Rowan's Journey to Manhood

In the previous chapters…

Rowan, a pale guy with many sexual inhibitions due to the abuse he suffered in the past, embarks in a long journey to a mature sexuality, helped by the men and boys living in a big house named “The Cove”. Charlie, a 19 y.o. playful boy, teaches him the joyful side of sex. Barry, an oversexed worker who looks alike Rowan’s abusive stepfather, scares him. Kale, a Hawaiian school counselor, shows him the tender, healing power of love. Beau, the blond leader of the Cove, experiments Rowan’s ‘power’ to block a man’s ejaculation until he begs to cum. Hendrick, the house young cook, lets Rowan discover how sweet and pleasurable can be anal sex when, after many years, the guy yields his ass to the redheaded boy. The wise Native American Wahkan teaches to Rowan how to trust another man and senses that the guy holds a great power in him. Rowan seems to come from another century, and reveals to his friends that his only school had been the old movies showed at Paul’s cinema. He then discovers the pleasure of submission during a hot bondage session with Kale. Rick explains that the Cove is a sort of shelter for all the men and the boys, including Beau. The day after, Beau reveals to Rowan the tragedy he hides in his heart and talks about the young stableman Jordan, his first love, who took his life after being raped by Joe, the black gardener, as per Beau’s father order. One night Beau, masterfully mixing love and dominance, helps Rowan overcome his greatest fears: surrendering to an older man and staying indoors after sunset. Kale’s jealousy explodes. In a restless night, the Hawaiian remembers the French Riviera and Paris, where Beau made him embrace his true nature; then, embittered, he harshly confronts Rowan, who runs away from the Cove. In a last, risky attempt to save their love, Beau flies with Kale to Scotland, to Applecross House; there, they find a way to rekindle their love, helped by Brennan, a young valet that inspires such a deep affection to Beau that he takes him as his boy. Back at the Cove, Brennan lets the boys fuck him roughly, and this makes Beau’s anger explode. The Cove is shaken to its roots, to the point that its very existence is put at a stake.

Synopsys

Beau painfully understands his mistake and undergoes his penance, restoring the peace in the Cove. Rowan is offered the unexpected chance to take revenge on his hatred stepfather, but his satisfaction is short-lived, as he's involved in a terrible accident...

Additional downloads (PDF)

• Cast of Characters with SFW images
• The Cove – Floor Plan
• Book 01 (Chapters 1-10) with bookmarks and PictureBook01 with NSFW images
• Book 02 (Chapter 11-20) with bookmarks and PictureBook02 with NSFW images
• Book 03 (Chapter 21-30) with bookmarks and PictureBook03 with NSFW images
• Book 04 (Chapter 31-33) with bookmarks and PictureBook04 with NSFW images

≈ ROWAN’S REVENGE ≈

~ A caged lion ~

As soon as Beau entered Kale’s suite, after the ‘trial’, he immediately started pacing around like a caged lion. He couldn’t stand knowing that his boy Brennan, in that very moment, was at the mercy of Wahkan and Alex. What would they do to him? To his fragile, scared boy who had already been raped by Charlie and Chayton?

«No, they didn’t rape him, it was an accident!» – he tried to remind himself, but he couldn’t fully convince himself. The men of the Cove had stated that none of the boys was to blame for what happened, but, on the other hand, had found Beau guilty of attacking Wahkan and Alex, out of his mistrust toward the two honest and rightful men. As a penance, he had to entrust his boy to them for two hours, with full permission to do to him whatever they wanted. “Whatever. No limits.” – Kale had stated.

And when the two men, glancing at him with angry steely eyes, had taken Brennan and led him to Wahkan’s room, Beau had felt his anxiety grip his heart like in a vice. Now, pacing the room under Kale’s worried eyes, his anxiety was growing even more.

Beau didn’t know, but Kale had chosen to spend the two hours of his penance with him in his own suite for a reason: his suite was adjacent to Wahkan’s. It would’ve been pointless to lock Beau in his attic, two floors above: he had to be given the chance to run to his boy anytime, but he had to find the strength not to do it, proving his deep trust to the two men he had unjustly attacked.

Kale gave to his lover, restlessly walking back and forth, a worried glance. If Beau couldn’t find in his heart the trust that Wahkan and Alex deserved, the whole Cove would be shattered to pieces. The Cove, that so far had been a safe shelter for all of them, a place where to live a peaceful life, trusting, helping and loving each other, would have been swept away by a Tsunami.

“Calm down, Beauregard” – Kale said in a soothing voice – “Brennan is in safe hands. Wahkan and Alex won’t hurt him”.  Beau slowed down, trying to control himself, but then they clearly heard Brennan, from the adjacent suite, gasp loud. Beau ran to Kale’s playroom, crossed it and entered the small bathroom at the end. He stood still in front of the opposite wall, that separated the room from Wahkan’s bedroom [1].

Almost no sound came through the thick wall, but occasionally he could hear Wahkan talking in a menacing tone, Alex moaning with pleasure and his Brennan gasping and squealing. The worst scenarios outlined in his mind, and he imagined his boy, trembling with fear, ordered by Wahkan to get naked and kneel down to satisfy the two men’s lust. The picture of Alex’ beefy body mercilessly spearing Brennan’s inexperienced and sore ass with his massive tool appeared in front of his worried eyes.

Beau placed a hand over the wall, as if to comfort his boy, and bowed his head. From the adjoining bedroom, Kale, sitting on his bed, looked at him, and his heart went to the suffering man. «He must learn this lesson» – he thought, forcing himself not to run to him; but when he saw the blond god’s shoulders shiver for the silent sobs, he couldn’t stand still any more, and ran to his lover, hugging him from behind.

Beau turned over, and his face was streaked with tears. “This is wrong… It’s unfair…” – he murmured with broken voice – “Brennan can’t suffer for what I’ve done, he shouldn’t take a punishment that I myself deserve! I must go and save him!”

He tried to walk to the door, but Kale stopped him. “You want to save him… from what?” – the counselor asked, and Beau, with a trembling hand, pointed to the wall separating them from Wahkan’s room: “You heard them! They’re raping my boy!”

It wasn’t true, of course. In that very moment Brennan, fully clothed, was having the time of his life watching in wild excitement the homoerotic scene of an ‘evil Indian’ forcing a ‘straight US soldier’ to give in to an overwhelming, guilty pleasure [2].

“You can’t know what’s happening behind that wall” – the Hawaiian said resolutely – “It’s your anxiety that makes you fear the worst. Trust me. And trust them.”

Another manly howl of pleasure and another boyish choked squeal came from Wahkan’s room, and Beau pushed Kale away. “They’re hurting him! Let me go!” – he yelled, menacingly, but Kale stubbornly kept blocking his pass. The blond boss was much more muscular then him, and he could easily overpower him, so he had only one option: talk to him, make him listen to reason. “Beau, don’t do it. Don’t throw away the Cove! Don’t throw away… us!” – he said with great passion – “Brennan is fine, no one is hurting him!”

~ Kale loses his temper ~

The counselor’s words hit deeply Beau, who restrained himself, but the effort was taking its toll on his emotional stability. He started to tremble and tears streamed from his eyes: “I need you, I love you! I can’t do without you… But how I could look at myself in the mirror, if I keep you at the expenses of my boy?!”

Kale was about to hug his lover to comfort him, but realized it would be useless, and he started to lose his temper. He angrily stomped a foot on the floor: “Stop it!!” – he yelled, holding Beau at arm’s length – “Look at me. Look at ME!!”

Beau’s sobs trailed off and he looked straight at the Hawaiian’s slanted eyes. “Wahkan! Alex!” – Kale said sternly – “We’re are talking about Wahkan and Alex, goddammit! One is the most honorable, honest man you’ve ever known, and the other is the most caring and sensible master of the Cove. They could never - never I say! - hurt a kind, sensible kid such as Brennan. And they would never take revenge on you through him. Better: they would never take revenge on you. Period!”

“You know it’s true!” – the counselor concluded – “Your love for Brennan, admirable as it is, is blinding you: you know deep inside how trustworthy those men are! Not to mention they are in debt with you, since you offered them help and shelter when they most needed it: how on earth could they ever betray you in such a hideous way?!”

When Kale eventually stood silent, Beau’s sobs and tears had long stopped, and a new light was now shining in his eyes. He threw his strong arms around Kale’s shoulders and held him in a breathtaking bear hug. “Thank you, buddy! You opened my eyes! Damn, I was a fool to think that Wahkan and Alex could even lay a finger on my boy. I know I can trust them… more than myself…!”

He threw himself on the bed, exhausted but relaxed, and Kale lay beside him, looking at him with loving eyes. And this is how Alex, Wahkan and Brennan found them, one hour later, when their ‘Far West’ fantasy was over and they moved to Kale’s suite.

The door opened and Alex, still naked and covered with sweat and sperm came in, followed by Wahkan, in his loincloth, and Brennan, fully clothed and with an ecstatic expression on his face… and an unmistakable wet spot on his crotch.

Beau jumped out of the bed and rushed to hug his boy, and held him tight for a long time. When he recoiled, he saw Alex and Wahkan smiling at him. “Wanna know what we’ve done… to your boy, boss?” – Alex asked, but Beau resolutely shook his head and hugged him tight. “Thank you, buddy” – he said in a low voice – “Whatever you two have done, I’m sure that my boy enjoyed every single moment of it”. He turned to Wahkan and hugged him, too. “I’m so sorry, mon ami. The things I’ve said and done…”

“Let’s bygones be bygones. But your people say: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’. I admire you for the deep love and loyalty you showed for your boy, and you surely will be a wonderful master, but don’t let your heart lead you astray.”

“If I do, you will tell me, won’t you?” – Beau said, meekly – “And I won’t forget you still owe me a punch in the face, anyway!”.  They all laughed lightheartedly, and after more hugs and bumps on the shoulders, they went back to their rooms. The Tsunami had crossed over the Cove without causing serious damages and the waters of the Cove were calm again… until next time.

~ Rowan, Alex and… Barry ~

Alex crossed the corridor and went to his room. Inside, Charlie was lively chatting with Rowan, sitting at the small dining table and sipping a fresh orange juice. At the sudden appearance of the bulky guard, naked and dripping sweat (and something else, Charlie noticed with a grin) Rowan jumped on his feet: “I’m sorry, sir! I… I probably should leave…”

“Naah…” – Alex replied with a friendly smile –  “Unless you feel embarrassed for my… uhm… temporary lack of clothes!”.  Charlie laughed, and Rowan smiled, too, looking at Alex’ astonishing body and his remarkable manhood: “’Embarrassed’ is not the right word, sir…!”

“Then stay, kid! We have so few chances to chat! Will you wait here until I take a quick shower?”.  Rowan nodded, quietly accepting Alex calling him ‘kid’: he himself had granted him that special right since his first days at the Cove [3]. “Of course I’ll stay, if you like, sir” – he said with a friendly smile.

After a few minutes, Alex came back from the bathroom, refreshed, wearing a bathrobe, and sat at the table, next to Rowan. Charlie had gone away, probably to help Rick with the dinner. He looked at the guy for a moment, in silence, and then went straight to the point. “Listen, kid, this is really none of my business, but I wonder… what you have against Barry. I know, he’s often rude and crude, but he’s a great guy…”

“I know!” – Rowan hastened to say, lowering his eyes – “I feel terribly sorry every time I… snap at him! But I just can’t help it… He reminds me my stepfather, he and Barry could be twin brothers! I… I hate him!! No… not Barry… I hate my Daddy… But when I look at Barry’s strong arms… at his powerful, hairy chest… at his muscular legs… and…” – the guy gulped hard and his voice became hoarse – “… his enormous, veiny cock… I… I can’t help but picturing him towering over me… naked and hard… ready to split me open, to abuse me in my deepest intimacy… and I… I…”

Alex was startled by Rowan’s words. A lot of strong emotions exuded from his voice: fear and rage, for sure, and sorrow, but also admiration, and even a hint of… lust. «More than a hint, apparently…» – Alex thought, glancing with discretion at Rowan’s twitching bulge.

The man and the guy stood silent for a while, looking at each other, while a strange idea formed in Alex’s mind…

“You’re a man, now” – Alex said at one point – “Have you ever thought to go back to your stepfather and take revenge on him for what he’s done to you?”.  “I wish I could!” – Rowan replied, with passion – “But he’s long dead by now, and I… I certainly don’t miss him!!”

“If you say so…” – Alex said, pensively – “But never say never… Maybe one day you could get your chance to get even with your stepfather, who knows?”.  Rowan shifted uneasy on his chair, puzzled by Alex’ words. If his stepfather was there, he would slug him! He would make him suffer, throwing back at him his anger, his rage! He could even… But it was too late: that hatred man, who ruined his life, was dead!

“I’d better take my leave from you, now, sir” – Rowan said formally, relapsing for the tension into his former “weird talking”. Alex nodded absentmindedly and the guy stood up and moved toward the door. When he was on the doorstep, he heard Alex say: “We’ll talk about this again, kid”.

~ A bet to be collected ~

The next morning, Alex stayed late in bed. All the men (those who had a job, that is) were enjoying their long-awaited summer vacation and he had nowhere to rush. Besides, he had to stay up late, recounting to Charlie, without missing a single detail, the scene he and Wahkan had played for Brennan; and when he’d finally finished telling his tale, Charlie was so stocked that he had to make love to him until they both were too exhausted to go on.

The bulky guard stirred on his bed and smiled to himself. «Time to collect on my bet!» – he thought playfully, remembering how, before the ‘Brennan affair’, Barry had challenged him to fuck Wahkan and lost his bet [4].

After a long, refreshing shower and a hearty breakfast, he went up to Barry’s room with a visible spring in his steps. It was about time he collected on his bet! “Are you decent? Hope not!” – he joked as usual, opening Barry’s door without waiting for an answer, and Barry, as usual, replied: “I’m dressed, but we can easily fix that!”. He started removing his tank, knowing that Alex would have soon stopped him… but this time he didn’t.

When the worker was stripped to his waist, Alex smiled lustfully at him and growled: “We made a bet, remember? And you lost it!”.  “Yeah… I hoped you’d forgot that… But I’m not a man who breaks his word!” – Barry said, with equal lust, stripping naked. “I know, but just in case…” – Alex said playfully, pushing his buddy on the bed and quickly tying both his wrists and his ankles to the headboard, forcing him into a bent-over position that left his ass totally exposed and vulnerable.

When Barry was totally immobilized, Alex stood still for a moment, looking at him with a pensive expression. “Come on, stud! Are you whimpering or what? I promised you could fuck my ass, and here I am, ready for you!”

“You didn’t say I could fuck your ass, actually… You said exactly ‘my ass is grass’…!”.  “Well… yes, I said so…” – Barry replied, unable to tell the difference – “but enough talking! I’m here, tied up and at your mercy: do your worse, stud! I promise I won’t get angry with you!” – the rugged worked joked.

“Uhm… You might, actually” – Alex said, obscurely. He turned around and closed the window blinds, making the room fall into an eerie twilight, and then… he went away, leaving a puzzled Barry alone, on his bed, in tight bondage. The man tried to get free, but Alex had not used escape knots. The minutes went by, and Barry was about to get angry, when the door opened and he widened his eyes for the surprise: “Rowan!”

~ Payback time ~

As soon as Rowan spotted Barry, helplessly tied to the bed, his eyes flashed with repressed anger. When Alex, few minutes earlier, had come to his room and explained him his idea, it sounded quite crazy, but now… now his hatred stepfather was back from hell, helpless, and he could finally take his revenge on him!

“Hey, kid…” – the man said, trying to have a friendly tone, but unable to understand what was going on – “I was waiting for Alex…”

“I’m not a kid, not any more!” – Rowan yelled. He was looking at Barry, but what he was seeing, in the dim light, was his stepfather. He got closer and glanced disdainfully at the man: “Not much of a stud, now, uh?”

Barry was astonished. Until then, Rowan had carefully avoided him, and when really needed, he had not spoken more than a few fearful words to him. And now, the guy was menacingly pacing around him, talking to him in a harsh, menacing tone. But Barry was not intimidated at all. “What do you want from me, kid?” – he asked, defiantly.

“It’s payback time, Daddy!” – Rowan hissed, quickly stripping naked – “You fucked me countless times, and I can only do it once, but granted you won’t forget it anytime soon!”

Daddy! Rowan had called him Daddy! Everything was clear to Barry, now. He knew he looked alike Rowan’s stepfather, and with the blinds shut, in that twilight, the guy was surely living the illusion to talk again to his hatred daddy! Barry could easily break the illusion, make Rowan realize he was not his stepfather, but in that moment the rugged worker knew what the guy needed, he understood how important that step was in his journey to manhood, and decided to go along with it, come what may.

He looked at the guy climbing on the bed and kneeling behind his bent legs, his rock hard cock pointing at his unprotected anus. “I can take all you can dish at me and more, kid!” – the man challenged – “That prick of yours won’t even… AAAAARGGHH!!” – Barry yelled, suddenly pierced by Rowan’s hot rod. The penetration had been painful, not much for Rowan’s endowment (though he had a remarkable cock, it was nothing Barry couldn’t easily manage), but rather for the intensity, the ferocity of the sudden impalement.

“Scream, Daddy! Take your kid’s cock!” – the guy growled, pumping his hips with strong, evil thrusts – “Taste your own medicine!”. Rowan paced up, drilling mercilessly the exposed ass and reaching deep into it. Barry thrashed on the ropes, trying to get free, but Alex had done an excellent job.

“You grew me up well, Daddy, you taught me how to fuck an ass, see? Are you proud of me, now, Daddy?”. Rowan’s cock was a piledriver ramming the helpless ass and crushing open one by one its inner doors. “Fuuuck! Aahhh!” – Barry cried out, suffering under the vicious onslaught – “Stop it! AAAH! Stop it!!”

But Rowan didn’t stop: “How many times I’ve pleaded, I’ve begged you to stop?! No, Daddy, you won’t get any mercy from me!”. While stomping hard his hips against the man’s bottom, Rowan leaned over and started squeezing and twisting the man’s nipples viciously, adding to his pain. “Shit! Ah!!” – Barry hissed, unable to evade the guy’s brutal grip on his tender tits.

“Say it! Say it!!” – Rowan yelled, torturing the man’s nipples with his nails and pounding his sore ass. Barry looked at the guy’s eyes, and realized that his anger had turned to desperation. “Say it, fucker!!” – the guy yelled, his eyes brimming with tears.

~ Emotional breakout ~

“I… I’m sorry, kid…” – the worker replied, unsure about what Rowan really wanted from him – “I’m sorry I made you suffer… Rowan!”. Whether that was the right answer or not, he apparently had hit a soft spot in the guy’s heart, because his cock slowed down, and his hands started caressing the vast expanse of his chest, tracing the hard ridges of the abs and playing with the thick body hair.

He leaned further until he could kiss one of the ravaged nipples, and then started sucking both of them, in turn, tenderly, almost lovingly, as if he wanted to take away the pain he had given them earlier. Barry moaned loud and murmured: “Don’t hate me, Rowan… Forgive me, if you can…”. Neither of them could really understand whether Barry was asking for forgiveness on behalf of Rowan’s daddy, or for his own attempt to forcefully fuck him, back when they first met [5].

As a reply, Rowan recoiled and grabbed the man’s cock with his hand. It was hard and throbbing. With a steady motion, he pumped his fist up and down the thick shaft. When he spoke, his voice was a mix of resentment, defiance, lust and tenderness: “I will make you cum! I’m going to fill your ass with my juice and you will cum for me! Cum, Daddy! Cum… please...! Please… AAAH… AAARGGHH!!!!”

Rowan shoved his cock one last time deep into Barry’s ass and stood still, while the man’s tied body tensed in the ecstasy of the climax, and then both cocks exploded in unison.

Rowan locked eyes with Barry and opened his soul to him, like he had done so many times. But this time was different, this time the man was his stepfather… or Barry… or both.

Barry widened his eyes and yelled, scared and overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotions that Rowan was pouring into his eyes: fierce hate, fiery lust, tender love, dull resentment, sorrow for his lost childhood, hope for his future adulthood… He was a little child craving for a hug and a grown-up man seeking for revenge, the victim and the tormentor, the light and the darkness.

Both men shuddered in an endless orgasm, their blazing eyes locked, until the spasms slowly subsided and Rowan, eventually, bowed his head and crushed unconscious over the tied panting man. For a few minutes everything stood still in the room, except for the two heaving chests. When Rowan came to his senses, he looked up at Barry and gasped in fear. He quickly backed up and was about to get off the bed when he stopped for a moment, looked at the tied man and gave him a trembling caress on his cheek. Again, neither of them could understand whether the caress was for Barry or Rowan’s stepfather.

Then, he quickly picked up his clothes and fled out of the room. Once more, Barry was left alone, confused and helplessly tied to the bed. He was still there, staring puzzled at the ceiling and wondering what had happened, when, few minutes later, Alex came back.

He immediately untied Barry’s legs, and then looked at Barry, still tied by his wrists. “Are you mad at me, buddy? I’m sorry, I’ve played a dirty trick on you…”

“You did it for Rowan” – Barry replied, seriously – “and so did I”.  “So, you’re not angry, aren’t you?” – Alex said, setting the worker free. Barry massaged his own wrists and quickly jumped out of the bed, groaning for the pang of pain coming from his sore ass. He looked at Alex with fiery eyes and said: “Yes, I’m angry! I’m furious! The kid has abused my ass in any possible way! I couldn’t move and he humiliated me! You know I can’t let it go without retaliate!”

Alex didn’t expect such a reaction, but knew his buddy had every right to be furious. He looked straight at him and said, alarmed: “Don’t pick on Rowan, it was not his fault! It was an idea of mine, come after me! Slug me, fuck me, whatever! I can take it, don’t hurt that guy!”

“You? No, I’m going to lay a finger on you. It was not your fault. I know well who’s to blame, and he’s going to pay hard! No one can stop me, not even you!!” – Barry yelled. “Someone is going to be fucked, and fucked hard!” – the rugged worker grunted, furious, and went out, slamming the door.

~ Reasserted masculinity ~

He crashed open another door and stormed into the room like a raging bull. That damn guy had taken advantage of his being restrained and fucked him wildly, and even made him cum! Not that he didn’t like it, on the contrary, but Barry was a man who always wanted to be in control, and Rowan made him feel… less of a man!

«Never!» – his wounded masculinity screamed in his mind. He gave a furious glance to the guy leisurely lying on the bed in his underwear and growled menacingly: “Naked! Now!”

Kale placed the book he was reading on the nightstand and quickly stripped naked: he knew better than argue with Barry when he was in such a state. And besides, he couldn’t help but feeling a shiver of excitement down his spine. When the muscular brawny man jumped on his bed and forcefully raised his legs, his cock grew rock hard in anticipation.

 “Will you tell me what happened, or you want to fuck me senselessly with that mighty club of yours without saying a word?” – Kale said in a seducing tone. Barry pointed a finger at him: “That kid of yours, that Rowan!”

Kale was alarmed. “What have you done to him, Barry?!”.  “You should ask what he has done to me!!” – the worker yelled – “He did THIS!”

“AAAARRGGHH!!” – Kale yelled when Barry, abruptly, shoved his entire dry cock into his unprepared ass. The thick hot weapon started plowing hard and deep into the tender hole, scratching and scraping mercilessly the sensitive lining. Kale gasped for the pain and for the unexpected ferocity of the onslaught. “Rowan… aahh!… Rowan fucked you?!”

“Yes, good and hard!” – the man replied – “He called me ‘Daddy’ and yelled at me that it was payback time! And then he did to me this! And this! And this!”. Barry punctuated his words with powerful thrusts that reached Kale’s innermost depths, forcing his hole open wider than ever.

The counselor’s head was spinning. Rowan had somehow taken revenge over his stepfather, using Barry as a… substitute! “’Take your kid’s cock’, he yelled at me! And then he did this!”

“Noo! AAHH!” – Kale screamed, when Barry’s strong fingers crushed his nipples like in a vice. The more Kale screamed, the more Barry twisted and pinched his sore tits. “Please, Barry… Please… Not this way… You’re hurting me… I beg you, man…!” – Kale pleaded. It wasn’t the physical pain that compelled him to beg: in his life he had born even rougher treatments. But Barry was torturing him viciously, evilly: there was no lust in his fuck, no love, only a cruel desire for revenge.

“Yeah, man, beg me! I begged Rowan, too! And when I did, he did to me… this!”

~ Conflicting emotions ~

Kale braced himself, waiting for the torture to became even more painful, but Barry’s cock slowed down and his eyes looked at the Hawaiian with growing affection. The strong hands that moments before had tortured the tender nipples opened up and caressed with loving care the tanned chest. Barry leaned forward, like Rowan did to him, and started kissing and licking the sore skin, replacing the pain with an exquisite pleasure.

Kale understood what happened. Rowan had taken his revenge over the hatred stepfather, but Barry had begged for his forgiveness, and could soothe the guy’s tortured soul. “You’re one of a kind, Barry” – Kale whispered, looking at that man who had a heart bigger than life, the man who, in an effort to help Rowan, had temporarily given up to his dominant masculinity. “You’re such a stud… aahh… Fill me with your jizz, stud, let me feel your passion!” – Kale moaned, now on the verge of the orgasm – “Let me cum, man… I need it… I need you… AAAAHH!!”

Without even touching his cock, Kale felt a shattering climax explode in his groin. Looking at his lover shudder with pleasure made Barry lose control: “Here it comes, man! Yeah… Fuck YEAH!!”.  And both men enjoyed a liberating, excruciating orgasm, and many streams of hot man juice bathed Kale’s insides and outside.

When the moans and sighs of pleasure trailed off, they lay on the bed, side by side, catching their breath for a while, and then Kale turned to Barry to say: “I love you man, you know that? I don’t know how it happened, but you’ve done a great thing for Rowan, probably the most important since he came staying here at the Cove”.

Then Kale remembered Rowan’s habit to open his soul during the orgasm, something that Barry had never experienced, and asked: “Did he look at you while cumming?”.  Barry frowned: “How do you know?”.  “He often does so. He did it with me, once, and with Beau, and Charlie. Apparently, every time is different… Sometimes he shows his fragility, sometimes his devotion, or even love. How was with you?”

“It was both astonishing and frightful…” – Barry replied – “He hated my guts! He almost wanted me dead! But at the same time, he needed me: he longed for my love, for my approval, and… he even lusted for me, for my body, for my cock… The intensity of his emotions was so strong that I felt like drowning! He looked at me with puppy eyes, but with a steely glare burning behind them, I don’t know how to explain… And when done, he… caressed me, tenderly, a moment before fleeing away, scared as hell!”

The counselor was puzzled by the many conflicting sentiments Barry had mentioned and stood silent for a while, staring at the ceiling and thinking hard to what Barry had recounted. “In Rowan’s mind, you and his stepfather overlap each other… Probably the hate and the desire for revenge were directed to his stepfather, while his love and lust were for you… Can’t be any other way…” – he said after a while, turning to Barry. And then he smiled with affection, realizing that he didn’t listen to a single word of that “psychological mumbo-jumbo” because he had fallen fast asleep, physically and emotionally exhausted.

~ A joyful lunch ~

After a while, Kale heard a polite knock on the door. “Come in!” – he said, while Barry was stirring beside him. Hendrick peeked in, pretending not to notice that the two men were lying naked on a rumpled bed (two men fucking was no breaking news anyway, at the Cove). “Lunch will be served in fifteen minutes, sirs” – he said in a friendly tone. Then he looked at Barry and said: “I’m sorry to insist, sir, but the water pump is acting up again. Since the first time I told you, two days ago, the situation is getting worse, and now Rowan reports that it often shakes and makes loud noises. And he knows well, as his bed is right next to the pump…”

“OK, OK, I’ll soon take care of it, thank you kid” – Barry replied, feeling guilty for having delayed so much the maintenance of that old pump – “I have to replace it altogether, and it’s a hell of a work…”

After a short while, all the men and the boys of the Cove were sitting around the big round table. The only missing members were the two Native Americans, who had left early in the morning for a two-day trip somewhere (they rarely gave details about their gatherings).

There was an empty chair between Kale and Charlie, but it was soon taken by Rowan, who rushed into the room, sorry for being late. Everyone noticed his clean clothes, his perfectly shaved face and his neatly combed hair, elegantly flowing down to his shoulders. Despite that being an ordinary family lunch, he had obviously taken his time to look at his best.

Kale smiled at him and Rick came from the kitchen with a large steamy bowl: “Today, Spaghetti and meatballs!” – he announced, welcomed by loud cheers. As soon as the bowl was placed on the table, Charlie helped himself a large portion and looked puzzled at his dish: “Where are the meatballs?”

Rowan smiled at the boy and explained: “They are not meant to be eaten along with the pasta, they never do that in Italy. When you’re done with the first course of pasta, you proceed to the second course, the meatballs. This is an Italian recipe, and I understand that Hendrick was skilled enough to present it properly. We all should be really grateful to him for his constant efforts to keep us well fed… in style!”

Rick beamed with pride for Rowan’s kind words and was rewarded with a raucous ovation, handclaps, whistles and all. The bowl of pasta was short-lived, and the wide plate of saucy meatballs that Rick served afterwards followed suit.

Kale looked at Rowan, eating the tasteful food with gusto, and couldn’t help but smile. Having Rowan sitting at the table with them was still something new for the Cove: the guy had taken the habit to have his meals with the other men only when the quarry had closed down for the summer vacation, few days earlier, allowing him to stay awake in daytime and sleep at night.

As if guessing his thoughts, Beau turned to the Hawaiian, sitting next to him, and said: “I’m so glad he can now stay home at night”; he still remembered very well the dramatic evening when he helped Rowan overcome his fear of staying indoor after sunset [6].

Kale observed discreetly Rowan and Barry: he was curious to understand if what happened between them somehow had modified their relationship. He saw them exchanging few fleeting glances, but they never talked to each other. They were obviously not on good terms, yet… but he could have sworn to have caught a stifled smile on Rowan’s face and a fleeting wink on Barry’s.

The joyful meal came to an end, and Rowan yawned: he was trying hard to adapt to his new lifestyle, but he was clearly suffering for a sort of “jet lag”. He politely waited for Beau to stand up and then waved everyone goodbye and disappeared through the archway leading to the living room.

One by one, everyone returned to his room, except for Barry and Stewart, who remained seated, lively chatting and sipping an espresso (Rick’s crowning touch to a perfect Italian-style meal). The redheaded chef quickly cleaned up the dining table and moved to the kitchen, but soon called out: “Sir, it’s doing it again! No water comes out of the tap!”

~ Emergency ~

“Damn pump!” – Barry snorted – “It’s older than my great-grandma! I’ve should’ve taken it down when….”

He couldn’t end the sentence, because the floor trembled under their feet and they heard an explosion coming from the basement. “Shit damn!” – the worker exclaimed, alarmed, jumping on his feet and running downstairs, followed by Stewart and Rick.

When they entered the room, it looked like a war zone. The old water pump had literally exploded and the water had stained the surrounding walls and even the ceiling. A torrent of water was pouring out of the broken pipes and quickly flooding the room. Fragments of rusty metal were scattered around and even stuck in the wooden crates nearby.

“Fuck the damn pump!” – Barry hissed, rushing outside to cut off the main tap and the electrical connection. He had just finished operating, with great effort, the old rusty tap when he heard Rick calling out, with a desperate voice: “Rowan! Rowan!!”

Barry ran inside and spotted Rick on the farthest end of the room, on the opposite side from the broken pump, kneeling down over Rowan, lying unconscious on the floor. A heavy fragment of pipe was lying nearby.

In that very moment, Alex, Charlie and Kale stormed into the room: “My god, what happened here??” – the Hawaiian exclaimed, but immediately realized that Rowan was seriously injured. Alex rushed to the unconscious guy, who had a deep wound on his forehead, gushing blood all over the guy’s face.

“Charlie!” – the guard ordered, taking control of the situation – “Bring some clean towels! Stewart, call the St. James hospital, tell them it’s Security Guard 2243 calling and alert them for a suspected concussion due to blunt instrument, unconscious patient. Barry, take your truck and drive it to the back parking lot. And you, Kale, should stay here with the boys and try to reassure them” – he concluded, looking at Hendrick, who was clearly about to burst into tears.

Everyone hastened to follow the precise instructions, and less than fifteen minutes later Barry’s truck screech halted in front of the emergency room of the St. James hospital. The medical staff was waiting for them with a stretcher; they efficiently took on Rowan and Alex followed them to fill them with the details and take care of the paperwork.

Barry, left alone, crushed on a chair in the waiting room. Everything had happened so quickly, and he had no time to think; but now he had time, and the sense of guilt overwhelmed him. «I should’ve fixed that damn pump the first time Rick told me!» – he thought, angry with himself.

His anxiety took over and he stood up, but when he tried to enter the emergency room, they didn’t allow him in. Going back to the waiting room, the worst scenarios created in his restless mind: «He’s seriously injured, he could die! And it was all my fault… It was my fault…».

~ Hopes and fears ~

After the longest half-an-hour of his life, Alex came out from the E.R. and Barry rushed to him: “He’s not gonna die, is he?!” – he asked with cracked voice. Alex had never seen the rugged worker so shaken. “I don’t think so, but the doctors can’t check the damage until he’s stabilized. It was a huge blow, there is a small cerebral hemorrhage. He’s still unconscious, and they will keep him sedated the entire night, so to avoid potential complications. In the morning, they will suspend the sedation and Rowan will wake up…” – he frowned – “…hopefully”.

Barry felt a chill freezing his heart. “May I see him?” – he asked, meekly – “I have to apologize to him… It was all my fault… If he dies… if he doesn’t wake up I…”

“Nonsense!” – Alex replied firmly – “It was an accident. No one is to blame. That pump was already in service during the Civil War!”. Maybe Alex’ intention was to cheer him up, but Barry was not relieved at all, he rather felt like shit even more, as if the delay in replacing the old pump was entirely his fault. “They assigned him to Room 302” – the guard continued – “We can go see him in an hour or so, but it will be useless, as he will be asleep”.

 “We better call home” – Barry said, patting his pockets – “but in the rush I’ve forgotten my phone”.  “Me too” – Alex replied – “Listen, buddy, go home, it’s pointless that we both stay here, while Rowan is sedated”.

Barry gave to his buddy his truck keys: “You go back home and inform the others; I stay until dinner time and will come back at the end of the visiting hours. A walk will do me good”.

Alex went away and drove back home. When he entered the ample living room, the entire Cove was there, eagerly waiting for the news. The guard explained in detail what the doctors had said and stated that Rowan was not in condition to have visits.

“They really don’t know how serious is the situation. When they try to wake him up, tomorrow morning, they will assess his health status. Maybe there is nothing serious, but they can’t exclude potential damages to motor functions or cognitive abilities”.

“What you mean they will try to wake him up?” – Rick asked, with broken voice. Charlie echoed him: “Is there a risk that he won’t be able to walk again?”. “Or understand us?” – Brennan asked, anguished.

Kale looked around at the worried faces staring at Alex. “Listen, guys, I’m worried just like you. But the doctors said that tomorrow he could just wake up like nothing had happened. They just can’t know, at the moment, and neither can we. It’s silly to fear for the worse, when we should hope for the best, instead. And that’s what we’ll do, all of us: hope for the best. We just have to wait until tomorrow morning”.

All the men and the boys nodded silently and the group slowly disbanded. That evening, Rick just forgot to prepare dinner, but it went unnoticed, as no one was feeling to eat anyway.

The night fell on the Cove and no one noticed that Barry had not come back from the hospital, nor that Charlie was nowhere to be found…

Footnotes and references:
[1] For reference, download:  ~ The Cove – Floor Plan ~
[2] See Chapter 32, ~ A soldier gets captured ~
[3] See Chapter 7, ~ Welcome home! ~
[4] See Chapter 31, ~ Alex gets challenged ~
[5] See Chapter 4, ~ The nightmare is real ~
[6] See Chapter 25, ~ “What do you want me to do?” ~

* * * * * * * *

(End of Chapter 33 – Please proceed to Chapter 34)