, slipping his hand oh-so-casually just underneath Rylan’s T-shirt and splaying his fingers across Rylan’s bare belly. Rylan bit his lip, goose bumps springing up everywhere, exacerbated by Minh’s warm breath against his skin.

“It’s not,” Scott said, his voice dreamy, his knee idly waving. “It’s peaceful, calming. It’s like being in tune with a higher power or a different spiritual plane. Awareness. I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s impossible unless you’ve experienced it for yourself.”

“Mmmm.” Minh’s interest was obviously feigned as he was much more involved in drifting his lips up and down the side of Rylan’s throat and nuzzling his nose behind his ear. When he sucked on the lobe, Rylan couldn’t help but gasp, biting his lip again as Scott’s eyes cut over to them, taking in what was happening in an instant.

Rylan held his breath, but Scott didn’t say a word, just rolled to face them, reaching out to cup Rylan’s cheek, tracing his thumb over his lips. Rylan parted them helplessly, and Scott slipped his thumb inside, rubbing the rough pad along Rylan’s tongue, catching his breath as Rylan nipped sharply at the tip before soothing it with a gentle suck.

“Jesus.” Scott leaned down to take his mouth in a rough, wet kiss, tangling his fingers in Rylan’s hair. Minh pulled the neck of Rylan’s T-shirt aside and nibbled along the crook of his shoulder, sinking his teeth lightly into the muscle.

Rylan moaned, helpless against the onslaught of sensation, trapped between two hot, aroused bodies. He slid his knee in between Scott’s legs, exulting at the hard column of flesh he found there. He circled his thigh against Scott’s balls, taking Scott’s hoarse cry into his mouth.