Chapter 2

An apology was on the tip of his tongue, but the two guys were already heading across the locker room when he turned around. Austin opened the door for Riley and they strolled out without a backward glance. Probably for the best. He looked down at his cock pointing toward the door they’d left by.

“You and me both,” he murmured and ran a finger down the thick vein on the underside. He’d dated a few girls, for appearances, but it was a guy’s mouth he wanted on him, fantasized about for as long as he could remember. Which one would it be, though? He shivered suddenly. Could he have both of them?

Shit. He wanted to grip his cock, work out his frustration in a furious hand fuck. But at a rattle and the sound of voices at the door, he quickly turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his slim waist. Time to get to physics class anyway.

Nodding to the guys he knew as the JV soccer team crowded in for practice, Luke dressed, not feeling safe until his inconvenient erection was tucked into faded jeans. Slinging his backpack over a shoulder, he checked his reflection in the small mirror he kept in his locker. Short blond hair, blue eyes, red tank top over a muscular chest. No body art. The clean-cut American boy. Sometimes he felt the image was strangling him.

He shoved open the hefty locker room doors and stepped outside, squinting in the sudden sunlight. The weather had grown warm for spring and he puzzled out how to keep the team hydrated during the grueling playoff games. Water, for sure. Sunscreen. Maybe healthy snacks…

The library clock chimed and Luke picked up his pace, cutting across the oak grove to save time. It was cool in the science building and Luke shivered at the change in temperature. The hallway was nearly deserted, but at least the door to the lecture hall hadn’t been locked. He carefully closed the heavy door behind him when he entered the room and took the nearest chair. His heart jumped when he realized he sat next to Riley. The pretty brunet glanced at him and smiled shyly, blushing when Luke impulsively smiled back.

Luke sighed and opened his book, flipping through the pages to find the the professor was covering that day. Riley had a sweetness to him that Luke found almost irresistible. How was he going to maintain his image as a straight shooter when all he wanted to do was pull Riley onto his lap and kiss those very kissable lips? He glanced up at a slight cough and caught Austin’s startling blue gaze on him as the guy leaned around Riley. Austin’s grin caught him off guard, a punch in the gut. He lost his breath as the blue eyes warmed.

Luke tore his gaze back to his book and groaned silently, his dick hard as a rock. Why now? He’d gotten through nearly twenty-one years of life without falling in love. What was so special about these two? Sure, they were lovely, but there were a lot of attractive people on campus.

He bit his lip when Riley leaned toward him, breath warm on his cheek. “We’re on page a hundred ten. Second example. Take notes. Professor says it will be on the quiz.”

“Thanks.” Luke flipped to the desired page, pretending Riley’s hand on his arm wasn’t making the blood pound through his veins. Riley’s hold tightened and Luke turned his head. His reluctance must have been obvious because Riley snatched his hand back, confusion sweeping his face

Austin put an arm across his shoulder. “Never mind, honey,” he said, loud enough for Luke to hear. “Guess he’s not interested in a couple of queers like us.”

“But you said…”

Austin met Luke’s gaze, questioning. Luke let his mask fall into place. Much as he ached to haul Austin from his chair, pin him to the wall, and ravage that sinful mouth, he couldn’t risk it.

His heart twisted at the hurt in Austin’s eyes and the slight tremor in his voice when he spoke, “Guess I was wrong, baby.”

Luke stared at his text book until the numbers blurred. It wasn’t fair! For an instant he was ready to throw it all away, his school career, his future dreams, everything, to snatch at the happiness the lovers offered him. But cold reality reminded him that without his father’s support it would be years before he could graduate. And without Father’s backing he would be hard pressed to get the position he wanted as a civil engineer in the city. Shit.

Smothering a sigh, Luke set his lips in a firm line. He’d sacrificed a lot to get this far, a few more years of loneliness wouldn’t kill him. He picked up his pencil and tried to focus on the professor’s droning voice rather than Riley’s tempting presence at his side.2

Luke adjusted the heavy backpack on his shoulder as he crossed the oak grove toward the campus coffee shop. It had been a grueling couple of hours in Physics and he looked forward to something cool and sweet and full of caffeine. He supposed he should be grateful Austin and Riley had left the crowded room immediately after class, but it stung that they hadn’t said anything to him when they skirted his chair. All for the best. Yeah, right.