by L. A. Witt
Lucas glanced back at the tables. In his mind’s eye, he saw Nate in a tux, cradling a drink in one hand as he frowned over his cards, and he shivered. He’d never really had a thing for James Bond or the slick gambler type or any of that, but it was kind of hot to imagine Nate in that position.
Okay, so it was silly and ridiculous, but . . . who cared?
He cleared his throat and turned back to Nate. “Sure. That sounds like fun. But, uh, I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll spot you.”
“Are you—”
“Relax.” Nate gave him a gentle nudge with his elbow. “I’m taking you gambling, so it’s my treat.”
Lucas hesitated, but Nate just looked so sweet and earnest, like he really wanted to do this. And Lucas really wanted to do it too, so he nodded. “Okay. But I’m buying dinner.”
“Deal.” Nate led him to the tables. They stopped near a blackjack table to watch a hand. Lucas was surprised at how animated the players and dealers were. A hand up if they wanted to stay. Tapping the table if they wanted another card. All kinds of broad and small gestures from the dealers.
“What’s with the hand gestures?” he asked. “You not allowed to talk when you play?”
“Oh you can talk. And it’s fun when people start trash talking, especially if the dealer gets into it. The gestures are for the cameras.” Nate pointed at the black-glass bubble above the tables. “That way if there’s any kind of dispute, they have it on record what the player wanted and what the dealer did.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“Yep. So, you want to play?”
Lucas watched a dealer put some chips down in front of a player who’d just won a hand. “Sure. Looks like fun.”
Most of the tables required bets of ten dollars or more, but they found one with a five-dollar minimum. Even better, the table was deserted except for the tired-looking dealer.
She smiled as they sat down. “Afternoon, gentlemen.”
“Afternoon.” Nate took out his wallet. “He’s still learning to play. That all right?”
“Of course.” To Lucas, she said, “First time?”
Lucas nodded. “Well, besides playing for quarters at my uncle’s house, but I’m pretty sure they were making up the rules.”
The dealer laughed.
Nate handed her some twenties. The dealer took their money and slid two stacks of blue five-dollar chips across the felt, which Nate divided—fifty bucks for him, fifty for Lucas.
“Place your bets, gentlemen.” The dealer made a sweeping gesture across the table.
Lucas turned to Nate, eyebrows up.
“Step one.” Nate took a chip off his stack and put it in the small circle on the table in front of him. He motioned for Lucas to do the same.
Okay. That part was easy enough.
The dealer made another sweeping gesture. “Betting is closed.” She took a card from the shoe beside her and put it face-up in front of Nate. Ten of clubs. She put the next card in front of Lucas. Eight of spades. Then a third card in front of her, facedown.
The second card she gave to Nate was a queen of diamonds. Lucas got a six of hearts. The dealer got a king.
She pointed toward Nate’s cards.
He waved his hand. “Stand.” As she pointed at Lucas’s, Nate leaned toward him. “You’re showing a fourteen against a dealer ten. You want to hit.”
“Okay.” Lucas looked at the dealer. “Hit.”
She didn’t move, but her eyes flicked toward Nate.
“Oh. Sorry. Do this.” He tapped Lucas’s cards. “So the cameras know you asked to hit.”
“Oh. Right. I forgot.” Lucas glanced up at the eye-in-the-sky as he tapped the cards.
The dealer drew him another card—five of clubs.
“So now you’re at nineteen,” Nate said. “Definitely stand.” He repeated the waving gesture he’d done when he’d told her he wanted to stand, so Lucas did the same.
The dealer flipped over her facedown card, revealing a seven of clubs. “Seventeen.”
“Nice.” Nate grinned. “We both win.”
“Beginner’s luck, right?”
“Something like that.” After the dealer had paid them and cleared away the cards, Nate pushed another chip into the circle. “By the way, just holler if you want to hit the road. I can do this for hours, but I don’t want you getting bored.”
“Nah, I’m good.” Lucas placed his bet, too. He definitely wasn’t in any hurry, and he sure as hell wasn’t bored. Quite the opposite. He was having a good time. He was learning to play cards, and the casino’s warm lighting was doing things to Nate’s face—emphasizing his cheekbones, bringing out the deep brown of his eyes—that drove Lucas’s senses wild.
The lights picked out some of the silver in his short hair and the lines in his face, adding a few years to him, and Lucas decided he liked that look. Now he understood what people meant when they said a person aged like a fine wine, or that the grays and lines made them look distinguished and—
“Sir?”
Lucas shook himself and looked up at the dealer, who was watching him expectantly. “Sorry. What?”
She tapped the table in front of him. “Fourteen.”
He looked down at his cards. A ten and a four. Then he turned to Nate, eyebrows up. What do I do?
“Dealer’s showing a nine.” Nate motioned toward the deck. “I’d hit.”
“Okay.” Lucas tapped the table in front of his cards. “Hit.”
The dealer flipped over another card and set it on top of his. “Eighteen.”
Lucas waved his hand. “Stand.”
“Good,” Nate said.
The dealer flipped her other card, revealing a king. “Nineteen. House wins.”
Lucas shot Nate a playful glare. “See what happens when I listen to you?”
Nate shrugged. “Hey, it’s not foolproof, or it wouldn’t be gambling.”
“Okay. Fair enough.”
They put down their bets for the next deal, and under the table, Nate slid a hand over Lucas’s thigh. Lucas shivered, and when they glanced at each other, Nate’s grin made his heart race.
When the cards had all been distributed, Nate had thirteen, the dealer was showing a seven, and Lucas had two aces.
He turned to Nate. “That’s good, right?”
“Oh yeah. Split that shit.”
“Split? How does that work?”
Nate gestured at Lucas’s chips. “You’ll have to bet another five. And do this.” He put his hand on the table, first two fingers forming a V.
Lucas eyed him uncertainly, then added the second chip and made the V as well.
The dealer separated the two cards. She pulled one from the shoe, turned it over, and set it on top of the first card. “Blackjack.” She paid out for the hand, then turned over the next card, and damn if it wasn’t a queen. “And blackjack again.”
“Nice!” Nate gave Lucas’s arm a squeeze. “Double blackjack. Can’t argue with that.”
“Nope,” Lucas said as the dealer paid him again. “Definitely not.”
Nate gestured at the stacks of chips in front of them. “So, you want to keep playing? Or quit while we’re ahead?”
Lucas thought about it for a second. Practically, quitting while they were ahead was the smart thing to do. But how many times in his life would he be sitting at a casino, having the time of his life with this gorgeous guy?
“I’m having fun.” He put a chip down for another hand. “Let’s keep playing.”
Nate grinned, fucking with Lucas’s blood pressure, and put a chip down too. “Sounds good. Let’s do this.”
* * *
Lucas had no idea how long they played. It could have been half the night for all he knew, though when he checked his phone as they left the table, it had only been about an hour and a half.
He’d been up and down the whole time. At one point, he’d been down to his last ten bucks, and he’d seriously considered pack
ing it in, but then a string of wins put him back in the black. Nate had held his own, too—when all was said and done, he was down twenty bucks while Lucas was down five. All in all, not bad.
Nate wouldn’t take Lucas’s money back, so Lucas reiterated that he was buying dinner, and also earmarked the cash to fill the gas tank.
The valet brought the car around, and Nate and Lucas got in. Nate pulled up enough to be out of the way, then stopped to get himself situated and make sure the GPS was still pointing them in the right direction.
Lucas reached across the center console and rested his hand on Nate’s thigh. “That was a lot of fun. Thanks for taking me in there.”
“Don’t mention it. I had a great time.” Nate leaned across the console and kissed him, letting it linger for a long moment before they gently separated. “Guess we should hit the road.”
“Yeah,” Lucas said. “Guess we should.” But he drew Nate back in and kissed him again.
The road would still be there in another minute.
Chapter 19
The sun had just gone down when they crossed the Dover city limits. Not long after that, Nate parked in front of the office of the hotel where they’d made a reservation. They probably could’ve saved some money by staying at the Navy Lodge on base, but Nate had never been particularly fond of those places. They weren’t terrible, just . . . too military for him when he wasn’t traveling on official orders.
In their room, he grabbed a shower, and afterward, they went out looking for a place to eat.
Like any city, Dover probably had its neighborhoods and areas that the locals all knew by name. Virginia Beach had the strip, Pembroke, Lynnhaven, Dam Neck. Dover had . . . well, he had no idea. It was all generic streets and buildings to him. Thank God for GPS, or he doubted he’d be able to find their hotel again.
They parked in what seemed to be a downtown area, and went walking in search of food. Neither of them was in a particular hurry, though. They strolled along the thinly crowded sidewalk, bullshitting just like they had in the car, pausing in front of this or that restaurant to check out the menu.
It shouldn’t have, but it felt weird to stay a few inches apart from Lucas. Nate had no idea how people in Dover felt about same-sex couples. Of course there were progressives and homophobes everywhere, but there were definitely towns where he and Lucas would be taking their lives in their hands by presenting as a couple. With no real feel for this city’s vibe, their best bet was to play it safe. Just be a couple of friends hanging out together.
Nate was used to that. Norfolk and Virginia Beach were pretty conservative, so he’d carefully kept PDAs few and far between with both his ex-husband and Lucas. Being outwardly affectionate toward a man in public was definitely not Nate’s default setting.
So why was it driving him crazy tonight?
He glanced at Lucas as they walked past a bookstore.
Of course it’s driving me crazy—I want to touch you.
Didn’t matter that they were out in public. He liked the way it felt to have an arm around Lucas’s waist or his shoulders, or how nice it was to rest a hand on his thigh while they were driving somewhere. He liked how Lucas leaned against him when they watched a movie, though that might’ve had something to do with why, after almost three months, they had yet to finish watching a movie.
For his part, Lucas didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t touchy-feely to the point of annoying, just comfortable with a lot of physical contact. Sleeping close at night. Cuddling up after sex. Stealing a kiss when they were technically in public but safely alone.
Nate had to wonder if he’d ever been this at ease and affectionate with Caleb. If he had been, would it be so novel with Lucas?
Hell if he knew. All he knew was that he liked it now.
After four We’ll keep this place in minds in a row, they agreed on a mixed-cuisine restaurant that was a comfortable balance between upscale and laid-back. Dim lights, well-dressed staff, wineglasses and candles on the white-linen tablecloths, but plenty of people in casual clothes enjoying meals Nate could readily identify, like steaks and burgers. His kind of place.
As they sat, Lucas took out his phone. “Let me just see if I’ve heard from Daniel.”
“No problem.” Nate opened the menu. “You want an appetizer or anything?”
“Eh, whatever sounds good. Just nothing spicy.”
“Chickenshit.”
“Hey.” Lucas didn’t look up from his phone. “Just because I like to taste my food. . . .”
Nate chuckled, skimming the appetizer menu to see if anything sounded good.
Lucas put his phone down. “Okay, Daniel’s at the terminal in Rota. Says he’s bored out of his mind and just wants to get on the plane, but they don’t board for another few hours.” He paused. “Why the hell is he already there?”
“Military flights.” Nate groaned. “That whole ‘get there two hours early’ thing? Totally doesn’t apply.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. When I flew out of Elmendorf up in Alaska, I had to be at the terminal at two in the morning for a nine-thirty flight.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.”
“Uh-huh.” Nate rolled his eyes. “Especially since they waited until 8:45 to tell us the flight was canceled, and we had to be back the next morning—at two—to try again.”
“Oh my God. I’d have cut someone.”
Nate laughed. “We were all tempted, believe me. Just too tired.”
Lucas made a face. “No thank you. I already hate air travel, so that shit can go straight to hell.”
“Sometimes it’s worth it, though. Like when you get to come home early from a deployment.”
“I’m sure. Man, Colin’s going to be thrilled.” Lucas smiled, oblivious to how Nate’s heart still ratcheted up every single time he did. “He’s been doing pretty good, but I know he misses Daniel like crazy.”
Nate nodded. “Six months apart is hard.”
Sobering, Lucas held his gaze. “You’ve, uh, been there, done that, right? The whole separation thing?”
“Yeah. A few times.” Nate reached for his water glass. “We were lucky we never had to go a full year, since my combat tours were all shipboard, but . . .” He paused, then muttered into his glass, “It’s rough. Real rough.”
“I believe it.”
Nate could only imagine how excited and restless Daniel was now. And how thrilled Colin would be once they’d reunited. Those half-year separations were brutal, and there’d been times when Nate had wondered if he’d get through it. The moment he’d laid eyes on Caleb, though, the time apart simultaneously felt like it had been ten times longer, and evaporated like it had never happened at all. It was the weirdest feeling. I can’t believe you’re here and I can’t believe I was ever gone at all.
Nate looked at Lucas, and his stomach flipped. Imagining himself stepping off a ship . . . finding Lucas’s face in the crowd . . . shouldering their way to each other on the pier . . . that first long—and long overdue—kiss . . .
His throat tightened. Was it weird to suddenly want to go on a deployment just so he could have that moment at the end? With Lucas this time?
Right then, Lucas met his, and that heart-stopping smile played at his lips.
Oh God. I am in way over my head with you.
* * *
After dinner, they walked the streets near the restaurant for a while, checking to see if Dover had anything interesting to offer. Maybe they were just in the wrong part of town, but they didn’t find much besides a few shops. A casino wasn’t far away, and it was supposed to be bigger and better than the one where they’d played cards earlier today, but they both decided they’d had enough gambling.
That wasn’t to say Nate was bored, though. He’d enjoyed aimlessly wandering the Outer Banks with Lucas, too. It didn’t matter where they went or what they saw—he liked Lucas’s company. Everything else was just background noise.
Eventually they decided to return to the hote
l and find a movie on TV. They made their way back to the car, and Nate was about to turn on the ignition, but Lucas’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Lucas cocked his head. “You’ve been kind of . . . I don’t know. Quiet?”
If I told you half of what’s been going on in my brain, you’d think I was insane. And you’d probably be right.
“Nothing.” He reached across the console and cupped Lucas’s cheek, and Lucas pressed against his hand. Nothing except how hard it is not to touch you.
Then he drew Lucas in and kissed him.
It was nowhere near the first time they’d kissed, but it may as well have been. Just like on the beach in Kitty Hawk, one touch of Lucas’s lips, and suddenly everything else was gone. Everyone and everything around them. Everything—good, bad, and ugly—that had ultimately led them to cross paths to begin with. Everything that would happen after this. For a moment, nothing existed except them, this long kiss, and all the emotions swirling inside Nate’s head.
He met Lucas’s eyes again, and his heart was already going crazy even before that sweet, boyish smile came to life.
Oh my God.
Yeah. I’m in over my head, but I don’t want to come up for air.
Chapter 20
Thanks to Nate’s military ID, getting on the base was easy. It didn’t take long to get a guest pass for Lucas, and they continued through the gate toward the air terminal.
Not surprisingly, the terminal was unlike any airport Lucas had ever been to. It was tiny, for one thing. There was one screen each for arrivals and departures, and neither showed more than a handful of flights. Several rows of hard plastic chairs faced a television with terrible reception playing some daytime show.
The place was an odd hybrid of utilitarian military and commercial. The people behind the ticket counter wore either camouflage uniforms or business casual, depending on whether they were military or civilian. A woman dressed like a flight attendant spoke to a mother with two kids while a well-armed cop in camouflage walked by with a German shepherd at his side. Definitely not like any airport Lucas had been to before.
In the waiting area, about two dozen people sat with their suitcases, staring at the TV. Kids who weren’t asleep were as bleary-eyed as their parents. A couple of guys around Lucas’s age were in uniform, lounging in the chairs and obviously struggling to stay awake or comfortable. Their laced-up boots made Lucas shudder—it was way too warm and stuffy in here for those.
