“Yeah. This thing could use dual heads,” Pike said absently.
Zack knew such things existed, but no one he knew would ever put them in, especially in a main bath. Announce to the world that you sometimes didn’t shower alone? Never. And in a household with two guys? No, no way no how was anyone getting any extra head action going. “Nope. Not on the repair list.”
“Spoilsport.” Pike started washing Zack again, chest this time. Zack didn’t know why he enjoyed Pike’s hands all over him so much, but he liked how Pike had stroked his back in the hall, liked these simple touches now. Maybe even a bit too much.
“You don’t have to do that,” he mumbled.
“This is called a thinly veiled excuse to run my hands all over you, Muscles. And I haven’t even gotten to the good parts yet.” Pike’s gaze dropped to Zack’s cock again. Which predictably gave a jump, blood rushing south as Pike licked his surprisingly full lips.
Zack didn’t care for being the passive one, so he plucked the soap from Pike’s hand and spun him so his back was to Zack’s front. He didn’t need the distraction of Pike’s dick, which like his own was half-hard again already. But he could do the washing thing, soaping Pike’s slim shoulders, then running his hands down Pike’s side. His dick brushed the top of Pike’s rounded ass, and hello, fully hard dick now. Pike was right, running his hands everywhere was pretty much bliss.
“You do get that I’m not the girl in this...thing, right?” Pike groused, and Zack couldn’t tell how much real ire was in his voice.
“Uh...” Hadn’t they just established that Zack didn’t want a girl? He wanted a guy. He wanted Pike—all his hard angles and freckles and husky moans and tight grip.
“I mean you don’t have to always do the whole protective big bad SEAL thing with me. You don’t have to always be the one in control.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.” Zack laughed, because despite his uncertainty of the past hour or so, he didn’t really know any other way to be. Not being in control left him with that same helpless feeling he got around Danny or Cobb, and no way did he want to feel that way around Pike.
Pike huffed. “Well, I like control too. I like doing things for you too. And I don’t want you slotting me into some role.”
Zack’s face scrunched up as he tried to make sense of this. What was that term Josiah had called Ryan in what was clearly a private joke? A word that had made Zack blush from across the room. “You saying you’re...toppy?”
Pike’s laugh cut through the drone of the water, a warm, unrestrained sound. His head fell back on Zack’s shoulder. “I bet you’re not even entirely sure what that means.”
Zack grunted because Pike wasn’t wrong. He put his energy toward washing Pike’s nearly smooth chest instead of making a denial though.
“No. I’m not a top. I switch. And if you’re very good—” he bumped his ass back against Zack’s now rock-hard dick “—I might tell you what that means.”
Zack could read unfamiliar terrain perfectly well, thank you very much. It most likely meant Pike liked to be fucked and to fuck, something that made Zack’s stomach flutter. “I...uh...might not be ready for switching yet.”
Pike laughed again as he spun and looped both arms around Zack’s neck. “I had a feeling. You just tell me what is cool and we’ll go from there.”
“I’m...not sure.” God, he hated admitting that. Having any sort of weakness pricked at him like a splinter he couldn’t get out. And he was the one who had said he wanted more than being friends in private.
“This?” Pike reached for his citrus-scented conditioner, pouring a big glob into his hand before—
“Unnng.” Zack moaned as Pike’s slick hand connected with his dick, a fast slide of pure pleasure. Zack’s pulse sped up and his hands found Pike’s hips, desperate for something to cling to so he didn’t fly apart at this contact.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Pike worked Zack’s dick with a grip that was about a zillion times better than Zack’s own hand. “How about this?”
He proceeded to blow Zack’s last few remaining brain cells by pressing his body even closer, stepping up onto the balls of his feet and lining his dick up next to Zack’s. Zack got what he was about and bent his knees so that Pike could get a fist around both of them, let their dicks slide against each other.
“Hold up. I wanna try.” He added his hand on top of Pike’s, making a long, tight channel for them to fuck into. He gasped each time their cockheads dragged over his palm.
“More than okay?” Pike’s laugh was deeper now, shakier too. “Can I kiss you?” He tugged Zack’s head closer with his free hand.
“Uh-huh,” Zack said against Pike’s lips before claiming his mouth. He might be struggling with making sense of all this, but whenever their lips connected, everything seemed to slide into perfect order. This, this was right where he was supposed to be right now, tongue tangling with Pike’s, hips snapping as their cocks fucked into their hands. He sucked on Pike’s lower lip, which made his whole body shudder.
“Fuck, I’m close,” Pike moaned, words coming out in staccato bursts.
“Me too.” Zack deepened the kiss, tongue mimicking the movements of his hips and hand.
Pike’s free hand skittered over Zack’s chest, slick fingers tweaking his nipple.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Almost there reached boiling over with a single flick of Pike’s finger against his sensitive flesh, and Zack’s cock erupted in long streams that had him leaning hard into the shower wall as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him, cleansing him of all his doubts and uncertainties for long, beautiful moments.
Pike grunted, a series of incoherent noises escaping his mouth as he too came. And man, Zack wanted to freeze time, capture how he felt with aftershocks coursing through him, how Pike’s face went slack with pleasure, how Pike leaned against him, letting Zack support them both. Trust. That’s what it was, and it was heady.
“Fuck.” The water went cold, hitting them both square in the face. And just like that, doubts slapped back into Zack. Everything had changed, nothing made sense and he didn’t have a plan on how to proceed.
Pike smiled at him, oblivious to Zack’s turmoil as he held out a towel. That. He had that smile of Pike’s, the one that seemed to lick at his insides and make his skin feel like he’d taken a nap outside in early spring. And maybe he couldn’t base a whole life plan around a smile, but it was something and it was a start.
Chapter Eleven
“I’m in the kitchen,” Pike called as he heard Zack coming in the front door. “There’s food.”
“You made dinner?” Zack’s face scrunched up adorably as he came into the kitchen. His long feet were bare as it was his habit to remove his boots and socks at the door along with his jacket, leaving him in camo pants and a white T-shirt that clung to his skin. Hello, hot SEAL porn to go with my marinara. “Do I have time for a shower?”
“Go. I’ll finish this while you shower.” Pike waved him on, knowing Zack wouldn’t relax until he was clean. And also, if Pike was very lucky, he’d get treated to shirtless SEAL porn after Zack emerged from the shower.
For whatever reason, Zack didn’t seem to like showering on base, usually heading straight for the one here at home as soon as he came in. And this was slowly but surely becoming home. Hell, they actually had a table now to have dinner on. Pike had found a cheap table and two chairs combo on craigslist from a dude with a truck who’d dropped it off a few day ago.
And having a real table to eat on seemed like a good enough reason to deviate from the pizza and instant food they both usually ate. So he’d broken out his mom’s pasta sauce recipe, the one that used whole tomatoes, real spices and sausage, and picked up a pack of the wide, flat fresh noodles she used when she wanted to be fancy. Like Pike, she didn’t exactly love to cook, but this dish was one she trotted
out when they had friends over.
He put the noodles on to boil when he heard the shower go on—alone, Zack never took a very long shower. Together...well, that was another story. They still hadn’t made it as far as a bed or even the couch yet, and certainly no “Honey, I’m home” kissing, but Pike had invited himself into Zack’s predinner shower two days ago and scored a repeat of last week’s shower jerkfest, luckily without the heavy talk before. Other than that, though, they had the weirdest friendship of Pike’s life going on.
He’d pretty much decided that the whole friends-with-secret-benefits thing meant that he had free rein to flirt and touch as much as he wanted as long as they were alone at the house here. Which Zack tolerated, and occasionally seemed to really like, but Zack didn’t initiate anything himself, despite giving off waves of Alpha-man vibes. They hung out together after Zack got home, working on house stuff or playing video games, but they went to bed alone, Pike’s innuendo-laced jokes aside, and they only really talked casual stuff.
But even with all the awkward sexual tension between them, Pike was turning into his damn cats, counting down until the man walked in the door, ready to wrap himself around his legs. He simply liked hanging out with the guy, liked having him around and liked doing things for him, like this dinner.
“That smells amazing.” Sure enough, Zack had pulled on jeans but no shirt. Still barefoot. Pike was developing a serious thing for those feet—long and narrow and frequently a bit banged up, a reminder of all the hard labor Zack put in on duty. If Pike had Zack’s kind of muscle definition, he’d never wear a shirt at home either. Hell, he’d just stand in front of a mirror, admiring himself.
Without being asked, Zack grabbed two plates and silverware and set the table, even pouring a glass of milk for himself and some water for Pike.
“Do you want to try painting after dinner?” Pike asked as he set the pasta dish on a hot pad between them. “I did all the taping when I got home for my room and the spare room.”
“Yeah, we can paint.” Zack helped himself to a portion of pasta that would easily feed a buffalo. Pike had already had enough meals with the guy to know that he could pack away food—all that nonstop activity. “But do you want to sleep in the paint fumes?”
“I could always join Gizmo.” Pike winked at him. The cat had taken up permanent residence on the end of Zack’s bed ever since his daring rescue. Ask me to sleep in your room. Ask. Pike tried to beam the suggestion at Zack but he continued eating, oblivious as always, not even cracking a smile. “Or I could bed down on the couch if it’s too heinous, but they got that low VOC paint for us to use.”
The senior chief’s smiling pregnant wife had dropped off an industrial-sized paint bucket and supplies a few days ago. The whole interior of the house would be done in the same off-white shade. She’d laughed heartily at Pike’s suggestion that they could add some color. Accent walls or something. But she’d said the same thing his mom always did. “We’re not on HGTV. Rentals and flips always sell better with plain walls.” Blech. When Pike got a place for real, he was totally painting something magenta, just for kicks.
“This food is incredible.” Zack was chowing down like his mealtime was timed—he was the fastest eater Pike knew, probably as a result of his military training, but at least he was appreciative. “Seriously. I had no idea you could actually cook. Thank you.”
Pike resisted the urge to preen. “It’s nothing. And to be honest, I had to call my mom twice for tips.”
“You guys are really close, huh?”
“Well, it’s always been just the two of us, so yeah, we’re kind of a team.”
“Have you told her about the house?” Zack’s tone was cautious.
“Of course. We were talking while I was taping earlier. She’s all into hearing about the rehab.” And you. But of course Pike wasn’t adding that part. Zack’s leery expression and slowed-down eating said that he wasn’t ready to hear that Pike had dished to his mom about how hot Zack was and how twisted up Pike was. “And better I talk about the house than bitching about my job.”
Zack’s hand stilled as he reached for seconds. “Job not going well? It’s not because of the house stuff, is it? Because you’ve been doing a lot—”
“That’s not it.” Pike’s body heated as if he’d cuddled into an electric blanket. It meant a lot that Zack had noticed his efforts to make headway on the rehab list and that Zack actually cared about Pike’s work. That had to count for something, right? “It’s just hard being the youngest guy in the department by about a decade, and I’m not sure my syllabus is any good, and I’m not sure my students are actually learning anything—never mind.” Jeez. What right did he have complaining about his job to a guy who endured quite literal torture for his?
But to his surprise, Zack gave a gentle smile as he took their now empty plates to the dishwasher. “No, tell me. I like hearing about your work. Vent away.”
And so Pike did, keeping up a steady ramble as they worked first in his room, then in the empty spare room. Zack was an excellent listener, and weirdly enough, the more Pike complained, the more relaxed Zack got, offering little suggestions here and there, but mainly just listening.
“Hell. I’m doing all the talking. Tell me about your day?” Pike wiped the sweat off his face with the bottom of his T-shirt. He didn’t miss the way Zack’s gaze dipped down to his stomach, so he pulled it up a little more than strictly necessary.
“I...uh...” Zack’s eyes were still riveted to Pike’s stomach.
“Eyes up top, sailor,” Pike joked.
Something dark and cloudy passed over Zack’s face and his relaxed stance shifted into a stiffer posture, one that shut Pike out again. “My day was okay. Nothing special.”
“Ha. Everything you do is special.” Pike tried to get Zack loosened back up, but the guy kept a white-knuckled grip on his paint roller.
“Not really. Inventory. PT. Meetings.” Zack shrugged. “Damn. I’m going to need a second shower before bed.”
Pike let the very obvious change in subject slide in favor of trying a different tactic to get Zack back to the friendly place they’d been moments earlier. “Me too. Wanna share? Water conservation and all?”
Zack was silent a long moment.
“Never mind.” Pike sighed. “You go first. I want to grab my pillow and blanket from my room—you were right about it reeking too much to sleep in there, even with the low VOC stuff. Luckily I’m not too tall for the couch, right?”
Zack’s body still radiated tension, but he nodded sharply, jaw firm, as if he’d come to some major conclusion. “No. My bed’s big enough. We could share.”
Hallelujah. Pike grinned at him, not even trying to hide his eagerness. “And water conservation?”
“You’ll make an environmentalist out of me yet.” Zack laughed, shoulders finally relaxing as he shoved Pike into the hall.
* * *
Zack was getting better at this whole sharing-a-shower thing. Third time showering with Pike, and he was downright efficient about getting the paint washed away, helping Pike to scrub the splatters from the back of his neck and tops of his arms, and otherwise not focusing on getting his rocks off.
Because that came next.
God help him, that came next. Because he’d invited Pike to share his bed, knowing full well that meant more than just sleeping. Maybe he was drunk on that amazing meat sauce that Pike had made for dinner. Maybe he was swindled by all that great conversation while they painted. He could seriously listen to Pike talk about the ins and outs of teaching for hours. He had a knack for capturing the students in his class or his colleagues and making them come alive. It got him out of his own head with Cobb and Harper and Danny and transported him to the Pike show, which, yeah, seemed full of drama, but it wasn’t his drama.
But maybe it wasn’t the food or the talking. Maybe it was
Pike—the way he smelled brushing by Zack for a paint refill, the sound of his voice as he told his stories, the creamy and freckled expanses of skin he revealed yanking on his shirt. Yeah, maybe Zack was, for possibly the first time in his life, super horny. He wanted Pike. Now. Tonight. They’d been creeping toward this all week, ever since their talk in the hall. Pike had given him space to sort himself out, which Zack appreciated even as he kinda wanted Pike to just force the issue of more sex, but he’d been locked in his own head long enough. It was time for some action.
“You gonna fall asleep in here?” Pike bumped Zack’s shoulder as he reached around him to shut off the shower.
“Nah.” Face heating, Zack grabbed a towel, handing one to Pike.
“Good.” Pike gave him that look again, the one with the narrowed eyes full of filthy promises and the sly smile that meant sex was on Pike’s brain.
For the first time, Zack returned the stare, really drinking in Pike’s lean form, his half-hard cock, the rounded curve of his ass, water glistening from his back muscles. And making sure Pike saw him looking.
Huh. The world didn’t implode. Pike didn’t get embarrassed or look away, instead seeming to invite more staring, stretching leisurely as he toweled off. Pike’s cock thickened more as Zack looked his fill.
“Jesus. You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to come on the rug before I even touch you.”
“Can’t have that.” Zack’s voice came out all rusty, this impulse to flirt grinding past years of restraint. “We’d have to wash the rug.”
“Bed. Now.” Pike grabbed Zack’s hand and hauled him toward his room.
“As you wish...” Zack dropped his hand and chased after him, easily scooping Pike up, who shouted as his towel fluttered to the floor. Laughing, Zack tossed a squirming Pike on the bed.
“Just gotta show off, right, Muscles?” Pike laughed as he made himself at home on Zack’s bed, flipping over to his stomach and stretching out on the white comforter. He patted the space next to him, like he was calling for one of the cats, neither of whom was anywhere to be seen.
Off Base Page 10
