This story is a slow burn. A romance between two men, one younger and one older, who will explore their sexuality and slowly discover their kinks.
BDSM elements will be introduced as the story goes on. But I wanted to take my time with this one.
A few chapters are already available in advance on my Patreon for those interested ☺️
Thank you for reading, and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on the chapter.
It helps me a great deal to craft better stories!
Graham
Hiking helped Graham Bridges in many ways. It cleared his lungs of Seattle’s fumes, soothed the constant onslaught of questions and demands from his patients, and took him back to a time when responsibilities rhymed with building sandcastles and playing in the mud. At forty-one, these were times long passed, even though he sometimes could indulge himself by playing with his nieces and nephews. Most of the time, however, he dealt with adulthood head-on and never complained, no matter how hard he wished he could.
Complaints were useless after all, serving little purpose unless you wanted to invite more grief into your life.
He stopped on a ledge, a gray stone big enough to accommodate a small house, giving him a good vantage point of the valley below. The pines were lush, their branches holding onto the moisture left behind by the early morning rain. Graham inhaled deeply, filling his lungs fully until he could taste the sap on his tongue, then he exhaled.
“Awesome views there, right?” A masculine yet youthful voice said to his left.
Had he been more anxious, Graham would’ve jumped a foot or two in surprise. His body remained still, the small tension that had gripped his back easing as he turned to see a young man with unruly hair cropped short to the sides with longer curls on top. It was a warm shade of dark auburn, and quickly Graham was drawn to his hazel eyes. How bright they were, twinkling with a sort of playfulness only young bucks like him had.
“That’s why people come here, the views,” Graham replied, lacing his fingers around the straps of his worn backpack. “I didn’t see you there. You’re stealthy.”
“I was just sitting.” The stranger laughed softly. “You’re the one who barged in on my perfectly solitary perch.”
Graham’s eyebrows arched up. “Should I leave?”
“Nah, you can stay.”
Taking this as an invitation, Graham sat next to the younger man and dropped his backpack between his legs. In front of them, the woods stretched endlessly, birds chirping the day away as thick clouds gathered above. A typical autumn day in the Pacific Northwest, wet and gray, but not in a depressing way. This kind of weather was preferable to the heat, according to Graham, who was beginning to resent summer more than he should have.
“So are we just going to stay quiet now?” The young man extended a large hand forward. “I’m Nolan.”
Graham grabbed it, feeling calluses. “Graham.”
“And what do you do, Graham?” Nolan asked as he laid his hand flat on his muscular thigh.
“I’m a dentist. Pretty boring job once you’re used to it.”
“But it pays the bills.”
“Yeah, can’t say it’s a bad job for that. What about you?”
“I work construction, mostly,” Nolan sighed. “People need multiple jobs to get by, you know, unless you got a nice job.”
“Like dentist?” Graham said, aware that even if he had worked hard to get where he was, he was now privileged.
“Yep.” Nolan laughed, revealing healthy teeth, though a tooth or two were slightly crooked.
Perfectly natural and pretty. Too many people wanted perfect teeth, instead of healthy ones. Veneers were the worst, and… Damn.
Don’t bring in work here. Graham scolded himself.
“You’ll find your way. It’s never easy, but you seem like a bright kid.”
“I’m twenty, not really a kid anymore.”
Graham put his palms up. “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to offend you. What I mean is, don’t beat yourself up. There’s many paths to success; the important thing is trying things out.”
Nolan nodded, sighing deeply as he did. His chest was impeccably hugged by his shirt, revealing what appeared to be hard nipples and big pectorals that led to a trail of well-defined abs. He was obviously aware that his physique was enviable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen a white compression shirt. It was tucked under the elastic band of his joggers, and overall, the sporty look fit him like a glove.
Graham rubbed his eyes, afraid he had been staring for too long. He didn’t want to be the creep of the trail, but encountering such a fine guy in the middle of nowhere felt like pure luck.
“Well, I gotta get going. I’m planning to camp around here. Hopefully, I can find the right spot.” Nolan shot up and carelessly flung his sizeable backpack over his broad shoulders.
“Do you have the permits?” Graham squinted.
Nolan smirked cockily and rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad, obviously. I’m not a criminal.”
This earned him a chuckle, and Graham was surprised to find himself smiling until he noticed Nolan was limping ever so slightly. His right ankle seemed to be causing him trouble, and with a frown, he crossed his arms over his chest. He, too, worked out, and even though he was a bit smaller than the young man, he knew this stance usually made people stand still and wait for him to speak.
“Are you hurt?”
“Old rugby injury. I slipped on the way up here. Not a big deal. I’ll be better by tomorrow,” Nolan winked in his direction. “Why ask? Are you gonna drag me back to my car?”
“I just might,” Graham warned, voice soft but firm. “You’re hiking alone. What if it gets worse?”
Worrying for others was part of his job, and it had trickled down into every aspect of his life. Graham would worry about old ladies when the sun was scorching; he would worry about stray dogs in the streets in the winter; and he would worry about strangers not only because they were attractive, but also because he’d hate to read about an accident he could have prevented.
He had already made the decision to follow Nolan, at least for a while, to assess whether he was fit for the trail.
“It won’t. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure of that. We’re going in the same direction anyway, so what do you say about us being trail buddies for a couple of hours?”
The question was left hanging for a few seconds, Nolan clenching his strong jaw as he considered the proposition. As he did, Graham’s eyes drifted down to his crotch, attracted by the sudden bulge that had swelled there. The print was impressive, the head barely visible. It either meant Nolan was uncircumcised, or that he wore thick underwear.
Graham shook his head and focused on his feet, annoyed with himself. The good news was, his new friend seemed to like the idea of him coming along.
Nolan cleared his throat, readjusted his length as discreetly as possible, and agreed.
“Let’s go,” he said, dashing past Graham with a flushed face and an elusive stare.
They walked in silence for a while, and after about thirty minutes, Graham noticed the limp was indeed getting worse. It wasn’t as dramatic as he had expected, but by the time they reached their destination, whatever Nolan had decided it was, the young buck would be spent and in pain. Luckily, Graham had packed for a couple of days. He hadn’t planned on camping, but if he had to sleep under the stars to ensure his new friend would be back and safe in his car the next day, he would.
One of the perks of working part-time was that he wouldn’t be needed the next day.
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