Louis was achingly steel hard from their mutual nipple play, and Harry had no trouble transitioning from Louis' nipple over to his dick. He settled between Louis' legs, hungry and eager. His hair draped over Louis' thighs, causing Louis to quiver with the sensation and the resulting desperate need. A strand would occasionally fall between his thighs, and it had to be the most silky, sensual feeling in the world. It tickled and provoked.

"Oh! Haz. Your mouth feels so fuckin' incredible . . . " Louis was hardly coherent. He was under Harry's spell, Harry's mouth working his special magic that made Louis weak and helpless as a soaking wet kitten. Harry sucked harder and faster, not even registering the slurping noises he was making. Louis had shown him, through example, how sultry being completely unrepressed could be. The desire was boiling hot, and Louis abandoned himself to the heat just as Harry did. Their writhing bodies painted an extremely erotic picture there, on the top of the mountain. Louis' climax echoed off the rock face on a mighty cry of passion and unvoiced love.

Niall had the biggest of smiles plastered all over his face as he exited the truck the next morning. "Wicked!" he cried when he saw Louis and Harry. "I'm ready!"

Louis wished he could be as absolutely confident and cocksure as Niall was, so sure that they were going to capture the grey and white pinto mustang today. It was infectious—Harry was also confident and was inspired even more by Niall's attitude, even though Louis had warned him that the odds were against them catching the horse. Slightly annoyed, Louis hated the idea of disappointing them. It was on his shoulders, and he didn't feel nearly adequate enough to pull this off.

Niall unloaded one of the Rocking Horse Ranch's best cow horses from the trailer he'd hauled here today. Louis nodded his approval at Niall's choice of mount. Not as fast as Joaquin, but the closest they had on the ranch, the gelding was nevertheless quick on his feet, could do razor sharp turns, and sported tremendous acceleration from a standstill.

Once down in the valley, they took note of each bush they would be utilizing. In other words, hiding behind. They all passed muster but one. Louis cast a critical eye at the offending bush, which looked like it would just barely conceal a horse and rider. He would have chosen a thicker one, but you had to take what was handed to you. He hoped the mustangs wouldn't get wise to them before the chase even began.

Each cowboy was assigned a bush, and Harry, having the smallest horse, got the bush that Louis wasn't completely convinced would hide him.

"We'll just have to work with what we've got," he explained to Harry, who was also concerned about it. "Just make sure Saber stays still. And remember, at my signal, we'll have to rush those mustangs straightaway, and toward the rock face with no hesitation. No holdin' back at all. It's our only strategy, and we have to give it all we've got. There'll be no second chances."

Harry and Niall nodded, understanding they would be asking their horses to gallop literally as fast as they could, all the way to the rock face. It wouldn't take long at all at the speed they'd be going. Louis was slightly concerned that Harry's horse Saber might trip and fall, but there was no help for it. It was what it was.

Once it had been drummed into their heads exactly what their jobs were—and it really couldn't have been more simple-they went back to the mountaintop to wait until shortly before the mustangs would arrive for their drink of water. Louis knew there was no way anyone was going to mess up. If it could be done, the three of them were more than qualified. It was just a matter of how the mustangs reacted—if they would run in the right direction.

Actually, Louis couldn't have two better hands to help with this. Niall and Harry were both accomplished horsemen and neither one seemed to have any fear or hesitation in dicey situations. Johnny would have been great help too, but Louis doubted even Johnny could do a better job than these two. Louis felt his chest swell with pride. He really was blessed. Every one of his ranch hands were right on the money when it came to doing their best, and having your back too.

Back on the mountaintop, Niall was silently sizing things up. He watched Louis when Harry talked, the rancher's eyes going from Harry's green orbs to his full mouth and lips. It seemed as if Louis couldn't look away, and there was a spark in his eyes Niall hadn't ever seen before. Niall had never seen Louis behave in this way either. The Irish lad was still in shock, and at first, had found it hard to believe, wondering if the two of them might be pulling his leg. But the more he observed them together, the more he was inclined to accept it as the truth. He saw how Louis was held rapt by Harry's every movement or gesture; his interest consistently peaked. Over the next few hours, Niall saw the two of them trade a lot of little innuendos that were barely noticeable, secret grins, and a lot of soft behavior displayed on Louis' part that was directed toward Harry. He'd been afraid he would feel uncomfortable being around them now that he knew the truth, but he instead found himself pretty much at ease, even trying to imagine them together when no one else was around. He could totally see Louis being tender with Harry, and the thought of Louis being tender with another man had never even occurred to Niall before. Because he'd never known Louis was gay. How that had slipped past him was a complete mystery. Niall knew about the women, but he also knew Louis never stayed with any of them, had never had a girlfriend, and he had never really dated, either. He concluded that Harry was good for Louis—he took some of his rough edges off.

Now that Niall reflected on it, Louis had changed once Harry had come along. Louis had been more gruff and uncompromising than he'd ever been before when Harry had shown up. Now Niall knew why. Louis had been trying to resist his attraction to Harry, and the way he had done that was to act like he was opposed to Harry's presence. Almost as if he despised him. After some time had elapsed though, Louis had begun to morph into someone that Niall no longer recognized. It was subtle, and very measured, and Niall wasn't sure what it was all about at first. Louis had, at some point, allowed Harry to get under his skin, and gradually he had gotten friendly with Harry. Niall had thought Louis had finally accepted him, but now he saw that it was so much more intricate than that. Harry had won him over, as he'd done with everyone else on the ranch. But, in Niall's estimation, Harry had unknowingly gone a step further and had also caused Louis to fall in love with him.

Niall was certain it wasn't just sex that was between them. He couldn't imagine Harry just using anyone in that way, and Niall could see that the Cheshire man had also brought out the best in Louis. The way they looked at each other. . . Harry had influenced the rancher, and in short, had made him happy. Well, Niall had nothing against what was happening between his boss and fellow ranch hand. More power to Harry for breaking through Louis' rough and tough exterior to the caring man they all knew was underneath. Harry had coaxed out all the good—and the others knew it had been there all along because Louis didn't fool anyone on the ranch. There was plenty of good in the man, and as a result, Harry made life a lot more smooth for everyone else. If this is what the two of them wanted, then Niall wished them all the best.

The moment had finally come to station themselves at their assigned bushes. Niall's cheeks were red and splotchy, and Harry was breathing hard—Louis sat woodenly in the saddle. Those were the only signs that the cowboys were tense about this endeavor. They hadn't discussed being nervous, but the tension was thick in the air just the same.

They only had to wait about twenty-five minutes this time. Harry was mentally willing Saber to obey and stand quietly so as not to ruin it for all of them. So far, he hadn't moved a hoof or made a peep.

The bachelor herd of young stallions inched along, cautious as ever, thirsty but putting attentiveness and vigilance first, as any prey animal had to do in order to remain alive and safe. Saber snorted right as the herd shuffled closer to the creek. Harry cussed under his breath, but the mustangs must have assumed it was one of their own because they kept moving. Louis' hand, tense on the reins, held his rope in the other hand, should he need to rope a mustang for any reason. Niall looked like he was ready to pass out from the stress, and Harry was a study of concentration, staring at Louis and waiting for the signal. Harry could see Louis clenching his jaw, the muscle there popping out briefly and repeatedly.

Just as the mustangs began to drink, one of the mustangs must have seen Harry and Saber behind the spindly bush, because suddenly all the wild horses' heads were up and turned, ears pricked in Harry's direction. Louis, sensing the herd was about to make a break for it, gave the signal, and Harry, Niall and Louis cued their horses to run forward toward the mustangs. They came at a slight angle, toward the side of the mustangs, and common sense would dictate the wild horses would run to the opposite side, away from where they always came from in the rear of the valley, and that is just what happened.

None of the horses tried to get past the cowboys, instead running full speed ahead at the rock face, just as planned. Harry loosened the reins and let Saber go, and the horse needed no urging. He was caught up in the chase, taking great pleasure in it, in fact. Niall was just ahead of Harry, and Louis was slightly off to the other side in the event the horses tried to take off in that direction.

When they reached the rock face, Louis tried to time it so he would veer off to the other side to run them toward the pen at just the right moment. This way, the horses would be pressured from both sides. Harry and Niall brought up the rear, and Louis did just that. It was with impeccable calibration, and Harry admired how precise and efficient Louis was, even in this harrowing circumstance.

The dust was flying, hooves beating a drumming tattoo in the Texas dirt. The mustangs came so close to Harry's horse that he could smell their sweat, almost feel their labored breath on his skin, even saw what he thought was the grey and white pinto's long flowing mane waving in the breeze at very close range as they whizzed past within feet of him. When the horses saw Louis, however, they naturally tried to go back the way they had come instead of filing into the corridor between the bushes and the rock face. Louis' timing had been just a fraction of a second off, but that was all it took. In an instant, the mustangs had turned back. Suddenly, Niall and Harry were faced with a dozen wild horses, each weighing at least eight hundred pounds, bearing right down on them, their eyes wide, foam flecking their mouths, ears folded back, intent on escaping man, their most feared enemy.

Harry gritted his teeth and kept Saber going straight ahead, finessing the reins, driving the horse forward with legs of steel that in reality, felt like rubber. Saber, however, needed no encouragement. Harry knew how desperate, and therefore, reckless these horses were. They would do anything to get away. At his side, he could see Niall in his peripheral vision, running neck and neck with him. If the mustangs crashed into them, they would certainly be seriously hurt, or killed.

"Harry! Niall! Careful!" Louis didn't have time to say anything more, because the mustangs were almost upon the cowboys. There was nothing they could do now anyway. Saber was out of control at this point. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to stop him even if he tried. The horse was overly excited with the speed of the chase, and hadn't had as much experience as Niall and Louis' horses. So at this point, Harry was basically holding on for life, and hoping there wouldn't be a collision. They got so close, Harry could see one of the mustang's teeth as he curled up his lip in the supreme effort he was putting into attempting to run to freedom.

At the last second, as the mustangs closed in, and just as Harry was preparing himself for a horrible thud as he was hit with half a ton of horseflesh-or two or three; one of the equines performed a perfect sliding stop, wheeling around in a nanosecond to launch himself back in Louis' direction. Louis quickly diverted him with a yell and a fresh burst of speed, and the horse ended up going between the barrier of the thick bushes and the rock face—right where Louis wanted him. The other horses followed suit, each one sliding and then wheeling in the same manner, Harry and Niall yelling and swinging their ropes into the air to drive them on.

The next few seconds were bone chilling as the cowboys pursued the mustangs furiously, wondering if the wild horses might turn yet again, and this time, would surely run them down, as the space between the bushes and the rock face was just too precariously narrow. Niall, Louis and Harry were running hotly on adrenaline however, and young men with this hormone pumping through their veins were relentless, untouchable. At least that was what they believed. And belief is a powerful motivator. Just their highly aggressive bearings alone had the mustangs alarmed enough to keep them fleeing as fast as their hooves would carry them.

They were fairly flying over the ground, Louis having somehow maneuvered his horse between Harry and Niall, then lunging to the front. Harry had no idea how Louis had managed it in the narrow corridor. But he knew in an instant that, if the horses decided to try to turn around again, Louis wanted to be in front, to protect Niall and Harry as much as was possible.

When the first few mustangs thundered into the corral, the cowboys drove the last ones relentlessly, hooting and hollering, slapping their ropes against their thighs to keep them traveling forward. When the last one plunged through the gate, Niall and Louis pulled their horses to a skidding stop, but Harry was out of luck. Saber was so wholeheartedly into this that he kept going, and as Louis was in the process of slamming the gate shut, Harry was hauling on the reins because there was nowhere to go. The thick bushes were on the left, the rock face on the right.

The next thing Harry knew, Saber had slammed into the gate. The velocity was so great that Harry was flung forward in the saddle, skipping over the top of Saber's neck, and diving head first right into the pen with the wild mustangs. Louis was off his horse and grabbing Harry's jeans at the belt before Harry even touched the ground. He hauled Harry back to the fence, where Harry climbed it back to safety. With the tremendous momentum suddenly and abruptly gone, Harry thought of his horse before anything else, which is what all good cowboys did. He checked Saber's face, neck and chest. Aside from a clearly stunned horse, there was only some hair that had been scraped off his chest. Otherwise, Saber looked unhurt.

"You okay? He okay?" Louis asked, concern transparent on his features.

"I'm okay, and he seems to be," was Harry's out-of-breath reply. "Thanks for savin' me. They're all in the pen, aren't they?"

"Yep!" Louis' pride was so overwhelming that he looked more animated than Harry had ever seen him. "You guys were incredibly brilliant. Well done, well done."

Niall looked just as proud as his boss. "I can't believe we actually caught 'em!" he exclaimed.

Harry was still in shock. That they'd been successful was surreal to him. He'd known the odds were against them. Louis had reminded him of that many times.

The mustangs were highly agitated, of course, and Louis watched them for a few minutes, not speaking. He looked to be afraid one of them might scale the six foot fence, and Harry knew that if one did, the others might also try. Louis was also afraid the wild horses would injure themselves. But after about ten minutes of insane running, and sometimes crashing into the fence, the mustangs realized they were enclosed, with no way out. They began to settle, although they stayed pressed tight against the fence furthest away from the cowboys, wild-eyed and trembling, clearly terrified.

"Let's leave 'em alone for a while to calm down. Then we can come back with water and some hay. Stay back so we don't spook 'em even worse."

Louis didn't need to say that though, as Harry and Niall both knew what to do, having complete understanding of equine behavior. Harry had a difficult time ripping his gaze away from the pinto, who looked even stockier and more fabulous at close range than he had by way of the binoculars. All the mats and tangles in that fabulous mane and tail—Harry couldn't wait to comb them out. But he knew it would be a long time and a lot of work to finally gain the young stallion's trust enough to be able to lay hands on him.

"Look at his conformation!" exclaimed Louis. Harry was well aware of how well the horse was put together, A nice laid back shoulder, indicating he'd be smooth to ride, nicely angled hocks and well developed, balanced front and hind quarters. Nice short, strong back, and a small, elegant head and long, arching neck that looked like he must have some Arabian blood.

"He's perfect," Harry said dreamily.

"That's it, in a nutshell," Niall agreed. "I can't believe we succeeded, even when that mustang saw Harry behind that bush and spooked the others!"

"I know!" agreed Louis. "It still worked out . . ." he shook his head in near disbelief at what they'd accomplished.

After riding a short distance away, Niall and Harry whooped and Niall even jumped out of the saddle to do a bit of an Irish jig in celebration. This brought smiles from Harry and Louis.

"Honestly, I didn't think we'd be able to catch 'em," admitted Louis. "I thought it was just a pipe dream that was worth tryin' for, but I didn't think we had one chance in ten of actually capturing 'em."

"What'll you do with the other mustangs?" asked Niall.

"Oh, turn 'em loose, of course. But not until the pinto calms down and feels a little easier about bein' in that pen," stated Louis. "Wouldn't want to take all his friends away. We can wait until he gets on with our horses," Louis said, indicating Joaquin and Saber.

"Yeah, that sounds a lot less harsh," Harry said, admiring his boss for putting so much consideration into the wild horse's feelings. Louis did have a heart, and quite a large one, at that.

"Mind if I go for a dip?" asked Niall a moment later.

"'Course not! Have at it!" Louis replied, and Niall turned his horse and cantered toward the creek. Louis took the opportunity to dismount and urged Harry to as well. They hugged long and sweet, and again, all the emotions came to a head. Harry's mustang had been caught, and, with Niall's help, they'd accomplished it without a lot of difficulty. Just some hair-raising moments.

"For a minute there, I thought those mustangs were gonna fuck you up but good," Louis' voice was scratchy, and Harry realized he was feeling emotional. "I never would have forgiven meself."

"Well, you know how horses aren't stupid," Harry soothed. "They put on the brakes and fancied they'd better get away from us monsters."

And then, just as quickly as Harry could look into the rancher's eyes, Louis was kissing him. Right out in the open where all Niall had to do was to look over and see them.

"Niall . . . " said Harry after they had broken apart, even though he hadn't made any effort to stop the kiss.

"Hell with that. Niall knows about us. Therefore, he knows we kiss," Louis' tone was teasing, and Harry found himself feeling rather proud that the rancher was his boyfriend.

"Oh, and . .. like, thanks for savin' me life," Harry said, feeling uncomfortably warm all of a sudden.

"I didn't though."

"Yes you did. When Saber rammed into the fence and I sailed right over the rail."

"Oh, well. You would've just gotten up and climbed out," Louis reminded him.

"Maybe not, if I'd fallen on me head, and that's the way it was goin,'" Harry mumbled, embarrassed.

"You would've put your hands out. But I'm glad you didn't end up under those churnin' hooves!" Louis threw his head back and laughed. "Wish I had video coverage of that."

"How'd you get to me so quick?"

"I'm Superman, remember?"