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  “Need lube,” Luka murmured against Kyle’s skin.

  “Nightstand,” Kyle said. He couldn’t resist cupping Luka’s cheek with one hand, and when Luka turned his face and dropped a kiss on Kyle’s palm, Kyle swallowed against a swoop of giddy pleasure. “Condoms, too. I’m negative,” he added.

  Luka nodded. “Same.”

  Arousal thrummed through Kyle as Luka pushed up onto his knees. He had a beautiful body with long, graceful limbs, and every inch of him radiated power. He reached toward the nightstand drawer, the hard planes of muscle in his broad shoulders flexing, and the warmth in his gaze when he turned back made Kyle’s heart thump.

  I’m in trouble, Kyle thought.

  Luka dropped a condom on the mattress but shook his head when Kyle shifted to roll onto his stomach. “Not so fast.”

  Kyle laughed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, I know,” Luka said in a teasing tone. “You’re not ready for me to fuck you yet either.”

  He wet his fingers with lube and moved his gaze over Kyle’s body, admiration and lust clear in his face. Kyle’s cock twitched against his abdomen.

  “So sexy,” Luka murmured. He reached down and wrapped a slick hand around Kyle, then used the other to tease Kyle’s balls.

  Kyle hissed. He was almost too aroused for teasing. He grabbed the sheets with both hands, sure he’d blow any second, and locked his gaze on Luka’s. Luka sank down between Kyle’s legs, and his wanton expression sent Kyle’s desire into overdrive.

  Luka took Kyle deep. He slid the hand on Kyle’s balls lower, rubbing small circles into his skin. That pressure combined with the wet heat around Kyle’s cock dragged a moan out of him, and he clenched his eyes closed when Luka fingered his rim. He raised his hands to Luka’s head again and fought the urge to thrust but lost the battle when Luka worked a finger inside him. Kyle bucked up hard, and Luka’s hum made stars explode behind his eyelids.

  Time lost all meaning for Kyle. His skin felt hot and tight as his body edged toward orgasm, his breaths harsh to his own ears. He shuddered as Luka slipped another finger inside him, and he gasped when Luka curled it just right.

  Kyle forced his eyes open. His breath hitched at the sight Luka made—lips stretched wide and his eyes watering from exertion. Then Luka groaned again and Kyle’s toes curled.

  “Gonna come,” he gasped out a second before the orgasm roared through him.

  Every muscle in Kyle’s body strung tight. The moment stretched and stretched until a low shout built in Kyle’s throat, and when it broke, he lay boneless on the mattress, panting and sex-stoned. Luka pulled off.

  “Christ,” Luka muttered. “Need to fuck you.” He crawled up over Kyle, eyes flashing with blue fire while Kyle tried to pull himself together.

  “Mmkay,” Kyle murmured, voice broken and brain too blitzed to say much else, and he managed a goofy grin at Luka’s laugh. Luka’s cock pressed hard as iron against Kyle’s hip.

  Luka pushed up enough so Kyle could roll onto his stomach, and Kyle closed his eyes, coasting on endorphins while the lube bottle clicked again and a foil packet rustled. He hummed low as a pair of big hands spread his thighs.

  Luka nudged Kyle’s rim with his cock, teasing for a bare moment before he split Kyle open with one smooth motion. Kyle clenched his teeth through the stretch and burn. He shook, his prostate almost too sensitive to go again so soon, but he didn’t care. He wanted this with Luka and more, if he could have it.

  Luka bottomed out. “So tight,” he said, and the wonder in his voice crushed Kyle flat.

  Luka got an arm under Kyle and held him close, then nosed at the nape of Kyle’s neck. Goosebumps broke out over Kyle’s skin. He grasped Luka’s arm and pulled Luka into him, each movement shifting the ache in Kyle’s body to hunger. Kyle reveled in the weight that pinned him to the sheets and Luka’s murmured words, and the way their ragged breaths mixed. His cock began to fill.

  Blindly, Kyle reached out. He found Luka’s hand where it was braced on the mattress by his head and curled their fingers together while Luka drove into him, his pace punishing. Luka pushed especially deep, the motion lighting up every nerve in Kyle’s body and tearing a shout from his throat. He shook as Luka dragged his cock over Kyle’s gland, a storm of brutal thrusts that left Kyle lost.

  Luka’s gasp cut the air. His rhythm stuttered and slowed, then grew languid, and he curled into Kyle as he came back down, forehead pressed into the space between Kyle’s shoulders and breath gusting over his damp skin. Kyle turned his face into the pillow, his skin prickling, and bit back a complaint when Luka slid out.

  Luka fell beside him. He urged Kyle onto his side, his touch grounding on Kyle’s unsteady limbs. Luka kissed him hard, then took Kyle’s cock in hand. Kyle’s entire body jolted.

  “Nuhhh.” Kyle bit his lip. He hung on as Luka worked him, unseated by the intensity of the ache inside him. “Oh, God, Luka. You—I can’t.”

  “Yeah, you can.” Luka kissed him again, and the slide of his tongue sent Kyle soaring high. Luka pulled back, his gaze rapt. “Give it to me, Kyle.”

  Kyle broke apart at the seams. He gasped and closed his eyes, and the world around him receded and left nothing but the bright pulse of bliss, a strong arm around him and a low voice in his ear.

  Slowly, Kyle came back to himself. Luka let him go and got out of bed, and Kyle listened to him pad out of the room. He heard running water next, followed by more footfalls, and Kyle opened his eyes again as the mattress dipped under Luka’s weight. Luka wiped Kyle down with a warm, wet washcloth, then set it on the floor and stretched back out on the bed before Kyle gathered wits enough to speak.

  “Damn. I think you broke me.”

  Luka looked smug. “I’d apologize, but that would make me a liar.”

  They both went still when Luka’s stomach rumbled loudly, and Kyle bit his lip against a snicker. “Dude.”

  Luka put one hand over his eyes and laughed. “Man, talk about humiliating. I guess it’s to be expected after all that exercise,” he said and moved his fingers enough to share a smile with Kyle.

  “Uh-huh, I see.” Kyle rolled up on one elbow. “Don’t feel bad. I’m feeling peckish myself.”

  Luka dropped the hand completely. “Only English nerds say ‘peckish.’ Oh, wait.”

  “Hah.” Kyle poked Luka’s ribs and made him squirm. “There’s food and booze in my fridge, waiting to be raided if you’re hungry.”

  “My car should be fine, right?” Luka shifted and pillowed his head in his hands.

  “Yep. You’re parked on the right side of the street for a Friday, and the parking meters are free until tomorrow morning just like the rest of the city. You’re good.”

  “Cool.”

  Kyle’s insides curled a little at the idea of Luka heading out, but he shoved the feeling aside and winked. “C’mon. I’ll make you a stack of pancakes the size of your head.”

  They climbed out of bed and picked up the mess of clothing they’d left strewn over the floor, and both of them dragged their jeans back on. Luka insisted on helping Kyle with the cooking, so while he fried up a package of bacon, Kyle mixed a round of breakfast-themed cocktails.

  “I like your place.” Luka glanced around. “It’s small but doesn’t really feel like it.”

  “Yes, it does. Jesse calls it my shoebox,” Kyle said. “It works for me. I’m not one for clutter, which is fortunate seeing as there’s no space for it. I’ve had roommates in the past and the messier ones were challenging.”

  “Roommates? As in more than two of you here? Must have been cozy.”

  Kyle shrugged. “Everyone made do, and only a fool complains about a break in rent. It’s a good place to sleep, and the neighborhood’s decent. I’m very cool with living alone now though.”

  Luka nodded. “I’m okay with sharing space, but my place is bigger.” His eyes went round as Kyle presented him with a glass filled with a foamy garnet-red concoction. “Damn, what is this?”

 
; “It’s a take on the Clover Club Cocktail,” Kyle replied. He sipped from his glass before he set it down and started mixing dry ingredients for the pancakes in a bowl. “Gin, vermouth and lemon juice, with egg white and a touch of cherry jam. I’m not a huge breakfast-for-dinner kind of guy, but they taste great with almost any kind of pancake or waffle.”

  “Mmm, it’s delicious.” Luka licked his lips as he set down his Clover Club. “You do a lot of late-night entertaining in your line of work?”

  “Not really.” Kyle’s mood dipped a bit, though he knew Luka didn’t mean anything by the remark. He didn’t want Luka thinking this date was just run of the mill for him though. Because it wasn’t.

  I’m in so much trouble.

  “I’ll go out after a shift now and again, but more often than not, I’m beat by the time I get home,” he said. “Especially if I’m the one closing. I’ve crashed at the bar on occasion.”

  Luka grimaced. “Ugh.”

  “It’s not often I do that, but yeah. There’s a comfy couch back in the office, and I keep a go bag there to make it easier.” Kyle pulled another bowl from the cabinet. “I don’t hook up with customers because that’s bad for business. You don’t count, by the way, because I met you outside the bar.”

  “I was going to give you shit about that.” Luka laughed.

  “Uh-huh. I saw it on your face.” Kyle smiled. “Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve been out with anyone besides the speakeasy guys.”

  “Yeah?” Luka raised a brow at him. “That’s hard to believe given you’re, you know—you.”

  Kyle couldn’t help preening a bit. “Well, it’s true. I took a break from dating.” He went to the refrigerator. “Okay if I use almond milk? There’s orange juice if you’re allergic to nuts.”

  “Almond milk’s fine,” Luka said. He furrowed his brow. “What made you take a break?”

  “Eh. I haven’t had much luck finding a guy I can just hang with and not worry he’s hiding something.” Kyle poured the milk into the empty bowl and added oil and vanilla. “Like he’s married or has a gambling problem or thinks I should make over my life.”

  Kyle stirred the dry ingredients into the wet. “Chris—the last guy I went out with—seemed okay. Then I caught him using my phone to stalk my Instagram posts. He told me it was for my own good because I am, and I quote, ‘too wrapped up in my friends.’ At the time, he said he meant Jesse and Cam, but then he accused me of fooling around with Carter behind Riley’s back, too. Like either of us would ever do that to Ri.” Kyle sniffed. Chris’ words still rankled.

  Luka blinked, clearly mystified. “What the fuck? Why would he think that at all?”

  “Carter and I dated for a while back before he got together with Ri. Jesse and Carter dated back then, too.” Kyle flapped a hand in the air. “It’s a long story and I’ll tell you sometime, if you want to know. But Carter and I were always more friends with benefits than boyfriends. When he and Riley decided they’d make a go of it, I was more than happy being just a friend.”

  “Sounds complicated.”

  “Only at first glance,” Kyle said. “Anyway, I needed a break after the Instagram guy.”

  Luka set down the tongs he’d been using to turn over the bacon strips. “I feel lucky you agreed to go out with me at all.”

  “Well, I figured it’d be stupid not to make an exception for someone I literally trusted with my life.” Kyle savored the pride that filtered over Luka’s face. “Again, it’s not like I never go out—I just put the dating on hold. I still see my friends and have them over.”

  Luka nodded. “Like Jesse and Cam, you mean?”

  “Oh, sure. Jesse came over the night you met him, and we caught up, so to speak.” A hot flush splashed across Kyle’s cheeks, and Luka gave him a sly smile. Still, Kyle wasn’t about to deny he and Jesse had fucked each other silly after they’d left the bar. “It had been a while since we did that, and we did a lot of talking, too.

  “I see more of Malcolm, Carter and Riley than Jesse and Cam these days. My friends Jarrod and Gale live a block over from here, too, but I’m not sure you met them the other night.” He stepped up beside Luka at the stove and poured batter into the pan he’d put on to heat. “Cam and I do some gaming, but that almost always happens online because of our schedules.”

  “Oh, yeah? What do you play?”

  “Fallout, mostly. We have plans to go dark for a couple of days together in November when 4 comes out. Cam likes StarCraft, too. Do you play?”

  “No, but some of the guys at the firehouse are into it. What about Jesse? Does he play?”

  Kyle smirked. “No. He’s uniformly terrible at anything that involves a screen and controller. Jesse needs physical stimulation to stay focused on most things entertainment-based. I got Malcolm playing over the summer and he’s pretty good.”

  They kept up the back and forth as they finished cooking, and Kyle mixed up another round of drinks before they took the plates of food to his small dining table. Luka’s expression grew thoughtful as he worked through his pancakes, and Kyle’s insides knotted a little as he tried to parse out why. He thought they’d had a fantastic afternoon, and this evening was turning out even better. Luckily, Luka didn’t hold back for long.

  “You mind if I ask you a question?” he asked.

  Kyle set down his fork. “Not at all.”

  “It really doesn’t bother you that I’m bi?”

  “No.” Kyle frowned. “Why would it?”

  “It’s rare I meet someone who doesn’t have an opinion about it.” Luka forked up pancakes and dragged them through the syrup on his plate. “You haven’t said a word since I told you, even though you’ve been open about a lot of other things.”

  “Well, I’m not usually like this.” Kyle nodded when Luka looked askance at him over his mouthful of food. “I grew up in a family that’s not big on sharing.”

  “So why are you sharing with me? I mean, you don’t know me very well.”

  “I’m not sure.” Kyle licked his lips as he considered the question. “Maybe because you’ve been open with me. Do you tell everyone you’re bi on a first date?”

  “Actually, yes.” Luka shrugged. “I’ve found it’s better getting it out in the open from the start than wait and risk a misunderstanding. Even then, lots of people who say they’re okay with bisexuality in concept can’t deal with it in real life. You truly seem like you don’t care.”

  “I don’t.”

  “That’s atypical.” Luka wiped his lips with his napkin, his face somber. “I’ve had relationships go bad because my partner couldn’t get their head around the idea I could also be attracted to someone of the opposite sex. One of my sisters makes comments any time I’m with a man, too.” A gentle scowl crossed Luka’s face. “She means well, and I know she’s not a bigot, but it still sucks she can’t just be supportive.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kyle said. “Some of my best friends are bi or pan, and I suppose that’s the reason I don’t think much about it from anyone other than ‘that’s what this person likes.’” He nodded at Luka’s raised eyebrows. “Carter and Riley were both married to women before they got together, and Jesse…well, Jesse’s attracted to everybody. And I mean everybody. He’d screw a space being with tentacles if the mood struck him.” He grinned at Luka’s obvious amusement.

  “My brother’s fairly sure he’s either bi or pan. Oliver’s only dated women up to now, but he finds both genders attractive. I figure he’d date a guy if the right one came along.” Kyle picked up his glass and sipped, then swallowed the mouthful. “I don’t know, Luka. We both know nothing in life is guaranteed. Why not be open to the opportunities for love that we’re given?”

  Ugh, I’m such a cheeseball.

  Kyle set his glass down and ignored the heat in his face. But then Luka’s hand was on his shoulder and he pulled Kyle close. He traced his fingers over Kyle’s cheek and kissed him, his lips sweet with maple syrup. The kiss spread warmth in Kyle’s belly and mad
e his insides all melty. He felt dazed when Luka pulled away.

  “What was that for?” Kyle’s heart thudded a touch harder when Luka simply smiled and turned back to his plate.

  “Just because. All right with you if I stay tonight?” he asked. “I’m off again tomorrow, and I’d like to buy you breakfast. Though I guess we’ll have to find a place that serves steak and eggs considering we just killed a week’s supply of pancakes.”

  Kyle laughed. “I love steak and eggs,” he said, and went back to polishing off his stack.

  Chapter Six

  Luka spent a portion of the train ride from Sugar Hill to Riverdale in the Bronx thumbing through the photos on his phone. More specifically, the photos he’d taken on the dates he had with Kyle. Mini golfing. Kyle’s midnight pancakes. A dinner they’d shared at a pub near Kyle’s apartment. The walking tour of Sugar Hill.

  Luka paused on a selfie Kyle had taken. In it, he lay sprawled on the couch, half-dressed in the neat black clothes he wore while tending bar. His shirt was open, exposing a section of his pale, toned chest and abs. He’d unbuckled his belt and his hand rested on the solid length under the dark fabric.

  Goddamn.

  Luka flipped to the next and licked his lips at the image of Kyle shirtless. There was a whole series showing Kyle undressing and stroking himself. In the final photo, he lay back with a lazy smirk on his face, and his hand rested on his spent dick. Cum dotted his torso. Luka shifted in his seat as his cock hardened.

  He tapped out a message to Kyle.

  Looking at the photos you sent the other day. On the train though. This could get awkward.

  Thankfully, the car wasn’t full, and he sat toward the back where no one could see over his shoulder. But still. Luka’s phone buzzed in his hand.