Friends and Lovers

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

Tom had planned to stay until closing, but his desire to have a c**k up his ass turned out to be too much, so around midnight, he decided he might as well go on home.

He put away the Harley, changed out of his leathers, and while he looked at his favorite dildo, he wondered what the hell he was going to do about his problem. Sure the dildo could be enjoyable, but what he wanted to experience was a flesh and blood c**k.

He set it aside and went to bed.

And he dreamed.

The start of the new semester at Pulaski and Jasper was always fun for Tom. He loved everything about it, from being assigned classes to scouring the bookstore for the books his professors chose. And although he wasn’t bulky enough to play football, he was stellar on the baseball diamond.

He went out to the field, only to find the P&J Bucks—the football team—having practice. And one of the bigger players came sprinting across the field in an attempt to catch the pigskin. Tom pretended to admire the tight end’s form—mmm, tight end indeed—but in actuality, he couldn’t tear his gaze from the bunch and flex of the muscles of those sculpted thighs beneath the tight white pants.

He should have been paying more attention, but a tiny shriek from the sidelines and the warning shout from the Bucks came too late. The tight end barreled into Tom, sending him sprawling to the ground, the breath knocked out of him.

“Hey, little buddy. Are you okay?” The tight end sounded panicky.

Tom opened his eyes and blinked, trying to clear the fog. “Yeah. I’m…” He stared up into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, and he smiled. “I’m Tom. Hi.”

“Hi yourself, Tom. I’m Jack.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack.”

“Hey, Jackson,” one of the other players shouted. “Get your ass back here.”

“Finish up without me,” he shouted back. “Let me help you up,” he said to Tom.

“I’m okay.”

“Sure you are.” But Jack slid an arm around his shoulder, and Tom was almost overcome by the scent of clean sweat and the musk of an interested man. He’d never believed in love at first sight, but he was willing to give it a try. If he tilted his head back just a little, that tempting mouth might just land on his. Jack’s lips looked soft and lush for a man, and Tom wrapped his hand around Jack’s neck and urged him down…

He woke with a start.

Of course, that wasn’t how the actual scene ended.

“Thaddeus, what are you doing?”

Jack started at the female voice that interrupted Tom’s hope of a kiss. Who the heck was Thaddeus?

“Sorry, buddy, that’s my girlfriend.” Jack? Jack’s name was Thaddeus? And he had a girlfriend?

“Your name is Thaddeus?” he asked instead of railing at the injustice of it all.

“Yeah, my daddy’s a preacher, and he was real big on Biblical names for his kids. But my friends call me Jack, and I hope you will, too.”

“It’ll be my pleasure, Jack.”

“Thaddeus,” his girlfriend said in a sulky tone, “you promised me an ice cream soda.”

“Okay, Reba. Let me get cleaned up.” Jack helped Tom to his feet. “Sorry about knocking you down, Tom. I’ll…I’ll see you around campus.”

“Oh, you bet,” Tom said under his breath, and he watched as the tall blond strode toward the girl who waited impatiently for him. She looked past Jack to glare at Tom.

Tom sat up in bed. He and Jack had become good friends, even though Jack was straight, but…Tom scrubbed a hand over his face. Jack just might be perfect. And it couldn’t hurt to ask—he was between wives just then.

Tom swung his legs off the bed, padded into the room he’d made his study, and took down the pertinent college yearbook. Tom had started college at seventeen, but Jack had been a few years ahead of him and had graduated in 1975.

Tom thumbed through the yearbook. He smiled when he found the picture he was looking for, then ran his fingertips over the grainy image of the broad shoulders covered by the football jersey.

“Jack Jackson, you sexy devil, you.” His smile faded, and he sighed. He’d always had a…crush, he guessed it could be called. If things had been different, if Jack had been gay or at least bi, if Reba and Truvie and Julie hadn’t been in the picture, along with all the other women Jack had told him about, Tom would have gone after him years ago. Now, if there was the slightest chance…

Okay, get a grip, Weber. Jack hasn’t said yes, and if he does, this will only be a one-time thing.

If he didn’t…Tom would have to play it light, the same way he had with Cliff, so their friendship wouldn’t be collateral damage.

Friendship meant a great deal to Tom—him and Josh, him and Jack. He and Jack had stayed in touch while he’d attended Florida State University to get his master’s in chemistry. In the years since he’d returned to Savannah to take up teaching, they’d become even closer. Well, a guy could have a straight best friend, couldn’t he?

A wallet-sized photo fell from the pages where it had been tucked away, and he bent to retrieve it. He laughed at the comment his friend had scrawled on the back.

Six foot two? Dream on, little buddy! The big goof had even drawn a smiley face under the words.

Never the tallest of men, Tom had only been about five foot six when that picture had been taken. The growth spurt he’d anticipated had only added a couple of inches to his height, and while that might make his twin sister tall for a woman, it did nothing for him.

His friends, including Jack, had great fun teasing him about needing to stand on tiptoe when the doctor measured him in order to top out at five foot eight.

But what meant the most to him was the fact that this big bear of a man who ran his own construction company, drank beer with the guys, and chased muff, didn’t much care that Tom was gay. Of course there had been a time, back in the day, when things had gotten dicey between them, but that was over and done. Sometimes, as a matter of fact, Tom would swear Jack looked at him as if he wondered what being with a man might be like. That was most likely a fantasy, though, and he’d pushed it out of his mind.

But now, because Jack was such a good friend to him, maybe…just maybe…he’d be curious enough to agree to the favor Tom planned to ask.