He glanced up from his task and watched the sunshine gleam off the grass and after the last bottle was down the drain, threw the glass in the recycling bucket. Washing up at he kitchen sink, he mused at how his so-called perfect life had gone to hell in a matter of minutes.
“Cal, you need to get a life. Most, if not all, people have experienced a broken heart. It’s time to get back on the horse, man, and stop trying to pickle your liver in liquor and mindless sex at every turn,” Cal muttered to himself as he stood watching the scene outside. Birds flew above, a light wind stirred the tree branches and frankly, he was tired of feeling sorry for himself. “Shit, I am done with this crap.” He stomped out of the room, grabbed a light jacket, and decided to go for a walk. He always felt at peace there for some reason.
As he entered the forest, he pondered what to do and how, if he could, to change the direction he was going. Cal knew if he didn’t get off this crazy train he was going to either get some disease, get mugged or worse yet, murdered in some alleyway. He was so lost in thought as he wandered, he didn’t feel the sunshine beating down on him, the way the birds flew above and around him or the way the wind made the leaves rustle. So he was quite surprised to hear someone call to him.
“Hey, you…yes, you.”
Cal peered through the trees but didn’t see anyone. Shaking his head, he grumbled, “Must be dreaming. Got to be the wind or something.” He had only gone a few more feet when that damned voice hit him again.
“HEY!”
Cal stopped, looked around, and rubbed his head as he muttered, “I must be going fucking crazy.”
“Actually, you are not losing your mind, buddy.”
Cal turned around so fast, he almost fell on his ass. “What the fuck?”
“I would but hey, I’m kind of in a pickle here.” The voice held a thread of amusement.
Cal wondered if someone wasn’t playing a joke on him. A joke he didn’t really
appreciate at all. He didn’t spy anyone around until he looked up. There in the tree was a man clinging to the branch like it was his life vest. He was about forty feet up in the air and Cal could barely make out the other guy’s features except he was very naked. Cal’s jaw dropped in disbelief and he shook his head. What idiot in their right mind would climb a tree—naked at that?
“What in all that is holy are you doing in a tree…naked?” Cal snapped.
“Well, I am not hanging around becoming a bird perch if you want to know. My name is Alex. What is yours?”
“Cal. Can I ask why you’re in a tree on my property?”
The guy glanced around, looking embarrassed. “Um, well, the CliffsNotes version is, I, um, got chased and now I cannot get myself down.” He cleared his throat and continued, “I am afraid of heights so for the last day I have been stuck up here, hoping a storm or a strong wind wouldn’t knock me off. Can you help me, please?”
Cal started to chuckle. This was too funny to be true. Laughing softly, he looked up at Alex and drawled, “If I climb up there, can you follow me down?”
Alex nodded his head. “Sure. Well, I think I can. I never tried to climb down a tree naked before.”
Cal walked over to the tree and yelled up to Alex, “Just be ready to follow me down. I am coming up so hang tight.” Climbing up, Cal was surprised to see how handsome Alex was as he got a closer look at the man. His eyes were like emeralds, a green so deep; Cal felt he could drown in them. His body was sculpted, lean and full of muscle. Hell, he could bounce a quarter off Alex’s abs alone. Cal tried to stomp down the bolt of lust that went through him as he glanced over the naked man. Get a grip Cal, you are here to help him, not jump his bones. Clearing his throat softly, he planted his foot on the tree limb and looked at Alex. “Okay, I need you to relax. In a matter of minutes you will be on solid ground. Now, let go of the tree branch and get ready to follow me. I will go slowly and if you need to stop or feel like you are going to fall, just holler.”
Alex nodded, his throat moving as he swallowed nervously. He slowly moved himself down the tree, keeping an eye on Alex. The guy’s naked ass above him had him semi-hard in just seconds. Cal sneaked a peek at Alex’s cock and almost moaned at how long and gorgeous it looked. It would probably fit just right in his hand. He blushed, glad that Alex couldn’t see him staring. It felt like he was back in high school, checking out the guys he had crushes on.
With each step they made, Cal talked about his plans for remodeling his house and even sang his favorite country song, off-key of course, to keep the young man relaxed. With a deep breath he jumped down the last few feet and looked up.
“Okay Alex, you are doing great. Just a few more feet and you will be on the ground.”
Before he could even move a step, he heard Alex shout something and fall the last five feet, to land on top of Cal with a grunt, knocking them both to the ground. Cal’s ears were ringing and he had a hard time catching his breath. The young man on top of him was pure muscle and though he enjoyed the feeling of the naked body on top of his, he needed to breathe before he passed out.
“Alex…Alex.” Cal heard a mumbled “Yes?” but he couldn’t be sure. He managed to free an arm out from under his hip and tried to push Alex off of him. It was like trying to move a freaking rock. Sighing, he stopped trying to shift the man and instead, started taking stock to see if the guy was hurt. He slid a hand down Alex’s back, careful to not go past his waist, and tried to get Alex to look up or even move a little with the other hand.
Thank you for the fantastic excerpt and for taking part in the hop.
orelukjp0 at gmail dot com
this was a great excerpt. Talk about finding love in strange places. annpa@gmail.com
Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
I love it! Can’t wait to read the book now!
tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com
Hi. Got a very late start on this Blog for some reason i thought it was to the 31st. But better late than never. Do you know if there are any Starbucks in Western Mass. I’ll have to check it out. I don’t drink coffe myself but my older kids do. Hope Sandy’s not coming your way. She’s suppose to be here sometime tonight. Keeping fingers cross that she’ll die down and will leave my electricity on.
Chris
ceagles48218@yahoo.com
Intriguing excerpt. I want to read more. Thanks
awesome excerpt
meandi09@yahoo.com
Happy Halloween!! Thank you so much for the awesome hop and giveaway!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
I love to discover new authors! Great excerpt…if only I could give up sleep and have more time to read! Grin.
fiona.mcgierATgmailDOTcom
Very nice excerpt.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com