The Inheritance Clause

This story contains descriptions of graphic sex between males. If that kind of thing does not appeal to you, stop reading now.

This story is pure fiction. If this resembles something that happened to you, it must have been an incredible experience. But it's simply a coincidence.

All comments are welcome: djwarner1984@hotmail.com Please donate to Nifty: https://donate.nifty.org/

-DJ

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The Inheritance Clause - 33

The boys spent some time leaping into the river from the jutting boulder. They alternated, going back and forth. Each time Dawson emerged from the water, he held back and watched Adam scamper up the boulders. He kept checking out Adam's ass as his butt flexed and moved when Adam found the next foothold. As the boys leapt into the water, they posed in different ways as they jumped, laughing at each other.

Finally, Adam did his final jump and then surfaced. He was breathing heavily because the boys had been jumping continuously, without any breaks in between. He waited off to the side as he watched Dawson jump. When Dawson surfaced he too was breathing heavily as he made his way over to Adam. The boys stayed close to each other in the water as they caught their breath.

"That was fun," Adam said as he grinned.

"Mmmm," Dawson said as he moved in and put his hands on Adam's hips. Adam put his hands on Dawson's shoulders.

The boys kissed softly. When they stopped, Adam leaned his forehead against Dawson's.

"I love you," Dawson whispered.

Adam smiled. Water was dripping off both of them.

"I love you, babe," Adam said quietly.

The boys lifted their heads and then embraced in the water.

"I'm so glad your granddad put us together," Dawson said as he tightened his embrace around Adam.

"Mmmm," Adam said, "I miss him."

"Me, too," Dawson said as his eyes began to water.

Dawson pulled back to look at Adam. He kissed Adam with a small peck on his cheek. Adam sighed.

"C'mon," Adam said, starting to pull away from Dawson, "I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry. I'm Dawson," Dawson said with a grin.

Adam looked at Dawson in mock surprise.

"The pun-hater makes a pun!" Adam said in fake astonishment as he splashed Dawson lightly.

Adam darted toward the opposite shore as Dawson splashed at him and chuckled. The boys splashed each other a bit while laughing. Eventually they made their way to the shore and got out of the river. Adam grabbed the two towels and tossed one to Dawson. They wiped their faces.

"Follow me," Adam ordered, "Bring your towel."

Adam picked up the cooler and started to head further down the path next to the river. Dawson followed. The naked boys gingerly stepped with their bare feet as they made their way. They didn't go very far as they approached more boulders on the bank of the river. Adam ascended up the boulders as Dawson climbed right behind him. He kept checking out Adam's naked butt right above him. As they approached the top, Dawson noticed they were almost at the tree line. Finally, Adam reached the highest point. He turned around and watched as Dawson climbed the last few feet and joined him.

The surface of the highest boulder was relatively flat, about 10 feet wide and 15 feet in length. Adam spread his arms as if to present the view to Dawson.

"Whoa..." Dawson exclaimed as he turned back in the direction they came from.

They were just above the treetops, about 40 feet above the riverbank. Dawson could see the bridge and a full view of the waterfall. As he scanned across, he could see the hill they climbed earlier. He turned and looked down river. He could see the beautiful landscape as the river wound its way across the property.

"Neat, huh?" Adam said.

"This is amazing!" Dawson said as he kept looking in every direction, "It's like we're on top of the world!"

Dawson looked around with wonder. The sun was overhead, but a light breeze kept them from overheating. The rock was warm, but not hot enough to bother their bare feet. The expansive views were enhanced by the fact that the boys were standing out in the open. Their naked bodies were exposed on top of the boulders, where anyone nearby might see them. This brought an additional level of excitement to the adventure.

Adam swiped at some dirt on the rock surface. He laid his towel down, sat on it, and crossed his legs. Dawson copied him, his head still pivoting to see every angle of the views from the top of the boulder. Adam reached into the cooler and took out a water bottle. He opened it and handed it to Dawson. Dawson took it as he grinned at Adam. Adam opened another water and they clanked the bottles together before taking a sip.

"I used to come up here and lay out in the sun while the Santos kids played at the waterfall," Adam said.

"This is almost as beautiful as the view from that hill we were on before," Dawson said.

"Mmmm," Adam acknowledged as he took another sip.

"Hey, I was just thinking," Dawson said, "Does that hill from this morning have a name?"

"I don't think so," Adam said, "Why?"

"Well, we keep calling it 'that hill'," Dawson said, "What if we called it Rawley Ridge or something... to honor your grandmother."

A sympathetic look came over Adam's face. He reached out and cupped Dawson's cheek.

"I love that..." Adam said softly, "I'll check with Krantz when we get back about how we go about naming it officially."

Adam began to think about Krantz as he reached into the cooler for the sandwiches. He laid the cooler lid upside down between him and Dawson. He put the sandwiches on the upended lid. Adam reached into the cooler and grabbed the grapes and bananas. He put those on the lid, too.

Dawson found a flat spot for his water bottle and placed it on the boulder. He took one of the sandwiches and unwrapped it. He took a bite, leaned back with one hand, held the sandwich with his other hand, and sighed while he chewed.

Adam put his water down on the cooler lid and picked up the other sandwich. He unwrapped it and took a bite. He watched Dawson peering out over the vista while he ate. Dawson had a look of awe as he slowly surveyed everything he could see. Adam smiled at how Dawson looked like a little kid on Christmas morning, discovering what Santa brought him.

The boys stayed up on the boulder for quite some time, drinking and eating. They didn't say anything as they silently enjoyed the midday sun and the views. The light breeze slowly dissipated and the boys began to sweat.

At one point, Adam realized they had been naked together for a while. He never thought he'd be so comfortable exposing himself to someone else. But he hadn't even hesitated with Dawson because he could simply be himself around him.

Adam fixed his eyes on the cooler. He took a sip of his water as he turned toward Dawson with uncertainty. Dawson was looking across the landscape, with his face turned away from him. Adam could feel his penis beginning to harden. He reached out and softly strummed his fingers over one of Dawson's nipples.

"Ay," Dawson was startled from the sensation and whipped his head around.

Adam had a mischievous look on his face.

"What?" Adam said grinning.

"What are you doing?" Dawson said as he covered and then gently rubbed his nipple to counteract the sensation.

"I'm just touching my boyfriend," Adam said playfully.

Adam put his hand on Dawson's thigh and began to gently caress it. Dawson looked at Adam with some confusion. His mind had been focused on the beautiful views from their position on the boulder. He wasn't expecting sexual play. But his demeanor quickly shifted and a grin formed on his face when he realized Adam had an erection. Adam's thick mushroom head was poking out from between his legs.

"Hhmm," Dawson said with a smile, "Someone is horny."

"I can't help it," Adam said, "You're so sexy..."

Adam reached out again and caressed Dawson's nipple.

"Mmmm," Dawson emoted and then he closed his eyes.

Adam watched as Dawson's cock began to harden.

"How do you feel about making love?" Adam whispered as he pinched Dawson's nipple softly, "Right here... On top of the world..."

Dawson slowly opened his eyes and smiled at Adam. He unfolded his legs, got up, and closed the space between him and Adam. Adam grinned and thought Dawson would stop when he reached him. But Dawson kept moving forward, surprising Adam as he forced Adam back, onto the towel. Adam unbent his legs and wrapped them around Dawson's waist. Their erections pressed against each other. Their body sweat mingled. Dawson held his hand under Adam's head to protect him from hitting it on the boulder as the lovers began kissing. Dawson broke the kiss and lifted himself up.

Dawson stood up and reached back for his towel. He rolled it up and held it as he moved to straddle Adam, his boner sticking out and pointing up in the air. He looked at Adam whose cock was rock hard underneath him. Adam was looking at Dawson with lust.

Dawson stayed on his feet and crouched halfway. He handed the rolled-up towel to Adam. He slipped it under his head. Dawson worked up a big glob of spit and dribbled it onto his fingers. Adam smiled and spit into his palm. Dawson reached under himself and smeared the spittle onto his asshole. Adam began stroking his cock, working his spit onto the shaft. He spit on his hand again and continued working more spit onto his pole.

Dawson didn't wait for Adam to be ready. He began lowering himself as he looked into Adam's eyes. Adam stopped stroking and positioned his dick. Dawson smiled when his asshole made contact with Adam's cock head. Adam smiled, too. Because of Dawson's positioning, on his feet with his knees bent, his spit-slicked asshole was spread open. Dawson pushed down and the head easily slipped inside him. Adam was surprised with how quickly Dawson's hole swallowed his cock head.

"Hhhhho!" Adam said with a chuckle, "I thought I was the horny one..."

Dawson leaned his hands on Adam's pecs.

"We can both be horny..." Dawson gasped in a pinched voice as he absorbed the feeling of Adam's penis breaching his hole.

Adam reached up with both hands and gently flicked at Dawson's nipples.

"Hhhhh," Dawson sighed and his ass muscles relaxed even more.

Dawson slid down a few inches onto Adam's cock.

"Ohhhh," both boys groaned, rather loudly, and it echoed off into the distance.

"Heh, heh," Adam chuckled and smiled from the pleasurable feeling.

Dawson pulled himself up just a bit and then pushed down some more, taking most of Adam's cock.

"Uugghh!" Dawson groaned.

"Ahhh!" Adam moaned as he felt the tightness of Dawson's insides.

Their passionate sounds wafted from the top of the boulder. Adam gripped his hands on Dawson's biceps and lovingly gazed at him. Dawson hung his head down and took a deep breath as he rose up slightly. As he exhaled, he let his body weight help him as he slid all the way down onto Adam.

"Ohhh," Adam sighed as his face contorted.

Dawson was taking deep, raspy breaths with his head hung down. He focused his eyes on Adam. He gripped Adam's pecs tighter as he slid up his pole a couple inches. He leaned into Adam's face as he braced himself and held his position.

"Fuck me, Adam," Dawson said with a purposeful look on his face.

The pleasure had dazed Adam for a moment. He wasn't expecting the raw passion Dawson was expressing. It threw him for a second, but then it fueled him.

Adam bent his knees slightly. He dug his feet into the sun-warmed boulder. He tightened his grip on Dawson's biceps. Then he thrust his hips up, slowly. He pushed until his cock was buried deep inside Dawson, his pubes pressing against Dawson's ball sac.

"Hhhhh," both boys sighed together.

Adam withdrew slowly. He wanted to make sure he was lubed up enough for Dawson to take him. Then he slowly thrust up again, embedding himself deep inside his lover.

"Hhhhh," both boys sighed in unison again.

Adam and Dawson paused as they looked at each other. Adam moved his hands to grip Dawson's hips. He clenched his jaw. A determined look came over Adam's face. He then began to thrust his hips up and down, driving his cock up into Dawson and then withdrawing it to thrust again.

"Uugghh," Dawson gasped when Adam started.

Adam's breath was shallow and he was gasping with every thrust. He stayed with a moderate pace for about a dozen thrusts. Then he gripped Dawson's hips tighter and began to piston his cock rapidly in and out of Dawson's hole.

"Oh... yeah..." Dawson moaned as his head flopped forward and a couple beads of sweat dripped from his nose onto Adam.

"Hhmm... Hhmm... Hhmm..." Adam kept grunting with his mouth closed as he fucked his boyfriend.

Adam kept going at a rapid pace, working Dawson's prostate. After a minute or so, Dawson drew his head up. His eyes were all glassy. He tried to keep his ass in the same spot as he repositioned one foot, then the other. Dawson managed to move one hand, then the other, onto his knees. He leaned back, straightening his torso.

"Aaaaahhhhh..." Dawson emitted a sustained groan, his voice vibrating as Adam hit bottom with each rapid thrust.

Dawson's repositioning caused Adam's cock to hit his prostate perfectly every time he thrust up into him. Dawson kept moaning as he felt an orgasm coming on. He tried to call out to Adam as a surprised look came over his face. He had never had an orgasm from prostate stimulation alone. But he was about to now...

"Aaaaahhhhh..." was all he could verbalize as Adam kept pounding his prostate just right.

Adam wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up the pace at which he was fucking Dawson. But he didn't want to stop. It felt too good. Suddenly Dawson's eyes opened wide, his mouth was hanging open. His sustained groan became deeper sounding.

"Uuuuugggghhhh..." Dawson grunted in one, long sustained groan as he began to cum.

Dawson's cock bobbed with each spasm as his cum spewed out. Adam watched as the first few spurts sprayed up a couple inches and then splatted onto his own chest. Adam knew that the milking feeling from Dawson's insides was starting. Adam pulled down on Dawson's hips as he thrust up as hard as he could. Dawson's spasms clenched at Adam's cock. Adam's face contorted as he began to cum.

"Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh... Uugghh..." Adam's guttural grunts echoed off the boulder.

Dawson's cock was dribbling the last remnants of cum as Adam held Dawson down onto his cock and finished depositing his seed. Dawson was gasping for breath. He brought his head up and felt the sun on his face as he squinted at the gorgeous vistas before him. He held himself in place until Adam was done. When Adam stopped groaning, he was inhaling and exhaling rapidly. The boys looked at each other as Dawson slowly lifted himself.

"Oh," Dawson groaned as Adam's cock slipped out of him.

"Hhhh," Adam gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

Some of Adam's cum dribbled out of Dawson's ass and onto Adam's crotch before he could position himself onto his knees. The towel cushioned his knees as he leaned down and embraced Adam. The boys were both trying to catch their breath as Dawson's cum and their combined sweat intermingled between them.

Adam began sliding his hand on the sweat that had formed on Dawson's back. Dawson's chin was near Adam's shoulder as he gasped for breath in Adam's ear. He could smell Adam's raw scent in every inhale. Dawson kept planting kisses on Adam's shoulder. When they had recovered enough, Dawson spoke.

"I guess we need to get in the river again," Dawson said as he chuckled.

Adam began to chuckle. Then their bodies shook as they both laughed. Their breathing returned to normal as they stopped laughing.

"Damn," Adam said, "That was so fuckin' hot."

Dawson lifted himself on his elbows so they could look at each other. Adam smiled at Dawson.

"You should have told me your nipples were a magic button to turning you on," Adam said with a chuckle.

"I didn't really know," Dawson said earnestly, "They've always been sensitive, but this is like a whole new level."

Dawson grinned at Adam.

"I love you, babe," Dawson whispered.

Before Adam could respond, Dawson moved in. Their tongues gently intermingled as they sensually kissed. Dawson eventually slipped his lips off of Adam's.

"I need to get up," Dawson said "My knees are going to give out."

The boys both began to move. Dawson groaned as he lifted himself and moved to the side. Adam sat up. They both looked at the sticky mixture of cum and sweat they had on the front of their bodies. Adam chuckled. Dawson laughed.

They slowly got up. Adam hesitated for a moment as he looked at the cooler, then looked at Dawson. Dawson was occupied with collecting the towels. Then Adam moved and put everything back into the cooler. They climbed down the boulders, being careful not to rub the towels or the cooler against the mess that clung to the front of their bodies.

When they got to the spot on the river where they had left their clothes, Dawson tossed the towels to the side, on one of the rocks, and immediately went into the water. He crouched down and began wiping the remnants of their sex off of himself. Adam left the cooler near their clothes and joined him. He began cleaning himself, too. When Dawson was cleaned up as best he could, he came up behind Adam. With only their heads above the water, Dawson embraced Adam from behind. Adam leaned into him. Dawson rested his chin on Adam's shoulder. They both watched the waterfall cascade over the rocks and churn the river's surface.

"We need to come back here as much as we can," Dawson said, "It's almost like the garden of Eden."

"Mmm," Adam acknowledged, "I want to come back here tomorrow."

"Definitely," Dawson whispered in Adam's ear.

Adam smiled to himself and leaned his head more into Dawson.

"I love it when you hold me," Adam said softly.

Dawson gently nuzzled Adam's neck. The boys stayed in the water like that for a long while, with Dawson holding Adam from behind, silently enjoying each other's presence. Eventually, they decided to head back to the cabin.

They made their way out of the water. After toweling off, the boys put their clothes back on. They collected everything and began the short walk back to the bridge. The sound of the waterfall slowly got softer and softer the further away they went. As they approached the ATVs, Dawson sighed loudly in lament that they were leaving.

The boys stowed the cooler and towels. They donned their helmets and headed out. Dawson knew where they were and how to get back to the cabin, so he felt comfortable starting out first.

"Yeehah!" Dawson yelled as he sped away.

He looked back to check that Adam was following him. Once he confirmed he was, he opened up his ATV. He laughed and whooped as Adam chased him. Adam kept up with him, but never could pass him as they raced all the way back to the cabin. After reaching the cabin, they pulled the ATVs around the side and parked them. They removed the gear they had stowed in the ATVs and secured the vehicles.

When they entered the cabin, Dawson hung the baseball caps on the wooden pegs near the door. He headed for the back of the cabin. He hung up the towels and went into the bathroom. Adam went into the kitchen.

Adam stepped into the living room and looked for Dawson. He saw the bathroom door closed. He hurriedly went back into the kitchen. He reached into the cooler and picked up the object he had removed from the canvas bag the night before. He sighed and then hid the object in the kitchen again. By the time Adam was done cleaning out the cooler, Dawson came out of the bathroom.

"I was thinking we could do some steak and shrimp skewers for dinner," Adam said as he poked his head out of the kitchen.

"That sounds good," Dawson said as he approached him.

"I'm going to prep the skewers now," Adam volunteered, "Can you set up the kindling for the campfire?"

"Sure," Dawson said, "I'll take care of the fireplace, too."

"Thanks, babe," Adam said.

Adam began cutting up some vegetables, peeling the shrimp, and cubing the meat. Dawson went outside to set up the campfire. When he came in, he was carrying more firewood. Adam was putting the food onto the skewers. Dawson dumped the fresh wood into the wood bin. He was on his hands and knees at the fireplace, removing the ashes from the prior night, when Adam emerged from the kitchen.

"I'm going out to the shed to try to find the grate for cooking on the campfire," Adam said.

"Ok," Dawson said with his head buried in the fireplace, "Grab some more wood?"

"Don't we have enough?" Adam asked as he looked at the wood bin.

"I guess..." Dawson said without looking at the bin.

Adam shrugged his shoulders and went outside.

When Adam came back into the cabin, he was carrying a load of fire wood. Dawson was stirring a drink.

"The grate is all set," Adam said as he put the fresh wood on top of the overflowing wood bin.

He could clearly see that they had enough firewood. He wasn't sure why Dawson thought they needed more, but he didn't deem it all that important, so he didn't say anything about it.

"We can start cooking whenever we want," Adam said as he wiped his hands together to remove the remnants of bark and dirt off his hands.

"I made old fashioneds," Dawson said proudly as he held out a drink for Adam.

"Mmm," Adam hummed, "Thanks, babe."

Adam took the drink from Dawson. They both raised their glasses toward each other and took a sip.

"Hhhhh," Adam sounded as his lips came off the glass.

Dawson put his drink on the round coffee table and put his hands on his hips.

"I thought we'd go through the clause D boxes now," Dawson said, "And burn them later when we light the fire in the fireplace.

"I was thinking the same thing. The boys moved toward the clause D boxes. Dawson moved the canvas bag with Jorge's notes.

"I also want to go through the love notes one more time before we destroy them," Adam said as he lifted the clause D box labeled A.

"We can wait and do it on Saturday night if you want," Dawson said with sympathy as he picked up box B.

"Maybe," Adam said.

The boys put the boxes on the floor on either side of the coffee table. Then, they sat on the couch in between the boxes. Adam opened box A. Dawson took a sip of his drink. Adam surveyed the packets in the box. He grabbed a handful and handed the packets to Dawson. Then he took some more packets out and put the pile on his lap. The boys began opening them and calling out what they were.

"Screen a comedy movie..." Adam called out.

"Oooh... Inventory the wine cellar..." Dawson called out.

"We should do that one," Adam weighed in.

"Prepare the dinner menu..." Adam called out.

"Check the smoke detectors..." Dawson called out.

"Power wash the patio..."Adam called out.

"Complete a 1000-piece puzzle?" Dawson said with a surprised tone.

"Really?" Adam asked.

"That's what it says..." Dawson replied as he showed Adam the directive.

"Huh," Adam said as he took it from Dawson.

Adam took a sip of his drink as he looked at the directive. He shrugged and put it on the pile the boys had been making.

"Screen a western movie..." Dawson called out.

"Prepare the dinner menu again..." Adam called out.

"Clean out the storage rooms on the first floor..." Dawson called out.

"Clean the exhaust fans..." Adam called out.

"How would we do that?" Dawson paused to say before reading his next packet.

Adam took a sip of his old fashioned.

"I guess we'd need to get on the roof," Adam said.

"Mmmm," Dawson acknowledged as he took a sip of his drink.

The boys went back and forth, reading the directives, as they nursed their drinks. They finished box A. Adam swept the pile of directives they'd already read into box A. And then they started in on box B. In all, the directives were a mix of house maintenance tasks and things the boys were required to do together. As they read through them all, it became obvious what Clayton was doing with the directives. He was giving the boys opportunities to get closer together. At the same time, he was helping them to emotionally invest in the lake house through the maintenance tasks.

When they finished, the boys managed to fit all of the directives into box A. They sat on the couch, holding hands, nursing their drinks, as they quietly enjoyed each other's company. It was starting to get dark in the cabin. Without comment, Adam got up and lit the kerosene lamp and the candles.

"Do you want another old fashioned?" Adam asked Dawson as he got back to the couch.

"Are you going to have another one?" Dawson asked, "I was thinking I'd switch to wine with dinner."

"Ok, I'll open some wine," Adam said.

Adam picked up the two empty drink glasses and went into the kitchen. He opened a bottle of white wine. He poured two glasses and carried them out to the living room.

"Sit out on the porch with me?" Adam asked.

"Sure," Dawson said as he got up.

The boys went out onto the west-facing porch. The sun was just dropping below the horizon, but there was still some light out. Dawson sat on the right corner of the wicker couch. Adam turned as he sat, leaning his back into Dawson's chest. Dawson draped one arm across Adam's chest as Adam pressed against Dawson. He leaned his head onto Dawson's shoulder.

The boys began to have a discussion about what kinds of things they wanted to invest in... what kinds of things they wanted to do... how they wanted to honor the legacy of the Jameson and Santos families with their inheritance.

It began to get dark. Dawson went inside and lit another kerosene lamp. He came outside with it and some matches. He found Adam at the campfire. They started the campfire and watched it take hold. The boys took the lamp and their wine glasses inside. They refilled their wine glasses and came out with the skewers. They placed the potato skewers on first. They sat on a log next to each other and sipped their wine while they waited for the potatoes to cook.

"Are you excited to see Elvis tomorrow?" Dawson asked.

"Mmmm," Adam's response echoed because he was sipping his wine at the time, "I know we just saw him, but it feels like it's been forever because so much has happened."

Dawson put his hand on Adam's thigh to show sympathy.

"I know," Dawson said.

Adam turned the potato skewers so they would cook evenly. He sighed as he sat back when he finished.

"Did you really mean it when you told Krantz we would be ready to face the world once we had a few days out here together?" Adam said quietly.

Dawson turned and looked at Adam with confusion.

"Of course," Dawson said, "Don't you think so?"

"I guess," Adam said half-heartedly, "But how can you be so sure?"

Dawson sighed and turned to look at Adam.

"Think about everything we have been through..." Dawson said, "Some of it hit me hard... some of it hit you hard..."

Dawson paused to see if Adam was listening. Adam had his head down, looking at the wine glass he was holding between his legs.

"But through all of it, there were some things that were always true," Dawson said.

Adam looked up at Dawson in anticipation.

"We made it through to the other side..." Dawson said, "We became stronger because if it... and we did it together."

Adam's face softened. Dawson smiled.

"You lifted me when I needed it," Dawson said, "And I lifted you when you needed it."

Adam smiled. He moved in slowly and the boys exchanged a sweet, gentle kiss.

"Quite frankly," Dawson said as he reached toward the potato skewers, "I think we're ready now to face the world... I just wanted a few days alone with you."

Dawson began turning the potato skewers. Adam chuckled and took a sip of his wine.

"I think we're ready to put the other skewers on," Dawson said.

Adam agreed and they began adding the shrimp, beef, and skewers with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions onto the grate over the campfire. The boys returned to the log when they were done. Dawson looked up at the sky.

"Some cloud cover rolling in..." Dawson said, "Is it supposed to rain?"

"I don't think so," Adam said as he looked at the sky, too, "Looks like just some clouds..."

"Mmmm," Dawson pondered.

The boys watched the skewers as they sipped their wine.

"It's going to be weird not having Niven and Krantz to run everything," Adam finally said.

"I know..." Dawson replied, "I've only been here... What, two weeks? ... And it feels like I've known them forever."

"Well, you've been coming to granddad's for like three years," Adam said, "So you've known them for a while."

"Yeah... but..." Dawson said, "I didn't really know them. My interactions with them were all on a professional level."

Dawson paused as he thought about it.

"But now..." Dawson said, "I've really gotten to know them..." Dawson paused and then he chuckled, "I mean, I've even seen Niven drunk."

Adam chuckled at that comment.

"Did you see her when she couldn't keep her balance and she plopped into the chair?" Adam said as he started to laugh.

"Heh, heh," Dawson started laughing, too, "Are you kidding? My cheeks are still recovering from when she latched on and wouldn't let go!"

The boys both burst out laughing. They recovered and they could hear only the crackling of the fire.

"I'm going to miss her," Dawson said softly.

He said he would miss 'her', referring to Niven, but both boys began thinking about Krantz. Adam sighed and leaned into Dawson. Dawson wrapped his free arm around Adam.

"We still have time with Krantz when we get back to the lake house," Dawson said, "Let's make the most of it."

Adam was choked up with emotion, so he simply nodded his head and took a sip of wine. The boys sat quietly as they cooked the skewers. The boys were turning them when Adam spoke.

"They look about done," Adam said.

"Yeah," Dawson said, "I agree."

Adam began removing the skewers onto the tray they'd brought out.

"Uh oh," Dawson said.

"Did you drop one?" Adam said not looking up.

"No," Dawson said, "I felt a raindrop."

Adam looked up at Dawson. Dawson was looking at the sky with one hand held out.

"Uh... there's another," Dawson said.

The boys looked at each other and then quickly began pulling the skewers off the grate. When they finished, Dawson picked up the tray. Adam took a stick and moved the grate. He began tossing sand onto the fire. Suddenly it started to rain.

"I got the food," Dawson said as he headed for the cabin holding his empty wine glass and the tray of skewers.

Adam stayed at the campfire to make sure the fire was out while Dawson watched him under cover on the porch. The sky opened up and Adam was really getting wet. He finally ran toward the cabin as the raindrops came down heavily. When he reached the porch, Adam's hair and shirt were soaked and his wine glass had water in it.

"Whew!" Adam said, "We barely made it."

The boys watched as the rain intensified and the wind began to pick up.

"Let's get inside," Dawson said.

Adam nodded. He dumped the last sip of wine and the water that was in his wine glass. The boys went into the cabin. One kerosene lamp was in the living room, along with the candles they had lit before. And they had left the second lamp in the kitchen when they came in to get the skewers. So, there was enough light for them to see.

Dawson brought the tray of skewers into the kitchen. Adam put his wine glass onto the coffee table and went into the bedroom.

"Did you want more white wine... or do you want to switch to red..." Dawson called from the kitchen, "or do you want something else?"

Adam was in the bedroom. He had removed his wet shirt. He had his towel from earlier in his hands.

"Um..." Adam said, "I'll have white. But don't open another bottle. I'll have red if there's no more white left."

"Pop!" sounded from the kitchen just as Adam finished speaking.

Adam started drying his hair with the towel. When he came out to the living room wearing a new shirt, Dawson was on his hands and knees lighting the fire. The tray of skewers was on the coffee table. Adam's wine glass had white wine in it. Dawson's wine glass was filled with red. Dawson had placed two dinner settings on the table. Dawson stood up as the fire began to take.

"Your table is ready, sir" Dawson said as he gestured toward the coffee table.

"Why, thank you," Adam said with a grin.

The boys took seats next to each other on the couch facing the fire. They could hear the rain whipping against the side of the cabin as the rainstorm continued to intensify. They sat and began to eat in front of the fire.

"Rosemary's Point is everything I wanted it to be," Dawson said after he swallowed his first bite.

"I'm glad," Adam replied as he brought his wine glass toward his mouth, "I forgot how much I missed this place."

Dawson stabbed a mushroom on the end of his fork.

"I know I keep saying it," Dawson said, "But I want to come out here as much as we can."

Dawson put the mushroom in his mouth. Adam swallowed his sip of wine.

"We can make that happen," Adam said with a smile.

The boys continued their cozy dinner by the fire. They bantered back and forth about the events earlier in the day... their peaceful time at what they were now calling Rowley Ridge... the fun they had at the waterfall... their passionate lovemaking session 'on top of the world'.

When the boys finished having their fill, Adam got up and went into the kitchen. He came out with the red wine bottle.

"Did we kill the white?" Adam asked.

"Yeah," Dawson said.

Adam added to Dawson's glass and filled his own. He put the wine bottle onto the coffee table. Without thinking about it, Dawson held his wine glass and moved to the end of the couch turning slightly. Adam picked up his glass and turned as he sat, leaning his back into Dawson's chest. It was becoming the way the lovers would sit together. Dawson held his wine in one hand as he draped the other arm around Adam's chest. Adam sighed. Dawson took a sip of his wine. The boys quietly watched the fire for a few minutes.

The boys could hear the wind whipping the steady rain against the side of the cabin.

"Let me up," Dawson said softly, "I'll add some wood to the fire."

Adam leaned forward.

"Did you know it was going to rain?" Adam asked Dawson.

"No," Dawson said as he put his wine glass on the table and stood up, "Why?"

"Because you asked me to bring in more firewood," Adam explained, "But we didn't need more firewood... Except, now it's a good thing I did, so we'll have enough dry firewood."

"Huh," was all Dawson said as he looked at Adam, "I swear I didn't know it was going to rain. I just felt like we should have more firewood."

"Okay..." Adam said as he looked at Dawson with a mixture of awe and skepticism.

Dawson grabbed two logs from the overflowing wood bin. Adam got up still holding his wine glass. He went to one of the boxes containing the dossiers. He flipped the lid off of it with one hand. He bent down and began to fish through the papers. Dawson had finished adding the logs to the fire and was replacing the screen.

"Dawson," Adam said with seriousness, "Remember you said you'd walk me through all the real estate stuff?"

"Yeah," Dawson said as he turned where he stood and put his hands on his hips.

"Will you do that now?" Adam asked.

"Of course," Dawson said with enthusiasm.

He stepped toward where the empty clause D box B was.

"Let's clear this stuff and we can dive in," Dawson said.

Dawson picked up the empty class D box and brought it to the corner of the room. At the same time, Adam put his wine down and began moving the document box. When they had brought the document boxes next to the coffee table, Adam began clearing up from dinner. Dawson began sorting through the dossiers.

When Adam had everything taken care of in the kitchen, he came out to the living room. He saw Dawson had arranged papers in piles on the coffee table. Adam retrieved his wine glass and sat down next to Dawson.

While the fire crackled in the fireplace, the rain beat against the cabin, and the wind occasionally howled outside, Dawson started in. The boys became engrossed in the details of Clayton's real estate holdings until the wine bottle and their glasses were empty. But they continued on. They spent a couple hours going over every piece of property and the details about them. As Dawson was going over the second to the last property, Dawson stopped in midsentence.

"Did you hear that?" Dawson said as he tilted his head and listened.

Adam paused and listened.

"Hear what?" Adam whispered.

"I thought I heard someone..." Dawson said, "Calling out..."

Adam and Dawson didn't move as they both listened. All they could hear was the wind and rain outside.

"I don't hear anything," Adam said after waiting a good minute in silence, "It must have been the wind."

"Yeah," Dawson said with trepidation, "It must have been."

Dawson got back to what he was saying about the real estate holding. He got two sentences out and then he stopped again. He stood up.

"There it is again," Dawson said as he held out his hands toward Adam, gesturing for him to stay still.

Adam listened intently. Dawson tilted his head. Suddenly, both boys looked at each other.

"There," Dawson said.

"I heard it," Adam said at the same time.

Adam stood up.

"We're not going to be able to see anything outside. There's a flashlight in the bedroom," Adam said, "Contact Krantz and tell him to call security."

Adam immediately headed straight for the closet. He fished around on the shelf and found the flashlight. He turned it on and came out to the living room. Dawson was gone.

"Dawson?!?!" Adam called out with concern.

He looked and saw the door was open. The rain was coming down harder now and the wind was blowing the raindrops into the cabin.

"Dawson!!!" Adam yelled as he headed toward the door, waving the flashlight wildly.

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The Inheritance Clause - 33

If you like this story, tell me: djwarner1984@hotmail.com And then donate to Nifty: https://donate.nifty.org/

-DJ