THE drive to Luzerne was uneventful, and the hike was perfect. Alex was right; it was a flat and easy rail trail. But it went through dense forest and the shade was pleasant. The sky was a bottomless royal blue with white fluffy clouds and the humidity was bearable. drive to Luzerne was uneventful, and the hike was perfect. Alex was right; it was a flat and easy rail trail. But it went through dense forest and the shade was pleasant. The sky was a bottomless royal blue with white fluffy clouds and the humidity was bearable.

Trevor was a natural with the wheelchair. He didn't pull but trotted along right beside it. And when it came to Alex, it was love at first sight. Trevor put his front paws up on Alex's lap as soon as Luke let him out of the back, his tail going nuts and his tongue lolling as he tried to lick off Alex's face and neck.

"Trevor! Get down!" Luke admonished.

"It's okay. I like it," Alex said with a big smile. He rubbed Trevor's neck with both hands and leaned forward for a kiss, pouting his lips.

Lucky d.a.m.n dog, Luke thought. "So unhygienic," he tsked. unhygienic," he tsked.

Alex arched an eyebrow at him. "As if you can talk."

"I mean for him."

"Ha ha."

"Come on, mutt. You too, Trevor."

"Ba-da-bing," Alex said, faking a cymbal strike. "He's gotta million of 'em."

LUKE had figured he'd have to walk slowly in order for Alex to keep up, but it was the opposite. Alex had a lot of strength in his arms, and the chair he'd brought was sporty and rugged. He moved fast on the crushed gravel of the trail. Luke actually had to walk faster than normal. It made sense once he saw the chair in motion. It was a bit like a mountain bike, really, though not as fast or maneuverable. had figured he'd have to walk slowly in order for Alex to keep up, but it was the opposite. Alex had a lot of strength in his arms, and the chair he'd brought was sporty and rugged. He moved fast on the crushed gravel of the trail. Luke actually had to walk faster than normal. It made sense once he saw the chair in motion. It was a bit like a mountain bike, really, though not as fast or maneuverable.

"Am I slowing you down, Speedy Gonzales?" Luke huffed.

Alex chuckled. "I can go faster, yeah, but that would be beside the point. It's great scenery."

"And heeeere would be a place for some cliched innuendo."

"Come on, you're not above it."

"Sadly, true. But then, there's very little I'm above."

"That's not what I heard."

"And the cliche-o-meter scores!"

Alex laughed. "Hey, you write dialogue for those games of yours. I'm just the crossword puzzle guy, remember? You want clever? Go on, ask me what an anoa is."

"Don't keep me in suspense."

"A small buffalo of the Celebes that has short, pointed horns."

"See, if I put a clue like that in one of my games, I'd be driven from the industry with whips and scourges."

"That's because video gamers have no patience. Crossword puzzlers love to be stumped. And they like to learn ridiculous things that no one in their right mind would possibly know, just so they have something to say at c.o.c.ktail parties."

"Yeah, the anoa thing would would make a h.e.l.l of a pick-up line." make a h.e.l.l of a pick-up line."

"It would for female buffalos."

Luke laughed. "G.o.d, you're as nerdy as I am."

"Oh, h.e.l.l no h.e.l.l no, California boy. Got you beat there by a mile."

"Hey, I was born in Pennsylvania! Anyway, you haven't seen my DVD collection."

"You haven't seen my comic collection." haven't seen my comic collection."

Luke stopped and stared at him, aghast. "No!"

Alex blushed. "Okay, I sold it on eBay when I needed money for college, but it was was very nerdy." very nerdy."

Luke didn't mention he might have bought some of those comics on eBay. Some things were just not appropriate to reveal in the early stages of a relationship.

They walked to the two-and-a-half mile marker before Alex wanted to turn around. Luke was impressed he could wheel himself five miles. The exertion brought out the muscle definition under his fitted T-shirt. His forearms were tan and thick and strung with healthy veins. He wore fingerless gloves on his hands to protect them from the gravel that stuck to his wheels. Seeing those hands at work, Luke had to force himself not to think about what they'd feel like on his body.

By the time they got back to the car, Alex was clearly tired, and so was Trevor. Luke opened the hatchback so Trevor could jump up, and then he stretched, pulling his arms behind him.

"Lunch?" he asked. "I could eat a Holstein."

"Not vegetarian, then?"

Luke shook himself out and noticed Alex watching him move. He gave Alex a wicked grin. "Me? Nah, I like meat."

Alex both snorted and blushed. "Does that one go on the cliche-o-meter or the heat-o-meter?"

"I'm all for mult.i.tasking," said Luke.

THEY enjoyed a nice lunch at the diner in Luzerne-a burger and fries for Alex and a burger and salad for Luke. It wasn't a great place to talk. It was crowded with summer visitors, including teenagers and kids wearing shorts and flip-flops, so they kept the conversation light. enjoyed a nice lunch at the diner in Luzerne-a burger and fries for Alex and a burger and salad for Luke. It wasn't a great place to talk. It was crowded with summer visitors, including teenagers and kids wearing shorts and flip-flops, so they kept the conversation light.

Luke learned Alex had a sister and parents who lived in Harrisburg, an hour and a half away. He'd attended the university in State College and had never left. He made a light comment about how the modifications to his apartment-it had been done over by a previous wheelchair-bound tenant-were hard to find elsewhere. He'd been there six years.

Six years at The Woodsman. Practically a lifetime Practically a lifetime, Luke thought.

"So of all the places on earth, how did you you end up in State College?" Alex asked. end up in State College?" Alex asked.

Luke shrugged. "I knew I wanted to move back to Pennsylvania, but not where I grew up. Being gay in Allentown is kind of like being a fish on the deck of a boat."

Alex looked out the window but couldn't stop the blush that lit up his cheeks. Cripes, he was adorable. Such an open book.

Luke leaned in. "You, um, did know I was gay?" Luke whispered with a laugh.

"I got that impression, yeah." Alex smirked, but when his eyes flicked to Luke, they held a bewildered longing. They were quickly redirected to his fries.

G.o.d, what those eyes did to him. Luke leaned back. "State College is a liberal university town, it's got skiing and hiking, and it's just big enough not to be a fishbowl. I know you should have a better reason than that to move across the continent to live somewhere, but d.a.m.ned if I do."

"I'm not complaining," Alex said with a shy smile. "I'm glad you did. So you don't have family close by?"

"My sister and my parents are still in Allentown. It takes me three hours to drive over there, and that's close enough. They're all fine. They're okay with me being out and all, but we don't have a lot in common. I mean, we all breathe oxygen and have this weird cleft chin thing going on, but that's about it."

Alex laughed. "I didn't know anyone when I moved to State College either. But at least I had cla.s.ses and I was in a dorm for a few years."

Luke shrugged, not wanting to appear like the loner he honestly was. "I've met a few people through a Meetup hiking group, and I've made some friends around town."

Alex frowned at that last. He looked like he wanted to ask something but didn't.

Luke realized, belatedly, he was probably thinking about James, his one-night stand.

Alex changed the subject. He started talking cheerfully about some of the groups and events around town he thought Luke might enjoy. Luke was content to just finish his burger and watch Alex's expressive face as he chattered.

IT WASN WASN'T until they were in the car on the way home that Luke finally dared voice the question he'd wanted to ask all day. until they were in the car on the way home that Luke finally dared voice the question he'd wanted to ask all day.

"So... Alex. Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Alex was buckled in snugly in the pa.s.senger seat. He turned his head on the headrest, looking a bit tired and temptingly languorous. He gave Luke a wry look. "So... Luke. Are you asking me if I'm a virgin?"

"I was thinking it might be relevant, yeah." Luke raised a knowing brow.

Alex's eyes went a little wide. He swallowed hard. "That's... good to know. I'm not."

"Okay." Luke waited.

"My senior year of high school I had a... connection with my English teacher, Mr. Talbot."

Luke frowned.

"Nothing happened then. We were just friendly. But when I was a senior in college, I got a call from him one day. All casual, you know? Said he'd be in town and asked me to meet him for lunch."

Luke waited, his hands stiff on the wheel.

"So long story short, we started an affair. It lasted about a year."

"Oh," Luke said. "So what happened?"

Alex laughed. "You mean why did it end? It's more like why did it ever start." He sighed. "He was married with two kids. He was thirty-five when we started up. Totally in the closet. He'd only ever come to my place, and then it was in a hoodie and sungla.s.ses, and he'd park down the street and sneak in. It was ridiculous."

"s.h.i.t," Luke said, feeling a surge of anger. "a.s.shole. That is so out of line."

"It's okay. I've promised myself that I will never again be anyone's pathetic little secret. The thing is, I knew better, even then. But at the time, I...."

Alex's voice broke a little. Luke reached over and took his hand. It was clenched tight, but it opened like a rose at his touch. They entwined fingers. Alex looked down at them with a mix of disbelief and longing on his face. Luke rubbed his thumb gently over the flesh between Alex's finger and thumb. Even that much contact sent a wave of heat through Luke's body. He felt himself stiffening. Over a touch. d.a.m.n d.a.m.n.

Alex drew in a ragged breath. "I was twenty, a virgin, and h.o.r.n.y as h.e.l.l. I guess... when you're in a wheelchair, people don't see you like that. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be desired."

"I desire you," Luke said quietly.

Alex stared at him, a look of surprise and a deep, stricken yearning on his face. He seemed to battle for words. "I... G.o.d, I desire you, too, Luke. So much."

Luke's c.o.c.k throbbed at the words, at the acknowledgement, out in the open where it couldn't be taken back and couldn't be denied. Their mutual confession seemed to have quite an effect on Alex, too, because he squirmed in his seat, tilted his head back, and squeezed his eyes shut. He brought their joined hands up to his chest and rubbed them over his sternum and then one nipple, moaning softly. Luke glanced down and saw a considerable bulge in Alex's jeans, and he d.a.m.n near ran off the road.

Well, that answered that question, then. Physically capable. Oh, Christ, yeah Oh, Christ, yeah.

Luke yanked his hand away.

Alex looked at him, his face hurt.

"I'm about five seconds away from pulling this car onto the shoulder," Luke said through gritted teeth. "And I believe what would happen next is illegal in the fine state of Pennsylvania, not to mention likely to cause a psychotic break in women and children unfortunate enough to drive by."

"Right. How much farther is it?" Alex panted.

Luke glanced at the GPS on the dash. "Twenty f.u.c.king f.u.c.king minutes," he growled. minutes," he growled.

Alex heaved a breath and then sat up and smiled brightly. "Music?"

"h.e.l.l, yes," Luke said.

Alex plugged in his iPod.

WHEN they drove into the complex, it was dusk. Luke pulled up to Alex's door. He got out and went around and took Alex's chair out, opening it up. He held it steady while Alex swung himself into it. they drove into the complex, it was dusk. Luke pulled up to Alex's door. He got out and went around and took Alex's chair out, opening it up. He held it steady while Alex swung himself into it.

"Lemme drop off Trevor and take a quick shower," Luke said. "Then I'll come over?"

Alex nodded. "Okay."

Luke was mightily tempted to lean down and kiss him, but he knew if he did, he'd never make it back to his place. So instead he smiled tightly and went back to the driver's seat. He watched to make sure Alex got inside okay.

Luke fed Trevor and jumped into the shower. He was hard as a rock, and it felt like he'd been hard forever. It hurt hurt. He ignored it and washed quickly. He couldn't stop thinking about Alex, about how he'd looked in the pa.s.senger seat when he'd thrown back his head and moaned. I desire you, too. So much. I desire you, too. So much. Luke wanted to see that again, only next time naked and underneath him. Luke wanted to see that again, only next time naked and underneath him.

He was not doing his aching b.a.l.l.s any favors with this line of thought.

He threw on a pair of soft gray sweats and a T-shirt, pulled on a jacket, and left.