HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

                                    

                                          
Seven Mates for Seven Vampires
                          
Parker & Braxton

                          
It was late in the afternoon just after five when the sun began to set in the sky. At first glance, the scenery looked like something out of a painting. Cascading colors of orange and red as the field between our houses swayed in the gentle breeze. The temperature outside was a solid eighty-seven degrees with a humidity that was out of this world. Even with the air conditioning on, I knew we were fighting a losing battle. But the thought of a cold shower piqued my interest most of all.
                          
And something else as well. Looking out through my bedroom window, across the way at the Hawthorne estate, a lone figure emerged from the barn. Seeing him now as he closed the doors to the barn behind him. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started the process of unbuttoning his shirt as if he didn't have a care in the world. Let alone notice that he was being watched from a distance. I couldn't see much, to begin with, but that didn't stop me from going out there and getting a closer look.
                          
Peeking out into the hall, I knew the coast was clear. But when I reached the stairs midway down, the voices of my friends emanated from the kitchen. Taking off my shoes as quietly as possible, I reached the main floor and slipped out the front entrance without being seen. Outside, the heat was intense, hitting me like a brick wall. I looked to the sky and far beyond the horizon, time was dwindling and I was losing valuable sunlight. It was now or never.
                          
I sprinted across the driveway and hopped over the fence that enclosed around the field of barley. The tall grass towered over my head as I ran in blind, cutting a path with the hopes of not drawing too attention to myself and smack head first into the wooden fence on the other side with a heavy blow. I stopped to catch my breath when I saw the Hawthorne just up ahead; a two-story structure with a wrap-around porch, a wide open layout, and large windows with antique shutters.
                          
There was even an attached garage that housed some of the boy's most precious toys. As for the barn, it was rustic on the outside having been weathered and aged over decades past. But the inside was completely rebuilt from the ground up. Designed to still keep that classic horse barn feel, it was modernized with the latest features and equipment to help ease the workload. Moving on, I strolled along the brick driveway until I reached the barn and peeked around the corner.
                          
Clothes littered the ground piece by piece as I followed the trail with my eyes and came upon a copper bathtub, cowboy style. In the end, a makeshift showerhead poured water into the tub below. A closer look revealed it to be hot water for I could see the faint billowing clouds of steam swirling in the air against the fading sun. But where Braxton went I did not know. I waited until I saw him emerge a few moments later holding a bottle of soap in one hand, and a loofa sponge in the other.
                          
As he dropped the sponge into the tub, he added a few squirts of soap, mixing the two together until a fine gathering of bubbles appeared. Then he shut off the water and took off his boots before stepping in. While his body graciously caught the setting sun as it showed off the depths of his muscles and all the pleasures below. My breathing became hitched, watching as he set himself down into the warm bath. While the brief motion of his body barely caused the water to ripple.
                          
What is it about a man taking a bath outside, that is so undeniably sexy? Perhaps it's being out in the open surrounded by nature. Or enjoying the pleasure of being naked and watching the sunset. But I knew one thing was for sure: It allowed him to slip away, wash off the sweat and dirt of the day and just relax. Tilting his cowboy hat over his face, he leaned his head back and sighed longingly as I forced myself to take a closer look only to hear a twig snap under my shoe.
                          
Shit! His body shot up in an instant with his hat pushed up on his forehead as his eyes landed on mine. I stood there unable to move like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Only this time there were no cookies and there certainly was no jar. I waited for him to speak, but he just sat there staring at me. So I moved forward slightly with my arms at my side and wondered how I was going to get out of this mess. And that's when he finally uttered his words to me.