by Trina Lane
Nick stood and started to massage Phil’s neck and shoulders. Phil’s head fell forward and Gabe watched as his partner worked the knots out of Phil’s body. He’d been on the receiving end of Nick’s massages, and knew the pleasure that could be found at the mercy of Nick’s hands.
Gabe finished up his lunch and went to take care of his and Nick’s trash. Nick stopped his impromptu therapy session, much to Phil’s dismay.
“Don’t stop,” Phil whined.
“Sorry, Squirt, we have to run to the apartment and get my gear before practice.”
Phil raised his head, and Gabe saw how much calmer his brown eyes appeared after the brief respite.
“Would you mind grabbing my bag too? I thought I’d have time to go back before we have to be at the pool, but I really need to keep painting.”
“Sure. Remember to set your alarm. You know how you get when you’re working,” Gabe reminded Phil.
Phil took out his phone and set the alarm right then and there. “Done. Now don’t you two get so busy humping like bunnies that you run late.”
Gabe took a quick look around, but it seemed as though nobody was paying them any attention.
Nick laughed and gave Phil’s neck one last squeeze. “Speaking of humping like bunnies, Will says ‘Hi’. He plans on being in Minneapolis for the championships next week.”
Phil’s eyes went happy and wide. Gabe watched as Phil even bounced in his seat, instantly more alert than he’d been a few moments ago.
“Really?”
Nick nodded. “Absolutely, he asked me to confirm the dates at least three times this week.”
Phil smiled. It was different from his “I’m flirting with you but don’t intend to follow through smile” or even his “come here you stud and fuck me smile.” Gabe looked closely and realized that this was the real Phil’s smile. The one kept hidden away behind his persona. This smile was one of true happiness, and that knowledge warmed Gabe’s heart.
He and Nick headed off campus to Gabe’s apartment two blocks away. They entered the main lobby, and Gabe waved at the desk attendant. “Hey, Mike.”
“Hey, Gabe. You ready for the championships?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. How’d your midterms go?”
“Good. As of tomorrow I’m headed for sunny Cancun. Can’t wait until I can lie on the beach and trick hot girls into letting me lather them in coconut oil.”
Gabe laughed. “Well, have fun, and don’t forget to use protection of your own,” he said with a wink.
Gabe and Nick went upstairs to his apartment. As soon as he opened the door he knew that Dan and Dom weren’t home. While their presence certainly wouldn’t have prevented Gabe from spending some much needed quality time with Nick―his bedroom door did have a lock on it―the fact that they had the apartment to themselves would mean they didn’t have to monitor their noise levels as much.
Gabe immediately moved down the hall toward his and Phil’s room. He heard Nick shut the front door behind him, but didn’t look back. Gabe stripped off his shirt and was in the process of unbuttoning his shorts when Nick’s arms came around him from behind. A pair of warm lips nuzzled Gabe’s neck, and he sank back into Nick’s embrace.
Nick’s hands began to caress Gabe’s stomach. They took over the chore of unfastening Gabe’s shorts, and the material fell to pool at Gabe’s feet. Nick’s large hands skimmed Gabe’s hips as his briefs were removed.
Gabe slid out of his flip-flops then stepped out of the pile on the floor. He walked over to his bed and turned to face Nick, who’d undressed as he followed Gabe over to the bed. Nick’s arms came back around him and resumed their caresses. His hands slowly made their way down Gabe’s back to cup the round cheeks of his ass. Nick lifted Gabe into his body and Gabe melted against his lover.
Gabe kissed and licked at the underside of Nick’s jaw. Nick’s hands kneaded Gabe’s ass, and Gabe gasped as his cock rubbed against Nick’s.
“Want you. Want to be inside you. Feel your heat surround me, your heart beat against my chest. Want to hear that sound. That little hitch you make as your orgasm takes over your body. Want to hear my name on your lips, right before you come. You scream it so beautifully, so reverently, as though it’s the only word left in your vocabulary. As though the only conscious thought in your mind is how perfect we are together, how all that matters is our existence.”
“Please,” Gabe pleaded.
Gabe sat on his bed, and Nick lay over him. They kissed the entire way down until Nick’s long, lean body covered Gabe from head to toe. The narrow twin bed didn’t provide them with a lot of room for maneuverability, but Gabe spread his legs and wrapped them around Nick’s hips. He arched up against Nick in clear invitation. Needy, almost desperate for Nick’s lovemaking.
Nick swooped down and fused their mouths together again. Their foreheads pressed against one another. Nick’s eyes blazed with hunger.
“What are you waiting for? Take me!”
“Not take, my sweet prince. Love. I’m going to love you.”
Gabe reached in the drawer of his nightstand and removed the bottle of lube. He gave it to Nick, who quickly slicked up his fingers. Nick braced his weight on one hand and slid the other between their bodies. Gabe pulled his knees up to his chest and keened in pleasure as one of Nick’s fingers breached his hole.
The long digit moved in and out, each stroke ratcheting up Gabe’s arousal exponentially. Nick added a second finger and then moved them around to stretch Gabe’s entrance. When Nick pegged his prostrate, Gabe thought he’d levitate off the bed the pleasure was so great. Over and over Nick fingered him, sometimes letting his fingers glance off Gabe’s gland, other times using the pads to massage the special spot until Gabe was panting and crying out for Nick’s cock.
Nick lined his cock up with Gabe’s hole and gently nudged his way inside. Gabe couldn’t take his eyes off Nick as his lover slid in to the hilt. Within seconds their bodies started moving together. Gabe met every one of Nick’s thrusts. His powerful body plunged deep, connecting more than their skin.
Gabe’s climax took him by surprise. One moment he was drifting on the pleasure filling his body and the next he crashed over the precipice. Gabe screamed out Nick’s name and held on to Nick’s wide shoulders as his cock jerked, spilling his essence all over his stomach. Nick cried out, and his momentum increased until the snap of his hips was a blur to Gabe’s blissed-out consciousness. Moments later, Gabe felt the pulse of Nick’s cum shoot high inside him.
Nick collapsed over Gabe. Their bodies slick with sweat and the remnants of Gabe’s climax. Nick’s weight was heavenly atop Gabe, but after a moment, it became difficult to breathe. He tapped Nick on the shoulder, and his lover rolled them to their sides, keeping their bodies locked together. Eventually, Nick’s cock slipped out, and Gabe felt some of Nick’s cum escape the clutches of his body, despite Gabe’s desire to hold the evidence of Nick’s pleasure inside him.
Their bodies cooled, and their breathing eventually evened out. Nick’s head lifted to peer over Gabe’s shoulder.
“We have twenty minutes before we have to leave. What do you say to a shower and then a snack? I think we just worked off lunch.”
Gabe hummed and snuggled deeper into Nick’s embrace. “I’d rather stay here, but if we must, we must.”
They managed to roll out of Gabe’s bed and take a quick shower. Gabe grabbed his and Phil’s bags, and they snagged some fruit and a couple of granola bars to eat on the way to the pool.
Chapter 13
NICK wandered around the deck of the pool. The water churned with swimmers, all in the process of warm-ups. Really he wasn’t supposed to be down here, since he wasn’t competing, but he’d been chatting up one of the officials and the man had let Nick slip through. He kept his eye on lane number five, trying to observe the swimmer with an objective eye versus the extremely possessive and besotted ones that resided in his head.
Over the last three months, Gabe’s stroke had co
ntinued to improve. Before his prince was known for sliding through the water with the elegance of a stingray, problem with that was stingrays aren’t known for their speed. However, now his sweetheart sliced across the surface as if he were a swordfish. Nick had heard more than one mumbled comment from the coaches and other swimmers around the pool area about Gabe’s improvement. One or two had been rather snotty, saying Gabe’s warm-up condition would never present itself once the races started. Nick, however had the utmost confidence Gabe would not only reach the goals he’d set for himself, but exceed them as well. Not only had Gabe’s swimming improved, but his self-confidence was light years ahead of where he’d been at the beginning of the season. So much of how a swimmer performed in the water had to do with his mental ability, as well as his physical.
Nick saw that Gabe had made his last flip and was headed toward the wall closest to him. He stopped behind the starting block and waited. Gabe touched and then sank beneath the water for a little self powwow. Nick chuckled at how this behavior had terrified him that first time he’d witnessed Gabe’s ritual, but now he’d been around Gabe enough to see how the practice calmed Gabe’s psyche. His prince had a tendency to get anxious before a big swim. Once Gabe climbed the blocks, it was clear he was at home, but when he was in the staging area? Oh boy, Nick’s sweetheart was a nervous nelly.
Nick held out a hand for Gabe as he climbed from the pool. “Looking good, Flipper.”
“Yeah? Feels good, but you know.”
“I do. Heard some gossip in the ranks. People are keeping an eye on you.”
Nick wanted to take Gabe in his arms, but knew this wasn’t the right place for it. Instead he handed Gabe the towel lying on the block, and when Gabe’s hand met his under the fabric, Nick caressed the back of Gabe’s palm with his finger. Gabe smiled, and everything was right in Nick’s world.
“Have you seen my parents?”
Nick shoved his hands in his pockets as he and Gabe made their way across the deck. The next swimmer to warm up in the lane Gabe had vacated jumped in behind them. People started to fill in the bleachers on either side of the pool. Banners and flags in every conceivable blend of school colors hung from the banisters.
Nick pointed to the section straight up from the starting blocks. “Third row up. Can you see them?”
Gabe bobbed his head around and lifted his hand in a wave and then looked over at Nick. “Am I a dork because I still wave to my parents as if I was a little kid, and this was my first meet?”
“No. You love them. They love and are proud of you. They were in Texas to watch Lauren dive a couple of weeks ago, and now they’re here to support you. Pretty amazing parents, if you ask me.”
Gabe nodded. “I wish I could have been there to see her. Mom said her last dive was nearly perfect.”
“You know that little salute I give after interviews? That’s actually a secret signal between my dad and I. He watches on TV when he can’t travel to the meets, and it’s my little way of saying thanks.”
Gabe pushed open the door to the locker room. “I always thought that you were playing up to your fans.”
Nick shrugged. He turned when someone tapped his shoulder, and saw a student volunteer standing behind them with a sheepish expression on his face.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson. Swimmers and coaches are only allowed in the locker rooms.”
Nick jumped when Coach Meran’s voice echoed off the concrete walls: “Nick is a consultant for the CAL team. He has assistant coach status. He simply wasn’t aware that all coaches must wear team apparel at sanctioned events.”
Nick refused to let the shock of this declaration show on his face. The student volunteer mumbled his apologies and ran off as quickly as he dared on the damp floor. Nick turned and raised any eyebrow at his former coach.
“What? You consulted. I distinctly heard you tell Klousak that if he wants to get a better jump off the blocks he needed to use the power of his toes to push him off the edge.”
Nick slapped Coach Meran on the shoulder. “You, my friend, are showing that big old teddy bear side you keep locked away so tightly.”
Coach Meran grunted and then stared at Gabe and Nick hard. “Not one word. I have a reputation to maintain.”
“Yes, Coach,” they both said.
NICK and Gabe went back into the locker rooms, both laughing. Nick’s arm came around Gabe’s shoulders, and several swimmers who stood around the lockers turned their heads to watch them. Nick noticed a few had looks of envy on their faces. He was sure it was because they were jealous he got to hold a man as beautiful as Gabe close to him.
“Your admiring public is giving us looks,” Gabe whispered.
“It’s you they’re staring at, Flipper,” Nick responded under his breath.
Gabe shook his head. “Nope, and I can prove it.”
Nick leaned against the row of lockers and arched his eyebrow. “And how do you plan to accomplish that?”
Gabe spun the combination lock on the locker he’d claimed. He took out his warm-up pants and CAL T-shirt. Nick loathed to see Gabe’s beauty disappear from view, but it wouldn’t do for his prince to catch a cold while waiting for his heats to start. The university kept the aquatic center at a comfortable temperature for the near-naked swimmers, but without the exertion of racing keeping Gabe’s blood flowing, his skin would chill should it remain exposed as Nick desired.
“Hey, Carmichael, Wilkens!” Gabe shouted.
Nick watched as the swimmers wearing shirts that read Stanford and Arizona turned at the sound of Gabe’s call. Both men competed in Gabe’s conference, so Nick knew Gabe was familiar with them. The two men walked toward where Nick and Gabe stood.
“What’s up, Mason?”
“Not much. Saw you watching Nick and me a second ago. Kinda looked like you wanted to ask him something.”
One of the guys, Nick wasn’t sure who was who, elbowed the other one. Who elbowed him right back. There was some “You ask,” “No, you ask” said under their breaths, and Nick looked at Gabe, who had a very self-satisfied look on his face. He watched as Gabe mouthed, “Told you.”
Nick looked down at the opposite end of the row behind Gabe and caught a young swimmer—probably a sophomore, judging by the swimmer’s youthful appearance and slight build—staring at Gabe’s ass as he bent over to pull on his track pants. Nick smiled as the young swimmer looked up and their eyes met. At first there was a moment of abject terror on the kid’s face that he’d been caught ogling, but then it became rather pensive.
The two guys Gabe had heralded continued to discuss who would grow a pair, while the kid and Nick stood silently staring at each other. Nick moved to block the kid’s view of Gabe’s derriere. The kid’s eyes widened for a brief second, and then he nodded and turned away.
“Nick?”
He turned at the sound of Gabe’s voice to see that apparently a resolution had been made. “Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Steve Carmichael. It’s an honor to meet you.”
It was the young man with the large red S on his T-shirt.
Nick shook the hand outstretched toward him. “Nice to meet you.” Nick could see that the two men were shuffling their feet, and kept looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes. “Look, guys, there’s no need for all the nerves. I’m just a swimmer like you. Hell, I was in your exact spot only two years ago.”
“Yeah, and then you caught a flight to Beijing four months later,” Wilkins said under his breath.
“For which I am honored. But remember I only swam in the prelims. The only reason I have medals is because of the success of my teammates who swam the final heats.”
“That may be true, but your success since 2008 has been all of your own doing. I watched you on TV in Dubai, and I’ve been keeping track of your wins in the Grand Prix and Speedo Champions series. You have a real chance of being a star come London.”
Nick saw the blush that crept up Carmichael’s face. It was nice to know that Nick’s hard work
was gaining the eye of the public, but as always having his winnings touted aloud made him uncomfortable.
“Nick’s an easy-going guy, you two. So whatever you want to ask, go ahead. He’s cool,” Gabe explained.
God love his prince, stepping in and taking care of him. Nick so wanted to put his arm around Gabe at that moment.
“Well, the thing is….” Carmichael looked around and then leaned in close and lowered his voice. “Is it true that you two are a couple?”
Nick’s heart stuttered in his chest, and he saw Gabe turn to stone beside him. He needed to know why the two other swimmers were asking, and how’d they’d gained their information before determining how to proceed.
“Why do you ask?”
“That’s not a denial,” Wilkins said.
Nick refused to acknowledge the statement and continued to stare at Carmichael.
Carmichael glanced over at Wilkins. “Don’t be an asshole.” He faced Nick and Gabe again. “We aren’t looking to cause trouble. What goes on in your bedroom is up to you. I was wondering if it was true, and if so, were you planning on staying in the closet while you’re still competing.”
“Why should I answer your questions? I don’t know you. For all I know you’re recording this conversation and plan on selling sound bites to the networks to make some cash.”
Carmichael shook his head rapidly. “I would never do that! You don’t need to confirm or deny anything. Forget I asked. I’m sorry for being so intrusive. I… well, I was curious because… I… think it would be cool to have someone like us stand proud and still kick ass in the water.”
The kid spoke so fast Nick had to concentrate hard to understand the words. After a second when the almost unintelligible sentence processed in Nick’s brain, he looked over at Wilkins and saw the tiniest of nods from the up-to-that-point brash student. Nick heard Gabe’s raspy breathing next to him. His prince had worked himself up to the point of hyperventilation. That would not do. Nick’s first concern had to be for Gabe.
Nick put his hands on Gabe’s shoulders and forced him to sit on the bench. “Sit down.” He eased Gabe’s head between his knees and gently rubbed Gabe’s back. “That’s it. Breathe, sweetheart. It’s okay.”