STORY EXCERPT

“D’you wanna take off your jeans?” Gabe figured Nick had to be uncomfortable still completely clothed. He shifted in case Nick wanted to get undressed, and also to get his crotch out of Nick’s line of sight.

“Um…I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Nick rotated to sitting. He pulled his sweatshirt over his head.

In the blue light of the movie, Gabe couldn’t tell if Nick was blushing, but his shoulders were lifted like he was nervous.

“Nah.” Gabe wrapped his arm around the back of the couch, adopting a relaxed posture. He fixed his attention on the film so Nick wouldn’t think he was watching. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” He laughed, though his throat felt a little dry. Gabe leaned over the edge of the couch to where they kept a footlocker with blankets.

“Here.” He tossed the fleece blanket at Nick then went back to staring at the screen. He tried not to notice when Nick finally gave in and skinned off his jeans under the cover of the blanket.

Then, as if he had something to be embarrassed about, Nick pulled the fleece up to his chest before dragging his shirt over his head.

“Dude, I’m not going to launch across the couch and rape you or something.” Gabe tried to sound funny and not offended.

“I didn’t think you were gonna.” Nick must have heard Gabe’s annoyance, because he shoved the blanket down to his lap defensively. “I just didn’t want to make you feel awkward, okay?”

Gabe wasn’t sure what he meant, and he couldn’t help but study Nick’s face, looking for a hint as to why Nick would think Gabe would be uncomfortable. “Do you think seeing you with your shirt off would get me hard?” He’d meant to ask it as a serious question, but somewhere along the line it became a tease.

Nick shuffled around so that he was lying on the couch again, taking up more than his fair share of space. “Why, does it?” Nick cocked his eyebrows, teasing Gabe right back.

“Huh.” Gabe wasn’t sure how to respond, so he answered honestly. “Maybe a little.” Nick had a great body. His frame was square but muscled. Other than his face, arms, and a ring of darker color around his neck, he was extremely pale. Gabe had to get that boy outside with his shirt off and get rid of his farmer’s tan.

“Hmm. I’ll take that as a compliment.” Nick gave him a little smile as he turned back to the movie. On screen, the actors had parted ways because of a fight. There was a lot of cigarette smoking and gazing into the distance.

Gabe found it a bit boring, though it was clear from Nick’s rapt expression that he loved every second. He wondered if the best friends on screen made Nick think of John. Gabe shuffled around so he and Nick were lying like they were before, but instead of cocking a leg up on the back of the couch, Gabe let one leg hang over the edge and braced his foot on the floor. He laid his other leg in between Nick’s legs. And if Nick minded, he didn’t say so.

“So…” Gabe watched Nick watching the movie. The film had a fair amount of nudity and attractive people making out, and Gabe figured that alone was a foray into what he wanted to ask. “What turns you on?”

“What?” Nick looked up from the movie, and this time his blush was obvious.

At least he didn’t jump off the couch, though Gabe could tell he considered it. “You don’t have to freak out, man. I was just making conversation.” That wasn’t technically true. The topic was turning Gabe on, especially since Nick’s foot was only a few inches from Gabe’s cock. “I don’t know what gets straight guys off.”

“Really?” Nick tilted his head, his voice sarcastic and his expression disbelieving. “You’ve never seen straight porn? Or a woman?”

Gabe flashed him a sly wink. “Well, yeah, but that’s not what I mean. I mean, are you one of those guys who likes titties and doesn’t bother to look any lower? Or an ass man? D’you get off on munching rug?”

Nick kicked him in the thigh, though not hard enough to hurt. “Nobody even says ‘munching rug,’ you dork.” He laughed, rolling his eyes.

“It’s just, when you watch straight porn there’s a lot of close-ups of cocks.” Gabe eased the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go, hoping he was being subtle enough Nick wouldn’t notice.

“So are you asking if I want to suck one?”

Gabe decided to pull back while he was ahead. “Nah. Nothing that extreme. I just mean, I’ve always wondered if straight guys liked to think about cocks or maybe see them while they whacked off.” He tried to make it sound like a scientific question, like he was running surveys for the Kinsey Report. “Or even men’s bodies. I mean, do straight guys think other guys are hot, or gross, or…?”

“No, men can be attractive,” Nick said without hesitation. He seemed very sure of himself when he added, “A guy with a good body is like…” His gaze got unfocused, and Gabe could perfectly well guess who Nick was thinking about. “Well, it’s like a work of art. Like that Italian statue.” Nick crossed his arms, as if maybe he’d said too much.

“No, I totally get it. Like, girls are pretty. Some are flat-out beautiful. I don’t need to want to fuck them to appreciate it.” Gabe twisted around, trying to get more comfortable on the cramped couch. His dick ached, and he wasn’t sure whether to ramp down the conversation before he embarrassed himself or whether to push it to its logical conclusion.

“Yeah, I get it.” Nick shifted. Then he reached under the blanket and looked like he was adjusting his dick. Or it could have been just him getting his balls out from some weird position between his legs. Still, Gabe chose to believe Nick was getting hot.

“But watching something like this is great.” Gabe nodded at the TV. “The girl is cute, and the boys are sexy. It’s got something for everyone.”

Nick’s lips were parted when he nodded his head in agreement. He visibly swallowed.

And Gabe was absolutely sure he’d just given Nick permission to be turned on.

ADULT EXCERPT

Nick smiled. “You can touch me if you want.” He hoped Gabe would stroke him. It had been a while since Nick felt the hands of someone he actually wanted.

Gabe made a sound that might have been a stifled groan. And Nick couldn’t tell if he was flattered or if he was getting hot. His cock plumped in his jeans even before Gabe made contact. But when Gabe rested his hand on the tender skin of Nick’s throat, Nick’s erection went from chubby to battering ram in no time flat.

“S’okay, right?” Gabe asked.

Nick would have thought Gabe was going to move his hands lower, over Nick’s pecs and down his belly to his cock. But instead, Gabe slid his fingers to tangle in the back of Nick’s hair. It felt good, but now that Nick had imagined Gabe touching his dick, his erection felt like it was about to bust out of his pants. Before he knew what he was doing, Nick scooted closer, so that in one of his fitful movements, he felt the front of Gabe brush his bulge.

The sensation was electric, sending shivers through his body and down his thighs. Nick wanted to get closer—rub his dick against Gabe’s leg or maybe Gabe’s crotch—grind it against hard, hot skin.

Gabe tugged on Nick’s hair, and the slight jolt of pain brought Nick back to reality, where he was palming Gabe’s ribs and they were hardly even touching. Nick opened his eyes and saw that Gabe’s were still closed. And Gabe looked…Well, pretty wasn’t the right word. But, he looked something. He looked like something Nick wanted.

“Were you gonna let Brooks kiss you?” Nick asked.

Gabe opened his eyes. They were dark and shining. “No. I wasn’t going to let Brooks kiss me.”

Nick was surprised how let down he felt, but then Gabe pinned him with a soulful gaze. “But you can.” He hitched his shoulder up in a shrug. “If you want to.”

As if pulled by some kind of irresistible force, Nick eased closer. They were too close to watch each other, so he closed his eyes. He felt Gabe’s breath on his lips. Nick considered how he felt about it. Better to stop now than to freak out midkiss and hurt Gabe’s feelings. But it didn’t feel weird to have Gabe’s face so close or to have Gabe’s hand in his hair. So, Nick wound his arm around so his hand rested right between Gabe’s shoulders. Instead of crossing that last distance himself, he pulled Gabe into him so their lips sealed.

Neither of them moved for a moment, but then Gabe opened his mouth. And though it felt like maybe Gabe was about to say something, maybe that they shouldn’t be kissing, Nick seized the opportunity to lick the inside of Gabe’s mouth and then nip his top lip. He tasted like beer and something salty, and his mouth was soft and sweet.

Gabe relaxed, his muscles softening in Nick’s hold. He sighed. And when Nick started kissing for real, slanting his mouth against Gabe’s and lapping at his tongue, Gabe responded with enthusiasm. He shimmied closer, so their chests brushed together, and their hips rubbed with delicious friction. Gabe kissed in a way that was slow and intense, tempering Nick’s aggressive tongue with slow suction and gentle nips.

Then Gabe dragged Nick’s hand lower, until Nick felt the swell of Gabe’s cock pressing through his pants. Gabe thrust, grinding at the end of the movement. When he pumped forward a second time, Gabe moaned.

Nick had never been with a woman so aggressive, and it totally turned him on. He rubbed Gabe through his pants, hoping Gabe would take the hint and reciprocate. “Take off your clothes.”

Gabe humped into his palm a couple more times before whispering, “You, too.” Then Gabe unbuttoned his pants and shoved them off. He paused with a hand on the waistband of his briefs. “Just get my dick out or all the way off?”

“Off. All of it.” Nick pulled off his shirt then he shucked his jeans to his ankles and kicked them away. He’d never been so happy in his life that his jeans were loose.

“God, you’re really sexy.” Gabe pulled Nick into another kiss the second he was done undressing. They stayed side by side, which worked great since Nick was left-handed. It was like they were made to jerk off each other, though Nick realized he was crazy for thinking that. After all, Gabe was far from the only right-handed person on the planet. It was just—Nick had never felt before like he and the person he was with in bed were so well suited.

Gabe was almost his size and every bit as horny. He palmed Nick boldly, not like he was just doing it because he thought he was supposed to, as so many girls Nick had fooled around with had. No—Gabe fisted Nick like he loved it. Like he couldn’t get enough of touching Nick’s cock and he was thinking about swallowing it whole.

“Crap, you ain’t bad yourself.” Nick kissed his way down Gabe’s neck to his shoulder. He’d stopped worrying about whether he was doing things right, because Gabe moaned or panted or wiggled every time he liked something. And it didn’t take Nick long to realize that Gabe would press his dick up to Nick’s hand or his hip or his leg no matter what Nick did. But that was okay, because Gabe worked Nick’s cock the whole time with hands that were bigger than a girl’s and twice as strong.

“Are you going to freak out if I try to blow you?” Gabe asked.

Oh, thank fuck! “Not at all.” Nick licked Gabe’s nipple. When Gabe squirmed, he did it again. “I want it.”

“Oh, thank fuck.” Gabe said out loud what Nick had been thinking, and Nick would have laughed if Gabe didn’t take that moment to skim down his body and close his mouth over the top half of Nick’s cock.