Western Skies Ch. 04

"It will be special," he said, a bit more forcefully than necessary. Then, his voice softened, "I promise it'll be worth it, okay? It's tough holding back for me too."

"Fine," I whined, clearly indicating that it was not fine, though it seemed to me we were done with the topic.

"Hey," Luke began, his voice still soft. "You're too special to just fuck around with, okay? Remember that. I really did come over here tonight to just check on you."

"Please," I retorted, snorting. "I texted you on the way back from the doctor that everything was fine. You came here cause you wanted to spend the night wrapped up with me."

"So what if I did," he teased. "Guilty as charged."

Breaking down, I smiled and reached up to place my left hand over his, pressing his palm into my chest. My thoughts wandered for a few minutes as we laid there, content in our shared company.

Suddenly, I remembered the fight that had taken place after I had gotten run over in the end zone. "Luke, what happened out on the field after the late hit on me?"

He fidgeted. "I may have grabbed that asshole by his facemask and pulled him off you."

I raised an eyebrow, sensing his attempt to deflect. "That's it?"

Luke shifted again, clearly thinking through what he was going to say. "It was going to be, but I heard him mutter something about a 'slippery little bitch' as he was walking away and I assumed he was talking about your running abilities rather than giving a female dog a bath. So I may have punched him...then yeah, you saw the rest I'm guessing."

I probably shouldn't have, but I let out an incredulous cackle. Between the two of us, I secretly thought I was more stereotypically masculine than Luke. He was definitely the romantic one, not to mention insecure. Only a surplus of passion could have driven him to attack someone like that. My cheeks burned, knowing well it was his feelings for me that guided his fist.

"This is where I'm supposed to tell you that you shouldn't have done that," I admitted, "but honestly, it's a touching gesture. How much trouble are you in?"

"Not too much, just a one-game suspension," Luke laughed, burying his head against my upper back. "I think the refs missed the first punch, they only saw the two of us at the center of it all. For the record, stepping up for you is totally worth sitting out a game."

We broke down into an echoing fits of giggles, doing our best to muffle our mirth. With a grin on my lips, I soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

***

A loud knock rudely interrupted my dreamless slumber, tearing me back to a world of uncomfortably bright light shining in round the edges of the window curtain. Panic surged within me as another knock sounded on my bedroom door, accompanied by my father's voice.

"Kaden? You up? Let's leave for coffee in thirty minutes, okay?"

I kept my voice level as possible when I spoke up. "Sure, Dad!"

Lowering my voice, I hissed at Luke, "We didn't think this through, did we?"

He stretched and fixed me with a doleful look, peering through his tangled hair. As if on cue, his glistening puppy-dog eyes melted my heart just enough to wipe my panic away. "I thought it through, some. I parked down the street." His lips parted in a wicked grin and his eyes narrowed, the burning ice of his gray orbs glinting mischievously. Luke's eyes always seemed to give away his intentions a split second before he sprang into action. At the look, butterflies erupted in my stomach.

"What are you grinning about —" I began cautiously, but stopped when Luke pounced. He dropped his beautiful head under the covers and lightly kissed my flaccid cock where it curved lazily against my thigh. Gasping, my body stiffened almost as fast as my dick, the blood rushing south in a torrent as my senses responded instinctually to Luke's beguiling touch.

Frozen, I breathed heavily, gripping my bedsheets hard enough that my knuckles grew white. Luke peeled down my underwear and laid a long, languid lick from under my balls up the underside of my shaft. He paused at the slit, his hot tongue barely tickling my tip as he lapped up the drop of precum he'd coaxed out.

Through the brain fog I felt Luke's head draw back and my comforter pull down. With ninja-like quietness, Luke extricated himself from my sheets and sprang to the floor. He bent over to plant a solitary, firm kiss on my lips before beginning to dress.

"We'll pick up there tonight," he murmured, his back to me.

Still reeling, I laid there without making a sound. Luke walked to the window, flashing me the same seductive grin he'd given earlier. "Soccer game's at one, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied with difficulty. "Coming to watch?"

"Think so," Luke shrugged. "See you there." He grinned, popped out the screen, and ducked outside. Smiling to myself, I closed the window and began to dress.

***

Staring out the window of the coffee shop in downtown Bozeman, my eyes tracked car after car trundling down the street. It was a strange town, the more I thought about it. At the traffic light a dozen yards beyond the glass, I saw a Subaru waiting in front of a massive diesel truck pulling a horse trailer. A town of contradictions.

Inside the coffee shop, I quietly watched a group of yuppie-looking college kids laughing over foamy drinks I probably couldn't name. The table next to them was occupied by two grizzled ranchers, the dried mud stains splattered over them like some yeehaw Jackson Pollock painting.

I chuckled inwardly, taking a sip of my lukewarm coffee just as my father returned from the bathroom.

"Hey," I remembered, looking at my dad, "did I tell you I'm going up to Luke's family's ranch after the dance tonight? Be back tomorrow night."

"I caught it mentioned during dinner on Thursday, but thanks for the reminder." He shifted in his seat and gave me a pointed look, his eyebrows coming together. "On the topic of Luke. I swore I saw him walking down our street this morning. Did you notice?"

My dad's dark brown eyes were glinting fiercely. I swallowed and felt a wave of heat roil through my body. Taking another sip of coffee, I prayed for my hammering heart to subside, hoping he couldn't see the sheen of sweat I was sure had just appeared on my forehead.

"Yeah, he actually swung by really quick on his way out to check his horses. He wanted to see how I was doing." The lie came awkwardly to my lips; in my alarm, part of me figured that some element of the truth was better than whole denial.

"Funny, I didn't hear the door." My dad's stare still hadn't faltered.

"I...he texted me before he came by...he just walked over to my window to talk for a second," I stammered, before finishing meekly, "He was barely here a minute." Even as the words escaped my mouth, I knew it was a pathetic lie. A normal human would've just rang the doorbell.

Fuck, Kaden, do better, I told myself.

Whatever was going through my father's mind, he clearly wasn't interested in sharing it. He finally broke off his piercing gaze, instead gazing out the window as I had done a minute before.

An awkward moment passed before my dad spoke again. "That's nice of him. You guys are really becoming good friends. Luke's family is absolutely wonderful...and the opportunity the congressman has given me to manage his legal affairs is a big deal. Whatever adventures you and Luke go on, make sure they reflect well on the both of you, and by extension your families."

"Yes, dad." Contradicting emotions of guilt and resentment welled up inside me. I was in too deep step back from Luke now. And besides, it was our life. Not my dad's. Shoving back my chair, I pushed the feelings out of mind. Today was enough to deal with on its own.

***

As the minutes ticked by, anticipation for the coming night grew inside me. Between my anxiety at the prospect of a night in Nora's company, followed by whatever Luke had schemed up, my insides were practically squirming during the afternoon soccer match.

Wedged in the bleachers between Luke and Danny, I watched Evan, Mason, Cole, and the other soccer players eke out a close win. Afterwards, Evan and I made our way back to the dorm for an hour or two of studying before the homecoming festivities began. After twenty minutes of a fitful attempt to do calculus study problems, I gave it up as impossible. My thoughts kept flashing hot at the thought of Luke, followed by cold whenever my fear of Nora cut in like an icy sword.

"I'm gonna go for a run," I said to Evan.

"See you in a bit," he mumbled, looking up from his phone.

I stripped off my jeans, button-up, and sweater, throwing on some sweats and a sweatshirt to replace them. Outside, I took a perverse comfort in each plodding step I took around the running track, my broken wrist throbbing through the Advil with the jarring from each footfall. The few other students I ran into greeted me with smiles and shouted congratulations on winning the game. Between the good vibes, aching wrist, and my burning lungs, I found some measure of distraction from my trepidation over the coming night.

By the time I got back, it was approaching five-thirty. We were all meeting in front of the senior dorm at six-fifteen, so I figured it was time to start getting ready. While waiting for Evan to finish up in the bathroom, I threw together a duffle bag for my overnight trip to Luke's. Evan seemed to be in no hurry, so at quarter to six I pounded on the door and yelled for him to hurry his ass up. A minute later he slipped out and I raced into the shower. I spent extra time shaving and getting the mop of black hair on the top of my head to fall forward just right, held in place with some pomade. Nora had sent my a picture of the dress she was going to wear, so I picked out the closest matching button-up I had — a deep red shirt in a small geometric print. Tucking it into the same khaki pants I wore before the football game, I stood in front of the mirror to evaluate my efforts.

"You look fine, dork," Evan called over, smirking as he made for the door to the hallway. "See you in front." He was right. It was what it was. Grabbing my phone and wallet, I followed after him.

Walking outside into the falling night, I saw dozens of students milling about. Most guys were dressed similar to me, with nice pants and button-ups. Some wore ties, and a handful donned sport coats. From the top of the steps, my eyes found our group down below. I should've been staring at Nora, who looked like a model in a designer red dress; her blond hair fell in graceful waves round her shoulders, glimmering like starlight in the reflected gleam of the outside lights. If I was watching her more closely, I may have noticed the small, knowing smile that was spreading over her pretty face. Instead, I saw Luke.

In a crowd of khaki and navy slacks he stood out like a beacon to me, wearing a pair of dark jeans limned with white contrast stitching. The jeans cascaded down over a pair of well-oiled boots I hadn't seen him in before, boots that matched the brown leather of an ornate belt fastened with a buckle bearing the brand of his family's ranch. Over his torso rested a pressed pearl-snap shirt in a deep green paisley print. Luke had parted his golden-brown hair tonight, the left side tucked behind the ear while the rest of his mop swirled up and over the top.

To add to the picture, Luke's gray eyes roved over the crowd and found mine. His mouth broke into a wide smile, displaying a row of straight, white teeth. "Here's Kaden," he said to the group as I slowly walked down the steps and over to my friends.

Logan roared and slapped my back. His date Kellie flinched at her partner's exuberance before putting on a resigned smile, as if questioning her decision to go to the dance with the loud and massive Logan.

Tristan was more reserved, instead shaking my hand. "Hey, Kaden. This is Kelsey." While introducing me to his date, Tristan's eyes flicked between me and Luke while a sly smile twitched at the corners of his lips. Ignoring the gesture, I greeted Danny, Evan, and Evan's soccer friend Mason, all who were without dates. I could only joke with them for a moment before manners dictated I move on to Nora.

"Hey, Luke, Allie," I nodded towards the couple as I walked over to my date. My nose caught the subtle scent of Luke's cologne as I passed, and it took all of my self control to not stop and kiss him. I tried to not look at Allie and think about how pretty she was, with her dark green dress, deep brown eyes and long black hair. My hand reach up in an involuntary motion, rubbing the back of my head where it rose just above my neck, feeling my close-cropped hair that I knew was a similar shade of jet black. Snorting to myself, I thought Luke was nothing if not consistent in his choice of partners.

Finally standing next to Nora, I steeled myself and looked her straight in the eyes. She was maybe an inch shorter than me in her low heels. I thanked her inside my head, glad that she hadn't tried to tower over me. Wordlessly, she reached out her arm. I entwined my elbow in hers and we began walking with the group towards the parking lot. "You look beautiful, Nora," I said, breaking the silence and hoping my tingling nerves wouldn't show.

"You clean up well yourself." Her dark gray eyes glinted when she glanced over at me. "We'll have a fun night." Nora's tone was calm and confident. At least one of us seemed to be relaxed.

Nora and I joined Allie and Luke in climbing into his pickup. I wedged my duffel bag under the back seat and took my place next to Nora on the short drive over to the restaurant, an upscale place downtown.

Dinner found our group arrayed along a large cloth-covered table. Despite my nerves, and somehow ending up ensconced between Luke on my left and Nora on my right, I couldn't help but enjoy myself as dinner progressed. It took almost half an hour to exhaust the topic of the previous night's football game, with Logan providing a second-by-second recap of my winning run and the ensuing melee. Luke earned himself fits of laughter and loud applause in congratulations for making a stand against the bitter bastard who'd blindsided me.

It seemed impossibly difficult to sit next to Luke and not touch him, to avoid shooting him furtive glances and grins. Instead I kept my head turned slightly towards Nora, attempting to converse with her as much as possible. Fortunately for me, she was surprisingly easy to visit with. I discovered she enjoyed riding like Luke, though she seemed less obsessed with horses than him. She ran cross country with our friend Will, and played soccer in the spring. Her dream was to be a doctor and eventually work in medical research.

As Nora talked, I realized just how much I still didn't know about Luke. Our relationship was real enough, built on shared interests and personalities that fit together like lock-and-key...but we had hardly had many deep conversations, other than to ruminate on our shared fear of discovery. At some point we'd have to talk about the future, even if it was a million times easier to just get lost in the moment, whenever we were together.

Eventually dinner was done and we sat there languorously, waiting for our bills in the glorious haze of our food-comas. I was so zoned out that I almost jumped when I felt something slide into my lap. It was a hand, and it deftly crept forward between the crook of my legs. I twitched. Fingers curled around my hardening shaft, caressing my cock under a light, warm touch.

Without turning my head, my eyes bugged out and slid all the way to the left. Luke was absentmindedly chatting with Mason, seemingly unaware that the fingertips of his right hand were gliding up and down my cock. Our chairs were pushed snug up to the table and the tablecloth hung draped into our laps, preventing any prying eyes from seeing what he was up to. I stealthily reached under to grab his wrist, intending to move it away from my rod before he pushed me too far along to remain inconspicuous. Unfortunately, my hand had a mind of its own and decided to gently stroke Luke's wrist instead, egging him on...

"How was the trout, Kaden?" Luke asked, finally turning his head towards me. A small smirk was parked beneath his deceptively level and innocent gaze. His hand kept up its gentle motions under the table.

"Very good," I muttered. "Logan was right about this place. Good choice for tonight."

Luke's smile widened. The dinner bill arrived a moment later and the pressure on my cock disappeared, Luke removing his hand to take out his wallet. As the guys act the table worked to divvy up the bill, I did my best to slide my erection up under my belt, lest anyone discover my untimely arousal.

While we walked out of the restaurant, only I knew that Luke's sonorous laugh had nothing to do with the mediocre joke Tristan had just told.

***

None of us expected the homecoming dance to reach anywhere near the level of effort expended on prom, but I was still impressed by the lengths to which our private school went on the event.

My eyed widened as I walked into the gym arm-in-arm with Nora. Concert speakers and lighting ringed the vast room, radiating out from the raised stage set at the far end. A local DJ was nestled behind a set of turntables, bobbing his head in time with the popular rap song he was pumping out. Large swags in the school colors hung over the walls and collapsed bleachers, looming large over the assortment of small cloth-covered tables set around the perimeter. Near the back, a collection of school staff and local parent volunteers guarded a few tables covered in snacks, drinks, and a mouth-watering array of baked desserts.

Our dates laughed as the group of athletes began lumbering as one, making a beeline towards the food.

"You just ate dinner," Kellie muttered to Logan, an exasperated look on her face. He smiled back apologetically and gestured towards the dessert table. "Don't judge, it's all from that bakery everyone loves." The big guy grabbed a monster chocolate chip cookie and began to eat it with a tender, loving expression, drawing more giggles from the group and a head shake from Kellie.

I perused the drink table, snorting at the selection of Fiji waters and LaCroix cans, grabbing a Dr. Pepper like any true Texan would. I took a sip and scanned the room, feeling a twinge of annoyance when I saw that Allie had pulled Luke away from the group to the dance floor. She tucked herself into him, moving his hands to her stomach as they began to sway to the music.

"Come on." Nora was looking at my face, tracking my gaze to the other couple. She took me by the hand and guided me to the other side of the gym. She wrapped me around her and we began to dance, gyrating as one underneath the flashing lights. We stayed that way for several songs, and sweat began to bead up on my forehead. Amidst the throng of pressing bodies, the gym seemed to be growing stiflingly warm. I caught a glimpse of Luke and Allie every now and then, but whenever I imagined my feet pushing us in their direction, Nora seemed to press my hips the other way. Eventually the DJ began to play some slower songs. It was a relief to spin Nora around and dance face-to-face, resting one hand on her shoulder and the other on her narrow waist.

She gave my injured wrist a brief glance as she took my hand. "Let me know if it hurts and you want to switch arms."

"Sounds good."

" 'Don't Stop Believin' " pounded steadily from the speakers as we spun around in a small circle. Over Nora's shoulder my eyes again lingered on Luke's back, watching him slowly revolve around Allie. When he turned towards me, his eyed immediately locked into mine, sending a jolt up from the base of my balls, through my stomach, and into my skull.

From across the room his gray eyes seemed to glisten with hidden pain, burning into me with fierce longing. I hoped he could see every emotion I saw in him reflected straight back, our wordless exchange relaying what neither of us were ready to show in public. Cold fire burned in my belly, a torment born of equal parts desire, frustration, and fear.