given around his knees.
After thinking too hard about what he wanted to do to that mouth, Everett allowed his naked finger to slip over the edge of the moist kerchief and directly touch the stranger’s lips. A jolt of pleasure washed up his hand then charged straight to his cock. Everett shot to his feet so fast he damn near knocked himself over. Worse, he puffed up fresh dust on the man who clearly didn’t need any more mess on him.
“Damnation!”
He’d felt a lot of things in his time, including a model of the newfangled electrified fence, but that shock was nothing compared to this. Everett felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. Curious thing was, the powerful surge hadn’t hurt him at all. What the zinging bolt of energy had done was arouse him to the point his cock was a stroke away from climax.
As much as he wanted to turn away and attend himself, he couldn’t imagine what the man on the ground would think if the first thing he saw when he woke up was another man stroking his dick. Ignoring the urge, as he had so many times in the past, Everett decided he’d best stop touching the man. That inner voice was there to promptly say told ya so before shutting back up.
Without touching him directly, Everett cleaned him as best he could, and only above the waist. After pulling on his gloves, Everett pulled the man by his armpits so that he was completely out of the water. When he didn’t stir, Everett decided his next chore would be to set up camp.
He settled the animals first then took care of his private business. With a glance to the sky, he realized night would be full in under an hour. If he didn’t want to be stumbling around in the dark, or using up the precious oil in the two lamps, he’d better get a fire going.
About the only good thing he’d discovered during this ill-fated trip was that he had a knack for building great fires. Their cook had been most demanding about how he liked the fire pit set, and since Everett liked good grub, he’d gladly taken on the task. An added benefit was the prairie was littered with dry mesquite, which burned slowly, and very hot. Since he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find good wood all along the trail, especially since it was so well traveled, he’d taken to filling part of the covered wagon with wood so that when he did stop, he was ready. Before he left tomorrow, he would replenish his supply.
Everett didn’t set a big cooking fire every night, but he figured the stranger would be hungry when he woke, and he would need heat to cook the fresh meat he’d taken off one of the wounded steers earlier in the day. Poor thing. With both legs broken, screaming like a terrified woman, the cow never had a chance. Everett put the creature down then took what he thought he could eat in a few days. He left the rest for the coyotes.
In another bit of grace, the days had been cooling off, so he thought the meat might last a while. But what blessed one event cursed another. Cooler days meant chilly nights. He was glad the meat wouldn’t spoil quickly, but he was worried about getting somewhere before the nights got too cold. There was only one blanket in the wagon as the thieves had taken the rest. Despite the protection of the covered wagon, one thin blanket wouldn’t be enough to keep him from freezing if the temperature dipped any lower.
Thinking of the blanket made him think of the stranger. Hell, he couldn’t leave him laying there, buck naked, when night was settling in. He rummaged around in the back of the wagon, found the blanket, and returned to the still-sleeping man.
Refusing to examine him any more than he already had, Everett placed the blanket over him then moved back to the wagon. He couldn’t stop pondering the odd dizziness he felt each time he came near him. With a shake of his head, Everett chalked the feeling up to too much traveling and not enough eating.
After clearing a space and digging a shallow hole, he placed thin twigs in a teepee
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