Fear of Flying

10. Chapter Ten

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 .

Drew hummed in agreement, his lips hot and wet against Zach’s throat, and then a hand came up to the collar of Zach’s T-shirt, tugging it down. “Mmm... it would be... more incredible if—” Drew groaned as he teased his hands underneath Zach’s shirt, lifting it higher with his slow caress up Zach’s back. “Is it okay if... Can I take off your shirt?”

Zach’s dick throbbed at the huskiness in Drew’s voice, and he nodded eagerly. “Please...” Zach’s answer was barely a rasp, but it was enough for Drew, who held his gaze just a beat longer before he slowly removed Zach’s shirt.

Fuck, Zach could feel the heated desire so evident in Drew’s eyes, and it made his heart spin a little, almost knocking him off-kilter. He’d never been entirely confident about his body—especially the softer areas around his middle. But the way Drew looked at him, an expression of hunger mixed with awe, just... did more than take Zach’s breath away.

“You’re gorgeous,” Drew said, running his hands slowly over every inch of exposed skin, as though he needed to touch Zach and make sure he was real. His touch was fire and tingling and something else that tugged at Zach’s heart.

Zach dipped down and crushed his lips against Drew’s, then opened his mouth, his tongue teasing and eager to explore. Drew’s need seemed to match his own, their lips and tongues somehow moving in perfect tandem as their hands wandered, only making their fervor burn hotter.

Zach tugged impatiently at Drew’s shirt, inching the material up. “Off? Can...?” He couldn’t manage a full sentence, unwilling to take his lips off Drew’s except after Drew nodded eagerly and they had to part just long enough to get Drew’s shirt over his head.

Tossing the shirt off to the side, Zach didn’t waste any time pressing his bare chest to Drew’s and hugging him tightly as his hands ran over the hard planes of muscle on Drew’s back .

Desperately in need of breath, Zach tore away from Drew’s lips, taking the opportunity to glance down at him. Fuuuck, he was perfectly sculpted, and the fact that his chest was rising and falling rapidly only made the throbbing in Zach’s groin even more insistent.

“God . . . Drew . . .”

“Hmm?” Drew looked up slightly at Zach with half-lidded eyes.

“I think... yeah, I’m gonna need to kiss every inch of you to make sure you’re real,” Zach said, gasping when he felt Drew’s dick twitch hard beneath him.

Drew nodded with a suggestive smile. “You might, yeah...”

Zach smiled back, feeling more sexy and confident in that moment than he ever had before. He scooted back on Drew’s thighs, taking a breath and smiling deeper at the moan and whimper of protest he’d elicited from Drew with his movement.

He ran his hands over Drew’s shoulders first, slowly and with enough pressure that he could almost feel the strength of the muscles beneath his fingers and palms. And as his hands moved down to Drew’s pecs and the rest of his chest, Zach shifted and lowered his mouth to Drew’s neck, kissing, exploring with his lips, following a path across his collarbone and to the little dip just above it on the other side. Zach paused there, sucking at the skin and grazing it lightly with his teeth as his hands moved back over Drew’s pecs, his thumbs brushing over Drew’s hard nipples.

“Ahhh, god, Zach. That feels so good,” Drew said, his hips twitching a bit, maybe restless and seeking that pressure from Zach’s body again. That thought—how much Drew seemed to want him—coupled with the raspy sound of Drew’s voice further fueled Zach’s arousal, and he found that he wanted that pressure too, needing a brief respite from how fucking hard he was, how much he wanted... more .

Zach was stuck for a moment, not sure where or how to move next, only knowing that he might die if he couldn’t feel Drew’s body underneath his own or—or Drew’s weight on top of him.

Drew reached for Zach, pulling him in for a kiss that was brief and hungry but also somewhat awkward given their positioning. “What’s wrong?” Drew asked, the huskiness still edging his voice.

“Ahh, shit... First I... have to breathe,” Zach said, sitting up a bit straighter on Drew’s thighs. “And then... god, I don’t want you to stop, but I can’t think when you touch me.”

Drew grinned lustfully and raised an eyebrow along with his hands, removing them from Zach’s sides and pausing with them up in front of his chest for just a moment as though in surrender. Then he rested them on the bed behind him, propping himself up. “Fair.” He chuckled lightly, his breathing still a bit labored. “Talk to me, Zach.”

Zach’s heart swelled at the sound of his name coming from Drew’s lips. It was something just so amazing. “Uh, yeah... this is, like, the most unsexy thing ever, I’m sure, and god, I hope I don’t ruin the moment, but I-I’m not sure how to move? Switch positions? I, um...”

Drew’s eyes were so full of affection and desire and amusement and probably acceptance too, and he tipped his head very slightly, as if to let Zach know to continue and that he hadn’t ruined a damn thing.

Zach closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, then he opened them again and found Drew still staring at him patiently.

“God, what I wouldn’t give to be lying down with you on top of me,” Zach said, almost all in one breath. He watched as Drew’s eyes seemed to darken a shade more.

“Oh god, me too. Me too,” Drew said, sitting up and tugging Zach back in for another kiss and then another and then one more before he pulled back and paused. “Uh, here, trade places with me and lie down.” Drew tried to move to the side as Zach shifted off of his thighs.

With his body trembling in anticipation, Zach moved to lie down in the center of the large bed, his head resting on the plush pillows beneath him. His entire body seemed to be tingling or on fire or both, almost anxious with need. Drew was kneeling beside him on the bed, and once Zach was settled, Drew reached out with one hand, his warm fingertips touching Zach softly, reverently. He started at Zach’s jawline and moved down his neck to his collarbone, and then Drew’s whole hand, fingers splaying out, ran along Zach’s torso. God, it was arousing as hell, but also . . .

Zach swallowed thickly, his heart squeezing in his chest. The expression on Drew’s face had softened, and he couldn’t help but feel so... so cherished. He inhaled sharply, unevenly, the feeling taking him by surprise.

By all rights, the amazing, gorgeous man above him should be a total stranger, and Zach should be scared or out of his mind or scared because he was out of his mind. But for whatever reason, Drew was everything but a stranger, and fear was the very last thing on Zach’s mind right now.

Zach’s chest rose and fell more quickly, both overwhelmed and comforted by the feelings flooding through him. Then the arousal came sharply back into focus as Drew’s fingers teased under the waistband of Zach’s pajama pants.

Drew’s gaze was steady—he was either lost in Zach’s eyes again or intent on his target or maybe both—and his fingers explored without reservation. Zach’s need flared, burning with the desire to be closer to Drew and feel Drew’s weight on top of him.

“C’mere. Please...” Zach begged, reaching his arms up to try and get what he so desperately needed.

Drew’s eyes seemed to spark with the same desire Zach was feeling, along with a flash of something that seemed a whole fucking lot like love but couldn’t be because it was too soon, right? And Zach didn’t know what the hell love looked like anyway, but god, why was staring into Drew’s eyes almost like looking at a reflection of what he could feel pulsing so strongly in his heart?

Zach spread his legs wider, giving Drew room to settle between them. And when their hips came into contact, Drew’s erection pressing so fucking amazingly into his own, all Zach could do was moan.

“Ahh, Zach... god, you feel so good.” Drew’s voice was hoarse, guttural, and it sent a warm shiver down Zach’s spine.

Drew rested his forehead against Zach’s and closed his eyes, almost as though he couldn’t handle both the intensity of the moment and the weight of Zach’s gaze at the same time. And damn, Zach understood. The same emotions were overwhelming him as well. He closed his eyes too, trying to let the fierceness of the feeling fade and flow over them, but it only seemed to grow stronger. Then he whimpered, or maybe it’d been Drew, and he reached up to frame Drew’s face, desperate to kiss him.

Zach tugged Drew the mere millimeters left between their lips and captured Drew’s mouth. Their kisses were hot and wet and indistinct, maybe not even hitting their mark. But it didn’t matter, Drew was panting and gasping just as much as Zach was, and when Drew’s hips started rocking against Zach, it was—god, oh god—it was too much and not enough all at once.

But he needed air, and so he pulled away reluctantly, panting for breath as he wrapped his arms around Drew. Drew buried his head in the crook of Zach’s neck, his breath hot and unsteady against Zach’s chest, and Zach heard a quiet moan from Drew as he felt Drew’s dick throb against his own.

Fuck, it was erotic, but it was so much more than that too.

“Why does this feel so right and so...” Zach brushed an open-mouthed kiss against Drew’s neck. “It’s so fast. Is it too fast? Oh god, why am I overthinking this? Tell me not to overthink this.” Zach shifted, moaning, and he put a hand up to cup Drew’s face, gently urging Drew to meet his eyes.

God, he wasn’t even sure if it was a question or a plea or what, but what he found in Drew’s eyes seemed to be the answer—the same hint of uncertainty but oh so overshadowed by this profound sense of belonging and... god, maybe it was love.

But that was definitely too much too fast. Right?

Drew let out a trembling breath before dipping down for a brief kiss. “Don’t overthink this,” he said, his voice rough. “I don’t wanna think right now, I just want to feel.”