Hero: Kelly Davidson – he moves out of his small town to a big university, only to discover everyone is already out and he might be the only virgin around.

Hero: Walter Lucas – Kelly’s roommate and out and proud. His bed is rarely cold at night.

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“So I can’t be with you because I’m pure and you’re tainted? Who has the Disney fetish now?”

“Kelly, that’s not what I mean. I’m telling you I’m fucked up. You aren’t fucked up. You shouldn’t do this. If you came to me as a friend and asked if you should date a guy like me, I’d say hell no.”

Kelly went cold. “Are you breaking up with me?”

His heart tightened as Walter hesitated. The whole world came into sharper focus, and for a moment Kelly wanted to run, hide, to cry. Just for one moment. Because the moment after that, he got pissed.

Fuck this.

Grabbing the laptop from Walter’s hand, Kelly closed it and set it aside before turning back to face Walter. “Here’s the deal. I’m going to make out with somebody tonight. Someone’s going to get their hand down my pants and their tongue down my throat. Who knows what else comes after. You get to decide, boyfriend, if that’s you or some random guy at Moe’s.” When Walter gave him a dubious look, Kelly only got angrier. “Don’t test me. I’m serious.”

“You wouldn’t make out with a stranger. That’s not who you are.”

“Then I’m going to become that guy, and fast.” Kelly dug his fingers into the leg of his jeans. “That’s why you’ve been weird. You have this stupid idea about who I am, and you’re writing me off.”

“I don’t have a stupid idea about who you are—you don’t know who I am. You don’t want me, Kelly. You don’t—”

He didn’t get to say anything else because Kelly cut him off with a hard kiss. All his anger, his hurt, his fear went into it, and when he finally came up for air, he was shaking.

“I want you, Walter. I don’t care who you slept with or how old you were or they were or anything. I don’t care if you’re the rimming champion of Illinois. I want you. For more than holding hands.” He nuzzled Walter’s nose. “You’re right, I couldn’t do it with a stranger. But it’s not because I don’t want to make out or am afraid of it. It’s that I want it to be with you.” He felt Walter try to pull away, and Kelly panicked at the thought that he’d called his own bluff. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to bully you into making out with me.”

Walter paused, half smiling. “Oh? This I want to see.”

Kelly thought fast. “If you don’t make out with me, I’ll go down to the vending machines in the lounge and buy a Hershey’s bar. With almonds.”

Walter stopped smiling. “That isn’t even funny.”

Good. “I’ll do it. I swear to God.” He’d end up in the hospital, but hopefully it didn’t come to that.

“I’ll take your money,” Walter promised.

“I’ll borrow some from the RA.”

Walter cupped Kelly’s cheek, and it wasn’t gentle. “I’ll lock you in our room.”

“How? I can open it from the inside.”

Those fingers dug into Kelly’s skin. “I’ll hold you down.”

Kelly’s whole body went soft in Walter’s arms and filled with want. “Okay.”

The rigidity in Walter’s face softened a little, but he still gripped Kelly tight. “Kelly.”

Sensing an opening in Walter’s wall, Kelly went at it with everything he had in him. “I’m not a Disney princess in a castle. I’m—” He fumbled as he tried to think of an appropriate metaphor. “I’m Luke Skywalker wanting to get it on with Han Solo.” They’d been bought by Disney. The metaphor held.

Walter laughed, and his hand slid down to Kelly’s neck. “You’re so much hotter than Mark Hamill.”

Kelly shifted in Walter’s lap, trying to figure out an elegant way to maneuver into a straddle. There wasn’t one. He gave up and put Walter’s free hand on his hip.

Walter kneaded it. “Is this your way of telling me you want to play waiter and bartender?”

Kelly nodded, feeling his ears heat. “But if you say one more word about me being too precious to make out with, it’s milk chocolate and almonds.”

Chuckling, Walter bent to nuzzle Kelly’s cheek. “Now you’re just begging to be tied up.”

He paused though, and Kelly knew they’d shifted back into that same stupid space. “Have you done that? Tied someone up?”

“I was tied up. Once.” He nuzzled again.

Kelly thought about Walter tied up, and he shivered. Deliciously. He sure hoped that wasn’t one of those bad/good memories. “Was it fun? Because I’ve always thought it sounded fun—with the right person.” Walter didn’t answer, which wasn’t great because the image of Walter bound and naked was wreaking havoc with Kelly’s ability to be patient and understanding. “I don’t know if that right person would be me, with you, but God, I bet that was hot.”

The hand on Kelly’s hip tightened, and when Walter nuzzled Kelly’s neck, Kelly felt the dampness of his boyfriend’s lips. “I couldn’t let you tie me up, not when you’re threatening to eat that candy bar.”

“If you were tied up, I’d forget all about death by almonds in chocolate.” Kelly gasped as Walter’s mouth opened over his neck, and he clutched at Walter even as his legs went slack and his thighs parted. Somehow he’d ended up lying prone in Walter’s arms.

Walter kissed his way along Kelly’s jaw, his hand tracing the outline of Kelly’s hip. “You’ve gone all limp noodle. Like overcooked ramen.”

Not all of me, no. Kelly found Walter’s hand and moved it—somewhat awkwardly—over the non-limpness in question. Walter lifted his head, his eyes wary and lustful at the same time.

Kelly forced Walter’s hand to knead him. “How about you eat me up?”

God, but it cost him every ounce of courage he had to be that bold, and for a moment he worried it had been for nothing. Walter looked almost stricken. Fuck, Kelly thought, and made his cock twitch under Walter’s hand.

Walter paused, then kneaded his palm.

Kelly gasped and rocked up into Walter’s touch.

They both stilled, gazes locked. Walter seemed to be doing some sort of deep internal wrestling, and Kelly tried to think of what he could say to push Walter over the edge.

Then it occurred to him that perhaps he shouldn’t say anything at all.

Letting go of Walter’s hand, he flicked open the button of his jeans and carefully undid the zipper. Face beet red, his heart thudding so hard against the wall of his chest that it hurt, Kelly took up Walter’s hand again, drew it to his waistband and lowered it inside.

 

I have yet to read this one but I have really enjoyed Heidi’s work in the past. Tori will be reviewing this for Smexy coming up in October. Love Lessons releases this Tuesday.

Goodreads l Kindle l Nook l Samhain