Tackling the Subject Read online

  Sam shrugged. “Once we started college, they said the keep the door open rule was over. But don’t be fooled. They also said they don’t want to hear anything going on. And my mother has amazing ears. If she hears them, she’ll be knocking on Mark’s door.”

  Gordy shook his head. “If it’s all the same to you, let’s leave your door open. I don’t want to know that your mother can hear us making out.”

  Sam chuckled and pulled Gordy in for a quick kiss. “I promise, no moaning. It’s bad enough to hear her knock on Mark’s door. “

  Gordy helped Sam set up one of the units and soon they enjoyed blowing up everything that crossed their virtual path. After they’d been playing for a few minutes, Sam turned up the volume. When Gordy shot him a questioning look, he leaned close and whispered, “Mark owes me.”

  Gordy chuckled as they went back to their play. The game soon drew them in and they lost track of time until Carolyn was at the door. Sam turned down the sound. “Your dad and I are going to bed. If you’d keep the noise down, we’d appreciate it. Don’t stay up too late. I want us all to have breakfast and open presents together.”

  “Sure, Mom. We won’t be up much more than an hour. Tomorrow morning will come bright and early.”

  “Thanks. Enjoy your night.”

  She started to leave, then reached over and closed his door. Gordy grinned at Sam. “I love your mom.”

  They went back to the game they were playing, but as the evening wound down, Sam glanced at the clocks with more frequency. They reached a good stopping point and Gordy paused the game. He stretched and yawned. “I’m tired. Your family parties hard. I’ll need rest to keep up with everybody tomorrow.”

  Sam looked a little sheepish. “Sorry, but since I told her we’d be done in an hour—”

  Gordy grabbed Sam by the back of the neck and brought him in for a quick kiss. “I’m tired, Sam. It sounds like a good idea to get some rest. Since you open presents on Christmas day, I bet things start early.”

  Sam flushed a little but managed a smile. “Early enough. It was ridiculously early when we were kids. Then Mom and Dad said we couldn’t get out of bed until six. We’d lay there and watch the minutes tick off.”

  “I understand. We’d open everything Christmas Eve, but Santa came and filled our stockings. We had to wait for the parental units and they never got up before seven. I swear they’d lie around in bed and make us wait.”

  Sam nodded and laughed, but Gordy glanced around the room. After a minute, Sam became concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Where did you want me to sleep? With all the Christmas stuff, I doubt your parents want me in the living room.”

  Sam stammered for a minute before getting out his explanation. “I guess I thought you’d sleep with me. Is that okay?”

  Gordy’s eyebrows shot upward. “Sam, I don’t want to upset your parents. I can sleep on the floor. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to sleep together.”

  “Gordy, honest. They don’t care. We’re adults, as far as they’re concerned.”

  “You’ve had guys sleep over before?”

  Sam’s face turned deep red and his gaze dropped to the floor. “I haven’t been with anyone since high school. I haven’t…”

  Gordy stepped closer, unsure if Sam would want to be touched or not. Deciding to err on the side of trying to comfort him, Gordy wrapped his arms around Sam and held him. “Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. What a dumbass move.”

  He enjoyed Sam’s face buried against his chest. There were no tears, no trembling. Gordy got the impression Sam wanted to be held.

  Then Sam whispered, “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I’m not sure why you put up with me. I’m so fucked up.”

  Gordy tilted his head and kissed Sam on the neck. “You aren’t a mess. You’re just dealing with some stuff. It isn’t like I’m a great boyfriend.”

  Sam pulled back and stared at Gordy until the silence grew too long. He swallowed hard but never broke their gaze. Sam tensed as he asked, “We’re boyfriends?”

  Gordy froze for a moment, recalling what he’d said. He’d let the words slip through him and they felt right. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but they’d become boyfriends at some point. Gordy turned to Sam. “Yeah, I think we are. What we were talking about when we first got here started me thinking. You’re officially my boyfriend.” Gordy spun to Sam. “Is that okay?”

  Sam’s face flushed red, and he was speechless. He stared at Gordy until he brought the smaller man close and held him tight. Sam shook in his arms. “Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to ruin the holiday. I feel bad.”

  Sam made a noise halfway between choking and a laugh. “You didn’t ruin the holiday. You just made it the best one I’ve ever had.”

  Gordy held Sam tighter and whispered into his ear. “Let’s get ready for bed. This will be a great Christmas.”

  Somehow their acknowledgment that they were more than just friends made everything more sensual for Gordy. He enjoyed watching Sam strip to his underwear and get ready for bed. His pale skin and ginger hair excited Gordy. The bulge in his briefs did nothing to lessen the tension, either. He realized Sam was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, and he’d stood gawking the entire time. He took off his shirt and was unbuttoning his jeans when Sam walked back into the bedroom. Gordy folded his clothes and laid them across the chair. He had an odd sensation and found Sam staring at him.

  “Do you see anything you like?” Gordy asked with a wink.

  Sam dropped his gaze and a crimson stain crawled across his neck and face. “Sorry. This is all new to me.”

  Gordy closed the distance between them and cupped Sam’s face. He leaned close and planted a soft kiss. He blew into his ear and slipped his hand across Sam’s stomach, through the ginger treasure trail that disappeared into his briefs. There was no longer any question about Sam being aroused as his erection strained against his underwear. Sam gasped for air by the time Gordy had chewed on his ear.

  “Mark! Knock it off.”

  Gordy and Sam shot away from each other as Sam’s brother grumbled a reply to his parents. A minute or so later, Sam gave him a sheepish smile. “I guess it’s time for bed. Lots of stuff tomorrow.”

  Gordy drank in the figure before him. He wasn’t sure how this would go down tonight, but he didn’t want Sam’s parents knocking at the door. They weren’t bluffing. They fumbled around for a few minutes before settling into the bed with their backs toward one another. They both knew if they started cuddling, it would change to something more intimate.

  Gordy reached over and patted Sam on the hip. “Night, sexy.”

  A noise that sounded a lot like a giggle came from Sam. “Night, handsome.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Sam woke the next morning with Gordy’s arms wrapped around him as the two of them cuddled. For an instant he tensed, but a wave of contentment filled him, and he relaxed to nestle back into the warm cocoon he and Gordy had created.

  Gordy groaned and stretched before caressing Sam’s chest. Sam enjoyed comfort he’d never experienced before. When Gordy traced lower and toyed with the small patch of hair around his navel, he couldn’t suppress a sigh.

  “Merry Christmas, Sam.” Gordy kissed the back of his neck and let his hands rest on Sam’s stomach. Sam pressed backward and the rough texture of a hairy chest sent ripples of pleasure through him. He relished the moment, but sighed as he turned to Gordy. “I’d love to spend the day in bed with you, but we better get up before the others are pounding on the door.”

  Gordy let out a theatrical sigh. “I suppose. This whole adult thing kind of sucks.” He leaned in until his lips were against Sam’s ear. “My dick’s so hard it hurts.”

  Sam sighed but did the opposite of what he wanted to do. He moved away from Gordy and climbed out of bed. He glanced back to find an obviously aroused Gordy.

  “Get up. Whatever we were about to do wouldn’t be quiet.”

  Gordy chuckled and followed
Sam. He swatted Sam on the hip as he ducked into the bathroom, and the sting sent chills running through his system. He enjoyed the sight of the man in front of him as he stripped.

  “Crap. What’re you doing?”

  “I’m going to shower. Want to join me?”

  The invitation tempted Sam but sanity prevailed. “You’re evil.”

  “Maybe a little, but you’ll be missing a lot of fun.”

  Sam drooled at the sight of Gordy’s muscular butt disappearing into the steam. Yeah, I have a pretty good idea what would happen.

  Instead of following Gordy into the shower, which was what he wanted to do, he found some comfortable clothes that would hide his bulging problem. He decided a tight pair of compression shorts and some loose sweatpants was the best chance he had. He was putting on his T-shirt when the water turned off, and Gordy came into the room, drying himself.

  Sam wanted to watch, but he decided more temptation was the last thing he needed. With his back turned to Gordy, he tugged on a pair of socks. The surrounding air thickened as Gordy walked beside him and pulled out clothes. The mix of musk and soap had Sam looking as if he had a joint of steel pipe running along the top of his thigh. As Gordy put on his compression shorts, he chuckled at Sam.

  “If you go to breakfast looking like that, your parents will think we were fooling around.”

  Sam glared at him for a minute then smirked as he turned to Gordy’s bag of clothes. Gordy lifted an eyebrow as Sam dug inside and brought out a carefully folded orange and black sweatshirt. Sam pulled it over his head and it dropped almost to his knees. “That should hide anything that’s going on inside my undies.”

  Before Gordy could do anything, they heard Sam’s mother call from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready. Remember, no presents get opened until after everyone finishes theirs.”

  Sam was the first one through the door and grinned at the pile of food covering the entire table, from the platter full of pancakes to biscuits and gravy and any other breakfast food imaginable. His mother had outdone herself. She brought in the last of the food and motioned everyone to their chairs. “Sit. Eat. There’s plenty for everyone.”

  “There’s plenty for everyone on the block,” Tom said around a mouth full of pancakes and syrup.

  The room filled with chuckles and serious eating began. When Sam glanced toward Gordy, he smiled at the filled plate. Gordy would be his mother’s favorite. It wasn’t too long before they were all pleasantly stuffed. Sam understood the routine and stood to help clear the table. He grinned to himself when Gordy jumped from his seat and moved to help, too. With so many people assisting, it took only a few minutes to put everything away, and everyone drifted into the living room.

  They settled into place as Mark and Sam distributed presents. Soon gifts buried the family members. Gordy and Mark’s girlfriend had several, too. Ahmad was at another friend’s house this morning, but even then there were a few small gifts for when he returned. Starting with Sam’s parents, they worked around the room until it was Sam’s turn. He opened the gifts from his family but was anxious to see what Gordy had found for him. He worried the gift might be embarrassing, but that didn’t seem like Gordy. But if there was a sex toy in the box, he would die.

  He tore into the wrapping paper, only to reveal a plain brown box. He glanced at Gordy and got a nod and a grin. He shrugged, popped open the lid and breathed a sigh of relief. The box contained a deep orange canvas backpack and a card. Sam grinned as he lifted the present and showed everyone. His initials were embroidered on it. It was the perfect gift. He opened the envelope and knew his problems were coming. On the front was a hot guy, covered only by the giant snowflake hiding his crotch.

  This time when he glanced at Gordy the expression on his face was pure devilry. Sam knew this wouldn’t get less embarrassing. Relieved a nude photo of Gordy didn’t slide out, he read the card.

  You like looking at my ass so much, wait until we get home and you get your other present.

  The heat flashed over Sam’s face and neck as he hid the card back into the envelope and under the book bag in the box and closed the lid. He looked up, knowing he hadn’t fooled anyone.

  “Come on, big brother. Let us read the card. It’s just a Christmas card.”

  Sam tried to find a reply that would wipe the smirk off Mark’s face, but his mother interceded before he could.

  “Hush, Mark. Megan might have something personal for you, too. Don’t tease your brother or it might come back to bite you.”

  Both Mark and Megan’s faces turned bright red, and neither seemed in the mood to tease Sam any further. But he turned to Gordy with a lifted eyebrow. “Your turn, cowboy.” He gave Gordy a smile that suggested whatever was in the box would even things up.

  Gordy eased the package open and tried to peer inside for clues. The package’s dimension said it was a piece of clothing, but Gordy was moving as if the contents were dangerous. After his careful perusal, he finished opening the box to find the compression shirt Sam had bought weeks before. Gordy opened it to show everyone and when he did something fell out and hit the box. Gordy lifted the small clear packet and stared at it. He shook it a few more times before turning back to Sam, who was embarrassed enough to combust. He doesn’t know what they are. Oh shit. Please, God, don’t let anyone else in my family know what they are.

  Gordy studied them before looking at Sam again. “Magnetic steel balls?”

  Sam motioned for the package of four metal balls. “I’ll explain later. Give them to me and I’ll put them with the rest of our stuff.”

  Sam thought he’d gotten through without dying from embarrassment when Megan squealed, “Oh! I know what those are. They’re magnetic nipple balls!”

  A second later, she realized what she’d said and slapped her hand over her mouth.

  * * * *

  “How long before everyone forgets what happened this morning?” Gordy asked as they drove down a residential street. Sam and Gordy had escaped as soon as they’d finished Christmas dinner. The laughter over the morning’s present had lasted for far longer than Gordy would have liked, but he was glad he wasn’t Megan. She’d left right after they’d finished opening gifts.

  Sam shook his head and glanced at Gordy. “When the six of us are dead. But by then the story will have been passed to the kids. I can’t believe you didn’t know what they were.”

  “Hell no. I had no clue. It’s not like I collect sex toys. Why’d you put them in the box? At least mine didn’t fall out in front of everyone.”

  Sam shot Gordy a stern look. “You weren’t supposed to shake it out like that. Just hold up the damn box.”

  “No, you hold up clothes so everyone can see what they look like. It’s a rule.”

  “Where is it a rule? No. Never mind. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  Gordy leaned in and said in his most sultry voice. “You going to show me how to use them when we get back to campus?”

  Sam chuckled but didn’t reply. But then he turned back to Gordy. “And what’s the surprise you have for me at campus?”

  Gordy relaxed against the seat of the car and smirked. “You’ll have to wait and see. You never know. I might have a baby pig for you or something.”

  “Great. That’s what I need.” He glanced at Gordy with a lifted eyebrow.

  Gordy chuckled but settled in and viewed the scenery as they drove along. A few minutes later, he turned to Sam. “Where are we going? You never said.”

  “To show you my high school.” Sam looked a little sheepish but didn’t meet his eyes. “I thought it might be interesting. It’s sounding a little lame now.”

  “Nah, it’s cool. I like knowing more about where you grew up.” They drove into a parking lot for a huge complex of buildings. Gordy let out a long whistle. “This is your high school? That’s bigger than the entire town I grew up in.”

  Sam chuckled as they came to a stop outside the main entrance. They sat for several minutes until the silence got to
o heavy.

  “Did you like it here? I mean, school and all?”

  Sam considered for a minute or two before answering. “I came out in high school, during my senior year. I started the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus. You can’t be much more out than that.”

  “Didn’t they give you crap? High schoolers can be vicious little sons of a bitches.”

  Sam pursed his mouth as he remembered the less than pleasant parts of his high school experience. “There was some. It is Oklahoma. The bible thumpers believe they have the right to tell you how many ways you’re going to hell. Then there are the ignorant rednecks. It wasn’t like they could get away with yelling ‘fag’ at me where anyone could hear, but they pulled shit all the time. That’s why I didn’t get this car until after high school. They keyed the shit out of the one I drove. The dealership thought I’d taken it into the brush or something.”

  Sam shrugged as he stumbled upon the memories of his attack. He shook, trying to keep the emotions from bubbling up. Gordy wrapped his powerful arms around Sam and his sensation of safety returned.

  “Sorry,” Gordy said. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  Sam shrugged again but didn’t try to back away.

  “It happened in the spring, when they did that? We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  “This is about the safest I’ve felt. I guess you have the power to chase away the bad memories.”

  Gordy held him tight and kissed his forehead. “I’m here for you and I can tackle the crap out of any bad stuff.”

  “I haven’t told anyone else all that happened. No one. Rachel’s got bits and pieces, but I’ve never told her the whole story.”

  Gordy’s stomach knotted at the idea of helping Sam deal with this part of his life. “Do you want to tell me?”

  Sam lifted his head from Gordy’s chest and looked at him. The expression on Sam’s face worried Gordy, but he prepared himself for whatever might come. Sam shook his head. “I’ve lost too much to those three already. I’m not dragging us down that path.”