Puzzle Me This Read Online Free Page B

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 cliché-o-meter or the heat-o-meter?”
    “I’m all for multitasking,” said Luke.
     
     
    T HEY 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 , Luke thought.
    “So of all the places on earth, how did you 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.
    God, 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 damned 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 classes 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.
     
     
    I T 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.
    “So… Alex. Have you ever had a boyfriend?”
    Alex was buckled in snugly in the passenger 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.