Best of Both Worlds

Sometimes you just have to come right out and ask the question. After months of exploring his bisexuality on his own, c...

Author: Andrews Liz

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Sometimes you just have to come right out and ask the question. After months of exploring his bisexuality on his own, college student Chase Randolph is ready for a night out on the town—all the way “out”. He never expected Alex Landry to witness his first experimental sexual encounter, though. Chase has been attracted to his best friend and roommate forever, but one thing is sure: Alex is straight. So straight, he’s never caught on to Chase’s mixed tastes. Alex assures Chase they will always be friends, but privately, his own reaction shocks him. An ex-jock isn’t supposed to fantasize about his roommate. Not supposed to need another man’s kiss so badly it makes him sweat. He was prepared to change direction after his football career ended before it began, but change this drastically? As Chase and Alex struggle to come to terms with the changes in their relationship, jealousy pushes friendship to the brink—of disaster…or love. Warning: No heaving bosoms here, just two gorgeous guys, lots of muscles and some closet doors banging wide open.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 Best of Both Worlds Copyright © 2012 by Liz Andrews ISBN: 978-1-60928-686-6 Edited by Sue Ellen Gower Cover by Kim Killion All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2012 www.samhainpublishing.com

Best of Both Worlds Liz Andrews

Dedication

To Suz, who was willing to look at a book about two college-age guys, even though she wasn’t too sure where it would lead her. And to Lena, as always, my rock and taskmaster. Without you telling me to keep trying, this book never would have been more than a grain of an idea in the back of my brain.

Chapter One

Nervous but determined, Chase Randolph pushed open the door and peered into the dark interior of the club. “ID please.” The request made him jump. He dug into his pocket to pull out his wallet. His hands were sweaty and he struggled to slip the laminated card from the window pocket. The burly doorman chuckled. “First time?” “What?” Chase finally retrieved his license and the man took it from his nerveless fingers to peruse the plastic card before handing it back. “Never been to a gay bar before, have you?” He suddenly felt as if he had a neon sign flashing over his head. Although he was attracted to both sexes, he’d kept his interest in men relatively private. Until now. Being half in love with his roommate and best friend, Alex Landry, had been a humbling experience. Tonight had been the last straw—Alex told him he was going out with Janet Cooper. Chase hated her, and for no other reason except this was the first girl Alex seemed genuinely interested in. The problem was, Chase couldn’t exactly complain. It wasn’t as if Alex had known Chase was bisexual. And even if his friend knew, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Alex was straight. “You going in or not?” He mentally shook himself out of his musings and nodded. He handed the doorman the cover fee and walked inside. The sheer number of men surprised

Best of Both Worlds

him. All his experimentation up to this point had been guys he met one-on-one. Suddenly he felt as if he were approaching a buffet. Before he could even make it to the bar, he was assailed by two gorgeous guys who could have been twins. Black hair and olive-toned skin gave the two men an exotic look. “You’re new here.” The first man smiled and stuck out his hand. “I’m Andre, this is my cousin Dmitri.” “Chase.” He shook hands with both men. “Why do you think I’m new?” “We know all the good-looking men who come to The Backdoor.” Although he appreciated the comment on his looks, he wasn’t exactly sure how he should take their tone. He didn’t want to be known as the newbie—fresh meat ready to be picked up. His concern must have shown on his face because Dmitri laughed and clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to attack you. Although we would like to buy you a drink.” Chase smiled and nodded. “Okay.” Andre flagged down a waiter to order three beers as Chase continued to look around him. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the interior, he could see the room had a number of tables scattered about. Toward the back was a large dance floor and DJ booth pumping out the tunes. “Like what you see so far?” Andre asked. “It’s definitely…different.” He had no other words to describe the amazing sight of so many men in every available shape and size. Dmitri nudged Andre and took a sip of his drink. Somehow Chase knew it had something to do with him. “What?” The two men looked at each other and then Chase before Andre asked, “When did you come out?”

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Ahh, so that was it. Chase snorted, “Am I that obvious?” “Not obvious per se, just a little star struck.” “I’ve never been out in public,” he conceded. “Ready to get your dick wet then.” Chase swallowed hard and nodded. He’d never put it quite like that, but the truth of the matter was he was more than ready. A fact Dmitri would be hard pressed to miss since he was looking directly at Chase’s cock. And his wayward dick responded accordingly, hardening under the intense stare. “Have you done anything with a man before?” Dmitri asked. Well, that was direct. “You don’t have to answer him if you don’t want,” Andre said, punching the other man in the shoulder. “He’s not very polite.” “No, that’s okay.” Chase took a sip of his drink for a bit of liquid courage. “I’ve done a little experimenting.” “Like what?” Dmitri persisted and moved closer. Chase could smell his aftershave. It was strong but not unpleasant. “Like guys jacking me off and stuff.” Just saying the words had Chase wishing someone had a hand on his dick right now. “And did you like it?” “Yeah.” His voice was dry and scratchy, as if all the moisture disappeared from his mouth. “It was good.” “Good.” Dmitri said the word as if savoring it on his tongue for a moment. “Hmm, we’ll have to do something a little better than good for you.” “Like what?” Flirting like this with a guy was new to him, but Chase was more than interested in the other man’s answer. “Have you ever had someone suck you?” He nodded with a jerk. “My prom date gave me a blowjob.”

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“A girl?” “Uh huh.” “But have you ever had a guy take you into his mouth, have him lick the head of your cock, or take you deep into his throat? Or feel him dig his fingers into your ass as you fucked his face?” Damn. Sure as shit, Dmitri had a way with words. Chase downed his drink in one swallow before shaking his head. His cock was rock hard now, straining against the zipper of his pants. “No, I’ve never had that happen.” “Do you want it to?” Dmitri reached out and pressed his hand over Chase’s erection. Chase’s hips jerked at the firm touch. He wanted Dmitri to move his hand, do something, but Dmitri was motionless, waiting for his response. “Yes, I want that.” Chase was more than willing to voice his needs and ask the question that needed to be asked. “Are you interested in having my dick down your throat so deep you can’t breathe?” Dmitri smiled and squeezed Chase’s cock. “Hell yeah. Why the fuck do you think we came over to you in the first place?” At the “we”, Chase suddenly realized he hadn’t seen or heard Andre in a few seconds. He looked around for the other man, but Dmitri’s cousin was nowhere to be found. “He slipped away to give me a chance with you.” Dmitri rubbed his hand up and down Chase’s cock. “Did it work?” “Yeah, but…” Chase didn’t want to offend the other man, but he wasn’t interested in a quick suck in the men’s room. He wanted to enjoy this experience. “Hope you don’t mind. I’d like to adjourn to my place.” “Mind?” Dmitri chuckled. “Shit no, you’ve just made my night.”


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Chase didn’t know if he was being foolish to take this man up on his offer, but at this point he was willing to take the chance. “Do you need to let Andre know you’re going?” Dmitri gave Chase’s erection one final squeeze before he moved his hand away. “I’ll give him a call when we step outside.” He pulled out his phone and jiggled it. “You ready to go?” “Yeah.” Chase set his glass down and moved toward the door, Dmitri hot on his heels. “You leaving already?” The doorman asked when Chase exited the club. “Uh, well…” As if he suddenly noticed the other man behind Chase, the burly guy gave him a sly smile. “Have a good night.” “Thanks.” Chase stepped into the cool night air. “Let me call Andre.” Dmitri dialed the number and the two men walked a few feet away from the entrance as Dmitri left his message. Chase wasn’t really listening though, too intent on thinking about what was going to happen. It barely felt as if he’d taken a breath when Dmitri ended the call and turned his attention back to Chase. “I can’t wait to taste you, if only a little bit.” Dmitri pressed his lips against Chase’s and delved his tongue into Chase’s mouth. Although Dmitri had initiated the kiss, Chase took over the embrace and pushed the other man back against the brick wall. He slanted his head and took Dmitri’s mouth in a hard, searing kiss. Their bodies pressed close together as Chase explored the sensations. “Get a room.” The laughing comment hurled from a passing car broke through Chase’s haze and he ended the kiss. Stepping away from Dmitri, he took a shaky breath. “Let’s go.”

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Dmitri chuckled. “My pleasure.” The two of them headed down the street to Chase’s apartment, only a few blocks from the club. After the brief encounter they’d shared, Chase was more intent than ever on getting someplace private where he could enjoy more of Dmitri’s talented tongue. Chase didn’t realize how fast he was walking until his arm was suddenly pulled back and he was yanked to a stop. “There’s no need to run,” Dmitri teased. “There’s plenty of time for us to do whatever you’d like tonight.” Chase nodded with a jerk and then a small smile curved his lips upward. “Sorry, guess I’m just a little…eager.” They started walking again, at a slightly slower pace. “Nothing wrong with that.” Dmitri’s hand trailed over Chase’s ass. “In fact, I’m looking forward to it.” As was Chase. Tonight he was finally going to experience more than a hurried jerk-off session in the dark. “Me too.” When they reached the building, Chase forced himself to wait for the elevator instead of taking the steps two at a time like he wanted. The walk down the hall was quick and his hand was steady when he unlocked the door. Once inside they walked silently down the hallway into the darkened living area. When they entered the room, Chase walked over to the table situated between two chairs and flipped on a lamp to the lowest setting. As Chase turned, Dmitri dropped to his knees in front of him. “I can’t wait any longer.” Dmitri’s face nuzzled at his crotch, but Chase wanted more than to be teased. His hands went to his belt and he began to unfasten it, but then Dmitri took over. He pulled the buckle loose and unbuttoned Chase’s pants before lowering the zipper. Then delving his hand inside, he stroked his fingers over Chase’s turgid length.


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The feel of the man’s hands on him was incredible, but he didn’t want anything between them. Chase pushed the denim material, along with his boxers, down and over his hips, allowing his cock to spring free. Dmitri pulled the pants down his legs and then smiled up at him. “Fuck, you are ready for me, aren’t you?” He couldn’t deny Dmitri’s claims. He’d been hard since the club and now his cock was leaking precome in anticipation of what was to come. “You ready to do all those things you promised back at the bar?” Chase asked. “More than ready.” Dmitri didn’t waste himself on any more words. Instead he leaned forward to lick at the moisture gathered on the crown. Then he closed his lips and sucked hard, just on the tip. Chase groaned in appreciation. But he wanted more, much more. “Stop teasing and suck me.” Dmitri hummed with amusement and the vibrations traveled down the shaft. He reached up to cup Chase’s ass and swirled a tongue all around the hard, thick flesh of his aching shaft. “Damn, your mouth feels so fucking good.” Chase rocked his hips forward and wrapped his fingers in Dmitri’s dark hair while he thrust into his willing mouth. “Yeah, take it, take me, all of me.” He could feel the desires of his body calling to him. He needed to come, but he wanted this to last. Dmitri seemed to sense how close he was and redoubled his efforts. He reached between Chase’s legs to fondle his sac, before releasing it to draw his finger over the sensitive skin between his cock and anus. Combined with the powerful suction of Dmitri’s mouth, he could hold out no longer. “Fuck, I’m coming.” Chase groaned, his balls drawing up tight and hips arching as the orgasm hit. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, shoved himself to the

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back of Dmitri’s throat and spurted his release. His legs trembled with the force of his climax and Chase collapsed back into the chair behind him. He opened his eyes to smile down at the man between his legs, but another sight caught his eye. Alex stood in the doorway from the entrance hallway, his eyes wide as he took in the scene before him. Shit. This wasn’t how Chase planned to come out to his best friend. Caught. A flush stole over Alex when he realized Chase was staring at him. When he walked into the apartment he’d immediately known Chase was home. And man, was he happy at that prospect. After his break up with Janet, all he wanted to do was grab a beer with his friend and forget all the time he’d spent with her. What he hadn’t expected, though, was to find Chase with another man. Alex felt as if he’d been sucker-punched and all the air sucked from his lungs. Chase was gay? He knew his friend had dated girls and liked having sex with women. They’d been friends since high school. There was little he didn’t know about him. Or so he thought. The two men looked at each other across the room, saying nothing. It was only as the third man in the room stirred that Alex felt as if he could speak again. “Uh, sorry, man. I didn’t mean to…uh, that is…I’m going to my room.” He quickly averted his gaze and beat a hasty retreat, at least as quickly as possible walking with a cane, through the living area and down the hallway to the bedrooms. Rather than go into his room though, he made a detour to the bathroom. He flipped on the light and winced at the harsh fluorescent brightness. Glancing up into the mirror above the sink, he almost didn’t recognize the man staring back at him. His eyes were dilated and his face was devoid of any color. Chase must have thought he was seeing a ghost when he spotted him.


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Thinking of Chase had him shaking his head in disbelief. This was nothing he’d expected to discover about his roommate. And even though he wanted to be supportive of his best friend, right now he couldn’t imagine talking to Chase. At least not with that other man still here. He felt the need to do something. He propped his cane against the back wall and then turned to the tub. Pulling back the curtain, he twisted the knobs to turn on the water of the shower and adjusted the temperature. As steam began to fill the room, he stripped out of his clothing. Once he was nude, he stepped under the hot spray. Closing his eyes, he let the piping hot water cascade over him and thought back to what he’d seen. Good Lord, Chase was gay. There was no way around it. That had definitely been a man sucking on his best friend’s cock. And from the look of things Chase had been enjoying every minute of the attention he was receiving from the dark-haired man. His roommate’s erection had looked almost dark red, shining in the light as it slipped between the lips of the stranger. Alex had obviously seen Chase’s cock before. They had been friends for years after all. But he’d never seen it like this. Alex grasped his stiffening cock, unconsciously rubbing his thumb over the leaking head. Holy shit. The image of Chase pumping his dick into the mouth of some guy was making him hot. It was fucking crazy. This was not right. Chase was his best friend and a dude, for God’s sake. Nevertheless, he was already stroking himself to a steady rhythm. He enjoyed the roughness of his hand. His girlfriends never were willing to be this hard, always worried that they’d somehow hurt him. But a man knew just how far he could go. No. Alex immediately pushed the thought of men out of his head.

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Sex. He just needed to get off. That was it. No thinking needed. Especially not about Chase. Closing his eyes again, he clasped his fingers around his shaft and slid his hand along the length of his bulging erection. Oh God, it felt so good. Faster and faster his hand moved, but it wasn’t enough. “Fuck.” His mutter barely registered in the steaming shower. His cock was harder than it’d ever been before, but somehow it wasn’t enough. He needed something more. The vision of Chase pressing his groin hard against the man’s mouth as he came suddenly popped into his mind. He tried to imagine Janet or any other woman, but it wasn’t working. Instead he was on his knees, looking up at Chase. He groaned as his cock jumped in his fist. It couldn’t be happening like this, but it was. He was imagining himself sucking on his friend’s cock and it was working for him. He sped his hand up and down his erection. Even though Alex should be wilting at the direction of his thoughts, nothing could be further from the truth. His hips drove forward, fucking his fist, striving for some kind of satisfaction in this insanity. Reasoning didn’t matter though. The only thing Alex cared about at this moment was his need to come. His measured, even strokes changed to uneven jerks as continued thoughts and images of him and Chase together bombarded Alex’s brain. The intensity was too much for him to hold out any longer and he clamped his eyes closed as small lights seemed to flash in front of him. He bit his lip to muffle any sound as his orgasm hit. He felt as if his legs would collapse from under him, and he reached out to support himself as milky seed spurted from his cock in ropey strands. After a few moments he regained his breath and straightened. The water in the shower was beginning to cool so he quickly washed himself before turning


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off the stream. He pulled back the curtain and grabbed a towel to dry off. Then wrapping the cotton around his waist, he stepped out of the tub. He reached out to swipe the fog from the mirror and looked at his reflection once again. He was no longer pale. In fact, his face was flushed. And although he’d just come, it had done nothing to relieve his strange desires. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Knock, knock, knock. The pounding on the door caused him to jerk and he blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah?” “You done?” Chase asked, and Alex couldn’t help but wonder if his roommate’s friend was still here. “Be right out.” Alex listened, but noticed Chase didn’t leave immediately and he wondered if his friend was waiting for some specific reason. Eventually, though, Alex heard his roommate’s footsteps heading away. Alex waited another moment before he finally opened the door and glanced out into the hallway. This was ridiculous. Was he really afraid to face Chase? Shaking his head, he grabbed his cane and headed toward his bedroom. He was still recovering from the knee injury that ended his football career, and although he hated feeling like an invalid, he needed the cane to get around. Stepping into the room, he flipped on the light and then jerked to a halt. Chase was sitting at his desk. “Wha—” “We need to talk,” Chase said with stubborn resolve. “Um, it’s kind of late. Can’t we just—” “No, this can’t wait.”

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Chase seemed pretty determined. And Alex knew from experience that when Chase had an idea in his head, he was like a dog with a bone. He wasn’t going to let this go. Alex knew one way or another they’d be talking tonight. “Fine. Mind if I change first?” Alex gave him a pointed look. To his surprise Chase flushed and nodded. “Sorry. I’ll be in the living room.” Chase walked around Alex and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Alex sighed and dropped the towel. Then hobbling over to his dresser drawers, he rummaged around until he found a pair of sweatpants. Taking a seat on the bed, he struggled to pull them on. He immediately noticed his cock was already beginning to stir, even though he’d just come moments ago. He cursed his bad luck. After a bit of a wrestling match, he was finally able to remove his sweats. He found a pair of briefs to wear and then put the pants back on. The additional coverage concealed his semi-erection a little better, but he still worried what Chase might think if he saw it. He knew he couldn’t keep wasting time if he didn’t want Chase to come looking for him. Sighing, he drew a sweatshirt over his head and padded barefoot out to the living room, leaning heavily on his cane. All this walking around was beginning to put a strain on his knee. Chase was pacing back and forth, but came to a halt when Alex arrived. Alex saw no sign of the dark-haired man. He didn’t think the other guy would still be there, especially after Chase insisted on having a discussion. Nevertheless, he asked the question on his mind. “Did your friend leave?” Chase nodded and Alex was relieved. He wasn’t sure why, but he had the feeling Chase had sent the other man away. Alex walked farther into the room and took a seat on the couch.


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“You wanted to talk?” Alex realized he sounded confident and secure, when just the opposite was the case. Chase nodded again, but he didn’t say anything at first. Since Alex didn’t want to have the conversation in the first place, he wished he could have just walked away. But they had been friends for too long for him to ignore Chase’s need to talk. So he just sat and waited. “I know you’re probably shocked by what you saw,” Chase finally said. “No, not at all.” Sarcasm made Alex’s response sound harsher than he meant. He shook his head and tried again. “Sorry. I…yeah, I was surprised.” “I never meant for you to find out this way.” “How long have you known you were gay?” “I’m not gay,” Chase rushed to assure him. Despite the tense situation, Alex couldn’t help but be slightly amused by his friend’s fierce denial. “Dude, I hate to break it to you, but when you have a guy suck your dick, you’re gay.” A harsh laugh escaped Chase. “I still like women. I just like guys too.” “What’s that mean?” Chase shrugged. “I’m bisexual, I guess.” It wasn’t as if he could really judge his best friend. Alex had just got off on a gay fantasy, so he couldn’t help but wonder what that made him. “So…” Alex cleared his throat. “Is this the first time you ever…” Maybe this was just a one-time thing and they could both put this behind them, but Chase was shaking his head. “No, I’ve experimented a little bit before this, but tonight was the first time I ever had a guy…you know…” Chase’s voice trailed away. “Yeah.” Alex knew. The images were burned into his brain and his cock stiffened once again. Damn it. He needed to stop thinking about the details and

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concentrate on what his friend was confiding in him. So Chase was gay. Or bisexual. Whatever. He could accept that. Chase was his best friend and Alex wouldn’t turn away from their relationship because of Chase’s sexual orientation. What Alex couldn’t accept was his own attraction to his friend. “This doesn’t really change anything between us, you know. I’ll always be your friend,” he was quick to assure Chase. “I’m glad to hear that.” “I think we need to make a rule that requires us to agree that anything sexual stays in the bedrooms.” Alex swallowed and continued, “I don’t want to walk in on something like that again.” Chase nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, sorry about that. I should have been more discreet. I just figured you’d be gone all night. Speaking of that, what happened tonight?” Alex curled his lips in disgust. “Apparently Janet released me the same time the football team did. She thinks we need to take a break, a permanent one.” “That sucks, but you know…” “I know, I know, you never thought she was good enough for me anyway.” “Exactly.” Chase stood and headed into the kitchen. “Want a beer?” “Yeah, sure.” A beer wasn’t going to fix all his problems, but Alex wasn’t averse to pretending, at least for a little while longer.


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Chapter Two

Two days later Chase still wasn’t sure if he believed Alex’s ready acceptance of his bisexuality. For someone who supposedly was cool about everything, Alex was sure as hell not acting like it. There was some sort of barrier between them now and Chase couldn’t help but believe the knowledge of his orientation made Alex uncomfortable to be around him. Of course, if Alex knew the full truth of Chase’s attraction to him, his best friend would be running in the other direction. As it was, Alex seemed to be trying his best to prove he was nothing like his roommate. Instead, his friend rebounded from his breakup by immediately hooking up with Lyn, an ex-girlfriend. Even though Chase was jealous, at the same time he wasn’t going to stay home drowning his sorrows, pining away for a man who’d never be interested in him. Dmitri had been really cool about being unceremoniously thrown out of the apartment the other night, and he’d called Chase to invite him out with a few friends tonight. He said it was a group of gay guys who met regularly. Chase was looking forward to the get together and meeting some men. After one last glance in the mirror to check his appearance, he headed out of his room and literally ran into Alex in the hallway. Alex looked uncomfortable to see him. “Oh hey, what’s up?” “Not much. I’m going out, meeting some friends for coffee.” Chase wasn’t sure, but he thought he caught a look of disappointment cross Alex’s face at the announcement. Then his friend’s face cleared and Chase figured he must have been mistaken.

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“Anyone I know?” Alex didn’t exactly know Dmitri since the two men never met. “No, no one you know.” “I’m going out too. I’ll probably be out all night.” Alex shifted his gaze away and cleared his throat. “So if you’d like to have any of your friends come over…” His voice trailed away at the implication. Chase appreciated the fact Alex was trying to be an accommodating roommate, giving him a chance to have the apartment to himself. Nevertheless, Chase didn’t like the fact Alex would be spending the evening with an old flame. “Uh, thanks. I’ll see you later.” He walked past his friend and headed out of the apartment, not waiting around to see if Alex followed. He wasn’t going to let his concerns about Alex ruin his evening. The walk to meet Dmitri at the coffee shop had a dual effect of also clearing his head. Chase’s negative thoughts finally dissipated and he started to focus on the evening ahead. Tonight wasn’t about picking someone up, although Chase wasn’t averse to meeting some guys. The get-together was more about making friends with men who liked other men. He approached the coffee shop and saw Dmitri and Andre walking up from the other direction. Dmitri smiled as they met at the door. “Glad to see you made it.” “Thanks for the invite.” “You remember Andre, right?” “Sure, how could I forget?” It was a night burned into his memory. The other man chuckled and clapped him on the back. “Well, come on in and let’s introduce you to the rest of the guys.” The three men entered the coffee shop and headed toward the back. There were couches scattered around in four or five seating areas and music played


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low in the background. Three other men were already there waiting for their arrival. “Chase, this is Spencer, Taylor and Oliver.” Chase nodded to the three good-looking men, not knowing which one was which, but sure he would eventually figure it out. He took a seat on one of the empty couches where Dmitri joined him. “Three coffees?” Andre asked. Both Chase and Dmitri nodded. “Be right back.” “What’s your major?” The guy speaking looked American Indian, with high cheekbones, tanned skin and long, black, glossy hair that hung loose around his shoulders. He leaned forward and held out his hand. “I’m Taylor, by the way, in case you missed it.” “Thanks.” Chase nodded and shook Taylor’s hand. “I’m a business major, with a focus on marketing.” “So you’re a born salesman,” Taylor observed with a smile. “You could say that.” Chase had always been able to make friends with just about anyone. “What about you?” “I can’t sell anything,” Taylor said with a laugh. “As far as a major, I haven’t really decided yet. I’m still a freshman, so I guess I have a couple of years to figure it out.” Chase didn’t realize the other man was three years younger than him. Taylor definitely seemed mature for his age. “It’s pretty cool at your age you’ve already been able to come to terms with being gay.” Taylor shrugged. “I’m not gay, I’m bisexual. But my family has always been very open and liberal, so it wasn’t hard for me to come out.”

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Chase hadn’t been sure if his bisexuality would be accepted by this group, but it didn’t seem like he had to worry too much. “I started knowing I was interested in guys about the same time I knew I was interested in girls. I’ve been attracted to both sexes since puberty. This year was the first time I’ve ever acted on it though.” Chase thought he saw one of the other men roll his eyes, but before he could ask him what the hell that was all about, the man spoke. “How did you and Dmitri meet?” Chase shouldn’t have any reason to be embarrassed, but picking up someone in a bar wasn’t his style. Still, he didn’t have anything to hide. “It was at The Backdoor, Saturday night.” The guy cocked his eyebrow. “You’re the Saturday-night guy?” Chase glanced over at Dmitri, wondering just what he’d told the other man about their encounter. “Um, yeah, I guess I am.” “What’d you think of Dmitri’s cock-sucking abilities?” “Spencer!” Dmitri’s indignation at least let Chase know who asked the question. Chase shook his head in wonder at the guy’s bluntness. “Wow, that’s a pretty bold question, don’t you think?” Spencer shrugged. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure. Although it’s not as if I haven’t offered. So sue me if I’m interested.” Chase’s gaze shot to Dmitri, wondering if his presence had come between something here. The other man just shook his head however. “Come on, Spencer, you know it would never work between us. We’re both bottoms. Eventually we’d get bored waiting for the other one to take the lead. Now Chase here on the other hand—”


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Chase turned to Dmitri, fascinated by the direction of the conversation. “What about me?” “I just couldn’t help but be charmed by you.” Wry amusement laced Dmitri’s tone. “I guess so. You did follow him home after just meeting him,” Spencer pointed out. “What can I say, I’m a slut,” Dmitri noted. “I’m back,” Andre announced, returning with three coffee mugs in hand. He held out one of the cups to Chase. “By the way, I wasn’t sure how you took it, so I have sugar and creamer packets if you want them.” “Thanks.” Chase took the coffee from the other man. “Black is fine.” Andre handed the other coffee to Dmitri before sitting down to join them. “So what’d I miss?” Dmitri just shook his head. “Spencer was acting like Spencer, so you didn’t miss anything.” “Gotcha.” Andre took a sip from his cup as Spencer began to protest his innocence. During the exchange, Chase surreptitiously glanced over at Oliver, wondering about the man who’d remained silent. He looked a lot like Alex, tall and muscular, with sun-kissed blond hair. Dmitri leaned over to whisper, “Like what you see?” Chase turned at the question, feeling guilty at being caught looking at one man when he’d been invited by another. “Um…” “Don’t look so worried. You and I have no commitment to each other.” “He is good looking,” Chase admitted. “He looks a lot like your friend, huh?”

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“What do you mean?” Chase chanced a quick glance at the rest of the group to see if they had overheard any of the conversation. “Dude, don’t insult my intelligence.” Dmitri shot him a pointed look. “When he caught us the other night, you weren’t upset because your roommate discovered you liked getting your dick sucked. You were upset because it was him.” Chase clenched his jaw. He didn’t appreciate the direction this conversation was going. “We’re friends, best friends since high school. But that’s it. Alex is totally straight.” “And you’re not. Too bad, huh?” “What are you two talking about?” Andre asked, interrupting them before Chase could come up with a suitable response to Dmitri’s question. Instead Chase cleared his throat and shifted his gaze from Dmitri to his cousin. “Nothing.” “Uh-oh. I think there’s trouble in paradise,” Spencer observed with a laugh. “Why don’t you leave the guy alone?” Conversation in the group came to a screeching halt as Oliver spoke for the first time that evening. Even his voice reminded Chase of Alex. Damn it. He needed to stop thinking about his roommate. On the defensive, Chase insisted, “I don’t need anyone to look after me.” “I don’t doubt that,” Oliver said. He took a sip of his coffee and stared across the expanse at Chase. “Looks like everyone’s interested in the new boy in town,” Spencer noted with a bit of petulance. “Spencer!” Andre and Dmitri both spoke at the same time. “Hey, no worries, guys,” Chase assured them. “Everyone doesn’t need to keep trying to protect me. I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself.”


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“Is that true, Dmitri? Is he a big boy?” Spencer’s question was more than past the line of good behavior. Dmitri held up his hands in surrender. Turning toward Chase, he said, “You wanted it, so go ahead and deal with him.” “No problem,” Chase said with a smile. Turning toward the smart-mouthed man, he added, “Spencer, fuck off.” A huge smile spread over Spencer’s face. “I like him.” “Me too,” Taylor added. “I guess it’s unanimous.” Oliver’s words gave nothing away as to his mood, but Chase found he couldn’t look away. “Anyone who can stand up to Spencer and survive in a social situation is okay in my books.” Andre sighed, as if he was glad to see the end of the conversation. “Good, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s discuss party plans.” “Party?” Chase asked. “We’re planning a big bash next weekend. Not an all-gay event either. You’re welcome to invite anyone.” “Yeah, like your roommate.” It seemed as if Dmitri couldn’t help but bring the conversation back to Alex. “I could ask him, but I’m not sure what his plans are.” Any plans Alex had would most likely include Lyn. “He’s welcome to bring a date too,” Andre offered. “Just let us know.” The thought of Alex bringing Lyn to the party made Chase’s blood run cold. He’d almost rather not have his roommate be there. Of course, the way Alex had been acting around Chase meant he probably wouldn’t want to attend. The group began making plans for the party and Chase found himself offering to help with the setup and clean up. He was pleasantly surprised when

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Oliver volunteered to assist. The good-looking man fascinated Chase. He definitely wanted to know more about him. But he needed to talk to Dmitri first. When the group finally broke up for the night, Chase tapped Dmitri on the shoulder. “Do you have a minute?” “Sure.” Catching his cousin’s gaze, Dmitri told Andre, “I’ll be right out.” Andre nodded and ushered the other men to the door, leaving Chase and Dmitri alone to talk. “Um, I wanted to apologize again for the other night. That wasn’t how I wanted to end things.” Dmitri shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.” Then he tilted his head and stared at Chase for a minute. “You’re giving me the brush off though, right?” Chase grimaced. “I guess I am. I don’t want you to think I didn’t enjoy myself—” “But…you want to pursue something with Oliver.” “Yeah, and I don’t feel right leading you on after the other night.” “Chase, you’ve really got to stop worrying so much. We had a good time. It could have turned into a better time, but that’s okay.” “So we’re good?” Dmitri laughed. “Yeah, we’re good. Although I have to tell you, I think you’re doing Oliver a disservice more than you thought you were doing to me.” “What do you mean?” “You’re substituting him for the guy you really want. Is that going to make you happy?” He knew Dmitri was right. “To tell the truth, I don’t know. The only thing I know is, I’m not willing to ruin my friendship with Alex.” Chase only hoped it wasn’t too late.


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Alex didn’t want to be there. It wasn’t the restaurant that was the problem. He loved Italian food. The trouble was the person he was with. Lyn’s incessant chatter was getting on his nerves and he now remembered one of the reasons they broke up. “So I told Barbara we were going out tonight and she was shocked, completely and utterly shocked. But I told her I wasn’t surprised. Okay, so maybe a little bit. But, I mean, we were good together, right?” Blah, blah, blah. She continued to talk and talk and talk, and Alex continued to zone out, this hour following along just as the last had. Hooking back up with Lyn had been a mistake. One he wanted to rectify immediately, although he knew it was going to be impossible. Now that they’d reconnected it would be cruel for him to dump her so quickly. He was stuck and it was all his fault for calling her in the first place. “Alex, are you listening to me?” The petulant tone pulled him from his musings. “Sorry, Lyn.” The annoyed expression cleared and she smiled at him. “That’s okay.” She leaned in and kissed him briefly. “Why don’t we ask for the dessert to go and head on back to my place?” This was what he planned for the evening, dinner at a nice restaurant, a movie back at her place and maybe he might even get lucky. Now that the eventuality was upon him, however, he dreaded it. Panic had driven him to contact Lyn in the first place. He’d been stupid to think rekindling a relationship with her would somehow fix the discontent he’d felt since the big revelation about Chase.

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He may have had a weird reaction on Saturday, but that didn’t mean he was attracted to Chase. The idea was ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as his idea to return to Lyn after his break up with Janet. Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire. All the same, since he had practically promised Chase the apartment to himself, he was stuck with Lyn the rest of the night. Looks like I’ll be eating dessert at Lyn’s. “Sure let’s go,” he agreed and did his best to mask his reluctance. Lyn had the waiter boxing up the tiramisu in record time. She seemed to be as eager as he was unenthusiastic. The walk back to her apartment was excruciating. It had been a long day and by this time of night he was leaning heavily on his cane and moving slow. He couldn’t help but wonder how Chase’s evening was going. It was doubtful, but he couldn’t help but hope his roommate was having just as bad a time. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, however, he felt a flush of shame. Of course he didn’t wish for anything bad to happen to Chase. In fact, if he were truly a good friend, he’d only want the best for him. During the torturous walk to Lyn’s place, she prattled on about her classes, her sorority, and a ton of other mundane topics he had absolutely no interest in. When they finally reached her apartment, she ushered him inside. The place looked remarkably like he remembered it, chock full of furniture, and knickknacks covering every available surface. “Did you ever think you’d be back here?” Lyn asked. “No, never,” he answered honestly before wondering if he should have tempered his response. Lyn took it well however. “Me either. Isn’t it great?” Lyn threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.


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Her actions gave him the perfect excuse not to answer. Instead he did the one thing he shouldn’t do. His left hand settled on her waist and he pulled her in close as his tongue parted her lips and delved into her mouth. She moaned when he deepened the kiss. The problem was, he wasn’t moved by her touch. Pressing his body against hers was as arousing as watching paint dry. Annoyed with himself and his uncooperative cock, he pulled back and broke the embrace. “Do you want to go to my room?” Lyn’s soft question had him scrambling to put things back onto a non-sexual footing. “I really wanted to see that movie. Why don’t you put the DVD in?” The truth of the matter was he couldn’t remember what movie she told him she’d picked out. He settled himself on the larger of two couches and leaned his cane against the side table. He wished she had a single chair in her place so he could sit alone. Because sure as shit, right after she inserted the disc in the player, she sat next to him. Leaning over him, she switched off the table lamp before picking up the remote and hitting the button to begin the program. Once the film started, he wanted to groan out loud. My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Why couldn’t it have been some action flick? As if on cue she picked up his arm and put it over her shoulder, laid her head on his chest and tucked her feet under her body. Snuggling in close, she whispered, “I’ve heard it’s very romantic.” Great. Right now romance was the furthest thing from his head. For the first hour he stared straight ahead, wondering how he was going to extract himself from this situation. He’d brought it on himself. He could admit it. And he didn’t want to hurt Lyn. She was nice enough, even though she was annoying.

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About halfway through the movie though, Lyn must have decided she’d waited long enough for him to make a move. He didn’t notice her movements at first, but she began to slip his shirt buttons from their moorings. It was only when her hand dipped inside to stroke his chest he reacted. “What the—” He jerked upright. Lyn giggled and stroked her hand lower, over his abdomen. “Calm down, sweetie. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” “I’m not afraid,” he bit out in frustration. Pissed off was more like it. “Oh goodie.” Before he could react she swung herself around until she was straddling his lap. Grabbing the hem of her tee-shirt, she pulled it up over her head and tossed it to the side. “I’ve been looking forward to this all night.” This was the very situation he thought he wanted when he originally contacted her, but in actuality had been avoiding since dinner. He swallowed and grasped Lyn’s hips, intent on moving her off him. “Lyn, baby, I know you thought…” He’d led her to believe this was how the evening was going to end. What else was she going to think? “Alex, really, it’s not a big deal. I don’t expect you to court me. We’ve already done all that. I’m ready to move to the next level.” Reaching behind her, she unhooked her bra. She started to tug on the strap but he placed his hand over hers. “Lyn, I’m sorry I led you on, but this isn’t going to work. I think it’s time I went home.” She blinked in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing without her saying a word. He swiftly moved her off his lap and stood. He ran his hand through his hair, wondering how things had progressed so far off track. His leg felt stiff after sitting for so long and he grabbed his cane to support himself. When he turned


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back toward Lyn, she’d recovered enough to re-hook her bra. Nevertheless, she still looked shell-shocked. “Are you breaking up with me?” The words came out as a whine, which annoyed him to no end. “It wasn’t like we were going out. This…” he reached his left hand out to her. “Tonight was a mistake.” Lyn’s face clouded with anger. “You asshole. How dare you treat me like this. I should have listened to Barbara.” She jumped from her seat and sprung at him, nails at the ready to scratch his eyes out. He reacted with the speed of a man defending his life. Dropping his cane, he braced himself on his good leg as his hands closed around her wrists. “Damn it, Lyn. Calm down.” She struggled for a moment and he wondered how much longer he was going to be able to stand upright. He gave her a quick shake and Lyn seemed to deflate, her body going limp. Hoping he wasn’t making a mistake, he released her wrists warily. Instead of attacking again she took a step back and sank onto the couch. “Get out.” “Are you—” He worried about her state of mind, but she cut him off. “Just leave.” He decided to move while the going was good. Leaning down, he retrieved his cane and beat feet toward the door. Within minutes he was on the sidewalk outside her place. Now he was going to be forced to go home. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Chase’s number, but it immediately went to voice mail. He snapped the phone shut and then flipped it open again to dial the apartment. There was an off chance Chase was already home, but the answering machine clicked on after four rings.

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With a heavy sigh, he trudged onward, hoping against hope he didn’t once again interrupt something. By the time he was climbing the three normally insignificant steps into the building he felt as if his leg was a lead weight. “What the fuck is going on with you?” Chase’s voice from behind him caused Alex to glance over his shoulder. He couldn’t even express to himself how happy he was at that moment to see Chase was alone. “Hey man, I’m sorry, but I had a change in plans tonight. Hope you don’t mind.” “Hell no, I don’t mind, but why the hell are you walking like that?” “Spent a little too much time on the leg today.” “You think.” Chase had moved to join him on the stoop. Standing on Alex’s left side, Chase helped support him as the two of them walked into the building and toward the elevator. Once there, Alex leaned heavily against the wall. “You know you’re going to re-injure that leg if you keep pushing yourself.” He didn’t need Chase to state the obvious. He was already regretting everything about this evening, but most urgently at the moment, his stupid decision to walk tonight. “Stop trying to mother me.” “Shut up.” The words were said almost matter of fact. The ding of the elevator announced its arrival and Chase strode inside to hold the door open as Alex shuffled in behind him. They rode to their floor in silence and again Chase held the door for Alex. Once in the hallway however, his roommate ignored Alex’s earlier warning and helped him to their doorway. Inside their apartment, Alex tried to move away. Chase’s touch was beginning to make him think about those things he’d pushed to the back of his brain. “I’m fine.” “Bullshit.” Chase’s harsh response had Alex blinking in surprise. “I’m not going to watch you fall flat on your face trying to make it to bed. Come on.”


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Between his friend’s support and the cane, Alex was in his bedroom in record time and finally sitting on the edge of his bed. Chase lingered in the doorway as if waiting for Alex to make conversation. Maybe he’d invited someone over after all and was trying to figure out how to tell Alex. “How’d things go tonight?” “Great actually. I met some nice guys. They’re having a party on the weekend and you’re welcome to come if you like. You can bring Lyn.” Doubtful. “No, actually I can’t. She kind of threw me out of her place tonight.” Chase grimaced. “Damn, awkward.” Alex snorted. “Yeah, well calling her probably wasn’t one of my best ideas.” “You’re still welcome to come to the party. Bring another date if you like.” Alex frowned. “I’ll see.” His response must have sounded bad, because Chase suddenly straightened. “Fine, just let me know.” Chase cleared his throat. “Do you need any more help?” “No, I’m good.” Chase nodded. “Good night then.” He closed the door behind him, leaving Alex sitting there wondering why he was pushing his friend away.

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The apartment was empty when Chase came home from class a few days later, but he wasn’t surprised. Alex was avoiding him. He wasn’t sure where his friend was hanging, but it wasn’t here. The other man came in after Chase went to bed at night and was gone before he was up in the morning. Other than the wet towels and dirty dishes, he wouldn’t have even known for sure Alex was still around. Dropping his backpack off in his room, he made himself dinner before returning to his room to start on his homework. His concentration level was nil. His thoughts continued to return to Alex. It was ridiculous the two men, who had been friends for so long, couldn’t talk out this problem. Chase put away his books and headed back into the kitchen. He didn’t bother turning on the light. Instead he pulled open the freezer and grabbed the bottle of vodka. Finding a tumbler in the cupboard, he poured himself three fingers full. Chase stared at the clear liquid for a long moment before bringing the glass to his lips and gulping the drink in one swallow. The alcohol burned as it flowed down his throat, seeming to warm him from the inside out. But it was also beginning to relax him, which was what he’d been hoping for. Bottle in hand, he headed back to the living area and settled himself on the couch. He knew of another method of relaxation as well, one he hadn’t enjoyed in quite some time. Clicking the television remote on, Chase switched to the pay per view porn channel to see what was playing.

Liz Andrews

Once he chose a show, Chase settled back on the couch. The plot was ridiculous, but that wasn’t the point. He was waiting for the sex to begin. Chase watched with interest as the couple in the film began to get hot and heavy on a deserted beach. The girl was the wholesome type who looked as if she could actually be the girl next door. In fact, she reminded him of a lot of girls he’d known in high school. The guy was good looking and buff. Chase appreciated the curve of the man’s ass as well as the thickness of his cock. And the interaction between the couple on screen, if not exactly genuine, at least didn’t seem forced. Within minutes Chase was sporting a substantial bulge between his legs. He pushed his sweatpants down, allowing his erection to spring free. Licking his palm generously, he wrapped his hand around his cock and began to stroke up and down, watching the images flickering on the screen. He pumped his fist over his erection, once and then twice before pausing to squeeze the mushroomed head. Precome was gathering at the tip and he used his natural juices to lubricate his thick member. Speeding up his actions, he closed his eyes and began to fantasize about the one man he couldn’t have. What he would do if he actually could have Alex was something Chase imagined when he allowed himself the luxury. He would pull his roommate close, claiming his mouth similar to the way he wanted to claim his body. Alex’s lips would part and allow Chase’s tongue to penetrate and explore. His cock jerked under his tightening fist. Fuck, he was only driving himself crazy dreaming about what he couldn’t have. But it wasn’t going to stop him. Once images of Alex penetrated his consciousness he couldn’t think of anything else. The movie was forgotten. Instead, thoughts of Alex on his knees before him filled his head. Alex licking and sucking his cock, sending him into a tumultuous whirlwind of sensation. Chase’s movements sped and he pulled harder, faster, wanting to

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come in Alex’s mouth, even if only in his mind. His balls were tight against his body. He groaned Alex’s name harshly and came, shooting stream after stream of creamy semen from his pulsating cock, soaking his hand and abdomen. Collapsing back against the couch cushions, he struggled to calm his breathing. He slowly opened his eyes and grimaced at the mess he made. He grabbed a couple of tissues to clean up, but only succeeded in making a bigger mess. Stuffing his limp cock back into his sweats, he headed down the hall and into the bathroom. After washing up, he grabbed a towel and returned to the living area to see if he needed to clean up the evidence of his fantasy. The sight of Alex standing there, leaning heavily on his cane and watching the porn scene play out on the television brought Chase to a screeching halt. Shit! “I, uh, I’m sorry, I uh…” Alex began to stammer over an apology and Chase realized his friend was worried about interrupting his movie watching. “No problem.” Chase walked toward the television, intent on turning it off. “No, don’t…I mean, you don’t have to stop watching.” Alex’s gaze flicked back to the television. “I didn’t realize you liked this sort of thing.” “Porn?” “I mean this kind.” Alex waved his free hand toward the television. Chase’s brows drew together in a frown as he tried to figure out what Alex meant. Then it finally came to him. “You mean straight porn?” Alex cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah.” Chase chuckled and shrugged. “I told you, just because I’m attracted to men doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being attracted to women.” Alex shot him a confused grin. “Yeah, I know that’s what you said. But look at it from my point of view. You never seemed to like guys before, and then all of sudden I come home and see…well…you know.” Alex rushed on as if he didn’t


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want to dwell on the scene he’d interrupted. “And now this, it’s just so…normal.” Chase kind of understood what Alex meant, but at the same time was vaguely insulted. “Normal. Because having a guy suck me off is what, abnormal?” Alex rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t put words into my mouth.” “Okay, fine, what did you mean?” Chase could feel his anger simmering. Was this the real reason Alex had been avoiding him the last week? Was he disgusted by him now? Alex grimaced and Chase realized his friend had been standing in one place for too long. “Damn it. Sit down before you fall down already.” “Don’t tell me what to do.” “Someone has to.” Chase ran his gaze over Alex, really seeing him for the first time tonight. He had a few days of stubble covering his chin and looked as if he’d been sleeping in his clothes. But the worst was the pain etched into his face. Alex’s knee must have been aching something fierce, because he hadn’t looked this bad since the accident first occurred. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself, that much is obvious.” Putting Alex’s health before his own tumultuous feelings, Chase stepped forward and with an arm around his friend, helped Alex to sit. It must have been worse than Alex had even let on, because he was almost dead weight by the time they moved the few feet and both men collapsed onto the couch. Chase shook his head in amazement. “What the hell have you been doing to yourself, man? You’re a wreck.” “Thanks a hell of a lot.”

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“Just telling it like it is.” Alex ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I’ve been working hard at my rehab. It’s just a little worse than I thought it would be.” “You need to tell the doctor. He can’t expect you to be suffering this much.” “It’s not him. I mean, he doesn’t know.” Chase frowned. “What the hell do you mean, he doesn’t know? Wasn’t he the one who ordered your rehab?” Alex shook his head, his skin flushed. “Yeah, but I’ve been doing a little bit more each day, nothing too strenuous.” “Bullshit. It looks as if you pushed yourself to the limit and then past it. Why the hell would you do that?” “I don’t want to be a burden. If you didn’t have to spend so much time here, helping me out, you could be out doing all the things you want.” Chase’s gaze narrowed while listening to Alex’s explanation. “First, I am doing everything I want, so don’t worry about it. Second, if you want to get out of the apartment and away from the gay guy, all you had to do was tell me. No one is forcing you to remain my roommate.” Chase hated the thought their friendship might end, but he would never want to make Alex feel as if he had to stay. Alex looked shocked by Chase’s words, but he didn’t immediately deny them either. Instead he turned his head away, almost as if in embarrassment. “Chase, as much as I’d love to argue with you right now, I can’t. I think I’m going to be sick.” “Fuck.” Chase jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Snatching the small garbage can that was thankfully empty, he rushed back into the living area to shove the pail under Alex’s head. Alex reached out and gripped Chase’s arm tight in an attempt to fight the nausea. There were a few tense moments, and


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Chase thought Alex would crush his arm, but eventually Alex lifted his head and released his grip. “I think I’m going to be okay,” Alex announced. “You might not be puking, but you’re a long way from being okay.” Alex gave a humorless snort. “You’re just full of the compliments tonight, aren’t you?” “Hey, if your best friend can’t tell you the truth, who can?” Alex shot him a wry look. “Can my best friend help me into the bedroom?” “Come on.” Chase hauled the larger man to his feet and the two made their way to Alex’s bedroom. Once Alex dropped to the bed, Chase stood there, feeling awkward. “You going to be fine by yourself?” Alex nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” Chase headed toward the door, but was brought to a halt by Alex calling his name. “Yeah?” “I don’t want to get away from the gay guy. You’ll always be my best friend, no matter what.” Chase wasn’t sure where the idea came from, but he blurted it out before he could stop himself. “Prove it.” Alex cocked his head. “How?” “Come to the party Friday night.” Alex stared at him and then nodded. “Okay, you can count on me. I’ll be there.” “Thanks.” Chase walked from the room quickly, before Alex had a chance to change his mind. Chase didn’t want to lose Alex from his life, so he was willing to take baby steps, as long as in the end they both walked away with their friendship intact.

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Alex took a sip from his drink and wondered, not for the first time tonight, what the hell he was doing at this party. Sure the music was good. The drinks and snacks were plentiful. And even though Chase had assured him many times that it wasn’t a “gays only” party, Alex had still been surprised to see lots of hot women around. What Alex wasn’t happy about seeing was all the men flocking around Chase. As soon as they’d arrived, Chase has been whisked away by a couple of his new friends, under the guise of helping out with the party preparations. Chase made a futile effort to stick by his roommate’s side, but Alex told him to go on, not wanting to hold him back from fulfilling his obligations. What Alex didn’t know was he would only be seeing Chase from a distance for most of the night. It was bad enough Chase kept talking with Dmitri. Alex couldn’t help but remember the one other time he’d seen the man. Although, if Alex were honest with himself, Chase didn’t seem to be treating Dmitri in any special way. If he didn’t know any better, Alex would have just thought they were friends. The man who really worried Alex, however, was Oliver. Chase had lit up when Oliver arrived, had gone out of his way to greet the man, and even bring him over to meet his roommate. Alex shook the other man’s hand, smiled and spoke when it was polite, but inside he was seething. He could immediately tell Chase was interested in this guy. It annoyed Alex to no end. Nor did he appreciate the way he was reacting to the situation. Why should he care who Chase was interested in? As quick as possible, Alex excused himself from the couple to find the bar. Two hours later he was on his third, or was it fourth, drink and hungrily looking for any sight of Chase through the crowd. “Hey Alex, having a good time?”


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He turned, squinting to see who was talking to him. Although they met when Alex first arrived at the party, he couldn’t remember the other man’s name. “It’s Andre.” Alex nodded. Not Dmitri, but the cousin. “Right, Andre.” Alex took another sip of his drink and looked around the room, unable to find Chase. “Yeah, the party’s a blast.” “I was kind of surprised you decided to come.” Alex stopped scanning the room and turned back toward Andre. “What was that?” “Just didn’t think we’d see you here.” Andre shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but Alex wasn’t drunk enough not to see the shrewd look in the other man’s eyes. He was fishing for something. “Didn’t Chase tell you he’d invited me?” “Sure he did. We told him to invite anyone he wanted. Dmitri even suggested inviting you.” That took Alex back a bit. Hell, he didn’t realize Dmitri knew who he was. “He did?” Andre nodded. “Yeah, he told Chase you could bring your girlfriend if you wanted.” Alex flushed. “We broke up.” “No worries. Either way, I guess I just didn’t figure you’d come. Glad to see I was wrong.” Alex’s brow drew together in a frown. The other guy didn’t even know him. Alex couldn’t think of any reasonable explanation to make Andre think Alex wouldn’t attend the party. “Why didn’t you think I’d come?” “You want the truth?”

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“It would be preferable.” “Just a feeling I had. Maybe it was because Chase didn’t seem to think you’d want to come.” “Is that what he said?” Again Andre gave the negligible shrug. “Not in so many words.” “What words did he use, exactly?” Alex was suddenly feeling very sober. “I don’t remember the exact words. Something about needing to check your schedule.” “And from that you came to the conclusion Chase didn’t think I’d want to come?” Andre smiled then, his earlier casual attitude disappearing. “Seems to me you’re awfully worried about whether or not Chase wanted you here.” “We’re friends. Of course I care.” “Friends.” Andre drew the word out as if it were one he’d never heard before. “Is that why you’ve been watching his moves all night? Because he’s your friend?” Alex could feel the flush rise through his body. It wasn’t embarrassment. No, it was anger. How dare this man, this stranger, judge him? “Yes, Chase is my friend. My best friend. And I care about him. So if that means I want to make sure he’s not…taken advantage of, then that’s what I’m going to do.” “Interesting choice of words.” Alex was really becoming sick and tired of the smug look on Andre’s face. “Almost as if we’re a bad influence who might corrupt him.” Fuck! First Chase, now this guy. Did everyone think he was a raging homophobe? “Don’t put words in my mouth. I would want to protect Chase from anyone until I knew I could trust them. We’ve been friends for a long, long time.”


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“Are you sure you only want to protect him, or keep him all to yourself?” Alex clenched his jaw, unwilling to admit how close to home Andre’s accusations were. He didn’t need to stand there listening to this fucker. “I think I’ve changed my mind. This party is a bust. I’m out of here.” He lifted his drink to his lips and downed it in one swallow before slamming the glass onto the nearby table. He pushed past Andre and went in search of Chase. It seemed as if his roommate had disappeared, however. The room was packed with people and Alex was steadily growing frustrated. When he staggered and bumped into one couple making out, he stumbled over his apology. “Um, hey, sorry guys, didn’t mean to…” “No problem.” One of the men turned toward him and Alex grimaced when he recognized it was Dmitri. Great. Not exactly the person he was looking for, especially after his conversation with Andre. The other guy gave him a welcoming smile. “You enjoying yourself?” Ignoring his question, Alex got to the heart of the matter. “Have you seen Chase? I need to talk to him.” Dmitri’s previous openness disappeared and he immediately looked guilty. “Um, I’m not sure.” The other man spoke up. “I think he wanted a bit of fresh air.” “Spencer,” Dmitri muttered, shoving at the other guy as if trying to shut him up. “What did I say?” Spencer shrugged, but Alex had the feeling the two of them were trying to hide something about Chase, but he wasn’t into playing their stupid little games. “Look, do you know where he is or not?” Spencer snorted. “He’s outside.”

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Dmitri shook his head in obvious disgust. “You just don’t know when the fuck to keep your mouth shut.” Alex didn’t wait around to listen any further to the bickering couple. He headed out to the patio. When he reached the French doors, Alex peered outside, but he was unable to see anything. His hand paused on the handle of the door and he debated going outside to look for Chase. Deep in his heart he had the feeling he was going to discover something he didn’t want to see. He turned the handle and stepped out into the cool night air. Voices were coming from deeper within the yard and he noticed a path led to a gazebo. Leaning heavily on his cane, Alex walked to the building where he could see shadows inside. Alex’s heart was beating faster as he grew closer to his destination. When he recognized Chase’s voice, his steps sped up. “I appreciate everything, Oliver.” “No, Chase, thank you.” What the fuck! Alex stepped into the gazebo and watched as Oliver pulled Chase into an embrace, leaning down to capture his lips in a kiss. Without thought, Alex reached out, grabbed Oliver by the shoulder, and pulled him away from Chase. “What the—” Oliver stumbled back, his gaze darting between Alex and Chase in bewilderment. Chase, however, didn’t look at all confused. It was more than evident he was angry. But since Alex felt the same way, he really didn’t care. “Alex, are you drunk?” He might have had a couple of drinks, but at this point he was stone-cold sober. “No, I’m not drunk. But I could ask you the same thing.” “Alex, maybe you ought to…” Oliver’s calm voice only antagonized him more.


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“Oliver, why the hell don’t you mind your own business? This is between me and Chase.” “But if you’d just listen.” Oliver reached out to Alex, but he stepped back to avoid the other man’s touch, barely avoiding crashing to the ground. “Back off.” Chase stepped between them. “Enough. Oliver, let me talk to Alex. I’ll call you later, okay?” Alex gritted his teeth while watching the exchange, noting how Chase’s face softened when he spoke to the other man. Oliver nodded, obviously not ready to provoke Alex further, before turning and heading back to the house. As soon as Oliver was out of sight, Chase turned on Alex. “What the fuck is your malfunction? Oliver didn’t deserve your bullshit.” “And it’s all about fucking Oliver, isn’t it?” In more ways than one. That’s truly what burned Alex. Chase made it abundantly clear he cared more for someone he just met than the best friend he had known for years. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” “You’re more interested in hurting Oliver’s feelings, right? I mean, we don’t want Oliver to get upset, do we?” “I don’t get where this is coming from, Alex. You’ve never been rude to any new friends I’ve made. Why are you suddenly starting now?” And that was the true crux of the matter. Alex didn’t know why things were different now. The only thing he did know was he could no longer idly sit by while Chase explored this new side of himself. “New friends usually means a couple more guys who show up at the poker party or to watch the game on Sunday. Fucking them isn’t usually part of the bargain.”

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Chase took a step back as if Alex had slapped him across the face. “Is that it? These guys are gay?” “Jesus, Chase. It has nothing to do with them being gay. It’s the fact you want them.” “What are you saying, you’re mad I’m fucking my new friends instead of my old one?” Chase’s comment was said off the cuff, a snort of derision in his tone, but Alex reeled from the implication. It was what he wanted and he suddenly realized it. All this time Alex had been hiding from the truth. Ever since he learned Chase was bisexual, Alex could think of nothing else but being with him. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”


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“Wha—” There was no way Chase could have heard correctly. Alex couldn’t have just declared he wanted to be fucked by Chase. Oh hell no. His friend was as straight as they came. And although he might want things to be different, that wasn’t going to change. The two men stared at each other, caught in the moment, frozen in time. Alex reacted first, turning and exiting the gazebo, his cane thumping on the wooden steps as he made his way down. “Alex, wait…” Finally moving, Chase followed his friend, but Alex continued to hobble across the yard as if he couldn’t hear him. “Damn it, we’ve been friends for too long for you to just leave like this.” Chase’s long strides were beginning to catch up to the other man, but just when he thought he reached him, the French doors opened and Taylor walked out onto the patio. “Hey, Chase,” he called out, “what’s happening?” Ignoring the younger man, Chase grabbed Alex’s arm. “Damn it, Alex, stop and talk to me.” Alex shook him off and kept walking. “Everything okay here?” Taylor’s earlier jovial tone was now filled with concern. Chase watched with dismay as Alex reached the French doors and opened them to enter the house, never once turning around to look at Chase. “Yeah, fine, everything is just fine.” “No offense, man, but you are like the worst liar ever.”

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Chase reached up to pinch at the bridge of his nose in a lame attempt to fight off the headache he could feel beginning to throb in his temples. “My friend, he…” How did he explain that Alex had thrown him the biggest curve ball in his life? “We were arguing.” “Yeah, I kind of figured that one out.” Taylor snorted, walked over to a nearby seat and flopped onto the chaise lounge. “The dude looked majorly pissed, no doubt about it.” Chase walked over to the table and chairs next to the lounger and took a seat as well. “If anyone should be pissed it’s me. First he interrupts a private conversation, practically starts a fight, and then decides to drop a bombshell on me.” “Well, if the truth be told, I didn’t just come out here on a whim. Dmitri asked me to check on things after Alex said he was looking for you. When I ran into Oliver on my way out, well, I thought it might be prudent for there to be a third party around, just in case.” “Just in case what?” “No one would come back to our parties if they thought gay bashing was going on.” Chase shook his head. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. Alex isn’t prejudiced.” “Then what was that fight about? Because Oliver was pretty damned sure Alex wanted to take his head off.” Even to himself Chase found it hard to explain. How was he going to explain it to someone else? “Alex wasn’t happy I was out in the gazebo with Oliver. In fact…” He released a heavy sigh before continuing. “He was jealous.” Taylor cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow. “Jealous how, exactly?” That was the question of the hour. “At first I thought he didn’t appreciate the fact I was making new friends. But…”


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“But what?” “I made an off-hand comment, and Alex said something that shocked the shit right out of me.” “He wants you as much as you want him.” For the second time that night Chase was stunned into silence. Taylor chuckled. “Oh, come on, it’s pretty obvious there’s some majorly suppressed sexual tension between the two of you. Besides, although I didn’t specifically notice it, Andre mentioned Alex had been watching your every move all night.” “I…” Chase’s mind was whirling. How was it possible he hadn’t noticed Alex’s attention? And after Alex’s comment in the gazebo, it suddenly shone a whole new light on their situation. Chase’s bedrock views were now skewed; he didn’t know what to believe anymore. “You look like you’ve been hit with a ton of bricks. Didn’t you know he was interested in you?” “Hell no, I didn’t know. He’s straight.” Chase continued to mouth what he’d always believed, even though the truth of the matter had been thrown back at him just moments before. Taylor chuckled and shook his head. “Dude, both you and I know better than anyone that you can’t dictate who you become attracted to. Maybe he didn’t know you were what he wanted until that option was off the table.” “That option was never on the table. We didn’t have that kind of relationship. We were truly just friends.” “Okay, first, you didn’t have that kind of relationship? Has something changed?” Chase flushed at Taylor’s instinctive observation, but didn’t answer as Taylor continued to speak. “And second, as far as being friends, haven’t you

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ever heard about friends who turn into lovers? Besides, you fell for him. Why is it so hard to believe he wouldn’t reciprocate?” Taylor’s words had Chase thinking about his relationship with Alex in a whole new light. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Jesus, I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. Alex has always been a good friend, but once I accepted I liked men as much as women, he was…well, someone I knew I was attracted to. But I also knew he would never return those feelings and I was okay with that.” “Never say never. Alex cares about you and it’s a lot more than pure friendship.” “I know,” Chase whispered. Alex’s confession had shocked the hell out of him, but it was obvious things had changed. “So, something did happen.” Chase nodded. “After Oliver left, we argued and then…Alex blurted out he wanted me.” “You need to talk to him.” Taylor sat up. “He’s probably totally confused right now—about a lot of things.” Confused—that explained how Chase was feeling as well. “I don’t know what to say to him.” “How about being honest with him, tell him how you feel.” “I always thought that would send him running immediately in the opposite direction.” “Guess you don’t need to worry about that anymore.” Taylor stood and stretched. “And now that I’ve done my Dr. Phil impression for the night, I think I’m going back into the party.” Chase stuck out his hand. “Thanks man. I appreciate the advice.”


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“No problem.” Taylor took his hand, but instead of shaking it, he pulled Chase into his embrace and gave him a quick hug before releasing him. “You want me to give your goodbyes to the guys?” “Yes, please.” “Good luck, man.” Taylor walked through the French doors and back to the party. “Thanks.” Chase didn’t bother to follow him inside. Instead walked around the outside of the house to the front. It was time to confront Alex.

The better part of the last hour seemed to pass in a heartbeat. Alex knew his time was limited, but frankly he’d expected Chase to have interrupted him by now. Somehow he couldn’t believe his bad luck had changed so drastically. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he could get out of the apartment before Chase’s return, all the better. As far as Alex was concerned, tonight ranked number one on his list of total disasters. He was still shaky, thinking about the fact he’d revealed his feelings to Chase. Hell, to himself as well. He had no idea where the words had appeared from, other than deep in his subconscious, but he knew the truth of them as soon as they left his lips. Shaking his head, Alex tried to push the thoughts away. He slammed the lid on the suitcase and hauled it off the bed, almost tipping himself over in the process before settling the luggage on the floor. Damn fucking knee was the least of his worries, however. He needed to be gone, out of the apartment, before there was a confrontation between him and Chase. Maybe after tonight he could face what he said, but right now it was too raw and real. He just wanted to find a hotel room, collapse, and drink the rest of the night into oblivion.

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He pushed his thumb against the button of the handle and pulled it out before tilting the suitcase and rolling it behind him as he walked out of his bedroom. All he needed was to grab his backpack and he’d be out of there. Heading into the living area, he stopped by the desk and snagged his books, shoving them into the pack before slinging it over his shoulder. With one hand on his cane and the other pulling the suitcase, he made his way to the door. He’d only taken a few awkward steps when the front door burst open and Chase strode inside, slamming the door behind him. And just like that, Alex’s luck turned bad once more. Damn, damn, damn. Chase looked him up and down, his gaze catching on the suitcase. “Going somewhere?” “Get out of my way, Chase.” Alex took a step forward, but Chase didn’t budge. “Why are you running?” Alex grimaced. “Come on, Chase, you can’t be that dumb.” “I must be, because I thought we were best friends.” “We were, we are. I just…I can’t do this right now.” Alex took another step forward, but he couldn’t intimidate Chase, even though he was taller and larger. “Sorry, man, but I am your friend and I’m not going to let you to walk out of here and pretend this never happened.” Alex turned and stepped away from Chase, abandoning his suitcase, and allowing his backpack to slide off his shoulder and slip to the floor. He reached up to rub his temple in a vain attempt to stave off the headache pounding behind his eyes. “What? I was drunk and said a bunch of stupid stuff. If you give me Oliver’s number I’ll call and apologize for being an ass.” “Bullshit.”


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Alex snorted and dropped his hands to his sides, turning to face Chase head on. “What the hell, you don’t believe I’d apologize?” “You weren’t drunk,” Chase noted. “Just pissed off and finally telling the truth.” “What makes you an authority on me?” Alex sneered. His bravado was a façade. The vulnerability he’d felt earlier in the evening was suddenly magnified one hundred fold. “Damn it, Alex, stop trying to change the subject.” “And what’s the subject exactly?” “You said you wanted me,” Chase reminded him unnecessarily. “We need to talk about that.” No, no, no. Alex didn’t want to have this conversation. He was holding on to his friendship with Chase by a thread. This would sever what they had completely. “Why can’t you just let it go?” “Is that what you really want, for me to forget you ever said anything?” “Yes, actually. I want things to go back to the way they were before.” When they were just buddies and Alex wasn’t suddenly discovering an unknown attraction to his best friend. “What about what I want?” Alex sighed and shrugged. “What’s that?” “You.” Chase took a step and pulled Alex into his arms. With one hand at the back of his neck, Chase leaned in and captured Alex’s mouth in a blazing kiss. Desire flowed through Alex, hot and thick, as Chase’s lips pressed against his. With a slight bit of pressure, Alex’s lips parted to allow Chase access. As their tongues tangled, Alex’s world suddenly tilted on its axis. He was kissing a man. No, he was kissing his best friend. And loving every moment of it.

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Chase deepened the kiss and the hot, wet suction of his mouth had Alex groaning in need. Why did something so wrong feel so right? Alex lifted his hands to Chase’s shoulders to push him away, but the feel of the other man’s muscles beneath his fingertips had him pausing for a moment. He wanted to run his hands over Chase’s back as his friend pressed his body hard against his own. Alex was confused about his feelings of both euphoria and dread. Mentally shaking his head, he pushed Chase away from him. Startled, Chase broke their embrace and stumbled backward. “You…you shouldn’t have done that.” Alex did his best to infuse some strength into his voice. “You wanted me to kiss you as much as I wanted to do it. Admit it.” Alex shook his head, unwilling to humiliate himself further. “No, that’s not what I wanted. Look, just let me leave already.” “No way, man.” Chase took a step forward. “You enjoyed every minute of my mouth against yours.” Alex shook his head again, but Chase was undaunted. “Really? Then why is your dick hard as a steel rod?” Chase clasped his hand over the unmistakable bulge jutting from behind Alex’s ever-increasingly tighter jeans and gave a brief squeeze. Alex could deny the kiss all he wanted, but his erection wasn’t going away anytime soon. “Damn it, Chase, just stop it.” Alex reached down to remove Chase’s hand, but he was no match for the other man. Chase hooked an arm around Alex’s back to hold him in place. “Don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to yourself. You want to know what it’s like. Let me show you.” Alex swallowed hard and tried to think of a response, but before he could, Chase deftly unfastened Alex’s belt then unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the


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zipper. In shock, Alex said nothing as Chase slipped his hand in the opening of Alex’s boxers and parted the fabric, allowing his cock to spring forth. The cool air against his heated flesh loosened Alex’s tongue and his hands. He reached down and tried to push him away. “What are you doing?” “What you want.” Chase refused to budge. He wrapped his hand around Alex’s straining erection, pumped him once, and then twice. “What we both want.” “I don’t want this.” Even to Alex, his words rang false. “Liar.” Chase dragged his thumb across the crown and Alex took a shuddering deep breath. He moved his hand to fondle Alex’s testicles, rubbing the sensitive spot between his ass and balls. The heady sensation of his caress had Alex’s hips jerking, a reaction that caused Chase to chuckle. “See, you want it. Don’t you?” Alex refused to answer aloud, but he shook his head. Unable to pull away, he could only stand there and enjoy Chase’s touch. His cock throbbed under Chase’s skillful fingers. And although he tried to deny his need, Alex worked his hips forward and pushed his aching shaft into Chase’s hand. At the same time, however, his brain was telling him this was what he’d been trying to avoid. This was Chase, his best friend, jerking his cock better than any woman ever had. Pleasure radiated through Alex’s body, robbing him of reason and his will. Tired of fighting himself and Chase, Alex closed his eyes. He gave in to his friend’s touch and just allowed himself to feel. Chase’s hand was slightly calloused and enveloped his cock with warmth. The variation of touches put Alex off guard. He never knew if Chase was going to be fast and rough, or slow and gentle. It didn’t matter since Alex loved them both.

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“Take me out.” Chase’s forceful words startled Alex. Opening his eyes, he stared into Chase’s passion-filled gaze. “I want your hands on me.” The direct order spurred him into action. Alex’s hand shook as he reached out to unbutton Chase’s pants. He was nervous, but at the same time excited. Before he could think about the consequences of his actions, he quickly divested Chase of his pants and shorts, pushing the material down to expose the other man’s cock. His friend was hard, the tip glistening with precome. Alex really wanted to feel that silky smoothness. He reached out a finger and swirled the moisture around, covering the crown with Chase’s own wetness. The mushroom-shaped head was slick and warm under Alex’s hand. He gathered Chase’s natural lube and stroked down his thick length. It was the first cock Alex had ever touched other than his own. There was a familiarity about it, however. Instinctively he tightened his grip around the hard-as-steel erection and Chase groaned in appreciation. “Yeah, that’s right, nice and hard.” Chase’s encouraging words urged him on. He continued to stroke Chase and his roommate returned the favor. Alex thrust his hips hard against Chase’s fist, fucking his hand. At the same time his own hand circled Chase’s cock, moving with ease up and down the veined shaft. “Just like that. So fucking good.” Chase was very vocal in his encouragement, a fact Alex found all too arousing. The more Chase said, the more Alex wanted to please him. The enjoyment was so intense Alex didn’t ever want it to end, but he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold out. His cock was ready to explode. Just when he thought he couldn’t take any more, Chase reached up with his other hand, pulling Alex close. Their erections brushed against one another,


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causing Alex to suck in his breath in reaction. If he thought the feel of Chase’s hand was exciting, his cock stroking against Alex’s was extraordinary. Chase must have felt the same way, because he turned his body to bring their cocks into closer vicinity. The thick, hard members brushed against one another, almost taunting Alex with the contact. Alex could no longer keep silent. “Fuck, Chase.” His hips jerked and he pushed himself hard against Chase’s cock. His breathing was a rough gasp and he struggled to retain some semblance of control. But Chase wasn’t willing to allow that. He redoubled his efforts. Pulling hard on Alex’s cock, he thrust his own hard shaft back and forth within Alex’s grip. “Come for me, Alex. Come now.” The harshly worded command had Alex shooting his creamy semen over Chase’s fingers. A scant moment later, Alex brought Chase to completion as he shot his own load. Both men collapsed back against the couch, the only sound in the room their rough breathing.

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Chapter Five

The sound of a slamming door woke Chase from his sleep. The murmur of voices in the next apartment alerted him to the fact his neighbors had returned home. His eyes felt gritty when he opened them slowly to look around. He started to move and realized he was feeling stiff and sore from his awkward position. Chase sat up and stretched his arms over his head. Then he rolled his head until he heard his neck crack. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen asleep on the couch with his pants pushed down over his hips. Fuck, he’d been exhausted after his confrontation with Alex. After he collapsed, he hadn’t moved for the next couple of hours. It was as if the act of them both coming drained all the life out of him. Looking around, Chase didn’t see Alex anywhere. Chase heaved a heavy sigh and stood. The other man had obviously decided to sleep in his bedroom instead of staying with Chase or even waking him. Chase couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. On the other hand, Chase realized Alex probably needed some time to process everything that happened. And Chase needed a shower. He toed off his shoes and went into the bathroom. The harsh light of the tiled room caused him to wince. God, it was way too early in the morning to be assaulted with such brightness. Pulling back the shower curtain, Chase started the hot water. He stripped in record time and stepped into the tub, dunking his head under the stream of water. As the warmth seeped into his bones he began to feel a little bit more human. His encounter with Alex was not what he expected, but it was better than

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anything he hoped for. Now that they had reached this point, they could finally move forward. Chase had no idea what this would mean for their relationship, but he was ready to figure it out. In fact, he was looking forward to it. After showering, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and headed toward Alex’s bedroom. Chase knocked on the door, lightly at first, but after receiving no response, he hammered a bit louder. “Alex, come on.” Sure, Alex could be passed out, but it was more likely the other man was simply ignoring him. Which was the one thing Chase wouldn’t allow. He waited a few seconds longer before opening the door. To his surprise however, the room was in complete disarray. Alex was usually Felix to Chase’s Oscar, but in this instance, clothing was strewn across the bed as if the place had been ransacked by burglars. It was obvious Alex hadn’t been sleeping here the last few hours. In fact, Chase was pretty sure the other man had been packing. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was if this had been before or after they jerked each other off. Of course, he wasn’t going to figure that out by standing there staring, mouth agape like an idiot. Exiting the bedroom, Chase glanced briefly in his own room, a vain hope that perhaps Alex might be waiting for him. He was disappointed, but not surprised to find the room empty. With leaden feet, he returned to the living area. Although he already knew what he would discover, he hunted around the desk and searched for Alex’s books and laptop, but they were gone as well. Chase felt his legs give out beneath him and he sank to the floor, unable to stand a moment longer. He leaned back against the wall, needing the support of something solid since his world seemed to be falling apart right around him. His soul felt pulled right from his body. Alex had left. His friend of eight years had simply packed his things and walked out without a word.

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Was this it? Was this really the end of them? “Fuck!” Chase yelled at the top of his lungs and lunged to his feet. Angry with himself for acting on his desires, and at Alex for running from his, Chase lashed out. He flipped the secondhand coffee table over, scattering books and magazines everywhere. The loud crack of the wood breaking did little to appease him, so he raged on, knocking the pictures off the wall, and then sweeping books off the shelf. He smashed everything in his path in hopes of easing the ache inside. When his anger finally subsided after a few moments, Chase took a good look around at the destruction he caused and his humiliation instantly set in. Destroying their possessions hadn’t fixed a damn thing. All it did was give him another mess, besides the one he made with his friendship with Alex, to clean up. But he’d be damned if he worried about it right now. Chase needed to get out of the apartment, away from the scene of the crime, away from the memory of Alex and their first time together before he lost what little of his sanity he had left. After grabbing his wallet from his bedroom dresser, Chase dug through the mess on the floor and found his keys. Although it seemed a bit ridiculous to lock up now that he’d destroyed everything of value in their apartment, he did it anyway, then left the building, destination unknown. He wandered the streets for awhile on foot, doing his best to keep his mind off Alex, and failing miserably. It wasn’t until he bumped into his second pedestrian on the sidewalk that he decided it might be a good idea for him to stop walking. Realizing he was just outside the coffee shop he’d first visited last week, Chase figured some caffeine and sugar might help his mood.


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He regretted his decision almost immediately when he spotted Taylor at the counter, taking the orders. Chase thought about making a quick getaway when the other man looked up from the cash register and spotted him. Shit. “Hey, man.” Taylor grinned. “Hey,” Chase said with less enthusiasm, reluctantly walking up to the counter. Running into someone he knew was the last thing he was in the mood for this morning. “I’ll take a large coffee and a cheese Danish.” If Taylor thought his manner was abrupt, it didn’t show. “No problem.” He rang up Chase’s order. “Is that for here or to go?” “To go.” Chase didn’t know exactly where he planned on taking his order, but he knew he wouldn’t feel comfortable eating it there, under the watchful stare of the handsome Native American man. “Okay.” Taylor told Chase the amount and waited patiently for him to extract the money from his wallet before saying, “I’ll call you when your order is ready.” “All right. Thanks.” Chase pocketed his change. Stepping out of the line, he made his way over to a small round table near the front door and took a seat. He stared out the window blindly, replaying the events from last night over and over in his mind, wondering how things had gone so horribly wrong. “Here’s your order.” Chase turned and looked at the food Taylor held in front of him. There were more than two items on the tray, and none of it was wrapped up. “I said to go.” “Yeah, I heard you, but I had a break coming up and I hate eating alone.”

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Chase’s ire rose to the surface. “Well, maybe I prefer eating alone, did you ever think of that?” There was no reason for his irritation, other than his own bad mood, but Taylor didn’t seem to mind in the least. “I considered it, but then decided you didn’t look like you were in the right frame of mind to be making decisions right now.” Taylor plopped himself into the chair opposite Chase and quickly emptied the tray. “You take your coffee black, right?” Chase realized he wasn’t going to get rid of the younger man anytime soon, so he resigned himself to the company. He nodded in answer to Taylor’s question, picked up the steaming mug and took a sip, allowing the dark, hot liquid to burn down this throat. “I didn’t know you worked here.” “Part-time on the weekends and one day a week.” Taylor lifted his own drink to his lips to blow on it. “The tips aren’t great, but the work is easy enough.” “Good to know.” Chase picked up the cheese Danish and took a bite, actually surprised at how good it tasted. He was beginning to regain some semblance of normalcy. Still, it didn’t mean he was looking forward to having an Oprah moment. Taylor, on the other hand, wasn’t as willing to let things remain on a casual conversation level. “Now that we have the niceties out of the way, want to tell me just what went wrong last night?” “What makes you think something went wrong?” Taylor chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “Dude, I may only be nineteen, but I’m not an idiot. You left the party last night to confront Alex and showed up here this morning looking like you lost your best friend.”


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Chase grimaced at the accuracy of the words. Taylor had hit much too close to home. “Aww damn, I’m sorry.” The sincerity of Taylor’s words had Chase shrugging in resignation. “Hell, I don’t know if I lost him or not, but Alex was gone this morning when I woke up.” “Was he not there when you got home either?” “Oh yeah, he was there.” “And do you want to share what happened between when you got home and this morning?” Chase gave a merciless laugh. “Would it matter if I didn’t?” “You don’t have to tell me anything. You can just sit there and marinate in your misery if you like.” Put that way it made him sound as if he was being a whiny titty baby. And frankly Chase despised whiners. Seeing no easy way out of the conversation, Chase spilled his guts, telling Taylor all the good and bad of what happened last night. And surprisingly, he felt just a little bit better after sharing. After he was done, Taylor cleared his throat and asked, “So what’s next?” Chase frowned. “How the hell would I know? Did you miss the whole part about him being gone this morning?” Taylor quirked his lips. “Chase, you need to give the guy a break. How long did it take you to come to terms with your bisexuality? How long have you been harboring a secret attraction for your best friend? It seems to me that for Alex, this is all coming pretty fast and furious.” Chase didn’t appreciate the hypothetical mirror Taylor was holding up, or the reflection he saw of himself. “It isn’t exactly easy for me either.”

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“Which is why you should be more understanding.” “He. Left.” Chase couldn’t help but reiterating the one thing that upset him the most. “He didn’t even bother sticking around to talk about it.” “Maybe that’s what he needed right now. So give him the time and be there for him when he comes home.” Which hit upon the crux of the matter, his biggest fear. “What if he doesn’t come home? What if this is…it?” “What if it is?” “I’ll…” Chase thought for a hard second before replying. “I’ll have to deal.” “Exactly.” “I have to tell you that’s not what I wanted to hear.” “The truth never is.” Taylor took one final swig from his cup then stood. “I have to get back to work. Do me a favor, don’t be a drama queen. Taking a dick doesn’t make you less of a man, so don’t act like one. You want him to be mature and talk to you, then give him a reason to. Understand?” “More than I’d like to admit.” “Then my work here is done.” Yes, but Chase’s was only beginning.

The two-hour drive had done nothing to distract Alex’s thoughts from Chase. In fact, his friend was constantly on his mind. He knew he was running from the situation, but he felt as if he didn’t have a choice. He needed to have some time away from Chase to figure things out. Because being in the same room as the man seemed to short circuit his brain cells. With one touch, Chase had him yearning for things he wasn’t sure he was even ready to admit to himself that he wanted.


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With a heavy sigh and heart, he made his way to his parents’ home. Even though it was only a bit after seven, he wasn’t worried about waking them up. His parents were early birds, whether it was the weekend or not. He knew he could expect coffee to be perking and his mom already cooking breakfast. And when he walked through the front door a few moments later, he wasn’t disappointed. Assailed by the smell of frying bacon, he headed to the kitchen. Since they weren’t expecting him, he called out a warning, “Mom, Pop, it’s Alex.” His father lowered the paper he was reading, surprise on his face. His mother broke into a smile and quickly wiped her hands before rushing over to give him a brief hug and kiss on the cheek. “Alex, it’s so great to see you. It hasn’t been since the accident…” His mother trailed off with the realization she’d broached an unhappy topic. When he had injured his knee, his dreams—and those of his father as well—had died a disappointing death. After their initial visit to the hospital, they had gone home and not returned. Chase had been his only support during his convalescence. Once his father heard his football career was over, it was as if he hadn’t wanted anything more to do with his son. They’d talked on the phone, but this was his first trip back since his surgery. “Just thought I’d come home.” “Well, we’re happy to have you. Sit and I’ll get you a plate.” His mother grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and set it on the table before returning to cooking. He pulled out a chair and took a seat, leaning his cane along the edge of the table. His father folded the paper and set it down before he reached out to shake his son’s hand. “Welcome home.” Alex returned the greeting. “Thanks, Pop.”

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Clearing his throat loudly, his father asked, “So, Alex, what are you doing with your life now?” As if without football his father couldn’t imagine what else might occupy Alex’s time. “Preparing for exams.” “You still convinced you’re going to change your major to…nursing, was it?” He recognized his father’s insult for what it was. To the older man, nursing was woman’s work. “No, Pop, not nursing, physical therapy.” His father nodded, a sour look on his face when he considered his son’s career path. “Not exactly the same as the NFL.” “Come on, Pop, it wasn’t as if that was ever a guarantee. I was an average player at best anyway.” “Only because you didn’t apply yourself.” “Oh, now boys, no fighting.” His mother gave a nervous little laugh. As was typical, he and his father seemed to butt heads on almost every subject and his mother did her best to play mediator. She and his sister Carol had always gotten along well; she couldn’t understand why her husband and son couldn’t do the same. “If he would just listen to me…” “Tell me, Pop, how would listening to you have changed the accident?” His father frowned in consternation, obviously not happy with what Alex had to say. With a hurmph, he picked up his newspaper and returned to reading. Alex mentally shook his head, wondering why he thought returning home might actually be a good idea. He’d forgotten what it was like in their household—lots of judgment and little support. Oh, his mother tried. But ultimately his father ruled the house. And his father didn’t allow coddling, at least not with his son. Now with Carol it was a


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different story. Of course, she didn’t always appreciate their parents’ overprotectiveness. Instead of being allowed to join him at the state university, Carol had been forced to stay home for the last two years attending community college. Thoughts about his sister had Alex wondering why she wasn’t already downstairs by now. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Where’s Carol this morning?” His mother shrugged. “Still sleeping. In fact, why don’t you take your bag upstairs while I finish up here and you can wake her up.” He felt the first genuine smile of the morning curving his lips upward. “Good idea.” He glanced back over to where his father still sat reading the paper. It was as if the older man had blocked out his surroundings immediately upon lifting the newsprint. Scooting back his chair, Alex braced himself before pushing to his feet. He grabbed his cane and headed out of the kitchen, stopping only long enough to grab his backpack from the hallway where he dropped it, before heading up the stairs. The trek was tedious with his bag and using his cane, but he made it all in one piece. After dropping off his bag in his old room, he headed next door to his sister’s room. The door was closed, but after a brief knock he pushed it open. Similar to him, Carol was a bit of a neat nick, so the room wasn’t very messy, except for the bed where she lay sprawled, dressed in the clothes she must have worn when she went out last night. One shoe was lying on the end of the bed while the other still dangled off her foot. This was going to be fun. With an evil grin he leaned over and grabbed her bare foot. Carol awoke with a start and jackknifed upright, whooping and hollering while her brother began to tickle her. He laughed and held on to her foot tight, refusing to release it, continuing to torture her mercilessly.

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“Damn it, Alex, let go.” “Say Uncle.” “No, never.” Carol struggled harder and jerked her foot in an attempt to dislodge his hold, but he was prepared and had braced himself on his good leg. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be a quitter.” He started tickling her foot with renewed vigor. In the end, it was their combined laughter that did them both in. He eventually collapsed on the end of the bed, finally releasing Carol’s foot. She heaved a sigh of relief and scooted around to sit up. Without any rancor, she threw her arms around his neck and buzzed his cheek with a kiss. “I’ve missed you, big brother.” He gave her a squeeze and sat back. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” “Ha, ha. I’m serious. You haven’t been home in forever. The last time I saw you was in the hospital…” Her voice trailed away, just as his mother’s had earlier. “You could have visited too, you know.” Even though his parents hadn’t returned, he’d hoped Carol might have come back, but she had remained away as well. She flushed and glanced down at her clasped hands before raising her gaze to meet his. “I should have. I’m sorry, Alex.” Sincerity rang through her words and he suddenly felt bad he’d put her on the spot. “Hey, don’t worry about it, brat.” Changing the subject he asked, “What have you been up to lately?” “Partying and wondering if Dad is going to kill me when he sees my grades.” Her words seemed flippant, but he knew his sister better than that. She was a good student and this wasn’t like her. “Damn it, Carol, you’re a smart girl. Don’t fuck up school just because you’re mad Mom and Dad won’t let you attend state.”


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She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Easy for you to say when you’re not stuck at home with them watching your every move.” “You’re only proving their point that you can’t handle the responsibility of going away to school if you fail your classes at community college.” Lips pursed, she narrowed her gaze at him, shooting him a speculative glance. “When did you get so brainy?” “I’m not sure I’m all that intelligent.” Although he was glad he might have convinced Carol to avoid screwing up her college career completely, his own life was looking pretty grim right now. Instead of making the smart choices when it came to Chase, Alex had run away from him. A very dumb move on his part if there ever was one. The snap of fingers in front of his face had him jerk to attention. “Hey, where did you go?” Alex smiled in apology. “Just thinking about Chase.” Carol cocked an eyebrow. “Really? It looked as if you were thinking pretty hard there.” “Yeah, I did something stupid and instead of talking to him about it—” “You came home,” Carol finished for him. “How did you guess?” “I should have known it wasn’t my winning personality that brought you back to the homestead.” “Au contraire. You are the one person I was looking forward to seeing on this trip.” Carol gave him a playful kick. “Go on, get out so I can change.” “Breakfast is probably getting cold so you better hurry up.” He stood and picked up the cane he’d dropped at the end of the bed.

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“Hey.” Carol stood and gave him a quick hug. “I’m not sure what’s going on between you and Chase, but he’s been your best friend for too many years. As glad as I am you came home, you need to get back to school and talk to him as soon as possible, understand me?” He chuckled and pulled back to give her a smirk, throwing her own words right back at her. “When did you get so brainy?” “Must have learned it from my big brother.” He may have been running when he decided to come home, but in one way it hadn’t been a bad decision at all. His parents may not have been the support system he’d hoped for, but his sister was there for him. And her advice just confirmed what he knew. He needed to talk to Chase. Because as scared as he was to admit it, he couldn’t lose Chase from his life, no matter what.


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The sharp ringing of the phone startled Chase from his fitful sleep. He reached out blindly for the phone and grabbed it on the third ring, right before the answering machine clicked on. He struggled to find the talk button to push and glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. It was just after midnight. What the fuck! “Hello,” he grumbled. “This better be important.” “Hey, it’s me.” “Alex?” Chase sat up. “Yeah.” Alex sounded tired. As if he probably hadn’t slept since he left last night. “Where are you?” “My parents’ driveway.” Of all the answers Alex could have given, that was one Chase wasn’t expecting. In fact, it rendered him speechless for a moment. “You still there?” Alex asked. Chase mentally gave himself a shake. “Uh, yeah, sorry. Just a little…surprised. Why your parents’ driveway?” “I wanted to talk to you without the usual prying ears listening in on my side of the conversation.” “You could have done that just by staying here at the apartment to talk.” “No, I couldn’t. I needed some space.” “Space—” The ridiculousness of the comment baffled Chase. “Space to talk?”

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Alex’s heavy sigh resonated through the phone line. “No, space to breathe. I needed to get my head together before I could even contemplate talking.” “Well, I’m sure there must be plenty of space to breathe with hundreds of miles between us.” Chase tried to keep his tone civil, but he knew his pettiness bled through. “You’re pissed and I get that. Be mad I left if you want to. But you have to admit I had reason to be a little freaked out.” Chase wanted to rail against Alex, but at the same time his earlier talk with Taylor was still in the forefront of his mind, so he tried his best to keep the conversation on a positive tone. “Yeah, you did.” “What?” Alex’s surprise resonated through the phone line. Chase chuckled at his reaction. “Did you think I wouldn’t admit it?” “Maybe. Hell, I don’t know. To tell the truth, I wasn’t really sure how this conversation was going to go.” Reaching behind him, Chase adjusted the pillows before settling back. “At least you knew there was going to be a conversation. I didn’t know if I would ever hear from you again.” “I know, and I am sorry about that. I should have at least left a note or something.” “I guess you were too busy running out the door.” Chase wanted to call back the words as soon as they left his mouth, but of course it was too late. “Sorry, sorry. That was uncalled for.” “Are you done?” Alex asked dryly. “Or do you need another minute or two to vent? Go ahead, I’ll wait.” “I’m done. For now,” he added, refusing to give up his right to be pissy. “Look, do you want to move forward or not?”


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“Move forward how?” This was something Chase was interested in hearing more about. “I…I don’t know exactly.” “Friday night you seemed to know what you wanted. And you wanted it from me.” He wanted to hear Alex acknowledge the attraction between them, even if it was just this one time. “Friday was…” Alex’s words trailed to a halt, but Chase stayed silent, waiting to hear what else he was going to say. “Damn it, Chase, I don’t want to lose our friendship. You’re the one person I could always talk to about everything and now, when I need to talk to someone—” Chase grimaced. “I’m the problem.” “No.” Chase could almost imagine seeing Alex shake his head. “It’s not your problem. It’s mine.” “Why is it a problem at all? I’m pretty sure you liked what we were doing. Hell, you were stiff as a two by four when I touched you.” “Yeah, that was a little hard to hide,” Alex admitted. The reluctance in Alex’s tone wasn’t difficult to miss, but Chase refused to allow Alex to ignore the obvious. “Little wouldn’t be the word I would use, but hard…” Chase gave a rough chuckle. Damn, just thinking about it was making him horny right now. “I remember.” Alex’s voice was throaty and raw, as if he might be having a similar issue. The sound gave Chase hope. Could speaking of this be affecting Alex in the same way it was affecting him? Hopeful and aroused, he anchored the phone between his ear and shoulder then pushed his boxer briefs over his rousing erection, down his legs and feet, to the foot of the bed. Once done he used one

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hand to hold the phone and wrapped the other around his shaft. “So do I. Especially how I jerked you off until you came.” “Fuck, Chase.” “Are you hard right now?” Chase knew he sure as hell was. He’d gone from semi to full staff in just those few moments. Silence was his only answer, and if it weren’t for Alex’s breathing, Chase would have thought his friend had hung up. “Tell me,” he ordered huskily. “Yes…I’m hard.” He tightened his hand around his aching shaft. “Are you stroking your cock?” There was a brief pause before Alex answered. “Yes.” “Yes, what?” he pushed. They had gone too far to stop now. “Yes, damn you.” Alex sounded almost desperate. “I’m fucking rubbing myself, thinking about you and what we did. Are you happy now?” “No.” Chase was far from happy. Alex was hundreds of miles away, leaving Chase with only his hand to offer him comfort. But it would have to do. For now. “But it’s a start.” “Fuck.” This was crazy and nowhere near what Alex had in mind when he called Chase. “What are you doing to me?” “Same thing you’re doing to me. Making you hard.” “This is wrong.” But it felt so good. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” “Then stop,” Chase said, as if the choice were an easy one. “I’m not making you rub one out.” The hell he wasn’t. “Yes, you are. You’re making me want this. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be…” “Fucking your fist and pretending it was my mouth?”


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Alex shivered at the thought. Never before had the mere mention of a blowjob had him so worked up. “You’re killing me.” “Hell no, I definitely don’t want you dead.” Chase’s voice dropped to a seductive tone, pulling him in just like he had with his touch. “Just the opposite, in fact. I want you hard and throbbing, thinking of all the things we could do together.” He closed his eyes, as if he could shut out Chase’s words, but they resonated in his brain. While one hand held tight to the phone, his other clasped his erection through the thick denim of his jeans. He really wanted the offending material gone. Tilting his head, he held the phone between his shoulder and ear and undid his jeans. It only took a few moments to delve into his boxers and pull out his stiffening shaft. “Awfully quiet over there. What’s happening?” Alex wanted to hang up. To somehow break Chase’s sexual hold over him. To return to when they were best friends and he had no curiosity about anything more. But he couldn’t. The grip Chase had was far too strong and Alex’s will too weak. “I took out my cock.” “Hmm, nice.” The appreciativeness rang through the phone line. “I bet you’re leaking precome already.” Like a leaky faucet. Alex rubbed his thumb over the tip of his erection, spreading the slick moisture all over the crown and down the length. He pumped his hand up and down and remembered Chase’s hand following this same path. “You don’t have to answer. Just listen.” Chase’s voice was mesmerizing. “Do you know how good it was for me to be able to touch you how I wanted? To stroke your cock and watch you come apart in my arms.” Alex moaned at the picture Chase was painting.

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“I wanted more, though. I wanted to taste you, and have you do the same to me. You know I’ve never had another man’s come in my mouth.” No, Alex didn’t know. Somehow, the idea actually made him harder, if that were possible. His hand sped up and he thrust into his fist, imagining Chase’s lips wrapped around his shaft. “Fuck, Alex, I wish you were here right now.” Unable to help himself, Alex replied, “Me too.” His dick was throbbing and his body ached. He wanted to come, but he was too greedy and didn’t want it to end, either. Which was ridiculous. Here he was, sitting in his car with his dick in his hand, exposed to anyone who might decide to come outside. He ought to just stroke himself to completion and get the hell out of there. “Do you know how much you affect me? If you were here right now I’d be pushing you to your knees and rubbing my erection over your lips until you opened your mouth wide for me. Then little by little I’d feed you my cock.” It was what Alex wanted as well, which surprised the hell out of him in more ways than one. Being on his knees in front of anyone, let alone another man, was something unimaginable. But Chase wasn’t just any man. Alex opened his mouth a bit, wondering how it would feel to take Chase like that. “Your breathing’s getting a little heavy there, my friend. You picturing it, too?” “Yeah, I am.” “Good. I’m stroking myself right now, thinking about your mouth. How warm and wet it would be. I’m sure you’d be a little tentative at first, licking the head, waiting to suck me. But before too long you wouldn’t be able to help yourself. You’d want more. You’d want me inside you, in your mouth, deep, to the back of your throat.”


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Alex let Chase’s words wash over him as his hand jerked harder and faster. “Chase, I can’t…” “Don’t come, not yet.” Chase’s voice sounded strained, as if he might be on the brink as well. “I want you to wait for me.” “Hurry.” Chase chuckled at Alex’s frantic command. “So you want it too, huh?” “God yes, please.” Alex didn’t know how much longer he could wait, even though he enjoyed the idea of coming along with Chase. “Don’t make me wait.” “Then come for me, Alex. Come for me with the thought of having my dick spurting down your throat. Now.” The final word was all Alex needed. With a harsh groan he arched his back, his cock jerking from the force of his release. His creamy semen soaked his hands as well as the front of his jeans, but at this exact moment he really didn’t care. After the frustration he’d endured, this orgasm was a release in more ways than one. “Jesus, Alex, I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard before.” Chase’s admission made Alex smile. At least he wasn’t alone in this feeling. Although now that it was over, the doubts were starting to creep back a little bit. He wanted this, he really did, but it was also so foreign to him he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to accept it. Of course, there was only one way he was going to find out. “Alex, still with me?” “Yeah, I am.” Swallowing deeply as he gathered his courage, Alex continued. “I’m coming home, Chase. I need to be there, to figure this all out.” “Good, I’m glad.” Chase’s voice was welcoming and non-judgmental. “When will you be here?”

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Alex looked down at the mess in his lap. “I need to clean up first, but then I’ll hit the road.” “I’ll be waiting.” Chase severed the connection between them. Alex flipped his phone closed then stared at it for a moment as he contemplated the frightening path before him. He didn’t know what scared him more though, talking to Chase about what they did, or talking to his friend about what they were going to do.


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Chapter Seven

When the door to the apartment opened early Sunday morning, Chase forced himself to keep his head down and not immediately look up in greeting. He didn’t want to see any look of regret on Alex’s face before he was able to steel himself for the possibility. After a brief moment he looked up with a grin. “Welcome home.” “Thanks.” Alex returned his expression and the two-ton weight on Chase’s heart lifted. Although his friend looked a little wary and very, very tired, there was no regret on his face. “How was the drive?” “Not bad.” Alex left his bag in the hallway. He walked over to the couch, but didn’t sit, choosing instead to shove his hands in his pockets and stand awkwardly next to Chase. “Even after last night, you’re still timid.” Alex smiled sheepishly, but pulled his hands free and sat next to Chase. “I’m being a geek, aren’t I?” “Nothing new about that.” Alex kicked Chase in his ankle. “Shut up.” “So…” Chase eased back on the couch and made his posture as nonthreatening as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare Alex off after finally getting him home. “How are you doing?” “Okay.” Alex shrugged. “Better than I was when I left here Friday night.” “Did going home help at all?”

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“My parents didn’t really do much, but I had a good conversation with Carol.” Alex didn’t expand and Chase didn’t bother to push. Whatever Alex’s sister said brought his friend home. That was all that mattered. “I’m glad.” “Yeah.” Alex rubbed his hands on his jean-clad thighs and looked away. The gesture said a lot to Chase. Even though his friend was there, willing and able, Alex was still as uncomfortable as he was before. Chase waited patiently for Alex to say something, anything to ease the awkward silence they’d fallen into. After a few painful moments it became evident Alex wasn’t going to broach the subject. Chase grew desperate and said the first thing that came to mind. “You know what we need? Blowjobs.” “What?” Alex whipped his head around so hard Chase was sure he heard a crack. The shocked look on the other man’s face made Chase think this might not be the right way to go, but since it was already out there in the room like a big elephant, Chase figured he might as well run with it. “You know, to loosen us up.” “Okay…” Alex’s eyes were wide as saucers. “What happened to talking?” “We weren’t exactly breaking any records for most words spoken in a single minute there.” “Well, damn. I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting that.” “What were you expecting?” “I don’t know. For us to talk and stuff.” “Then talk.” Alex opened his mouth as if he was going to do just that but then he promptly closed it.


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“Alrighty then. Blowing it is.” “I never thought of myself as gay.” The words rushed out so fast they ran together. “Is this your way of getting out of blowing me?” “No.” Alex’s lip spread in a small hint of a smile. “Maybe. A little. Mostly what I’m trying to say is I’m not attracted to men. Other men. Men who aren’t…” Alex licked his lips, “you. But even with me saying all of that, and doing what we did last night and the other day, I don’t know if…if I can do this.” Chase frowned, unable to figure out at first what Alex was saying. “Are you concerned about what other people will say?” Alex snorted in derision. “That’s a whole other issue I haven’t even reached the point of dealing with. I’d like to think I can handle any shit thrown my way, but honestly, I won’t really know how I feel, or how I’ll react when the actual time comes. Until it does though, I’m not going to worry about it. I want to live in the now.” “And in the now you’re worried about…” “Blowjobs.” Alex’s word came out barely above a whisper. “What about them?” “What if I suck at it?” Chase chuckled at the pun. “That’s sort of the point.” “You know what I mean.” Alex’s voice was beginning to rise, a sure sign of his exasperation with Chase’s humor. “I’ve never even thought about another dude’s Johnson until you.” “It’s nice to know you’ve thought about mine. But despite what you think, I’m not exactly the gay Don Juan. I’m not overly experienced myself.” Hell, he could count on one hand the number of gay encounters he’d had. “Well, don’t you think one of us needs to know what we’re doing?”

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“I think we can figure it out.” Chase sat forward, suddenly finished with being laid back. It was obvious Alex needed a push, and Chase was more than happy to give it to him. He reached out and ran his hand along Alex’s thigh, starting at the knee and slowly moving upward. “Think…so?” The words stuttered from Alex’s mouth. “Definitely. Besides, you’ve always been a very fast learner. I think you just need someone to give you a good example.” “Anyone in particular?” Alex’s need was more than evident. “Yes. Me.” Chase was done talking. He was ready for action. And if Alex needed some persuasion, Chase was more than happy to be the one to convince him. He dragged his knuckles over Alex’s rapidly growing jean-covered erection. The accompanying groan was all the encouragement he needed to continue. Chase quickly unsnapped and unzipped Alex’s jeans. He delved inside to stroke Alex’s cock, but he couldn’t get his hand around him like he wanted. “Stand up.” Chase was shocked by his domineering tone, but even more surprised when Alex immediately stood to obey him, turning so he faced Chase. The power of control was an unexpected thrill, one he was more than willing to explore at a later time. Right now, however, there was only one thing on his mind. “Come here.” Chase tugged Alex closer to him and with one quick pull had his roommate’s jeans and underwear down around his knees. The exposed erection made his mouth water. He was looking forward to getting a taste. He leaned forward to swipe the head of Alex’s cock with his tongue. The taste was warm and slightly salty, but not at all unwelcome. On either side, it seemed. Alex moaned low in his throat and his hips jerked at Chase’s lick. Chase glanced up. “Liked that, did you?”


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Alex swallowed hard and nodded, his eyes closed. “Look at me.” Alex opened his eyes to stare down at Chase. “I want you to see who is doing this to you. I want you to know.” “I know.” “Good.” Chase snaked his tongue out to lick at the mushroomed head. “Because I wouldn’t want you to mistake me for one of your women.” “Never,” Alex said emphatically. Certain now he had his friend’s full attention on him, Chase turned back to Alex’s cock. He licked and sucked at the shaft, sampling each and every inch of the delicious morsel in front of him. He had never tasted another man’s cock, but he was more than enjoying the experience. Shifting from hard sucks and light licks, Chase did his best to tease Alex to the edge of distraction. It seemed as if he were doing a pretty good job too. Alex was rolling his hips, pushing forward when he wanted more. And Chase was more than happy to oblige. Every once in a while Chase would cut his gaze upward, and every single time he found Alex staring down at him. It was quite a heady feeling. “Chase, please, I can’t…” Alex gasped as Chase gave a particularly hard suck. Chase released Alex’s cock with a pop and shifted back. “Can’t what?” “Hold out much longer.” “So don’t.” Chase wanted to know what it was like, wanted to taste Alex’s come on his tongue. “What? Do you mean…” “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. You want to come; that’s what I want too.” With his gaze locked on his best friend, Chase held Alex’s cock at the base and sucked the head between his lips. Hard. He watched Alex quiver, his eyelids lowering for a brief moment before popping open.

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“God, Chase.” Chase chuckled to himself. He loved knowing how much pleasure Alex was receiving. As much as he’d enjoyed his other experiences with men, this was unique. Because it was Alex. Chase cared about him, more than just as his best friend. And he hoped Alex felt the same way about him as well. Right now however, he had a more important objective in mind. Returning his attention to the object of his desires, Chase opened his mouth wide and sucked Alex’s cock inside. The precome taste wasn’t at all unpleasant. In fact, it was just a hint of what was to come. “Fuck, Chase.” Alex’s body jerked and for the first time he stopped being passive and became an active participant, grasping Chase’s shoulders and pulling him closer. The sudden movement startled Chase at first, but he soon adjusted and took Alex’s display of enthusiasm in the spirit it was intended. Reaching out, he ran his hands up Alex’s thighs to his ass, digging his fingers into the pliable flesh. He teased and tormented Alex, bringing him to the brink of orgasm in quick order. Together they rocked back and forth, the creak of the couch and Alex’s moans filling the room. “Chase, oh God, I’m coming, Chase…” Alex gasped the words as his hips jerked and filled Chase’s mouth with his salty come. Chase swallowed as best as he could, but some of the creamy substance escaped, trickling from the corners of his mouth, down his chin. He’d never been on the giving side of the blowjob, but he had to admit he liked it. Especially since it was Alex. With a feeling of selfsatisfaction, he finally released Alex’s softening erection with a final lick. As Alex stumbled back and collapsed into the nearby chair, Chase grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the side table to wipe his face. He watched as his friend’s breathing slowly returned to normal. After a minute he flashed Alex a smile. “So, are you feeling a little more relaxed?”


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Alex chuckled, “Hell yeah. So damned relaxed the idea of pulling up my pants is too much effort.” “Well, don’t worry on my account. I’m fine with the view from here.” Alex flushed but he didn’t cover up. “That was the most…amazing, surprising event in my entire life.” Chase revved his eyebrows dramatically. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Alex was more than ready to see what Chase had planned for him. Yes, he might have come home with some apprehension still dogging his steps, but he knew what he wanted. Chase. Glancing over to the man in question, he noted his friend was sitting back, eyes closed, seemingly relaxed. The tight strain in the crotch area of his jeans told another story, however. “It looks as if you could use some help over there.” Alex stood and pulled his pants up just enough to hang low on his hips. He headed over to the couch and Chase, but came to a halt when Chase held up a hand. “No, wait. I don’t know if I could handle that right now.” Chase flashed him a wry smile. “Besides, I think I have a better idea. If you’re up for it.” Alex’s cock twitched at the thought of better. “I’m up for anything.” “Good, then help me up.” Chase held out his hand and Alex pulled him to his feet. Then in a move that surprised even him, Alex leaned in and kissed Chase lightly on the lips. He pulled back then smiled at the look of shock and pleasure on Chase’s face. “What?” “I guess that trip home really did make up your mind.” “Nope, that was all you.” “Glad to know.” Chase turned and pulled Alex along with him. “Let’s go.”

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“In a bit of a rush, are you?” Alex joked as he allowed himself to be dragged out of the living area down the back hallway. “Hell yeah. That kiss was…” Alex chuckled at the hint of wonder in Chase’s voice. “Don’t hurt your brain too much trying to think of an adequate description.” Before he’d barely finished his sentence, Alex found himself turned and pressed hard against the wall. Chase’s body was plastered firmly on him to the point Alex could feel every hard muscle, including the one between Chase’s legs. Fuck, his erection was big. “Alex, I can barely speak, let alone think right now. After weeks of not knowing what was happening between us, I’m all kinds of shocked and amazed to find us in this situation. But I’m definitely not at all unhappy about it.” Chase rubbed his cloth-covered cock over Alex’s own rapidly rising erection. “Now, are you ready for what’s next?” Alex was suddenly struck with Chase’s inability to think or speak coherently. He just nodded. Instead of taking them into the bedroom, as Alex had expected, Chase led them to the bathroom. There was a faint bit of sunshine streaming in from the window, so Chase didn’t turn on any lights. He released Alex’s hand and just stood back for a moment, staring. Alex felt slightly self-conscious, but he tried not to show it. He knew Chase was admiring what he saw. “So, what are we going to do in here?” “First, I want you to strip. Nice and slow for me.” Chase flipped down the lid on the toilet and sat sprawled and relaxed as if he were lounging on an easy chair. Alex started by unbuttoning his shirt, pushing each button through the hole nice and slow, just as he’d been ordered. Chase’s gaze never left him as he finally


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slipped the shirt from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He quickly toed off his shoes and then pushed his jeans and briefs, already undone, down to the floor, before stepping out of them and kicking them away. “God, you really do have a perfect athlete’s body.” “Not really, with this fucked-up knee,” Alex observed wryly. “Stop it. I hate when you can’t take a compliment. Just accept that I like what I’m looking at, okay?” Alex never realized it, but Chase was right. Since his accident and knee surgery he’d been really down on himself, just about on everything. “Okay, I got it. You like what you see. What about me, though? Am I ever going to see anything?” Chase cocked his head and grinned. “If I have to.” “Oh.” Alex leaned back against the wall. “You do.” With a wicked smile on his full, flirty lips, Chase toed off his shoes then pulled off his socks. He tossed them into the hallway before standing and undressing. He didn’t go as slow as Alex had, but Alex didn’t mind. He was more interested in getting his friend naked than watching a show. Once he was completely undressed, Chase tossed his clothes on top of his discarded shoes then took his cock in hand. “Better?” Alex licked his lips. “Yes.” “Like what you see?” “Hmmm, very much.” “Prove it.” Alex didn’t have to be told twice. Reaching out, he wrapped his hand around his friend’s cock, just below Chase’s own hand. The erection was warm and it throbbed beneath his touch. With barely any effort at all, Alex took over stroking

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Chase’s hard-on, learning the feel of the other man. Chase groaned and leaned back. He braced his hands on the sink and splayed his legs. The relaxed position only lasted for a few seconds. “Alex, stop, no more. I can’t…” “You tormented the hell out of me. Paybacks are a bitch.” Chase’s fingers closed over his. “Maybe. But I have an idea both of us will enjoy.” He nodded toward the tub. “Start the shower.” Alex wasn’t sure what Chase’s plan was, but he hadn’t been disappointed yet. Reluctantly he released Chase then pulled the curtain back to start the water. When the temperature was just right, Alex flipped the faucet and turned around. Once again the sight of his friend took his breath away. The man standing before him was beautiful, in a hard-edged masculine way that no woman ever could be. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that we’ll never make it into the shower.” “Hey, I can’t help it if I like what I see,” Alex said before stepping into the tub. Patiently he waited for Chase to join him. This was Chase’s show, so Alex just stood with his eyes closed beneath the pounding water, letting it flow over his chest. The sound of a top popping barely registered in his consciousness, but the feel of Chase’s soap-covered hands on his shoulders certainly gained his attention. The strokes were firm as they glided over his muscles, down his arms, then back up again before working along his spine. Alex put out his hands to brace himself as Chase reached his buttocks, but all the other man did was knead the globes. Chase moved lower then, over his legs to his ankles before working his way back up again. Alex’s shaft was stiff and dripping by that time, but Chase studiously avoided the area. Instead, his friend teased the ridges of his abdomen. Chase


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stepped closer to his back and Alex could feel the other man’s hard-on, so recently in his hands, now riding the crease of his ass. He rubbed back against Chase, eliciting a groan from the other man. They were driving each other to distraction and Alex wasn’t sure how much longer the torment could last. “Fuck, Chase, what are you doing to me?” “Do you like it?” Chase’s hands were on his pecs now, plucking at his distended nipples. Alex could feel the sensations shooting straight to his cock, stiffening his shaft unbelievably more. “Yes, yes I like it.” “Good, then shut up and enjoy it.” He did just that, leaning back into Chase’s arms, allowing the other man’s hands to roam over his body. Some touches were feather light and others almost painful, but he liked it all. Chase stroked his fingers over Alex’s hip and down the small of his back. The slow, deliberate exploration began at the top of the crack of his ass and traveled along the crease. The nerve endings there were sensitive to the slightest touch, especially as Chase lingered over the clenched ring of his asshole. “Easy, baby. We’re not going to do anything you’re not ready for. I’m just touching you.” Alex took a deep breath. “It isn’t that I don’t want to. It’s just…the feelings are so different than anything I’ve ever experienced.” “Everything we’re going to do is slow.” Again Alex felt the brush of Chase’s finger up and down the split of his ass. At this point slow sounded torturous. “What if I’m ready for things to move faster?” The more Chase touched him the more Alex wanted. “Faster how?” Chase pushed slightly on Alex’s anal ring. “Like this?” “Yes, God, yes.” Alex’s erection strained for release.

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Chase pressed his finger forward to delve into Alex’s body, breaking through his natural resistance. Alex felt as if all the air had been driven from his body in one fell swoop. Every feeling seemed to be magnified. The sensation of water pounding over him, the slick tiles beneath his hand, the brief brush of Chase’s cock on his hip, and most especially, the tantalizing experience of having his ass breached by another man, even if it was only one finger. Alex’s thoughts had him clenching his ass and gasping at the new erotic sensations flooding his body. “More, Chase, deeper.” It seemed as if Chase was going to ignore his pleas and leave him wanting when he began to pull his hand back. But before Alex could protest, Chase pushed forward, his finger slipping deeper into his ass. Chase touched something there, inside him, that made Alex groan and push his ass back against the invasion while his hand scrambled to find something to hold onto. Chase froze for a moment. “Are you okay?” Alex nodded. “Yes, Chase, I don’t know what you just did, but fuck, I’ve never felt…fuck.” He knew his words were jumbled and probably didn’t make much sense, but at this point he didn’t care. He just wanted to have that same feeling again. Emboldened by Alex’s enthusiasm, Chase proceeded to finger him with fervor. Alex rocked back against the digital invader, riding it as if it were the cock he craved. Even though that idea was almost impossible to comprehend. “Don’t think, just feel.” Chase’s words brought Alex out of his selfexamination back to the situation at hand. Somehow, without even being able to see his face, Chase knew Alex’s mind was awhirl. Obeying Chase’s command was easy enough. Alex closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensation of Chase’s finger, long and thick, rubbing inside him.


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When he pulled back and added a second finger to the mix, Alex thought the top of his head might blow off. To Alex’s surprise, Chase’s fingers entered Alex’s ass easily, but Alex could no longer be silent, sobbing with his need. “Chase, oh God, it’s…” “Too much?” “No, no.” Alex was immediately desperate Chase might stop. “I need…more.” Chase reached around him and closed his left hand around Alex’s hard-on. Alex hissed out his pleasure and pushed his cock into the other man’s tightening fist. Son of a bitch. Having his cock jerked by Chase was so much better than doing it himself. He wanted to come, damn it, but he wanted to pleasure Chase too. “Chase, stop.” Chase immediately released him. “What is it?” “I’m going to come if you keep doing that.” “So what’s the problem?” Chase’s fingers pulled free of Alex’s body as he spoke, and even though this was what Alex had asked for, he missed the full sensation. “This was supposed to be about you.” “Then turn around.” Alex rotated until he was staring at Chase once again. Chase held up the shower gel bottle. “And do me.” Now that was an offer he couldn’t turn down. Taking the container from Chase, Alex poured a generous amount into his hands before setting the bottle aside. He proceeded to torture Chase in a similar fashion, exploring every inch of the other man while avoiding his genitals. He closely watched Chase’s face as he touched him, learning what his friend liked. There was a particular spot, just

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above his hipbone, that had Chase gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. It wasn’t pain the other man was feeling, but pure pleasure. Unable to resist a moment longer, Alex circled Chase’s erection and gave a quick tug. “Finally. I was wondering if you were ever going to get to it.” “I like knowing I can drive you as crazy as you drive me.” “Show me.” Chase’s voice was husky with need. Alex started slow. He wrapped his fingers around Chase’s shaft. Touching Chase’s cock was something Alex had been craving longer than he was willing to admit. He wanted it to last. Chase, on the other hand, tried to push the issue, literally and figuratively, fucking his hard-on into Alex’s fist as much as he was able. Alex wasn’t willing to give up the control this time. He wanted to explore. When Chase tried to grab his hand, Alex pushed their cocks together instead. The unique sensation caused them both to gasp simultaneously. Alex realized in that instant this was probably something new for Chase. He hoped so at least, because he liked the idea of them both being each other’s firsts, at least in this regard. Alex used his hand to direct the movements of their erections, rubbing the head of Chase’s shaft up and down the length of his own straining cock. Chase’s cock was leaking with precome, mixing with the foam on his hand. Pleasure filled Alex’s body as he watched Chase jerk against him, his friend’s hips arching with need. “God, Alex, yes, right there.” Finally, Alex thought. Chase was just as urgent as Alex had been since they started this. Chase closed his eyes briefly before licking his lips. Opening his eyes, their gazes locked, Alex wrapped his hands around their cocks and gave a few rough, hard strokes. Neither of them was able to hold out against the erotic assault.


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Chase came first, his cock spurting over them both. Alex bucked to and fro one last time and joined Chase in ecstasy, groaning deep as his cock exploded with a rippling climax. The two of them were gasping and holding each other up by the time their releases were complete. Alex held tightly to Chase’s arm, his body barely able to support his weight. “Chase, God, that was so fucking amazing.” Alex was still trying to catch his breath, but he wanted to express to Chase how remarkable it had been for him. “Only because it was you.” Chase seemed so sincere, and Alex knew it was true for himself, but he couldn’t help but have doubts. Alex knew Chase had experience with other men. One woman had been pretty much the same as any other to him. Maybe Chase felt the same about men. Nevertheless, Alex was willing to take Chase’s statement at face value. “Thank you, Chase.” Alex stepped under the warm spray to wash the evidence of the encounter from him. Then trading places with Chase, he watched as the other man did the same, the water sluicing over him. Their hands traced along each other’s bodies, but it wasn’t the frantic touching like before. “It was better than I could have even imagined. And believe me, I’ve been thinking a lot about it.” “You’re not the only one. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Chase shut off the shower and helped him from the tub. Together they toweled off and left the bathroom. Without discussion, they headed into Chase’s room to sleep.

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The ringing phone woke Chase from a sound sleep. Alex was next to him on the bed, dead to the world. He looked sexy as hell lying in Chase’s bed sprawled in a heap, barely covered by a sheet. Rolling away from the distraction of that tight ass, Chase picked up the receiver. “’ello.” “It’s four in the afternoon. What are you doing asleep?” “Taylor?” Chase vaguely recognized the other man’s voice. “The one and only.” A slight movement across the line made Chase wonder if Taylor had switched the phone to his other ear. “So, I have a proposition for you.” Chase grimaced to himself. Another time and another place, maybe he would have been interested. But Alex was all Chase wanted and Taylor was only a friend. “Taylor, I like you, really, but I don’t think of you that way.” “Shut up, loser. Not that kind of proposition. But, just so we’re clear here. If I wanted you I could have you.” Chase chuckled at Taylor’s audacity. “What’s the proposition?” “Come join us down at the coffee shop. Andre’s band has a gig tonight. Besides, you need a distraction from moping around about he who will not be named.” “Alex?” “You aren’t supposed to name him. Duh.”

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Chase turned his head to once again peruse his friend, roommate and now lover. “Um, I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem. He came home early this morning and we were just sleeping.” “Together?” “Yes.” Chase didn’t say any more, he didn’t have to. The whoop on the other end of the phone was more than enough indication that Taylor knew what was up. “Good for you, Chase. There is a connection between you. If you can work through the crap, I think it’ll be very good for the both of you. Congratulations.” “Thanks.” “The invitation is still on. Why don’t both of you come down. We’re meeting around six o’clock. Plenty of time for you to get ready.” “I’ll have to ask Alex.” Chase worried Alex might not be ready to be seen out in public together just yet. It was so new to the both of them. “Ask me what?” The sleep-husky question had Chase turning to look down at his lover with a smile. “We got an invite to see Andre perform at the coffee shop tonight. Want to go?” A number of emotions flitted over Alex’s face before he gave a forceful nodded. “Yeah sure, but I won’t be able to stay out too late. I have class tomorrow.” Chase relayed the news to Taylor. “No problem. We meet at six and the performance starts at seven. It’ll be over by eight or nine, depending on how well liked he is.” “Sounds good. We’ll see you there.” Chase severed the connection and set the phone down. Turning back to Alex, he tried to read the expression on his

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friend’s face. “So are you really okay with this? We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to.” Alex pushed himself up and adjusted the sheet around him. “No, from what I’ve seen of your friends they seem like cool people. Besides, we used to go out together all the time. It’s only lately we haven’t really…” Alex’s voice trailed away. Unwilling to ruin the good mood, Chase gave an upbeat reply. “Well then, we’re going to change that.” Chase threw back the sheet and stood. “We can get dressed, go out to eat, then hook up with the guys at the coffee shop.” He turned and looked over his shoulder to find Alex staring at him intently. “Something wrong?” Alex shook his head. “Nope, just enjoying the view.” Chase cocked an eyebrow at Alex’s boldness. He wasn’t sure what had come over his friend but he liked it. “Come on, lazy bones, up and at ’em. And no, that wasn’t meant as a double entendre.” Thirty minutes later they were almost ready to hit the streets. Chase checked his hair in the mirror one last time as Alex shuffled from one foot to another. “Are we going or what?” Chase chuckled. “In a hurry?” Alex muttered something under his breath but Chase didn’t pursue it. Maybe he should have, but the idea of going out on the town with his lover was potent and Chase wasn’t trying to change the mood. Together they left the apartment. Even though he originally fought Chase’s suggestion, Alex eventually agreed to a cab ride to the coffee shop. During the ride they talked about innocuous things. Nevertheless, Chase was completely attuned to Alex walking beside him. He wanted to scream out “Hey, he’s my guy,” but of course that was a ridiculous idea. First, it would be embarrassing for


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everyone involved. But more importantly, even though they were going out together, there was no guarantee Alex was ready to make any declarations yet. This could be a date or just two friends out on the town. At this point Chase didn’t know which. They stopped for a quick dinner of gyro and fries before heading on to the coffee shop. Chase was surprised at how packed the place was already. He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of someone he recognized. “Chase, Alex, hey guys, up here.” Taylor was up front, waving madly to gain their attention. Chase and Alex headed toward Taylor and the two seats he was holding open. Spencer, Oliver and Dmitri were already seated. “Chase, Alex, so glad you could make it.” Taylor shook both their hands. “Would you like anything to drink?” Dmitri stood and asked. “Nothing alcoholic, sorry, they don’t have a liquor license here.” “Coffee is fine.” Chase turned to see what Alex wanted. “Coffee’s good for me, too.” “Do you take it the same as Chase?” Dmitri asked. “Uh, yeah.” Alex took his seat and Chase followed suit. Alex leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Dmitri knows how you like your coffee.” Was Alex jealous? “He always seems to be the designated bartender of the group.” Alex just nodded and turned around, watching the equipment being set up on the makeshift stage. Before Chase could pursue the issue, Taylor tapped him on the shoulder. Chase leaned over to hear him. With a million and one conversations all going on at once, no one was really listening to what they were talking about. “Things look like they’re going pretty well. Did you guys talk?”

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“Among other things.” Chase couldn’t help but be a little excited at the turn of events. “Slut.” Taylor chuckled. “Seriously though, I’m glad to see things are working out.” “Um, there is something I want to talk to you about.” Chase leaned a little closer to Taylor, turning his back to Alex. “It’s personal and I’m hoping to keep it just between the two of us.” “Oooh, sounds mysterious. You have my interest piqued. What is it?” Chase shook his head. “Later. After the show, hit me up.” “Damn, now I gotta speculate to myself for the next hour. You know I’m going to be making up all kinds of scenarios in my head.” “Just shut up and enjoy the show already.” Chase turned to find Alex staring and him and Taylor intently. Just the sight of this man made Chase’s cock ache. He tried to think of something to say that didn’t reveal him for the lovesick fool he was. “You excited about the show?” Alex shrugged. “I guess. What kind of music does Andre play?” “Um, you know, I really don’t even know,” Chase confessed. “Two coffees, hot.” Dmitri returned with the coffees just as the lights lowered to indicate the beginning of the show. The music was a combination of rock and folk and Andre had a surprisingly mellow voice. By the end of the set everyone was clapping and begging the group for an encore. Chase leaned toward Alex. “Is it okay if we stay a while longer?” “Sure.” Alex smiled widely and nodded. “His band is great.” Chase was glad Alex was enjoying himself. He’d been worried Alex might shut down like he had at the party, but instead he’d been talking to all the guys


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and interacting just like any other social event. Even Oliver and his biting sarcastic sense of humor didn’t deter the good time. After the performance Andre joined them at the table. He gave everyone a big hug, even including Alex in his exuberance. “Hey man, where’s the rest of the band?” Dmitri asked. Andre shrugged and took a big swig from a water bottle Dmitri handed him. “They’re all talking with their friends.” He waved his hand around the bar. “Did you guys like it?” Everyone assured him they enjoyed the show and they sat and talked about the performance. While everyone was talking, Chase tapped Taylor on the shoulder and cocked his head toward the men’s room. Taylor took the hint, stood and excused himself from the table. A few minutes later Chase followed. Entering the men’s room he found Taylor leaning against the sinks, his arms crossed over his chest, his legs crossed at the ankles. “What’s up?” Chase glanced around the room, trying to discern if anyone else was present. “Don’t worry, it’s empty.” Taylor straightened and turned toward the mirror. “Spill it already.” “Alex and I…we’ve fooled around some.” “So I gathered.” “Blowjobs, hand jobs, I even fingered him.” Chase could hardly believe he was saying these things out loud. But he needed Taylor’s help. Taylor turned back around to face him. “I’m assuming there’s a point to all this.” “Everything we’ve done so far I’ve done myself. Well, most of it. But there’s one thing I’ve never done.” Chase was hoping Taylor would get his point. “You’ve never been fucked by a man. We’ve had this conversation, if you recall.” Taylor cut right to the heart of the matter.

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“Or fucked one, either.” Chase wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. “And when it happens I want to make sure I do it right.” Taylor held up a hand. “Okay, before we go any further, just let me tell you, being bisexual or gay doesn’t mean you have to fuck another man in the ass. It’s not a pre-requisite.” “I get that. But if we want…” “If you both want it, then that’s cool. And a good thing you came to me. Because you want to do it right.” Taylor came over to Chase and put an arm around his shoulder. “And lucky for you, I’m just the man with all the answers.”

Alex was listening to a conversation between Andre and Dmitri when he turned to tell Chase something and realized the other man was gone. He had no idea how long ago Chase had left or where he’d gone, but Alex noticed Taylor was missing as well. It could have just been a coincidence, but somehow he didn’t think so. Alex rationalized to himself it wouldn’t hurt to find Chase. “I’ll be right back.” Alex stood and headed toward the bar. He’d barely gone halfway across the room however, before someone grabbed his arm. Surprised, Alex turned to find a former teammate grinning at him stupidly. His arm was wrapped around a girl who was jabbering with the other women at the table. “Hey, dude, I’m surprised to see you here tonight.” “Why’s that?” Alex never like the guy and was racking his brain to remember his name. Oh yeah, Dirk, which rhymed with jerk. Alex pulled his arm from the loser’s grasp. “A little girly, don’t you think?” Alex frowned and looked around the coffee shop. It seemed to him there was probably an equal number of men and women in the place.


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“I don’t get it.” Dirk laughed. “Dude, it’s a coffee shop. They don’t even serve beer. And everyone here is either a chick, her boyfriend, or a faggot.” Alex started at the derogatory term. Sure it was something he’d heard more than once in the locker room. But it had nothing to do with him, so he’d ignored the homophobic rhetoric. Now, however, it took on a whole new tone and Alex was suddenly ashamed he’d ever disregarded the comments in the past. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” “No seriously, dude, this place is crawling with faggots, I’m telling you. You better watch your ass in the john.” Dirk laughed uproariously at his own joke, but he was the only one. “Shut the fuck up, asshole.” Alex turned to leave, but Dirk reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him once again. “Dude, do not tell me you are here with a bunch of faggots. I mean, I know you pussied out on playing football, but I had no idea you were trying out for the other team. Damn!” Dirk started laughing again. Alex’s blood boiled and he wanted to punch this loser’s face in. At the same time, he knew it wouldn’t solve anything. Dirk wasn’t suddenly going to become socially conscious and finally understand his remarks were hurtful and wrong. “I’m not here with faggots,” Alex spat the word back at Dirk. “I’m here with my friends, who are a bunch of guys a hell of a lot nicer than you.” Alex pulled his arm from Dirk’s grasp and walked away before the other man could stop him a third time. Alex walked aimlessly, not looking where he was going, and ended up running into Oliver. The other man was a bit of a braggart and full of himself. But instead of a cutting remark when Alex ran into him, Oliver just righted himself.

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“Sorry, man, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” “Don’t worry about it. Shitheads like him can make me see red, too.” Alex glanced over his shoulder at Dirk, who was staring daggers at him. Oh well. It wasn’t as if they’d been good buddies. “He’s a prick, always has been. It wouldn’t be a great loss if he disappeared off the face of the earth.” “Keep thoughts like that to yourself. If anything happens to him down the road you want to have plausible deniability.” “You serious?” Oliver cocked a brow and smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach his eyes. “Who knows.” “You’re not such a bad guy.” “Hell, I could have told you that. I’m practically perfect, don’t you know.” Alex chuckled. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” “Can I get you a drink?” Oliver gestured to the counter. “Nah, I’m going to hit the head.” Alex punched Oliver on the shoulder and headed toward the men’s room. Someone was exiting just as he reached the restroom and they held the door open. The sight that greeted him was not one he was expecting however. Chase and Taylor were standing back along the far wall, Taylor’s arm wrapped around Chase’s shoulders, their heads lowered close together as they spoke. Their conversation seemed very intent. Alex debated if he should interrupt or just turn around and leave. Jealousy ate at him, but at the same time Alex knew he could trust Chase. The man was his friend and had never betrayed him in all the years they’d known one another. Just because their relationship was one of lovers now shouldn’t change that. Before he could change his mind, Alex stepped into the restroom, allowing the door to close behind him. The squeak caused the two men to glance up to see


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who had entered. Chase released an audible gasp and straightened away from Taylor. “Alex, I uh…” “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” Alex walked over to the sinks to wash his hands. “Not at all,” Taylor said. “See you guys back at the table.” Taylor headed out the door, leaving Chase and Alex alone. Alex shut off the water and turned back to Chase. “You know, I never was this jealous of any of the women I ever dated. Chase revved his eyebrows. “Does this mean we’re dating?” “Hey, I’m not a casual lay. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” “Good to know.” Chase walked over to stand next to Alex. “You know you have nothing to be jealous about. Taylor’s just a friend.” “A good-looking one,” Alex observed wryly. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said so.” “Nah, I’d prefer you keep that to yourself.” In Alex’s estimation, Taylor didn’t need to know how hot he was. “But hey, you want to tell me what you guys were talking about?” Chase flushed and looked away and Alex realized he might have gone too far. “No, don’t tell me. You can have conversations with your friends. I don’t need to know everything.” Alex realized he meant it too. If he and Chase were going to have the relationship he was hoping for, he knew he needed to be able to trust the other man. And that meant being okay with his friends. Even if they were attractive men. “You sure you don’t mind?” “I’m sure.” Alex looked around the restroom. “Just as I’m sure there must be a better place for this conversation. Like back in our apartment.”

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“Now that’s a plan I can be on board with.” Chase flashed a wicked smile. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Together they walked out of the restroom and headed back to the table where their friends were. Alex led the way, studiously avoiding the table where Dirk and his bevy of ladies were sitting. That wasn’t a conversation he was interested in repeating again anytime soon. “What have you boys been up to?” Oliver asked with a smirk, as if he suspected some kind of extracurricular activity had been occurring. Ignoring Oliver’s question, Chase just smiled. “Alex and I are both tired and have class tomorrow, so we’re going to head out.” “Hey guys, I’m so glad you made it.” Andre stood and shook both their hands, the exuberance from his performance still more than evident on his face. “You have a great group. Let us know when you’re playing again. We’d love to come out.” Alex was surprised about his enthusiasm, but it certainly wasn’t faked. The group was excellent entertainment and so was the company. Alex noticed Chase had a satisfied little smile on his face at his words. But he wasn’t the only one. Taylor stood and clapped first Chase and then Alex on the back. “Boys, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” As everyone laughed, Alex heard Taylor whispering to Chase. “Just remember what I told you and everything will be fine.” Alex and Chase said their goodbyes and prepared to leave the coffee shop. As they approached the doorway Alex noticed Dirk standing there, as if he had been waiting for him. “Good seeing you here, Alex.” His sneer belayed the polite words. “I’ll be sure to tell the football team all about it.” “You do that.” Alex pushed past the bully and outside with Chase fast on his heels. Dirk didn’t follow, a fact for which Alex was extremely grateful.


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As they started walking back toward the apartment, Chase grabbed Alex’s arm and drew him up short. “Did something happen at the coffee shop that I’m not aware of?” Alex’s initial reaction was to minimize the confrontation with Dirk and say nothing. But that was the old Alex. “Yeah, when I ran into Dirk earlier he was spewing homophobic crap and I had to give him a piece of my mind.” “Really?” Chase tilted his head as if in thought. “That’s a lot different than the usual peacemaker Alex I know and love.” Love. Chase did not just say love, did he? Alex decided to ignore the turn of phrase for the moment. “For too many years I was the silent one who allowed people to do or say something wrong because it didn’t affect me, therefore I kept my nose out of it. No more.” “Hey, I’m all glad you want to stand up against the bullshit. But keep in mind there’s no reason to come out to every dickhead who has an axe to grind.” “Thanks for the advice, Obi-wan. I think I can handle it.” Chase held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, my advice-giving days are over.” “Just taking the advice now, huh?” Alex asked. “You overheard Taylor?” “Yep.” “It was all about you.” Alex couldn’t help but feel a little flattered. “I’d love to hear all about it. Once we’re back home again.” “Is that a come on?” “Let’s head back to the apartment and you’ll find out.”

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During the cab ride, conversation trickled to a halt. Chase’s earlier nervousness about how the night might end had him wiping his hands on his jeans. Now that the possibility of moving their relationship to the next level was imminent, Chase was wondering if he would be man enough to fuck his best friend like he wanted to. “Okay, what’s wrong?” Alex asked as he opened the front door and moved inside. Chase followed, shutting and locking the door behind him before joining Alex in the living area. “What makes you think something is wrong?” “Don’t be an ass, Chase. I think we’ve been friends long enough—I know when something is bothering you. So out with it.” Chase sank onto the couch and ran a hand through his hair. How could he tell Alex he was worried about his performance? “It’s just me being stupid. Don’t worry about it.” “Does this have something to do with your conversation with Taylor?” Why the fuck did Alex have to be so damned perceptive? Chase was hoping to avoid this conversation. Or at least postpone it until after the fact, when it would be a moot point. “Do we have to talk about this right now?” Alex frowned as if he wanted to argue the matter, but finally nodded. “Fine, we’ll put this on hold for now.”

Liz Andrews

“Good.” Chase stood and took a few steps toward Alex until they were faceto-face. “So about that come-on you were giving me earlier…” Alex reached up as if he was going to touch him, but dropped his hand and took a step back. “No offense to the good times we’ve had in this room, but do you mind if we take this to the bedroom?” Chase cocked a brow, a wide smile splitting his face. “Absolutely no problem with that. Do you have a preference on whose room?” “Yours is fine.” Then turning on his heel, Alex left Chase standing alone in the room as he headed down the hall toward the bedrooms. Okay then. Chase kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks before he followed. When he walked into the bedroom, Alex had done the same, but had taken his shirt off as well. With only a pair of worn jeans on, Alex was showing off his washboard abs and muscled chest. Of which Chase was more than appreciative. “Damn, I never expected…this is so…” “I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.” Alex stepped forward and took Chase’s hand in his. “I want to taste you.” Alex’s honest eagerness made Chase’s erection stiffen with anticipation. The thought of his best friend’s mouth wrapped around his cock made him want to push the other man to his knees. So when Alex did just that, sinking to the floor right in front of him, Chase gasped in disbelief. “I want that too. But…” Chase pulled Alex back to his feet. “Not enough to be a party to you re-injuring your knee.” “Okay, how about this then?” Alex pulled Chase over to the bed and pushed him down. Alex quickly unbuttoned Chase’s jeans, but he took his time to pull down the zipper, easing it over the stiffness behind the metal teeth. With a few

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tugs both his jeans and briefs were down. Then he drew his T-shirt up and over his head and tossed it away as well. “I can’t believe how much I’m aching for this.” The confession slipped from Chase’s lips. “Good. I want you hungry.” Alex pushed him back until he was lying on the mattress, his legs hanging off the side. Alex’s hands trailed along Chase’s legs, slightly tugging them apart as he moved upward. When Alex’s fingers finally cupped his balls, Chase’s mouth went dry and he clenched his fists. It was pure torture, but the good kind, that made him anticipate what was coming next. Alex drew a single finger along the length of Chase’s erection to the crown, smearing the precome gathered there. Then with a deliberateness Chase didn’t know Alex possessed, Alex stuck that finger in his mouth and sucked the moisture from the digit. “Fuck.” Chase bit his lip and dug his nails into his palms, doing everything in his power to gain the control he so desperately needed. Sure he’d had blowjobs before, but this was Alex between his legs. His best friend, the one Chase had been fantasizing about for longer than he could remember. And now everything he’d been dreaming about was coming true. “Tastes good, but not good enough.” Alex leaned forward and swiped his tongue over the tip. He smacked his lips and smiled at Chase, then shook his head a bit in disappointment. “Better, but still not exactly what I wanted.” Alex reached up and circled Chase’s cock at the base. Before Chase could think about where this was going, Alex engulfed the head in the warm, wet cavern of his mouth. Unable to keep the iron control he’d been trying to maintain, Chase grabbed Alex’s head and tried to urge him to take him deeper. But Alex wasn’t going to be rushed. He moved back, releasing Chase in the process.


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“Wha—” Chase immediately missed the feel of Alex’s mouth on him. “We’re doing this my way.” Alex reached out, grasped Chase’s dick and gave a squeeze. “That is if you’re okay with it.” “Whatever you want.” There was no way Chase was going to allow his pride to come between what was happening with him and Alex at this moment. If Alex wanted to take things at his own pace, that was fine. “Good, this is what I want.” Alex circled his tongue over the crown, licking and sucking at the oh-so sensitive tip. Chase’s hips jerked, a silent invitation for more, and this time Alex took him up on the request. Opening his mouth wide, Alex engulfed his length in one fell swoop. The feeling was remarkable and unfortunately short-lived. Alex pulled back, gasping for air. “Are you okay?” Chase tried to reach for Alex but the other man waved him away. “I’m good. Just tried to do too much too quick.” The smile in Alex’s gaze promised an enticing future. “I’m not going to stop just yet though. That is, if you’re willing to move forward.” “Hell yeah.” Chase wasn’t interested in stopping now. “Just take things slow and it’ll be all good.” “No problem.” Alex moved forward again. He grasped the base and, starting slower this time, took Chase into his mouth. Chase could feel the flickering explorations of Alex’s tongue as he moved along the length, taking him deeper with each movement. Chase’s hips were rocking back and forth as Alex licked and sucked him to distraction. Alex was obviously no expert in cock sucking. But what he lacked in expertise he more than made up for in enthusiasm. And Chase was more than willing to be encouraging. “Just like that.”

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Alex explored his dick from base to tip, paying special attention to the ridge around the crown. His wicked tongue delved along his erection, taking time to discover all the areas that drove Chase wild, then proceeded to do just that. “Jesus, Alex, more, just like that, more.” Alex followed Chase’s commands without further ado. He was hard and aching, but he had no idea if Alex would be willing to take this to the final, inevitable end. Heat coursed through him, jolts of pleasure beginning in his groin, but flaring out throughout his entire body. His orgasm was imminent. “I’m going to come. I can’t last much longer.” His lover immediately released him, confusing the hell out of Chase. “I want you to fuck me, Chase. I want your cock in my ass. So I can’t have you exploding in my mouth.” Fuck Alex’s ass. Oh Lord, just what he’d been dreaming about and dreading all at the same time. “Everything okay, Chase? You flaked out there for a minute.” Alex looked a little worried. “Yeah, I guess our ‘on hold’ conversation is coming back to haunt me earlier than I figured it would.” “Haunt?” Chase reached out and stroked his fingers across Alex’s furrowed brow before dropping his hand. “I’ve been worried about how things would go when we got to this point. I’ve never done this, and I wanted to make sure things were good. For both of us.” Alex chuckled and shook his head. “Hell, I have fears too, but I know one thing—you’d never do anything to hurt me. You’re my friend first and foremost. You care about me and you wouldn’t let anything bad happen.”


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“That doesn’t mean I couldn’t have fucked things up. Which is why I asked Taylor’s advice.” Alex lay down next to Chase on the bed. “Let’s put all that advice to good use then.” Chase cupped the back of his friend’s neck, pulling him in close. Their lips met in a fierce kiss, a balance of roughness and eagerness that had Chase wishing Alex was just as nude as he was. Breaking their lip lock, Chase muttered urgently, “Get these things off,” pulling impatiently at Alex’s jeans. “In a hurry?” Alex asked with a laugh. Chase looked deep into his lover’s eyes. “For you, yes.” Alex felt the intensity of Chase’s gaze locked on his. Some of his fears crept back in, making him wonder if he was ready for this. Could he let another man fuck his ass, his virgin ass? But then logic returned. Chase wasn’t just another man, he was his best friend, the man who had his best interests at heart. This was what Alex wanted. “Get off me and these jeans will be history.” Chase rolled away and Alex’s hands went to his waistband, but they were quickly pushed away by another pair of hands. “Lift your hips,” Chase commanded as he unbuttoned and unzipped Alex’s jeans in mere seconds. Alex complied and felt the denim being pulled from his legs. Before Chase could do anything further, Alex removed his briefs as well. “Hey now, did I say you could do that?” Alex shrugged. “Just figured I’d save the time so we can get down to business.”

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Chase rolled back and trapped Alex beneath him. Alex could feel the outline of his lover’s body against his, including the hardness pressed into his thigh. “This isn’t business we have to get out of the way. I want to enjoy it all, including removing your clothes.” Heat pooled low in Alex’s belly. He licked his lips and shifted beneath Chase, causing their cocks to rub against one another and groans to escape from both their mouths. “Sounds…good.” Alex felt as if he could barely speak. “I want everything you want.” He emphasized the word everything, needing Chase to know exactly what he was asking for. Chase maneuvered his hand between Alex and the mattress, gripping his ass in a rough caress. At the same time Chase’s lips were moving along Alex’s jawline, exploring as he nibbled down Alex’s neck over his collarbone. Alex moaned and gripped the sheets beneath him. “Jesus, don’t stop.” “Never,” Chase whispered, his lips trailing back up to Alex’s mouth. Alex arched against Chase’s caresses and groaned with desperate need. Releasing the fabric in his grasp, Alex slipped a hand around Chase’s neck and pulled him in for a fierce kiss. His arousal was at a fever pitch. Chase broke their kiss and gasped for air. Then he rolled Alex toward him until they were lying side by side. The hand gripping his ass clenched the firm flesh then moved to stroke over the crease. Alex shuddered at the intimate touch. “So good, don’t stop, please don’t stop.” Instead of a verbal response, Chase chuckled wickedly and leaned down to envelop Alex’s nipple in his mouth. Alex moaned and then bit back a howl as Chase nibbled on the tender flesh. The idea of a little pain in sex play was something Alex had never explored, but he was beginning to think he liked it, a lot. Chase moved to the other side, affording that nipple the same attention as


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the first. When he was finally released from Chase’s sensual oral onslaught, Alex lay breathing heavily. “We need lube.” The rough, harsh statement startled Alex for a moment and he realized he’d closed his eyes “I don’t want to hurt you.” “Good plan,” Alex gasped. Chase rolled away from him for a quick moment, and Alex heard him fumbling in the bedside table. A few seconds later his lover was back at his side. “Still ready for this?” Alex opened his eyes and nodded. “More than ever.” “Good.” Chase’s mouth covered Alex’s as his hand trailed over his body. Alex heard the faint sound of the lube bottle being opened and then the cool feeling of gel sliding along the crack of his ass. The sensual stroke of Chase’s finger rubbing up and down was soon replaced with pressure against his anus. Although he’d been expecting the touch, Alex still gasped and Chase froze his motions. “You okay?” “I’m good.” Alex licked his lips. “Touch me, please.” Chase had no trouble following up on his request, pressing his lubed digit back against Alex’s crinkled hole. Teasing the nerve endings there soon had Alex moaning and pushing back, begging for more if not with words, at least with his actions. “Stop with the teasing.” “This teasing?” Chase pushed against the muscled ring. In Alex’s opinion, Chase tried to infuse his voice with a hint of innocence, but the underlying laughter was there as well. “Yes, damn it. Give it to me.” “Your wish is my command.” Chase added more lube, and with a slow, but steady pressure, penetrated Alex’s ass.

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Alex shuddered at the feeling, but he was soon pushing back against Chase’s questing digit. “More, Chase, give me more.” Additional lube was squirted over Alex’s crack and then Chase added a second finger into the steady thrusting. When Alex was rocking back and forth in time to the thrusts, Chase slipped in a third. Alex had felt Chase’s cock. He knew how thick and impressive it was. If he felt full now, nothing was going to prepare him for the fuck of his lifetime, except the real thing. Alex’s cock was leaking copious amounts of precome, but he resisted the urge to wrap his hand around it and jerk to completion. “You feel so good.” Chase’s whispered words drifted over Alex’s ear adding another sensation to the already wild tableau. But it didn’t last for long as Chase removed all three fingers, leaving Alex with a sense of emptiness. “All this teasing has me on edge. I need it. I need you.” “Tell me, how do you need me, what do you want?” “I want you to fuck this virgin ass.” Alex rolled away from Chase until he was on his stomach. He waited with some anticipation, but he wasn’t expecting Chase to hand him a pillow. “Put this under your hips. It’ll give you the tip you need and relieve some of the pressure from your knees.” As Alex moved to do as Chase suggested, he could hear Chase moving around behind him. It was odd to have their first time in this position, but he supposed for two relatively inexperienced bisexual males, it made sense. “You’re going to need to spread your legs a bit, and if your knee is up to it, bend them slightly.” Alex couldn’t imagine the look he was presenting to his lover, but he knew from his experience, he felt open and exposed. He was thankful Chase was the only one who would be seeing him like this.


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While he was preparing himself for Chase’s sexual assault on his ass, Chase had been making plans of his own. The sound of a condom wrapper being opened and rolled on made Alex glance over his shoulder. Chase was lubing his latex-covered erection, his gaze hooded as he knelt behind Alex. “You look so fucking sexy right now.” Chase glanced up and smiled. “I was thinking the same thing about you.” Alex’s cock, trapped between his body and the bed, hardened to a point where he didn’t know how much more of a sensual onslaught he could take. “Fuck me, Chase. You’ve made all the preparations. Give me what I want. What we both want.” Chase stroked Alex again with his fingers, stretching the area that would soon be accepting his dick. Alex could feel his cheeks being spread and then the thick head of Chase’s condom-covered cock at his entrance. “We’ll take this nice and slow.” Chase rubbed his hand along Alex’s hips and ass. “And if you need me to stop, you just tell me.” Alex realized his lover was trying to be helpful and considerate, he was just anxious, as well as horny, to get on with it. “Do it, Chase, just do it.” Chase centered himself at Alex’s anal entrance and pressed forward. FUCK! His dick was much bigger than his three fingers had been. Much bigger. Once the crown pushed through the anal ring and Chase was inside, Alex felt as if he could breathe again. Which he did, with big gulps. The initial burning invasion had given way to the pressure and fullness of having his ass stuffed. “You’re so damned tight. I’m worried…” “No, no worries.” Alex didn’t want Chase to change his mind now. “Fuck me. Please. Just give me what I need.” Chase pushed forward, igniting all the nerve endings in Alex’s ass. Pleasure and pain blended together. But the pleasure more than outweighed the pain,

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especially when Chase hit that sweet spot deep inside. Alex moaned and tried his best to lie still, but it was impossible. He rocked back into Chase’s thrusts and Alex’s moan turned into a hungry cry. “Damn, are you okay?” Alex could hear Chase’s labored breathing and he knew the other man was holding back, even now. “I’m fine.” “I don’t know if I can go slow. It’s…” Chase’s fingers dug into Alex’s hip as he struggled to speak. “I’ve been dreaming of this for so long. And you’re everything I’ve ever imagined. So damned fucking perfect.” Alex was touched and frankly flattered by Chase’s words, but after everything he’d gone through to this point, he was ready to be fucked already. He must have been silent for a bit too long however. “Maybe we need to slow down.” Chase started to pull back until just the tip of his cock was still inside Alex’s ass. “No, Chase. Don’t stop.” “If you’re sure.” Chase pushed forward again, a little faster and harder this time. “Yes, God yes,” Alex begged. Chase began then, long steady strokes that multiplied Alex’s pleasure exponentially. The thrusting from behind had the added effect of pushing Alex’s cock into the pillow beneath his hips. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough friction to give him what he needed. Alex tried to wiggle his hand between his body and the bed, but because he couldn’t support himself on his knees, it was an impossible task. “You okay?” Chase slowed, but didn’t stop his thrusts, and Alex certainly didn’t want to give him an excuse to.


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“Fine. Good.” “Bullshit. You wanna try again?” Chase did just what Alex feared then, halting his strokes into his ass. “God, don’t stop. Please.” Alex didn’t care if he sounded as if he were begging, because that’s exactly what he was doing. “You know all you need to do is ask for what you want.” Alex closed his eyes, trying to reconcile all the thoughts and feelings tumbling around inside him. The feel of Chase’s dick in his ass, even motionless, was something he didn’t want to lose. “Alex?” “I want…I need to touch my cock.” “That’s all you needed to say.” Alex felt the stroke of Chase’s lips across his shoulder blades just before he moved away and pulled free from Alex’s ass. The weight of Chase’s body was lifted from his and Alex lowered his head in sadness. “No! Chase, that’s not what I wanted.” Alex rolled over to look his lover in the eye. “Not to worry. You’re still getting fucked. We’re just trying something different, okay?” “O-okay.” Alex wasn’t exactly sure where this was headed, but he was more than willing to go along for the ride. “Lie on your back.” Alex quickly moved into position and spread his legs, knees slightly bent. Chase crawled in between them and grabbed the bottle of lube, slicking up his condom-covered cock again. “Damn, you look good.” Chase’s voice, tight and husky, was almost Alex’s undoing. His erection, which had flagged a bit, was stiffening again.

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“Do it, Chase, fuck me, please.” Alex held his breath as the now familiar pressure returned when Chase eased inside once again. Once Chase was fully seated within his ass he stopped and stared at Alex, as if he were looking for something. “What?” “It’s a bit different this way, huh?” Without waiting for Alex’s reply, Chase leaned over him and captured his lips in a kiss. It began soft, two mouths exploring. Alex grasped Chase’s shoulders then ran his hands down his lover’s chest to tease his nipples. The groan from deep in Chase’s throat was Alex’s only warning before their kiss turned wild, Chase’s tongue plundering Alex’s mouth. The rough, calloused hand wrapped around Alex’s erection only deepened his pleasure. Alex was trapped in a haze of sensations. The intensity of the physical only heightened his feelings for Chase. There was only one thing missing. Breaking their kiss, Alex gasped in desperation, “Move, Chase, for God’s sake, please.” Chase released Alex’s shaft and braced his hands. “Touch yourself for me while I fuck you.” Alex wrapped his fingers around his erection as Chase slowly eased back. Then, with an urgent thrust forward, Chase began to power into him. Alex matched his strokes so they were in sync with Chase’s thrust. “Harder, more.” Chase complied with no hesitation. He pushed Alex’s legs wider as he delved deeper into his ass. Chase stimulated Alex’s prostate with every thrust. Alex knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. He felt too close to the edge, seconds away from losing his load, because it was feeling so incredibly good. His hand sped up on his erection, desperate for his orgasm.


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“Are you close?” Chase’s question, close to his ear, had Alex nodding frantically. “Then come for me, Alex.” Chase’s thrusts were no longer measured and even, but just as frantic as Alex’s hand on his stiff length. Pleasure exploded as Chase buried himself deep and shouted out his own release. Ropy strands of seed coated Alex’s stomach as he emptied the last of his come from his now flagging shaft. Chase eased himself free from Alex and collapsed next to him on the bed. The only sound in the room was their harsh breathing as they tried to recover. Alex kept thinking he needed to clean up, but the lethargy gripping him seemed impossible to escape. When the bed moved, Alex turned his head to see Chase standing. His lover removed the spent condom as he walked from the room. Sounds of water running drifted in from the bathroom. Then Chase returned with a warm washcloth in hand. He knelt on the bed and ran the cloth over Alex to clean him. “Thanks.” Alex knew he should probably say something more, but he was too exhausted to give it much thought, and besides, there was always tomorrow.

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The light streaming through the thin curtains covering Chase’s bedroom window woke him from a sound sleep. Stretching his arms over his head, he turned to look for Alex, but the other side of the bed was empty. Testing a theory, he reached out to touch the sheets, but they were cold. Alex had been gone for a while. Frowning, he glanced over at his clock. Crap, it was past ten on a Monday, which meant Alex was in class, a place he should be as well. After hurrying through a quick shower then dressing, he grabbed his backpack and rushed out the door. Being late wasn’t the norm for him, but it didn’t stop his professor from giving him stank eye when he slunk into the room more than twenty minutes late to the lecture. To add crap on top of an even shittier day, there was a pop quiz in his second class that he knew he failed miserably. When all was said and done, he was too pleased to walk back into his apartment. After the day he’d had, all he wanted was some food and maybe a blowjob and not even in that order. Dropping his backpack on the floor, he walked to the kitchen to find something to eat. It was then he noticed Alex’s backpack contents spread out over the desk. With a happy smile, he changed direction and headed down the hallway, but came to a halt just outside Alex’s bedroom when he heard the voice of Alex’s ex-girlfriend coming from behind the partially closed door.

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“Yeah, you’re right, I was surprised.” There was a familiar warmth to Janet’s voice and Chase realized he’d arrived in the middle of their conversation. It was wrong, he knew, but he sidled up to the door to look in on them. Alex and Janet were lying side by side on the bed. Thankfully they were clothed, but they were turned toward each other and he could see Alex’s hand resting on Janet’s hip. It looked very intimate. “I wanted to talk to you after our breakup about something, but I didn’t know how to approach it.” “Sounds mysterious. I’m intrigued, tell me more.” He watched intently as Alex moved his hand from Janet’s hip to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I miss you like this, all playful and fun.” Janet laughed and rubbed her bare foot along Alex’s jeans-clad leg. Chase took a few steps back, unable to watch any more of their interaction. Janet said something else, but he couldn’t hear her, and was glad. Pain seared his heart seeing the two of them together again like that. Janet was the one woman Chase thought Alex might end up with. When the couple broke up he had actually been a little happy, even though at the time he never believed he and Alex might have a chance to be together. To hear them in Alex’s bedroom was a blow he didn’t think he would be able to recover from. Especially after last night. Before they discovered him spying on them, he fled the apartment. He had no idea where he was going, he just walked, feet pounding the pavement to the beat of the blood pumping through his veins. It was only when he started to feel the chill of the late afternoon turning into evening that he realized quite some time had passed. He stopped to take in his surroundings and figure out where he was. Realizing he was just a few blocks from the coffee shop, he decided to head there

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for a cup of java to warm up. He was waiting in line to order when a familiar voice called out from behind him. “Hey, Chase, funny seeing you here.” Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Taylor with his arm wrapped around an attractive dark-skinned woman. He lifted his hand in greeting then turned back around to put in his order with the clerk. When he was done, he tried to walk past the couple but was waylaid by Taylor, who stepped out of the line and into his path. “Chase, I have someone I’d like to introduce you to.” Knowing it would be rude to just ignore him, he walked with Taylor to where his friend was still standing in line. “Chase, this is my girlfriend, Elisa. Elisa, this is Chase.” “Girlfriend?” Chase knew he probably was gaping comically, but he was really thrown for a loop. For some reason he just wasn’t expecting to see him with a girlfriend. “Yeah, she came up for a surprise visit.” That explained nothing, but this really wasn’t the time or place for him to give Taylor the “what the fuck” face, so instead he reacted the way his parents would have wanted him to. Politely. “Nice meeting you.” He offered her his hand. “You as well.” Elisa gave his hand a quick squeeze. “How do you know Taylor?” “Oh well, you know.” Suddenly he felt as if he were caught in a whirlpool, being pulled underwater with no ability to save himself. What the hell was he supposed to say? Oh, I met your boyfriend when a bunch of us guys got together for a coffee klatch? He shot Taylor an annoyed look. “Friend of a friend.”


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Silence descended among the three as Elisa looked back and forth between Taylor and him, her brow furrowed. He was desperate to escape before she started asking questions. “Um, well, see you later.” He quickly excused himself to go sit at a table and wait for his order. “Okay, dude, what’s up with you?” He looked up to see Taylor standing at the table. Looking around him, Chase saw Elisa was still standing in line. At least he wouldn’t have pretend sincerity in front of her. “No offense, but I’m not the best company right now.” “No kidding. You were practically rude to Elisa.” “Are you shitting me? You just introduced me to your girlfriend. How was I supposed to react?” “Like a normal person maybe.” Taylor crossed his arms over his chest. “I have a girlfriend. What’s the big deal? I’m bisexual, remember?” He could hear the chastising tone in Taylor’s voice, but he didn’t much care at this point. “Does she know you like guys, too?” “Actually she does.” Smirking, Taylor sat down at the table. “Not that it’s any of your business, but she was the one who first invited a man to our bed. We have a very open relationship.” “Well goodie for you.” He knew he sounded childish, but he didn’t really want to hear about Taylor and his perfect world. “Are you and Alex working from the same playbook?” “The plot thickens, and it sounds like a woman was involved.” Taylor snorted and shook his head. “So what happened between you and Alex? I’m assuming there were some problems last night.” “Well, you’re assuming wrong.” He felt the need to defend what happened between him and Alex. Even if things didn’t progress the way he’d hoped for, it

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would never take away their one night together. “Last night was great. But this afternoon, I found Alex talking with his ex-girlfriend.” “Oh my God, call the media. A man spoke with his ex-girlfriend.” “You don’t understand.” “No, I guess I don’t. Is he never supposed to talk to a woman again?” “Of course not.” He knew he was being defensive, but Taylor didn’t seem to understand the implications here. “What then? You seriously can’t be acting this childish.” He felt coldly furious. Taylor, although younger, always seemed to make him feel as if he were being an idiot. “We just had sex for the first time last night. And today he and his ex are lying together in bed chatting as if they’d never broken up. Sorry if I’m a little jealous.” Taylor shrugged. “So you’re jealous. Let him know. Talk to him. Stop acting like a pussy.” “You’re fucking nineteen years old.” It was a ridiculous argument of course, but Chase was grasping at straws at this point. “What makes you an authority on all things bisexual?” “Never said I was an authority, but I seem to have a better handle on things than you do right now. Age isn’t the issue here. Maturity is. Grow up or you’re going to lose Alex anyway.” Taylor stood as Elisa reached the table, carrying their order as well as Chase’s coffee. “You must not have heard them calling your name,” she said as she handed Chase his cup. “Thanks.” He took the cup from her and took a sip of the hot black liquid to avoid further conversation. “We’re going to take our order to go.” Elisa looked surprised by Taylor’s announcement, but didn’t say anything. “Let me know if you ever work things


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out.” Taylor draped his arm around Elisa’s shoulders and together they walked out of the coffee shop. Chase finished his coffee as he mulled over Taylor’s words. Yeah, he identified as bisexual and he still found women attractive. He could understand that. What bugged him was the fact Alex got together with Janet so quickly after their first time together. It felt too much like a rebound. And that’s what hurt most. As much as he hated to admit it, however, Taylor was right. He needed to go home and talk to Alex. If they were to have any chance of a relationship, he had to tell Alex how he felt, about Alex as well as about the situation he had walked into earlier that afternoon. And the sooner the better.

The muted sound of a door had Alex turning his head. “Did you hear that?” “No.” Janet rolled over onto her back and tucked her hands behind her head. “So, you ready to tell me why you called?” “Our breakup wasn’t your fault.” Janet snorted and lifted her head slightly to look him in the eye. “Duh, I know that.” “You were the one who said we needed some time apart, that things weren’t working out,” he pointed out. “Still doesn’t mean it was my fault.” Janet settled back into her repose. “True.” He rolled over on his side and propped his head on his hand to stare down at her. “But I blamed you for it, wrongly.” “Really? I had no idea.” The sarcasm was thick in her tone and he half expected her to roll her eyes, but no such luck. “Typical. I figured you knew and I felt the need to apologize.”

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Janet sat up then, her face serious. She smoothed down her hair and then crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. “This sounds like a story I need to hear. Spill it.” He sat up as well and leaned back against the headboard. He guessed the playfulness they were enjoying earlier was gone. “We broke up soon after the team cut me and for a long time I figured you didn’t want to be with a loser who was no longer the star player.” “I never said that.” “I know, but I wasn’t willing to admit I’d been a bit of an asshole toward the end of our relationship.” “A bit?” Janet cocked an eyebrow. “I took the cut from the team badly.” He quirked his lips to form a slight smile. “And I admit I’m not a very good patient.” Janet chuckled. “That’s an understatement. Chase seemed to be the only one who could stand to be around you.” He felt a flush creeping up his face. He wondered, knowing what he knew now, if that was because of how Chase felt about him. And it only confirmed his resolve. As much as he’d felt for Janet, it wasn’t true love. Instead of responding to her comment about Chase, however, he continued his explanation. “I pushed you away. Deliberately I guess. And then blamed you for it. It was wrong and stupid, and I guess I just wanted to tell you face-to-face I’m sorry.” Janet reached out and stroked her fingers over his brow. “You know we were always good together. We could be again.” He shook his head reluctantly. As much as he’d wanted that not so long ago, things had changed tremendously. “No, our time has passed. But we can still remain friends.”


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“Men always say that, but they rarely mean it. Usually it’s just a booty call they’re hoping for.” “That’s not how I feel about it at all.” Janet smiled sadly. “There’s someone else, huh?” He nodded. “It wasn’t something I planned. It shocked me, in fact. But it’s a relationship I want to work on. I think it might really be something…special.” He knew he sounded a bit sappy, even to his own ears. And chicken shit as he was, he still wasn’t quite ready to tell her about Chase. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t give Janet any false hope. “I wish you well, truly.” Janet moved off the bed then, slipping on the shoes she’d kicked off when they’d laid down on the bed. “I supposed I ought to take the sweatshirt of mine you lured me here with.” He stood and walked over to the dresser to grab the garment in question and hand it to her. “Not much of a ruse, huh?” “I should be mad, but I’m not, so no worries.” Together the two of them walked from his bedroom and down the hallway to the living area. The angle of the sun shining through the windows alerted him that it was later than he thought and he realized Chase should have been home from class by now. He looked around and spotted Chase’s backpack in one of the chairs. But he was pretty sure Janet and he were the only ones in the apartment. “Distracted already?” “Huh?” Janet chuckled and shook her head in resignation. “Exactly.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a quick hug. “This is the real reason we broke up. Ultimately you were more interested in Chase than me.” “What?” Shock and dismay colored his question.

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“Please. As soon as you noticed his backpack, you forgot I even existed. It’s going to have to be a very special woman who comes between two best friends.” He took a sigh of relief. Janet might not have guessed how close they really were, or perhaps she had and decided to keep it to herself. Either way, he was happy to just nod and return her hug. “You’re a great friend yourself, you know. And I didn’t completely forget about you. I was only distracted a bit.” “Okay, keep telling yourself that.” Janet laughed as she released him. “And on that note, I think I’m going to head out.” He walked her to the door, actually a little sad to see her go. They might have agreed to remain friends, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it would really last. They’d both be moving after graduation and he knew from experience that long-distance relationships were difficult to say the least. “I’m going to miss you.” He pulled her in for another tight hug. Janet returned the embrace but then stepped back. “See you soon.” He stood in the doorway and watched her until she was out of sight before returning to the living area. Feeling nostalgic, he hunted around until he found his old high school yearbook. Alex flipped through the pages quickly, stopping only when he found the one he’d been searching for. It was a photo of him, Chase and the woman who’d been their third musketeer, Jasmine. Although for Alex, he’d also had a secret crush on Jasmine, unrequited as it turned out. Nevertheless, the day this picture was taken he never would have guessed the eventual outcome of their friendship. Back in high school the three had been inseparable, but after they went away to college, he and Chase had lost touch with her. He’d heard through the grapevine she’d gotten engaged to her old high school boyfriend, a man neither he nor Chase could stand. Fondly, Alex stroked his finger over her picture as he


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wondered what Jasmine was up to now. The sound of a key in the lock interrupted his musings. Chase was home. He set aside the yearbook and looked up in greeting as the door opened. “Hey.” It was funny but he felt a little shy after everything that had gone on last night. “Janet go home?” Chase shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair before sitting down. “Um, yeah, she did.” Alex wondered what was up. Chase seemed distant and he wondered if the other man was having regrets. “I didn’t even realize you had been here earlier until just a little while ago.” “I could see why. You were occupied.” Alex tilted his head and studied Chase for a moment. “Are you…jealous?” Chase flushed and glanced down at his hands. When he finally looked up Alex could see the pain reflected in his gaze as he nodded. “I didn’t know what to think, frankly.” “Jesus, Chase. It was nothing. We were talking.” “And lying on the bed.” Alex was taken aback by Chase’s comment. “Were you spying on me?” “No.” Chase’s denial was emphatic but then he shrugged. “Not intentionally. At first, anyway. I came looking for you and heard you both talking. So I looked and listened for a second, but then I left.” “Because?” “I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew I wasn’t happy about it.” Chase shifted in his seat. “Did it ever occur to you to hang around and find out?” “Let’s not pretend you haven’t given me reason to be a tad wary. You don’t do ‘morning after’ well.” Chase stood then and for a moment Alex thought he

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was going to leave the room, but instead the other man began to pace. “You weren’t here this morning. What was I supposed to think?” “That I had class.” Chase made a quiet sound of disgust. “I know, but still.” “Still what?” Annoyed, Alex ran his hand through his hair. “I thought you knew me better than that.” “We’re in uncharted territory here. I don’t know what to expect from you. I keep waiting for you to bail again. I keep waiting for you to…” “To what?” Alex shot back. He rose as well and Chase stopped walking until the two of them stood toe to toe. “To tell me the best night of my life was a colossal mistake,” Chase said softly. Alex was shocked. Chase’s admission wasn’t what he was expecting, but it gave him the opening he needed to reveal his own feelings. “I’m not going to lie, Chase. I’m scared shitless—scared for us, scared about the future, scared that I’ll never be able to show you how much you mean to me.” Chase blinked and stared, wide eyed as if he couldn’t believe what Alex was saying. Alex swallowed hard but pressed on. “That I’ll never be able to make you understand how much…how much I love you.” “Love me?” Surprise colored Chase’s words. “Yeah, and not in that drunk, one guy to another guy, ‘I love you man’ way. But in an ‘I’m in love with you and can’t imagine my life or my bed without you’. And I think you feel the same way about me.” Chase chuckled and his lips tilted upward. “You just think it?” “No.” He grinned. “I know it. Even if you haven’t said it out loud yet.” “I was just waiting for you to catch up with me. As usual.”


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“I’m all caught up. And I’m all yours. I’m committed to you. I’m committed to us. How could I not be? You’re my best friend and the person I love. We have the best of both worlds.” Alex slipped a hand around Chase’s neck and pulled him in close. He could see the shock and wonder on Chase’s face and it made him smile. “It’s you and me.” “Is this the part where you drop down on one knee and give me a ring or something?” Alex sat back down and pulled Chase onto the couch with him. He ran his hand down Chase’s back to his ass. “Or something.” “I like something.” Chase’s voice was thick with desire and Alex could feel the other man’s burgeoning cock pressing against him as well. “And I do love you.” “I can’t wait to see what happens next.” It was the first time Alex had been the aggressor, the one to initiate contact, and he loved how he was able to surprise Chase. Being able to discover all these new things about a man he thought he knew so well was something he was looking forward to. For a long, long time to come.

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About the Author

Liz Andrews is a critically acclaimed, multi-published author who enjoys writing erotic romance almost as much as she enjoys reading it. A romantic at heart, Liz is a fierce believer in happily ever after and heroes who make the heart swoon. When not writing, the Ohio native enjoys reading, going to the movies and hosting dinner parties for her friends. Check out her website at www.lizandrews.net, her yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheLenaandLizShow/ or you can email her directly at [email protected].

Look for these titles by Liz Andrews

Now Available: Sixpence in her Shoe Friends and Lovers Coming Full Circle

Coming Soon: Rock You Like A Hurricane (with Lena Matthews)

They’ve waited ten years. Will they finally gain everything they ever desired…and more?

Coming Full Circle © 2009 Liz Andrews

There’s only one bright spot Jasmine Hayes can see when she’s suckered into helping plan her high school reunion. At least she’ll be able to reconnect with old friends Chase Randolph and Alex Landry. There’s nothing she regrets more than losing touch with those two handsome guys. Chase and Alex hadn’t planned to attend the reunion, but the chance to see Jasmine again has Chase intrigued. Alex is his best friend and love of his life, but Jasmine will always be the girl who got away. One instant message is all it takes to center Alex’s thoughts on a lusty reunion with Jasmine. He’s extremely happy with Chase, but she’s always been the girl of his dreams. He can’t help but wonder if the chemistry the three of them had in high school is still there. Renewing old ties, however, puts triple the strain on some old ones. The choice they face is which ones to risk severing—and which ones are worth keeping. Warning: This title contains men loving men, and men loving a woman—anywhere and everywhere they can. Enjoy the following excerpt for Coming Full Circle: The ding of Chase Randolph’s computer announced an email, but what caught his attention was the name of the sender. Jasmine Hayes. It was a name he hadn’t seen in almost ten years and seeing it had him smiling as he thought of her. Jasmine was a former friend from high school, yet they’d lost touch over time.

He’d heard she had married Howie Markum, a guy they went to high school with, but here was an email from her with her maiden name. Intrigued, Chase clicked on the message and began to read. Hello Mr. Randolph. I was wondering if you attended Middlebrook High School. I was friends with a man of the same name. I am chairman of the reunion committee and we are looking for lost classmates. Thank you, Jasmine Hayes P.S. If you are the Chase I know, I am also looking for Alex Landry and was wondering if you had his contact information. Interesting. Very interesting. The email from Jasmine came from left field but he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in her life over the last ten years. They had been close once and he still missed her friendship. Thinking back to that time made him nostalgic and, succumbing to an impulse, he decided to share the news. He picked up the phone and dialed home, tapping his pencil on his desk as he waited for an answer. “You better not be calling to tell me you have to work late.” Alex’s voice boomed across the line. “Nice way to answer the phone.” “Sorry.” He sounded weary. “It was a bad day at work. I was looking forward to dinner, drinks and a relaxing evening at home.” “I won’t be late. In fact, I was only calling to tell you about an interesting email I received.” “You couldn’t have waited until you were home?” Alex sighed heavily. “Okay, tell me about the email.” “No, no, it’ll wait.”

“Damn it, you called. Tell me already.” “It was from Jasmine.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a long moment, before Alex asked, “Jasmine? Jasmine Hayes from high school, Jasmine?” “None other. She’s the chairperson of the reunion committee and is looking for lost classmates. Guess who’s lost?” “That’s it? That’s all she said? Nothing about ‘Hey, how the hell are you?’” Chase knew exactly how Alex was feeling. They had been like the three musketeers, friends for four years after meeting in freshman American History class. And then they went their separate ways when Alex and he went away to college while Jasmine stayed home to go to the local community college. She married the guy she started dating her senior year, someone both he and Alex couldn’t stand. Chase always believed Howie was the reason she cut off contact. “Sorry, baby, that was pretty much it. I’ll forward you the message so you can read it though.” “Alright. Well get your ass home.” “See you soon.” Chase severed the connection and forwarded the email before shutting down his computer. On the drive home, Chase couldn’t keep the thought of Jasmine from his mind. He could still remember the first time he saw her. She was a bit shy, with soft brown hair and a generous smile. He wondered how the last ten years might have changed the girl he once knew. He and Alex had certainly changed since high school. He had been the Student Class President, while Alex was the big football hero. Best friends since the moment they were assigned to sit next to each other in home room, they’d included Jasmine in their circle as soon as they met her.  When it came time to apply to colleges, both men ended up receiving scholarships to the same state

university. It only seemed natural that they became roommates. And it was in college when they discovered they were bi-sexual. Although if he were honest with himself, Chase had known he was attracted to both men and women years earlier. Alex had fought his attraction to men for much longer, until the two of them had a sexual encounter which left no doubts as to where their desires lay. It was an eye-opening weekend for both of them and they finally admitted their feelings for one another. They’d been a couple ever since. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, especially when Alex’s family pretty much disowned him. Thankfully Chase’s family was more accepting. They had dated for a few years before making a commitment to each other. The decision to buy a house together soon followed.   After twenty minutes of bumper to bumper traffic, Chase turned onto his street and into the driveway. He gathered his briefcase and coat and exited the car, hitting the alarm button on his key fob as he entered the house. Without bothering to put his stuff down, he went in search of Alex. It didn’t take long to find him in the office, looking through their old yearbooks. They were prominently displayed throughout the annual, because of their many activities as well as the fact Jasmine was part of the yearbook staff. Alex looked up when Chase entered the room. “You know, there are hardly any pictures of Jasmine in here, even though she could have put herself on every page.” “I don’t think she liked to be in the limelight.” In some ways she’d blended in to the background. Once they’d become acquainted with her, they’d realized she liked to sit back and observe her surroundings. “Did you answer her email?” Alex stood and stretched his arms over his head before he returned the yearbook to its place on the shelf. Although he no longer played football he was still muscular and wide shouldered.

“No, not yet. I thought we could compose a reply together.” “I still vote no on going to the reunion, even with the personal invite from Jasmine. There was a reason we decided not to return to Middlebrook to live. The town and its population wouldn’t be too receptive to us.” “I know and I agree with you.” Together they walked out of the room and headed toward the kitchen. “Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.” “Me too.” Alex grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. He took two glasses from the cupboard and poured a glass for each of them. “Did you see the email had her maiden name?” “Yeah. I wondered about that.” Chase accepted the glass Alex handed him and took a drink. “She could have an old email address from before her marriage.” “Or she could be divorced now.” “Or she could still be married and be using her maiden name.” Alex wrinkled his nose. “Spoilsport.” “Start the steaks and I’ll make the salad.” They began to work companionably to prepare dinner, both silent in their thoughts. The one thing Chase had never shared with Alex was the fact that back in high school he’d asked Jasmine to Homecoming their senior year. She had turned him down, professing she wanted to remain friends. It was his one major disappointment in high school that they hadn’t explored the possibility of being more. “I had a thought.” Alex interrupted Chase’s musings. “Just the one?” “Stop being a smart ass.” Alex crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you think about inviting her to come visit us, if she is single again, that is? I really don’t want to have Howie as a houseguest.” Chase snorted in agreement. “He always was a sanctimonious bastard.”

“So?” “It’s been ten years. What if we start talking to her and it’s not the same?” “Okay, fine. I thought you’d want to see her, maybe get to know her again.” “I do.” Chase put down the knife he was using to cut a tomato. “I wonder why she never kept in touch. I always wondered if she heard through the proverbial grapevine about us.” “And what, didn’t want to associate with the gay guys?” “Bi-sexual,” Chase felt the need to point out. “But yeah.” Alex shook his head, causing a tawny lock to droop over his eyes before he reached up to push it back. “No, Jasmine didn’t have a prejudiced bone in her body. I don’t think our relationship had anything to do with it. I always figured she became wrapped up in Howie. We didn’t live in the same town anymore and maintaining a friendship with us wasn’t convenient.” “So what makes you think she’d want to come and visit now?” “I don’t know, it was an instinctive feeling.” Chase had to laugh at the typical Alex answer. He often had an idea about something, but when pushed on why, he wouldn’t have a specific reason. “Let’s eat and then we’ll email her back and see what happens, okay?” “Sounds like a plan.” Chase set the table while Alex finished the steaks and allowed his mind to wander again. Alex was always very protective of Jasmine and disliked Howie immensely. He had been disappointed when their engagement was announced and even more upset when neither of them were invited to the wedding. By that time they hadn’t talked to her in more than three years, so Chase really wasn’t surprised by the non-invite. He hoped Alex wasn’t setting himself up for further disappointment. “Steaks are done.”

“Great, let’s eat.” Instead of talking more about Jasmine, Chase asked Alex about his day and allowed the other man to vent about the stupid physicians he worked with. Alex was a physical therapist, but worked with a number of orthopedic surgeons who thought they understood physical therapy better than he did. By the time dinner was done they were both relaxed. They cleared the table and then, by silent mutual agreement, headed into the office. Chase opened the original email Jasmine had sent and hit reply. “Okay, what do you want to say?” “Tell her you’re the Chase she’s looking for.” Alex leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced behind his head. “And then tell her yes, you have my contact information.” “That’s it, those two things?” Alex nodded. “Yeah, I thought about it and you’re right. We should wait and see before inviting her to visit.” “Okay, here’s what I have.” Chase read the message to Alex. Dear Jasmine, Yes, I’m the Chase Randolph who attended Middlebrook High. Neither Alex nor I were planning to attend the reunion, but I do have Alex’s contact information if you still want it. Just let me know, Chase. “I see you decided to add a few things.” “I wanted to lay it on the line. If she only wanted to talk to us as the chairperson of the reunion committee, she has her answer and she can move on. If she wants to talk to us, her two old friends, she knows she can email me back.” Chase knew he was being pragmatic. If he had no expectations of a reply, then he wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Makes sense.”  Chase was glad Alex agreed. He hit the send button and then closed the email program, figuring it would be the last they heard from Jasmine.

How far would you dare to go…to win it all?

Str8te Boys

© 2009 Evangeline Anderson Maverick Holms and Duke Warren share almost everything—a college soccer team, an apartment and the same extremely competitive nature. Thanks to that never-back-down spirit, they’re about to share more than they bargained for. The game is “gay chicken”. The rule: get as close as possible without kissing, and the one that pulls away first is the loser. The problem: neither of them likes to lose. It isn’t long before the game becomes an excuse to touch and kiss in every possible forbidden way. And after they pose for a gay website to earn extra money, things really heat up. Suddenly Duke is talking lifetime commitment, and Mav is backpedaling as hard as he can, not sure if he’s ready to accept all his best friend is offering him. Or the truth about what he is. Warning: Hot M/M sex inside. Do not open this book if you don’t like the idea of two deliciously muscular best friends becoming lovers. Enjoy the following excerpt for Str8te Boys: Mav frowned at his roommate. Any other guy would have backed off at the dangerous look in his eyes but he knew Duke didn’t back down for anyone. Neither did Mav as a general rule, even though he wished he could. But he couldn’t, because for some reason he was still hard—harder than ever in fact— and if he jumped off the couch now, his state of arousal would show. There was nothing to do but sit there and play the stupid game until his annoying best friend gave it up and moved on to other things.

“Gay chicken,” Duke whispered, leaning in. The idea was for two guys to get as close to kissing as they could. The one to pull away first was the loser. Duke always won because he was a fierce competitor where any sport was concerned—be it soccer, baseball, basketball, football, table tennis…or gay chicken. “Come on, Duke, stop it,” Mav murmured as his roommate got closer and closer. He could see the little gold and green flecks in Duke’s chocolate brown eyes, could smell the faintly spicy aftershave he wore and under it, the warm scent of his skin. “Can’t stop unless you give,” Duke murmured, moving in. “Gotta play to win, Mav. And you know I always win.” Mav sighed, still looking deeply into his best friend’s eyes. For some reason it reminded him of the picture he’d seen on the website of the two guys looking at each other. “Yeah, you always have to win, fag,” he muttered, not sure if he was angry or…something else. By now his cock had gone from half-hard to fullalert status and he didn’t dare move. Or maybe he didn’t want to? It was all very confusing. He’d never let Duke’s mouth get this close to his own before. Always in the past he’d pulled away, turned his head, admitting that the game was getting to be too much for him, too intense. But this time he felt frozen in time and space, helpless to do anything but watch his best friend’s infuriatingly handsome face get closer. Duke’s warm pink lips brushed his gently at first and then more firmly. He held the kiss for a long, breathless moment before pulling back a fraction of an inch. “Who’s a fag now?” His deep voice was low and intimate. “Do you give, roomie?” Mav felt like someone had stuck a lighting rod down the front of his pants and sent a bolt of electricity straight through his cock. What the hell was wrong

with him? Duke’s posturing and games had never affected him this way before. Well, not until recently, anyway. He thought again about jumping off the couch and running up to his room. But that would look weird and besides, his hard-on would be way too obvious, even if he moved fast. He was stuck, pinned to the couch. “What are you gonna do if I don’t give?” he asked, hating the rough, breathless tone in his own voice. “Maybe nothing. Maybe this.” Duke leaned forward again. This time when their mouths met Mav felt something warm and wet brush against the seam of his lips. His tongue, he realized, a shiver running through him. Damn, he’s actually licking me! He opened his mouth to protest and suddenly Duke’s tongue was right there, probing delicately between his lips, forcing him to react. Without knowing why he was doing it, Mav reached up and took a handful of his best friend’s spiky blond hair. Pulling Duke closer, he pressed his own tongue deep into the warm, luscious mouth covering his own. Duke tasted like cinnamon and beer and heat. He tasted delicious. Then Duke was pulling away abruptly, pretending to spit and wipe his mouth. “Dude, you kissed me! You were actually frenching me or some shit!” Mav frowned. “That’s what you get, asshole. Do you give?” he asked, trying to cover his own confusion. What just happened? Did I kiss him? What the hell? Duke scowled. “Damn it, Mav. I never lose at gay chicken.” “Maybe because I always let you win.” Mav held his best friend’s gaze with his own, refusing to look away. “I think you better give, Duke. Unless you want to be getting a whole lot gayer than you ever have before.” Ethan’s dry voice pulled Mav back to the present. The other man was still sitting in the wicker chair, watching them. But

for a moment Mav had completely forgotten there was anyone else in the room but him and his best friend. “Huh?” Duke looked slightly confused, as if the kiss had caught him unawares too. Which it shouldn’t have since he’d initiated it, Mav thought half angrily. “I said, I don’t think your boy Maverick is going to back down this time.” Ethan grinned. “So unless you want to bend over and let him fuck you to prove how extremely ungay you are, I think we have a new reigning champ of gay chicken. And on that note…” He stood and stuffed the iPhone in his pocket. “I think I better get going. Ev wants me to go to brunch with him and his mom. I’m not looking forward to it.” He made a face. “Uh, sure. Okay.” Duke still sounded dazed but at least he’d stood up from the couch, putting some distance between himself and Mav. “See ya, Eeth. Thanks for comin’ by.” “Talk to you later, straight boy.” Ethan gave them one last searching look before letting himself out of the apartment’s front door. “Uh, well, I gotta go. Gotta…get something in my room.” Duke nodded vaguely in the direction of his bedroom. “Sure. See ya.” Mav nodded, feeling a strange mixture of relief and disappointment that his annoying best friend was finally getting out of his personal space. But as Duke turned to go, something caught Mav’s eye. There was a definite bulge in the crotch of his roommate’s jeans. Duke was hard too.

The virgin isn’t the only one with something to lose…

The Closer You Get © 2011 L.A. Witt

Self-described manwhore Kieran Frost is loving the single life. Two years after moving to Seattle, he still has his friends with benefits, Rhett and Ethan, plus a never-ending supply of gorgeous, available men wandering through the bar where he works. A relationship? Spare him the drama and heartbreak. He’s got no complaints about his unattached lifestyle. When Rhett’s daughter introduces him to newly-out-of-the-closet Alex Corbin, Kieran’s interest perks up. After all, the quiet ones are always the freaks in bed. But Alex isn’t just shy and reserved. He’s a virgin in every sense of the word, having never even kissed anyone else. Kieran is no one’s teacher, and his first instinct is to run like hell in the other direction. But his conscience won’t let him throw the naïve kid to the wolves for someone else to take advantage of. The plan is to introduce Alex to his own sexuality, pull him out of his shell, then go their separate ways. It’s the perfect, foolproof plan…assuming no one falls in love. Warning: This sequel to The Distance Between Us contains a curious virgin, a shameless slut, a trip to a sex shop, and one stubborn heart. Oh, and a dildo. Enjoy the following excerpt for The Closer You Get: While he took my place and aimed his first throw, I went for my drink. Alex took his first shot, then lined up his second. Even with his need for concentration and my preoccupation with the beer on my tongue, the silence was awkward. Tense. Needed to be broken, like, now. I swallowed my beer. “So, what are you studying?”

“Pre-med.” He threw the dart and it landed firmly under the eighteen. Third dart poised in midair, he said, “What about you? What do you do?” “I’m a bartender.” The dart flew through the air and connected with the board with a thunk. “A bartender? So, you don’t mind giving money to the competition?” He gestured at the bar. “Just don’t tell my boss I’m here, all right?” Alex laughed as we switched places. “Your secret’s safe with me. I appreciate you coming too, by the way. I hope Sabrina didn’t twist your arm as hard as she twisted mine.” I looked over my shoulder at him. “You had to have your arm twisted to meet me?” “That’s not what I meant,” he said, sounding half-amused and halfunnerved. “Just giving you shit,” I said. “Anyway, you staying in town for the summer or going home?” “Staying here.” The words came out sharply, like he didn’t even want to consider the latter option. “I’m, um, I’m working full-time right now. Figured I should make some money this summer instead of wasting it going home.” “And in between working, checking out the more fun things the city has to offer?” Some color rushed into his cheeks, and he laughed shyly. “Yeah, that was the plan.” I finished the turn, and after we’d switched, I said, “So, what is it you want to check out? Clubs, that kind of thing?” Alex shrugged. “Guess that would be a good place to start. Somewhere I can, you know”—he looked at me—“meet guys.” We held eye contact for a moment

before he turned back to the dartboard. It was a second or two, if that, but just long enough to create a tingle at the base of my spine. I cleared my throat. “Not too many places like that where you come from?” “Uh, no. I’m from a town that has three times as many bars as stoplights, and every one of those bars has dead animals on the walls.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “I don’t have the faintest clue where to go or what to do once I’m there.” “Well,” I said. “I might be able to help you with that part.” Shyness and boldness battled for dominance in his eyes, and I thought he might say something. He didn’t, though. Instead, he turned his attention back to throwing his dart. Sipping my beer, I watched him. So he’d had a year at a university in a gayfriendly city. Probably dated a little, played the campus field a bit, and now he was ready to expand his horizons. Timid with the occasional break of matter-offact assertiveness. Oh, yes, this could be a lot of fun, especially if he wanted someone to help him explore some of the dirtier aspects of being a gay man in this town. Someone threw their arms around my shoulders from behind, nearly making me drop my drink. “Having fun over here?” Sabrina asked, more of a giggle in her voice than usual. “Well, I am.” I looked at Alex. “You?” Just before bringing his beer to his lips, he said, “I’m having a good time, yes.” “Good,” she said. In a stage whisper, she said to me, “You’re being gentle with him, right, Kieran?” I looked right at Alex. “Define ‘gentle’.”

He gulped. I grinned. Sabrina giggled. “Okay, boys, don’t have too much fun.” She patted my shoulder, then wandered off to the rest of her friends. Alex coughed into his fist. “So, how do you know Sabrina?” Still focused on me, he sipped his beer. “I, uh, I lived with her dads when I first moved here.” I paused. “They needed a roommate for a while, so…” I made a dismissive gesture with my glass. And I’ve been fucking them on a regular basis ever since. “I have to say,” he said, “it blew my mind when she told me her dads were gay. She doesn’t bat an eye over it, and that’s when I realized I was living in a very different world now.” Amusement tugged at his lips, but there was something darker in his expression that made me curious what kind of world he’d come from. “Well, get used to it,” I said with a wink. “Seattle isn’t one hundred percent gay-friendly, but you’re not in Kansas anymore.” “So I’ve noticed.” He laughed dryly. “By the way, it’s your throw.” “Oh, right.” I set my beer down and picked up the darts. As I aimed, my phone vibrated. I groaned. Fuck, please tell me Mom isn’t calling again. I unclipped it from my belt. The screen lit up with Rhett’s name and a text message: Having fun there, or coming back here tonight? I chuckled. Had the message come from Ethan, it probably would have said “Still want to get fucked tonight?” Same meaning, different wording. I looked at Alex. Then I wrote back: Think I’m going to stay. Call you guys later this week. Have fun. :) Then I clipped my phone back on my belt and resumed my game.

Alex eventually beat me at that round of cricket, but it was close. He only had me by three points, so that was as good an excuse as any for a rematch. Had to see who really was the better player, after all. Since I won that game, we decided to go two out of three. Then three out of five. Seven games and three beers later, I pulled my phone off my belt to check the time. I blinked a few times, certain I was misreading the numbers. How the hell was it quarter to twelve already? “Damn, it’s almost midnight,” I said. “Is it?” Alex looked at his watch. “I’ll be damned.” He exhaled. “I should probably get out of here. I’m working an early shift tomorrow.” “Yeah, me too.” “It was nice meeting you.” His smile was still shy but decidedly more confident than when we were introduced earlier. “Thanks for letting Sabrina twist your arm.” I grinned. “I think this was well worth having it twisted a little.” We held eye contact, and as the silence went on, the color in his cheeks deepened. I cleared my throat. “So, um, listen, if you want the grand tour of Capitol Hill, I could certainly show you around. Take you to some of the places on Broadway.” And maybe show you the inside of an apartment a few blocks off Broadway. “Sure, that’d be great.” He shifted his weight, obviously struggling to hold my gaze. “If you’re, you know, if it’s not too much trouble for you.” “Not at all. What are you doing tomorrow night?” He hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing that I know of.” “And you are twenty-one, right?” “With a few months to spare, yes.” “Why don’t you meet me at Wilde’s, then?”

“Wilde’s? That’s that gay club on Broadway, isn’t it?” “Most of the clubs on Broadway are gay clubs,” I said. “Wilde’s just happens to be the best in my not so humble and very biased opinion as an employee. Have you been to any clubs?” “Beside this?” He gestured at our surroundings. “This is a sports bar. Big difference, trust me.” He laughed quietly. “I’ll take your word for it. I have been to a strip club before, though.” “Have you, now?” He nodded. “Enjoy it?” “I think I might’ve enjoyed it more had there been some guys on the stage.” His smile was characteristically shy, but there was just enough of a devilish sparkle in his eyes to bring a grin to my lips. Oh, yes, you do have a wild side, don’t you?

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