by Kate Steele
It was just, damn. Damn! Ever since he’d first laid eyes on the kid there was something about him that had drawn Jace like a bee to honey. He was cute and kinda shy, yet there was a determination about him, a toughness that shone through when it was something he believed in, like the job he was doing. He wasn’t afraid to express his opinions or stand up for himself despite the vulnerability that was so evident in his eyes.
In the short time they’d spent together, Jace had felt an almost overwhelming need to reach out to Zeb to… to… hell he wasn’t sure what. Part of it was to comfort, to offer his friendship and understanding, and part of it was just plain physical need. He felt something in Zeb drawing at him, luring him, arousing him until now, with his hands on Zeb’s body, all he wanted to do was ride him. All night long.
His cock had gone rigid when the kid stripped his clothes off and laid down on the towel. How could he not get hard at the sight of Zeb naked as the day he was born? It was obvious Zeb worked to keep himself in shape. His muscles were firm and well defined. They moved with fluid grace when Zeb shifted his position. And his skin. Double damn! Like pure Chinese silk under his hands. And warm. And smooth, just inviting him, addicting him to the touch.
Was there any need to mention his ass? Good Lord. He’d known it was nice from the shape of it under Zeb’s jeans, but, well, fuck! Those two firm mounds were just the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Full, perfect curves accented by manly dimples at the outer top of the curve. Who could blame a man for wanting to lean down and run his tongue over those sweet indentations?
Jace knew, too, that he wasn’t the only one aroused. Though he’d tried to be unobtrusive while doing it, Zeb had lifted his hips a couple of times and did this tiny little wiggle that nearly drove Jace out of his mind. The kid was trying to give his cock room to stretch out. Jace could clearly see his balls, sleek and smooth, drawing up closer to his body. He was excited and the excitement was visibly rising.
Gritting his teeth, Jace continued the massage, gently working Zeb’s inner thighs while trying to avoid two things. Applying too much friction to his slightly reddened, sensitive skin and touching his balls. His fingers came really close a couple of times. Zeb was temptation on a stick and it took the devil’s own determination not to reach down and cup those tender orbs in his hand.
Trying desperately to get a grip on himself, Jace knew he’d done all he could do while Zeb was on his stomach. It was time to face the music. Or in this case, Zeb’s cock. “Turn over, Zeb. Let me do the front.” He could see Zeb visibly tighten up and decided there was no reason to be coy about it. “Look, Zeb, I know you’re hard. Hell, I am too. Touching and being touched has a tendency to make that happen. It’s normal. I’ll ignore it if you will. Deal?”
Zeb lay quietly for a moment then answered. “All right.”
He rolled to his back and shimmied his body over so he was centered back on the towel. His eyes were closed and Jace was hell and gone grateful for the fact. Did he say he was going to ignore Zeb’s hard-on? He’d certainly made a liar out of himself. He couldn’t take his eyes off it. Zeb’s cock was fully erect and lying against his belly. It was a thick ivory column wrapped with plump veins, the smooth cap flushed and glowing with an inner heat. And right before his eyes, a clear drop of succulent, male honey oozed from the tip, teetering for a few aching seconds before sliding in a slow, mesmerizing trickle over the satiny skin of that plump head.
Jace swallowed hard. His breath, his growl, his need. Like an automaton, he poured more liniment into his hand and warmed it while struggling to make his mind blank. Jaw clenching, he laid his hands on the top of one of Zeb’s thighs and proceeded with the massage. By the time he was done, Zeb’s muscles were relaxed and loose under his hands. His breath was coming a bit fast, small moans passed his lips a couple of times and his cock was leaking a steady stream of pre-cum but by God, he would be able to walk without pain.
Jace, on the other hand, was wound up so tight he felt like running out into the night and howling at the moon. After maybe a five or ten mile jog. He used the damp washcloth to wipe the liniment off his hands and reached for the tube of aloe gel.
“Sit up,” he ordered gruffly and rolled his eyes at the tight, rough timber of his voice. He cleared his throat. Zeb sat up and their eyes met briefly before Jace looked down at the tube in his hands. Zeb’s eyes were wide and a bit wild. Jace opened the flip cap and squeezed some of the gel onto his fingers. His need to reach for Zeb’s cock was so great he was surprised and grateful his hands weren’t shaking. “This’ll help with the sunburn. You got burned on the back of your neck. Let me get that since you can’t see it, and you can reach the rest yourself.”
Zeb turned slightly so Jace could reach and rub the gel gently into his reddened skin. When he drew his hand away, Zeb was watching him. His blue eyes had gone dark, no hint of the normal frost pale color left. There was something there, something in his eyes that drew Jace closer. It was desire and fear and need. Pure uncertainty and lust all rolled into one. Jace felt a smile tug at his lips, momentarily distracted by the glowing red at the tip of Zeb’s nose.
“Your nose is sunburned,” he murmured softly.
“Where?” Zeb asked, his eyes crossing in an attempt to see it for himself.
Jace laughed. “Didn’t your momma ever tell you not to do that? Your eyes’ll get stuck that way, mine always said.”
“My mother and father died when I was twelve.”
“Well, now…” Jace felt his heart clench in sympathy. “I’m real sorry to hear that, Zeb. Damn hard for a boy to lose his folks at that age. Here, let me put some aloe on your nose.”
Jace reached up and gently brushed his gel coated fingers over Zeb’s skin. First his nose, his cheeks then his chin. His gaze met Zeb’s once more and he was transfixed by the emotions there until Zeb closed his eyes. Jace knew he was lost. He leaned in and settled his lips over Zeb’s.
The kiss was sweet and gentle. Their lips came together and fit like two pieces of a puzzle long overdue at being put together. Twin moans of pleasure and need issued forth and were exchanged as their lips parted and each accepted the push of the other’s tongue. Jace slid his arms around Zeb and pulled him close, gratified by the feel of Zeb reciprocating. Zeb wiggled in his arms, struggling to bring as much of them together as possible in their current position.
Never breaking the kiss, Jace pushed firmly, easing Zeb down on his back until they were laid out against each other. It was only then he began to notice the odd pressure building in his head. It was joined by a phantom swirling movement and he vaguely thought, I’m gettin’ dizzy. Jace struggled to break free from the kiss, to take a breath of air, but the whirling and pressure came faster and harder. With a suddenness that took his breath away, it burst over him and he felt his mind opened and exposed.
His life literally passed before his eyes and not only his life but Zeb’s. Somehow he knew that the sounds and smells and images that came roaring into his head were real. They were all connected with Zeb, and Jace had never been so shocked in his entire life. Zeb wasn’t human. He wasn’t from Earth. Jace saw his arrival and seeing it, seeing everything connected with Zeb, gave him the strength to tear himself free.
He flung himself away from Zeb and sat staring at him. With five feet of space between them, Jace could see that Zeb’s eyes were dark and opened wide with shock. His breath heaved in his lungs and fine tremors ran over his body. Jace relaxed slightly. Zeb was just as affected as he was by what had taken place, perhaps even more so. It was a crazy comfort of sorts.
Zeb’s arm lifted and slowly his hand came up to his mouth, his fingers just touching his kiss-swollen lips. “What did you do?”
Jace felt his own eyes widen. “What did I do? I’m not the alien here. What… who are you?”
“I’m exactly who I said I was. Zebian Bakar. The only difference is I’m not from where I said I was from. I’m not from New York.”
“No shit. I saw that for
myself.”
“Oh, God, you saw it too?” Zeb started rocking slightly back and forth as though in the grip of panic. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.”
Jace felt a frisson of fear slide down his spine. Funny thing was, he wasn’t sure if the fear was for himself, Zeb, or maybe both of them. All he knew was that whatever had happened it was causing Zeb to panic. Not knowing why had his own insides tied in knots.
“Zeb, get a hold of yourself.” Jace moved closer and drew Zeb’s gaze to his. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Zeb took a deep, shuddery breath and nodded, the shock receding from his eyes. He swallowed hard and took a couple more breaths, each one seeming to give him another measure of calm. “I’m from a planet called Belthola. I was sent here for exactly the reason I told you, although it’s not a country on your planet that’s purchasing the cattle. It’s the people on a planet called Casithia.”
Jace found himself nodding. What else could he do? There was no way to deny what he’d seen and felt in his own head. Somehow he knew Zeb was giving him the straight story.
“I’m Maleri’. I’m just as human as you are, Jace. But I and my Maleri’ brothers have special gifts. We’re empaths. We use our gifts to help people from other worlds in exchange for profit and concessions for the people of our own planet. Eventually our powers cause a build up of energy in our brains. An energy that, if not drained, will eventually cause insanity and death.”
Zeb’s gaze fastened to his and Jace suddenly knew what was coming as though it were spread out on a chalkboard in front of him. “When the time comes, we seek a mate. A man whose mind resonates with ours, a man who has some empathic ability of his own. Many of my brothers have found their mates here on Earth. All it takes is one kiss between compatible mates and a mind link is formed. Like the one growing between us,” Zeb finished, his voice a near hoarse whisper. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’t think you would kiss me. I just didn’t… when you touched me, I just stopped thinking.”
Hearing Zeb’s words, Jace knew without a doubt that everything he said was the truth. The link was growing stronger by the minute, he could almost feel an intangible part of himself opening and accepting that same illusive part of Zeb. Instead of being repulsed by the idea and the feel of it, something deep inside accepted and found pleasure in what was happening. He was honest enough to admit to the attraction he’d immediately felt for Zeb. This was just more of the same, only more intimate, more intense.
No matter how pleasant, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. Here he was, a man of thirty-seven, deeply in love with his life, the ranch, the land. And there was Zeb, a kid of twenty-four with a life of his own on a planet God only knew how far away. All in all, it was a pretty fucked up situation and Jace didn’t know how the hell they were going to straighten it out. As though suddenly saddled with the weight of the world, Jace slumped under the load of exhaustion that pressed in on him.
“Look, this is a lot to handle in such a short period of time. I need time to think and I’m betting you do too,” Jace said. Zeb nodded. “I think we both should sleep on it.”
“I agree,” Zeb told him and rose. He reached for his sweats and pulled them on. His erection had deflated -- a sure sign of Zeb’s stress. Jace could sympathize completely. His own cock had gone limp with shock, his libido having run off to hide.
Silently, Jace gathered up the towel, washcloth, and the bottle of liniment. He pressed the tube of aloe gel into Zeb’s hand. “Put this on your arms and anywhere else you feel burned. Go on up to bed. I’ll be up in a minute.” Jace paused and considered how his words sounded. “What I mean is… oh, hell. Just go to bed, Zeb.”
Zeb gave him a quick look. Saying nothing he headed for the stairs.
“Zeb,” Jace called softly. “I want you to stay close to the house tomorrow. No riding. Give your muscles time to adjust.”
“All right,” Zeb agreed and slowly climbed the stairs.
Jace walked away, silent curses ringing out in his own head. He’d seen the wounded look that swiftly came, then was hidden in Zeb’s eyes. What was worse, he’d felt the quick stab of Zeb’s pain. He didn’t want to hurt the kid but he needed, had to have, time to think about all this without Zeb near and clouding his thoughts.
He sighed heavily, dropping the things he carried in the bathroom then headed upstairs. This time there was no pausing outside Zeb’s door. Jace went straight to his room, stripped and crawled into bed. There was only a fleeting thought of how much better it would be with Zeb in his arms before his waking senses deserted him and he drifted to sleep.
* * *
Zeb sat in his room in front of his computer. Normally his fingers would be flying over the keys, but not today. Today he sat and stared blankly at the screen in front of him. He had a mate. A sexy, kind, caring, strong and mature man who’d rejected him. He bit his lip and winced at the thought. It seemed fate wanted to play a twisted game, and once more it had chosen him as its focus. Zeb shook his head. He knew he had to go. And soon. Staying here, masking his growing need for Jace, would just be too difficult.
He finally forced his concentration to the work before him, his mind sifting through all the things he’d seen and learned. He added bits and pieces to the information on the screen when Jace’s words about cattle rustlers ran through his mind. If we had a clue where they might strike, we could put an end to this. Zeb considered the words for a moment, then grabbed up his FGDL and went in search of one of the hands.
He found the foreman, Rusty, doling out orders to a couple of the men. Standing nearby, Zeb caught his attention before Rusty strode out of the barn to some other task. “I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”
“Sure, Zeb. Jace said to give you anything in the way of information you need. What’s up?”
Zeb smiled at him. Rusty was even older than Jace. He was a roughhewn man with auburn hair. Freckles danced across the bridge of his nose. He might have had a fair complexion at one time, but years out on the range had given his skin a toasty glow.
“I’d like to ask about the cattle rustling. Could you give me some information about where the different thefts took place? When and where and approximate times? Any details you can give me will help.”
“Sure, I can do that. Come on over to the bunkhouse. I’ve got records of every incident that took place here on Free Plains.”
“That would be very helpful,” Zeb said and followed Rusty to the bunkhouse.
The two of them spent the next hour or so in the office while Rusty detailed each incident. Where on the ranch it took place, what the terrain was like, the nearest access road, what day of the month and on and on. Zeb recorded every little detail. When they were finished, Rusty headed back out to his duties. Zeb wandered out of the bunkhouse, his eyes glued to the screen of his FGDL.
It was only a shout and the wild clatter of hooves that drew his attention. He looked up in shock to see Jace on Whirly, galloping toward him from one direction and half a dozen cows bearing down on him from another. Jace reached him before the cows and placed Whirly directly in their path. The big buckskin reared and pawed the air, bringing the cows to an abrupt halt.
Jace clung to the big gelding as though this was an everyday occurrence. There was shouting as a couple more ranch hands on horses came galloping onto the scene. Zeb stumbled, his heel catching on a divot in the yard. He sprawled back, his ass hitting the ground with an abrupt and muffled thump and just managed to keep his FGDL from hitting the ground. From his position, his shocked and wide-eyed gaze moved up and up and fastened on Jace and Whirly as the horse settled back on all fours.
“God damn it, Zeb! You gotta watch where you’re goin’! You coulda got yourself killed!”
Zeb scrambled to his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I wasn’t.”
“Our fault, Jace. They got away from us,” one of the hands spoke up. He was giving Zeb a look of sympathy.
; “Doesn’t matter. Zeb still shoulda been watching out. If you can’t keep your nose outta that… that thing when you’re walkin’ around here,” Jace gestured wildly, “then get your ass up to the house and stay there!”
Zeb clamped down on the flare of hurt that burned through him. Pivoting on the ball of his foot, he strode away to the house. He didn’t say a word, didn’t look back and refused the feel the faint echo of regret that battered his shields. He now knew more than ever that he was leaving as soon as possible. He’d set himself one last task, and as soon as it was accomplished he was gone.
* * *
With his heart pounding, Jace watched Zeb march away. Fuck! Why the hell did he have to let his tongue run away like that? Because he was scared, he realized. Scared for Zeb. When he’d seen those cows bearing down on him and Zeb just crossing the barnyard like he was taking a Sunday stroll in the park, Jace’s stomach had done a flip that damned near made him lose his breakfast. If anything happened to Zeb, well, it didn’t bear thinkin’ on.
Then again, maybe it did. He’d known the kid for what, two days? In that short time Zeb not only had his cock constantly standing at attention but his emotions were tied in knots as well. How the hell was he supposed to ignore this? How was he supposed to pretend that nothing was happening? How the fuck was he supposed to handle it when Zeb walked away and went not just half a world away but out there somewhere to a place Jace never had a chance of reaching?
What am I gonna do? What can I do? I can’t hold him here and I can’t walk away from the ranch and my life. So where does that leave us? Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
Jace wheeled Whirly around, sending the big horse galloping away like the hounds of hell were on his heels. A couple miles away he slowed Whirly to a walk and realized the truth. There was no way to run from his thoughts. No way to run from the realization that finding the right man meant everything was gonna be good. It was just the opposite. A prize had been dropped in his lap and just as quickly it was going to be taken away, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.