Puzzle Me This Read Online Free Page A

his company was so forgettable that it wasn’t worth accommodating something as simple as a wheelchair? Well, he’d soon learn what it meant to hang out with a game designer. When it came to logistics? Luke was a fucking god.
    “How about nine o’clock? We can do the loop and then grab lunch out.”
    “There’s a good diner in Luzerne. They’ve got a ramp and great burgers.”
    “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at your place tomorrow.”
     
     
    T HE drive to Luzerne was uneventful, and the hike was perfect. Alex was right; it was a flat and easy rail trail. But it went through dense forest and the shade was pleasant. The sky was a bottomless royal blue with white fluffy clouds and the humidity was bearable.
    Trevor was a natural with the wheelchair. He didn’t pull but trotted along right beside it. And when it came to Alex, it was love at first sight. Trevor put his front paws up on Alex’s lap as soon as Luke let him out of the back, his tail going nuts and his tongue lolling as he tried to lick off Alex’s face and neck.
    “Trevor! Get down!” Luke admonished.
    “It’s okay. I like it,” Alex said with a big smile. He rubbed Trevor’s neck with both hands and leaned forward for a kiss, pouting his lips.
    Lucky damn dog , Luke thought. “ So unhygienic,” he tsked.
    Alex arched an eyebrow at him. “As if you can talk.”
    “I mean for him.”
    “Ha ha.”
    “Come on, mutt. You too, Trevor.”
    “Ba-da-bing,” Alex said, faking a cymbal strike. “He’s gotta million of ’em.”
     
     
    L UKE had figured he’d have to walk slowly in order for Alex to keep up, but it was the opposite. Alex had a lot of strength in his arms, and the chair he’d brought was sporty and rugged. He moved fast on the crushed gravel of the trail. Luke actually had to walk faster than normal. It made sense once he saw the chair in motion. It was a bit like a mountain bike, really, though not as fast or maneuverable.
    “Am I slowing you down, Speedy Gonzales?” Luke huffed.
    Alex chuckled. “I can go faster, yeah, but that would be beside the point. It’s great scenery.”
    “And heeeere would be a place for some clichéd innuendo.”
    “Come on, you’re not above it.”
    “Sadly, true. But then, there’s very little I’m above.”
    “That’s not what I heard.”
    “And the cliché-o-meter scores!”
    Alex laughed. “Hey, you write dialogue for those games of yours. I’m just the crossword puzzle guy, remember? You want clever? Go on, ask me what an anoa is.”
    “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
    “A small buffalo of the Celebes that has short, pointed horns.”
    “See, if I put a clue like that in one of my games, I’d be driven from the industry with whips and scourges.”
    “That’s because video gamers have no patience. Crossword puzzlers love to be stumped. And they like to learn ridiculous things that no one in their right mind would possibly know, just so they have something to say at cocktail parties.”
    “Yeah, the anoa thing would make a hell of a pick-up line.”
    “It would for female buffalos.”
    Luke laughed. “God, you’re as nerdy as I am.”
    “Oh, hell no , California boy. Got you beat there by a mile.”
    “Hey, I was born in Pennsylvania! Anyway, you haven’t seen my DVD collection.”
    “ You haven’t seen my comic collection.”
    Luke stopped and stared at him, aghast. “No!”
    Alex blushed. “Okay, I sold it on eBay when I needed money for college, but it was very nerdy.”
    Luke didn’t mention he might have bought some of those comics on eBay. Some things were just not appropriate to reveal in the early stages of a relationship.
    They walked to the two-and-a-half mile marker before Alex wanted to turn around. Luke was impressed he could wheel himself five miles. The exertion brought out the muscle definition under his fitted T-shirt. His forearms were tan and thick and strung with healthy veins. He wore fingerless gloves on his hands to protect them from the gravel