There was also nothing in Zane’s file about losing his mother to an overdose or about him having a brother, so the things that Zach had told me about himself hadn’t helped me to prove anything one way or another.
I kissed Zach gently on the shoulder and carefully climbed out of bed, so I wouldn’t wake him. It was still early, and I wanted him to get some more sleep before we had to start work. I gathered my clothes and went into his bathroom to get dressed. I brushed my teeth with the extra toothbrush I’d left there and sprayed some of Zach’s deodorant under my arms.
My head had begun to pound, a product of the guilt and frustration I was feeling, so I grabbed a couple of ibuprofen tablets out of his medicine cabinet and washed them down with some water from the faucet. When I was finished, I slipped out of his cabin and began my morning run.
An hour later, I walked inside my cabin and peeled my sweaty clothes off, tossing them into the dirty laundry hamper. I started the shower and climbed in before it even had the chance to warm up. Usually, running helped clear my mind, allowing me to work out problems, but it had failed to help that time and I was left feeling more frustrated than ever.
I knew that once Zach found out, I would have to either leave him in peace or leave because he hated me. Both outcomes left me feeling like I was going to cry, or throw up, or both. No! My heart refused to even consider that. One way or another, I would have to make him understand that I didn’t do any of it to hurt him. And if he wanted to stay at the lake, then I would quit my job and stay there too, because walking away from him simply wasn’t an option.
I finished washing and then climbed from the shower and got dressed for work. When I was ready, I went to the kitchen and began making breakfast for me and Zach. I fried up some bacon and eggs with cheese and assembled them on toast for sandwiches. Then I poured some orange juice into a thermos and wrapped the sandwiches up in butcher paper.
It was a gorgeous morning, so I decided to walk over to his cabin instead of driving. I knocked on his door and heard him holler for me to come on in. I could hear him moving around in his room, so I laid the food on the table and went off in search of him.
“There you are, sleepyhead,” I teased.
Zach was still getting dressed, so I propped my shoulder against the doorframe and settled in to enjoy the view. I’d missed him pulling on his shorts but arrived just in time to see his bare chest and washboard stomach. He had several faded scars along his body and while I’d never asked him about them, I’d taken the time one night to kiss each and every one.
At first, he looked like he might bolt, and I’d worried that I’d crossed a line. But then, I’d watched as the look in his eyes changed, almost as if he couldn’t believe I was real and I knew that I’d done the right thing by going with my instincts.
Zach finished pulling his T-shirt over his head and looked up at me with a shy smile. I thought it was completely adorable that after everything we’d already done together, he would still feel shy around me.
“Hey! I’m sorry. I didn’t even hear you get up this morning. I must’ve been sleeping hard,” he said.
I stepped into the room and put my hands on his waist, pulling him towards me. It was still such a rush for me to be allowed to do that. I bent my head and nuzzled my nose into his neck, breathing in his fresh, clean scent. He scrunched his neck up as I found a ticklish spot and I smiled at the sound of his laughter.
“That’s okay. You needed the rest. Maybe I should stay away tonight so you can get a good night’s sleep,” I suggested.
“No!” Zach cried, wrapping his arms around my neck and bringing our foreheads together. “I don’t want to sleep without you by my side.”
My heart stuttered at his words. There had been several times when I’d seen a look in his eyes that made me think that Zach felt the same way I did, that he might possibly care about me as much as I cared about him. But he’d never said anything like this before and it made me feel like I’d just won the lottery. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him soundly, letting my lips convey the depths of my feelings for him. His eyes were unfocused by the time we ended the kiss and I smiled at him.
“I will spend every night with you, for as long as you want me there,” I whispered.
Zach nodded his head and backed away, clearing his throat. “We better get going before I strip you down and throw you back on that bed.”
“Ah, come on. That sounds like a much better idea,” I begged.
I groaned as he ran his palm over the bulge in my shorts. “If you work hard today, I promise to play very hard with you tonight.” He tossed me a wink and a teasing grin and then walked out of the room, leaving me with an aching cock and a serious case of blue balls.
We spent the day mowing the grass, weed-eating around the edges of the water and swimming in the lake as we trimmed the tall, reedy grasses that tended to ensnarl fishing lines. We joked with each other and flirted just enough to keep desire vibrating under the surface of our skin throughout the day. By the time we drove over to my cabin after work, neither one of us could keep our hands off each other.
We crashed through the front door, kissing as if our lives depended on it and I turned him, pressing his back against the wall. I ground my hips against him, rubbing our clothed cocks together as we clawed at each other, trying to get our clothes off as quickly as possible.
When we were fully naked, I lifted him up and he wrapped his legs around me as I carried him down the hallway to the bathroom. I set him down long enough to turn on the shower and then I pulled him under the water with me. We took turns soaping each other, the feel of slick hands running over bare skin only serving to increase our desire.
I turned Zach, rinsing him under the spray as I continued kissing him and then I heard him take a sharp breath as I sank to my knees in front of him. His cock was long and slender as it reached towards his navel and the head was red at the tip where pre-cum dribbled from the slit.
“Put your hands on the walls,” I instructed. Zach whimpered his excitement, but he did as he was told.
Once he was secure, I grabbed his hips and sank my mouth down his length. His salty-sweet flavor burst on my tongue, making me moan. I used my hands to pull him towards me, taking more and more of him with each slide until my lips were securely fastened around the base of his cock and my nose was pressed against his pelvis.
I held still, swallowing around him. I loved the feel of his dick stretching my throat. I opened my eyes and peered up at him. His head was tilted down, and he was staring at me with his mouth opened in a silent O. I finally pulled off of him when my lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. I reached for the bottle of soap and slicked the fingers of one hand. Zach’s legs began to shake as he watched me.
“Easy, baby. I’ve got you. Hold on tight,” I said.
I waited until his grip had tightened against the shower walls and then I lifted one of his legs and placed it over my shoulder. I held onto his thigh, making sure he wouldn’t fall as I sucked him back into my mouth. With my soapy hand, I reached between his legs and began rubbing circles over his eager hole.
Zach groaned above me, and his head dropped back, his face looking up towards the ceiling. Lowering my face, I rubbed my tongue over his balls while slowly working one finger inside him. His hips moved, swiveling in an erotic dance and I added another finger, twisting and turning my wrist to coax him open.
I sucked his cock back into my mouth and crooked my finger, rubbing over that spongy spot deep inside him. Zach shouted, the sound echoing off the walls of the shower as hot spurts of cum filled my mouth. I drank it down hungrily, savoring every salty drop he gave me before I licked him clean.
I gently removed my fingers from him and then stood, kissing my way back up his body as I went. Zach was trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm, but he threw his arms around my neck and kissed me long and hard. He hummed in my mouth as he tasted himself on my tongue. After I’d cleaned up, I turned the water off and reache
d for a towel to dry us.
Zach grabbed for my hand as soon as we were done and led me to the bedroom. As we neared the bed, he turned me and pushed me down on the mattress. He followed me onto the bed and straddled my waist, then began rocking back and forth on top of me. I groaned at the feel of my cock sliding through the snug crack of his ass.
I reached up and slid my hand behind his neck, tugging him down for a hungry kiss. My tongue searched his mouth, tasting him, and getting lost in everything that was Zach. I growled when he started to pull away.
“Don’t worry. I’m not done with you yet. I just need to grab the supplies,” he promised.
He reached above me and pulled a condom and lube out of the bedside drawer. We’d begun leaving supplies at each of our houses, so we would never be without. I held my breath as he slid the condom down my shaft and then slicked it with lube. He was so breathtakingly sexy as he leaned up on his knees and reached behind him to prepare himself that there was no way I could keep my hands off him.
I teased his nipples, pinching them between my thumb and forefinger until they stood in two erect points. My hands glided down over his flat stomach, the soft hairs of his treasure trail tickling my palms. Then they moved down to the juncture of his legs, kneading and massaging the delicate skin of his inner thighs. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else in the world could be more perfect for me.
Zach raised up, stretching behind him for my cock and angled it up to where his entrance waited. Slowly, carefully, he began to lower himself onto my cock. My jaw clenched as I fought the overwhelming urge to punch my hips and slam up into him. There was no way I would ever hurt him though, so I bit my lip instead and dug my fingers into his hips.
We both sighed when he finally sat flush on top of me and he shivered above me. His eyes were heavy-lidded, and his pupils were blown wide with arousal. His palms landed on top of my chest and I threw my head back as he slowly began to rock.
“Jeremy,” he whispered, sounding desperate.
My eyes flew open and I saw his vulnerability. I was familiar with the feeling because I’d felt it nearly every time we’d made love; the need to feel tethered when I felt like I was about to fly apart. I reached my hands up to him and he clasped them tightly in his own, locking our fingers together. Holding on to me, he began to lift his hips, sliding up and down my shaft. He tightened his inner walls each time he sank back down, and I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts, sure I would lose my mind if I didn’t get to come soon.
I held onto his hips, guiding his movements and increasing our pace as we both raced towards a blissful release. Zach’s body bowed on top of me and his fingernails dug into my hands as he threw his head back with a scream. White-hot streams of cum shot out of his cock, landing on my chest and hitting my chin.
His hole quivered and spasmed around my cock, gripping me tightly and sending me plummeting over the edge. I saw flashes of light behind my closed eyelids and I let out a strangled scream as I came. I was shaking everywhere, and I felt lightheaded as I floated back down to earth.
Zach lifted himself off of me and gently removed the condom from my softening dick. He tossed it into the garbage can next to the bed and then crawled up my body, licking his cum from my chest. He licked the cum that had splashed onto my chin and then he kissed me, sharing his flavor with me. I sucked on his tongue greedily.
I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, breathing in the warm, intoxicating scent of my lover. Zach burrowed against me, as if he couldn’t get close enough and my arms tightened around him, securing him to me. That, to me, was heaven. Arms around each other, skin against skin, feeling his heart beating the same rhythm as mine as we breathed in tandem.
“Why did we wait so long to start doing this?” Zach murmured in my ear.
“It wasn’t all that long. We had to get to know each other first,” I reminded him.
“Feels like I was waiting a lifetime,” he whispered.
He said it so quietly that I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear it, but my heart expanded so much that I thought it was going to burst right out of my chest. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I loved him, but my stomach chose that moment to growl, making us both laugh and effectively killing the mood.
“Come on, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving and apparently you are too.” He sat up and climbed off of me then tugged me up into a sitting position.
We cleaned up together then threw on some shorts. Zach had to borrow a pair of mine since his were dirty from working. They were big on him and kept sliding down over his hips, but I thought it was sexy as hell and the fact that he was wearing my clothes awakened the primal side of me.
We made our way to the kitchen and I began pulling the ingredients out for chicken fajitas. Zach took the peppers and onions from me and pulled the cutting board and knife out of the drawers. Conversation flowed between us as he chopped the vegetables and I cooked the chicken.
It occurred to me how domestic and perfect things were between us and my stomach coiled into a tight knot. I knew that I would have to talk to him soon. I needed to lay everything out on the line and tell him why I was really there, while also finding out, once and for all, if he really was Zane.
Zach walked up beside me and used the knife to slide the chopped vegetables into the pan. He smiled and leaned up with his lips puckered. I met him for a quick kiss and then watched him as he walked back and started cleaning up his mess.
He looked over his shoulder and winked at me when he caught me staring, and I pasted on what I hoped was a believable grin. How in the hell can I risk losing this? What if he decides to end everything and walk away? How can I possibly survive that when he owns my entire heart?
Zach and I ate dinner together and then curled up on the couch to watch a little TV before bed. He snuggled into my side and I put my arm around him, letting my thumb rub over his shoulder as we watched people compete against each other to finish grueling obstacle courses in the shortest amount of time.
During a commercial break, I turned to look at him. Zach was chewing at his bottom lip and his fingers were gripping the edge of the couch. It was then that I noticed the tense set of his shoulders and the glazed look in his eyes as he stared off in the distance, lost in his own thoughts. I was concerned, so I reached out with my hand and turned his face towards mine.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked softly. Zach looked startled. A second later, his eyes cleared, and he let go of the couch, giving me a sheepish grin.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have some stuff on my mind and I didn’t realize I’d drifted off,” he explained.
“Alright. Well, I’m a pretty good listener if you want to talk about it.” Zach gave me a genuine smile then.
“Thank you,” he said.
I stared at him for several seconds, still holding onto his chin. I could see that something was weighing on him, but I wasn’t going to push. He’d talk to me when he was ready. I leaned in, instead, and brushed my lips over his. My tongue slipped out and licked over his bottom lip, coaxing him to open his mouth to me. He did without any hesitation and I deepened the kiss, my hand sliding around to cup the back of his head.
After several minutes, we ended the kiss and Zach leaned back with a contented sigh, his breath ghosting across my face. I placed another kiss on his forehead and then he rested his head on my shoulder as we went back to watching the show.
When it had ended, Zach stretched his arms over his head and yawned. I grabbed the remote and flicked the TV off then stood up and held my hand out to him. I pulled him up and kissed the side of his head.
“Why don’t you go on in and get ready for bed. I’ll be in there in a minute.” He nodded and then turned and left the room. I watched him go and then I walked around, turning off lights and locking the door. When I was finished, I joined him in the bathroom and stood next to him in front of the mirror, brushing our teeth.
I loved doing even
the simplest of things with him. It had only been a little over a month since we’d met, but already, I had trouble remembering a time when he hadn’t been in my life. Maybe it was the fact that we spent every minute of every day together, but it felt as if we’d always known each other and Zach had quickly become the most important person in my life. I loved him, plain and simple.
Zach stripped out of his shorts and climbed in between the sheets. I switched the light off and then slid in beside him, reaching in the dark for him and pulling his body close to mine. He wrapped an arm around me and laid his head on my chest. It was quiet in the room. I sifted my fingers through Zach’s hair, listening as his breathing slowed and evened out, signaling that he’d fallen asleep. I drifted off shortly after.
A few hours later, I was jolted awake by the sound of a high-pitched keening, almost like a wounded animal. Zach was no longer curled up against me and I sat up, turning the lamp on next to the bed. It didn’t take me long to figure out the cause of the noise. Zach was lying on his side at the opposite edge of the bed. His legs were tucked tightly against his chest and his arms covered his head as he sobbed uncontrollably. The sound broke my heart and I reached for him instinctively. He jerked away from me though, nearly falling out of bed.
“Don’t touch me, you bastard,” he screamed at the top of his lungs. Spit flew from his mouth and his eyes, while open, were wild and unfocused. I realized then that he was in the clutches of a terrible nightmare.
Found_Hamilton's Heroes series_Book 1 Page 12
