Page 45 of Fear of Flying

Zach felt the mattress sink and shift slightly, and he peeked over the tips of his fingers in Drew’s direction. His lover’s eyes danced with mischief, and the sight of him crawling closer wearing only his boxer briefs was...

Zach bit the corner of his bottom lip and felt a warm flush flow through him. “Hi,” he said cautiously.

Drew came to sit beside Zach and fixed him with what was maybe supposed to be a mock-admonishing expression, but he wasn’t quite pulling it off. “‘Zachary,’ huh? Are you in trouble for being up past your bedtime?”

Zach sputtered with laughter, which only caused Drew to do the same, the sound filling his heart with joy. When they’d exhausted themselves, his eyes found Drew’s, and he seemed to be regarding Zach with some kind of awe or amazement, like Zach was something extraordinary. His heart skipped a beat.

“What?” Zach murmured, his eyes darting down to Drew’s lips and back.

“You’re incredible. Remarkable.” Drew didn’t take his eyes off Zach as he leaned in, his lips getting closer and closer to Zach’s. “It’s your turn in the bathroom, Zachary,” Drew said, and Zach wasn’t sure what kind of tone he’d been shooting for, but he had nailed Sexy Bedroom Voice.

“God, say my name again like that.”

Drew’s lips curled in a sensual grin, and Zach would swear his eyes had darkened. “Zachary.”

Fuck, it was like some delicious blend of sexy and absurd, and Zach was here for it. All of it. Forever.

Chapter Twenty-One

Drew

After Zach had finished getting ready for bed, and after they’d snuggled back up under the covers wearing only their boxer briefs, and after they’d continued talking for at least another hour, it was definitely past time for them to go to sleep. But they both couldn’t seem to get enough of each other, just talking about all sorts of things—things that seemed inconsequential in the grand scheme of existence but that made Drew fall even more in love with Zach. The more he learned about Zach—who he was, his likes and dislikes, his sense of humor, his passions—the stronger Drew’s feelings grew.

And the stronger his feelings grew, the more he realized how freeing it all was. That realization had almost knocked the breath right out of him, except that Zach had been laughing about something at the time, and the sound of Zach’s laugh had anchored his heart there, steadying him.

Drew had never felt comfortable being himself, not even at home growing up, where his parents knew he was gay and loved him anyway, despite it all.

But Zach . . . Zach just loved him. Him.

“What is it?” Zach asked, his voice soft and curious.

Drew realized he’d been staring instead of listening, but his heart was so full of emotion, he’d gotten lost again. Always lost but always found. “You make me feel like I can fly,” he blurted out.

The slight crease that appeared in Zach’s brow made Drew’s breath catch, and for a second, he was worried that he’d said something wrong or too much, though they’d shared far more intimate moments than this. But Zach let out a short huff, and that gorgeous smile of his appeared.

“You know that’s not a compliment for someone who’s got a serious fear of flying, right?”

Drew reached up to rest his hand on Zach’s stubbled cheek and then ran his thumb along its slight roughness. “Well, coming from someone who dreams of flying like Superman, it’s like the best compliment,” he countered, his voice sounding thready even to his own ears.

“Apparently, it’s the safest way to travel,” Zach said, and he turned his head slightly to kiss Drew’s palm as a grin tugged at his lips.

“Statistically.” Drew nodded, feeling as though his heart might burst.

“At least in 1978,” Zach said, his eyes dancing with mirth, though there was a sliver of anxiety there too. “God, my pillow talk is really on point. Very sexy.” His gentle laugh sounded slightly self-conscious.

“So sexy.” Drew dragged his thumb along Zach’s cheek again, his heart almost aching. He wanted to tell Zach that everything he did was sexy. And beautiful. And amazing. Instead, he just leaned in to kiss him, capturing his lips in a slow and sensual caress, nothing urgent, but with enough heat simmering there under the surface to let Zach know that he was very much desirable.

Drew pulled back slowly and took one last look into Zach’s amazing eyes before he shifted onto his back and held his arms open for Zach. “C’mere.”

Without hesitation, Zach scooted closer, snuggling right into the crook of Drew’s shoulder, his leg hitching over Drew’s and his arm snaking around Drew’s torso. The movement was so automatic, so natural—like they’d been doing it for a lifetime already—that it almost startled Drew.

But before he could give the thought any purchase in his mind, Zach cracked a giant yawn—complete with vocals and everything—his jaw working against Drew’s bare chest.

Drew chuckled. “Tired there, champ?”

“Mm-hmm.” Zach nodded against him, and the breath from his hum of agreement tickled Drew’s skin. “You wore me out.”

Another chuckle escaped Drew, and Zach let out one of his own. Then they just lay there for moments longer, maybe several minutes even, in comfortable silence, Drew letting his fingers trace aimless patterns on Zach’s forearm.