“God, Zach. Your mouth’s so hot.”
Zach rolled Brand’s balls as he swallowed Brand down. Brand closed his eyes and rode the wave of pleasure that shot from his groin to his chest and out to his arms and legs. He met Zach’s lips and opened his eyes again to watch as Zach moved up and down on him.
“So fucking good.”
Zach’s rumbled laugh vibrated through Brand and brought him that much closer to the edge.
“If you keep this up,” Brand warned, “I’m going to come.”
Zach slowed, making lazy passes up and down before releasing Brand from his lips with an audible pop.
“Oh, whoa….” Brand panted as he regained control.
“Can’t have you coming so soon,” Zach said with a wicked grin. “Otherwise….”
“Otherwise?”
“Otherwise you can’t come inside me.”
“Oh.” Brand didn’t know what to say, so he nodded. Every time they’d made love, Brand had bottomed. He loved having Zach inside him, but the idea of fucking Zach? He ached with need.
Zach scooted off the bed and shimmied out of his pajama pants so he was completely naked. His hard cock jutted out from his body, a drop of pearly precome on the tip.
“Stay there.” Brand hopped down and kneeled in front of Zach. He clasped Zach’s ass and took him in his mouth without another word.
“Oh yeah. Oh… shit, that’s good….”
Brand smiled as he swallowed Zach all the way, loving the feel of his long, lean cock against the back of his throat. He squeezed Zach’s cheeks as he sucked harder and grinned as Zach tensed his body in reply.
“Fuck that’s good.” Zach’s legs shook beneath Brand’s hands.
Brand released Zach’s cock, then ran his lips all the way to the base. He repeated the movement using his teeth to tease the delicate skin. Zach gasped and clutched Brand’s shoulders to steady himself. He plunged downward again, pressing Zach’s cock between his tongue and lips to intensify the pressure, and was rewarded with a long, happy moan.
Judging by the way Zach gripped his shoulders tighter still, he was on the edge. Brand eased off to give Zach a minute to catch his breath, then got back to work with teeth and tongue in long strokes. He moved up and down, caressing Zach’s balls and stopping only to tease Zach’s opening with a finger.
“Oh, fuck… Brand, I’m gonna—” Zach’s balls tensed as he shot into Brand’s mouth, hot and thick. Zach panted and groaned, fingers digging into Brand’s shoulders.
Brand’s cock ached as he greedily swallowed what Zach gave him. As Zach’s cock softened, he sucked and pulled until Zach cried out. “Holy fucking hell, Brand. I can’t feel my legs.”
Brand licked his lips and grinned. “Back to the bed?” He guided Zach backward until his thighs touched the edge of the bed, then gently pushed him onto the covers. He walked around the bed, knowing Zach was watching his cock bounce as he moved and making sure he got an unobstructed view. He snagged a condom and lube from the nightstand and sauntered back to the foot of the bed.
“Tease.”
“Yep.” Brand grinned as Zach scooted onto the bed and shoved the pillows under his back. The realization that Zach wanted to watch made it that much hotter. Brand climbed on the bed and kissed his way from Zach’s shoulder to his neck and finally his lips, making sure to explore every bit of his mouth and running his tongue over Zach’s teeth.
Zach sighed as Brand released his mouth and slicked up his fingers with lube. Brand gently pushed Zach’s legs toward his shoulders. He guessed the tae kwon do was partially responsible for how flexible Zach’s body was. He sure as hell couldn’t touch his knees to his shoulders like Zach.
He’d meant to work on Zach’s hole with his fingers, but presented with Zach’s tempting ass, he leaned in and licked his way from Zach’s balls back to his opening.
“Oh, that’s good.” Zach’s voice was a half sigh, half moan.
Brand hadn’t been sure how Zach would react, but given the approval in his words, Brand continued to lick around Zach’s hole while he held Zach’s legs back to get a better view. He pressed his tongue against Zach’s opening and pushed inside, feeling the muscles constrict in reply.
“Fuck me, Brand. Please. I want….” Zach’s words pushed Brand to his limit.
He looked up at Zach as he worked his finger inside and circled the tight muscle, opening Zach enough to push in a second and finally a third. Satisfied with the result, he rolled a condom over his cock and slicked it well before leaning over Zach and pushing inside.
Zach blew air from between tensed lips. “Fuck, that stings.” Brand backed off, but Zach said, “I’m good. Please, don’t stop.”
Brand moved slowly and deliberately until he’d seated himself completely inside. “You okay?”
Zach nodded and Brand pulled out, then pressed in again in a nice, smooth, slow rhythm. Zach, who’d been hanging on to Brand’s biceps for dear life, began to relax and breathe in more than just stuttered gasps.
“Better?” Brand asked.
“Better. It’s been a while.”
“Faster?”
“Faster.” Zach’s eyes fluttered closed as he ground against Brand, his pained expression dissolving into obvious pleasure.
Brand smiled as he began to pick up the pace, watching Zach to reassure himself that Zach was really all right. And damn, it felt so good. Even better, Zach’s cock, trapped between their bodies, grew hard again.
“Brand….”
The vulnerability in Zach’s voice made Brand’s heart feel as though it might explode. He’d wanted this, dreamed of it, but he’d never expected when it happened, he’d care so much or that it would feel so damn good. He wanted the feeling to last. He wanted this relationship to last.
He leaned over and slipped a hand around Zach’s cock as his climax built. He wanted to feel all of Zach. He came in a heady rush, his brain a blur of pleasure and heat. It was all he could do to keep pumping Zach as he fought the urge to collapse on top of him. And when Zach came again a minute later, Brand held him tight, his cheek pressed to Zach’s.
Since that day on Bald Head Island, Zach hadn’t spoken about what happened in New York. Knowing Zach, he needed time to process the truth and figure out the way forward. For now, Brand was just happy Zach’s future included him.
Chapter Thirty
BRAND WOKE before sunrise and watched Zach sleep for the longest time. As a kid, he’d imagined what Zach might be like, but he’d never dreamed he’d be working a story at Zach’s side, let alone waking up to him in the morning.
You really are a hopeless romantic.
He slipped out of bed and padded softly over to the kitchen with Arlo at his heels. “How about I make you both breakfast this morning?” he told the cat.
Arlo ate while Brand made a pot of coffee. The sun broke through the french doors, spilling light into the living room and kitchen. Brand sighed as he whipped the hollandaise and set a few strips of bacon frying while he poached a half dozen eggs. The english muffins popped up in the toaster, and he arranged all the food on a plate, then set it on a tray.
“Breakfast in bed?” Zach’s bright smile was the best reward.
“Hope you like it.”
“Only if you join me,” Zach said.
“You got it.” Brand retrieved a second tray from the kitchen and slid beneath the covers, careful not to disturb Zach.
“No one’s ever made me breakfast in bed before.” Zach looked slightly embarrassed.
“I’m glad to be your first.” He lifted his mug and touched it to Zach’s. “Cheers and smiles.”
“Santé.”
“French?”
“You did make a hollandaise sauce,” Zach pointed out.
Brand nodded. “I did. Although years ago, I’d have thought it was a Dutch sauce.”
“Oh?”
“My first six months out of school, I was the researcher on a cooking show.”
“Sounds right up you
r alley.” Zach took a bite of egg and sauce and made a yummy noise that sounded a bit like Arlo’s purr.
“I loved it.” He didn’t admit that to many people. Geek and news anchor weren’t exactly synonymous. “Sometimes I fantasize about having my own cooking show.”
“I’d hire you.” Zach grinned. “Makes me wish I’d learned to cook.”
“I can teach you.”
“No need. With you around to cook for me, I don’t need to know what I’m doing.”
Brand would be happy cooking every meal for Zach, but he kept the thought to himself because he knew it’d make Zach uncomfortable. “You doing okay?” he asked instead. “You’ve had a rocky couple of weeks.” He’d heard Zach moaning in his sleep the night before.
Zach shrugged. “Insurance’ll cover the damage to the office. It’s a good excuse to finally upgrade the computer system. The other stuff….” Zach sighed leaned against Brand. “At least I’m sleeping better. Talking it out with you… forcing myself to face all the shit I ran from… all of that seems to have helped.”
“I’m glad.” Brand clasped Zach’s hand. “I was worried maybe you wouldn’t level with me about what you’ve been going through.”
“I hadn’t planned on it, to be honest with you. It’s not my style.” He leaned over and kissed Brand’s cheek.
“I was worried you’d never speak to me again after that day on the beach.” Talking about it now made his throat constrict. “I pushed too hard. I just couldn’t stand watching you beat yourself up.”
“Thanks.” Zach smiled. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor to make things right, but I kind of like it when you take up for me.”
Brand’s cheeks heated. He loved Zach so goddamn much, he wanted to shout it from the balcony. But he sensed Zach’s hesitation, even now. He’d come a long way from the man who’d shied away from relationships, but he wasn’t ready for the forever kind of commitment Brand wanted.
“Thanks” was all he said.
“I like this. Waking up to someone. Not that Arlo isn’t good company….” Zach joked around when he felt uncomfortable. Brand didn’t mind. He understood the sentiment beneath the snark was genuine.
“I’m glad.”
A little before nine, Brand walked Zach over to the River Watch’s offices, where the insurance adjuster was waiting for him. “See you for lunch?”
“We spent the entire day together yesterday,” Zach reminded him with a half-cocked grin.
“I want more.” He winked. “Call me greedy.”
“Greedy.” Zach pulled out his phone and tapped it. “I don’t know. I’m pretty booked today. If I have lunch with you, my other boyfriend might be jealous.”
Zach had been joking, of course, but Brand’s heart beat a little faster at the boyfriend part. “Dump him. I’m better-looking and I can cook.”
Zach chuckled. “I’ve got a meeting with the paper’s accountant about some year-end stuff, and I promised to make a statement for Jesse. Not sure what time I’ll be finished.”
“How about I give you a call,” Brand offered. “We can play it by ear.”
“Deal.” Zach glanced around, then leaned in and kissed Brand. “Don’t tell my other boyfriend.”
Brand didn’t care if anyone was looking. He had no intention of hiding either his sexual orientation or his relationship with Zach, even if it made things more difficult for his career.
Brand’s cell phone rang as he walked into his office a half an hour later. “This is Brand.”
“Brand? It’s Ronny Vandevender.”
“Hey, Ronny. How’re you doing?”
“M’okay,” Ronny said. “I tried calling Zach, but he didn’t answer.”
“He’s meeting the insurance adjuster,” Brand told him.
“Right. He mentioned he’d be wantin’ me to do some work for him. Said someone messed the place up pretty bad.”
“Yeah. Fortunately it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.” Brand waved to Kendra, who was standing in the doorway. “Listen, Ronny, my boss is giving me the evil eye. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Oh, no, no. I’m good. Word is your man Warfield’s over at Ritchfield Shores today, and I know you’d been wantin’ to ask him some questions.”
“Really? That’s great.” He’d text Zach and let him know he’d be a bit late for lunch. Zach would probably be irritated that he couldn’t go along on the interview, but he’d forgive him. “Can you tell me where that’s located?”
“It’s on Ritchfield Road off Highway 133, about ten miles before you get to Rocky Point.”
“Great. That’s not too far out of my way.” Brand scribbled the address on a piece of paper. “Thanks again, Ronny. I owe you one.”
“No worries. By the way, my wife says she’d love to have you and Zach over for dinner sometime.”
“That’d be great. I’ll check with Zach and get back to you. Thanks again.” Brand disconnected grinned at Kendra.
“Something good?” she asked.
“Could be. That was our expert on the construction case. Says our elusive building inspector’s on a job off Highway 133.”
“Great.”
“Mind if I have Ralph Iverson meet me over there with the truck? Even if my lead doesn’t turn up, Ralph can get a few background shots for the story when it airs.” Not to mention Brand would have someone watching his back, just to be safe. He didn’t want to piss Zach off after warning him to be careful.
“Good idea. I’ll ask dispatch to send him over.”
“Thanks. I should be back in the office this afternoon if you’d like to run through tomorrow’s shoot.”
“Sure. How much longer do you think it’ll take to wrap the construction story?” she asked. “Not that I’m impatient, but Wendy’s been chomping at the bit to get this thing on air.”
“I’m not sure. Another week or so? Might depend on what I find this morning.”
“As long as you deliver, she’ll wait. The hurricane follow-ups we’ve been doing are getting pretty good ratings.”
“No worries. I’ll deliver. Oh, and I told Zach you offered to set him up with an office here while they’re working on his place. Thanks again.”
“Happy to do it. Maybe I’ll see more of you if he’s over here.” She laughed.
“Certainly can’t hurt if you improve the scenery,” he teased. “But seriously, I really appreciate it. After what happened, I’ll feel a lot better knowing there are other people around to make sure he’s okay.”
“It’s cool. He’s a bit of a celebrity around here. Folks here’ll be thrilled.”
“Thanks. Call me if you need anything.” Brand just hoped the staff at the station gave Zach enough alone time to get his work done.
“Will do.”
Brand typed the address for the job site into his phone and handed Kendra the piece of paper. He was out the door and on his way to Richfield Shores a few minutes later.
Chapter Thirty-One
BRAND ARRIVED around noon at the site of the new construction off Highway 133. He’d barely shut the engine when his phone rang.
“Hey Kendra, what’s up?”
“Ralph got called over to a house fire near Atlantic Beach,” she told him. “I tried to get another cameraman, but Ben’s downtown for the grand opening of a new coffee shop, and Carol’s out on a job until at least two this afternoon. I can have her meet you there when she finishes up if you’d like.”
“No worries.” The way things were going, this lead would end up like the others and he’d be headed back to Wilmington in less than an hour. “We can get the footage another time.”
“You sure? I’m not wild about you handling this on your own, what with someone targeting Zach.”
“It’s fine.” He glanced over at the construction trailer set up near the parking area. “There are plenty of people around. I’ll make sure I’m not alone.”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced. “But I’m going to expect you to
check in with me in an hour, okay?”
“Got it. I’ll talk to you then.” He tapped his phone and slid it in his back pocket as he got out of the car and headed for the office.
He asked a guy by the entrance if he knew Terry Warfield, but the man shook his head. “I don’t have much to do with inspectors. Chris might know ’im.” He pointed Brand to where a few men were unloading sheetrock off a truck the next block over.
“Excuse me,” Brand said. “I’m looking for a building inspector. Mr. Warfield?”
“You look familiar,” one of the guys said. “You’re that reporter on the news, aren’t ya?”
Brand nodded. “That’s me.”
“Yeah. My daughter thinks you’re cute.”
Brand strangled a sigh and put on his best isn’t-that-sweet face. “Glad to hear it. So any of you know where I might find this inspector?”
“I seen ’im over near the pool,” one of the other workers said. “There’re a few houses that’re almost done that way.”
“Perfect. Thanks so much.”
“Can I get your autograph?” The guy with the crushing daughter handed Brand a clipboard with some sort of form on it. “Yeah, you can sign on that. I ain’t got nothin’ better.”
“No problem. What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Carolyn. Carolyn Marx.”
Brand wrote a little note and signed it, then handed it back to the man. “Here you go.”
“She’s gonna be thrilled.”
Brand nodded and headed toward the pool area. He spotted Warfield talking to another man. As he headed over, Warfield walked toward one of the houses. “Mr. Warfield?”
Warfield clearly recognized Brand, because he frowned and asked, “What do you want now?”
“Good to see you.” Brand offered Warfield his hand, but Warfield ignored it.
“I ain’t got a lotta time to waste. If you gonna ask me somethin’, better get it done with.”
“Sure. I’ll make it quick. Promise.” He pulled out his notebook. “My colleague, Mr. Caldwell, asked you about a house in Kure Beach. You remember that?”
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