My Christmas Present

Excerpt

Lucas knew just where to find his father. The end of the work week had arrived and Friday night meant Benjamin Winters would be down at the local pub with his best friend, just as he had been for so many years Lucas had lost count. It was a tradition that had started when he was younger, Lucas thought it was maybe because his dad was lonely, but he couldn't be sure. Ted's Place was nothing special, but they did serve the best steak in town.

Lucas couldn't wait to see his father again, but more than that he couldn't wait to see his dad's best friend, Mitchell Morgan. His dad and Mitchell had grown up together, living on neighbouring stations in far north Western Australia. His father, Ben, hadn't wanted to work on a station and so his grandparents had sold up when they wanted to retire. Ben had become a police officer and loved his job.

Mitchell had been a constant in his father's life since grade school. He had been there the day Lucas came into this world, his mum and dad only being seventeen. Lucas was the result of one too many drinks and a lack of protection that didn't seem all that important at the time. Boy, were they wrong.

Lucas had been lucky though, he could have been given up for adoption or even aborted but his parents had wanted to keep him. Instead he grew up knowing he was loved. Three years after Lucas was born Mitchell was the best man at his dad's wedding, and not even five years later, Mitchell helped his dad keep it together after his mum had passed away from breast cancer.

He had also been there for all the important parts of Lucas's life. The most difficult being when he came out to his father at age sixteen. Lucas'd had a crush on Mitchell since he was fourteen and started to suspect he might be gay. He didn't know what it was about the older man but there was something that just flat out did it for him.

Mitchell had black, wavy hair that always looked like he had just gotten out of bed, when he wasn't wearing his Akubra. He had a strong chiselled jaw, which seemed to Lucas like it had a permanent five o'clock shadow, and the most amazing silver/grey eyes Lucas had ever seen.

The man looked drop dead gorgeous in a pair of Wranglers with his boots and cowboy hat. He had thick muscular legs and arms that Lucas wanted to be wrapped up in more than anything. Lucas had been jacking off to fantasies about Mitchell for the last nine years of his life.

He had, however, never gotten up the courage to do anything about his fantasies. Lucas saw the way Mitchell would look at him occasionally when he didn't think anyone would notice. He was sure Mitchell would never act on whatever feelings he might have towards him though because of his father.

Lucas had thought about this constantly and decided he needed to know once and for all if the love he had for Mitchell was reciprocated. And yes, Lucas meant love. His feelings had started out the same way any teenage crush had, but soon grew into something more. Lucas felt constantly aware of Mitchell when they were close and often wondered what he was doing or if he was happy when they were apart.

Being anywhere near the man would have Lucas sporting wood within seconds of Mitchell's scent hitting him. Even after a full day of work out in the sun riding horses and herding cattle. Mitchell's scent was wild and masculine and entirely his own. Lucas had never smelled anything as good and thought if he were able to bottle it, he would make a fortune.

Pulling into the parking lot, Lucas prepared himself to turn his car off, and with it, the semi-working air conditioner. He couldn't wait to get inside and cool down. Shutting off the engine, Lucas resigned himself to the wet heat as he quickly got out and locked the doors. He raced to the entrance of Ted's as fast as he could, wanting cool air to once again surround his body.

He sighed with relief when he stepped inside the pub. Lucas enjoyed the feeling of being hit upside the head with a blast of cold air. His hot body started to relax as it slowly cooled. Looking around, he noticed all the Christmas decorations and the giant tree in the corner with presents underneath for all the kids in the area. Finally he spotted his dad and Mitchell sitting at their regular table, a couple of beers in front of them.

Lucas stood there and stared at the man who had meant everything to him for so long. After being gone for most of the last four years at university, Lucas couldn't get enough of looking at the man.

Working the land and raising cattle seemed to be in Lucas's blood, unlike his father, so he'd worked on Mitchell's station, the 'Double M', during the school holidays every year since he'd turned sixteen, even after he went off to uni. His love for the land had directly affected what he studied at uni and, as such, he had walked away with a Bachelor of Animal Science from Murdoch University in Perth. The one thing he hadn't counted on when leaving for uni had been how much he would miss that man.