The Driving Force to Love (MXM) ✔

Chapter 18

Dean Axle Lance

I woke up before the alarm went off. I was first aware of the warm body pressed into mine, of Tonio's form underneath my arm. I squeezed him closer to me before I opened my eyes. This moment filled me with contentment and peace. A big part of me wished everyday could be like this. But it couldn't. He had his own life in a bigger city away from here. That just meant I needed to cherish these moments even more. A small smile touched my lips when I thought of the previous night. I buried the bridge of my nose in the back of his neck. My arm squeezed him closer to me once again.

I reveled in the remembrance of his face when he gave me pleasure. But I wanted to give him pleasure too. I wanted to see his face in ecstasy. I wanted to see his flesh underneath me. I wanted him.

The bed shifted as I sat up. Tonio didn't wake. Through the darkness, I could see the peace and innocence on his face as he slept. My eyes shifted over his sleeping form. The blankets had been pulled back slightly when I sat up. He was sweet lying there next to me. His stomach and chest rose and fell with his deep breathing. My eyes drifted back to his face. I wondered if he had ever had a beard. He would look good with one. He looked good without one too. I tried to grow out a beard once, but it ended up looking like I was trying too hard. It didn't seem natural on me, so I ended up shaving it.

I didn't want to wake him, but I did want to go fishing. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. There was still fifteen minutes left before the alarm was set to go off at 4:30. I got out of bed and exited the room. I let Tonio sleep.

I went through my morning routine and then went into the garage to gather my fishing gear. I put the fishing rod and the tackle box in the bed of my truck. I went back into the house and washed my hands at the kitchen sink. Arms came around my waist from behind and Tonio placed his head on my shoulder.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morning," he said. "Your phone is beeping in the bedroom."

"Oh yeah," I said. "I forgot to turn off the alarm. You brought your fishing gear, right?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's in the trunk of my car."

"Go get it and put it in my truck. I'll open the garage."

His arms unwound around me. I turned to look at him. He was already dressed and his hair brushed so he had been up longer than I thought. He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his car fob as he headed towards the front door. I went back into the garage and pushed the button on the wall that opened the garage door. I went back inside, into my bedroom and turned off the alarm. By the time I came out of my bedroom, Tonio had come back in.

"Why do you have a piece of cardboard on your front lawn?" he asked. He followed me back into the garage where I handed him an old coffee can.

"Bait," I said. "Go collect the nightcrawlers." He looked at me like I was crazy. "You don't fish with live bait?" I asked.

"I do," he said. "We just usually stop and buy it somewhere."

"Well this will be a fun experience for you," I said.

He looked at the coffee can in his hand and then turned and went out the open garage door. He was cute. I went back inside and collected the cooking oil, the cast iron pan and the grill grate. Tonio met me back at the truck. "Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. He gently placed the can by my tackle box. "Let me just go in and wash my hands first."

While he did that, I made sure the house was locked up. We got in my truck and drove to the local donut shop. It had a convenient drive thru. I ordered half a dozen donuts. Antonio said he liked maple bars so I ordered three maple bars and three glazed donuts and each of us a coffee. Then I proceeded to drive the twenty minutes to my favorite fishing spot. I parked near a tree and we unloaded the gear.