Zack dragged his hands lower, until they rested on his ass. Zack gave his left ass cheek a squeeze, making him groan as he parted from Zack’s mouth.
“I still haven’t fucked you,” Zack told him, sly smile on his lips.
“Make love,” Seth corrected although Zack’s crude words excited him.
Zack gave the bulge in his jeans a squeeze. Seth nearly came then, but he held back, not wanting to come off as a horny teenager with zero control.
“Where?” was all he could ask.
****
Zack started to get hard again, just like that. Fuck. He could have taken Seth right there, pressed up against the wall, wrists pinned above his head or against the table, just like an animal. Zack never hid what he was, rough around the edges, certainly no gentleman, but Seth seemed hungry for him all the same.
He’d always known since he first spotted Seth in school, that Seth was meant to be his. No questions asked. Zack’s heart knew what it wanted since the beginning.
“Bedroom.” How he managed to growl out those words, Zack didn’t know. His control was a fragile thread right now.
“Over here,” Seth said, sounding drunk. Shyly, Seth curled his fingers over Zack’s, tugging him to the corridors. Three doors, he noticed. One led to a bathroom. Two bedrooms. Seth led him to the master bedroom.
“You have a huge-ass bed,” he couldn’t help but remark.
Good thing too, because Zack wasn’t exactly small. After sleeping in hard beds for most of his life, the king-sized bed looked like heaven. Seth’s lean body, all tangled up his completed the image.
Seth blushed. “I thought of you when I bought it. Plus, I’m a space hogger. So, fair warning.”
So much detail put into the entire apartment, Zack thought, heart stirring with emotions he couldn’t name. Seth had done this all for him. It was as if someone pushed the ‘pause’ button on both their lives when he’d been sentenced to ten years in prison. Didn’t matter. They’d make up for lost time.
Zack tugged Seth close to him, reaching for the hem of Seth’s shirt.
“Too many clothes between us,” he said by the way of explanation.
Seth raised his hands, letting him pull off his shirt. Zack grinned when Seth slipped a hand under his shirt, patting his abs. Fuck. He’d dreamed of this, masturbated to the thought of Seth, touching him, shy expression on his face. He yanked off his shirt and hooked his fingers into the belt loops of Seth’s jeans.
Seth rested his head on his chest, letting out a sigh of contentment.
He could stay like this, with Seth pressed against him like a welcome bundle of warm. Seth mewled for him as he stroked his back. They could create plenty more tender moments like this, Zack thought and he’d ingrain each one to memory.
Seth planted a kiss on his collarbones, traced the ink on his left pectoral. “There’s a space here,” Seth said, touching the spot right over his heart.
“I’ve been saving it. That’s where I’ll be putting your name,” he murmured.
Seth looked up at him with wide eyes filled with pleasure. “Oh yeah?” Seth’s voice came out a little breathy.
Seth parted those tempting lips again, but no words came out. Suited Zack just fine. He lowered his head, sucked at Seth’s bottom lip and nipped it hard enough to draw blood. Then he gave Seth a little push, so Seth’s ass landed on the edge of the ridiculously big bed. It was as if Seth knew they’d be spending plenty of time here.
Zack settled between Seth’s legs and yanked Seth’s jeans down, followed by Seth’s boxers.
Color appeared on Seth’s neck and cheeks again but Seth didn’t tell him to stop.
“There’s lube and condoms in the drawer under the sink,” Seth told him, nodding to the bathroom in the room.
Zack found the items and returned to Seth, who scooted farther up in bed. He set the items on the comforter and joined Seth in bed, rolling above him. Seth began to reach out, but he pinned Seth’s arms above his head. Seth’s chest rose and fell. Zack wanted another taste. Like a starving man forced to fast for years, he finally had a feast in front him and couldn’t stop.
Seth kissed him back, all passion and heat. He thrust his tongue down Seth’s throat, aware of Seth’s dick, curving upward, pressed up against his abs in need. Zack pulled away, dragged his teeth down the side of Seth’s throat, then kissed all the chords there.
He went lower, flicked a tongue around Seth’s left nipple, before taking it into his mouth and sucking hard. Zack left a perfect imprint of his teeth there and looked up to see Seth’s expression had turned all soft again, vulnerable, practically begging Zack to fuck him. Good. Keeping one hand on Seth’s wrists, he used the other to give Seth’s dick a few tugs and pulls.
“God, keep doing that and I’ll come,” Seth uttered.
“Not yet,” Zack said.
“Demanding,” Seth responded.
“That’s how you like me.”
“Welcome home, Zack.”
Chapter Seven
Seth couldn’t argue with that.
“I’ll try,” he whispered. “But fuck me soon.”
“Say it again.”
Seth did, only for Zack to flip him on his hands and knees. Zack grabbed a pillow, set it under his belly, then took the lube and condom. Seth heard the condom foil being ripped off. Moments later, Zack pried his legs apart, exposing his balls and hard dick. He groaned, feeling incredibly exposed but it was okay. This was Zack. There was no hiding anything from his man.
Zack drizzled lube down his hole, then pushed one finger in. He squirmed, aching for something bigger.
“How many men have you been with?”
There was it again, the jealousy in Zack’s voice. Was it wrong it turned him on, hearing Zack go all alpha on him?
“I’ve played with myself,” Seth admitted, glad Zack couldn’t see his face. He was probably a human tomato by now. “But I’ve let no one in.”
“No one?”
“No. I tried dating, like you suggested years ago, but it didn’t work out. All we did was chat for a few minutes and I began wondering what I was doing with a complete stranger I had no interest in knowing.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
Zack pushed a second digit in him and began making twisting motions. Seth’s dick was at full length now, so close to bursting but he held the pressure in, not wanting to disappoint Zack.
“Yeah. I’m a fucking possessive bastard, Seth. Once you’re mine, you’re mine. I’ll be the first to fuck you and the last.”
Seth couldn’t answer, not when Zack’s fingers brushed against a sensitive spot. He grasped, clawing at the sheets for something to hold onto. Zack did it again, and his knees felt like jelly. How could his body be this strung, when Zack hadn’t even fucked him yet?
“You’re ready.” Zack pulled his fingers out, replacing them with his cock.
Gripping his hips, Zack pushed in. He groaned at the first few inches. Seth knew Zack was big, knew it would hurt the first time but to his credit, Zack didn’t shove all the way. Zack went slow and steady. Once Zack pushed past the thick ring of muscles, it became easier. Finally, Zack buried himself so deep inside Seth that his balls brushed against his ass.
The initial pain he felt earlier faded as Zack started thrusting in and out of him, strokes fast and steady. A moan tore out of him, a silent plea.
“Faster. Please.”
The magic word worked. Zack picked up the pace, hammering in and out of him deep and deeper, until it felt like Zack breached his most intimate places. The sound of their pants, of flesh slapping against flesh filled the room. Seth’s balls tightened against his body.
“Zack, I’m close,” he uttered, only to feel Zack curl his hand around his shaft.
Zack began to work him, strokes fast.
“Please,” Seth begged.
The dual sensation of Zack sliding his dick in and out of his ass and Zack giving him a hand job proved too much. Zack must have shift
ed his hips, because the next time Zack sheathed himself inside him, he gasped.
“Go ahead, baby. Give me your release.”
At that term of endearment, Zack hit his sweet spot again, repeatedly until the pressure building inside him burst. He came, screaming out Zack’s name. Zack hammered in and out of him several more times before climaxing.
Zack pulled away to get a towel to clean them both up and dispose of the condom.
Then they ended up on the bed, tangled in each other’s bodies. Zack pulled him close, until Seth was in his arms, leaning his head against Zack’s chest. Seth marveled how they were a perfect fit. He could stay like this, in Zack’s embrace and warmth while sweat cooled from their bodies.
They said nothing for a few moments. Seth touched the empty spot on Zack’s chest, still devoid of ink.
“I’m glad we finally did that,” Seth murmured.
“Feels like I’ve been waiting for that moment my entire life. Don’t think I’m sated yet, baby. I’m ravenous.”
Zack’s words sent shivers of anticipation down his spine. Seth didn’t mind. He wanted to wake up, sore, more than satiated, happy. Happiness seemed like a foreign word to him. Without Zack in his life, he felt like he’d been living in limbo, but not anymore. He reached out for Zack’s fingers, twirled theirs together and rested them on the comforter.
“You’ve gone silent,” Zack observed, dark eyes on his.
“Part of me is still wondering if this is all a dream. That if I wake up, you’ll be gone and all I’ll have is this big lonely apartment and more work to keep myself sane.” Saying the words kindled dread inside him. Seth was so certain it was true, that Zack had been a figment of his imagination. The real Zack was still behind bars, out of his reach.
Zack grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him so hard he drew blood. Then Zack ran his tongue inside his mouth, tasting him. Zack pulled away, eyes bright, intense as he rested his forehead against Seth’s.
“This is real, Seth. It’s just you and me now.”
He nodded, tasting copper on his lip. The panic subsided and he felt a little guilty for sounding so scared, so needy. Seth always figured he never quite fit in the world. Too different. Too strange and awkward. He’d been that way since he was a boy, even before Zack befriended him. Two boys, both misfits who could never quite fit into the mold.
“What’s going on in that little head of yours?” Zack asked.
Seth told him. No secrets between them, he remembered. There was no need for it, not when Zack knew him, inside out. Seth had bared his soul to Zack on a platter a long time ago and Zack had entrusted Seth with his most valuable possession—his heart.
Zack always possessed a flare of wildness in him, a darkness that made him do reckless things others would consider crazy and immoral, even as a kid. Rules didn’t apply to Zack, that was one of the things Seth had been attracted to.
His time behind bars made Zack sink further into that same darkness, but Zack did that to survive. To see him again. Underneath Zack’s scars, that body that had undergone a transformation, beat the same heart that always belonged to Seth.
Zack’s lips curved into what passed for a smile now and he had a feeling Zack wasn’t the kind of guy who smiled easily, only for him perhaps. His chest tightened, until it hurt to breathe.
“Do you regret taking your father’s ride that night?” he had to ask.
Zack’s response was instantaneous. “Never. I’d run down that fucker all over again given a choice.”
“Why,” Seth began, running his fingers down Zack’s ribs. Faint white lines looked back at him. Scars from fights maybe. He didn’t want to stop touching Zack. Seth still needed reassurance Zack was real, not a dream. That feeling would go away someday, he knew. The next words were a little hard to say, would make him sound childish.
“Spit it out, Seth.”
Those steady brown eyes met his—older, haunted by Zack’s private demons, but the same gorgeous eyes he fell for when they were kids.
“Why would you fight in my corner without hesitation when my own mother chose to ignore what was happening in our home?”
Zack considered the question. “When people are cornered and scared, some of them prefer to hide. That bitch still alive?”
He nodded, biting his lip. “She’s been trying to contact me, probably knows today’s your release date. I haven’t spoken to her since I graduated.”
Zack said nothing to that.
“I—we don’t need her in our lives,” Seth continued. “I worked my ass off for the last few years so I can do everything from home, so I can spend my free time with you. We can get to know each other all over again.”
The muscle under his hand tensed. Zack clenched his jaw. “If we do that and you find out there’s nothing but darkness in me, would you run?”
Baffled, Seth stared at him, speechless. Zack still believed he was worthless. He leaned in close before Zack took his moment of hesitation as agreement and planted a soft and gentle kiss on Zack’s lips.
“You’re one of the good ones, Zack. You saw me when no one else did and helped me find my voice when Roy stole it away. I’ll never turn my back on you. You’re mine to keep.”
“Getting a little possessive, aren’t we?” Zack asked, an amused expression on his face now. “That’s my line, but fuck. Good to hear it from your lips.”
“I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it,” Seth told him because Zack’s teenage self was still inside this scarred and ink man, who still believed himself to a be a monster who didn’t deserve to be loved.
Seth curled closer, until they were skin-to-skin, so it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. He said the words he’d been wanting to say all this time. “I love you, Zack Cruz. Welcome home.”
Chapter Eight
I love you. Zack turned those words repeated in his head in wonder. After being locked up with men who often uttered curses and threats, hearing those words from Seth felt fucking amazing. Seth’s soft snores filled the room, the sound calming him. Seth hadn’t been kidding about being a bed hogger. Despite the size of the mattress, Seth had somehow maneuvered them to Zack’s side.
Any attempt to dislodge and pull up the comforter over their bodies failed. Seth snuggled close to him, like a kitten seeking warmth. Zack blew out a breath. Fucking adorable. He could watch Seth sleeping all night, clinging to him like a lifeline.
Hard to believe he was here, in Seth’s bed. Their bed, Seth had insisted, their home.
Seth certainly had everything planned out, although part of Zack continued to wonder where he fit in the picture. Given time, would Seth see him as a burden, a thing of his past?
Fuck. Zack was doing it again, thinking about the worst case scenarios. To survive his incarceration, he put his mind in survival mode. Zero expectations. He’d think of the worse, so when a situation like that arose, he wouldn’t be surprised. That was how he survived fights, fuckers who wanted to see who the bigger dick was.
He couldn’t blame them. Too much time in a cage made a man do desperate things and fighting each other sometimes made things better, reminded him he was still alive. The rules in that world no longer applied to his new one though.
“Zack, you still awake?” came Seth’s sleepy voice.
Seth opened his eyes to slits, looking grumpy as hell, then squinted at him in the dark. Moonlight from the partially opened curtains illuminated glimpses of Seth’s flesh and his.
“Go back to sleep,” he told Seth.
“Can I get you something to help you sleep? Milk? Pills?”
“Relax. I’m good. No need to fuss over me. All I need is you, next to me,” he replied.
“Okay then.” Seth dropped his head. “But if I want to fuss over you sometimes, let me, ‘kay?”
Moments later, Seth's snores filled the room again. Zack envied Seth a little. The bed underneath him felt too soft, strange. So did the fluffy pillows and comforter.
I’ll get
used to it soon, he told himself. Maybe what Seth said earlier about this being a dream rubbed off him a little. Could something like this moment be too good to be true? Fuck. What was he doing? Not even a day had passed since he got out, and here he was, doubting reality and himself.
Zack made a silent promise to himself. He’d make things work, become a man worthy of Seth.
****
The smell of sizzling bacon jolted Zack away. For a moment, he forgot where he was. He expected the prisoners from the opposite cell waking up, a guard making his typical morning rounds and Ripper muttering passages from the Bible under his breath from the top bunk. Not this.
Seth’s master bedroom looked huge under the morning light, twice the size of his old six by eight cell. Overwhelming almost. He took deep breaths, noticing the space beside him lay empty. Zack pulled the comforter aside, bemused to find a pair of jogging pants on the foot of the bed. He put those on. Not bothering with a shirt, he padded outside to find Seth wearing an apron, working a stove.
“Morning.” Seth sounded cheerful.
“You cook now?” Zack asked.
“I lived on take-outs for a while but thought I should learn a thing or two.” Seth blushed now, not looking at him. “I had this exact vision, of me making breakfast for us and I wanted it to come true so I watched a couple of videos online. I get it now, cooking I mean. When you’re doing it for someone other than yourself, it’s nice.”
Zack came up behind Seth and pulled Seth into an embrace. “This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” he said.
Seth craned his head. “Really? Or you’re just hungry for breakfast?”
Zack liked that Seth felt comfortable to joke with him now. Still, Seth could do what he could not. See them together like this, standing in their own kitchen, making breakfast. All Zack could focus on was getting out and making sure Seth remained his to claim, no one else’s.
“What can I do?” he asked, nibbling on the side of Seth’s neck.
“Um. Don’t distract me for one. I might get all hot and bothered and forget about the bacon.”
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