“It’s just Catholics,” Mark agreed dryly.“Orat least, it’s not Anglicans.We don’t exactly celebrate it, but weaccept that it’s better than some of the other options.”
“Like actual sex,” Lucas said with a sigh.Then he grinned slyly.“What about, you know…helpingsomeoneto jerk off?That’s not full-on sex, right?”He waggled hiseyebrows suggestively and Mark laughed as he pushed Lucas away andforced himself away from the wall.
“It’s close enough,” Mark said firmly.“Theidea is that sex should be special.Sacred.”
“I’d make it real special,” Lucas said with amock-lecherous leer.
Mark snorted again.“I believe you.And I’mlooking forward to it.Very much.Just…not quite yet.”
“Maybe after prom?”Lucas suggestedhelpfully.“We could get a room.”
Mark ignored that.“Do you want to sit downfor a while?We could just talk…”
But Lucas was working his way toward thedoor.“It’s pretty hard to get calmed down if I’m still in the sameroom as you.”He scooped his keys up from where he’d left them onthe hall table.“Probably if I’m still in the same town as you.Butif I get out of here now I have time for a nice long shower beforebed…”
Mark grinned.He’d been a bit surprised bythe casual references to masturbation at first, but now he wasfinding the honestly refreshing.“Okay,” he agreed.“Thanks forcoming over.Sorry dinner wasn’t fancier.”
“It was good,” Lucas said firmly.“And thatsalad was a game-changer.I absolutely care about salad now.Alot.”
“Yeah, okay.”Mark didn’t want Lucas to go,but he had to admit it would be a bit awkward for him to stay, bothof them trying to have some sort of conversation that didn’t focuson the swollen flesh inside their pants.“I’ll see youtomorrow?”
“I’m working all day,” Lucas said.“Youcoming out?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Okay then.I’ll see you there.”Lucasstepped back from the door, close enough to do hisfinger-hook-in-the-waistband trick.“Goodnight.”His kiss wasgentle and sweet, but he broke it off with a sudden chuff ofbreath.“No more of that,” he said, apparently to himself.
“Not tonight,” Mark amended.
Lucas just shook his head.“Yeah, okay.”
And with that, he was gone.Mark leaned hishead against the door and resisted the urge to run after Lucas.He’d made a good decision.His brain knew it.His body, on theother hand, was ready to rebel.He thought of Lucas’s solution, andsmiled to himself as he headed toward the bathroom.A long shower.If he held off for five or ten minutes he could think of Lucas inhis own shower on the other side of town, finding release andrelief at the same time as Mark.That was an appealing idea.SoMark undressed slowly, and let his fingers run over his cheeks, hisjaw, and his lips…all the places blessed by Lucas’s mouth.
Mark wanted more.Much more.But for the timebeing, the shower would have to do.He turned it on and waited forit to warm up before stepping under the spray.It didn’t compare toLucas’s touch, but really, what ever could?
ChapterThirty-Nine
“You fixed his car.”Alex’s words were almostaccusing.It was a new twist on an old topic, one that Lucas wasgetting pretty tired of.
“Yeah, I did,” Lucas shot back.“Or at leastI tried to.No idea yet if it worked.”
But of course Alex wasn’t concerned aboutautomotive repair.“That’s really sweet,” he said sarcastically.“Cute, even.Almost adorable.”
“Could you at least do some work while you’rebitching at me?”Lucas had swept nearly half the barn while Alexstood there holding his own broom and complaining.
“I just want to hear you say it,” Alexinsisted.“I want you to tell me to my face that there’s somethinggoing on between you two.”
Lucas took a deep breath.“You want to hearit?Really?”
Alex looked momentarily unsure, then nodded.“Yeah,” he said, and his voice was softer now.
The transformation made it harder for Lucasto say the words, but he forced himself to nod.“I know it’s crazyand it’s going to fall apart hard, but yeah, Alex.There’ssomething going on.”
Alex took a deep breath as if trying to calmhimself.“Okay.Thank you for telling me.”He sounded defeated andhe turned to his sweeping with his head down.
Now it was Lucas’s turn to ignore his chores.“It just happened, Alex.It wasn’t something either of usplanned.”
“But he was able to persuade you to take achance.I wasn’t.”
