“Don’t worry about it. It’s my fault, really.”
Jesse wanted him to say more but was too nervous to ask. It was as if Zayn could tell, for he broke the silence by saying, “We used to date.”
Jesse took his eyes off the sand for a second and looked over at Zayn.
“It was a long time ago.” Zayn ran his hands through his hair, which made Jesse’s breath catch in his throat. “We broke up, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Honestly, I don’t know why he’s so angry.”
Jesse had no idea that Louis used to live in Skull City. It made sense, though. His street-wise attitude, the speech patterns, not to mention his leather jacket, which felt slightly out of place in Sunset Valley.
“So where are you taking me?” Zayn asked.
Jesse chuckled. “I figured we could go into the heart of the desert, maybe stargaze and complain about how dry it always is outside. I’ve been itching for a rainstorm for months now.”
“You’re telling me,” Zayn responded. “My front lawn is practically brown from all the dehydration. Hey, this spot looks perfect.”
There was an enormous white skull on their left. Its antlers were twisted at obscure angles. Jesse parked his car. He looked out his window and noticed the skull had flowers growing out of it. In the distance were the purple and blue mountains. Dark green cacti were sprinkled on the sand. The scenery was breathtaking.
“Let’s go to the truck bed,” Zayn suggested. “We can see the stars better from there.”
Jesse nodded and jumped out of the car. He looked around at the desert, kicking the deep red sand with his boot. What was he doing? And with Zayn? They had only just met but it felt like Jesse had known him for years. The way they interacted with each other was so natural.
He walked around to the truck bed, unlatching the metal hinges. It fell down with a loud clang, like a drawbridge that had rusted from the water of a moat. They both climbed inside, moving around bags of mulch. Jesse felt nervous, and slightly awkward. He wasn’t a good conversationalist, especially when he was around a man as quiet as Zayn.
Zayn was the thoughtful, brooding type, known to get lost in his own mind for hours at a time. Jesse wasn’t sure he had what it took to penetrate him, to get through to him. Above their heads, a storm was brewing. Rain clouds were slowly conquering the remaining patches of stars.
“Would you look at that,” Zayn said. “I think it’s finally going to rain.”
Jesse nodded before realizing Zayn couldn’t see him in all that darkness. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “I can’t believe it either.”
“Think we’ll be safe in your truck?” Zayn joked.
“Oh I don’t know about that. We’d better not touch the ground until the storm is over,” Jesse replied.
They launched into another fit of silence, too focused on the sky. The clouds were shades of dark purple and blue, and the first droplets of rain fell on Jesse’s upturned palm.
They lay like that for a few moments, against two bags of mulch. There was a ratty blanket that lay between them. A shiver tore through Jesse, and he placed his arms around himself. A light rain began to fall on the truck.
“You cold?” Zayn asked.
“I’m fine,” Jesse said, averting his eyes.
“Come here,” Zayn said.
Jesse looked over the edge of the truck, trying desperately to figure out how he got himself in this situation. He took in a deep breath and inched closer to Zayn.
“I don’t bite,” Zayn chuckled. “Well, unless you’re into that.”
So he did like Jesse —that much was clear. Technically this was all Jesse’s fault. Not that he minded being with Zayn, but he was worried. What if his friends stopped talking to him over what had transpired earlier? He wasn’t sure if he could go it alone without a single friend in the town. Zayn was a loner, but that was different. He wasn’t used to having friends around him, that much was obvious.
Zayn had had friends when he was living in Skull City, but they were the seedy type. They were part of a gang, and enjoyed traveling in packs. Zayn had abandoned that life after he witnessed an act of violence occur between his friends. It wasn’t anything major, but one of their arms had gotten broken. He now avoided packs like the plague. It was because they were all trying to be the Alpha that it had occurred. There was just too much testosterone and power; it was just an all-around bad situation.
He recognized the group mentality present with Jesse’s friends. It was the way they traveled with each other everywhere, never too far from each other. Jesse had only been a few feet away from the bar and his friends had sensed him getting into a bad situation, with Zayn. But was he really all that bad? And he liked Jesse. There was something gorgeous in his shy looks, the creeping blush that was always present on his neck.
He wanted to take Jesse, make him his. But he didn’t want to scare him away. Flirting was perfect for now. They could get to know each other and slowly build to the intimacy. Or maybe not. He could feel his stiff erection strong against his jeans. His veins were practically strangling his heart, making it hard to breathe when he was near Jesse.
Jesse was leaning on his shoulder, Zayn’s arm around him. It had begun to downpour, and there was thunder and lightning streaking across the sky. Zayn looked over at him, noticing that he was looking up at the sky.
“I love thunder and lightning,” Jesse said. He turned to Zayn, whose face was only a few inches from his own. Without warning, Zayn reached a hand out to him. He caressed his cheek, tugging gently at his lips with his own fingers.
Chapter 3
Even shrouded in half-darkness, Zayn could tell Jesse was blushing. He took his hands and pulled Jesse closer, kissing him hungrily on the mouth. He pushed him past the mulch onto the bed of the truck, climbing on top. Zayn pushed against Jesse’s crotch, making him cry out.
Jesse’s head was swimming. He felt like he had come down with a fever, it was so intense. These feelings he’d developed for Zayn were fresh and intense. Scents of lust and rain intertwined in the air, filling Jesse’s very being.
Zayn took his hand and shoved it down Jesse’s pants, massaging his hard cock.
“Aah,” Jesse cooed, unable to do much else. Zayn had him pinned to the bed of the truck, his hands held high above his head. “What are you doing to me?” Jesse whispered.
Zayn moved his hips up and down, loving the feeling of his cock against Jesse’s. He wanted to make love to him, but it wasn’t time yet. He wanted it to be special, not out here in the open. Sure, there was no one around for miles. But it still wasn’t intimate enough. He would have much rather been in one of the black forest clusters, running rampant as wolves before attacking Jesse. Yes, that is what he would do. For now, he would toy around with his new meat until he begged for mercy.
Gripping Jesse’s hands, he leaned down and whispered in his ear, “I want you to taste me.” He smiled as he felt a shiver tear through Jesse’s body, knew that his voice alone had power over him. It was amazing the relationship that was unfolding between them. It was powerful, yet strange. He wasn’t entirely sure he understood it himself. But it mattered not. The only thing that mattered was being with Jesse. Screw Louis and his complicated love games.
Zayn let go of Jesse’s wrists and let him sit up. He unzipped his pants, loving the feeling of fresh rain on his groin. Jesse sat up as if it were instinctual, and this was something he just did all the time. He was on his knees, which only made Zayn harder. His cock was like an iron rod ready to be taken in Jesse’s warm mouth. The thunder and lightning were teasing each other, close then far away, then close again. To his surprise, Jesse held out his arms, beckoning Zayn to come closer.
He did so, letting Jesse run his tongue all over Zayn. He couldn’t tell the difference between his mouth and the rain. It was as if he had become one with nature. He wanted to feel like this forever, the electricity of being alive and in lust.
Jesse pulled his cock into his mouth, using his tongue to glide up and down
his shaft. He played with Zayn’s thighs, occasionally pressing on his balls. He loved the fact that he was in control. It wouldn’t last long—Zayn was clearly more dominant than he. He sucked hard, focusing on the tip. It was large and pink, swelling larger from all the teasing from Jesse.
They stayed like that for a long time, Jesse working his mouth up and down, Zayn staring up at the sky. He wondered if anyone had ever felt so much pleasure before in his or her life. When he finally came, he cried out alongside the thunder. Jesse tugged him closer, swallowing every last bit. When he finally released his mouth, Zayn fell back onto the truck bed. He could hardly stand, and his head was swimming. It was the first time in a long time he’d ever felt that way.
“So how did I do?” Jesse asked, wiping some wet hair out of his eyes.
“Not bad,” Zayn remarked with a coy smile.
They lay down in the truck bed for another half hour before Jesse decided it was time to get back.
As they drove back to town, Zayn turned the radio up. They listened to classic rock and joked about how annoying everyone in the town was.
“Do you want me to drop you off at your house?” Jesse asked.
“Sure,” Zayn replied. He lived in a small black house not three miles from the bar. He thanked Jesse for the ride, hopping out of the car and back into the rain.
The next day passed by, normal as can be. Jesse hunted a bit in the morning before meeting up with his friends at a bar. This time they decided to go to the Sestina, a bar built on enormous stilts. It reminded Jesse of the houses he’d seen in Florida. They were built on stilts in order to avoid flooding. Jesse wondered if the desert would be flooded. Perhaps it would transform into an enormous red ocean, swallowing up all the houses. Maybe Jesse and Zayn would float on the same piece of driftwood, traveling into a new, wet world, together.
Louis seemed normal when the night first began, but he deteriorated as time went on. They had a round of beers, then another. By the third round, Louis was starting to get rowdy. He was acting agitated and continuously bothered the waitress. He drank far more than the rest of them, and ended up puking over the guardrail. Jesse rolled his eyes and looked at Niall, who only shrugged his shoulders.
Jesse walked out to check on his friend. As he rounded the doorway, he unknowingly walked straight into Zayn.
“Oh, sorry,” Jesse said. He looked up at the person he’d run into. “Hey!” he said.
“Hey back,” Zayn said. “How are you?”
Jesse felt himself flush, which was embarrassing. He placed an awkward hand on the back of his neck, trying to focus on a point beyond Zayn’s body.
“Um, I’m fine. Just taking care of Louis. I think he had too much to drink.”
Zayn turned around and looked at the balcony. Sure enough, Louis was leaning over the edge. He wasn’t throwing up anymore, but he no doubt still felt sick. Zayn felt bad for him, but kept that to himself. He figured he was probably still hung up because of the breakup. He hadn’t noticed Zayn yet, which was a good thing.
“Want to take a quick walk around the balcony?” he asked.
“Sure,” Jesse replied. They turned in the opposite direction of Louis, heading towards the back of the building. The balcony stretched all around the building, and it offered the perfect view of the setting sun. Jesse felt like he was always running into Zayn during the dark hours. Perhaps there was a reason behind that. Something about the setting of the sun and the sprinkling of stars made everything more appealing.
“So, thanks for earlier,” Zayn said. He smiled at Jesse, who instantly melted beneath his steady gaze.
“What’s with the face?” Zayn asked.
“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked, turning his attention to the sunset. Zayn was teasing him.
“Oh, nothing,” Zayn responded.
“No really—what are you talking about?” Jesse asked. He poked Zayn’s side.
“I’m talking about the look you get when our eyes meet.” Zayn poked him back, pushing Jesse against the guardrail. He turned him around and bit at his lower lip. Jesse sighed into Zayn, who proceeded to tug at his dark locks.
“Looks like you two are having fun,” said a voice from behind them. Zayn didn’t turn around; he kept biting and tugging at Jesse’s neck.
“Um, sort of,” Jesse responded. He was trying to focus on talking to the woman who had spoken to them, but Zayn was making it hard to concentrate. She was slim and tall with long black hair. She wore a long black dress and high heels. She was beautiful and Jesse wanted to tell her that but he was too distracted. Before he could say anything more, she had disappeared. All that was left was Zayn and his hot breath all over.
From the distance, they could hear Louis throwing up again. He called out to the desert, “Shit!” before heading back to the bar. They heard the slamming of the door and were alone once more.
“Maybe we should go somewhere more private,” Jesse offered.
Zayn shushed him by placing a finger to his lips. Jesse licked his finger before placing it in his mouth. He watched as Zayn’s eyes rolled back in his head, pleasure spreading visibly throughout.
“Not until later,” was all Zayn said. Jesse didn’t understand, but he obliged by his rules regardless. They kissed for a few more seconds before heading back into the bar.
Jesse trailed behind Zayn like a lost puppy. He wished Zayn would transform halfway, so Jesse could tug on his tail. Back inside the bar, there was karaoke going on. The woman from before had taken to the stage, and was singing Sinatra in a low voice. Jesse’s friends were still at the bar, taking shots and talking to some boys Jesse knew.
“Hey guys,” he said. Zayn stood a few feet back, leaning against a bar table.
“You’re missing out on all the fun,” Niall said, downing another shot. Louis was sitting glumly at the opposite end of the bar, nursing a glass of scotch. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone and just wanted to be alone. He understood better than anyone else that he needed to let go of Zayn. It felt like a damn near impossible task, but he would achieve it if his life depended on it.
He couldn’t keep bowing down to a higher power that wouldn’t give him the time of day. It wasn’t fair to either of them. But in his drunken state, he was incapable of assessing the situation properly. His thoughts kept traveling back to earlier. He had been running around in the rain, trying to cool off, when he saw Zayn and Jesse in the back of the truck.
Zayn had been looking up at the storm, his arms spread out in front of him. He had the most serene look on his face. Louis had never made him feel like that when he’d gone down on him. The most he’d elicited was a groan or two, nothing more. Louis had had several partners since then, but none the same kind of Alpha as Zayn.
He said goodbye to his friends before driving off into the night. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, maybe be alone near the mountains. There was a pack of wolves that lived up there, shifters that refused to interact with their human sides. Maybe Louis could find some solace amongst them. As he was leaving, he could feel Jesse’s eyes on his back. Serves him right; if he wanted this friendship, he would have to work for it. Louis wasn’t changing anytime soon, and he definitely wasn’t going to become rational anytime soon.
Chapter 4
As soon as he left, the mood in the bar completely shifted. Everyone had begun to relax more, finally able to enjoy themselves. It wasn’t as if they didn’t like their friend, they just didn’t know what to do with him. None of them had been heartbroken in that way before, and they were unsure of what advice should be given.
Jesse and Zayn shared one of the tall bar tables and sipped at their beers. They talked for the next couple of hours, drinking back several coronas with lime. On more than one occasion Jesse saw Zayn’s eyes flashing gold. He knew he was turned on, but there was nothing Jesse could do about it. He’d already begged Zayn to take him, but he had refused.
After most of the bar had cleared out, Jesse offered to drive Zayn home. The tw
o men exited the bar, Jesse nervously wringing his hands. He wanted to ask Zayn to come home with him but thought better of it. The drive home was silent, but not awkward. Jesse dropped Zayn off at his house and sped off home, his boner practically tearing through his pants. He needed to relieve himself, for if he didn’t, he might implode. Zayne tugged at the dustiest corners of his heart, flicked on all the lights. He knew that once he entered Jesse that would be it. They would be tied together by fate and whatever was in store for them in the future. He opened the door to his empty home and flopped down on the porch. Part of him wanted to put on porn, but the mere thought of Zayn was enough to suffice.
He imagined them together on the couch, first having sex as humans, then wolves. He wanted Zayn to be on top, taking him from behind with his tawny arms. From paws to palms, they’d make love until the sun came back around the world. Maybe they’d be so loud they’d wake the birds, and stir the sands. He came hard, crying out Zayn’s name into the emptiness.
***
Zayn was still hungry. He ran out his backdoor on all fours, his black fur thick with raindrops. It felt incredible to run off into the distance, a lone wolf who needed no one but himself. And maybe Jesse, if he was lucky.
The black forest clusters were swaying in the wind, eating up the rain that fell on their leaves. Zayn entered into his favorite cluster, which was marked by an enormous silver boulder. The boulder itself was ancient, probably tossed down from the heavens from Zeus himself. On the side that faced the woods, there was a carving that read L/Z. Zayn regretted giving himself to Louis; the relationship had been short-lived and complicated, not worth the effort. He would have to deal with that, but in the meantime, he needed to eat.
Once inside, the darkness swallowed him up. He became a furry shadow, illustrious and evil beneath the lack of moon. The smaller animals could feel his presence, and they hid behind the trees. Zayn prowled around for a few minutes before he sensed the presence of a fox. It was watching him from behind the trees, its golden eyes illuminated in the dark. Zayn walked over, expecting the fox to run away. Instead, it stood its ground. When Zayn was only a few minutes away, the fox stood up on its hind legs. He watched as it transformed into the body of a woman. A shifter that was a fox? It was impossible.
Celestial Seductions: The Complete Series: An MM Gay Paranormal Mpreg Romance Collection Page 25