Treble Maker

by Annabeth Albert

  But he was also done being controlled by gratitude. Yes, it was pretty awesome how they’d championed him and worked to get LGBT kids accepted at Mount Monticello. But their acceptance had come with a whole host of obligations and expectations, and Lucas was no longer sure he wanted to meet them, if he ever had.

  “I appreciate it. I really do, but I sort of need space to be my own person, too.” Behind his dad, a pinball game blinked, its manic-looking clown face a sick parody of joy.

  His dad shook his head. “We can’t support that.”

  “Are you seriously forbidding him?” Cody appeared at Lucas’s elbow, putting an arm around him. He supposed he should be pissed at the meddling, but Lucas had never been more grateful to see him. It was freaking lonely standing here, watching the closeness he’d once had with his dad unravel and being powerless to stop it.

  Well, that wasn’t quite true. He could stop it, but he didn’t want to. He wanted Cody more than he wanted his parents’ approval. Having to choose between the two had nausea creeping up his neck, hamburger threatening to reappear, but he already knew which he’d choose.

  Cody didn’t look so certain, though, looking down on Lucas with a shaky smile, like he half-expected Lucas to throw him off.

  “This isn’t your concern.” His dad used his faculty-meetings-are-closed-to-students voice, but Cody wasn’t intimidated.

  “Of course it is. You want to bully my boyfriend, you get to deal with me.” Cody layered a lot of extra swagger into his speech and gestures. He already had Lucas’s dad’s number, playing up the things about himself they were most likely to object to—tilting his neck so his tattoos danced, cocking a hip so his spiked belt caught the light.

  “Deal with you?” His dad gave Cody a withering stare—one that he used to use when Lucas had interrupted some discussion between the adults. Shaking his head, he turned back to Lucas. “This isn’t about your friend. This is about your choices, and your mother and I are worried for you.”

  “And what if I choose Cody?”

  His dad gave a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not sure you’re thinking straight. All this Hollywood stuff is probably clouding your brain. We need to talk about your future.”

  “My future is singing. And Cody.” Certainty flowed through Lucas’s veins, bolstering his courage. The rush he’d felt performing today had been something he wanted to experience again and again. And the rush he got being with Cody? Well, he wasn’t about to give that up either. “He’s talented and funny and smart. This isn’t some phase. I . . . I love him.”

  Ideally, he would have managed to say the words to Cody alone first. Preferably when they were all blissed out from making love, when he could be more certain that Cody wasn’t about to bolt.

  “Love?” His dad made a scoffing noise. “This is just your hormones talking.”

  “You mean sex?” Cody supplied, looking downright devious.

  “Exactly. See, Lucas? This isn’t what you want. It’s not what we want for you.”

  “But it is what I want. And you’re not going to change my mind.” A hollow pit opened in his stomach as he realized there was no changing his parents either. The firmness of his dad’s face said it all. They weren’t going to approve of this. There weren’t going to be any how-can-we-support-you? talks, and there sure as hell wasn’t going to be any pie. Heck, he might not be welcome at his parents’ table again. Not without giving up the one thing he wanted most.

  “How about we talk—”

  Lucas held up a hand. “I’m done talking.” With his free hand, he grabbed for Cody. Blindly, he headed for the exit, pushing through the double glass doors before collapsing on a bench.

  He scrubbed hard at his face, refusing to cry. But the tears came anyway, stinging his eyes as he tried to rub them away. He didn’t want to be some baby about this. So what if his parents hated his boyfriend? So what if they were mad at Lucas? He shouldn’t care so much. But he did and he hurt, a physical ache all the way down to his toes.

  “I want to go home,” he said, his voice thick. He needed out of this place and out of his own head.

  “To Iowa?” Cody’s forehead wrinkled.

  “No. To us.” And then he really did cry, right there in the parking lot, groups of high schoolers and large families giving them wide berth. And thank God Cody wasn’t the type to care, because he wrapped his arms around Lucas and held him tight.

  As the door to the room banged shut, Cody wrapped his arms around Lucas, burying his face in his hair. He stroked up and down Lucas’s shoulders and back. Not hurrying. Not rushing into kissing and making out. Simply holding. It was a new sensation, almost as scary as Lucas saying he loved him, but like Lucas’s confession, it felt right. Perfect even.

  Finally, Lucas softened, spinning in his arms so his head was pressed against Cody’s neck. From there it was easy to trade to soft, slow kisses. He wasn’t sure when it turned to something a bit more energetic, his head supplying a soundtrack of U2, blood pounding like a strong bass. He had Lucas backed against the closet door, his hands tangled in his hair.

  He pulled back slightly. “You can have whatever you want tonight.”

  “Whatever?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah.” There wasn’t anything Cody wouldn’t do for him.

  “I want you to fuck me.”

  Except maybe that. His lungs no longer seemed adequate.

  “Lucas.” He touched Lucas’s cheek. Cody’s heart hammered against his chest, so hard Lucas had to be able to hear it. Trying to disguise his shaking fingers, he stroked Lucas’s rough jaw. “You’ve waited so long for a reason. I’m totally cool with what we’ve been doing—”

  “I’m not offering for you.” Lucas’s voice turned pissy and his eyes hardened. “I want to know what it’s like. Want it to be you.”

  “Lucas. You should wait. Keep your pledge or whatever and . . .” Oh, fuck. His voice broke. “Wait for someone special.”

  “I did.” Lucas’s voice went soft, but his hands were firm on Cody’s shoulders. “You are. I meant it when I said it earlier. I wanted to wait until I fell in love, and I did.”

  “I . . .”

  “It’s okay.” Lucas’s eyes were big and earnest. “You don’t have to say it back. Heck, you don’t have to feel it—”

  Words still weren’t cooperating, so he did the only thing he could and kissed Lucas. Not the earlier gentle slide of lips but a raw, emotion-driven attack. His cheeks were wet, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t from Lucas. Trying to ignore it, he kept kissing him until his eyes stopped misbehaving. His cheeks turned sticky and clammy, but he still kissed Lucas. His brain played a soundtrack of every love song he’d ever sung, but the words stayed stuck in his throat.

  “You want to make my favorite first-time fantasy come true?” Lucas looked a bit uncertain, like he expected Cody to call this off any second.

  “Yeah.” Cody leaned down and kissed him again, soft and slow. He might have hordes of anxious elephants dancing around in his guts but he wasn’t stopping now. “I want it sweet for you.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I don’t want . . . sweet. I don’t want some Hollywood first-time scene.” Lucas chewed on his lip again. “I want you. Pushing me. Making me beg. The dirty talk stuff. All that.”

  “I can do that.” Cody swept his thumb back and forth over Lucas’s cheek. He felt small—like the task was too big for him. A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have thought twice about fucking Lucas. Hell, a few weeks ago, he’d thought Lucas was an idiot for still being a virgin. But now, with all the new emotion churning through him, burning his throat, it felt like skateboarding on a pitch-black night. Terrifying and compelling, and someone was guaranteed to get hurt.

  Even with all that risk, he still nodded. I love you, he thought, wishing like hell he could get the words out.

  “No romance, just raunchy deflowering?” Cody laughed, raising one eyebrow, considering. Lucas squirmed under the weight of his scrutiny. “I can�
��t do the whole candle-and-music thing for crap, but you want an extra helping of dirty? Yeah.” He nodded. “I can do that.”

  Heck, he’d trade every pie his mom had ever made and his siblings for Cody to keep looking at him like this. Any family upheaval was worth getting to see Cody’s heart in his eyes. Standing up to his parents wasn’t just about Cody either—it was about him and defining who he wanted to be, grabbing the power to choose his own direction. Like blowing Cody in the restroom or making Cody change or telling his parents the truth or asking Cody for sex—each choice, each proclamation of his own wants made him stronger. In the past he’d let himself be defined by what he wasn’t or what he didn’t do. It was time to take action and go for the things he really wanted. Starting with Cody.

  Cody, who looked far more nervous than bossy at the moment, eyes uncertain and hands clenched. Like when he’d blown Cody, that little hint of reservation was like a caffeine rush straight to Lucas’s dick—and his heart. Cody going all noble did strange things for Lucas—made him want to beat down Cody’s reservations until the normal Cody—his Cody—was back and mouthy and filled with dishonorable intent. He reached for Cody’s shirt.

  “Nope.” Cody batted his hands away. Oh yeah. Cody was back on his game now. Blood rushed to Lucas’s groin, his cock rubbing against the khaki of Cody’s pants. “You wanna work for it? Want me all toppy and bossy?”

  “Oh yeah.” Lucas’s eyes drifted shut. He’d spent hours imagining this—Cody holding his hands away, his body crowding him against any number of convenient surfaces, his voice a mocking tease. Yeah. He’d imagined the heck out of this. Reality was even better, Cody pulling off Lucas’s clothes, running his hands all over Lucas’s exposed skin.

  “You don’t get to touch me yet.” Stripped bare, the air conditioning prickled Lucas’s skin while Cody rubbed up against him, still fully dressed down to his black boots. Deep heat worked its way down his spine, making him sink into the mattress.

  “Yes.” The moan sounded as heavy as his limbs.

  “Stay.” Cody winked at Lucas before climbing off the bed and grabbing some stuff from a bag on his side of the room. He tossed them on the bed—condoms, a bottle of lube, and . . . a dildo?

  “Hey.” Lucas propped himself up on his elbows. “I meant real sex, not a toy.” He looked scornfully at Cody’s toy. It was narrow, with a curved tip and a flared base. It looked less like a dick and more like a futuristic joystick.

  “Yeah?” Cody raised one eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to show me you’re ready. That you can handle it.”

  “Uh-huh.” Lucas slumped back against the bed with a soft moan. Oh yeah. Cody could so work this vibe.

  “You might not have noticed—” Cody climbed on the bed, straddling Lucas’s torso. “But my dick is a bit bigger than this.” He held up the toy. “You want my dick, you better show me you can take it.”

  “Yeah.” God.

  “In fact . . .” Cody pinned Lucas’s arms with his knees. Damn. Wrestling was one of Mount Monticello’s big sports, and Cody could have given any of the varsity guys a run for their money. “Let’s make this more interesting—”

  “You’ve got my attention,” Lucas croaked.

  “Oh, but I want more.” Cody winked at him. Bastard. “How about you can’t come—not until I do. Last time I touched your ass, you blew in twenty seconds. Gonna have to do better than that or you won’t get fucked.”

  “Yeah.” Lucas drifted toward the space where all he could focus on was the sound of Cody’s voice, where nothing else mattered. “I can.”

  “Not sure I believe you.” Cody leaned down, biting Lucas’s ear. “You’re also going to have to relax enough to take it. You get too tense and it won’t work.” He sat up again and waggled the dildo in Lucas’s face. “You figure out how to obey. I’m going to have some fun.”

  “God.” Lucas was dying. Dead. Burned crisp.

  Cody licked a line down Lucas’s neck, biting him on his chest. Cody wasn’t gentle, but Lucas got off on the attack—like Cody wanted to devour him. Mark him. Electricity zinged right to his dick. No way was he going to last.

  “Wish we’d already had our wardrobe appointment for the week.”

  “What?” Lucas tried to find a spare few brain cells.

  “Need to know where I can bite you and not leave a visible mark.” Cody leered down at him, his eyes full of dirty intent.

  “Screw costuming.” Lucas wanted Cody’s teeth far more than he cared about red marks.

  “As you wish.” Cody’s voice was deliberately indifferent, a stark contrast to the hard bulge pressing against Lucas’s stomach. He sucked up a mark right above Lucas’s nipple, biting and sucking his way across to the other pec—low enough that the marks probably would be hidden, but just high enough to make Lucas feel filthy and free at the same time.

  Cody slid down, licking his way down Lucas’s stomach. His shirt and pants dragged against Lucas’s bare skin, reminding him again of who had the power here.

  “Take off your clothes,” he said. Much as he loved the bare versus fully clothed contrast, he wanted to feel Cody’s skin on his.

  “Not yet.” Cody raised his head. “I kinda like it this way. You all naked and at my mercy.”

  “You’re the one who would happily strip in a snowstorm.”

  “Yup.” Cody lightly bit him, right above his belly button. “I know. That’s why it’s awesome.”

  “Bastard.”

  “Oh, I haven’t even gotten started yet.”

  Cody licked and sucked his way all around Lucas’s patch of hair, never touching his dick with more than warm breath and accidental brushes of his hair. Lucas tossed his head against the pillow. More, more, more.

  Forget dead, he was already in hell. And he didn’t want to ever leave. Cody’s tongue teased over Lucas’s balls, little flicks of torture that made him grab the sheets. Slowly, Cody slid further down, his tongue still dancing over Lucas’s skin. He licked behind Lucas’s balls, and he nearly rocketed off the bed. His tongue reached further back, skirting Lucas’s rim.

  “Oh, fuck.”

  “Mmm.” Cody’s voice was muffled against Lucas’s thigh. “Love how you go nuts from this.” Cody rewarded each of Lucas’s moans with more contact. His tongue danced around Lucas’s rim, swirling and licking, making him feel like a string of Black Cat firecrackers, ready to go off at the least spark. Dick drooling all over his stomach, his balls drew up tight.

  Chuckling, Cody moved away and gave Lucas’s dick a pat that was more reprimand than caress. “Bet you could come just from that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Which is why I’m not gonna do it this time.” Cody looked up at him, an evil feline grin on his face. He reached for the lube. “You’re just going to have to wait.”

  Lucas moaned. Anticipation strummed through him. “Need it.”

  “Nope.” Cody greased up his fingers, making a show of holding them up for Lucas to see. His ass clenched and his dick throbbed. “You come and all you’ll get is me jerking off on you.”

  Lucas moaned. They’d played it that way once, and Cody shooting on his chest and face had gotten Lucas hard enough for round two.

  “I could go again—”

  “No negotiations.” Cody stroked his fingers under Lucas’s balls, gently circling his rim. “And remember the relaxing part.” He worked the tip of his index finger in and then back out again. Lucas arched up, trying to get more. He really didn’t care if it hurt a little because he knew how good it could get. Like hiking all morning, muscles burning, but knowing the view that lay ahead.

  “Please.”

  “Maybe.” Cody shrugged his shoulders. Lucas released the sheets long enough to grab Cody’s wrist. “Oh no you don’t.” Cody laughed and shifted, using his knees to pin Lucas’s hand again. “Don’t make me tie you up.”

  Lucas’s moan was a needy, inhuman sound. Yes, please.

  “Oops. Forgot how much you like the idea of being tied up.” Cody
raised his eyebrows, his face a stern mask. His fingers circled Lucas’s rim again.

  Lucas could only gasp in reply. Cody worked his finger in deeper, managing to avoid Lucas’s gland, teasing him with almost-but-not-quite caresses. The burn and stretch intensified as Cody worked a second finger in, opening him with slow, deliberate thrusts.

  “Fuck,” Lucas cried. Cody pressing and rubbing on his gland was almost better than a fist on his dick. “I want to come so bad. Please.”

  “Not yet.” Cody withdrew his fingers and grabbed the toy.

  Lucas’s abs clenched and sweat ran down his neck. He had fooled around with stuff before—watching porn had given him the idea of raiding the fridge and buying a hairbrush with an interesting handle. But none of his makeshift toys had a curve like Cody’s dildo. It was a bit wider than the stuff Lucas had tried, but not as wide as Cody’s dick.

  “You want me to use a condom on it?” Cody picked up a condom with his free hand. “It’s clean, but some people prefer to use a rubber with toys. And you are the dude who gets all pink when we share the same glass.” He smiled down at Lucas, amusement, concern, and affection all right there, breaking through the toppy indifference thing he’d been working. Lucas’s heart stuttered.

  “I’m good.” Lucas looked away, memorizing the lines on the bedside lamp. It was too much—not Cody’s fingers or the toy or even the idea of what they were about to do—but the emotion kept gaining force, a hurricane of feelings and sensations. He heard the snick of the lube bottle and felt Cody shift around again. His hands were free now, but Lucas didn’t rush to use them, instead waiting to see what Cody had planned. His patience was rewarded with Cody licking across his belly button, mimicking what he’d done to Lucas’s hole earlier. Shivering, goose bumps broke out on his arms.

  Finally, finally, finally, he got Cody’s mouth on his dick, swallowing him to the root in a single smooth motion. Lucas wasn’t sure he’d ever master that trick. On the next bob of his mouth, Cody pressed the toy against Lucas’s rim. He didn’t push it in, instead just providing maddening pressure that Lucas rocked into, wanting more.