Tackling the Subject Read online

  “How was that?”

  “Fuck. Holy fuck. My mind is blown.” He licked his lips and grinned at Gordy. “Nice to find out my straight-laced boyfriend is a little kinky.”

  Heat flashed through Gordy’s face, but before he could come up with a reply, Sam was crawling out of the bed. Filled with a moment of panic, Gordy fought with the urge to grab his arm. Before he could make a misstep, Sam turned back to him.

  “Nothing’s wrong. But before I start on you, I’m getting some of this stuff off me.”

  Gordy relaxed as Sam disappeared. A few seconds later, he heard water running and someone humming. Sam? Humming? I have an after-sex hummer. Interesting. Sam reappeared and tossed a wet washcloth onto the glass-topped nightstand. He crawled across the bed and lowered himself on top of Gordy.

  Gordy cut his eyes to the washcloth. “Planning ahead?”

  “Hell, yes. I plan on having you so horned up that you’ll coat both of us.”

  Gordy relaxed, letting the worry that Sam might have an episode slip away as he enjoyed the sensations of having Sam on top of him. A tingle flashed through his system as Sam rolled his nipples between his fingers. A few heartbeats later, he realized he was stiff again, and this time, someone else noticed. It would have been difficult to miss, since Sam had wiggled until he was using Gordy as a mattress. Their crotches ground against each other, even if Sam’s monster was drained for the moment.

  A bite on his pec brought Gordy back to the present, the sharp pain washing over him in an erotic pulse. He realized what Sam had done to him.

  “Hey! Now everyone’ll see the hickey when we shower.”

  “Tell them your boyfriend was marking his territory and to be glad I didn’t feel the need to piss on you to do it.”

  “Gross,” Gordy said.

  The next sensations to rip through him left Gordy the one panting when his nipples were released.

  “Sensitive nips, good to know. Now, are you going to behave?”

  Gordy smirked. “You going all alpha on me now?”

  Sam smiled in a way that endeared him even more. “Maybe, a little. I kind of like bossing the giant football player around.”

  Gordy dropped back to the bed and winked at Sam. “Have fun.”

  He slipped between Gordy’s legs and had his compression shorts off and flying across the room in a matter of seconds. Then he opened one of the nightstand drawers and pulled out a bottle of lube. He put a few squirts on Gordy’s cock before wrapping his fingers around its thickness and squeezing. The tight, slick combination drove Gordy closer to a climax with each stroke. They’d been playing too long. He knew he wouldn’t last.

  A second later, the hand vanished and Gordy groaned at Sam. “Why’d you stop? I was so close.”

  “This is why.”

  Sam coated two fingers with lube and pressed them between Gordy’s ass cheeks. He gasped at the delicious sensation, but before he could catalog it, Sam found his target and slithered two long, wet fingers into Gordy. As Sam clipped his sweet spot, Gordy knew the edging had ended.

  His muscles locked, and he thrust upward as the first stream of cum spewed across both of them. In a rolling series of convulsions, Gordy released blast after blast of white lava over the two of them. Sam knelt between Gordy’s widespread legs, hitting his prostate with every inward shove. A deep, rolling growl signaled the final wave of Gordy’s orgasm.

  Sam let his fingers slip out and cleaned the two of them with the damp cloth. The sensation left Gordy feeling very contented, even with the slight burning coming from his butt. Once Sam finished cleaning them both, Gordy motioned him back into bed and nestled his bare body against Sam as he held him. He kissed Sam on the cheek and whispered, “Are you okay?”

  Sam chuckled as he wriggled closer to Gordy. “Never better. That was amazing. Everything was mind-blowing.”

  “And?”

  Sam’s expression was pure confusion for several seconds before he realized what Gordy was asking. “No. No nasties. No flashbacks. Just one fucking hot boyfriend who is great in bed.”

  Gordy grinned and pulled them even closer together to enjoy their moment of contentment.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They pulled into the driveway of a typical southeastern Oklahoma ranch. The house was white and sturdy with buildings, pens and equipment sprawling around it. The tractor alone was bigger than the trailer he and Sam had been sharing for the past several months. Familiar and comforting, the farm he grew up on had always been his support since he had been old enough to remember. The giant hay barn they filled every summer and emptied each winter served as a hideout without peer on rainy spring days. This might be his last visit to the family place for the rest of his life.

  He glanced at Sam and got a small smile of support. Gordy took a deep breath and let it leak out. “I guess we should go in. It’s not going to get any easier.”

  “Whatever you want to do, babe. I’m here for you.”

  He gave Sam a doubtful smile. “I appreciate you coming with me. It’ll be about as much fun as pouring vinegar over a sunburn, but I’m glad to have someone backing me up.”

  Sam chuckled a little. “That sounds painful, so I’ll take your word for it.”

  “It’s getting hot in here. If we don’t go inside, we’ll need to drive around to cool off.”

  Sam lifted his hands and shrugged but made no comment.

  “Fuck, let’s do it. Come on.” Gordy popped open the pickup door at the same time as Sam. The scorching air was like a blast furnace as they left the vehicle and started toward the fence. The sun-bleached concrete walk seemed longer than ever before. His gut knotted. He was gambling everything to live his own life.

  Gordy reached the porch and raised his hand. He let a shaking fist slip to his side and turned to Sam. “I guess I don’t need to knock.”

  “Probably not. Try to be calm.”

  His hand shook as he reached for the door. Gordy stopped and squeezed it into a tight fist. “I can do this.”

  He opened the door and cool dimness enveloped them. He moved through the living room, wondering where everyone was. Then he heard a low mumble and realized where they were. He turned back to Sam and whispered, “Kitchen.”

  He moved the last steps into what had been his favorite place growing up. Now he’d rather stick his arm in a branding fire than enter the room. He was trying to gather his courage when his little sister spotted him, ran across the room and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Gordy! What are you doing? We’re making sugar cookies. I picked them because they’re your favorite. The first batch is about to come out of the oven.” She glanced past him and smiled at Sam. “Gordy, who’s your cute friend?”

  “Heather Marie, we don’t treat guests like that. I’m sure you’ve embarrassed Gordon’s friend,” his mother said.

  Gordy gathered his courage to finish what he needed to do today. “Where’s Jeff? I have something to tell everyone, and I don’t want to do it but once.”

  Heather motioned to the back hallway. “He’s in his bedroom. Hannah’s here, too. She’s taking a nap before Tyler wakes up.”

  Gordy cringed. The only person who could make this worse was his older sister, Hannah. “Get ‘em. I want to get this over with.”

  Heather trotted a few feet down the hall and bellowed. “Jeff! Hannah! Get in here. Gordy wants to talk to everyone.”

  His brother stumbled into the kitchen, trying to tame his usual case of bedhead. The next thing Gordy heard was the staccato sound of his nephew’s tiny feet racing down the hallway. The toddler spotted him and ran at him as fast as he could. Gordy forgot his apprehension for a moment as he grabbed the youngster in his arms. His heart melted, and he had to hold his eyes shut when Tyler wrapped his arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. After a second or two, he released his favorite uncle and pointed behind them.

  “Who’s he?”

  Gordy’s head swam. He’d forgotten Sam. But before he could do anything. Sam s
tepped forward and grinned at Tyler. “I’m Sam. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Tyler. I’m Uncle Gordy’s nose guard.”

  “That’s way cool.”

  “Gordy, son. Tell us what’s weighing on you. I can tell it’s important for you,” his dad said.

  Gordy nodded and tried to gather his thoughts. But every set of words he’d put together for this moment had evaporated. He took in each member of his family, seeing varied levels of confusion and concern. When the time stretched to an uncomfortable length, Heather moved over and squeezed his arm.

  “It’ll be okay, big brother. Tell us.”

  Gordy scrubbed his face with his sleeve several times. He tried to get out the words. His vocabulary shrinking to something much less than Tyler’s. Sam stepped closer as his family looked at each other. Suddenly words shot from Gordy’s mouth and he had no control over them. “I’m gay and Sam’s my boyfriend.”

  Jeff started laughing. “Well, it’s about time. I just won a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card.”

  Heather stepped between the two of them and hugged them tightly. She studied Sam for a second before turning to Gordy and winking. “My brother has good taste.”

  Hannah’s face contorted. Closing the distance between them, she grabbed Tyler from his arms and twisted away. Gordy thought his heart would break. He heard sobbing and turned to see his mother collapse onto one of the kitchen chairs. She kept muttering something that Gordy wasn’t able to make out. As the crescendo climaxed, the oven timer buzzed, signaling the batch of cookies was finished.

  “All right. Everyone calm down,” Gordy’s dad said. “Jeff, get the cookies. Jean, pull yourself together. It’s not like the boy’s dying. Let’s go talk about this in the living room.”

  They moved into the darkened room, and Jeff flipped on a few lights as he flopped bonelessly onto one sofa while Gordy and Sam moved to the other. Their parents moved to the his and hers recliners while Hannah had an increasingly irate Tyler in her lap on the couch with Jeff.

  His mother was devastated. She held a tea towel in her hand and was wiping her eyes as she crumbled into the chair as if her bones had turned to gelatin. Gordy took strength that his father was his normal unflappable self. Once the shuffling and adjusting stopped, his father studied him. Gordy felt uncomfortable with the silence when his father began.

  “So, you think you’re gay?”

  “Yes, sir. Except, I don’t think I’m gay. I am gay.”

  “How long have you known? Was it when you started college? Something you experimented with there?”

  “No, sir. I’ve known I was attracted to other guys since before junior high.”

  His father appeared puzzled. “Why didn’t you tell us before? You’ve kept this secret for all that time?”

  “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d throw me out of the house or send me off to one of those places that claim they can cure people of being gay.”

  His mother straightened in the chair, her hands clenched. “The pastor preached about homosexuality last Sunday. He said there are places to get help.”

  Gordy’s dad turned to her and shook his head. “Didn’t you hear what the boy said? He’s known since he was little and wouldn’t tell us because he was afraid we’d do what you’re suggesting. Besides, I might not be in church every time the doors open, but I consider myself a God-fearing man. Doesn’t seem He screws up on these kind of things.”

  “But Doug—”

  “Jean. I’m not throwing any of my kids away. Gordy’s a bright man. If he says it’s not a choice, I believe him.” His attention shifted to Sam.

  “Young man, are you my son’s friend?”

  Gordy rested his hand on Sam’s shoulder. After a quick glance, Sam cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, I’m Gordy’s friend.”

  “You came with him for moral support?”

  “Yes, sir. Gordy asked me to come, and I said I would.”

  Doug nodded and studied the two of them for a minute. “And you two are dating?”

  This time, nervousness shook Sam. Gordy started to let Sam take the heat for him, but he refused to do that.

  “Dad, we’re dating—Sam and I.”

  Doug eased backward and steepled his fingers. Gordy noticed his mother seemed to have gotten herself together, at least for the moment. Once his dad’s questions ended, it seemed safe to look at his brother and sisters.

  Jeff was smiling and shaking his head. He wasn’t kidding. All the crap he’s pulled and now he gets a pass. I’m the black sheep of the family—or at least that’s what he’s hoping. But he’d never worried about how his brother would handle the news, so long as it didn’t interfere with his partying or getting laid by whatever easy girl he dated that month. His brother definitely thought more with his little head than the big one. But the grin on his face said he was enjoying his older brother having crashed and burned for now.

  Heather bumped against his leg, her grin stretching from ear to ear. He waited then glanced at Sam, who appeared ready to puke. When he glanced back at Heather though, she mouthed ‘he’s cute’ to Gordy. At that point, Gordy couldn’t help himself. He smiled from ear to ear.

  That is, until he glimpsed his older sister. Her glare showed that she judged him harshly. Even worse, she held Tyler as if she were protecting him from a virulent plague. Some of his extended family would judge him based on things out of his control, but he’d never imagined Hannah would keep Tyler from him. He loved his nephew, and it would kill him if he couldn’t see Tyler again. Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes when he considered it. But there was nothing he could do, and Gordy refused to tear up at this point.

  His parents… His mother sat, sobbing and dabbing her eyes with a towel, but he’d expected her reaction. Her church was so rigid that it still didn’t believe in interracial couples. Any church that wouldn’t welcome Nate and Sarah was sad already. But based on her church, it would have been better if he’d been a murderer. Taking a life was more forgivable for them than loving someone of the same sex. It was the church that left Gordy scared and depressed through most of his junior high and high school days. Sports had been his outlet for the emotions. He’d earned a reputation in their district as a rough tackle. But he’d been fighting for his life.

  Gordy’s dad leaned forward, and the room dropped to silence. He studied Gordy for a minute before glancing at Sam. “I need a little time to consider all this, but you’re my son and I’ll always love you.”

  “Daddy! How can you condone this? It’s not natural,” Gordy’s older sister blurted out.

  “Hannah Michelle, you can’t talk about anyone.” He flicked his eyes at Tyler. “And so far as natural, Gordy says it’s natural for him. He’s never lied to me before. I don’t see any reason to not trust him.”

  She started to say something else, but Doug cut her off with a motion of his hand. “Not another word. My children are always safe in my house. I don’t believe Gordy’s feelings are unnatural. A religion condemning someone because of who they love is what’s unnatural.”

  He turned to his wife. “Jean, why don’t you go to the bedroom and clean up? Your makeup’s smeared. Everything will be fine. We want Gordy to be happy, whoever it’s with. Right, dear?”

  She wiped her eyes again and stood. She walked over and gave Gordy a kiss on the cheek and a smile to Sam. It was more than Gordy had expected, and he appreciated her effort. He stood and motioned to Sam before he gave his family a tight smile.

  “We rented a hotel room in Ardmore. I thought it would be easier. Sam and I can stay there. We’ve already checked in and left our bags. I’ve dropped enough bombshells for one day. What if we grab something to eat in town and we’ll be out tomorrow for lunch after church?”

  His father studied him then nodded. “You’re welcome here anytime, son, and Sam, too. But you’re right. It might be better to let the emotions settle and everyone relax.” He stood, wrapped his arms around Gordy and gave him a hug that ended with
a back thumping series of pats. He offered a handshake to Sam, but after a second or two, he bear-hugged Sam, too. When he released Sam, he was beaming.

  “Go to the hotel. Get something for supper and unwind. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Gordy nodded, shot a smile around the room and exited, herding Sam ahead of him.

  * * * *

  Sam sat quietly, still shaken by the experience with Gordy’s family. It could have gone much worse, but he hoped Gordy’s dad stayed as supportive. The town wasn’t striking, although he could make out the silhouette of the Arbuckle Mountains to their north. Gordy had been quiet since they’d left, and Sam planned to give him the space and time to consider the huge step he’d made.

  The sun moved into the western horizon, the heat no longer rippled off the asphalt in waves and the breeze coming through open windows helped a little at cooling them off. He realized they were traveling away from the interstate and into a new part of town. When he glanced again at Gordy, his expression said he was a million miles away.

  “Hey, Earth to Gordy. What’s up?”

  Gordy jumped in his seat and glanced at Sam. A moment later he smiled. “It went better than I was afraid it would. I wasn’t sure about Dad. He was the big unknown.”

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, he seemed okay with everything. Hell, he even hugged me, and it didn’t become some kind of python death hug.”

  Gordy shook his head and chuckled. “No, no python grip.”

  “Your sister…”

  He shrugged. “I knew she wouldn’t get it. I didn’t think about her keeping Tyler away from me. I hope she doesn’t stick with that attitude.”

  Sam nodded, but there was nothing he could add to the discussion. After another turn or two, he was certain they weren’t driving toward the hotel any longer. He glanced at Gordy but he had again dropped into his own world.

  “Hey, isn’t the hotel the other direction?”