Zombies Suck (10 page)

Cutter helped Alex pour chips, cookies, and cheesy snacks in bowls and set them out. The four of them then plopped down around the coffee table, Uli and Alex on one side and Storm and Cutter on the opposite as if they had picked teams according to best friend status.

Storm filled everyone’s glass up with Jack Daniel’s cheapest. “Ever play ‘I Never’?” He pointedly ignored Cutter’s whine and directed all of his attention onto Alex and Uli as he crunched on a chocolate chip cookie sandwiched between two potato chips. When they both shook their heads, he proceeded to explain, “Well, you make a statement of something you’ve never done and anyone else who has done the deed, so to speak, drinks. Make sense?”

“I like American games and this one sounds easy.” Uli grinned at Cutter while he pressed up against Alex.

“We shouldn’t be drinking, we’re all under age.” Jesus, Alex sounded like a grandma and nothing like the cover model he looked like.

“It’s only a little whiskey. I’m still a German citizen so under German law I can drink.” Uli chortled.

“Actually, I think you follow the laws of the country you’re in,” Cutter said, smiling at Alex as if he were looking for credit.

“It’s my birthday,” Uli announced as if to pointedly ignore the party poopers present.

Cutter and Storm nodded while Alex shook his head. “True, but your cousin won’t like it.”

“I’d never do something because someone else wants me to do it,” Storm quipped. He pointed to the rest of them. “Drink!”

Cutter shook his head. “Ain’t that the truth?” He took a sip and grimaced.

Uli laughed and tossed back the shot.

Alex gasped and demanded in a deep voice, “Go easy.”

Cutter’s head shot up. He shivered as he stared openmouthed at Alex for some reason. Uli cuddled in closer to Alex and started to fiddle with the other man’s hands.

Uli shimmied. “Are you afraid if I drink too much someone will take advantage of me?”

Alex growled in response. What the fuck was that? The guy actually growled. Something definitely had gone down between the two of them while he and Cutter went MIA.

“I’ve never had sex,” Uli blurted out.

Cutter’s eyes snapped away from the apparently fascinating Alex to stare at Uli. “Never?”

“You have to be specific. What kind of sex?” Storm wanted to make sure there was no confusion. The guy couldn’t be completely without experience, could he? Why the hell did Storm care?

Uli peeked up at Storm through a lock of golden-blond hair with his innocent blue eyes. The glance hit Storm right in the gut. Usually only Cutter could make his insides somersault like when they rode the rickety loop coaster at the carnival. Sighing, Uli shrugged. “Pick one.” Shit! The guy was a total virgin.

Cutter’s head swiveled away from Storm and he cleared his throat. “Anal sex?”

Uli accent seemed more pronounced. “Okay. I’ve never had anal sex.”

Storm turned to catch Cutter’s attention, but his best friend concentrated on stacking cookies one on top of the other. Storm didn’t like being ignored. Payback. Alex and Uli both took a drink.

Storm watched Alex’s azure eyes widen with knowledge as he realized why Cutter and Storm didn’t drink.

Uli opened his cupid-bow mouth. “So, both of you have done it?” After Cutter nodded his head, he turned slightly toward Storm, and the painful expression that followed was enough to tell their story. “Together?”

Yes!
Storm wanted to shout along with
He’s mine!
Instead he got a front row seat to rewatch a quick replay of the fumbling grope session that concluded in painful penetration without lube or protection. In a way, he was glad sex ended almost before it began. But it was all kinds of wrong, their virginities lost to inexperience and desperation.

The group remained silent as they stared at each other. Maybe ‘I Never’ wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had.

Cutter said, “Your turn, Alex.” Why the fuck did that bring a blush to Cutter’s face?

“I don’t know. I’ve not done a lot of things.” Alex batted his eyelashes in Uli’s direction, but he didn’t notice because the German was licking his lips and staring at Cutter.

The smile Cut gave Alex would have melted Storm. “You’ve got plenty of time.” Why did that sound like a cheap offer to help him gain experience?

After more encouragement from Cutter and Uli, Alex threw out a gem, “I never had a blowjob.” His voice cracked a little. No one lifted his glass.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” Cutter stared at Storm with grimace.

“Cause the game is ‘I Never’ and I never…” Storm rolled his eyes. The rules were simple. He knew Cut played it before.

A big-eyed stare followed by a big smile crossed Cut’s face. “I thought you…the first night we met these guys.” His white teeth disappeared into a frown.

“What? You thought I’d let some stranger eat thousands of my babies?” Why did everyone believe he went off to the back rooms for a blowjob? Geez, he only said it to be annoying; he didn’t expect they’d take him seriously.

“You’re disgusting.” Cut smacked him, but he was wearing a big-assed happy grin.

Alex reached out to squeeze Storm’s knee. Everyone seemed more comfortable after his admission. Even Uli grinned at him with some sort of weird approval.

“Your turn, Cut.”

One glance at Cutter’s evil smile and Storm realized trouble was headed straight for him.
Bring it, baby.

“I never text in the bathroom.”

“One time! Once!” He shook his head, not believing his so-called best friend went there. That was low. “You sounded upset.”

The birthday boy, who steadily sipped his Jack shots even when he didn’t have to, sniggered. “Hope you washed your hands first.” He collapsed into Alex with a big “Ewwwwww!”

“You’re gonna get it!” Storm impotently waved his finger with the empty threat.

“Promises, promises.” Cutter gave him his best brat voice, but his glance seemed to race to Alex who emitted a low growl, which put Uli in a fit of drunken giggles. Cutter sat up straighter, cocked his head, and dared more than asked, “Yes? Something to add, Alex.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed and his demeanor suggested Cut enjoyed playing with fire. However, Storm studied his best friend; not only did Cutter realize what he was doing, he courted the outcome. “Little boys should be careful what they wish for…”

“More like fantasize…” Cutter mumbled.

“I see you, Cutler Morgan.” Alex leaned forward. The movement caused a protest from Uli at having lost his nesting place.

An audible sigh expelled with the breath Cutter must have been holding. What the fuck did he mean? Everyone saw Cutter. For Christ’s sake, he was sitting right on the fucking floor. He was hard to miss.

Uli shifted to lay his head against Alex’s shoulder as he stared at Cutter. Storm wasn’t sure if he was laying claim or couldn’t hold up his head. “Your turn, Storm,” Uli sang out.

“I never had a sex dream about Uli.” It was a simple statement. He didn’t have any dreams about the guy while he slept. Did Uli occasionally star in his awake spank-bank movie selection? Hell, yeah. But there was a difference between conscious fantasy and unconscious dream.

Peals of laughter exploded from the German, who was now officially drunk. He cackled until tears rolled down his face, though he seemed to sober up and get pensive when both Cutter and Alex drank.

Damn. It was confirmed Cutter dreamed about the sweet thing sitting across from them. Oddly enough, the revelation turned Storm on more then it incited jealousy. He actually wanted to ask Cutter to describe the dreams to him slowly so he could enjoy the images fully.

Maybe his stare was accusatory, for Cutter snapped, “What? I can’t have dreams now? It’s not like you’ve ever wanted me…”

Nothing could be further from the truth, but again Storm couldn’t refute the evidence. So he simply reminded the group as he refilled glasses, “Ulrich’s turn.”

“I never want any of us to part.” Uli collapsed into Alex’s side. He cuddled in and cooed.

“How much has he had?”

Cutter’s hard elbow connected to his side. “That hurt.”

“Good.” Cutter actually stuck his tongue out. He’d watched this particular move since he was fourteen, and every time Cut pushed his tongue between his lips Storm wanted to suck on it. He wanted to just take it in his mouth and suckle it like he would his cock.
Fuck!
He needed a grip…on his dick.

“Alex’s turn,” Cutter chirped brightly before he turned and made a face at Storm. What the hell?

Alex sat straighter, as if he understood Cutter’s boundary pushing. “I’ve never spanked a brat.”

Cutter’s whole body squirmed until he breathed out, “Really?”

Even the tipsy Ulrich sat up to study Cutter.

Folding his arms, Alex didn’t appear skinny or delicate. His whole demeanor changed, and fuck if he hadn’t became a force to be reckoned with. “Really,” his deep voice purred.

What the fuck was that? What was happening? Uli turned his head from Alex to Cutter and back again as if he observed a game of air hockey. And the birthday boy didn’t appear to be happy until he entwined his fingers with Alex’s as if he needed to show ownership.

As if he could get them on track, Uli reminded them of the game. “No one drank. Your turn, Cutter.”

Cutter shifted his eyes to Storm for half a second before they drifted to the ground. “I’ve never been kissed.”

Uli’s and Alex’s mouths both dropped open. “But you’ve had sex?” Uli asked curiously but without judgment. He seemed genuinely confused as to how one accomplished intercourse without swapping spit.

Shaking his head, Cutter appeared so sad. “Just fucked.”

Ow.
Way to jam a knife in.

Uli moved around the table to pull Cutter into his arms and hugged him tight. “Awww, poor baby.” The German kid stroked Cutter like a pet bunny. “Maybe we should play the game with the bottle instead.”

Cutter sniffed. “What you mean ‘Spin the Bottle’?”

Uli cuddled Cutter and glared at Storm, making him feel this was his entire fault. Maybe the entire fucked-up situation was, but he didn’t need it pointed out to him. He lived with the fucked-up-ness that was his life.

Instead of the surge of jealousy Storm had gotten accustomed to when Uli got close to Cut, his cock lengthened at the sight of the two cuddling. He wanted Cutter kissed, and Uli’s sexy mouth could substitute for his.

“We’re playing this game.” Alex’s voice cut through the lust flowing around the room. “Uli, drink.”

Cutter reluctantly unwrapped his arms and sat up, but stayed a little closer to Uli.

Uli tipped his glass toward Alex’s to clink them before they drank.

Storm did not. He licked his lips and tried not to want to be kissed. It was ridiculous at his age to never have been kissed. But there it was: he’d dipped his dick but not his tongue.

The birthday boy’s buzz must have resurfaced, because he waved a sloppy hand in Storm’s general direction. “You neither?”

“Course not.” All attention fell on him. If Cutter hadn’t kissed, why would he? He pulled a reason out of his ass. “Guys don’t kiss.”

Uli snorted. The statement did sound unbelievably lame. He kicked himself for not coming up with a better lie. Cutter leaned farther away from him, and Alex moved forward as if he wanted to get closer to study what a jackass Storm was.

This game was more than a bad idea. “Disaster” was a closer description. When no one said anything, Storm adjusted his crown as King of Asshole-dom. “What?” He’d ride this comment out into the land of assholes and stay where he belonged.

Alex reached out a hand and touched Storm’s as it rested on the table. “You don’t believe that.”

Fuck no, he didn’t believe that shit. But he couldn’t go there, not if he wanted to take care of Cutter. His father would figure out if he’d done anything physical with a guy, and he’d be cut off in a heartbeat. He needed his family’s help to get through college as soon as possible so he could get a decent job. Then he could tell them to take their homophobia and shove their backwards ideas of family values up their asses. But until he could take care of himself and Cut, they couldn’t be together. If he laid his lips on the man just once, he knew he’d never stop, and he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings.

He wasn’t an idiot; he just sounded and acted like one. “No, I do. Kissing is for girls.”

Alex squeezed his hand and sat back, frowning. Strange, he missed Alex’s touch. He hadn’t known he would miss the tenderness until the moment Alex had taken it away.

Uli snorted. “You need to be kissed.” His voice dropped. “Kiss him, Cutter.”

“What? No!” Cutter moved away as if Storm had cootie bugs. Storm tried not to let the hurt in.

“Come on. You haven’t been kissed. He hasn’t been kissed.” Uli pushed Cutter.

“He doesn’t want me to kiss him.” Bitterness dripped from Cutter’s words.

God, nothing could be further from the truth. Storm wanted Cutter’s kiss more than he’d wanted to fuck him that night. He had sex because he desperately needed the connection with Cutter. He was a selfish fuck who needed to make Cutter his even if he couldn’t have him. Storm glanced up to find Alex studying him and didn’t miss the flash of understanding across Alex’s face.

“Cutter, I want you to kiss Storm.” Alex’s voice brokered no space for refusal.

What the fuck was that? Was this a command from the almighty supermodel? Who did he think he was? Cutter wasn’t going to do what he said.

“Yes, Alex.” Cutter exhaled and appeared propelled into action by Alex’s voice. Storm watched his best friend crawl the short distance across the floor, and damn if Cut didn’t look sexy on all fours. Storm’d seen the heated expression on Cutter’s face before—he’d worn the same expression right before they’d torn each other’s clothes off and given each other something to regret.

Without pause, Storm leaned back away from the table to encourage Cutter to take up the space. Slowly, Cutter’s socked foot slid over Storm’s erection, which fought a losing battle with his jeans. Not even the tight pinch dampened his need. After what seemed like an endless tease of shifting and grinding, Cutter settled into a straddle on Storm’s lap. Storm found a comfortable place for his hands on his Cutter’s hips. Cut’s low-rise jeans happened to be belted below his waist, which allowed Storm’s fingers to touch the velvety skin of his torso. Cutter was warm and soft.