Something Like Lightning (43 page)

Kelly moaned in pleasure as Nathaniel ran a tongue along his bottom lip, and almost groaned in agony when Nathaniel’s weight lifted off him. He had moved off the mattress, kneeling on the carpet and reaching for Kelly’s belt to undo it. Eager to shed this last bit of clothing, Kelly felt his cock twitch, wanting to break free. But of course when the jeans came down, they would slide off one leg much easier than the other.

“Wait,” Kelly said, grabbing Nathaniel’s hand, just as the belt came loose.

“I told you it’s not a competition.”

“It’s not that...”

Nathaniel studied him a moment before he understood. “If I had any doubts about what I wanted, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Your move.”

Those hazel eyes still smoldered, so Kelly reached to undo the button and rip down the zipper before he leaned back and put his hands behind his head. Nathaniel was more than willing to do the rest. Kelly closed his eyes as his underwear was tugged down, feeling a stubbled cheek against his cock, a tongue licking one of his hips as Nathaniel pulled off the jeans completely. Any lingering concerns he had were lost to an assault of endorphins as Nathaniel took him in his mouth.

That’s not all he was doing. Those hands still explored, stroking the side of his ass, the underside of his thigh, the center of his chest. Everywhere. Even there. Nathaniel seemed intent on touching every single part of him, not avoiding any, and not lingering in any one place.

Indiscriminate and impartial. Kelly wished they weren’t denying their emotions, because the pleasure his body felt was overshadowed by the warmth in his heart.

The attention ceased. Kelly looked down to find Nathaniel grinning. “What?”

“I’ve been dreaming about those lips every night. Or at least right before bed.”

Kelly smiled seductively, but not with his teeth. “What did you dream I’d do with these lips?”

“Stay right there and I’ll show you.”

Nathaniel climbed up, putting a knee to either side of his chest before flopping forward, holding himself up with his arms. Kelly opened his mouth in invitation, taking Nathaniel in as deep as possible before the thrusting began. He glanced upward at the bucking body, the flexing arms, the dark armpit hair, and occasionally the face twisted in ecstasy when Nathaniel let his head hang loose instead of holding it back and moaning. Kelly thought they would end this way, even thought he could explode right then and there.

But soon Nathaniel rolled over and propped himself up on his elbows. “Come sit on me.”

“Condoms and lube,” Kelly said. After a moment, he added. “And a few more nights like this, because I’m not ready yet.”

“That’s fine,” Nathaniel said. “That’s not what I meant anyway. Come here.”

Kelly scooted up to be on his level, then threw a leg over him and sat his rump down on what felt like a scalding hot sausage.

“I love your face,” Nathaniel said, grabbing his hips. “So many expressions.”

He shifted Kelly downward a little, and then sat upright. Now he got it. Kelly readjusted, wrapping his thighs around Nathaniel’s waist and bringing their cocks together. A warm meaty hand wrapped around both of them and stroked. Then they took turns spitting until the hand was able to slide. Locking eyes, they moaned. Nathaniel kept stroking, seemingly tireless as they stared into each other’s souls. The tension built, Nathaniel bucking a few times before bringing his face close, his breath a puff of warm air when he spoke. “Come with me.”

Kelly bit his bottom lip and nodded. Nathaniel’s grip tightened, and he started pumping faster. Then he growled, and Kelly felt something hot and wet splatter into his chin before he let loose himself. Howls, clenched muscles, hisses, and finally sweet relief. Endorphins spilled into Kelly’s bloodstream, pure and perfect in a way that painkillers never had been. Then Nathaniel leaned back, taking Kelly with him, holding him tight to his still-heaving chest. Eventually his breath steadied and his grip relaxed.

Kelly rolled over to his side, and instead of melting into blissful sleep, he became aware of another sort of tension. Unless a second storm was brewing outside, this couldn’t be good.

“Kelly—”

Before Nathaniel could continue, he sat up, swung his leg over the mattress, and reached for his shirt. Or the remains of it, at least.

“What are you doing?”

“Just friends,” Kelly said. “I’m totally cool with that. Don’t worry. Besides, I sort of stole my mom’s car and should probably get it back.” After a pause, Nathaniel murmured. “You’re really okay with this?” “Yeah!” Kelly said, sounding chipper.

“In that case,” Nathaniel grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward. “Friends have sleepovers too, you know.”

“I suppose they do,” Kelly said, keeping his face turned to hide his grin. “And I suppose when my mom finds both me and the car missing, she won’t call the cops right away.”

“Exactly.”

“How about a towel,” Kelly said. “You’re a human geyser!”

“Sorry,” Nathaniel said, sounding anything but. “Be right back.” When he returned, Zero was slinking along behind him, as if hoping he wouldn’t be seen.

“The dog isn’t sleeping with us, is he?” Kelly said, forcing down a smile.

“It’s actually his bed.” Nathaniel tossed him the towel. “Zero got a part-time job to pay for it and everything. If we’re lucky, he’ll let us share it with him. It’s either that or the couch.”

“I suppose we’ll have to make do.” He watched Nathaniel flop into bed, pull up a sheet, and pat the space next to him. Kelly wasn’t sure if that was directed at him or Zero. “You sleep naked with the dog?”

“Don’t worry, he’s naked too. No collar, see? He’ll let you wear it if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

“That’s all right.” Kelly finished wiping himself off and slid beneath the sheets. “When in Rome...”

Spooning with Nathaniel would have been a nice end to the evening. Unfortunately, a small wolf squirmed his way between them. Not that it felt so bad. Kelly reached out to stroke the dog’s fur. A moment later, his hand bumped into Nathaniel’s. Their fingers intertwined, and hands still resting on the dog, all three of them slowly drifted off to sleep.

Kelly awoke to find the bed next to him empty, but considering he was in the other guy’s apartment, Nathaniel probably hadn’t run off in the middle of the night. He groped around for his underwear, then picked up his crutches and headed into the hall. He found Nathaniel in the kitchen, already showered and fully dressed. On the counter was a plastic shopping bag, a quart of milk sticking out of the top.

“Morning,” Nathaniel said. “I hope you like pancakes.”

“Absolutely” Kelly glanced over at Zero, who was already drooling. “Do I have time to get cleaned up first?”

“Sure. There’s a fresh towel by the sink. Think you’ll need anything else?”

The question seemed innocent enough. Nathaniel could have been asking if he needed a washcloth or a back scrubber. In reality, he wasn’t sure how his guest would manage in the shower with just one leg. Kelly would have to sit on the bottom of the tub while doing so, which wasn’t ideal but also not a big issue.

“I’ll manage,” he said.

Nathaniel nodded. “Cool.”

Simple as that. No wringing hands or concerned expression. No well-meaning offers of help that Kelly would have to repeatedly decline. No helpful suggestions. Nathaniel had already returned to whisking the batter.

As Kelly scrubbed himself, the warmth of the shower matched his thoughts. He loved how casual Nathaniel behaved toward his disability. Especially since lately it no longer felt like an impairment to Kelly. Sure he was missing a part, but he no longer considered himself incomplete. Only when others reminded him of his difference did he feel uncomfortable. But that never happened with Nathaniel. He treated Kelly just like anyone else.

These thoughts were still on his mind when he sat down at the dining room table. “You never asked how I lost my leg,” he said. “That’s one of the first questions out of most people’s mouths. Especially kids.” Nathaniel chewed and swallowed. “I already know.”

“You do? How?”

“Marcello had me do some research on you. But even if I hadn’t, I would have let you tell me in your own time.”

Kelly took a few bites while mulling this over. “Seems a little paranoid, Marcello requiring background checks on all his models.”

“Normally he doesn’t. Marcello takes his models at face value, as he’s so fond of saying. His escorts are another manner.”

“Of which, I am not one,” Kelly said pointedly. “So why was he poking around in my past?”

Nathaniel paused in his chewing, looking puzzled. His features relaxed again as he swallowed. “He wasn’t doing a background check on you. He asked me to research William Townson.”

Hearing Nathaniel speak the name of his former boyfriend was beyond surreal. Kelly was pretty sure the blood drained from his face, but it soon rushed right back as he put the pieces together.

“I doubt Marcello screens his waiters either, so why would he bother?” Unless someone asked him to. As a favor. But who would want to know more about William’s past? The answer came all too quickly. “Have you ever heard of Jason Grant?”

Nathaniel took a sip of coffee, hand just as steady as his gaze. But even after he set the cup down again, he remained quiet.

“The night we met,” Kelly said, replaying the events in his mind. “You wouldn’t let me into the kitchen. I always wondered what that was about. Did they really go through all that trouble just to have an hour alone? It’s not like they couldn’t meet at the mall while William worked. I know they did sometimes, and that seems way easier, so why?”

“I’d rather you remember that night for the drink we shared,” Nathaniel said easily.

Wouldn’t that be nice? But Kelly was too close to an answer now, and he knew he wouldn’t have to drag it out of Nathaniel like he would other people. Nathaniel didn’t pussyfoot around sensitive issues.

“Tell me,” Kelly said.

“They weren’t just hanging around the kitchen. Marcello arranged for them to have a private room. I wasn’t there and can’t say what happened, but I’m sure we can both guess.”

“You knew!” Kelly said accusingly. “All this time, you knew!” “Yes,” Nathaniel said. “Are you going to hold that against me?” Kelly tried suppressing his emotions and thinking about it logically. “You stopped me from discovering the truth.”

“I stopped you from getting hurt. At least I wanted to. You could have torn through Marcello’s home and caught them in the act, but I suspect you already knew what was happening, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself. Instead of a very ugly scene, we sat down and enjoyed a bottle of wine together. When I saw this Jason Grant person later, I told him to stop with the secrecy.”

“You did?”

“Yes.”

Kelly took a shuddering breath. “William wouldn’t have cheated on me. I figured maybe a kiss at most, but he never would have—” He shook his head. “Why does this matter? If William had shown up at my door yesterday and begged for me to come back to him, I would have said no. We’re not meant for each other, I get that. But learning all of this, it still hurts!”

“Love is vicious,” Nathaniel said. “Relationships and all the expectations that come with them—people are only setting themselves up to fail. What I told you that night still stands. You don’t need anyone. You might want someone, but at the end of the day, only you are responsible for your own happiness. And until all this unpleasantness resurfaced, you seemed a lot happier without William in your life.”

“I was,” Kelly said. “I am. But part of me needs to know the truth before I can put it all behind me.”

Nathaniel stared at his coffee. “Only two people in the world know what happened that night. You could always ask one of them.”

Kelly nodded. “Then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

“Aren’t they adorable?”

Kelly looked to where Layne had pointed. Bonnie had Emma pressed up against her car, their kisses so intense that one was liable to swallow the other. He was glad to see this, not just because it meant his best friend was happy, but also because it implied a certain someone was here. Jason rarely attended the youth meetings these days. Normally he only did so when Emma was in town, and that was just an excuse for her and Bonnie to hook up, Jason playing the role of apathetic chaperone. Kelly didn’t attend so often either, but he’d been at every meeting for the last six weeks hoping for a chance like this.

Of course he could have texted William and asked to speak on the phone, but Kelly wasn’t sure he could handle hearing the truth from him. Somehow that would hurt more. Just last week Kelly had stopped by William’s old house to pick up some camera equipment he had left there. Seeing Mrs. Townson again made him oddly nostalgic, but that changed when he was allowed to go alone into William’s old room. Once there, he noticed the shelf of animal action figures, now covered in a thin layer of dust. Maybe that’s how it worked with the things William loved. Maybe he left them all behind without a second thought. Then again, the rescue helicopter Transformer hadn’t been found. Kelly had even searched for it, but to no avail. He liked to think that William had taken that small piece of their past with him when he left.

“Geez,” Layne was saying, attention still focused across the parking lot, “look at those two go! Do you think lesbians are better kissers than gay guys? Maybe I should go undercover—dress in drag and find some butch beauty to rock my world.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kelly said. “Where’s Jason?”

“He had to use the little boys’ room.” Layne crinkled his nose. “I guess the ride was too long for him. Hey, I wanted to ask... Is he single?”

Kelly thought about it. “Ever see that movie about the dog who kept waiting for his dead owner to return home, even though years had gone by?”

Layne pressed his hands to his cheeks. “Oh my gosh! That’s so sad!”

“Yes, it is. Hopefully he gets a happier ending, but for now, don’t waste your time.”

“Oh.” Layne peered at him. “Are
you
single?”

Kelly laughed. “What exactly is this about?”