by Solet, Trina
Zack laughed a little. Mark didn’t.
"I see what he was talking about now. I'm sure you know you did the right thing. Al is such a nightmare sometimes."
"I could have handled it better," Mark said always ready to take responsibility.
"How? You did fine. Al will get over it faster than you think. Anyway, you have my vote. That's what counts."
Mark gave him an irresistible look that mixed gratitude and something else. Zack wondered if he was made of stone to have resisted him all this time.
"Plus Al adores you," Zack said.
"I’m not so sure."
"I am. I know because he takes you completely for granted," Zack explained.
"That’s your proof?" Mark was still doubting him.
"There’s no greater proof. You’re like a fixture."
Mark stared at him like he was crazy, but Zack didn’t buy it. There was a smile hiding under there.
"You know I’m right. Now I’ll go give Al a lecture about safely interacting with dogs," Zack said.
"You are going to bake him write a big sorry, aren’t you," Mark predicted correctly.
Having gotten the facts, Zack went to talk to Al. He was pouting about it even before Zack made him write the sorry.
"I hate Mark," Al declared.
"Do you? So when we go to the beach house, we should leave Mark at home?" Zack asked him.
"No!" Al said immediately, his eyes growing wide at the idea of leaving Mark behind.
"Maybe he would like to stay home by himself."
"No, he wouldn’t. He has to come."
"I thought you hated him," Zack said.
"I do," Al said with absolutely no conviction.
"Then he can stay home, and we’ll go without him."
"No!" Al protested vehemently.
"Oh, just admit you like him," Zack urged him.
"No."
In the face of Al stubborn denials despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Zack wondered what he would say if this conversation was taking place in reverse. Would he be admitting how much he liked Mark? If the question came up, Zack suspected he wouldn’t be winning any prizes for honesty. All he knew was how much he was looking forward to their time at the beach.
Chapter 22
When they went to the beach, PJ had to be left at home. Zack set aside a big block of time for Al to say goodbye to her. Again Zack had to explain that taking her to the beach house was too risky. Al seemed to expect a last minute change of heart and kept begging to be allowed to take her. Having to leave her made the first part of the trip sad for him. He kept waving out the window even after the house was out of sight.
They took the scenic route, stopping on the way so many times, Zack thought they would never get there. Finally the shore was in sight. All of them looked at the view of the sea excitedly. Zack made Al pick out the house among all the others. He made a few wrong guesses, but he knew it when they arrived. They parked, and Zack watched Mark’s reaction. He took it all in with a faint, blissful smile on his face. The house was simple and white with a big porch facing the ocean. Al clambered out of the car, desperate to move around.
"My butt got smooshed," Al complained, and he walked around aimlessly just to stretch his legs. Then he was in a hurry to go into the water.
"We’re going to be spending ninety percent of our vacation time applying sunscreen on that child," Zack groused. He had bought a ton of it.
They moved their stuff in and assigned bedrooms. Al never stopped jumping up and down to be allowed to go to the beach.
"Let's go! Let's go, you slow pokes!" he demanded.
"Where's this speed when we need to get you to school?" Zack asked.
Then when Zack was in his swim trunks, Al had his usual commentary.
"Look at the hairy beast!" Al said pointing at his father.
While Al made fun of him, Zack was determined not to look straight at Mark. All he knew about what he looked like was that he was wearing blue and white Hawaiian print swim trunks. Zack was determined to take in the sight of him gradually. Getting used to seeing his muscled legs with the dark hair first, he would work his way up his body in increments. That way he wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Mark couldn’t help being beautiful, and Zack couldn’t handle taking in the sight of him all at once.
As they walked toward the shoreline with towels under their arms, Al announced his plan.
"Mark is going to teach me to swim," Al said.
"I’m going to teach you," Zack said. He had already taught him a little bit, but apparently that wasn’t good enough.
"No. Mark will do it," Al insisted.
"Why Mark and not me?" Zack whined.
"You're iffy."
"Iffy? Iffy?"
Al nodded sagely. Zack didn’t even want to know what he meant by that. Seeing that things were only going to go from bad to worse, he gave up.
"Here. He’s all yours," Zack said to Mark peevishly as he handed him Al’s water-wings. "Teach this ego destroying child how not to drown."
"I think I’ll teach him how to swim. It sounds less morbid," Mark proposed.
"You can teach me both," Al said to Mark.
Since Al was in Mark’s capable hands, Zack swam out far from shore then back. It worried him to be away from Al especially on a beach with no life guard. Though he did like not being whistled at for going so far out. As he came back, he sat on the edge of the water and watched Al swimming with Mark’s help. He was deliberately keeping Mark on the edge of his field of vision as he admired Al’s progress. It wouldn't be right to stare at Mark outright, but this way he was just a blurry outline. Still, Zack could see him move, the characteristic motion that identified him as much as anything about him. When he moved he moved very quickly, but he could also be very still and calm. Zack could even tell when he was concentrating because the way he focused and paid attention whether to a person or a thing was also unique to him. Zack wished he could just turn his back, ignore him or even better, stare at him openly, gorge on the sight of him. But he was compelled to ration short glimpses of him in the water, with wet hair, droplets of water on his skin, and the ocean sparkling around him as it reflected the sun. He allowed himself at leas that much, just to take this little pleasure.
In the afternoon, they went for a walk into town. They planned to eat dinner somewhere afterward. The promenade along the beach was crowded with everyone who had the same idea. Zack was on the phone so he hung back. Observing Mark and Al in a new environment as they walked ahead of him, Zack saw them in a new way. They didn't really look alike, but they had more in common than Zack did with either of them. They both had dark eyes, though Mark's were darker as was his hair. They were both of mixed parentage. He didn't think that Mark could pass for Al's father though, maybe a young uncle.
But Joey, the guy who ran the little beachside snack bar made a different connection. They went up to the bar because Al wanted one of their crazy smoothies with ten kinds of fruit sticking out of it.
"After dinner," Zack promised him. As Mark and Al moved off to pick out smoothies for later, Joey came close to talk to Zack. He had gotten to know Zack and Al from their previous trips. After some chatter about the weather, how long they were staying, and local gay gossip, he indicated Mark.
"I see you finally got yourself a boyfriend. Good for you. It's about time."
Before he could congratulate him any more, Zack interrupted him.
"He is Al's nanny."
"With benefits?" he asked.
"No."
"Then I’ll get the word out that he’s available," he threatened.
"Don’t," Zack practically growled.
Joey said a knowing "Aha" as he moved off to attend to another customer.
Zack wondered how many people made the assumption that they were together. Where they so much like a couple? It had been so long since he had been a part of one that Zack didn’t know. He didn’t really mind. More and more often, he wished it was true. As he walke
d away with Mark and Al, Zack could see what other people saw. They were a happy couple vacationing with their little boy.
Mark wasn’t sure what to expect of the place. The street that ran behind the beach house was half covered with sand. The neighborhood was quiet with houses spaced out along the beach at good intervals. Further on there were some small hotels that looked like they had been around for decades. There weren’t too many people around, but it wasn’t lonely either.
The Mishima’s beach house was painted white with a slightly weather beaten look like you would expect of a house facing the ocean. Inside, the wood beams were also painted white but looked brighter of course. It wasn’t a large house, but it looked comfortable with a small kitchen and living room plus the three bedrooms. The décor was blue and gray and sort of impersonal. There were no family photos anywhere. It made Mark wonder about Yuka’s parents. But all thoughts left Mark’s head when he saw Zack dressed for the beach. Mark could see why Al called him the hairy beast. Zack had a nice amount of hair over his chest, arms and legs. His back was free of hair and muscular. Mark found his golden body hair incredibly attractive in a devastatingly masculine way. He had to force himself to look away from him. But he saw flashes of his skin, his arms flexing, his broad, well defined chest. It was like someone had made him out of Mark’s secret dreams.
Spending time with Zack on the beach was a kind of sweet torture. Too much of him was visible, and his body was even more attractive than Mark had imagined while he admired him with his clothes on. Zack was now kneeling by the water’s edge helping Al build a "sand-house for animals" as Al called it. Al was trying to tell Zack what to do while Zack teased him constantly. Mark noticed the wet sand that had stuck to Zack in places. His back was taught, with muscles rippling as he moved. Zack’s legs were nicely muscled with light brown hair making them furry.
Mark watched Zack's muscles move, drinking in the sight of so much of Zack exposed under the sun. His brain was short-circuiting from the sudden overload. Mark got an immediate hard-on at the thought of running his hands over those legs. Now he would have to sit there until it went away. Damn that Zack for having that body. Mark just wanted to push him down in the sand and ride him for all he was worth, damn him.
It wasn’t much easier later. Zack wore jeans and a t-shirt, but he still looked too sexy. Mark noticed the bulge of his biceps half revealed by the t-shirt sleeves and also his ass in those jeans. Mark swore he would look at anything but him, but his eyes wouldn’t obey him. They kept returning to Zack’s body. It didn’t help when Zack turned to face him and flashed those bright, blue eyes at him. His eyes weren’t like the sea or like the sky. They were somewhere in-between, where sea and sky meet and seem to touch.
Later on, when Mark was in bed, he couldn’t stop thinking about Zack. All the day’s images accumulated to torment him. Zack’s dark blond hair was tussled by the sea and the wind. He was already a little more tanned, and his eyes were bluer than ever. He was so vivid in Mark’s mind. It was like he could touch him. But he could only touch himself as he had done so many times while thinking of Zack.
The house had no air-conditioning, and a sea scented breeze came in through the screened windows. Mark wasn’t restless because of the heat. The ticking of the clock in Mark’s room was too loud. The ticking seemed to be telling him that time was short. They only had a week here. He had to make his move now. This time away from home seemed golden, fated for taking action.
The sound of the waves whispering against the shore came in faintly. Mark stood up like a sleepwalker. He didn’t think. He just moved. First he made sure Al was asleep. Then without knocking, he walked into Zack’s room. Zack didn't stir as Mark locked the door behind him. The sheet was off to the side. The room was lit by moonlight as was Zack’s body. He looked so breathtaking. As Mark sat on the bed, it was more like he dropped there because he couldn’t stand. Zack woke up immediately.
"Al is asleep. I checked," Mark said as he lowered the waistband of the shorts Zack slept in. He watched Zack's chest rise and fall with breaths growing deeper, faster. Mark leaned down and took Zack’s already hardening cock in his mouth. The organ was beautiful, large. It tasted of the sea and of Zack. It was perfect. He felt Zack's whole body rise seeking the warmth of his mouth. But soon Zack made himself stay still, leaving his needs at Mark’s mercy. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark saw Zack’s mouth open, but he stopped any sound from coming out. Then Mark closed his eyes to savor him. He felt Zack's arm go across his back. His hand caressed Mark’s side and he shivered.
"If you don't slow down, I won't last," Zack warned him. His voice was deep and intoxicating, but Mark listened to his words. He had let his own excitement get the better of him. He forced himself to ease off, not to suck so hard and fast. That way they could both enjoy it longer. The gentler sucking and licking made Zack come soon enough. Mark’s whole body shook as he drank him in. It was heaven.
He sat up still swallowing. Now that this essential thing was over, Mark looked to Zack for what would happen next. He worried that Zack would throw him out.
Zack sat up and pulled Mark close to him. He stared into his eyes. Then he wrapped his arms around him. He seemed to be waiting. For a while Mark didn't know for what. He couldn't think. Then Zack pulled him even closer but still did nothing else. Then Mark understood what he wanted and kissed him so deeply he couldn't breathe. He thought he would drown in that kiss. Kissing him hard enough to push Zack flat on his back, Mark lay on top of him so he could spread his kisses everywhere. Mark groaned as he stripped off his own shorts, hating to take time away from Zack's body. He wanted to devour him. Now that Mark was naked, Zack’s hand searched his body. Finding his ass, Zack fondled him. Then he reached between their bodies to Mark’s erection. Mark pushed his hand away. If Zack took hold of him, he would come in seconds. Zack had strong beautiful hands. He used them to draw Mark up to him for a kiss on the mouth. Zack knew how to kiss. He kissed like no one else, sweet and intense, deep and soulful. His lips and tongue moved from Mark’s mouth down to his neck. Then Zack was kissing his chest, all the while his strong arms held Mark.
"God, you’re beautiful," Zack said, and Mark couldn’t believe his ears. He wanted to tell Zack that he was the one who deserved those words. But he was too busy holding back the louder noises that threatened to escape from him as Zack kissed lower and lower.
Zack’s mouth traveled down his body. His tongue dipped into his navel. Zack rubbed his face against the hairs leading him down to Mark’s cock. Licking him gently, he teased the head. Then Zack sucked him in deep. The heat and the warmth of his mouth as it closed around him were a welcoming joy. Zack didn’t suck long before Mark’s whole body tensed and come shot into his mouth. Mark loved the sight of Zack sucking him to the last drop then throwing his head back.
"How can you taste so good?" Zack said. He looked at Mark almost like he was expecting some kind of answer. Then he kissed him, and they were rolling on the bed, their hands all over each other.
Mark awoke in Zack's arms startled by a noise. Zack was awake too now.
"Crap! Al," Mark said as he scrambled out of bed and looked around for his shorts. The noise he heard was Al fumbling in the bathroom. After dressing quickly, Mark poked his head outside Zack's bedroom door cautiously. He couldn't see Al though he could still hear him. He snuck out of Zack's room without being seen and went to his room without even a backwards look at Zack. That was probably for the best. Mark knew he had kind of made a fool of himself. First by going into Zack's room, then with the way he had acted in his bed. He wanted it to at least be a brief, calm, dispassionate encounter, just to satisfy his lust for Zack. But once he got a taste of him, he couldn't stop. With embarrassment, he remembered how much he had kissed and licked him, how much he had moaned. Zack returned a lot of that, but he was only following Mark's lead, and it was Mark who was out of control. Mark wondered if showing him that side of himself, that sex crazed idiot, he had jeopardized everything he had wit
h Zack and Al.
Zack’s first thought had been to worry that some sort of emergency had brought Mark to his bedroom in the middle of the night. The tone of his voice, more than his words, told Zack that this was something else. Soon Mark’s intentions were clear, expressed so directly and simply that Zack could only accept what he was given. As Mark freed his cock, Zack had no choice but to welcome his touch. He had a sense of inevitability, of things finally falling into place. Mark’s mouth was where his cock was meant to be.
Afterward, looking into Mark’s eyes had been a revelation. They were dark and deep, almost bottomless. They pulled him in with their beauty and gave him a feeling of acceptance, belonging, a sense of forever. He could only tear himself from them because Mark’s mouth demanded his kiss, and then his whole body called for Zack’s mouth all over it. Zack wanted to know his body, to touch and taste it. Mark was perfection, both chiseled and smooth. It was like someone had gift wrapped an angel in muscled, irresistible flesh. His cock was glistening, perfectly ripe, begging to be tasted. At first, Zack only dared to lick him, afraid he couldn’t hold back and would suck him dry in a second. Mark’s cock stood out from his dark hair, a perfect column of flesh, weighty, thick, beautiful. Taking it into his mouth, Zack felt he had reached a summit and to go higher from there he had to fly. Sucking Mark was like nothing else he had ever experienced. He was torn between never wanting it to end and wanting to see Mark come. As he came, Zack felt he had worshiped him and been rewarded. The two of them hardly paused to lock eyes before they were all over each other. Zack was surprised when he woke up, not by the noise, but because he hadn’t fallen asleep by choice. As long as he could look at Mark, he never wanted to close his eyes.
Chapter 23
Despite his doubts, that night had been the best of his life. After Mark slipped out so Al wouldn’t see him, Zack felt blissful as he remembered how they had loved each other. He could still feel the warmth and the weight of Mark in his arms.
