by Serena Yates
Landon shook his head and forced himself to look away. Shit, he was not going to start anything with a high school student. As adorable as the guy looked, he was probably no older than seventeen and that made him pure jail-bait. Didn’t stop Landon from watching him as he came closer, though.
Kendall had never really liked PE. He was just a little too scrawny to look good in exercise gear. On the other hand, Ben and Zeke, his close friends, looked really good in sports shorts. Neither of them was really winded, either. Harry just tagged along and Tim, the fifth in their group, had long ago left them behind, waving at them when he took off. He was definitely going to make one of the teams.
Kendall, however, wasn’t made for team sports. No more so in his senior year than he had been in previous years. Still, he’d had to attempt it. Gaining his classmates’ respect was an important step in preparing for his role in society, never mind his chances of being accepted by the ‘right’ college next year. Even though joining a squad was clearly not going to happen, running and joining the debate team might be just as useful.
“Come on, Kendall—you can do one more lap.” Greg Tully, the coach who looked hardly any older than the seniors themselves, did his best to support each and every one of them. He’d been the assistant coach for the last three years, but had taken over when the previous head coach had retired at the end of last year.
Kendall nodded, trying not to wheeze too badly as he ran past his teacher. ‘One more lap’ was his new mantra. He’d do almost anything for this guy. Six feet of bundled energy and well-toned muscles was at least as motivating as the thought of becoming an architect and working for a major firm once he graduated college. He shook his head. Developing an almost-crush on his teacher—his very male teacher—was not a good idea at all.
Coming around the bend for the final stretch, all his previous worries were forgotten. The Adonis now standing next to Greg made him stumble. Taller than the coach by a good two inches, wearing a very hot cowboy hat, his shoulders were broad, his chest well-muscled and his thighs simply drool-worthy. Kendall had recently discovered his love of male legs and—man—that guy must have sprung straight from his late-night fantasies. The tight jeans did nothing to detract from his enjoyment, and the black cowboy boots added a nice finishing touch.
Tearing his eyes back up to the stranger’s face, Kendall noticed brown eyes twinkling with mischief as the man stared back at him. The very pronounced five o’clock shadow complemented the rugged look as the deep red lips pulled up into a dazzling smile. He resembled Greg when he did that, except he was leagues ahead in the looks department, as far as Kendall was concerned.
“You all right?” Greg looked worried.
“Yeah.” Kendall righted himself, flushing with embarrassment.
“Like I was saying, I don’t think you’ll be joining the football team, based on what I’ve seen this afternoon.” Greg checked his clipboard. “But track and field could do with a runner like you, if you’re up for it?”
“Sure.” Kendall nodded, not really focused on his discussion with the coach. He was far more fascinated with the small beads of sweat that had appeared on the stranger’s brow, despite the hat. They made tantalisingly slow progress down the side of his face. Kendall wanted to lick them off.
“Okay, I’ll add you to the list.” Greg made a note.
The soft scratching of the pen awakened Kendall from his lust-filled gaze. What the hell had he just agreed to?
“Now that we’ve got that decided, I think you can take a well-deserved rest.” Greg grinned and slapped him on the back. “I’ve got a hot date with my brother and some inner city kids, so if you’ll excuse me…”
No, no, no. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t let Mr. Gorgeous walk away from him. Tim was still running—the show-off. Ben, Zeke and Harry had already vanished in the direction of the changing rooms, but Kendall was feverishly trying to find a way to stay near Landon.
“Inner city kids?” He took some deep breaths to calm himself down, hoping Greg and his brother would think he was still out of breath from the run. Which he was, just a little.
“Yeah, sorry.” Greg pointed at his brother. “This is Landon. He volunteers at a homeless shelter for teenagers, and I help him run a fitness class and a couple of basketball games every Monday and Wednesday.”
“Hi, Landon.” If Kendall’s voice went any higher, he’d sound like a girl. Shit. “I’m Kendall Gable.”
“Nice to meet you, Kendall.” Landon held out his hand to shake.
Kendall was totally unprepared for the heat of the man’s slightly calloused fingers. Tingles of excitement travelled up his arms and straight to his cock. The physical attraction was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced.
He was in such trouble. Knowing what this meant, having suspected he was gay for a while now, didn’t make it any easier to accept. His struggle to be accepted by society at large had just encountered a major obstacle. Not that he stood a chance with this guy. He was not only way out of the man’s league, but Landon was probably straight as an arrow. Surely most—if not all—cowboys were?
After what was probably way too long, Kendall remembered to withdraw his hand. Landon seemed hesitant to let go, or was that wishful thinking? Kendall almost snorted. He wanted to get to know Landon in the biblical sense, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Heck, the man was probably married and had several kids running around at home.
“Are you interested in helping out?” Landon looked at Greg. “It is okay to ask, right?”
“Well, we’d have to get his parents’ consent, but there’s no harm in checking if Kendall might be interested in helping us out at the youth centre. It might be good if the kids had someone closer to their own age to relate to.” Greg smiled at him. “And you might enjoy supporting the community, Kendall.”
If it would enable him to spend time around Landon, he was ready to do pretty much anything. And supporting the community would look as good—if not better—on his resume than membership of a sports team.
* * * *
Montrose, Houston, Texas
Friday, February 9, 2001
Kendall had rarely been this nervous. He stood opposite the Rainbow Fun, staring at the entrance and wondering how he was going to find the courage to enter the gay club. Wanting to do it was proving to be very different from actually doing it.
He sighed as he watched one hot guy after another make it past the bouncer. It may have been time to get over Landon, but somehow Kendall doubted he’d really fit in. What else was he going to do, though? Meeting other gay men wasn’t exactly easy, not even now that he was in college. Making a fresh start by no longer living at home wasn’t enough. Word about what he was up to might still make it back to Riverside, and he wasn’t ready to come out…not yet, anyway.
His curiosity and need to experience what it was like to touch and be touched by another man was becoming overwhelming. Just the idea of finally following through had him half-hard. The crush on Landon that had started during his senior year and lasted until now had opened his eyes to the fact that he was most probably gay. Kendall snorted. Most probably was an understatement. He’d spent a lot of time volunteering at the youth centre back in Riverside, trying to get Landon’s attention. The man had been polite and they’d become good friends, but none of Kendall’s attempts to flirt had been successful. Supposing it must be his age had been his only consolation, but he’d never know for sure. Kendall had moved to Houston by the time he’d turned eighteen and had lost track of Landon.
With a final sigh, he said goodbye to the idea of getting close to Landon—of making Landon his first as he’d once hoped. It was time to move on—quite literally—so he walked towards the club’s entrance, hoping his tight jeans and mesh shirt were going to make his somewhat scrawny body acceptable. He’d started working out a few months ago, but nothing much had happened yet.
Kendall joined the line and got inside without a problem, feeling as though
he was on display as he made his way towards the bar. The room was only semi-lit and he was grateful for the feeling of anonymity the darkness gave him. A large dance floor was to his right and small tables lined two walls. There was a hallway at the back and a long bar took up the wall to his left. The decorations were an interesting mix of Texas cowboy paraphernalia and what looked like BDSM tools such as floggers, whips and other items he had no intention of experiencing.
A group of three older college students was to his right, all of them groping each other. It was very hot and his cock perked up when one of them winked at him. Farther to the right, a tall broad-shouldered man was sitting with his back to the dance floor while talking to the bartender. Short brown hair peeked out from under the black cowboy hat, his back was encased in a slightly too tight black T-shirt, and the ass visible on the stool was as drool-worthy as the thighs that were displayed to great advantage by the man’s position.
It was time to take a chance.
Kendall took the stool right next to the attractive stranger, glancing at his face as he sat down. His jaw fell and he froze when he realised the gorgeous stranger was none other than Landon.
“What the hell?” Kendall had to hold on to the bar to keep from falling over.
“Excuse me?” Landon turned his head, the look of slight irritation at Kendall’s unusual opening line quickly morphing into one of utter shock. “Fuck!”
Yeah, that about summed it up. Kendall took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat. If this wasn’t the opportunity he’d been waiting for, he didn’t know what was. He still wanted Landon with a vengeance, so he had to make this work.
“What are you doing here?” Landon looked around as if checking for an exit.
“Same thing you are.” It was high time to go on the offensive. No way was Kendall going to let the man of his dreams walk out of here without getting at least a kiss from him…and hopefully a whole lot more.
“Why Houston and this bar?” Landon frowned.
“I’m studying architecture at the University of Houston.” Kendall tilted his head. “And this bar is well known amongst students. So, what’s your story?”
“I…well, um…” Landon blinked, just stared at him. “I’m doing sociology there.”
“You are?” Man, what a coincidence.
“Yeah. I know I’m too old to go to college and all, but it’s the only way to become a social worker, really.” Landon looked at the floor.
“I think that’s great.” Kendall couldn’t wait to invent reasons to ‘run into’ Landon on campus. Kendall would teach him not to be embarrassed.
Landon just shrugged, clearly not convinced yet.
The bartender put a new bottle of beer down on front of Landon, taking payment from him before looking at Kendall to check what he wanted.
“I’ll have a Coke, please.” Damned drinking laws. He could do with a bit of liquid courage just about now. But he didn’t have a fake ID and wasn’t willing to risk a fine, driver’s licence suspension, community service…or worse.
Landon raised his eyebrows and took a swig of his beer, emptying half the bottle in one go. Was this affecting the other man as badly as it was Kendall? He quickly lowered his eyes and had to suppress a grin when he noticed the definite bulge between Landon’s magnificent thighs. Yes!
“So, do you want to dance?” Inane, scary and probably the wrong thing to say, but Kendall was desperate to feel Landon’s hands on his body and the man looked as if he was going to run at any moment.
“I don’t dance.” Landon finished his beer and put the empty bottle onto the bar.
“Just one dance.” Hell, all they needed was to sway to the music.
Landon shook his head, but it didn’t look very convincing. The man also hadn’t moved an inch, even though he kept glancing at the exit every few seconds.
“Please?” Kendall put all his longing into that one word. “I’m old enough now, if that’s what was stopping you.”
“How did you…” Landon narrowed his eyes then started to grin. “That was very clever.”
“Not really, but you have to admit you’re pretty stubborn and were very resistant to my attempts to get closer to you. I have to get my information any way I can get it.” Kendall was doing an internal victory dance. This was going a lot better than he’d expected.
“I still think I’m too old for you, though, so don’t get any ideas.” Landon held out his hand. “But I have to admit you’re pretty much the only interesting guy in here. I like a man who talks before making an advance, and you are kinda cute. For a kid.”
“Ouch.” That hurt. Yes, he was almost a decade younger than Landon, but what the hell? Why bring it up now? Unless, of course, the other man was expecting Kendall to really settle for this one dance. The more Kendall thought about it, the less he thought that was going to happen. But he could deal with that later.
Kendall took the proffered hand and followed his dream man onto the dance floor. Sliding into Landon’s arms was even better than he’d imagined. And he’d fantasised about it a lot over the last seventeen months.
Not that he’d been keeping track.
Landon’s arms were strong and warm as he slid one around Kendall’s shoulders and the other around his middle. Mirroring Landon’s movements, Kendall embraced the other man, laid his head on the wide shoulder and closed his eyes as Landon pulled him closer. Thank God the song was a slow one, enabling him to enjoy every moment of feeling Landon’s hard body pressed up against him. The scent of the man’s spicy cologne, mixed with traces of soap and pure Landon, drifted into his nostrils and made him want to lick Landon all over.
Kendall moved his head closer to Landon’s tempting neck and placed a careful kiss on the soft skin. Landon stiffened for a moment, and Kendall berated himself for risking everything, but Landon soon relaxed again. A few seconds later Kendall repeated the kiss, soon growing bolder and trailing a row of kisses along Landon’s jaw.
Landon moaned and pulled Kendall close enough that he could feel his erection bump up against Landon’s. He almost came from the sheer excitement of being this close. Landon slid his hand down Kendall’s ass and ground his hips against him, making sure the contact provided all the pressure and friction possible.
Kendall scrunched his eyes closed even more tightly and held on for the ride. Coming in his pants, in public, or very close to it, had not been what he’d planned. But who the hell cared? This felt way too good to stop.
“Hot.” Landon’s voice was husky. “God, you’re so hot.”
“Ungh.” Kendall was beyond words as he lifted his head. He’d never wanted a kiss as badly as this one. He had no idea whether he’d be any good at it, but he hadn’t been willing to practice with someone else, so he’d just have to find out now.
Landon didn’t disappoint.
His hot, soft lips claimed Kendall’s mouth—lock, stock and barrel. Landon licked along his lips, making him moan. Opening his mouth allowed Landon to push inside and the other man’s flavour burst onto Kendall’s taste buds when he welcomed Landon’s tongue inside. Slippery caresses followed, making Kendall want to scream with how good it felt. Waves of pleasure travelled straight from his mouth to his cock, making him harder than ever.
If this was what it felt like to kiss, he couldn’t wait to do more. He might spontaneously combust, but what a way to go.
Chapter Two
Landon couldn’t believe how sexy Kendall was turning out to be. Sure, he’d been attracted to him, despite his young age, ever since he’d first seen him at the Riverside High stadium. Kendall’s age had prevented Landon from even thinking about more, despite their many hours working and volunteering together. Now that Kendall was available and here, right in his arms? It seemed as if nothing was going to stop them from exploring their physical attraction. Certainly not Kendall.
Having had the odd encounter with another man, most of them in this very bar even, Landon was familiar with the excitement of the somewhat forbidde
n, clandestine nature of his explorations. But this situation with Kendall was way beyond his level of expectation. Maybe it was because Kendall wasn’t some anonymous guy Landon would never see again, or maybe it was because Kendall threw himself into their kiss as if it was the only thing he’d ever wanted to do. His eagerness showed in the way he responded to Landon’s kiss, the urgency with which he pushed their bodies together. Hell, the hard erection that pressed into Landon’s groin was a very clear signal and a huge turn-on.
Landon loved this level of enthusiasm. He tightened his grip, sliding his right hand down to cup Kendall’s ass. Kneading the taut muscle made Kendall moan and his tongue dance more enthusiastically, caressing Landon’s mouth in a frenzy of activity that made Landon respond in kind.
If they didn’t take this somewhere a little more private in the next few seconds, he was going to royally embarrass himself by coming right here on the dance floor. While that wasn’t entirely unheard of, he didn’t want to do it to Kendall, especially for their first time together.
The thought made him almost choke. Had he just assumed there was going to be a next time? Shit, he wasn’t ready for a relationship, coming out or anything else more permanent. He was struggling to make his life work as it was—he couldn’t drag anyone else into it. Now just as ignored by Ray and his parents as Greg, he could barely keep up his part-time job to pay for his college tuition.
“What’s wrong?” Kendall had pulled back, a little frown on his face.
“I don’t know if I can do this.” Landon couldn’t believe he’d said that. He had a gorgeous man in his arms, was seconds away from coming…and he was developing a conscience? Why now? He’d never worried about the implications of what he was doing here before today. Shit, this is about Kendall after all. He’s different somehow.
