Puzzle Me This Read online

Luke leaned down, putting his palms on the arms of the chair. “You deserve to be flattered. You look sexy as hell.”

  “I’ll get red lipstick on you,” Alex murmured when he was inches away.

  “So I’ll be a vampire noir detective,” Luke replied, undeterred.

  The kiss was yummy, and then it was hot. Someone cleared their throat.

  “You do remember there are people here, Alex?” a woman said, sounding a tad annoyed.

  Luke shot up. “Oh, sorry. I thought I was early.”

  A young woman looked Luke up and down. She wore a witchy black dress with neon green stockings and a tall pointed black hat. Her dark hair and big brown eyes bore a strong resemblance to Alex’s own. “It’s not that early, honey. You must be Luke.” She held out her hand.

  “Luke, this is Amy, my sister. Aim, this is Luke.” Alex sounded a little breathless as Luke shook Amy’s hand.

  Amy looked like a tough cookie. And she didn’t exactly seem pleased. Then again, he’d been caught sucking her brother’s tonsils. Her brother in his wheelchair.

  “Nice to meet you,” Luke said.

  Amy arched an eyebrow. “Alex has told me a lot about you. He said you work from home and you’re a game designer?”

  “Amazing memory, your brother.”

  Alex laughed.

  “What company do you work for?” Amy asked. Did she not believe him?

  “City Shark Games in San Francisco. I lived there for five years, but last year they instigated a work-from-home policy. So I get to live here, and they get to pay me less. It’s a win-win.”

  “Sounds progressive.”

  “Yeah. There’s a lot of competition for talent in the gaming industry, so companies are always trying to come up with new perks.”

  “And why would you want to leave San Francisco to live in State College?” Amy still sounded doubtful.

  “Geez, Aim. Why don’t you ask for his W2?” Alex grumbled.

  “Well, I’m from Pennsylvania,” Luke answered. “It was fun living in California for a while, but I guess I’m just not a West Coast kind of guy.”

  “Oh?” Amy said with a not-very-nice smirk. “You look like a West Coast type to me.”

  Luke smiled just as sincerely. “Funnily enough, there are gay men everywhere. It’s like a plague. I have a theory about hormones in milk….”

  Alex snorted. “All right, you guys, knock it off before I get out the fire hose.”

  “What if I want you to get out the fire hose?” Luke gave Alex a wink.

  “Gag,” Amy said. She disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “So references to your penis send her running. Good to know.”

  “She’s really not that bad. Just overprotective.”

  “Ya think?”

  Alex took his hand with a smile. “Come on. There’s food in the living room and people I want you to meet. You might want to wipe your mouth first, though. You look like Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China.”

  “I’d rather kiss you again.”

  “Slut.”

  “Bloodsucker.”

  An hour later there were ten wheelchairs in the apartment, a space which in no way accommodated them. Four people ended up parked on the couch, their chairs folded to one side. The group seemed perfectly comfortable dodging around each other, backing into the hall like two cars meeting at a narrow space in the road, even swapping chairs when someone from the couch wanted to get to the food or vice versa. The friends and family stood off on the edges and chatted, out of harm’s way.

  Alex was not shy about showing his affection with Luke, and Luke felt as studied as a letter on an eye exam chart. People were polite, but no one seemed to know quite what to make of him or of him and Alex. It made Luke feel more conscious of the whole handicapped thing than he’d ever felt with Alex before. Everyone else seemed to think it was a big deal that he and Alex were together. Maybe he was the clueless one; maybe it was.

  Only one person was openly hostile—Billy Smith. Luke recognized him from Alex’s description. He was a skinny kid who looked a little like a young Stephen Hawking, only in the first stages of serious disability.

  Luke tried to introduce himself at the food table. “Hi. You must be Billy. Alex told me about you.”

  Billy stabbed a meatball from a dish and glanced at Luke sourly. “Odd. He didn’t mention you.”

  “Um. Well, we’ve only been dating for a few months.”

  “Tick tock,” Billy muttered under his breath.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Look,” Billy said bitterly. “I was friends with Alex before that other jerk dumped him, and I’ll be friends with him long after you’re gone too.”

  Luke was actually shocked. Billy had a thing for Alex. That much was clear. Ordinarily, Luke might have enjoyed rubbing it in with a smart remark. But to Billy he just said: “I may surprise you” and walked away, a hollow feeling in his gut.

  He escaped into the kitchen. Unfortunately Amy was there, talking to one of the parents.

  “Just grabbing a Diet Coke,” Luke said, coming up with a likely excuse. He took one from the fridge and tried to make a hasty exit.

  Amy grabbed his sleeve. “Not so fast, you.”

  The other woman beat it.

  “I can go grab my 2011 tax return, if you really want to see it,” Luke said dryly. “I just live across the parking lot.”

  “Maybe later,” Amy sneered. She peered at his face for a long moment.

  “Feel free to stare. It doesn’t bother me.”

  “You’re cute,” she said flatly.

  “Thanks, but I’m taken.”

  Amy leaned back against the counter. “It’s sort of shocking, is all.”

  Luke tried to divine what she meant. “You knew Alex was gay, right?”

  “Oh, he told us. He was seventeen at the time. It just didn’t seem that important in the face of everything else.”

  “You mean, you never thought he’d actually have sex, so it didn’t matter.”

  Amy shrugged. “I didn’t consciously think he’d stay alone forever. It’s just, you know, there’s the theoretical and then there’s—”

  “Some guy’s tongue in your brother’s mouth.”

  Amy nodded. She rolled her eyes. “Geez, my parents will trip.”

  Great. There’s something to look forward to.

  But Amy, at least, seemed to have gotten less interested in cutting off Luke’s testicles. That was a win, right? And she was Alex’s sister. Suddenly, Luke had a whole lot of questions, things he was never quite sure how to bring up with Alex.

  “So Alex told me he’s always been in the chair. A birth defect of the spine.”

  “That’s right,” Amy said. “Spina bifida, closed neural tube defect. To hear the doctors tell it, he’s actually lucky it wasn’t worse.”

  Luke was glad to hear an actual name put to it. Alex hadn’t wanted to discuss it much. He made a mental note to research it. “So it’s not degenerative.”

  “No. The damage to the nerves was basically done by the time he was born. But because of the paralysis, it takes a lot for him to just maintain what he has. And it will get harder as he gets older.” Amy looked at him carefully. “Did Alex tell you that from age two to five some idiot doctor tried to fix him? There were years of braces and pins and stretching. I was four years older than him, and I remember the nights after ‘adjustments’ when he’d just scream in agony. I think my mother cried even more than he did. And in the end, he still couldn’t walk.”

  “No, I didn’t know that,” Luke said, feeling a little sick.

  “That’s how it is in Alex’s life,” Amy said fiercely. “There’s always a trade-off of pain for every little thing he gets. I mean, he doesn’t work out with those weights to look buff, you know. He does it so he can swing his body around, get in and out of the shower or the car. He has to keep his legs massaged and watch out for sores, be careful to dry them completely after a shower, not to bang them against things b
ecause he can’t always feel it. My mother never wanted him to move out. But Alex insisted he could live on his own, and he has. He’s had to fight for every ounce of his independence.”

  “I could never be that brave,” Luke said quietly.

  Amy said nothing for a minute. Then, “None of us know what we would do in that situation. He’s stronger than anyone I know, but also more vulnerable. What I’m trying to tell you, Luke, is that he… geez. He doesn’t need any more pain.”

  Luke felt his stomach knot. “The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

  “Yeah? Well, no one ever intends that, do they?” She sighed. “Look, you probably think I’m a witch—”

  “You are a witch,” Luke pointed out, waving at her pointy hat.

  Amy smiled despite herself. “Alex said you were funny. He said you were nice too. I hope he’s right.”

  “Except for Thursdays. That’s my serial killer night.”

  Amy harrumphed. “Look, I just want to make sure you understand what you’re signing up for. And that you’re ready for it. Because it’s not easy, and it’s not just a lark. And if you’re not ready for it, for God’s sake, decide sooner rather than later. There. I’ve done my big-sister duty.”

  “Okay,” Luke said.

  “Okay,” said Amy. And suddenly there were tears in her eyes, and she freaking hugged him. “I’ll fly off on my broomstick now,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “Watch out for 747s. You’ve heard what they can do to birds.”

  “Shut up,” Amy said, not unkindly.

  Chapter 14

  The Best Thing

  The Wheels And Meals crowd was, fortunately, not a group of heavy partiers. By ten o’clock Amy and a few of the mothers had cleaned up the place and left. Alex saw the last guest to the door. Luke breathed a sigh of relief. But he forced a smile when Alex rolled over to the couch.

  “I saw you talking to Amy. I hope she wasn’t giving you a song of doom.”

  Luke shrugged. “She cares about you.”

  “Of course. I’m absurdly lovable.”

  “I was just thinking that.”

  Alex grinned. “Which reminds me, I have something for you. Consider this the treat portion of the Halloween festivities.”

  Alex rolled over to his desk and opened a drawer. He took out a plastic pharmacy bag and a piece of vellum paper that was rolled up and tied with a ribbon. He brought them over and handed the paper roll to Luke.

  “What’s this?”

  “My living will.”

  Luke tried to gasp and laugh at the same time and choked.

  “Easy there,” Alex said.

  “I’m fine.” Luke managed. He unrolled the paper.

  “I recently added clause three-F.”

  Luke read it aloud. “And if I should be rendered a vegetable whilst being anally penetrated by Luke Schumaker, all life support conditions and clauses, as noted above, still apply.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Well, I guess that answers the top or bottom question,” Luke said, taking a shaky breath.

  Alex shrugged. “I don’t really have the strength in my thighs to top. At least not in very many positions. And, as you’ve pointed out, I am hung like a horse.”

  “Are you suggesting I can’t take it?” Luke arched an eyebrow.

  “I think I’d need to see your living will before we’d try it,” Alex answered smugly. “I also picked up some supplies.”

  He handed Luke the bag, and Luke peeked in. It contained several boxes of condoms and a jumbo-sized lube. “Damn. We won’t have to leave the house ’til 2025.”

  “Is this… okay with you?” Alex asked, suddenly shy. “If you’d rather not…. It’s just… I want you. I really want to feel you inside me.” Alex’s eyes were dark with desire and his voice was rough.

  Luke melted. Or at least most of him did. He slid to his knees in front of Alex’s chair. “Babe, I—I don’t—how can you—of course I—”

  Alex grabbed Luke’s skinny tie and pulled him in close. The look on his face was filthy. He gave Luke’s chin a long, lewd lick. “What’s that? Cat got your tongue? Come on, Luke. I. Want. You. To. Fuck. Me.”

  Luke groaned as his cock came to full attention. “I’m good with that,” Luke whispered before capturing Alex’s mouth.

  Between the two of them, they managed to push and steer their way into Alex’s bedroom and up to the bed without ever breaking the desperate barrage of kisses, licks, and nibbles.

  “Let me up,” Alex insisted. He pushed Luke away and swung himself onto the bed. He removed his clothes quickly while Luke did the same.

  Luke climbed onto the bed, cock bobbing, lube and condoms in one hand. “Have you ever done this before?”

  Alex shook his head.

  Luke took a steadying breath. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Alex’s eyes, hot and fierce, were more convincing than his words could ever be. “I know how it’s supposed to work theoretically. Do you want me to—?”

  “No, let me take care of you, babe.”

  Luke pressed Alex back onto the bed and kissed and petted him until Alex was moaning and raising his hips with need. Only then did Luke gently work a lubed finger inside him. Luke kissed a trail down Alex’s tight abs, relishing the slightly salty taste of his skin. As Luke neared the head of Alex’s cock, his finger found the bundle of nerves deep inside his lover’s body.

  Alex arched off the bed with a hiss. “Oh God, Luke! That’s… ah…. so good. I want you now.”

  Luke’s cock throbbed, more than willing to comply, but Luke took a shaky breath. “We’ll get there.” He took the tip of Alex’s cock into his mouth and sucked gently as he worked Alex open. Alex ground his hips onto Luke’s fingers and groaned loudly. His cock was leaking copiously on Luke’s tongue and he was as hard as Luke had ever felt him.

  “Oh my God. It feels…. Oh. Please, Luke. I want to come with you inside me.”

  Alex sounded desperate, and Luke was more than ready. In fact, he was in danger of coming himself just from touching Alex in this new and intimate way and watching his reactions. He withdrew his fingers and worked a condom on. Alex sat up and grabbed the lube, rubbing it over Luke’s shaft. The touch of his hand made Luke hiss and pull away.

  “Jesus, you’re killing me.”

  “Come on,” Alex panted, trying to pull him down.

  “Wait.” Luke contemplated logistics for a moment. “Let’s put you on your side.” He helped Alex roll over and got behind him. Luke pulled Alex’s top thigh up, so it was bent at the hip and knee.

  “Please,” Alex said shakily, pushing his hips back.

  “I’m here,” Luke soothed. He lined the tip of his cock up with Alex’s entrance. It felt intense and he hadn’t even started yet. Not just erotically intense, though it was—God it was—but significant. Pivotal. He held Alex’s waist steady and slowly pushed in.

  They both groaned as his cock sank into deep, hot flesh. There was yield and it was warm, and Luke did not stop until his hips were flush against Alex’s backside. He held still then, as they both breathed heavily. Alex grabbed the hand on his waist and pulled it around, lacing their fingers. He turned his head for a kiss, and Luke gave it to him. The passion and emotion with which Alex plied his mouth with his sweet tongue made Luke’s head spin.

  Everything felt overwhelming for a second, and Luke had to move just to try to get a grip. He began to thrust gently.

  Alex moaned into his mouth and soon broke the kiss so he could push his hips back into the thrusts. “That’s… oh my God. I feel you.”

  Luke kissed and sucked at the back of Alex’s neck. “I know. You feel so good, Alex. Damn.”

  They didn’t need any more words or urging as they found their rhythm. Luke steadily increased the pace of his thrusts. He adjusted his angle until Alex gave a sharp cry, and then he rode that place, entering Alex’s body over and over, long and strong and deep. Luke gave a cry of pleasure on every thrust, and they grew louder
and louder and more intense.

  “Luke, touch me!”

  Luke slid his hand down Alex’s stomach and took hold of him, stroking only a short while before Alex clenched up and spilled with a guttural groan. He was still pulsing in Luke’s hand as Luke bit down on his shoulder and followed. Spasms wracked his body as one of the most intense orgasms of his life ripped through him.

  They lay boneless for several long minutes before Luke roused himself to pull out and discard the condom. Alex rolled over so he and Luke were face-to-face.

  Luke kissed him sweetly. “You’re beautiful,” Luke said, meaning that in every way possible.

  “That was… the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Alex said, his eyes growing bright.

  Luke cupped his jaw. “Yeah?”

  “I love you, Luke.” Alex stared into Luke’s eyes with absolute openness and joy.

  Luke smiled and kissed him deeply. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he didn’t know what to do. He loved Alex too. He did. But he thought about Amy’s warning and was afraid to say it, because she was right. This was as serious as a heart attack, and he couldn’t be hasty, couldn’t give Alex promises he might not keep.

  He pulled Alex tight and held him. And if Alex was hurt that Luke didn’t say it back, he didn’t let it show.

  Chapter 15

  Too Much and Not Enough

  The first week of November was not a good week. Luke’s manager, Brian, called with bad news. “We’re going to have to move up the launch date for the new mission. We need it out by Christmas.”

  “What?” Luke said in disbelief. “There’s no way!”

  “Listen, City Shark is in trouble. You know we had bad numbers the first two quarters of this year. Well, the numbers for Q3 are worse. If we can’t ship Three Rings before the end of the year, there might not even be a City Shark Games come March.”

  Luke felt a rush of anxiety. He liked his peers, and he liked his boss. And not many game companies would let him live in Pennsylvania. “Is it really that bad?”

  “It’s that bad. I need you to review the design and tell me what we can cut that’ll shave two months off production.”