Behind the Stick Read online

  “At the sink, shaving. He either didn’t notice Robbie sneaking in or purposely let him scare the ever-living hell out of me when I realized I wasn’t alone.” Luka glanced from Malcolm to Kyle. “They were both laughing at me by the time I finished screaming, that much I know.”

  Cam’s bright brown eyes gleamed. “What did you do?”

  Luka shrugged. “I shampooed Robbie’s lazy ass and gave him a massage because he’s a spoiled brat with no boundaries.”

  Kyle put on a smile while the others joked and laughed, then excused himself after a moment. He moved around the bar, filling orders and checking in with his guests, and though he thought he sensed Luka’s eyes on him, he kept away a while longer. As much as Kyle enjoyed talking with Luka, he didn’t feel much in the mood to listen to more shower and massage stories.

  He waited until Malcolm and Cam had moved over to one of the seating areas with some of the others before he approached Luka again. Kyle found him chatting with Munson, and they looked at Kyle with interest as he stepped up in front of them.

  “More of the same?” Kyle asked.

  Munson jerked a thumb at Luka’s drink. “I like the Fireman’s Sours you’ve been making me, but Luka says I’ll regret not trying a margarita. So, I’ll take a Smoke & Ember, please.” He slid his empty rocks glass across the bar toward Kyle. “Hopefully, mixing rum and tequila at this hour doesn’t render me comatose tomorrow.”

  “Be quiet, you big baby.” Luka knocked his shoulder with Munson’s. “Why don’t you ask Kyle about the thing we were talking about?”

  Munson aimed an exasperated look at Luka. “I’m not asking him out for you, dude,” he said. “Hell, Kyle invited us here and comped us a whole night—I think it’s your turn to step up.”

  Kyle froze in the act of measuring liquors and watched Luka’s eyebrows rise high.

  Munson frowned, clearly aware his words were unexpected. “What? That’s not what you wanted me to ask him?”

  “Err. No.” Luka scrubbed his forehead with the fingers of one hand. “You wanted to know how Kyle and these guys all knew each other, remember?” His gaze flicked to Kyle’s then, and suddenly, both of them were snickering.

  Munson grimaced. “Okay, my bad. I did want to know though,” he said to Kyle. “I mean, you’ve got a state senator and some teachers, two business guys and some non-profit nuts, including one who looks like a swimsuit model—how does that happen?”

  “The short answer is I met everyone one way or another through Jesse, one of the business guys, and Carter, one of the non-profit nuts,” Kyle said over another chuckle. “And don’t worry about the other thing—I won’t turn down a laugh, even if it’s at my own expense.”

  “What other thing? You mean Luka asking you out? How is that at your expense?” Munson asked. He stared at Kyle, his eyebrows furrowed. “He does want to ask you out. He told me so when we met up to come over here.”

  Luka sighed. “Dude, why?”

  “Well, you do, right? So, what’s the big deal? Ask the guy out already!”

  Kyle rattled the contents of the shaker as much to drown out the tiff brewing in front of him as to mix the cocktails. He poured out the new drinks and served them up while Luka and Munson fell quiet again. Luka looked adorably flustered when Kyle caught his eye.

  “Munson’s not wrong,” he said with a helpless-looking smile. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you out all night. If he’d go away” —Luka cut his eyes at his friend—“I might work up the nerve.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Munson said. “You clearly have no fucking idea what you’re doing and need my help.” He sipped his margarita and stared at it. “Okay, hold up because, damn, you were right. This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

  Kyle laughed. This night had turned out all sorts of weird, and he was enjoying himself. “I might say yes, if you actually asked me out,” he said to Luka, then worried his bottom lip with his teeth. “But how do the roommates fit in? Do you guys have an open-ended kind of thing going?” Kyle was cool with flexible relationship boundaries, but he liked knowing what he might be getting into.

  Luka frowned at him. “Roommates? You mean Matías? He is legitimately just a roommate. Great guy and a decent person to share space with, but not my type.”

  “Okay, what about Robbie?” Kyle asked.

  “What about him?”

  “Well, from what you were saying, you two sound close. You sure he won’t mind?”

  “Wait.” Munson held up a hand and smiled broadly. “Kyle, you do know Robbie isn’t human, right?

  Now Kyle frowned. “He’s not?”

  “No.” Munson cackled. “He’s a ferret! A ferret with a dude’s name,” he added and poked Luka’s shoulder with his finger. “I fucking told you guys not to give your pet a human name. People think he’s your boyfriend!”

  Luka shook his head at Munson’s laughter. “What? No, they don’t.”

  “Yes, they do!” Munson insisted. “You talk about ‘showering with Robbie,’ and ‘massaging Robbie,’ and fucking ‘sharing a pillow with Robbie’—of course, it sounds like you’re talking about a guy. You should have just named the damned thing Shadow and you wouldn’t have this problem!”

  Several moments passed before any of them could stop laughing, and Kyle’s eyes were watering by the time he pulled himself together.

  “Okay, so now that we’ve cleared up that mystery, I have a question for you, Kyle.” The sparkle in Luka’s eye made Kyle’s insides go flip-flop. “Would you like to go out sometime? Just me—no roommate, no ferret and definitely no Munson.”

  Kyle grinned at Munson’s scoff. “That sounds great,” he said to Luka. “I’d love to go out with just you.”

  Chapter Four

  Luka pulled to a stop at the curb in front of Lock & Key and put the borrowed car into park, the first flutters of nervous anticipation building in his stomach. He hopped out onto the sidewalk, but seeing Kyle step out of the bar stopped him in his tracks.

  Luka would swear Kyle got better looking every time he saw him. He’d dressed casually tonight in jeans, scuffed boots, leather jacket and a dark gray V-neck T-shirt. Casual, but very, very sexy. Hello, handsome, Luka thought.

  He and Kyle had been texting since Monday night, but Luka’s schedule had proved difficult as usual, and it had taken a few days for them to figure out a time to meet up. It’s going to be worth the wait though, Luka thought as he strode toward Kyle.

  Kyle’s face lit up as he spotted Luka. “Hey there.”

  They met each other halfway, and Luka slid a hand along Kyle’s waist as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Even though this was their first date, the gesture felt easy and natural. The scent of Kyle’s leather jacket, soft under Luka’s palm, mingled with Kyle’s cologne or aftershave. Much nicer than the acrid smoke from the fire.

  “Good to see you, Luka.”

  “You too. Your voice sounds better,” Luka said as he pulled away. Kyle’s voice still held a hint of raspiness, but it had improved since the last time they’d seen each other. Luka quelled the urge to reach out and stroke the pale skin of Kyle’s throat.

  “It feels better, too. Just a few more days of the inhaler and I should be back to normal. Whatever that is.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Luka jiggled the keys in his hand. “You ready to head out?”

  “I am. And very intrigued by the idea of mini golf,” Kyle said as he rounded the front of the car.

  “I thought something active sounded more fun than the typical coffee-drinks-dinner bit.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’m not complaining,” Kyle said when they were settled in the car. “But Randall’s Island? That’s a hike from Harlem.”

  “Yeah, thanks for being a good sport about it and meeting me here, too,” Luka said.

  Between their work schedules and the facts that their neighborhoods were at least half an hour apart on public transit and neither of them owned vehicles, the date had b
een complicated to plan. Luka snuck another glance at Kyle. Worth it though.

  “Oh, it’s fine. I needed to come in anyway.”

  “Am I keeping you from working?” Luka asked as he buckled his seat belt.

  “Yes and no.”

  Luka quirked an eyebrow at Kyle. “How’s that?”

  “Well, left to my own devices, I usually work a stupid number of hours. Jesse is always on me to take time off. Is there more I could be doing? Sure. Am I sorry I took the afternoon off to spend it with you? Not at all.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Luka started the car and pulled away from the curb. “My schedule isn’t exactly dating friendly, I’m afraid.”

  “Mine isn’t always a picnic for guys either. I have more flexibility though. There are some nights I absolutely have to be at Under, but for the most part, I can make my own schedule. Jesse and I work hard to make sure the speakeasy is a well-oiled machine.” Along with some pride, Kyle’s voice held a shy note that Luka found rather endearing. “Jesse and I were friends before we had the idea for Under. We created the business plan together.”

  “How long has it been open?”

  “Since 2014, so we’re coming up on a year and a half and doing well. We’re operating in the black and have been for a while now.”

  “That’s impressive.” Luka’s cousin Daniela had opened a bakery called Sugar Street almost five years ago, and he knew from her how hard starting a small business could be. The bakery was flourishing now, and she’d recently opened Sugar Street Coffee and Sweets, a street cart that offered coffee and baked goods to busy commuters.

  “What about you? How long have you been a firefighter?”

  “Eleven years. I applied to the FDNY the minute I graduated high school and went right into the fire academy. I’m thinking about going back to school for fire sciences though. Maybe emergency management. I love what I do, but a degree will give me more options for future advancement and career possibilities after active duty.”

  “That seems like a smart plan.”

  “What about you? Did you always want to be a bar owner and mix up phenomenal cocktails?”

  “No, not quite. I got my Bachelor’s in English literature, which isn’t good for much in the real world.” Luka snorted. “I planned on going to grad school, maybe get into writing or teaching, but that didn’t work out. So, I bounced around from job to job and discovered I was good at bartending. I moved to New York, eventually met Jesse and the rest is history.”

  “Seems like you did well for yourself, and I don’t mean the money. You seem to enjoy what you do.”

  “I do. I feel very fortunate.”

  Traffic thickened as they approached the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and they fell silent as Luka navigated through the tangle of vehicles.

  “How’d you discover this place?” Kyle asked as they finally approached the golf and entertainment center.

  “Most of Randall and Ward Islands are parks, but the fire academy is here too. During training, we checked out the batting cages and mini golf. We were usually too wiped out to play, but some of us went after graduation to celebrate. We kept coming back because it’s fun as hell.”

  “Very cool.” Kyle drummed his fingers on his knees. “I can’t remember the last time I went mini golfing. High school, maybe?”

  “It’s been at least four or five years for me.” Luka eased the car into a parking spot near the clubhouse. “I don’t even know why. Just got busy, I guess.”

  “Well, that’s better than fifteen years! Promise you’ll go easy on me?”

  “Not on your life!” Luka looked over at Kyle and grinned. “I play to win.”

  “Competitive, huh?” Kyle’s eyes gleamed.

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  “Sounds like I’m about to find out.”

  Tension charged the air between them, and Luka resisted the urge to lean in and press his lips to Kyle’s. No, better to let it build. Like a fire. In a controlled burn, you have to gently fan the sparks to allow them to catch flame. Good conversation, some friendly competition…it won’t take much. Luka looked forward to it. Kyle’s lips curled up as if he’d caught a glimpse of Luka’s thoughts.

  “You ready?” Luka asked, reaching for the door handle.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  The air outside the car was pleasantly cool. The balmy nights and pleasant sunny days of September had continued into October, but there was an undeniably autumnal scent in the air.

  Luka stole another glance at Kyle as they walked to the clubhouse. It had been quite a while since he’d gone on a first date he’d looked forward to so much. The stress of work melted away, replaced with anticipation.

  “Whose car did you borrow anyway?” Kyle asked. “I contemplated asking Jes if I could use his Range Rover but that thing’s a beast.”

  “That’s my sister Ruby’s car. She loaned it to me on the condition that I wash and wax it. I figured I’d take it to the station house and get some of the rookies to do it.”

  Kyle chuckled. “Smart thinking. How many siblings do you have?”

  “Three. Two older sisters—Regina and Ruby. After my dad died, my mom remarried. She and my stepfather had my younger brother, Marcus.”

  An expression Luka couldn’t quite identify crossed Kyle’s face, but he reached for the door of the clubhouse and held it open before Luka could ask what he was thinking.

  “Can I get this?” Kyle reached for his wallet as they approached the counter. “Since you drove?”

  “Sure.”

  After Kyle bought their passes, Luka used the excuse of helping him select the right length golf club to get close, and they headed onto the course.

  “You can start,” Kyle said and gestured at Luka.

  “Want me to show you how it’s done?”

  “Oh. Trash talking already, I see,” Kyle teased. “Go on then. Wow me.”

  Luka set his ball down, surveyed the putting green then lined up his shot. The ball rolled around the obstacles before dropping into the hole with a satisfying clatter.

  “Nicely done!” Kyle cheered. “I see I need to be on my game tonight.”

  “Are you wowed?”

  “Not yet. But I could be.” The heat in Kyle’s gaze made Luka’s smile widen.

  “Your turn.”

  Kyle went through the same routine of lining up his shot, but he hit the ball too hard and it sailed past the hole and rolled partway back toward them.

  “Damn it,” Kyle muttered, but he was still smiling. “I’m as rusty as I expected.”

  “I can show you some moves,” Luka said. “If you need help.”

  “I’m sure you can.” Kyle’s gaze flicked up and down Luka’s body. “But hold that thought. I’ll be back on my game in no time.”

  “Go ahead then. This hole is a par two. Think you can get it in one more shot?”

  “Yeah. How about you keep score?”

  “Sure,” Luka said. “I promise I won’t even cheat.”

  Kyle dug in his pocket, then slapped the scorecard and small pencil into Luka’s outstretched hand. He was deliberate about his next shot and it worked. The ball rattled in the hole, and Kyle let out a whoop.

  “On par.”

  “Nice. Maybe I’ll have some competition,” Luka said. “I used to beat the guys from the academy all the time.”

  “Clearly, it made you cocky.”

  “Cocky? I don’t know about that,” Luka said. “Just confident.”

  They played their way around the course. Luka maintained his narrow margin over Kyle, and their conversation was light and fluid. The difficulty of the game increased, and the sparks Luka had detected earlier crackled in kind.

  “We’ll be tied if you get a hole-in-one,” Luka pointed out as Kyle lined up his shot for the final hole.

  “No pressure, right?”

  “None whatsoever. The outcome of our entire date is just resting on whether you beat me or not.” Luka made sure the sarcasm was clear in his tone.


  Kyle snickered. “Now he tells me.” He tapped the ball with the club, and they both watched it swing wide and roll along the edge of the hole before it stopped a few inches away.

  “That’s a win for Luka Clarke!” Luka crowed.

  Kyle laughed and clapped him on the back. “Congratulations!”

  Luka pulled him into a side hug, once again fighting the urge to kiss Kyle. He thought once he did he wouldn’t want to stop, and the middle of a public mini golf course wasn’t the place for them to lose control.

  Oh, but this was good. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a fun date. And the more he learned about Kyle, the more he liked him.

  “How about another round? We have unlimited games with the pass, and the night is still young,” Kyle offered.

  “I’m in.” The sun hung low in the sky, but the weather was still gorgeous. Luka had no desire to quit now.

  The second game went faster and, to Luka’s pleasure, Kyle proved an even fiercer competitor. They were neck and neck the entire time, and by the time Kyle sank the last shot on the eighteenth hole, Luka knew he’d been beaten.

  “Well done, McKee!” Luka hugged Kyle again, his touch lingering this time. “Hell of a game. What do you think about taking a quick break? We could walk along the river,” Luka said. He reluctantly let Kyle go, but Kyle’s hand lingered on Luka for a moment, warm where he tucked it between Luka’s jacket and T-shirt.

  “Sounds great.”

  They wandered away from the golf course and down to the paths that ran along the shore. Randall Island lay between the Harlem and East Rivers and offered spectacular views of the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. Now, the sun was setting behind the skyline of East Harlem.

  “That’s gorgeous,” Kyle said, his voice quiet. “I don’t see a view like that too often.”

  “Sometimes, it takes leaving the heart of the city for me to remember how incredible a place it is.” Luka snapped a few pictures with his phone before he tucked it back into his pocket.

  “Yeah, agreed. I need to drag the guys out here sometime,” Kyle murmured.

  “Jesse and Carter and Riley and all of them?” Luka had been slightly taken aback by Kyle’s easy friendships with some prominent public figures, but he’d found them all friendly and likeable, and nothing like he would have expected.