Foxe Hunt (4 page)

He had been focused on Keith’s obvious physical attributes— which were many—and on his personality—still a puzzle. But now he pondered the whole dating scenario. What if they really had nothing to talk about after they exhausted the usual stuff about work? What if all they had was animal magnetism? He still wanted to sleep with the guy. But would Keith still want to if they didn’t hit it off? Wasn’t it better to fuck first and date later?

24 Haley Walsh

Skyler bit his lip. Well, you never knew until you tried.

“Okay. When?”

Keith’s entire face brightened and his shapely lips opened into a megawatt smile. “I’m busy tonight with an away game. Last game of the season. What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Saturday?” He had planned on calling his friends and maybe going to Trixx again. But the only reason to do that was to get laid, so… “Saturday night would be fine.”

“Pick you up at eight?”

Skyler nodded and gave Keith his address. This felt weird.

Was this what heteros felt before a first date? All fluttery inside?

He watched Keith climb into his truck, then turned toward his white VW Bug and hit the button on his key to unlock it.

He got home fast. He speed-dialed Sidney to tell her and she squealed appropriately. He joked and laughed with her as he always did, but when he clicked off the phone, he chewed his lip.

Pick-ups in bars didn’t exactly prepare him for the subtlety of a date.

§ § §

Early Saturday evening, he showered. He chose his clothes carefully, going with a Hugo Boss gray sweater to match his eyes and khaki slacks, hoping that it wasn’t a fancier place Keith had in mind. As he brushed his long platinum bangs off his face, he wondered if Keith planned on paying for dinner. If you asked, you paid, right? But that was weird, too. That wouldn’t feel right. “What’s the matter with me?” And why wasn’t his hair cooperating? “Any red-blood American gay boy would love having a sugar daddy. Why
not
let him pay?”

Because it felt odd. He’d always paid his own way; helping to support his mom at home once he was of age and paying for his own schooling. It didn’t feel right letting someone else foot the bill now. He’d just tell Keith. Yeah. They’d split the bill. That was only right.

Although it did feel nice that someone might want to do this Foxe hunt
25

for him.

The doorbell. He straightened his baby-fine hair one more time and went to the door. When he pulled it open, he remembered why he had first thought of Keith as a Walking Wet Dream.

He was wearing a maroon dress shirt under his black leather jacket. His shirt was open at the collar revealing a tan triangle of skin and curly dark hair. He still had that sexy one day of beard growth and he was looking at Skyler with those captivating eyes and smiling lips. And he smelled good, too. What was that?

Unforgivable
?

Keith measured Skyler up and down with a grin. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” he said a little breathlessly. “So do you.”

It was then that Skyler noticed Keith was carrying a small bouquet of flowers. Skyler stared at the blossoms as Keith stretched his arm forward, offering them.

“You brought me flowers.” He felt his face warming.

Keith’s cheek dented with a smile. “Yeah. Corny, I know. But I wanted to.”

Skyler took them since there didn’t seem to be anything else he could do. He held them awkwardly in his hands, the cellophane crackling under his fingers.

Keith chuckled and walked in. “Got a vase?” He headed into the kitchen and began opening cupboards.

“Uh…top shelf above the fridge.”

Keith reached it easily, something Skyler needed a step stool to do. He pulled out a vase and set it on the counter. He looked expectantly at Skyler before Skyler got the message and laid the flowers beside it, unwrapping the cellophane. He disassembled the bunch, trimmed the stems with scissors from a drawer, and arranged them in the vase. He took the whole thing to the sink, filled the vase with water and set it on his counter. He stared at it and wondered at the funny feeling in his stomach. No one had ever brought him flowers before. Not like this. His mother on
26 Haley Walsh

occasion, and Jamie when he was sick, but not like this.

He turned to look at Keith.

The dark-haired man was scanning the room. “Nice place,”

he said, swiveling back to gaze at Skyler.

“Thank you for the flowers. They’re…very nice.”

That smile was back. “Not used to getting flowers, huh? Well maybe you should get used to it.” He pushed a wisp of hair off of Skyler’s forehead, trailing his finger down Skyler’s face to his jaw. “Shall we go?”

§ § §

Skyler clambered into Keith’s tall truck, but he had to admit it wasn’t a bad or bumpy ride. Keith drove to a small Italian restaurant off of State tucked between a florist and a shoe shop.

It was one of those pricey places Skyler had always wanted to try but could never find an excuse to spend the money.

When they were settled at their candlelit table, jackets draped over their chairs, Skyler edged forward. “Look, Keith. I think we should split the bill.”

Keith scanned his menu, never bothering to glance at Skyler.

“Nope.”

Skyler laid his menu flat on the table. “W-what?”

“I said no. I asked
you
out. I want to buy.”

“I know, but…”

The menu lowered and those ice blue eyes bored into his.

“I’m paying. End of discussion.” The menu rose and obscured him again.

Why don’t you just hit me over the head with your club and drag me by
the hair to your cave?
Who did this guy think he was? So he was big and muscular. So what? So what if that image of him dragging Skyler to a cave suddenly turned him on.

Whoa. Wait.

He grabbed his water glass and drank half of it down. A little voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Sidney said,
Just
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27

relax, Skyler. Don’t make a scene. Let the man pay
.

What the hell. He picked up his menu and decided on the shrimp scaloppini. And it was expensive, too. Ha!

They ate. They drank wine. They chatted. It was very easy to chat with Keith Fletcher. Skyler had had a taste of it here and there when Keith arrived at the high school to replace the pregnant biology teacher just a month ago. But so much else had been happening and Keith seemed odd at times, sometimes blowing up in a rage and at other times being a real sweet guy.

The mood swings always seemed to have to do with football.

Coach Scott Carson was a real hard ass and a homophobe of the first order. Not that Skyler had ever let on that he was gay.

Only the principal knew that. But Coach Carson seemed to have exceptional gaydar about Skyler. Maybe he had an inkling about his assistant coach, too. Skyler decided to ask.

“Does Carson know you’re gay?”

Keith choked a bit on his wine. “Uh…
no
. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“No sweat. Me too. Not particularly anxious for the Christian Coalition to picket outside my classroom.”

“Amen,” said Keith.

“Were you out at your other school? In Seattle?”

He nodded and placed his wine glass carefully above his plate.

“It wasn’t an issue. I mean there as well as in California, they can’t legally fire anyone for their sexual orientation.”

“Oh yeah. Except while they aren’t doing that, they’ll find some other way to get rid of you.”

They fell silent for a moment. “You mean like starting something with a fellow employee?” said Keith quietly.

“Something like that.”

Keith nodded and looked up. His eyes kept a rigid bead on Skyler’s gray ones. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

His intense gaze caused Skyler’s breath to catch. “Oh,” he
28 Haley Walsh

breathed.

Keith looked at both their empty dessert plates. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Uh…thanks for dinner. It was really nice.”

“Yeah it was. The company made it that much better.”

Skyler felt his face grow hot. He couldn’t be blushing in front of this guy, could he? He hid it by reaching for his coat and slipping it on. It also helped to distract him as Keith laid the cash on the table.

They walked along State Street, looking into the darkened shop windows of antiques, fashionable eyewear, and books. The trees sported white twinkly lights wrapped around their trunks, giving the small street its own quaint ambience. Skyler suddenly wished he was some place like Palm Springs or San Francisco where he could take Keith’s arm. He had to make do with walking as close to him as he could, brushing against him and inhaling whiffs of his cologne.

“I can see why you stayed in Redlands all your life,” said Keith.

“Oh?” When he had first told Keith that, he got the impression that Keith was mocking him for never traveling further than his own backyard, even to attend college.

“Yeah. It’s got a sort of small town feel. Streets like this.

Museums. The arts. Old Victorian houses. The mountains in the background. I like it.”

“It does have its high points.”

They walked a long way, talking the whole time. This was the Keith Fletcher he liked. This introspective, intelligent, worldly man. Even if he did like football and drove a hetero truck. Skyler supposed dating wasn’t so bad, except that he was getting a bit itchy to settle somewhere and kiss the daylights out of Keith.

And then maybe go back to Skyler’s place and have Keith pound him into the mattress. That would do just fine. He was getting a hard-on thinking about it.

Keith was apparently thinking about it, too, because he Foxe hunt
29

suddenly looked up and said, “Where the hell did I park my truck?”

§ § §

They drove back to Skyler’s place, one of Redland’s many old Victorians converted into apartments. They climbed the outside staircase, and after Skyler unlocked his door he was suddenly surrounded by strong arms and overwhelmed by the hot press of Keith’s lips on his. The man wasn’t gentle. He all but slammed Skyler against the door. His tongue flicked once at Skyler’s lips before plunging inside. Skyler groaned at the welcome intrusion and, tongues sliding together, he snaked his arms around the man’s neck and clung tightly to him, chest to chest. A steely erection pressed to his, and Skyler unabashedly ground his hips into it.

Mmm!
Skyler loved the feel of the man’s scratchy cheek, loved the smell of him, the taste of his lips.

Keith broke away but kept his face close, breath gusting against Skyler’s mouth. He pressed his forehead to Skyler’s.

“Let’s go in,” whispered Skyler. His whole body was throbbing with anticipation and his dick was as hard as a rock, tightening his trousers. He opened the door, dragged Keith in, and kicked the door closed behind him.

There was some maneuvering of arms reaching and clutching, of fingers seizing buttons, and a general choreography toward the bedroom. Once they passed the threshold, they got serious about peeling off each other’s clothes. Skyler delighted in each stretch of muscled skin revealed as he helped Keith quickly divest his shirt and trousers. Those legs were like hard columns of tan muscle, furred and sculpted. And his arms and chest were a delight of solid planes and wiry hair.

Skyler leaned forward and kissed the well-defined pecs, relishing the feel of the rough forest of hairs against his lips. His mouth fastened on a dusky nipple, sucking and teasing with his teeth, eliciting a moan from the larger man. Skyler whimpered when Keith pulled him back to yank Skyler’s shirt off over his
30 Haley Walsh

head. Keith bent to nuzzle his neck and, with a sigh, Skyler threw back his chin, giving Keith all the access he wanted.

The man’s mouth was alive in uninhibited exploration.

Nuzzling turned to nips and then lips covered the nuzzled bits, sucking gently. Skyler couldn’t stand it and threw himself, skin to skin, against Keith’s chest. He yanked a hunk of his hair and pulled his face down to kiss him again. With warm mouths and tongues locked together, they moved their way to the edge of the bed.

Underwear. Why are we still wearing underwear?
Panting, Skyler reached for Keith’s black briefs. There was a wet spot darkening the front where his cock was leaking, and Skyler quickly peeled it away.

Dayam!
Keith was, indeed, a big man through and through.

Keith’s hands reached for Skyler’s briefs and made short work of them. When his underwear sat pooled around his ankles, Keith stared hungrily at Skyler’s hard length.

Stepping out of his briefs and kicking them aside, he allowed Keith to get his fill of staring. A thrill of pure lust enveloped him, knowing that Keith was looking and drinking it in. He hadn’t known he was such an exhibitionist, but he found he did a little posing, head tilted back, eyes drooping to slits.

Large hands came up and, despite their earlier haste, caressed his flanks with gentle slowness. Keith took his time. Bending forward, he started with lips and teeth nibbling on Skyler’s collarbone before dragging his mouth down his body. He fastened on one tiny pink nipple, bringing it to a hard nub with licking and suction before working his way to the other one. Kisses and gentle bites feathered downward. Skyler whimpered.
God, he’s good
at this!
A tongue circled his naval and licked down the treasure trail of white blond hairs to his straining cock, where Keith gave it a hard lick from root to tip. Skyler hadn’t even noticed when Keith laid him on the bed. But when he looked up with hazy eyes, the man was leaning over him with a feral expression that made his dick throb. Skyler reached up and pressed his fingers to the back of his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. He Foxe hunt
31

liked kissing and he just couldn’t seem to get enough of the man’s sensual lips and teasing tongue.

Keith leaned back again, eyes flicking over Skyler’s heated form. Each pass of his fingers sent chills of delight over Skyler’s pale, sensitive skin and he moaned and writhed.