Puzzle Me This Read online

  Luke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the anoa thing would make a hell of a pickup line.”

  “It would for female buffalos.”

  Luke laughed. “God, you’re as nerdy as I am.”

  Alex pretended to be offended. “Oh, hell no, California boy. I’ve got you beat there by a mile.”

  “Hey, I was born in Pennsylvania. Anyway, you haven’t seen my blu-ray collection.”

  Alex waggled his eyebrows. “I know you subscribe to HorrorPack. The UPS man mentioned it when he dropped off mine.”

  Luke gaped. “Seriously? How big is your collection?”

  “Um… not that big. Maybe fifty?”

  Luke whistled. “Oh, man. If we merged our collections, we could take over the East Coast. I have at least a hundred horror blu-rays, so I definitely out-nerd you there.”

  “Maybe. But you haven’t seen my comic collection.”

  Luke stopped and stared at him, aghast. “No!”

  Alex blushed. “Okay, I sold it on eBay when I needed money for college, but it was very nerdy.”

  “I concede, oh Great One. Though if any of them were Sandman, I probably bought them from you.”

  They walked to the three-mile marker before the increasingly dark cast of the sky made them turn around. The weather had chased off the few other hikers and bikers, so Luke let Trevor off-leash and he proceeded to sniff the bushes and trees all the way back as Luke and Alex chatted about horror movies, Neil Gaiman, and graphic novels. They kept up the hard pace, and by the time they got back to the car, Alex’s arms shook with fatigue. It had been too long since he’d pushed his chair so far and at such a clip, but he’d wanted to impress Luke. It was foolish, but he wanted to show Luke he was fit and strong.

  Luke opened the hatchback so Trevor could jump up, and then he stretched, pulling his arms behind him. “Lunch? I could eat a Holstein.”

  Alex tried not to stare at the patch of exposed belly. “Not vegetarian, then?”

  Luke shook himself out and gave Alex a wicked grin. “Me? Nah, I like meat.”

  Alex felt his cheeks burn. “Does that one go on the cliché-o-meter or the heat-o-meter?”

  “I’m all for multitasking,” said Luke.

  Chapter 8

  Cranking up the Heat-O-Meter

  Luke had expected the hike to be maybe a mile out and back at a slow pace. But no. Alex was in good shape and that chair was kick-ass. The exertion brought out the muscle definition under Alex’s T-shirt. His forearms were tanned and thick and strung with healthy veins and his biceps looked practically detachable they were so distinct. He wore fingerless gloves to protect his hands from the gravel that stuck to his wheels. Seeing those hands at work so competently, Luke had to force himself not to think about what they’d feel like on his body.

  Plus! Bodies aside—though never very far aside, because, muscles!—the conversation had been great. Luke was still a little nervous, maybe trying a little too hard to be clever, and he thought Alex might be too. But mostly they clicked. They had a lot in common.

  The diner Alex suggested in Luzerne was low key with picnic tables covered in red-and-white checked vinyl. Besides needing Luke to hold open the door, Alex managed on his own just fine. They both got a burger and fries. Normally Luke would get a salad, but, hey, it had been a great day and he was celebrating. The diner wasn’t the place for serious talk or flirtation, however. It was crowded with summer visitors, including teenagers and kids wearing shorts and flip-flops, so they kept the conversation light.

  Luke learned Alex had parents and a sister who lived in Harrisburg, an hour and a half away. He’d attended the university in State College and had never left. He made a comment about how the modifications to his apartment had been done by a previous wheelchair-bound tenant, and how it was hard to find apartments like that. He’d been there six years.

  Six years at the Woodsman. Practically a lifetime, Luke thought.

  “So of all the places on earth, how did you end up in State College?” Alex asked.

  Luke shrugged. “I knew I wanted to move back to Pennsylvania, but not where I grew up. Being gay in Allentown is kind of like being a fish on the deck of a boat.”

  Alex looked out the window but couldn’t stop the blush that lit up his cheeks. Cripes, he was adorable. He was such an open book.

  Luke leaned in. “You, um, did know I was gay?” Luke whispered with a laugh.

  “I wasn’t sure.” Alex shrugged, but when his eyes flicked to Luke, they held a bewildered longing. They were quickly redirected to his fries.

  God, what those brown eyes did to him. Luke leaned back. “State College is a liberal university town, it’s got skiing and hiking, and it’s just big enough not to be a fishbowl. I know you should have a better reason than that to move across the continent to live somewhere, but damned if I do.”

  “I’m not complaining,” Alex said with a shy smile. “I’m glad you did. So you don’t have family close by?”

  “My sister and my parents are still in Allentown. It takes me three hours to drive over there, and that’s close enough. They’re all fine. They’re okay with me being out and all, but we don’t have a lot in common. I mean, we all breathe oxygen and have this weird cleft chin thing going on, but that’s about it.”

  Alex laughed. “I didn’t know anyone when I moved to State College either. But at least I had classes and I was in a dorm for a few years.”

  Luke shrugged, not wanting to appear like the loner he honestly was. “I’ve met a few people through a Meetup hiking group, and I’ve made some friends around town.”

  Alex frowned at that last. He looked like he wanted to ask something but didn’t.

  Luke realized belatedly he was probably thinking about James, his one-night stand.

  Alex changed the subject. He started talking cheerfully about his Wheels And Meals social group and about some of the groups and events around town he thought Luke might enjoy. Luke was content to just finish his burger and watch Alex’s expressive face as he chattered.

  * * *

  It wasn’t until they were in the car on the way home that Luke finally dared voice the question he’d wanted to ask all day.

  “So… Alex. Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

  Alex was buckled in snugly in the passenger seat. He turned his head on the headrest, looking a bit tired and temptingly languorous. He gave Luke a wry look. “So… Luke. Are you asking me if I’m a virgin?”

  “I was thinking it might be relevant, yeah.” Luke raised a knowing brow.

  Alex’s eyes went a little wide. He swallowed hard. “That’s… good to know. I’m not.”

  “Okay.” Luke waited.

  “My senior year of high school I had a… connection with my English teacher, Mr. Talbot.”

  Luke frowned.

  “Nothing happened then. We were just friendly. But when I was a senior in college, I got a call from him one day. All casual, you know? Said he’d be in State College for the weekend and he asked me to meet him for lunch.”

  Luke waited, his hands stiff on the wheel.

  “So long story short, we started an affair. It lasted about a year.”

  “Oh,” Luke said. “So what happened?”

  Alex laughed. “You mean why did it end? It’s more like why did it ever start.” He sighed. “He was married with two kids. He was thirty-five when we started up. Totally in the closet. He’d only ever come to my place, and then it was in a hoodie and sunglasses, and he’d park down the street and sneak in. It was ridiculous.”

  “Shit,” Luke said, feeling a surge of anger. “Asshole. That is so out of line.”

  “It’s okay. I promised myself that I will never again be anyone’s pathetic little secret. The thing is, I knew better, even then. I knew it was wrong and bad and stupid. But at the time, I….”

  Alex’s voice broke a little. Luke reached over and took his hand. It was clenched tight, but it opened like a rose at his touch. They entwined fingers. Alex looked down at them w
ith a mix of disbelief and longing on his face. Luke rubbed his thumb gently over the flesh between Alex’s finger and thumb. Even that much contact sent a wave of heat through Luke’s body. He felt himself stiffening. Over a touch. Damn.

  Alex drew in a ragged breath. “I was twenty, a virgin, and horny as hell. I guess… when you’re in a wheelchair, people don’t see you like that. Like a sexual person. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be desired.”

  “I desire you,” Luke said quietly.

  Alex stared at him, a look of surprise and a deep, stricken yearning on his face. He seemed to battle for words. “I…. God, I desire you, too, Luke. So much.”

  Luke’s cock throbbed at the words, at the acknowledgment, out in the open where it couldn’t be taken back and couldn’t be denied. Their mutual confession seemed to have quite an effect on Alex, too, because he squirmed in his seat, tilted his head back, and squeezed his eyes shut. He brought their joined hands up to his chest and rubbed them over his sternum and then one nipple, moaning softly. Luke glanced down and saw a considerable bulge in Alex’s jeans, and he damn near ran off the road.

  Well, that answers that question, then. Physically capable. Oh, Christ, yeah.

  Luke yanked his hand away.

  Alex looked at him, his face hurt.

  “I’m about five seconds away from pulling this car onto the shoulder,” Luke said through gritted teeth. “And I believe what would happen next is illegal in the fine state of Pennsylvania, not to mention likely to cause a psychotic break in women and children unfortunate enough to drive by.”

  “Right. How much farther is it?” Alex panted.

  Luke glanced at the GPS on the dash. “Twenty fucking minutes,” he growled.

  Alex heaved a breath and then sat up and smiled brightly. “Music?”

  “Hell, yes,” Luke said.

  Alex plugged in his iPod.

  Chapter 9

  Luke Meets Godzilla

  When they drove into the complex, it was dusk. Luke pulled up to Alex’s door. He took Alex’s chair out and held it steady while Alex swung himself into it.

  “Lemme drop off Trevor and take a quick shower,” Luke said. “Then I’ll come over?”

  Alex nodded. “Okay.”

  Luke was mightily tempted to lean down and kiss him, but he knew if he did, he’d never make it back to his place. So instead he smiled tightly and went back to the driver’s seat. He watched to make sure Alex got inside okay.

  Luke fed Trevor and jumped into the shower. He was hard as a rock, and it felt like he’d been hard forever. It ached. He ignored it and washed quickly. He couldn’t stop thinking about Alex, about how he’d looked in the passenger seat when he’d thrown back his head and moaned. I desire you too. So much. Luke wanted to see that again, only next time naked and underneath him.

  He was not doing his tight balls any favors with this line of thought.

  He threw on a pair of soft gray sweats and a T-shirt, pulled on a jacket, and left. It had started to rain, hard, but Luke barely felt it.

  A moment later, Alex answered his knock. He’d showered, too, and his dark hair was still damp. He wasn’t wearing his glasses. In fact, all he was wearing were blue plaid flannel PJ bottoms (Flannel!). He was magnificent. His skin was pale and soft-looking in the glow of the porch light. His arms, shoulders, and chest were muscled, beautifully rounded, and cut. He had a long, flat belly with a muscle band that was so delectable Luke stopped breathing. If this were a cartoon, he’d be the basset hound detective with eyes popping out of his head and his tongue hanging to his toes.

  Alex was staring at him just as hungrily. Neither one of them moved.

  Then Luke realized he was still outside getting rained on, which wasn’t doing anybody a damn bit of good. He took a step inside and slammed the door shut behind him. He stripped off his wet hoodie and let it drop to the floor.

  “Tell me how we do this,” Luke said. “Because I’m about to climb into that chair, and I’d say the odds of that panning out are zero to none.”

  “Sofa,” Alex said breathlessly.

  He turned the chair on a dime and headed for the living room. Luke followed and watched as Alex drew his chair alongside the sofa in one smooth move and swung himself out onto it. He pushed the chair away impatiently and brought his legs up with his hands so he could recline.

  “Better?” Alex said with a grin.

  “Much.”

  Luke pulled his shirt over his head. He paused to relish one more look before placing a knee on the sofa and lowering himself onto Alex.

  Alex’s face, as Luke came down, twisted into a mask of blatant want. He reached up and pushed his hips off the couch to meet him. “Luke, please.”

  “Fuck,” Luke breathed. Alex was so sweet and eager, and it was turning him on like nothing ever had.

  His lips met Alex’s for the first time. They were already parted and hungry, sucking and nibbling; the tip of his tongue felt hot and slick. They kissed like that for several breath-stealing moments, and then Alex laved the flat of his tongue against Luke’s lips in a move that spoke directly to his cock.

  Luke moaned and let his weight settle down. Alex’s chest was warm and firm against his bare skin. It felt like hot silk—electrified hot silk, because every place it touched set his skin alight. And farther down, Luke’s cock pulsed lovingly into that sweet band of muscle between Alex’s navel and his—

  Luke broke the kiss. “Mother of God! Is that the Empire State Building in your pants, or are you just glad to see me? What the hell are you packing?”

  Alex giggled and squirmed. “I believe it’s known colloquially as a cock. Though I know at least another twenty terms for it if you’re interested.”

  “Like Godzilla maybe? Let me see this thing.”

  As hot as it was to kiss Alex, Luke really, really had a thing for cocks, and this one felt incredibly promising. He sat up on his knees, poised between Alex’s legs, and tried to undo the tie on his PJ bottoms.

  “Oh God, Luke!” Alex groaned, pressing his hips up urgently. “Don’t tease me!”

  “I’m trying! What are you, trying to keep out a Boy Scout troop with this knot?”

  “Oh, that’s been stuck for years. Just pull ’em down. Or rip them off. I don’t really give a—”

  Luke yanked them down. What sprung up would have made a porn star weep with envy. It had to be at least nine inches, fully erect, and heavy as lead.

  “Marry me,” Luke whispered in awe.

  Alex half giggled, half panted. “Ass! Don’t just look at it. It’s been four years. Do something!”

  A half-dozen possibilities ran through Luke’s mind, but in the end, he just had to taste it. He wrapped one hand around the base and the other cradled Alex’s sack. He lowered his mouth to run his tongue over the tip. He paused, glancing up at Alex to make sure it was all right. Well no, honestly, it was just to watch him squirm a little more. He was so fucking cute when he squirmed.

  Alex was looking down at him with wide eyes and parted lips. He did indeed squirm, and then he whimpered and slowly thrust up his hips. There was no resisting that move. Luke growled hungrily and licked, swirling his tongue around the head, and then licking base to crown. He took the top four inches into his mouth and sucked, his tongue running up and down the frenulum.

  “Ugh,” Alex grunted, tossing back his head and closing his eyes. “Oh, fuck yes.”

  Lord, he was pretty and so, so sensitive. Luke felt his own need rage even as he worked on Alex, moving his mouth up and down while twisting his hand on the lower portion, sucking and stroking, making greedy little noises.

  “Mmmm, Luke. Yes, like that,” Alex sobbed, lost in pleasure. He placed his hands on Luke’s head. But instead of holding or pulling, he only rubbed the long, silken hair between his fingertips, as if the texture itself was arousing.

  Luke remembered the car, how Alex had rubbed their hands over his nipple. He ran the hand that wasn’t working Alex’s cock up over that lov
ely belly and onto his chest. He found a nipple and lightly pinched it.

  Alex arched his back and let out a gurgled cry. “Ah! I’m close. Sorry, but I—”

  Luke pulled off to speak. “You are so freaking hot. Come for me. I want to see it.”

  Alex took a deep breath and nodded. Then he took another deep breath and another, while Luke sucked him harder and faster, tugging on his nipple. And then Alex arched his back in a way that almost didn’t look human, groaned low in his rib cage, and came.

  Five minutes later Alex blinked and opened his eyes. “Am I still alive? I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

  Luke was lying on top of him, holding some of his weight on his elbows, kissing and licking at Alex’s chest like it was a Popsicle.

  “Killing you would be against my best interests,” Luke said, pushing his cock gently into Alex’s thigh.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry. C’mere.”

  Luke shifted up enough to kiss him. Yes, Alex’s mouth really was as heady as he’d remembered, warm and slick with the perfect amount of tongue and suction, sweetness, and filthiness combined.

  “You kiss like a spawn of Satan,” Luke murmured. “I love it.”

  Alex wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist and hugged him tight. “What do you want, Luke? Do you want to… have me? You can.”

  “Well, that’s quite forward for our first date.”

  Alex snickered. “That’s me. Mr. Forward.”

  Luke nibbled at his delectable lips. “I think we’d need to have the whole top/bottom discussion before that, prenups, living wills, air vac’d supplies, et cetera. Don’t think I can wait that long.” Luke rubbed his erection against Alex’s belly. “I’ve been hard since Luzerne, and it’s about to fall off.”

  “Poor baby,” Alex crooned. “Shall I kiss it and make it better?” He started wiggling his way down Luke’s body. “Here, put your knees on the outside of my hips.” Luke complied, and Alex wiggled down between them like a bionic inchworm.