Eight Nights (4 page)

“Mom, I’ve got plans!” Sam was whiny when he didn’t get his way.

Lucas cleared this throat. “You know, I can just come back by myself.”

“I can take him.” Nate’s voice was so quiet, Lucas barely heard him.

“Will you, darling? I thought you’d be busy with your little hobby. So many hours you spend locked up in that closet.”

“It’s not a problem.” Lucas thought he could detect an edge to Nate’s voice now.

“Yeah, because King Geek doesn’t have any friends.” Sam laughed.

“Samuel. Your brother has lots of friends at NYU. He’s in the law society, after all.”

“Just no friends I’d introduce to you, asswipe,” Nate added.

Lucas turned his head to the window and smiled as Nate and Sam continued to bicker.

After what seemed like an eternity, they were home. Lucas wanted nothing more than to go up to Nate’s room and spend the whole night there, but he had to make more small talk and sit through another dinner.

First they gathered in the living room and lit the candles on the menorah, adding another to the right-hand side. Mr. Kramer recited the blessings beforehand, and Lucas tried to listen and not think about how he wanted to lick Nate’s Adam’s apple. He asked, “What’s the story behind Hanukkah? Something about oil, right?”

Mr. Kramer grinned. “Well, there’s an old joke; every Jewish holiday boils down to: they tried to kill us, they didn't, let’s eat.”

Mrs. Kramer jumped in. “After the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem from their enemies, there was only enough oil to light the eternal flame for one day. However, the oil lasted for eight nights.”

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“A miracle.” Mr. Kramer clapped his hands together. “Okay, let’s eat.”

At dinner, Lucas pushed the Thai takeout around on his plate, and afterwards he tried to concentrate on the game of Hearts Mr. Kramer suggested. Although Nate retreated to his room, Lucas couldn’t think of a good reason to go to bed at eight o’clock.

When he finally escaped a few hours later, he thought he might explode with pent-up desire and frustration. He practically ran up the stairs, and burst into Nate’s room without knocking. Nate, lying on his bed, looked up from the book he was reading.

“Good game?”

“I don’t know. Not really; I kept getting stuck with the queen of spades.”

“Too bad.” Nate yawned widely. “I was just about to go to sleep. So if you want to read or anything, can you use that little lamp on your side?”

Lucas was speechless for a moment. “Yeah. Sure.” That’s it? Nate was going to go to sleep? Lucas suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed and wished he could be anywhere else.

Standing, Nate pulled his sweater over his head, stretching his arms up high and yawning again. He unzipped his khakis and stepped out of them before carefully folding his clothes and placing them on his desk chair, clad only in his boxers. Lucas, still standing dumbly, watched.

Nate strolled back to his bed and stretched out. He glanced over at Lucas, and burst out laughing. “Oh man, I should take a picture of your face right now.”

Son of a… “This is your idea of a joke?”

Patting the mattress beside him, Nate beckoned Lucas over. Lucas didn’t know whether to kiss him or kill him, but as soon as he felt Nate’s skin under his palms, he knew it would be the former. Lucas covered Nate’s body with his own as their mouths met.

They kissed for minutes or maybe hours, until Nate propped himself up on his elbows and took a breather. “I thought you were going to jump me at the dinner table. Good thing my family’s so clueless.”

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“You were playing hard to get?”

“Of course.” Nate grinned, displaying his dimple and sending another rush of blood right to Lucas’s cock.

“I thought maybe…I thought you weren’t interested anymore.” Lucas glanced away, embarrassed. Why did he say that out loud?

“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t play games with a virgin.”

Lucas sat up with a start. “What? I’m not a virgin, okay?” He cringed inwardly at his defensive tone. “I’ve had sex.”

“With girls.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, but it still counts.”

Nate didn’t look convinced. “How many girls?”

“Two.” He’d wanted to make sure.

“How many times?”

“Twice,” Lucas admitted, sheepish. Okay, so he wasn’t the most experienced. Clearly Nate was, considering the things he could do with his tongue. “How many people have you been with?”

“No people. Just guys.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t know. My fair share. I went to a gay bar during frosh week, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Wow. Nate had been with men. Multiple men.

“Don’t worry; I’m clean.”

Lucas had been wondering how to bring that up. “So you’ve dated a lot of guys?”

Nate laughed. “Dated? Not really. I guess I’ve kind of dated a few. Well, I had sex with them more than once.” He peered closely at Lucas. “Just so you know, I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

“Why not?” Lucas hoped he didn’t sound needy as he felt.

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“I can’t exactly bring home a nice boy to mom and dad. It’s easier this way. Besides, I’m not good at that stuff.” He smiled. “I like sex. I’m good at sex. Why complicate it?”

“But --”

Nate leaned up and caught Lucas’s bottom lip between his teeth. “You talk too much,”

he whispered.

They kissed again, and Lucas set about exploring Nate’s body. He’d never been able to handle another man so freely, and he reveled in touching and tasting. He sucked one of Nate’s nipples into his mouth, delighting in the soft moan that escaped Nate’s lips. As he moved lower, his heart pounded in excitement.

He was really going to do it.

He’d thought about it a million times and wondered what it be like to suck a dick: how it would taste, how it would feel, what it would smell like. His nose nuzzled the trail of hair that lead down from Nate’s belly button, and Nate lifted his hips as Luke pulled his boxers off.

Nate’s cock sprang free, and Lucas rubbed it on his cheek, his chin, his lips. He wrapped his hand around Nate’s shaft, exploring and working up his nerve. It must have shown on his face, because Nate stroked his hair gently and said, “You don’t have to.”

Screw that. He wanted to. He swallowed the head of Nate’s cock, wrapping his lips around him as far as he could. It felt heavy and hot in his mouth, and saliva dripped down his chin. Lucas moved his head up and down, sucking and licking like he was enjoying a popsicle on a hot summer’s day.

He remembered what Nate had done, and fisted the base of Nate’s shaft as he sucked what he could into his mouth. He traced his tongue up the large vein on the back, and Nate moaned, making Lucas even harder. Still in his clothes, he began humping the mattress to get some friction on his straining dick.

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Nate’s fingers tangled in Lucas’s hair, and he muttered under his breath. “That’s it. Like that.”

Lucas experienced a rush of power unlike any he’d ever felt, and sucked even harder.

Ducking lower, he explored Nate’s balls, licking them as his hand continued stroking Nate’s cock.

When he came, Nate exhaled sharply and shuddered, spurting up onto his chest. Lucas raised his head to watch, and he drank in the sight of Nate with his head thrown back, his smooth chest and hard stomach splattered with semen.

Going up on his hands and knees, Lucas dipped his head down and impulsively licked Nate’s stomach, savoring the salty taste. Nate chuckled softly and pulled Lucas up for a kiss as he reached down and rubbed Lucas through his jeans.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and they froze, eyes wide. After a beat, Lucas scrambled off Nate and dived onto the other bed as Nate pulled his covers up. Nate cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“I’m going to be out shopping tomorrow with Aunt Linda, so I’ve left you and Lucas some money on the counter. Have fun in the city. Be home in time to light the menorah, please.”

“Okay, Mom.”

They listened to her footsteps recede down the hall, both breathing heavily. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“You need a hand over there?” Nate whispered.

“That would be nice.”

Nate flicked off the light and crept over, and they giggled quietly as he jerked Lucas off, which didn’t take long at all.

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“There you go. Statue of Liberty approaches to starboard, or possibly port. I can never keep them straight.”

Lucas nodded. “That’s her all right. Looks pretty much like she does on TV.”

“You mean you’re not filled with a burst of American patriotism at the sight of Lady Liberty?”

“Oh wait…there it is.” Lucas thrust his arms in the air. “USA! USA!”

Laughing, they ignored the stares of people nearby and found an empty bench. The wind was icy out on the water, and most passengers sat inside. Lucas pulled his scarf closer around his throat and wished he’d remembered his hat.

“Wait, stand by the railing.” Nate directed Lucas as he pulled a large camera from his messenger bag.

Lucas did as he was told and posed. It felt good to be the focus of Nate’s attention, and despite the cold air, he was effused with a warm glow. When he rejoined Nate on the bench, he leaned back against the wall and watched the city skyline get closer. The sun peeked out through the clouds, and Lucas couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content.

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The only thing that could make the moment better would be holding Nate’s hand, but he was too afraid to try.

“What’s your major?” Nate was watching him with the intent gaze that seemed to be his default expression.

“Chemistry. Premed.”

“You want to be a doctor?”

The $64,000 question, as his dad used to say, although Lucas was never sure why.

Something about a game show. “Well, I’m really good at science.”

“Not exactly a resounding ‘yes.’”

“My dad always wanted me to go to med school. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

Nate was quiet for a moment. “Mom said he died a few months ago. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Lucas tugged one of his gloves off, suddenly preoccupied with an itch on his palm. “You’re prelaw, right?”

“Yep.” Nate didn’t sound thrilled about it.

“Following in your father’s footsteps. Well, it’s not like Sam’s going to.”

Nate barked out a laugh that sounded too loud coming from him. “The golden child?

Not likely. He’ll be too busy basking in the warm memories of his b-ball glory days and probably making a fortune as a salesman at my uncle’s company.”

“It occurs to me that I don’t even know what his major is.”

“Technically it’s business, but mainly hoops and chicks.”

“Okay, I don’t understand why he’s so special. I mean, he’s not a bad guy, but Sam’s just such a…”

“Stereotypical jock asshole?”

Laughing, Lucas nodded. “That about sums it up, and you’re smart and studying to be a lawyer. Your folks should be putting you on the front cover of their yearly newsletter.”

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“My parents think Sam walks on water. The thing is, he’s always been this…miracle.

Mom had a bunch of miscarriages, and they never thought they’d have a baby. When they had Sam, it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Then he turned out to be this amazing athlete, unlike anyone else in my family, and he’s been the star of the show ever since.”

“But you…”

“Have never been anything to write home about.” The sun cleared a patch of clouds and Nate pulled a pair of sunglasses from the outer pocket of his bag, slipping them on. “It’s not like my parents don’t love me. Sam just became the center of their universe when he was born, and that didn’t change when I came along.”

“I’m sorry.” Lucas couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Don’t be.” Nate stood and slung his bag over his chest. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Lucas knew the conversation was over, and he didn’t push it. He felt the urge to grasp Nate’s hand again, but instead simply followed him into the surge of passengers downstairs.

An hour later, they stood at the top of the Empire State Building, and Lucas marveled at the view of the city. Central Park was an enormous green square holding the surrounding skyscrapers and buildings at bay.

With his camera, Nate seemed to have tunnel vision as he snapped shots of the city below. Lucas divided his time between watching him and peering out at the view, and eventually Nate garnered the majority of his attention.

Nate noticed Lucas’s stare after taking about twenty shots of the Flatiron Building.

“What?” Lucas swore he saw a blush tint Nate’s cheeks.

“You look so happy.”

“Yeah. I love photography. I wish…” He shook his head and nodded over his shoulder.

“We should check out the other side.”

Lucas reached for Nate’s arm. “You wish what?”

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Nate looked out over the city. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I wish I could do this all the time.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Oh, sure. Drop out of prelaw and transfer to Tisch for photography? The ’rents would love that.”

“Tisch…is that in New York?”

“Yeah, it’s part of NYU.”

Suddenly it made sense to Lucas why Nate hadn’t gone away to college. “That’s exactly what you want to do. That’s why you went to NYU in the first place.”

Nate looked at him sharply and yanked his arm away. “You don’t know anything about it.”

“You’re in third year, right? What are you waiting for?”

“Look, I just can’t.” Nate jammed the cap back on his camera and zipped it into its case.

“It’s freezing up here. Let’s get some lunch.”

“Nate, I don’t understand --”

“What was that you were saying about medicine? I think your exact words were that your father wanted you to be a doctor.”

“That’s different.” How could Nate even compare their situations? Crossing his arms, Lucas shivered. “You’re right, let’s go inside. It’s too cold.”