Chasing the Story

by Shira Anthony

  “Just my head. I clocked it good. It’s been hard to stay awake, and I couldn’t reach my cell.” Brand nodded off again.

  Zach shone the light over as much of Brand as he could see. He didn’t seem to be bleeding other than from the cut on his head. No telling if he was bleeding internally, though. And losing consciousness could mean a concussion, but it could also be a more serious brain injury.

  None of which you can do anything about right now.

  “We looked everywhere for you,” Zach said. He wasn’t sure Brand could hear him, but he needed to keep talking or he’d lose his minding worrying about the possibilities. “Kendra said you hadn’t called in, and I didn’t hear from you about lunch. I was really worried.”

  “You were worried about me?” Brand spoke softly, but he was grinning.

  Zach nodded. Tears threatened again, but this time he managed to head them off. “We’ve been looking for you for hours.”

  “I’m glad you were worried.”

  “I know I haven’t always been very good at telling you things. Like how I feel….” Zach blew air from between tensed lips in an effort to maintain his self-control, but only succeeded in making himself a little dizzy.

  “I scared you.”

  “I’ve never been so scared,” Zach admitted.

  “I shouldn’t have acted like such an idiot. We haven’t known each other that long and I… I tell you I love you. Who wouldn’t be—?”

  “I’m not talking about that, you big idiot!” Zach hadn’t mean to shout it. “I’m talking about you being missing.”

  “Oh.”

  “When you disappeared… I was scared… I thought….”

  Brand winced as he turned to meet Zach’s gaze. “I meant it when I told you I love you.”

  “That….” Zach tried to gather his thoughts. The entire situation seemed unreal. Who the hell thought about shit like this when they were sitting in a ditch waiting on EMS to arrive? “I liked that.” He wasn’t ready to say it to Brand, but it really had felt good to hear it, even though it scared the shit out of him.

  “It also scares you.” Brand grinned again.

  “Brand…. Don’t think you can psychoanalyze me and get away with it just because you’re covered in blood and….” Shit. Now he really was crying.

  “You don’t have to worry,” Brand said. “I don’t need an answer. Just as long as you stick around.”

  “Of course I’m sticking around.” Zach wiped away his tears. “But if anything happens to you—”

  “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

  “Damn straight you’ll be fine. I’m holding you to that promise.” Zach heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

  “Good deal.” Brand fell asleep again and Zach was left sitting there, heart pounding, wishing he could do something—anything—to make sure Brand would be all right. “You need to be fine,” he whispered.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “NOTHING BROKEN.” The ER doctor smiled at Brand, who’d been sitting in the hospital bed for at least two hours, waiting on test results. “The CT scan we did of your head was clear, so there’s no need to keep you overnight.”

  Zach sighed. “Thank goodness.” He’d ridden in the ambulance to the hospital and had been hovering over Brand ever since. Brand liked the attention, although he’d have preferred to explore Zach’s softer side without the ending up in a ditch part of the equation.

  Brand’s head hurt like a beast, but the crackers the nurse brought earlier settled his stomach. His SUV was probably a total loss, but other than the few stiches on his forehead to close up a cut, he’d come through in one piece. All he needed was a good night of sleep.

  “Time to go.” Brand started to get out of bed. The room spun like a whirligig and the nausea returned with a vengeance. “Whoa.” He sat back and closed his eyes. The dizziness ebbed a little.

  Zach was immediately at his side. “Stay there until Dr. Hren tells you to move.” He frowned, but his eyes were warm with concern.

  “You have a concussion,” Dr. Hren confirmed. “The dizziness should wear off in a day or two. If it doesn’t, contact your primary care physician. If it gets worse, you need to come back in. And you should have someone stay with you tonight, just to be safe.”

  “We’ve got it covered.” Zach put a slightly shaky hand on Brand’s shoulder.

  “Good. I’ll have the nurse come by and we’ll get you discharged as soon as we can.” The doctor smiled again and walked out of the room.

  “Where’s Kendra?” Brand asked. She’d left when they’d wheeled him back to the room after the tests.

  “Feeding Arlo.”

  “That’s nice of her.”

  “It is.” Zach frowned again.

  “So I guess I’m in the doghouse,” Brand said tentatively. Better to get it out in the open now.

  “For going it alone when you knew whoever’s behind this is in it for keeps? For going alone after we agreed we’d stick together?” Zach shrugged. “Of course I’m angry.”

  “I’m sorry.” More than that, he was genuinely sorry he’d made Zach worry so much. “I was a complete idiot.”

  “I think that sums it up nicely.” Zach blew air from between tense lips. “The doghouse metaphor is spot-on. I should put a leash on you.”

  “I’m kind of liking that idea.” Brand grinned. “But I’d rather you kiss me.”

  Zach seemed to consider this, then leaned in and gingerly pressed his lips to Brand’s.

  Brand sighed and reached for Zach, but the room spun again and pain lanced up the back of his neck to his skull. He pulled abruptly away from Zach, knocking the cup of water on the bedside table onto the floor. “Shit. Sorry.” He sucked in deep breaths of air and steadied himself on the railing.

  “Do you need me to grab the wastebasket? You look green.”

  “No… thanks… I’m… I think I got this.” Brand gulped in a more air and the urge to vomit passed. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the bed.

  “The minute I take my eyes off of you two….”

  Brand opened his eyes to see Kendra standing in the doorway. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She glared at him.

  “I know, I know. Bad Brand.” He flashed her a smile, but she put her hands on her hips in reply. “The doc says it’s just a little concussion. I’ll be back at work tomorrow. No need to worry.”

  “The hell, Brand. Zach filled me in on all the details of the investigation. Since when do you leave out the part where Zach was nearly run over at a construction site?” She raised her eyebrows and tapped her foot on the floor. “Bad enough that they trashed Zach’s offices and someone tried to knife him.”

  “We don’t know those are all connected,” Brand replied sheepishly.

  “Even if they’re not, you’re too smart to be so careless.”

  “I’m really sorry, Kendra. You’re right.”

  “From now on, we do this together.” Zach put a hand on his shoulder. “Right?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay to come in?” Jesse Freeman poked his head into the room.

  “Come in. Please. Zach and Kendra are debating if I belong in the doghouse,” Brand said.

  “What’s the verdict?” Jesse smiled.

  “We’re still thinking about it.” Zach glanced at Brand, who grinned in reply. “Maybe when he’s feeling better, we’ll figure out where he belongs.”

  Jesse pulled a notepad from his pocket. “You up to talking about what happened?”

  “Sure.”

  “What do you remember?”

  Before, talking hadn’t been difficult. But trying to remember—to organize his thoughts—suddenly seemed really difficult. Why was it so hard to concentrate?

  “Take your time,” Jesse said. “The doctor says things might be a little jumbled with that concussion of yours. We’ll work out the kinks later, okay? Just what you remember right now.”

  Brand looked over at Zach, who stood next to Jesse, arms crossed, s
houlders tense. “I got a call from….” He struggled to come up with the name.

  “Ronny Vandevender?” Zach supplied.

  “Yeah. Ronny. Sorry,” he added, “I couldn’t remember his name.” Thinking felt like wading through knee-deep mud.

  “No worries,” Jesse said. “Take it slow.”

  “Ronny said the inspector… the one whose name keeps popping up—”

  “Terry Warfield,” Zach put in.

  “—Warfield, right. Ronny said he’d gotten a tip that—” Brand struggled with the name again. “—Warfield was inspecting houses at this development near Rocky Point. So I drove over there.” He glanced at Zach, who had an odd expression on his face Brand couldn’t quite place. When Zach didn’t say anything, he continued, “I didn’t expect him to admit anything. But I figured I’d… rile him up a little, you know, hint around that we were onto him and…. and maybe he’d lead me to the guys who’re paying him to look the other way.”

  Zach paled. “You provoked him?”

  “Pretty stupid idea.” It hadn’t seemed as stupid at the time.

  “Sure as hell was.” Zach’s frown deepened.

  “I followed him. I kept back a ways so he wouldn’t… so he wouldn’t see me. I was just about to call Zach… about lunch… when this car…. It just came out of nowhere.” Brand struggled to remember what the car looked like. “Silver… lots of dings. The kind of car you find on… on Craigslist for a few hundred bucks. No front license plate.”

  “The kind of car you use when you’re trying to run someone off the road.” Zach sighed.

  “That kind. And he did… run me off the road, I mean. I didn’t realize that’s what he was trying to do at first, but… when he hit me and pushed me onto the shoulder… it was pretty easy to figure out.” Brand ran a hand through his hair and avoided Zach’s gaze.

  “Do you remember anything else?” Jesse asked when he stopped writing.

  “Only waking up and thinking I might die in that ditch. Next thing I remember was when Zach showed up. Then I must’ve blacked out, because I woke up here.”

  Of course I’m sticking around. Zach’s voiced echoed in Brand’s thoughts.

  “Thanks.” Jesse tucked his notepad away. “That’s really helpful.”

  “Any idea who ran Brand off the road?” Zach asked.

  “We’re working on it. We were able to pull some paint chips off your SUV, Brand. The guys at the crime lab are pretty good at matching paint to cars. That’ll help narrow it down.” He patted Zach on the shoulder. “I’ll keep you both posted. In the meantime, both of you get some rest. We’ll have someone keep an eye on your building. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Thanks.” Zach’s smile was forced.

  Brand waited until Jesse left the room before speaking. “He’s right. We both need to get some rest. I’ll be fine. You look exhausted.”

  “Okay.”

  Not the answer Brand had been expecting. “Good.”

  Zach seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite get the words out.

  “You okay, Zach?”

  “I’m fine now that you are. Really.” Zach kissed him. “That’s all that matters.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “YOU REALLY sure you’re okay?” Zach asked as Brand walked into the dining room wearing a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.

  “It’s been two days. The dizziness is gone, and the doc said it was fine to get back to work if I was feeling okay.” Brand grabbed Zach’s hand and pulled him close, then brushed his lips over Zach’s.

  “That’s cheating.” Zach kissed Brand and inhaled the crisp scent of soap from the shower. He curled his fingers in Brand’s slightly damp hair as he ran his tongue over Brand’s teeth. They hadn’t had sex since Brand’s accident, and he wanted Brand so badly he ached.

  “Nope.” Brand lifted Zach’s shirt over his head and bent down to lick a pink nipple. He rubbed his hand over Zach’s cock, which strained against the fabric of his khakis.

  Zach’s breath stuttered and he leaned into the touch. “Are you sure this is—?”

  “Shhhh.” Brand got back to work on Zach’s chest as he unbuttoned Zach’s fly and pulled them down enough to free Zach’s hard-on.

  Brand was right. The dizziness was gone, and Brand seemed completely fine. The doctor had told Brand he could get back to work, even work out at the gym, as soon as he felt up to it. This is a workout? Zach laughed in spite of himself.

  “Something funny?” Brand kneeled in front of Zach and swallowed his cock.

  “Just… ah… oh, shit… that I didn’t… fuck, Brand… that feels so… good.”

  Brand let go for a second and laughed. “Stop worrying. I’m sure the doc would put this in the workout category.”

  “Easy for you… to say.” Zach gasped and shuddered. Brand had backed him against the kitchen counter and was happily sucking on him again.

  The thin curtains over the open balcony doors fluttered with the cool breeze. Zach shivered, causing his nipples to harden—or was that Brand’s fault? Brand turned Zach so he faced the wall with his hands on the counter to steady himself as Brand pulled Zach’s pants completely off, leaving him naked.

  “Best breakfast ever.” Brand nibbled on Zach’s ear as he rolled and twisted Zach’s nipples, then worked his way downward.

  “Definitely.” Zach loved how Brand’s big hands felt as they squeezed his bare ass. “Getting fucked in the kitchen is the perfect start to the day.”

  Brand chuckled and leaned in. The heady scent of soap tickled Zach’s nose, and the feel of Brand’s thigh between his legs had Zach so hard it hurt. Zach gasped as Brand breathed into his ear. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Brand’s closeness and the rough feel of Brand’s jeans against his inner thighs.

  They’d spent every night together since the accident, and while Zach loved waking up to Brand’s warmth, he’d missed the sex. “You sure about this? Because I can wait if you—”

  “I like that you worry about me.” Brand gently nipped a path down Zach’s back, then licked and kissed each spot to punctuate each taste of Zach’s skin. “But I’m going to explode if I can’t feel you like this.”

  In sex, as in all things, Brand’s enthusiasm was contagious. Like the million-dollar smile Zach noticed the first time they met, Brand did everything 100 percent. Each touch, each caress vibrated with joy and excitement. Being with Brand, in bed or out, reminded Zach of who he’d once been. More than that, Zach felt that same joy. Tiny bits of brilliant happiness, as if someone had poked pinholes in a storm cloud and the light had started to filter in.

  The feel of Brand’s slippery fingers between his asscheeks brought Zach’s thoughts back to the moment. He opened his eyes and caught his reflection in the polished chrome of the coffee pot, parted lips slightly pink from Brand’s kisses, cheeks flushed with arousal. He’d been reading the New York Times when Brand came into the room, and he was still wearing his glasses. He lifted one hand off the counter and reached up to take them off.

  “Leave them on.” Brand stopped licking. “They look good.”

  “Leave them on?”

  “I love men with glasses,” Brand said.

  “You know I can’t see farther than about ten inches with these babies on, right?”

  “You don’t need to see anything.” Apparently Brand had planned this alternative breakfast, because he slipped a well-slicked finger over Zach’s hole, pressing just a tiny bit in. “See?”

  “Ye…ah.” The word came out as a two-syllable croak, the cool of the lube and the tantalizing touch making it too hard to form complete words.

  “Good.” Brand pressed farther inside, causing Zach to arch his back and push against the insistent pressure. “That’s better.”

  Brand pulled on the tight muscles, loosening them slowly. He reached around and took Zach’s aching cock in his other slippery hand, then worked the lube up and down the surface until he could pump it easily.
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br />   “Feels… amazing.” Zach closed his eyes again and focused on the heat of Brand’s hand and the tightness as Brand slipped a second finger, then a third inside and stretched him.

  “Yeah, it does.” He removed his fingers from Zach’s hole for a moment, and Zach heard him unzip his jeans and rip the foil of a condom wrapper. “You think you’re ready for me?”

  “I was ready an hour ago. Fuck me already.” Zach wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last, as hard as Brand was squeezing and stroking his cock, not to mention how hot it was that Brand was still fully dressed.

  Brand answered by pressing against Zach’s entrance, teasing him as he worked his way slowly inside.

  Zach laughed and pushed back, biting his lower lip as the sting hit him, sending little spikes of electricity through his body. But damn, Brand inside of him, filling him, really was the perfect start to his day.

  Brand started slow, then picked up the pace as he thrust. Zach breathed through a wave that nearly had him shooting all over the counter. Brand must have realized how close he was, because he eased off Zach’s cock, slowing both his hand and the rhythmic thrusts from behind.

  “Love you, Zach.”

  Before, those words were about the least sexy thing Zach could imagine—a reminder of everything he’d lost. He never thought he’d want to hear them, let alone find the courage to say them to someone again.

  Zach struggled for control—of both body and mind—before giving up. Control had gotten him nothing but pain. Brand loved him, and if loving him back meant risking the pain again, so what? His thoughts blurred and faded. The sound of Brand’s panted breaths against his shoulder blades and the friction of Brand’s hand as he picked up the pace exploded into a starburst of color.

  “God, Zach, that’s so…so… good.” Brand’s moans combined with Zach’s own, and this time he didn’t even attempt to hold back. Everything faded into the background as he came, shooting all over the backsplash. He didn’t give a shit. He didn’t give a shit about anything but right here and right now and how good it felt to be alive again.