In Dreams He Came

by Trina Lane

  “Gabriel Mason, wake the fuck up!”

  Gabe blinked hard to dispel the last of the erotic images of his daydream. His arms pumped, his legs flew, and his chest burned with exertion and arousal. He stabbed at the button to decrease the speed of the treadmill. The belt below him slowed until Gabe could reduce his pace to a walk.

  “Jesus, man, you really flaked out on us there for awhile.” Phil stood in front of the treadmill. His eyebrows angled down, and a frown marred his normally affable face.

  “Sorry. Guess I just got in a groove and zoned out.” Gabe snatched up the towel lying across the bar beside him and wiped the sweat off his forehead before it dripped into his eyes and stung.

  Phil stared at Gabe for a moment and then that distraught expression changed to one of glee. “Those endorphins get you nice and high, huh? Feeling a little happy, Gabe?”

  Gabe’s eyes flew across the room to see Nick starring at him, or rather staring right at Gabe’s crotch. While most of his blood had flowed south to his legs during his run, apparently some of it got diverted to his cock, because Gabe realized that he was hard and his small shorts did nothing to disguise the bulge. He quickly held the towel in front of him and glared at Phil, who started to laugh.

  “Jeez, Gabe, it’s no big deal. You know I always get hard during a meet. At least your shorts are looser than our competition suits. Those leave nothing to the imagination.”

  Gabe glanced back across the room and was caught by the fire smoldering in Nick’s eyes. He stepped off the treadmill, and was pulled toward Nick as if bright blue orbs were a tractor beam. He eliminated the distance between them one step at a time until their bodies were separated by a fraction of an inch. Nick dropped the free weight in his grip. The heavy bar fell to the mat below with a thud. Nick’s hand slowly came up, and his fingers caressed Gabe’s cheek and then wrapped around the back of his neck and pulled. Their lips met slowly. Gabe willingly opened for Nick’s tongue, and the towel in his hand floated to the floor without thought. Gabe latched on to Nick’s shoulders, and the hot skin felt exactly as Gabe had imagined it would. Gabe rose up onto his toes to plaster his body against Nick’s. One of Nick’s legs slid between Gabe’s and provided exquisite pressure to ride against. Just like in his dream, Nick’s hands grasped Gabe’s ass and held their bodies together. Need, unlike anything Gabe had experienced, rose within him. A frigid wave crashed over them and startled a yell out of Gabe as he wrenched away from Nick.

  “Son of a monkey fucker!” he screamed.

  Gabe spun around and saw Phil standing there with a Cheshire cat grin and an empty pitcher. He saw red, and right as he moved to unleash some serious kung fu on his best friend’s ass, Nick’s arm encircled Gabe’s waist and held him prisoner. Water dripped off Gabe’s hair, and his shorts clung to his hips.

  He craned his head back to look at his boyfriend. “Let me kill him. Please. I’ll hide the body, nobody will ever know.”

  Nick placed a kiss on Gabe’s cheek. “Sorry, sweetheart, can’t let you do that. Regardless of what novels lead you to believe, there’s no such thing as the perfect crime. You’d end up in jail, and that would really put a screw in my plans.”

  A warm flush rose in Gabe’s body and chased away the chill from his ice bath courtesy of the nearly late Phillip Alcorn.

  “Then can I at least hurt him a little bit?” He pouted.

  Nick’s arms opened. “Okay, if you promise to restrain yourself.”

  Gabe smiled and then dashed after Phil, who, to Gabe’s perverse pleasure, squealed as if he were a five-year-old girl. He caught his best friend halfway through the gym, and with a flying leap and fearsome war cry, tackled him.

  “You ass whore! I can’t believe you did that!” Gabe set to tickling Phil unmercifully. Shrieks and yells and some kind of animalistic yipping sound came from Phil. It was a good thing they’d decided to work out at Nick’s apartment building rather than the university facilities. Gabe shook his head over Phil, splashing the water still dripping from his hair all over him.

  “Uncle! Uncle!”

  Gabe sat back on Phil’s legs to relish the success of his revenge.

  “Get off me,” Phil grunted.

  “All right, children. I think that’s enough. Let’s go upstairs and clean up and then I’ll take you home. Tomorrow is a school day, after all.”

  Gabe gave a mock sneer at Nick over his shoulder, and Nick laughed. Gabe rocked back on his toes and stood. Nick joined him after cleaning up the water on the floor with their towels. They held hands as they walked down the hall and waited for the elevator to take them back up to Nick’s apartment. Phil trotted up to them a few seconds later. His expression reminded Gabe of a sulking child.

  “I’m sorry, guys. The two of you were getting kinda hot and heavy. I thought it might be good to cool you off a little bit.”

  Gabe hated the resounding dejection in Phil’s voice. He let go of Nick’s hand and hugged his best friend. “It’s all good, Squirt.”

  Phil held on to Gabe. “Thanks, Nemo.”

  By the strength in Phil’s hug, Gabe wondered if there was something more going on with his friend than their typical antics. Was it possible that Phil was a little jealous of Gabe and Nick’s budding relationship? He didn’t think Phil actually wanted Nick, but maybe Phil was afraid of losing Gabe in the process. After all, between training and living together, they’d basically been conjoined twins for three years. Phil liked to play the carefree absentminded artist, but Gabe knew his friend’s true nature. Phil really was a very loyal and deep-thinking individual. He’d have to talk to Phil about his suspicions when they had some alone time later.

  The ding from the elevator broke them apart, and the three of them entered. Nick pressed the button for his floor and then stepped back next to Gabe. Their hands latched again, and Nick gave Gabe a squeeze. Gabe tilted his head back and caught Nick’s smile. His mind drifted for the few moments it took to reach Nick’s floor.

  When the doors to the elevator opened, a little hum escaped as Nick’s hand landed on the small of Gabe’s back. He leaned back into the touch and smiled as Nick’s fingers caressed the still-damp skin. Nick’s hand on his bare flesh made Gabe want to experience more. They were about to take showers. Would Nick ask Gabe to join him? Was he ready for that? Gabe knew that once complete nakedness entered the equation they would share more than fiery kisses.

  Nick produced a key from the pocket of his jersey shorts. Nick walked in and tossed his key onto a side table next to the door.

  “Come on in. Make yourselves at home.”

  Gabe slowly crept deeper into Nick’s domain. It was the first time Gabe had been in Nick’s apartment, and he looked around. It was an open and airy space, despite the typical apartment setup. They walked into the dining and living area, which was twice the size of the common area of Phil and Gabe’s apartment. Nick’s kitchen was to the right of the door. Although it wasn’t huge, the space didn’t look closed in since it was open to the living area. Natural light came in through a sliding glass door that led to a balcony off the living room.

  The floors were a light colored wood, and the walls were mostly white except for the one to his left, which was painted a mossy green. There was a large photograph of a shaft of sunlight slicing through some dark blue water hanging above the sofa, and a tall bookshelf that held photos taken from various meets over the years. Funnily enough, Gabe didn’t see a trophy shelf. He knew Nick had won numerous awards over the years, so where were they? Nick pointed down what appeared to be a short hallway.

  “Bathroom’s at the end. Phil, you want to go first? There are clean towels on the rack. Oh, by the way, turn the handle to the right for hot water and to the left for cold. Whenever they put the backing plate on, the builders got it backward. I’ve never bothered to fix it.”

  Phil snickered. “I bet that was an uncomfortable surprise the first time.”

  “Nah, I figured it out before I stepped in. Lesson learned from too many s
howers in unfamiliar settings.”

  “I hear that. I’ll be just a few minutes. Will you have enough hot water for all three of us?”

  Nick smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m a keen conservationist.”

  Phil looked back and forth between them for a minute. “I’ll bet.”

  Gabe wasn’t quite ready to face the implications of that innuendo so he walked over to the bookshelf to look at Nick’s photos. Nick passed by him and slid open the door to the balcony. Fresh California air billowed in the sheer curtain. Gabe leaned to his right to catch a glimpse of Nick. The sunlight filtering in through the courtyard highlighted Nick’s wavy brown hair. The muscles in his back and across his amazingly broad shoulders stood out in relief as he leaned against the railing. Nick turned and tilted his head up into the sunshine. His tanned, über-long torso―with defined but flat-as-a-board abdomen―glowed. Nick’s shorts were low on his hips, and Gabe wanted to lick the angled cuts leading down to Nick’s groin. And speaking of groin, Gabe couldn’t stop himself from staring at Nick’s crotch, trying to follow the hills and valley of Nick’s shorts to get a better idea of what lay beneath. He’d felt Nick’s arousal press against him when they made out, which only made it a little bit harder to wait for the right moment each time. Gabe’s eyes traveled back up Nick’s body but he quickly morphed into a deer in headlights when he reached Nick’s face and found a pair of electric blue eyes staring straight at him.

  Oh shit! I’ve been busted.

  Nick pushed off the railing and entered the living room. Gabe kept his eyes on him as a field mouse would a cat stalking him. Nick glided up into Gabe’s personal space and tilted Gabe’s head up a few inches to make up for the difference in their heights.

  “So, my sweet prince, will you join me in the shower, or am I destined to spend the next fifteen minutes dreaming of you while I relieve the ache your nearness brings to my body?”

  Oh my God, does Nick mean he would… while I’m out here!

  “Um… I… I don’t know if I’m―”

  Nick’s arms came around Gabe. “Hey, sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. While it’s true that you do make me ache in delicious ways, I’m a big boy. If you’re not ready to move past our kisses, then I can take care of myself.”

  Gabe leaned his head on Nick’s shoulder and nuzzled against Nick’s neck. A soft groan from above and a jump from Nick’s cock held snuggly between their close bodies left Gabe with little doubt to the sincerity of Nick’s words.

  “Part of me wants everything with you, Nick, but I’m afraid to rush things. What if I do give in and….”

  “Talk to me, sweetheart. Are you afraid that if you sleep with me I’m going to turn my back and ignore you afterward? Are you nervous about sex in general? Tell me about your reservations and we can work them out together, instead of your worries rattling around in your head.”

  Gabe wanted to see the sincerity reflected in Nick’s eyes, so he raised his head and stared into the azure depths. The color reminded Gabe of the world beneath the water, his safe place where he could think and escape the stress of life above the surface.

  Gabe took Nick’s hand and led him over to the couch. They sank onto the soft fabric. “I have several reasons why I’ve waited to have sex. You did hit a couple of them, but honestly, I think the most significant reason is that I wanted my first time to be with a man I had a connection with. Phil is an aficionado when it comes to casual sex, but that’s not for me. I don’t expect the guy who takes my virginity to be my everlasting love. It’d be nice, but hardly realistic.” Gabe looked over at Nick and smirked. “Let’s face it, how many people actually end up spending their life with their first love?”

  “So you want to be in love before you have sex?”

  “Weren’t you the first time? Even if it was just a little?”

  Nick smiled. “We were good friends before we were lovers. So was I in love? I don’t know, but I did love him. I still do.”

  “And where is he now?”

  “He took a job on the east coast after graduation. Called me not too long ago and said he’s met the perfect man. They’ve moved in together and are deliriously happy.”

  “The fact that you were together and then broke up hasn’t affected your friendship at all?”

  “No. In fact, I think we’re actually closer because we shared our first times together. It was special to us. It still is, even though we knew in the long run that we weren’t destined for one another.”

  “See, that’s what I mean. Maybe you weren’t in love but you had a connection to him. I’ve dated a few guys, and each time going in thought ‘he could be the one’, but when their kisses left me cold, I couldn’t go through with it. I’m twenty-two. I have hormones like every other guy out there. I want to have sex, but unfortunately, my brain, or my heart, I don’t know which, tends to overrule my body every time I try. Last year, after getting so frustrated, I decided to shut my brain up. I went to a club and drank until I felt a pleasant buzz take over. I found a guy on the dance floor and took him in the back hallway.”

  Nick frowned and cupped Gabe’s cheek. “Oh, sweetheart.”

  Gabe couldn’t look Nick in the eyes. “I chickened out. He sucked me off, and you know there’s no such thing as a bad blowjob so I was into it, but when he went to spin me around afterward… I kind of panicked. He got annoyed, but relented when I offered to jack him off instead. That was the most awkward ten minutes of my life.” He took a deep breath and glanced back up at Nick. “The thing is… I do feel a connection to you. And your kisses make me feel as though I’m a volcano about to erupt, but….”

  “But what, sweetheart?”

  Gabe read the sincerity in Nick’s lapis lazuli eyes and realized he was tired of riding the “what if” wave. There was no magic genie to tell him that Nick would never break his heart. The existence of the elusive connection between them that Gabe had always held out for was undeniable. And the fact of the matter was that Gabe ached to experience the feeling that overtook someone the first time they shared an orgasm with another person they cared about. There were no guarantees that sex was going to be this magical experience that changed Gabe’s life forever. Heck, everything he’d heard gave him the impression that your first time was generally awkward and painful anyway, so why put it off any longer? Gabe trusted Nick to take care of him in a physical sense. It was time to put up or shut up.

  “But nothing… anymore. I’m ready, Nick, but I do have a couple requests.” Nick nodded eagerly. “I want to be exclusive. I know you have to travel for the team, and when you’re away… well, I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to mess around, but I… maybe it makes me sound like a girl, but I can’t deal with―”

  Nick placed his fingers against Gabe’s lips. “Expecting fidelity from your partner in a monogamous relationship is not exclusive to women, sweetheart. I have been and will continue to be faithful to you, and expect the same. Similar to what you said with Phil and his propensity for casual sex. Open relationships work for some, but it’s not for us.” Nick slid his fingers away from Gabe’s mouth and replaced them with his lips for a soft kiss. “Now, what’s your other request?”

  “We take this slow. I’m willing to go further than what we have, but I’m not ready to take you in the other room and ride you like a bull.”

  Nick laughed and gathered Gabe in his arms. The bathroom door opened, and Gabe saw Phil come down the hall toward them.

  “All yours, guys. You have anything to munch on, Nick?”

  “There’s some fruit in the fridge, but don’t forget after our shower I’m taking the two of you out to dinner so don’t stuff yourself.”

  Phil’s head popped up from behind the refrigerator door. “I get to come to dinner with you?”

  Nick stopped as he and Gabe were about to go down the hallway. “Sure, why wouldn’t you?”

  “Well, I sort of figured it would be like a date for the two of you. I didn’t wan
t to be a third wheel, so I was going to catch a cab back to campus.”

  “Nonsense. You’re Gabe’s best friend. I brought you here tonight. I’ll feed you and then take you home. Gabe and I will have plenty of chances for alone time. Besides, you’ve never had anything as good as the roast beef and mashed potatoes at Brenehan’s after a long day of workouts.”

  Gabe saw the smile that crossed Phil’s face, and fell a little more in love with Nick. For Nick to be so considerate of Gabe’s friend, especially after being told he was finally going to get some, demonstrated again the gentlemanly behaviors that Gabe thought extinct in modern society.

  Chapter 5

  HE TUGGED Nick down the hall, made their way into the bathroom, slammed the door, and pushed Nick against the closed portal. Gabe’s arms wrapped around Nick’s neck and smashed their bare chests together while he devoured Nick’s mouth. He took a nip of Nick’s lower lip, and Nick groaned roughly. Gabe deepened the kiss. He wanted to convey to Nick that this time there would be no cold showers, or need to come any other way but in each other’s arms.

  Nick separated their lips, and Gabe moaned in disappointment until a hot trail of wet kisses rained down his neck. Gabe arched back and exposed his need to Nick. Nick’s touch sent sparks arching through Gabe’s body, and now that he’d given himself permission to take their pleasure to the next level, it seemed to amplify everything all that much more.

  Gabe pushed his hips into Nick’s. With the help of Nick’s hands on Gabe’s ass, they rubbed their cocks together beneath their shorts. It wasn’t enough anymore. Gabe was desperate to feel skin on skin. He released Nick’s neck, and one hand slid down that lean torso he admired so much, slipping under the elastic edge of Nick shorts.

  Nick sucked in a gasp of air as Gabe’s fingertips skimmed the smooth skin of his groin. Gabe used only the tips of his fingers and traced tiny patterns around the area. Nick moaned and lifted his head to take Gabe’s lips again.