I followed Jordi’s suggestion and signed up for both a short track and a long track speed skating race in Milwaukee. He said, “We’re getting there a day early, so you can practice the short track and get a feel for it. I think you should try both because they’re different from each other. I’m sticking with just a long track race, but you might like that rough jostling around in short track. You’ve got that solid hockey player build. It’s not like fights against the boards, but it can still be fun.

Jordi drove us from Minnesota to Milwaukee. We got up and left early in the morning, so we reached the city by 2:00 p.m. Lucas secured two discount rooms in a hotel downtown, and we met him in the lobby.

Lucas threw his arms around me with such force that he nearly knocked me to the floor. Jordi quipped, “I think he’s happy to see you.”

I was surprised to see Lucas’ hair trimmed short by his standards. His blonde locks no longer hung to his shoulders. As he backed up from our hug, he tilted his head to the left and reached a hand up to run it through his hair. “Do you like it? It was a last-minute impulse. Sophie says the new cut is handsome, but I’m still getting used to it.”

I nodded and said, “Yes, you look smart and sharp. Those are great things. I liked the long hair, too, but this is sexy.” I reached up and ran my fingers through the hair on the back of Lucas’ head.

“It looks good to me,” chimed in Jordi.

Lucas turned in his direction and asked, “Is this your hockey buddy, James?”

Jordi nodded and added, “Now his speed skating buddy, too.”

Lucas held out a card key for his hotel room to Jordi. He said, “You’re right next door to James and me. We’ll try to keep it down. Just turn the sound on the TV up if you need to.”

I blushed slightly and said, “Let’s head up there so we can drop off our luggage. I’ve got somewhere I want to go before dinner.”

Jordi threw his duffle over his shoulder and asked, “Are you sure?”

Lucas and I just glanced at each other and followed Jordi into the elevator. I said, “I’ve been telling Jordi about the perfect little chili place downtown for a great, inexpensive dinner.”

“Chili?” asked Lucas.

“Oh, that’s right. Do you have chili in the Netherlands?”

Lucas said, “We have plenty of chili in Amsterdam. The question is whether yours here is as good.”

I growled, “Those are close to fighting words. I ate there with my parents the first time when I was just a little kid.”

As we exited the elevator, Jordi made a show of yawning and said, “I think I’m going to take a nap. It was a long drive, and I can use a little rest. Why don’t we text when it’s closer to dinner time, and we’ll figure out where to meet.”

I wanted to give Jordi a big hug and say thank you. A polite, discreet nod in his direction was successful at sending the message. I said, “That sounds good. I’ll take Lucas to the beach, and then we’ll have a big, hearty dinner.”

Lucas furrowed his brow in response and then stuck his card into the hotel room lock. He pushed the door open, and I followed at his shoulder.

The room was perfect. It had a king-sized bed and a view out over the city in the direction of Lake Michigan. Lucas turned toward me and asked, “Beach?”

I said, “Yeah, there’s a great beach along Lake Michigan. That’s somewhere else we went when I was a kid. The weather is still warm enough that we can go hang out and jog through the sand.”

“Or we could stay here,” whispered Lucas. He moved in my direction, and I backed up against the foot of the bed.

Something about the tone of his voice made the hairs on my forearms stand on end. Goosebumps followed. I nodded, “Or, I guess we could stay here.” A smile began to spread across my face.

Lucas reached around the back of my neck and cupped my head in his hand. He hungrily pressed his lips to mine, and I yelped into his mouth in surprise. After a hard initial kiss, he whispered, “Lay back, James. You’ve had a long ride from Minnesota.”

The firm, forceful tone in Lucas’ voice excited me. I kicked off my sneakers and sat on the bed. Then I pushed off with my hands and slid upward until my head rested on pillows.

Within seconds, Lucas stripped down to only his jeans. The muscle of his pecs and abs looked even stronger and leaner. He was working out somewhere, and the results were apparent. As he climbed onto the bed between my legs, he whispered, “Naked, James.”

The Lucas Bakker I knew was confident most of the time, but his boldness was heading into overdrive. As I tugged my T-Shirt off over my head, I said, “I think moving to America has been good for you.”

“Anything that gets me closer to you is good for me.”

I beamed back at Lucas, and he helped tug my jeans off my legs. I said, “You seem so confident.”

Lucas said, “Let’s not talk. Let’s do. I’m hungry, James, but not for food.

He surprised me by taking my cock into his mouth for the first time. I hadn’t been sucked by anyone since my freshman year in college. I was usually the guy on my knees. When I saw his blonde head go down on me, I threw my head back and moaned.

Lucas came up for air and said, “Don’t worry, James. I’m going to fuck you, too.”

I tangled my fingers in his shorter hair and yelped, “Fuck, you’re driving me crazy already.”

By the time Jordi sent a text message to my phone asking about dinner, I was exhausted and lying naked against Lucas with my cheek resting on his bare chest. I looked up into his blue eyes and asked, “Dinner?”

He wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me closer. He said, “I guess we need to be polite.”

I said, “Jordi’s a great guy. Let’s shower, and then we can meet him in the lobby. Twenty minutes?”

“Twenty minutes it is,” said Lucas. “I already know who I’m having for dessert.”