Built for Speed: Winter Sports, Book 1

by Declan Rhodes

  Lucas smiled. “I’ll keep it for you until we figure out its permanent home.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  I ended the conversation with Lucas when I said that I needed to grab something to eat from the snack car on the train. He told me that he would be waiting at Union Station in Chicago when I got off the train.

  When the train stopped briefly in Milwaukee, I thought about the upcoming skating events. I had plans in place to travel with Jordi in September and try out a long track event. I was curious and excited, but I was also terrified that I would end up last. Skating in a race in Milwaukee where Olympic gold medalists like Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair trained was something entirely different from racing in Minnesota. I knew that other racers would be very skilled and experienced.

  In the back of my mind, I expected to see Lucas dressed in winter clothes when I arrived at the station in Chicago. I hadn’t seen him yet in person in warm weather. Instead of a parka, he was wearing navy blue shorts and an orange T-Shirt. He had changed clothes since we talked on the phone, but he wasn’t hard to find. His height and golden hair made him stand out from the bustling crowd greeting passengers from the train.

  Lucas hugged me so hard that he nearly lifted me off the ground. Then we kissed. It wasn’t a small peck. It was a passionate kiss. My impulse inside was to look around and see who was watching. I was self-conscious about kissing another man in public in a crowd. Two men embracing and kissing in public was still rare in my hometown, but Lucas demanded and absorbed my full attention. After a few seconds, I relaxed. The rest of the crowd didn’t respond, and they didn’t matter. Only Lucas mattered.

  As he opened the door to his apartment, I realized that it was the first time alone with Lucas indoors since we met. I didn’t count the awkward encounter near the restrooms after skating. Lucas said, “Now I can give you a proper kiss.”

  Our lips met, and then our tongues touched with my back pushed up against the closed door to his apartment. My toes curled when he exhaled lightly into my mouth. I wondered if we would end up in bed within five minutes, but Lucas behaved like a gentleman. We poured passion into the kiss nibbling each other’s lips, twining our tongues and letting our hands roam over each other’s upper bodies.

  Then he pulled back and asked if I wanted something to drink. I said that I wanted to try his cinnamon tea and found my way to the couch in the living room. I said, “One funny thing about seeing the speed skating painting is I’m going to Milwaukee with a friend in September to try racing on an Olympic-quality track. Maybe you can come up and watch us.”

  Lucas busied himself making the tea and said, “I would like to see you skate, but please tell me that you’re not doing the skating for me. Stick with your hockey if that’s what you want to do. Speed skating is a great sport, but hockey is, too.”

  He handed me a mug and then settled himself on the couch next to me. I said, “I wasn’t doing it for you. I want to see how fast I can move on ice. There’s nothing like the sensation. I read that skaters at top speed move faster than any other humans touching the ground.”

  Lucas said, “That’s the only part I miss. The speed. You’ll do well, James. You’re built for it.” He set his mug down on a coaster placed on a modern glass and steel coffee table.

  While I started to talk about speed skating again, Lucas leaned forward, nestled his face into my neck and began to unbutton my shirt. Seconds later, I decided that conversation was no longer necessary. Lucas slid his hand slowly downward until his hand closed over the bulging package in my jeans. Long, low moans took over from intelligible words.

  20

  Lucas

  I woke up with my back arched, and I was gasping for breath. It wasn’t a dream. The sensation was mind-blowing. At first, I thought that I was dreaming. Then I heard the sounds. They were the slurpy sounds of a mouth sucking on a cock. It was James under the sheets rocking his mouth back and forth on me. He was lying at an angle across the bed, and his muscular bare ass just barely peeked out at me.

  I gave his ass a swat to let him know I was awake. He responded by sucking harder, and I pounded the back of my head into the pillow mixing a moan with a growl. I slept through the build-up, and he was close to taking me over the edge.

  My hand found its way under the sheets, and my fingers tangled in James’ hair. I gripped tight and slowed his movement. I wanted to enjoy the edge a few minutes longer. James followed my guidance and flattened his tongue against the length of my cock. He was no beginner in oral sex.

  With my other hand, I gave his bare ass another swat before I slowly spread his cheeks with my fingers. James moaned against my cock. I could feel the vibrations in his throat, and it was nearly enough to make me cum.

  I slipped a single finger down between the cheeks and found the puckered rim of his tight little hole. Closing my eyes, I thought about how James’ breath caught in his throat when my cock pushed into that hole the night before. I murmured, “Remember, James?”

  He muttered “Uh huh” against my cock.

  I growled, “I’m gonna cum, James.”

  He took it as a signal to attack my cock with renewed passion. His head began to bob vigorously, and he slid a hand between my legs to cup my balls. I was ready this time. I stopped holding back.

  The tip of my finger pushed just past James’ tight ring. His muffled howl against my cock sent me over the edge. Warm, sticky cum shot into his mouth as I arched my hips upward. I yelled out, “James!” as my entire body bucked in response to the orgasm.

  He held my cock head deep in his mouth until the spasms subsided. I heard the wet, sloppy kiss just before he climbed out from under the sheets to lay his head on my pillow at my side. His hair was damp with sweat from the heat generated under the sheets. A sheepish grin filled James’ face as he said, “Good morning.”

  I asked, “This is what life is like with you?”

  A laugh rumbled deep in his throat. “I guess so.”

  He kissed the side of my neck, and I raked my fingers through his damp hair. I asked, “How am I supposed to get out of bed and go to work when the sexiest man ever is lying in my bed. You’re going to be my ruin.”

  James placed his cheek against my bare chest and reached up to play with my nipple with his fingers. He said, “I don’t know the answer to that. It sounds kind of tough to me. I’m glad that I’m on vacation.”

  “You’re horrible, James. I mean that in a good way.”

  “I might be, but I can cook breakfast if that helps.”

  I smiled and ruffled his hair with my fingers. “We’ll have breakfast after we take a shower. Did I remember to say I’m happy that you’re here?”

  When I arrived at my studio, I had a bounce in my step and a smile on my face. James told me that he was going to head outside and explore the city and then meet me back at the apartment at the end of my workday. It was a perfect plan.

  I was surprised to find Hector Ruiz, one of my best students, pacing outside my door. He was breathless when he said, “Professor Bakker, I need to talk to you before you check your email. Please tell me that you haven’t read your email in the last hour.”

  I unlocked the door and said, “No, I haven’t read email since last night. Are you worried about something?”

  He followed me inside. “I sent something to you by accident. Could you just delete any messages from me before you open them?”

  I looked into Hector’s dark brown eyes and said, “Yes, I think I can do that. Would that avoid a lot of embarrassment?”

  Hector exhaled and scratched his head. He said, “I’m already embarrassed, but that would keep it from getting worse. See, I was entering your email address into my list online, and then I had to send a quick message to my girlfriend.” He blushed slightly and said, “You know how those go.”

  I raised an eyebrow. It was true that I understood Hector’s implication. If I had been sending James an email an hour earlier, it would have been riddled with comments that were meant onl
y for James.

  Hector shook his head and said, “Well, maybe you don’t, but anyway, please Professor Bakker. Can we have this be over and done with?”

  I nodded and said, “I won’t read the message, but I want to ask you a question.”

  Hector smiled and said, “Oh, sure, Professor Bakker. Ask me anything. You’re a good teacher.”

  “Once you walk out of my office, will you forget about the email mixup and forget about any of this happening?”

  Hector reached up and scratched his head again. “I guess so. Having to come here and tell you what I did is a little embarrassing, but I can live with that. As long as the message is gone.”

  “It doesn’t make you want to drop my class?”

  With a somewhat perplexed expression on his face, Hector asked, “Why would I do that?”

  “Because it’s so embarrassing.” I was starting to feel nervous about making myself so transparent to one of my students.

  Hector answered, “My grandma always said that sometimes we have to forget our pride when there’s something important that needs to be done. I need to pass your class, Professor Bakker. I do. It’s too important. I can’t let my pride get in my way.”

  21

  James

  I followed Jordi’s suggestion and signed up for both a short track and a long track speed skating race in Milwaukee. He said, “We’re getting there a day early, so you can practice the short track and get a feel for it. I think you should try both because they’re different from each other. I’m sticking with just a long track race, but you might like that rough jostling around in short track. You’ve got that solid hockey player build. It’s not like fights against the boards, but it can still be fun.

  Jordi drove us from Minnesota to Milwaukee. We got up and left early in the morning, so we reached the city by 2:00 p.m. Lucas secured two discount rooms in a hotel downtown, and we met him in the lobby.

  Lucas threw his arms around me with such force that he nearly knocked me to the floor. Jordi quipped, “I think he’s happy to see you.”

  I was surprised to see Lucas’ hair trimmed short by his standards. His blonde locks no longer hung to his shoulders. As he backed up from our hug, he tilted his head to the left and reached a hand up to run it through his hair. “Do you like it? It was a last-minute impulse. Sophie says the new cut is handsome, but I’m still getting used to it.”

  I nodded and said, “Yes, you look smart and sharp. Those are great things. I liked the long hair, too, but this is sexy.” I reached up and ran my fingers through the hair on the back of Lucas’ head.

  “It looks good to me,” chimed in Jordi.

  Lucas turned in his direction and asked, “Is this your hockey buddy, James?”

  Jordi nodded and added, “Now his speed skating buddy, too.”

  Lucas held out a card key for his hotel room to Jordi. He said, “You’re right next door to James and me. We’ll try to keep it down. Just turn the sound on the TV up if you need to.”

  I blushed slightly and said, “Let’s head up there so we can drop off our luggage. I’ve got somewhere I want to go before dinner.”

  Jordi threw his duffle over his shoulder and asked, “Are you sure?”

  Lucas and I just glanced at each other and followed Jordi into the elevator. I said, “I’ve been telling Jordi about the perfect little chili place downtown for a great, inexpensive dinner.”

  “Chili?” asked Lucas.

  “Oh, that’s right. Do you have chili in the Netherlands?”

  Lucas said, “We have plenty of chili in Amsterdam. The question is whether yours here is as good.”

  I growled, “Those are close to fighting words. I ate there with my parents the first time when I was just a little kid.”

  As we exited the elevator, Jordi made a show of yawning and said, “I think I’m going to take a nap. It was a long drive, and I can use a little rest. Why don’t we text when it’s closer to dinner time, and we’ll figure out where to meet.”

  I wanted to give Jordi a big hug and say thank you. A polite, discreet nod in his direction was successful at sending the message. I said, “That sounds good. I’ll take Lucas to the beach, and then we’ll have a big, hearty dinner.”

  Lucas furrowed his brow in response and then stuck his card into the hotel room lock. He pushed the door open, and I followed at his shoulder.

  The room was perfect. It had a king-sized bed and a view out over the city in the direction of Lake Michigan. Lucas turned toward me and asked, “Beach?”

  I said, “Yeah, there’s a great beach along Lake Michigan. That’s somewhere else we went when I was a kid. The weather is still warm enough that we can go hang out and jog through the sand.”

  “Or we could stay here,” whispered Lucas. He moved in my direction, and I backed up against the foot of the bed.

  Something about the tone of his voice made the hairs on my forearms stand on end. Goosebumps followed. I nodded, “Or, I guess we could stay here.” A smile began to spread across my face.

  Lucas reached around the back of my neck and cupped my head in his hand. He hungrily pressed his lips to mine, and I yelped into his mouth in surprise. After a hard initial kiss, he whispered, “Lay back, James. You’ve had a long ride from Minnesota.”

  The firm, forceful tone in Lucas’ voice excited me. I kicked off my sneakers and sat on the bed. Then I pushed off with my hands and slid upward until my head rested on pillows.

  Within seconds, Lucas stripped down to only his jeans. The muscle of his pecs and abs looked even stronger and leaner. He was working out somewhere, and the results were apparent. As he climbed onto the bed between my legs, he whispered, “Naked, James.”

  The Lucas Bakker I knew was confident most of the time, but his boldness was heading into overdrive. As I tugged my T-Shirt off over my head, I said, “I think moving to America has been good for you.”

  “Anything that gets me closer to you is good for me.”

  I beamed back at Lucas, and he helped tug my jeans off my legs. I said, “You seem so confident.”

  Lucas said, “Let’s not talk. Let’s do. I’m hungry, James, but not for food.

  He surprised me by taking my cock into his mouth for the first time. I hadn’t been sucked by anyone since my freshman year in college. I was usually the guy on my knees. When I saw his blonde head go down on me, I threw my head back and moaned.

  Lucas came up for air and said, “Don’t worry, James. I’m going to fuck you, too.”

  I tangled my fingers in his shorter hair and yelped, “Fuck, you’re driving me crazy already.”

  By the time Jordi sent a text message to my phone asking about dinner, I was exhausted and lying naked against Lucas with my cheek resting on his bare chest. I looked up into his blue eyes and asked, “Dinner?”

  He wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me closer. He said, “I guess we need to be polite.”

  I said, “Jordi’s a great guy. Let’s shower, and then we can meet him in the lobby. Twenty minutes?”

  “Twenty minutes it is,” said Lucas. “I already know who I’m having for dessert.”

  22

  Lucas

  The Milwaukee skating facility was impressive. It included an Olympic style four hundred meters long track speed skating oval as well as two rinks that hosted hockey, figure skating, and short track speed skating races. The event was a regional one, but it generated plenty of interest. Skaters came from many different states and brought their families and friends with them.

  The long track events were scheduled first in the morning to be followed by short track events in the afternoon. I walked with James and Jordi around the running track built outside the long track skating oval. I asked, “Which distances are the two of you racing?”

  James said, “I’m going to try the 1500 meters, and Jordi likes the short 500-meter race.”

  I glanced down at Jordi’s legs. He wasn’t built to be a sprinter like James, but my instinct told me Jordi skated in rac
es mostly just for fun. I was trying to figure out James’ motivation. I remembered his story about conquering the ice, but he did that well on the hockey rink. He insisted his interest in speed skating had nothing to do with me.

  James bounced on the balls of his feet. He said, “I can’t wait to get out there. I love how fast we can go. You never get that sensation in a hockey game. It’s all stop and start and turning this way and that. The most speed you can build is skating about half the length of the rink.”

  I asked, “That’s what’s exciting for you?”

  He said, “Yeah, I mean I sorted out my issue with the ice in hockey games. Now I just want to go fast.” James crouched down into a racing pose. “Like you said, Lucas. I’m built for speed. I should take advantage of my genes.”

  Jordi laughed. He added, “James is an amazing athlete. I wish I had just half of his inborn talent.”

  Jordi was right about James’ natural skills. He made everything athletic look easy. I heard the same comments about me back when I was racing on the ice. Then my head became my enemy. I glanced at the track and watched a few random skaters make leisurely circuits. Something like longing welled up inside of me. It was the first time for that sensation since I left the ice in humiliation.

  It felt unusual to join the crowd watching the races instead of joining the ranks of the racers myself. I sat on the bleachers next to a couple that were approximately the same age as my parents. The woman sat next to me and turned her head to face me twice before finally asking, “Are you a skater? You look like you should be down there on the ice.”

  I said, “I was a racer. I’ve retired.”

  She gave me a once-over and said, “You’re too young to retire. There are men over age 30 out there skating. Did you hurt yourself?”