Page 23 of Fear of Flying
Zach was blushing, and it was both arousing and adorable. “Ahh, you don’t really... you don’t want to get me going about the rescue because then next thing you know, I’ll be telling you all the fun day-to-day details about cleaning the kennels, and... yeah, you’d be surprised what goes on behind the scenes—”
“Actually...” Drew cut in, and Zach’s gaze darted up to find Drew’s. “I, uh... That’s what I spend my weekends doing—well, not this weekend, but when I’m home. I volunteer at a local shelter, mostly walking the dogs and cleaning the kennels.”
“Y-you’re joking . . .”
Drew shook his head, his heart doing all sorts of gymnastics in his chest as a slow smile spread across his face. “I guess we have a few things in common.”
Chapter Ten
Zach
“And so then, Jen’s just standing there, staring down this bullmastiff that’s gotta weigh more than her and is almost half as tall. His whole demeanor changes, and you can just see how his muscles go more slack, his hackles go down, and he does the head tilt thing as if he’s trying to assess whether or not he has a chance at winning this standoff.” Zach tilted his head in Drew’s lap to help illustrate his point. “Then he sits, she gives him a nod of approval, and—I shit you not—she holds out the loop of the slip leash and says, ‘You gonna wear this?’... and he walks right into it and follows her to the van.”
“Oh my god, I’m not sure I believe that!” Drew laughed, mostly in astonishment. “But you’re serious?” His eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked down at Zach.
“I’m dead serious, and you can even see it on YouTube because one of the guys recorded the whole rescue on his phone! We went viral at the time, actually,” Zach said, puffing his chest out with a bit of pride. Drew’s hand was still on Zach’s chest, his thumb stroking in a wide arc every so often, making Zach’s pulse race.
“So is she like some dog whisperer extraordinaire, then, performing all rescues with such dramatic flair?” There was a hint of a tease in Drew’s voice as he added, “Does she wear a cape?”
“Hah! She wishes!” Zach shook with laughter at the mental image, then sobered a bit. “But actually, she tried that shit on the very next rescue, and it most definitely didn’t work. That said, she is pretty great at rescuing dogs, meeting them wherever they’re at—like if they’re chained and aggressive or caged and fearful? She does seem to have a way with dogs that some of the rest of us don’t.”
“I mean, I guess I don’t doubt it—the woman did, after all, scare the crap out of me and make me promise not to hurt you.” Drew grinned down at him.
Zach reached up to his own neck and traced his fingers over the tender spot on his skin. “I wonder if she’ll let you off the hook for this hickey, though,” he teased.
Drew’s laughter seemed to cause a sort of rippling echo through Zach’s chest, the sounds translating into sparks and waves of warmth and affection and desire. God, this feeling he’d had for the last hour or so, this blend of comfortable and delightfully on edge, it was refreshing and exciting and just... fuck, it was more than a little perfect.
Zach lifted his hand to touch Drew’s face, needing to feel again that he was here and real. He cupped Drew’s cheek and stroked gently with his thumb. And for a minute, they just stared into each other’s eyes while the air in the room seemed to become a hell of a lot more scarce. Finally, Zach let out a huff and sucked in a deep breath, allowing his hand to slide down from Drew’s face to his chest as he shook himself mentally.
“But, um, yeah,” Zach fumbled, trying to steer them back to the conversation, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. “Jen, she’s a really good judge of character with people too. That’s why, um, even though this is kinda scary, whatever this is between us, it’s easier to trust. Without Jen, I might have been doubting this feeling I’m having...” He pressed his fingers gently into Drew’s chest, imagining he could feel Drew’s heartbeat thrumming just as fast as his own. He blinked and lowered his eyes for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to all the years he’d spent waiting, wondering. But now...
Zach lifted his gaze to Drew’s, a slow smile spreading across his face as he saw the kindness and compassion in Drew’s expression.
“What is it?” Drew asked, his voice soft and his free hand moving to trace lightly over Zach’s brow.
“I was just thinking, wondering how it is I’m lying here with you after years of being so alone.” Zach let his hand slide down farther, down to cover Drew’s hand on his own chest, and pressed on both, maybe hoping Drew could feel his heart beating too. “I always tried to make myself go out to clubs and bars and stuff. Sometimes with Jen and sometimes with other friends. And I always wondered why no one ever— It, um, seemed like everyone else always got hit on, asked to dance, bought drinks, but I never did. Jen tried to tell me once—gently and with so much love—maybe it was my confidence, that guys liked guys who were confident, that maybe my anxiety was showing through too much, making me less approachable, less attractive... or something.”
“Ahh, yeah,” Drew said, then let out a heavy sigh. “I can imagine how hard that was to hear.”
Zach just nodded silently.
“But for what it’s worth...” Drew started, pausing and shifting and encouraging Zach to sit up. When they were both upright again and facing each other, Drew brought his hands up to Zach’s face. His fingers caressed lightly, almost as though he were mapping out Zach’s features. “For what it’s worth, Zach, you are very attractive, with and without your anxiety.”
Zach’s breath hitched, and this feeling of warmth and belonging, and maybe years’ worth of relief too, flooded through him, making his heart feel somehow light and full at the same time. His hands went to the back of Drew’s neck, tugging Drew’s lips to his own, and then there was magic again and fireworks.
All Zach wanted to do was melt into Drew and be a part of him, never let him go. Drew’s warm, silky lips and tongue moved against Zach’s like they’d been practicing for so much longer than just a few hours. Like it was always meant to be this way. Drew’s mouth slanted against his, and every move, every caress of his lips seemed like Drew was trying to tell him how he felt without any words.
At Drew’s whimper, Zach tore away for just a second to get more air before his mouth was back on Drew’s again. He leaned in, their bodies shifting, and he moaned in approval when Drew’s hands traveled down his chest and to his hips, tugging him, lifting him so that he was straddled over Drew’s hips again. Another moan escaped Zach as he felt Drew’s erection so hard beneath him, now without the thick barrier of jeans and cargo pants.
Drew broke the kiss, closing his eyes and groaning deeply, then tried to catch his breath. Zach could feel his own pulse racing, pounding in his ears and throbbing deep in his groin. “I like it here,” Zach rasped, rocking his hips slightly to put more pressure on Drew’s rock-hard dick.
“Yeah?” Drew rested his forehead against Zach’s as his hands dipped below Zach’s waistband, his fingers pressing and kneading into Zach’s backside. “Is this okay?”
Zach nodded. “Very.”
For a while, all Zach could hear was their moans and whimpers and labored breathing, and everything felt so... oh god, it was so...
“Incredible. You’re incredible,” Zach panted as Drew moved his lips down to explore Zach’s neck, his hands restless on the bare skin of Zach’s ass, wandering over his muscles and tugging him closer still.