Driven Snow (13 page)

Had to admit, it smelled amazing, like Riley said. Snow sat and leaned forward to peek.
Vegetable soup. Nice. No big thing.
Mrs. Wishus handed him a spoon, and he filled it up, blew, then sipped.
Holy cow.
Like every vegetable had its own unique flavor bursting in a different place on his tongue. But more than that, the broth had to be ambrosia, a gift from some random earth god. One more mouthful and he started shoveling soup in as fast as the spoon and moderately good manners allowed. Mrs. Wishus took the nearly empty bowl and handed him a big piece of bread, warm and dripping butter. “Take a taste of this while I get you more soup.”

Riley grinned as he consumed soup at only a slightly slower pace than Snow.

The bread. Oh God, the bread.
“This has to be manna.” Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, with pieces of grains he couldn’t even identify—he stopped chewing. “These aren’t nuts, are they?”

Mrs. Wishus set another full bowl of soup in front of him. “Oh no, dear. I’d never give you nuts.”

He cocked his head at her as she bustled back to get Riley more soup. How did she know he was allergic? Maybe just because so many people were.

They both ended up eating three full bowls of soup, consuming the entire loaf of bread with chunks of some fantastic cheese, and shoving down a handful of olives. Snow tried not to talk with his mouth full. “Oh, thank you. I didn’t know I was so hungry.”

“My pleasure, cutie. Riley, dear, just put the dishes on the counter when you’re done. I left you both some dessert and surprises in the bag.” She pointed to a brown sack, rolled at the top. “Have a good night. Get plenty of rest. I know how horrible this is for you, Snow, but I want you to trust that good always prevails. It may not look that way, but truth can’t be hidden forever.” She walked to the door, waved, and was gone.

Snow shook his head. “So amazing.”

“Yeah. She’s like my second mom.”

“Lucky.”

“Do you believe what she said?”

Snow sighed. “About good prevailing? When I look around the world, I don’t see truth all that often. Do you?”

“Maybe we just can’t see it. Maybe truth looks like something else, you know, like waves and particles and shit.” Riley shrugged. “You’re the physicist.” He pointed at the bag. “Shall I check on dessert?”

Snow nodded.
Truth having two forms. Looking like something else.

Riley hopped up and grabbed the sack from the floor next to the door. With a snap he opened the top and peered inside. “Oh my God, Eudora’s chocolate cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.” Riley lifted out a plate with two huge slices of cake under a plastic wrap; then he started to laugh.

“What?”

He kept chuckling as he set the cake plate on the table. Were his cheeks really red? Riley shook his head. “She has a sense of humor.”

“What is it?”

He pulled out a box of condoms and a large bottle of lube with a pushdown dispenser. He rotated the bottle so it faced Snow. “Vanilla flavored.”

Snow dropped his head onto his arm. Had to hide his blush since obviously Mrs. Wishus had somehow intuited that he loved vanilla.

The bag rustled, and he looked up. Riley carefully placed the gifts back in the bag. “We’ll save these for when you feel up to it. I mean, if you do, okay?” He set the bag aside and walked back to the table. “Let’s have cake and then get some shut-eye. I actually have a game tomorrow.”

“I’m so sorry. You need rest and I’m dragging you all over the county.”

“I’m worried about the professor too. Besides, I’m used to no sleep. I have to study a lot to keep up my average, and with football and the fraternity, there’s never enough time.”

Snow nodded toward Riley’s laptop sitting on the counter where Mrs. Wishus had probably moved it. “Can I borrow the laptop? Mine’s in my backpack.”

“Sure.”

“Anitra said the professor had heart arrhythmia that was causing difficulty breathing, right?” He typed in the symptoms and searched. “There are a ton of links for heart arrhythmia, but they all seem to be related to atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia. Things like that.”

Riley removed the plastic wrap, and the smell of lemon filled the air. “Easy for you to say.”

“The weird thing is, I’ve known the professor for two years, and I’ve never seen a sign of heart trouble. Like Mrs. Wishus said, he’s always been robust.”

“But people have heart attacks all the time and they seemed really healthy before, right?” Riley sat in front of his cake.

“Yes, but that’s a heart attack. This stuff usually has more symptoms. I don’t ever remember him having shortness of breath. It’s strange for this to have happened so suddenly.”

Riley pointed with his fork. “You’re not eating. You won’t believe how good this is.”

Snow carried the laptop with him to the table, picked up the fork, and took a bite. He dropped the fork. “Wow. What is that stuff?”

“I told you. If they sold this on street corners, it could replace the heroin trade.” Riley took another bite while Snow dug in. The sweetness of the chocolate and the bite of the lemon married in perfect delight. Riley wiped at his lips with a napkin. “So seriously, what are you thinking? That something strange happened to the professor that caused this collapse?”

Snow pointed at the screen. “It says some medications can cause arrhythmias. Thyroid, for one. Maybe he was prescribed a medication that caused these symptoms.”

“Surely that’s one of the first things the doctors will ask about.”

“But Ms. Po—Mrs. Kingsley won’t know. I mean, she’s only been around him a short time.”

“Do you know anything new he was taking?”

“No. But I did notice him getting more tired and gray over the last week or so. If I went to his house, maybe I’d find something.”

Riley waved a fork. “Snow, it’s her house now. You can’t just go in.”

“Hell.”

“When you go back to the hospital tomorrow, tell them what you saw. Maybe it will help.”

Snow shook his head. “There has to be more. I need to find it.” He wiped a hand over his head. “Before it’s too late.”

Riley got up and put their empty plates in the sink. “Chances are they’re already exploring that angle. So don’t worry.” He ran a hand over Snow’s neck. “Sorry, that’s a dumb thing to say. But at least get some rest. There’s nothing you can do tonight.”

“Yes. I guess you’re right.”

Riley helped him out of the chair and walked him back to the bedroom. Snow’s eyes strayed to the paper bag containing Mrs. Wishus’s gifts.

CHAPTER 12

A HALF
hour later, Snow lay in the big bed with the great-smelling sheets, staring at the ceiling. Riley had tucked him in, given him a kiss on the cheek, and gone to wash the dishes. The clanking and banging from the kitchen attested to the work in progress.

What could the professor have taken that could cause him to be so sick?

Go to sleep. You can’t figure it out tonight.

Not really sleepy.

Maybe you need relaxing. A blowjob would be nice.

I don’t think Riley’s interested in another blowjob. Maybe I didn’t taste good or something.

All guys are interested in blowjobs if they’re getting them.

I shouldn’t be thinking about blowjobs anyway.

Are you crazy?

This isn’t the time.

You’re in Riley Prince’s house with a large bottle of vanilla lube. Somebody thinks it’s the time.

Go to sleep.

He pulled the covers over his ears and focused on his breathing. The kitchen sounds stopped and everything got quiet.

You’re not sleeping.

Shut up and go to sleep.

Where do you think he left the lube?

Riley’s got a game.

All the more reason to relax him.

I don’t know how to give a blowjob.

Fake it. How bad can it be?

“Hell.” Snow sat up in bed. “I’m a terrible person. My best friend is dying and I’m thinking about sex.” But those were the facts. He slid out of bed and padded to the closed bedroom door barefooted, his pajama bottoms falling low over his narrow hips and his half-hard cock.
Okay, I get it. You’re in charge.

The door squeaked and he froze. Quiet. Peering down the dark hall, he tried to see if the paper bag still sat by the door. No luck. He slipped out and crept toward the dining area, where he’d last seen the bag.
Man, dark.
Near the front door, he bent over and felt around the corner where he swore he last saw it. Nothing.

“Looking for this?”

Snow jumped up fast, stumbled backward, and fell right against Riley’s very bare chest—and very hard cock.

Snow tried to regain his balance, but Riley held him, tipped his chin up, and planted his lips so firmly against Snow’s that the pressure must have caused his brain to fly out his ears. He wrapped his arms around that hard body and ground himself against Riley’s dick like it was giving injections of eternal youth. Strange mewling sounds poured out of his throat.

Riley walked him backward until his calves hit the edge of the couch, and he fell onto soft cushions with Riley planted on him from knees to chest, his big rod hitting Snow somewhere around the thighs. The best possible topping.

Snow opened his legs and grabbed the protuberance between them, then rubbed them together in his best caterpillar imitation.

“Holy shit!”

“Feel good?”

“Jesus, yes. Where did you learn to do that?”

“Made it up.”

“Genius.” He thrust into Snow’s tight hold. “What do you want? Anything. I’ll give it to you.”

“No, it’s your turn. You tell me what to do. Then you’ll have to show me how. But I’ll do it. I love vanilla. Want me to try to give you a blowjob? That’s why I was sneaking around.”

Still humping Snow’s legs, Riley whispered, “That sounds good, but you know what I really want?”

“No, what?”

“I want you to fuck me.”

“What? Oh God.”

“Have you ever fucked a guy?”

“Jesus, Riley, I hadn’t been kissed until you did it. When would I have gotten around to fucking?”

“Do you want to?”

His cock throbbed so hard it neared pain. “I want to do anything to you.”

“It’ll come naturally.” He rolled off Snow onto the floor, grabbed the huge bottle of lube he’d dropped earlier, and pumped some into his hands. “Let me grease up that lovely cock.” His breath came fast. He slipped Snow’s elastic down and grabbed his penis. “So beautiful.” He stroked the cool gel over it.

“D-don’t I need a condom?”

“You’re a virgin, and I haven’t had sex without a condom in years.” He shrugged. “I barely have sex, since I don’t really get turned on by girls, and I have to go a long way away to find a guy who doesn’t know me, so mostly I use my hand.” He glanced at it. “No STDs. Plus, I’ve been tested.”

Snow swallowed and nodded. The discussion made this whole thing very real.

Riley stroked more lube on Snow’s penis.

“Oh God, don’t do much of that, or I’ll never do anything else.”

“I want you in me so bad.” He pushed onto his hands and knees and started shoving lube into his butt.

Snow swallowed. He might be terrified, but his cock knew right where it wanted to be.

Riley peered over his shoulder, the lubing still underway. “You understand the principle of fucking, right?”

“Uh, I believe so.”

Riley pointed at Snow’s now very erect penis with the lube bottle, then squeezed more into his hand. “You put that in here.” He waved at his ass.

“Yes, I understand.” The last word came out as a squeak. Suddenly that idea sounded so far beyond good he bobbed up on his knees and ripped the pajama bottoms down to the floor, then sat back and pulled them off.

Riley grinned. “I like your enthusiasm.” His smile faded and he sat back on his haunches, which made his dick stick up like a lighthouse. “Am I rushing you? Maybe you don’t want to take such a big step so soon? Maybe this isn’t the right time? We could wait.”

Snow stopped with his pajama bottoms in his hand and his cock bouncing against his abdomen. “Wait?” He pointed downward. “Speak to him.”

“I could suck you instead.”

He liked oral sex, no doubt. But Riley wanted intercourse. He’d said he could hardly wait. It had been Snow’s intention to please Riley tonight. Plus— “I don’t think Mrs. Wishus would have steered us wrong.”

“There is that.” The grin came back.

“Not many guys are virgins at twenty. It’s time.” His penis gave a hop, probably in protest of his lily-white condition. “Assume your position.” Snow waved grandly.

Riley giggled and rocked back up to his hands and knees. Snow positioned himself behind on his knees. Gorgeous, rock-hard globes faced him, with a glimpse of a rosy pucker in between. “Wow.”

“See something you like?”

“Oh yes. However, the limitations of physics are such that I am not going to be able to get this penis into that anus. You’re simply too tall.”

In one move, Riley brought his head down to the cushion and spread his knees, which had the effect of lowering his butt and also stretching open his hole so it gaped at Snow.
Right there. Put it right there.

Frozen. This was it. A couple of inches and he could learn the secrets of sex. Drips of shiny liquid seeped out of the slit in his penis.
Do it. Do it.

Suddenly that shiny pink bottom wagged. Just a little, but definite canine qualities. Snow burst out laughing, walked forward on his knees, lined up his penis with the opening that glistened shiny with lube, took a deep breath, and— “This won’t hurt you, will it? You said you don’t get much sex and—”

“Do it!” His bottom wagged back and forth emphatically.

Snow grabbed Riley’s ass to hold it still, repositioned, and pushed. The pressure on his penis head felt wonderful—but that was all.

“Harder.” Riley reached back with both hands, pulled his cheeks apart, and exposed a deeper layer of wrinkled flesh.