Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
C haz’s tentative control over anything was at an all-time low. This whole fucking having sex in the middle of the woods wasn’t going how he’d expected it would. Ezra wasn’t supposed to be so fucking responsive and willing like he was. His wide-eyed naivete blew Chaz’s mind.
And the way he was fondling Chaz’s cock? Yeah, Chaz was on a hair trigger now. Ezra’s inexperience combined with his eagerness had Chaz wishing he brought something to make the next steps smoother. However, Chaz hadn’t planned that far ahead, and he had to be the one to stop the fun train before he went beyond Ezra’s hidden walls. They were so well disguised, Chaz was sure Ezra didn’t know he had them.
Chaz willed himself off of Ezra’s lap so they weren’t tempted. He didn’t stop kissing. That was too much of an ask. It did help slow things down, but Ezra continued to stroke his cock while staring at Chaz. The urge to come on Ezra’s chest and mark him intensified the longer Ezra played.
He kicked off his boxers and returned to his new favourite spot on Ezra’s lap. “Wrap your hand around my cock, sweetheart. Feel the thickness of it. Don’t let go,” Chaz ordered as he settled. Chaz hissed as the heated length of Ezra’s cock slid against the underside of his balls. He ached to have Ezra in his ass. Imagining Ezra fucking him in that slow way of his caused Chaz to swear and push harder into Ezra’s grip. He’d lead Ezra, telling him the best angles and how to turn Chaz on. His brain went into overload as he pictured Ezra’s expression at following Chaz’s directions.
Ezra was the epitome of concentration as he discovered how best to please Chaz. At first, his grip was light and unsure. Still, his hesitancy knocked Chaz flat. God, he didn’t remember anyone taking the time to learn what Chaz liked. Though, in Ezra’s case, he'd discovered how to blow Chaz’s mind. Ezra caressed the sensitive tip with a slow, pondering motion. Chaz gritted his teeth as he fought back the demand to hurry Ezra up.
“Chaz?” Ezra whispered his name, drawing Chaz’s attention. His eyes were so wide and uncertain Chaz had to breathe and focus on Ezra’s concern. “I’m lost. This is beyond me. Not my jam. I know I’m going to fuck it up.”
“Nah, you’re not.” Chaz wrapped his hand tight around Ezra’s and squeezed. The resulting pressure on his cock was indescribable. Pleasure rolled through him like a tidal wave, and he embraced the rush. “No such thing as failing. Not when I’m leaking like this. Means you gotta be doing something right.”
Ezra traced his thumbnail under the flared rim of Chaz’s cock, destroying his hold on reality. He counted to ten to calm his blood down. Yes, he wanted to mark Ezra, but goddamnit, he had a plan. “Jesus fuck, Ezra. You’re a superstar. Keep doing that.”
Ezra wrapped his other hand around Chaz’s neck and brought him down to his level. His kiss was desperate as he ravaged Chaz’s mouth. It was heady, and Chaz enjoyed every moment. He was getting all the pleasure from Ezra finding himself and using Chaz as a discovery port.
Ezra’s grip on Chaz had grown more confident as they kissed. Chaz brought his hand down on Ezra’s chest, playing with the sensitive nipples. He fought to concentrate on pulling Ezra to the edge by denying himself. Chaz rolled his ass on Ezra’s cock, feeling the shaft pulse as he did.
Chaz slid his tongue along the seam of Ezra’s mouth, tickling the delicate skin and making Ezra gasp. The hand on Chaz’s cock grew sloppy as he stroked, but Chaz revelled in Ezra’s broken concentration. The assault on Ezra’s senses became more devious every minute, and Chaz was there for it.
A rustle from the edge of the light distracted Chaz briefly. His mind shifted from teasing Ezra to protecting him, but the need to find heaven overrode his desire to guard his lover from mystery noises. Ezra must not have heard the rustling as he twisted his hand and rolled his hips, pressing his hard cock against Chaz’s aching balls. The pinnacle of the evening, what Chaz had been racing toward, sent him flying to the precipice. White lights dotted his visions as his climax swept over him and onto Ezra’s chest. Seconds after Chaz emptied himself, Ezra came. He shouted as he bucked Chaz off his lap and almost into the dwindling fire. Fear heightened his pleasure as he scrambled to stay connected to Ezra and away from the fire.
Replete, Chaz flopped on Ezra’s chest and groaned. Fuck, he loved this part, when everyone was vulnerable and relaxed. He kissed the side of Ezra’s neck and inhaled the scent of Ezra and the woods. Never would he think of pine needles as anything but sexy. An errant worry tried to take hold of his thoughts, but Chaz brushed it away. “Ez?”
Ezra dropped his legs and wrapped his arms around Chaz’s waist. He nuzzled Chaz lightly, but remained silent.
“Ezra?” Chaz tried once more. He lifted his head and searched for any sign of problems on Ezra’s face. Nothing but the same sweet expression that had bowled Chaz over in the first place.
“Sorry. Couldn’t talk. Brain needed to be rebooted,” Ezra mumbled. He took a deep breath, almost dislodging Chaz, and opened his eyes. “And that’s not the full body experience, right?”
“Still a big deal, no matter how you define it.” Chaz lifted himself to his elbows and smiled at Ezra. The dazed look had faded to be replaced by a whimsical grin. Chaz enjoyed this expression the most, a little wistful and a little mischievous. “You playing me, Ezra Smith?”
“I’d never. Not when you did that thing.” Ezra cupped Chaz’s ass, his thumb sweeping across a cheek possessively. It was perfect. “What about you? Do you regret anything?”
“Fuck no. Absolutely not.” Chaz blew a raspberry on Ezra’s neck before licking the salty skin in apology. “Never regret this.”
“But it was so aw?—”
“Some. It was awesome. Sex isn’t about perfection or getting top score. If all the participants are pleased, it’s awesome.”
“All the participants?” Ezra’s voice squeaked, and he paled so fast Chaz had to reassure him with gentle pets and soft words until he was breathing normally.
“I didn’t want to assume. Some people enjoy multiple partners. It’s a thing.” Chaz kissed Ezra’s shoulder. The taste of Ezra was an addiction, more potent than chocolate or coffee.
“I don’t think I’m at that level.” Ezra flexed his arms while holding Chaz, and the tight grip was too much.
“No worries. Not something to bring up so soon after the first date,” Chaz breathed out. He tapped Ezra’s arms, and they immediately loosened. “What we did? It’s about you and me and what gives us joy. Next time, I don’t want to be so close to the embers.”
Ezra chuckled as he was meant to, and he scooched up, wincing as his bare skin dragged against the ground. “Good point. We didn’t burn our clothes?”
Chaz glanced around as he stood. The pile was far away from any sparks popping. “Nope, they’re safe."
As he tossed a shirt to Ezra, he surveyed the edge of their camp, remembering what had distracted him. Nothing jumped out. Good. They might be able to sleep without one eye open. He shivered as the cool air settled on his overheated skin. The temperature had begun to drop. As much as he’d love to have some pillow talk to confirm he and Ezra were on the same page, now wasn’t the time. They were still lost in the woods with potential carnivores somewhere and a dead body still undiscovered by the authorities.
Once dressed, Chaz scavenged around for more sticks and beefed up the fire. He didn’t mention his paranoia about the animals to Ezra. He was lounging against the rocks; a look of absolute bliss caused him to be more attractive that any other person Chaz had met. No way in hell was Chaz going to ruin the moment. Ezra deserved a break.
A low rumbling in the distance stopped Chaz from his search. Ezra perked up and stepped out from the overhang, looking at the sky. No stars peered down at them.
Chaz met Ezra’s gaze and smiled brightly. “It’s nothing. Just a summer storm over the water. That’s all. But we should get some sleep while we can. Who knows what else could go wrong?”
“Chaz, don’t say that. You just invoked the bad luck gods.” Ezra winced.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to.” Chaz bobbed his head in apology before adding more fuel to their fire. Ezra wasn’t as clueless as he appeared. He’d noticed Chaz’s most unfortunate skill. What if he did fuck up now? Could their adventure get worse? God, chills ran up and down his spine at the possibilities of new threats surrounding them. “We’re safe and healthy. Nothing is going to bring us down.”
Chaz woke up in the morning to a haze of fog drifting through the trees. Their small fire was a mass of black coals, and everything was damp. Ezra had pulled on Chaz’s sweater and was sitting with his legs tucked in close. A heavy feeling filled the air, which worried Chaz. Had he caused this change in the weather? He didn’t remember fog or rain in the forecast.
“Today’s plan is the same as yesterday’s.” Chaz pulled his ultralight stove out of his backpack, and a familiar blue tube fell out as well. Why would he have packed lubricant? Fucking fate fucking with his brain. Grumbling, Chaz shoved it deep into the bag, pretending he’d never seen it.
“So, finding our way back to civilization, locating the jerks who left us with a body, and arresting them.” Ezra rubbed a hand over his hair, making the short strands stick up everywhere. It was adorable.
“That’s it exactly. This fog though…” Chaz sighed. No use dwelling over shit he couldn’t change. He poured some of his water into a small pot and a few scoops of instant coffee.
“What else do you have in there? It seems like everything pops out. Do you have a compass? A working phone?” Ezra knee-walked near Chaz and leaned toward the backpack. Chaz waved a hand, permitting Ezra to snoop. Chaz had no problem allowing Ezra to peek. The bag only revealed the contents to Chaz. No one would be able to see deep within. Ezra wrinkled his nose as he peered inside. “You just have a few snacks and water. But how did you know to pack the stove and pot?”
“I always bring those. They’re light enough that I don't notice. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I can make a small pot of coffee.”
Ezra scowled and dropped to a sitting position. “Huh. I was sure you had a bag of holding. Is that your quirk?”
“No. It’s just a minor inconvenience. And don’t ask what my power is.” Chaz braced himself for Ezra’s loud squawk. He’d answered like that on purpose, accepting how data-driven Ezra was. Teasing Ezra was fast becoming one of his favourite things to do. “Would you like some of my magic coffee?”
“Yes, please.” A calculating look appeared in his eyes. “So how did you join SPAM?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I met John Smith, and he encouraged me to sign up after fucking with my head. He had someone send me a letter in the mail, like you, and I filled out a form only 'special' people could see.” Chaz poured a small amount of coffee into the lid and passed it to Ezra before drinking straight from the pot. He did love making camp coffee. The memories associated with this rote activity gave him a rush of contentment. He shook his head and responded to Ezra. “We all submit a form of sorts in order to get access. Though you did your entry test in the most convoluted way.”
“I discovered SPAM through the message boards,” Ezra reminded him. Chaz didn’t say anything. If they argued about what constituted spam, they’d never get away from this spot.
“Right. As I was saying, I submitted a form-essay-thing saying I was special, and boom. Though April wasn’t impressed with my talents and gave me the shit jobs. That’s neither here nor there. How ‘bout we focus on this mission first? Maybe we should aim for the highway. We know it should be close. I fucked up yesterday trying to locate the bay all willy-nilly. Today, we need to move fast and attract someone’s attention.”
“I might not be able to zoom in on our location, but we should get a baseline of where we are, right? Even with no service?” Ezra pulled out his phone. The screen was still asleep.
“Sounds good.” Chaz nodded and did the same. He hissed at the black screen. Chaz pressed the side power button and waited. Nothing. For a minute, a red blinking battery appeared before disappearing. There went that plan. “Check your phone.”
“What? It should be fine. I charged it in the truck.” Ezra tapped the screen, but it remained dark. “I just charged it! I should have full juice or three-quarters at least.”
“It drained because it searched for service all night,” Chaz explained. “Okay. We can do this. We can use old-fashioned ingenuity and smarts. We pick one direction and pray we’re going the right way. Like I said, east brings us to the bay. West takes us to the road.”
Ezra glanced at the low-lying fog creeping through the trees. Chaz pressed his lips tight. He was proud he didn’t wrap his hands around Ezra’s neck to strangle him for his pointed glance.
“I realize the weather is going to be a bit of a hindrance. However, the fog will not be able to completely penetrate the trees. We’re fine. Same philosophy applies. We should be able to discern the right way to go easily enough,” Chaz said through gritted teeth. Ezra might be the light of his life and the best partner Chaz had ever teamed up with, but right now… Chaz was contemplating some murder.
A hint of his future plans in his voice must have alerted Ezra to Chaz’s mood, because he nodded and stayed quiet. Sipping coffee was more important than arguing.
The small crackling fire was the only sound in the forest as Chaz and Ezra finished their breakfast. No birds sang, and no squirrels raced through the canopy. All the animals were taking the day off. Any other time, Chaz would be marvelling at the stillness and precise quiet that filled the air. He’d bask and acknowledge the blessing he’d been granted. Nope, not today. Instead, he was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way out.