Chapter 20 Zach
Zach
The sun was shining through the gap in the blinds when Zach opened his eyes. With all the changes in the last few days it took him a few blinks to remember he was in Colton’s mother’s house. In the bedroom across the hall from the hot man he wanted more than he’d ever wanted anyone.
He sighed and grabbed his cock. Stroking himself, he indulged in the fantasy that he and Colton were together. It felt a bit wrong jerking off in someone else’s bed, but after last night his balls ached. Momma’s timing couldn’t have been worse.
Or better.
Any decent person would have backed off once they saw the conflict in Colton’s face.
Zach had wanted to be decent, but he was hurting.
Those brief moments when Colton had wrapped strong arms around Zach, or looked at him as more than just an ass to fuck, did things to Zach.
They made him feel warm and safe. And wanted for himself.
Zach could lose himself for hours in those expressive brown eyes. He wanted to taste those lips that were quick to smile and that parted in a way that said Colton wanted Zach.
Thinking about their lips touching sent a shudder through his body, and his cock erupted. The suddenness and intensity caught him off-guard. He gulped deep breaths to calm the sexual energy coursing through him.
“Fuck,” he whispered hoarsely. If the thought of kissing did that to him, getting fucked would kill him.
He lay still, soaking in the chance to enjoy the moment. None of the asshole brothers were going to barge in and catch him. He didn’t need to explain why he was still in bed.
“Momma, enough!”
Zach jumped. Colton sounded like he was on the other side of the door.
He searched for something to clean up with and settled on the T-shirt he’d worn the night before. It needed to be washed anyway.
“Goddamn it! I’m not a kid, and I don’t need this bullshit. Not from you, not from Ted. I’m not a baby.”
“Don’t you speak to me in that tone of voice!”
“Come on. You want to yell at me, you can do it in the front room. It’s not going to change anything. I’m into him, Momma. There’s something special about him, and I’m serious.”
The words trailed off as they walked away.
Zach sat up, afraid to move. His first thought was they heard him, but he dismissed that out of hand.
His heart pounded so hard it was going to burst through his ribs.
Colton hadn’t even hesitated either, and that was his mother, for chrissake.
He wasn’t sure how to parse that. People didn’t defend him or willing to fight for him.
It left an ache in the center of his chest.
Tossing aside his shirt, Zach lifted his butt, adjusted his boxers, and got out of bed.
He hunted for his jeans and a clean shirt.
It was silly to get dressed to take a shower.
After the time in the traveling show, he wasn’t modest, but this was Colton and his momma’s home.
Worse, she was up and about. He wanted to be decent.
Out of habit, he showered quickly and grumbled to himself about not enjoying the real water pressure and adequate hot water. He forgot about the missed opportunity when he was dressed and ready to find Colton.
There were no voices when he stepped into the hallway, so he made his way toward the kitchen, hoping he’d find a warm body there. A specific warm body, anyway. And just one.
Colton sat at the table in jeans and a T-shirt that fit like a second skin, a coffee cup in one hand and his phone in the other. He smiled when he saw Zach.
“Hey, honey. Sleep well?”
That was a greeting he’d pay to get every morning. Although paying for it meant it wasn’t special. “Yes. How about you?”
“Like a rock.” Colton’s lips quirked at the corners.
“At least until Momma woke me. It never fails that when I tell myself it’s my day off, and I’m going to sleep late.
Then something—or someone—wakes me up.” Colton stretched up tall, and Zach could hear his back pop.
“I’m going to make us breakfast. Do you eat eggs? ”
Zach loved how such a simple sentence almost turned his knees into cooked noodles. “Sure. Can I help?”
“Just because I messed up your tea, that doesn’t mean I can’t cook,” Colton said.
Colton smiled, and there was a touch of humor in his words, but Zach heard the embarrassment. “That’s good because I can’t,” he said, walking deeper into the room. “We didn’t cook much while traveling, so I never learned. But I learned how to fetch, carry, and wash up.”
“Well then, doesn’t that make us a pair?” He set his cup down and grabbed a second one from the cupboard. Handing it to Zach, he nodded toward the coffeepot. “Help yourself. I make better coffee than hot tea, I swear.”
Zach stood still for a second. No one ever took care of him. Growing up, Grandpa had him do all the chores. When the Ulmsteads arrived, none of them did a single nice thing for him. He accepted the cup and quickly filled it. “Coffee’s fine. I prefer it for breakfast. Tea is for when I’m stressed.”
“Reports show that most tea has at least as much caffeine as coffee.” Colton looked over his mug as he sipped. “Just saying.”
He wanted Colton to ‘just say’ things to him every day. “It’s a taste thing. Coffee feels like mornings and activity. Tea makes me sleepy and relaxed.”
“I might have to try some hot tea when Momma stresses me out.” He laughed to himself and then set his cup down.
“Granddaddy says he wants us to come over and play some today. He’s got most of the family and a few old friends coming.
He’s real excited to show you off, I think.
Do you mind? It would mean a lot to him. ”
Colton started digging around in the fridge, and Zach couldn’t speak. The man wore a pair of jeans like he was born to it. “I… um…”
Pulling back with something in his hand, Colton glanced over his shoulder, brow knitted. “You okay?”
Zach struggled to remember what they’d been talking about. “I’m totally good. I was admiring the view and forgot the question.” Heat flooded his cheeks. “Which is so wrong of me to say. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what? Looks are free. And entirely welcome.”
Flushed and ashamed, Zach avoided Colton’s gaze. “After how good you’ve been to me, I need to be better.” He sucked in a breath. “Yes. I’m happy to play with your granddad.”
“Hang on.” Colton shut the door and set a loaf of bread on the counter. “Be better? What are we talking about? Did you put sugar in my gas tank or something?”
He was too nice to call Zach out on his bad behavior. “I need to stop flirting so you don’t get in trouble. You deserve better from me.”
“How is flirting with me….” Zach saw the moment Colton understood. “You heard me and Momma didn’t you?”
It made him sound like a sneak, but they’d been loud.
“You said something about your uncle. Colton, I’m not worth getting fired over.
No one’s ever been this good to me without trying to get my clothes off.
You’re the most decent man I’ve ever met, and I’m repaying you by tempting you to do something that could cost you your job.
I’m sorry. I really am. It’s just you make me feel so good the way you treat me.
It’s hard not to want you. And because I’m a shitty person, I repay that kindness by trying to get you fired. ”
“Whoa there. What’s all these words flying out of you?” Colton reached for him, but Zach stepped back, shaking his head. “You haven’t done anything wrong, and I’m not in trouble.”
He was still protecting Zach, which added to his guilt. “You said your uncle bitched at you.”
“Yeah, for not turning on my camera when I was working.” When he inched closer, Zach stayed still. “Right now I’m not working, and we did nothing wrong. If I was guarding you or you were a suspect, that’d be different. Besides, a little flirting isn’t us getting busy.”
Flirting was the temptation that led men to think with their dicks, not their brains. “You’re trying to be professional, and I’m trying to lead you astray.”
“C’mere.” Colton closed the distance between them and pulled Zach into his body.
“First, you aren’t leading me astray; I want you just as much.
Second, we’ve been good, mostly. We stayed in our rooms, and we’ve kept our clothes on.
Well, other than when you had your shirt off, and I nearly came in my pants. ”
“Shut up.” Zach hated being short and skinny. “I’m nothing special to look at.”
“See, honey, that’s where you’re wrong.” Colton tilted his head up.
“You’ve got this tight, hot body that does all kinds of things to my insides.
My point is, we’ve been good, but we both made our interest clear.
And to make sure you know where I stand, when this is over, I plan to court you so hard. ”
Zach laughed because he’d heard getting laid called many things, but not ‘court you so hard.’ “Is that law enforcement code for sex?” He winked to act as if he wasn’t still flirting.
Colton laughed and hugged him. It took all Zach’s self-control not to do more than hug back as Colton’s thick, hard cock pressed against him.
“At least you know the feeling is mutual.” Colton released him, his face as flushed as Zach’s felt. “Back to breakfast. If you want to help, how about you make the toast? Consider it a step up from fetching, toting, and cleaning.”
He smiled, not because it was something he could—there was still a good chance he’d mess it up—but because it meant they made breakfast together. “I’m on it, Deputy McAllen.”
“The things you do to me, Zach,” Colton distracted himself getting their food organized. “I’m not sure how we’re going to make it an entire afternoon with my grandparents and not embarrass ourselves.”
Zach didn’t care what happened so long as he did it with Colton.
“We’ll manage.”