Rocking Thin Ice

by Z. Allora

  But the terrible and wonderfully amazing thing was that the physical morphed into an outlet for Blaze’s unauthorized emotions. His affection for Drake transferred to his mouth and tongue. Giving pleasure became his way of saying he… he… fuck… he might care about Drake.

  Drake shifted this way and that but never once thrust. He reached out with a shaking hand and tucked Blaze’s hair behind his ear again. His careful tenderness with Blaze continued to smash some of Blaze’s negative expectations.

  Daring to meet Drake’s gaze, Blaze’s whole body felt hot and on edge.

  Panting, Drake warned him, “I’m not going to last. Where?”

  Yanked out of his musings of feelings, Blaze was back to his wheelhouse of sex. Though no expert in blowjobs, there could be only one real answer to that question. “My mouth.”

  Drake gave a weak wheeze, and his entire body froze. He hung suspended over the precipice.

  Blaze covered the tip with his mouth and got right to work. He quickened his strokes, timing them with his sucks, dragging his mouth up and as far down as he dared. Hollowing his cheeks, Blaze gave Drake even more suction.

  A gasped “Blaze” was his final warning.

  Sweet saltiness flooded in pulses, filling Blaze’s mouth to overflowing.

  Swallow! Swallow! Swallow!

  How could he forget one of the basic tenets of Blowjob 101? At least he followed Drake’s rhythm and slowed his sucks.

  He’d done it. Proud, horny, but happy, he licked Drake clean and then rested a cheek on Drake’s thigh.

  Drake’s taut muscles relaxed. He sighed contentedly and smiled down at Blaze. “That was the best ever.”

  Giving him a quick nod, Blaze turned away to hide his blush. “Good. Want something to drink?”

  “Well, if you’re offering.” Drake grabbed on to Blaze’s hands and pulled him into a hug.

  Drake unbuttoned and unzipped Blaze’s jeans with deft fingers, and then Blaze found himself sitting with his pants around his ankles on the love seat. “What are you…?”

  Drake’s eyelashes fluttered as he flirted and toyed with his lip ring. “You offered me a drink, and I’m thirsty for you. Is that okay?”

  As corny as that should have been, Blaze’s dick throbbed and was more than ready to quench Drake’s thirst. Somewhere his mind threw an obstacle to avert the offered pleasure. “You don’t have to.”

  “I know, but I really want to.” Drake grinned and gave Blaze’s cock a wet, incredibly long lick from his balls to the tip of his cock. “May I?”

  Dear gods in heaven, yes! Blaze nearly injured himself by nodding so hard.

  Drake covered Blaze’s cock, and he started taking soft, teasing pulls on Blaze. Each bob of his head allowed his lips to reach farther than the last trip.

  “So good,” Blaze moaned.

  Amazing how far down his shaft Drake could go, and when he got to the tip, he lashed his tongue along the ridge. Again and again. Blaze lost count of how many times Drake’s mouth followed that path.

  Now he couldn’t help but notice Drake’s lip ring as it glided along his cock. The tiny piece of silver was body temperature and looked sexy as fuck touching his cock.

  When Drake wrapped his spit-slicked palm around him, Blaze understood the battle had been lost and he was going to win big very soon.

  Drake sucked, bobbed his head, and kept his gaze locked on to Blaze’s. Blaze couldn’t have looked away even if he wanted to, but what reflected in Drake’s eyes was more than like.

  Blaze couldn’t help but feel the whisper of their shared strong affection like a boot to the head. He couldn’t escape the emotion, so he grabbed Drake’s hand and pressed their palms together. With Drake’s firm grip, Blaze found he could handle the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. Because he didn’t have to deal with them alone. Drake was in this with him.

  Drake added more heavenly suction.

  Blaze’s body shook and he came hard, grunting as waves of release separated Blaze from everything except the glorious pleasure Drake gave him.

  Perfectly paced swallows, head bobs, and suction finished him off with perfection. Drake licked him with a caring affection that made Blaze’s heart expand again.

  Bliss relaxed every part of him. The barriers of ice protecting his heart were not only cracking, they had begun to melt.

  Holy fuck.

  Blaze’s carefully erected walls were being liquefied, and he hoped his trust in Drake wasn’t misplaced.

  Chapter 10

  THE NEXT day Drake strolled along Safe Haven’s downtown with Blaze. The peaceful street was filled with boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, and specialty cafés. He must have inherited his parents’ love for interesting shops filled with art, souvenirs, and kitsch. “This reminds me of a condensed version of New Haven.”

  The sun shone and the temperature headed to the high seventies, and he was glad he’d listened to Blaze about not needing his leather jacket.

  “You’re from Connecticut, right?” Blaze didn’t sound like he asked a question. Maybe Drake wasn’t the only would-be stalker.

  Might as well get this part over with. “Yup, born and raised. Yes, I partied in the woods. I did go to the Meadows to see Dave Matthews. My mom works for General Electric as an engineer, and Dad is a kindergarten teacher. I don’t know that we have better pizza than New York, but don’t tell anyone I said that or I’ll never be able to go home again.”

  Blaze laughed at Drake’s proud claiming of Connecticut stereotypes, making sparkles of carbonated joy burst around the region of Drake’s heart. He grabbed Blaze’s hand and kissed his knuckles.

  The blush tinting Blaze’s cheeks felt like a win to Drake as well as a surprise, considering what they’d done together in the shower a few hours ago. After he’d sucked Blaze off, Blaze demonstrated how talented his fingers were and how incredible the combination of mouth in front and fingers in back was, which made Drake look forward to more. But he’d be patient and not push Blaze for more than he wanted sexually.

  He released Blaze’s hand with a smile.

  The small, simple gesture of affection left Blaze opening and closing his mouth. Finally Blaze spat out, “Um, so… um, yeah. What do you mean by condensed version?”

  Wanting to resettle Blaze back into his comfort zone, Drake willingly returned to discussing his hometown. “Well, New Haven is more spread out. There’s no proper Main Street like this.”

  Drake played stadiums and arenas filled with screaming fans, but it didn’t even come close to the simple thrill of meandering with Blaze down the pristine street lined with benches and trees. He pushed the stab of betrayal about the band out of his head and focused on the happy contentment that calmed and soothed his weary soul.

  “My dad would love these old-fashioned wrought-iron lampposts with the flower baskets. He’s got a garden and would go crazy for these flowers.” Drake snapped pictures of the baskets dripping with colorful blooms to send to his dad.

  “Yeah, the town really tries to keep things looking good and everything easy for tourists to enjoy. Most of the shops and restaurants are on this block and two other streets that run parallel between Main and the river.”

  “A river?” Drake took a picture of the mountains shadowing the street and the wildflower-covered hills surrounding them. Made sense they’d have a river, but could this town be any more storybook?

  Blaze pointed down a side street. “Let’s cut down here, and I’ll show you.”

  After two short blocks, they crossed a wooden bridge decorated with a riot of lavender plants and bright red flowers in boxes hanging off the railings. Drake stopped in the middle to inhale the lavender.

  “What are you doing?” Blaze asked.

  Chuckling, he stated the obvious. “I’m stopping to smell the flowers. Come here and take a whiff of these.”

  Pressing his lips together, Blaze trudged back to Drake and stared at him.

  “Smell.” Drake gestured to the heavenly flower. �
��They are almost in full bloom, but you can smell them.”

  Blaze pushed his face in the potted bush. “Mmmm, that’s good.”

  Drake picked out a couple of leaves that decorated Blaze’s hair, and smiled. He looked down at the slow, meandering river. Several little kids with parents waded in the crystal-clear waters. Others lounged on the huge rounded boulders dotting the water and its banks.

  “There’s three bridges crossing this river. In the spring and summer, everyone relaxes here.” Blaze’s tone suggested some level of confusion.

  “What are we doing standing here?” Drake rushed over the bridge and found a free rock away from people so he could pull off his high-tops and socks.

  Blaze stood in front of him with his hands on his hips. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like?” Drake rolled up his jeans. “You are coming in, right?”

  “Um, I’ve never…. Yeah. I will.” Blaze sat and pulled off his footwear.

  “Another thing to add and check off your list.” Drake kneeled in front of him and folded Blaze’s jeans up to his knees. He restrained himself from wanting to rub and kiss Blaze’s battered ice-skating feet.

  “Thanks.” Blaze’s voice sounded unsteady, but when Drake glanced up at him, they shared a heart-stopping smile that lasted several beats longer than normal.

  “Come on.” Drake grabbed his hand as they trudged unsteadily down the small bank, then stepped into the cool water.

  “Oh!” Blaze’s exclamation evolved into a moan.

  Drake grinned at him. “Feel good?”

  “Much better than the ice baths I use at home or at the rink.” Blaze squeezed his hand as he led Drake farther down the river. “I can’t believe I’ve never done this.”

  “Well, you’re doing it now.” There were too many things Blaze hadn’t done, but then again, most people didn’t win Olympic medals.

  “Hey, I’ve always wanted to sit on that rock down there.” Blaze pointed out a gray boulder with a nice ledge, perfect for relaxing.

  Such a simple desire having gone unfulfilled made Drake sad but even more determined to help Blaze enjoy the world beyond the skating rink.

  “Let’s go.” Drake tried not to get splattered as he trudged through the water, grateful all the rocks at the bottom were worn smooth.

  Blaze slipped on one of the rocks, giving Drake a reason to tighten his hand around Blaze’s. “Oops, some of the rocks are slippery.”

  A mother, gathering her splashing son and daughter to the river bank to dry off their feet, smiled at Drake as they passed, giving him a stamp of approval. Why would…? Oh, the hand-holding. Some places were still backward and asinine about public displays of affection between same-sex couples. But her easy acceptance felt good.

  “Blaze, this is okay here, right?” Drake squeezed Blaze’s hand twice to indicate what he was talking about.

  “Yeah, Luke picked this artsy town because Safe Haven is very LGBTQIA friendly. They have a huge Pride celebration every year. The library does periodic free movies, lectures, and classes on LGBTQIA issues.”

  Drake followed Blaze’s lead to the large boulder in the middle of the river downstream. “That’s important.”

  No one else was near them.

  With fluid grace, Blaze hopped onto the ledge of the boulder. “Yeah, especially if you’re like me.”

  “What do you mean?” Drake sat down on the smooth space next to him. The boulder encompassed them with high back and sides, giving them more privacy than he’d expected.

  Sunshine made the highlights in Blaze’s brown hair sparkle as he shook his head. “Femme gays aren’t always popular. You know the saying ‘No femmes need to swipe right.’”

  “Huh? I don’t understand.” Drake didn’t use hookup apps so only had a sketchy understanding of how they worked.

  “In hookup apps you swipe right if you’re interested to make contact.”

  “That’s terrible. That shit is based in misogyny. People are way too comfortable suggesting female qualities are a problem. Sexism at its finest. As Taylor likes to say, ‘Just ’cause you’re on the rainbow doesn’t mean you can’t be a stupid asshole.’” Drake didn’t mean to preach, but that attitude pissed him off.

  Blaze stared down at his feet, which barely dipped below the water’s surface. “Ah, then you’ve never had the problem of turning the heads of straight or closeted men. That tends to cause a stir.”

  “I’ve never understood all the labels.” Drake could hear Taylor in his head explaining how labels could be good to find community, but they could all too easily be used to pathologize and create the “other.” Then Taylor wouldn’t even take a breath before he pointed out Drake’s privilege for passing as straight, which would evolve into a discussion on bisexual erasure. God, he hated that word—passing.

  Blaze readjusted his ever-present messenger bag. “Shorthand sexual preferences.”

  “Sounds more like sexual prejudices to me.” Drake was insulted for Blaze and couldn’t hide it.

  “I’ll admit that sometimes I’m grateful. I know that sometimes these labels help me weed out guys who are threatened by being attracted to my more feminine qualities. It keeps me safe, at least so far.” Blaze sucked in his cheeks, accentuating his bone structure, and puckered his kissable mouth.

  Drake held his tongue on what he thought about hookup apps and meeting strangers with possible dangerous intentions. Maybe that’s why he asked, “You’ve gotten a lot of shit from judges because of this, huh?”

  “What do you think? Ha, funny when you’re thirteen and told not to act so gay in a sport that’s dominated by people on the LGBTQIA spectrum.” Blaze frowned and pointed at no one. “But you… you’re too gay. Act straighter like Insert Any Male Skater’s Name Other Than Me.”

  “How fucking awful.” Anger slashed through Drake at the unfairness Blaze had to tolerate to participate in competition.

  Blaze gave him a small smile and patted him on the arm. “It is what it is. If I hadn’t made peace with the stupidity long ago, I wouldn’t have been able to function on the ice.”

  Leaning into Blaze, Drake searched for something to say that might comfort him. What he must have gone through. “I’m sorry you’ve had to experience such homophobia. Prejudices suck.”

  Blaze sighed. “Whether preferences or prejudices, I prefer someone to be up-front if they don’t want a femme top. I don’t waste my time, energy, or risk my safety.”

  Kicking at the water, Drake added, “It still sucks.”

  Starting to chuckle, Blaze added, “Well, I do that too now. At least for you.”

  A burst of affection expanded Drake’s heart even more. He certainly did.

  Drake trailed his foot through the water to caress Blaze’s foot.

  “And I’m sorry the band was shitty to you because you’re bi.”

  Closing his eyes, Drake didn’t want to think about the two assholes who kicked him out of Midnight Shadow. “I’ve been luckier than most. This is the first real time biphobia affected me, and I know many are bullied, not believed, called stupid things, and even erased.”

  Blaze pressed against him. “I wish we were all born with acceptance. I know I’m learning about checking my own expectations and stereotypes based on what bisexual means.”

  Drake imagined sitting here pressed against Blaze forever, just listening to the birds chirping, the river’s babble over and around the rocks, and the wind rustling through the trees. Nothing else. No one else. “Thanks, I—”

  “Blaze Parker? I’ve never seen you here taking the time to enjoy the river.” Drake opened his eyes to see a woman who appeared to be in her early seventies. A stripe of purple cut a swath of color through her white hair.

  “Hi, Mrs. Reynold. This is—”

  She put a hand to her cheek and stared at Blaze with concerned tunnel vision. “Sweetie, I’ve never seen you sitting down unless you were putting on your skates. Seriously, I’m worried. Are you feeling all right, honey?
”

  “I’m feeling fine,” Blaze reassured her.

  “Good. Good. You need to find a nice man to settle down.”

  Blaze sighed in a way that indicated this wasn’t the first time she’d given him that particular recommendation.

  Mrs. Reynold’s smile dropped a bit, and her attention turned to Drake. “Oh, I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean to ignore you. This is just extraordinary…. So, do tell. Who are you?”

  Drake jumped into the water and held out his hand. “Hopefully a very nice man. Glad to meet you.”

  Shaking his hand, she giggled when he raised hers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Oh, Blaze, he’s charming.”

  “This is my friend, Drake Keys. Drake, this is Mrs. Reynold. She runs the bakery in town.”

  “Well, Mr. Keys, I hope you are a nice man. That would be marvelous.” She turned her laser-focus back onto Blaze. “Well done in the Olympics. We’re all so proud of you. You training again?”

  Blaze shrugged. “Never really stopped.”

  “You don’t sound excited the way you used to. My Ronny, that’s my husband, always says life is too short to do anything but what makes you happy.”

  Was he really that unhappy? Would Blaze retire from skating?

  “Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy the river, but if you two ever need a rainbow wedding cake, I’d be thrilled to bake the cake of your dreams. Not like that narrow-minded S.O.B. in Lakewood.” She winked.

  The offer flooded Drake with elation, but one look at the paling Blaze made him say, “Oh, um, thank you, but—”

  “Stop by the bakery, because a balanced diet should include a cookie in each hand.” Giggling, she made her way to the shore.

  Blaze shook his head. “Sorry about—”

  Jumping back into his place, Drake said, “Don’t be. Is she right?”

  “About skating?” Blaze asked like he was stalling.

  Drake nodded.

  “I’ve been skating seriously for almost twenty years. Practiced until my feet bled, been in countless competitions—”