by Alex Kidwell
The only answer he got was Jed’s smile—again, one of the soft ones, the gentle ones, the kind that made Jed look so much younger, so very vulnerable—as he led them out of a side door and back out to the parking lot. They didn’t drive long, the windows down to let in the faintly chilly breeze, and Jed even let him have control of the radio. He claimed it was because nothing good was playing anyway, and therefore he would forfeit his God-given right to choose the station, but Redford didn’t miss the way he watched, interested, to see what he would pick. After a few minutes of fiddling with the controls, Redford eventually settled on something quieter, with acoustic guitar.
Jed told him that it was “country.” Redford liked it. Jed muttered something about it being a good thing he was cute before huffing out a sigh and mournfully shaking his head.
The singer sang about losing his house, and Redford relaxed, watching out the window again. He breathed in deeply, surrounding himself with Jed’s familiar scent, taking the time to calm down from the chaos and get grounded. Jed apparently didn’t like country music, but he’d said Redford had control of the radio, so there it stayed, the singer moving on to other topics, like his dog dying and similar tragedies.
On second thought, maybe Redford didn’t like country music so much.
With a sigh, he switched the radio off. He wasn’t sure what the point of singing about losing everything was, but Jed seemed relieved that it was gone. They drove in silence for a few more minutes before Jed pulled into another parking lot, this one bearing a very different sign.
“We’re going to the zoo?” Redford had never been, but he knew what a zoo was, at least.
Switching off the engine, Jed turned to him, shifting slightly in his seat in what, if it wasn’t Jed, might be considered insecurity. “Too on the nose?” He winced. “It’s just, it’s a school day, so it’ll be quiet, and I don’t know, I like to wander around here sometimes. We can go somewhere else if you’d rather.”
Redford found himself smiling. He reached out to take Jed’s hand, twisting their fingers together. “I’ve always wanted to go to a zoo,” he confided quietly. “I’ve only ever seen pictures of them.” He could see why Jed would hesitate. It was a place full of animals in cages, like Redford was every four weeks, except the animals in the zoo had much nicer cages and got fed regularly. Still, Redford really had always wanted to go. “Are you sure it’s okay? I mean, the gun show was for weapons, I understand that, and you said it was safe, but the zoo—”
The awkwardness faded from Jed’s face, and he was smiling that smile again, leaning in to gently press his lips to Redford’s. He looked twice as startled as Redford was over the intensely sweet touch. “We’ve got time to kill. And being unpredictable is good. Makes it hard for someone to follow us without me noticing.” He paused, studying Redford’s face, a flicker of something vulnerable hiding in those brilliantly green eyes.
That sounded logical. Redford might not get this whole “being followed” thing, but he trusted Jed. He nodded, squeezing Jed’s fingers. “The zoo sounds good.”
“Okay,” Jed whispered, still looking incredibly unsure. “Well, then. Let’s go to the fucking zoo.”
Chapter Ten
Jed
JUST a little news flash—werewolves were real. Big furry dogs with the teeth and the claws and the only coming out at the full moon? Oh, yeah. Very, very real. Which was kind of a lot to wrap anybody’s brain around, but when said werewolf was the guy you were kind of whatever with, it added a whole new dimension to things. Jed was trying not to think about it. Which, matter of fact, was working out fine for him. Probably because Redford was so… Redford, was so utterly benign, it was easy to forget what he’d turned in to.
What Jed hadn’t told him was that he’d been scared. All night. Sure, it’d turned out that a little alpha dog posturing and Red was happy as houses, but there had always been that fear. All it’d take was for the wolf to realize that he out-muscled Jed, that those fangs weren’t made for kissing daisies, and everyone would have been in a world of hurt. Hell, who knew if the next time Jed’s act would work so well? Alpha he was not, and he liked it that way. Every relationship—if you could call them that—had him so far on the bottom he was licking toes, and quite frankly, Jed felt comfortable there. At least then he knew his place; at least then he was almost seen.
Whatever the fuck this was, this thing, this growing, evolving emotion that tightened in his chest whenever he got close to Redford, it wasn’t his usual. It wasn’t him submitting and begging for scraps. It was something bigger and more terrifying than that. Wasn’t near as simple, either.
And right then, it had him smack dab in the middle of the monkey exhibit, with Redford holding onto his hand, staring in utter delight.
Sounded like the punch line to a joke, really. Except Jed was anything but laughing. Redford’s fingers felt strong and sure laced through his own, a little jolt of surprised heat skittering down his spine every time Red’s thumb arced along his skin. This was horribly domestic and borderline diabetes-inducing, but there wasn’t a damn place in the world he’d rather be. Which was almost as scary as a big fucking werewolf trying to take off his head.
Buck was his type. End of story. The guy was his type, was the only type of guy he’d ever been attracted to, and he was a hell of a lay. Yet here he was, at the goddamn zoo instead of getting fucked in the backseat of Buck’s very large limo. Why? Because instead of keeping his deliciously huge hands to himself, Buck had decided to start eye-fucking Redford. The thought of it still made something sick twist in Jed’s belly. So instead of enjoying the kiss, he’d been busy restraining his urge to shoot Buck in the face. Kind of put a damper on the mood.
Not that there had really been a mood. The whole time he’d been manhandled and leered at, all Jed had really wanted to do was grab Redford and leave. Hell, he hadn’t even wanted the flirting, any of it, for the first time since he’d hit puberty.
Christ, his life was so messed up right then.
“Did you know that gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans can all catch colds, but monkeys can’t? And once, in South Bend, Indiana, a monkey was tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in public.” Redford was as alive as Jed had ever seen him, a smile curling up those bewitching, full lips. He was engaged, confident, looking utterly delicious in a faded green sweater and jeans, unknowingly showing off his shoulders and the slim taper of his waist. He’d been eagerly spilling encyclopedia facts about every animal they’d stopped and seen, grinning at the lion roaring, utterly entranced by the snakes in their glass houses. Jed had been to the zoo a thousand times before, liking the fact he could sit alone and watch, collect his thoughts, and not seem out of place. But this was the first time he actually felt like he was participating in what it was intended to be.
“Come on,” he urged, tugging Redford after him with a little smile. He’d been giving away those smiles for free lately. Not that he was a gloomy guy normally, but he usually hid behind the big, charming grin, the leer, flirting and making damn sure he didn’t give away anything of importance. With Redford though, it seemed like he couldn’t help but be real. And real meant vulnerable, which could be a damn big problem. “I want to show you something.”
The wind as they emerged from the protected walls of the primate house was just chilly enough to send a shiver along Redford’s shoulders. Jed wasn’t exactly oblivious most of the time. Well, not about stuff that mattered—reading a target’s stride, knowing if a guy was into his flirting, picking up on the subtle cues in a fight. Sometimes the finer points of human interaction got lost on him, but for the most part Jed liked to imagine himself as pretty perceptive. Still, the way he was so focused on Red was a little baffling. Before Redford could even articulate his thoughts on the weather, Jed was shrugging off his leather jacket, wrapping it around the other man’s shoulders with a half-formed, rueful smile.
Jesus, he was so whipped.
They made their way up a ramp, alone in the
nearly deserted zoo. It wasn’t late enough in the day for the mothers of young children to be out yet, not early enough for the senior crowd. It was the nice in-between time when Jed could imagine they were the only people in the world. A particularly nice thought, really. Leading Redford into a dark, fake cave, they ducked their heads under an overhang and emerged in front of a large glass tank. For a moment there was nothing but the murky quiet, the dark water still and silent in front of them.
“Jed, what—”
Jed held up his hand with a slight smile, nodding toward the glass. Redford turned, the puzzled look still on his face, to be confronted by the contented Zen smile of a polar bear. The bear was huge, gliding through the water like he was weightless, nodding happily to himself as he made a lazy arc back toward the surface.
“Oh. Wow.”
Feeling quite proud that his second attempt at a day out had been a hit—completely making up for giving Redford a panic attack, he hoped—Jed looped his arm around Redford’s waist, letting the other man sink easily into his side. That was the trouble, really. They fit so damned well that it was almost impossible for Jed to keep his wits about him. That Redford was so far outside of his type was just one in a very, very long list of reasons why this was a horrible idea. Yet here they were, cuddling and watching the polar bears play.
“I love polar bears,” Redford murmured, his voice a husky, low rumble that sank in under Jed’s skin and refused to let go. “They’re so graceful under the water. And they disappear. Did you know that they’ll put snow on their noses so that you can’t see them against the drifts? That’s so smart.” Red was beaming happily, completely unaware how gorgeous he was. Those eyes that dipped into blue and gray, the strong curve of his jaw, the slim strength that lurked under the shy smile, so completely unlike anyone Jed had ever made time with, and yet he couldn’t seem to shake him.
Softly, Jed found his free hand going out to trail along the scars that curved through Redford’s skin, pale and angry against the sweet innocence of his face. From the bridge of his nose, his fingertips slid down to his jaw, and Jed was all at once breathless. Eyes wide, surprised still at how such a simple thing could affect him, Jed hooked his fingers around the back of Redford’s neck and tugged him forward, meeting him in a kiss.
Slow and gentle, Redford parted his lips under Jed’s, and the thrill of his tongue tasting Jed’s mouth shot through them both. With a quiet groan, Jed’s hand dropped to grasp Redford’s hips, pulling the man closer, sinking into the heat of his body pressed tight to his chest. Every time they touched, Jed lost all track of time. There wasn’t anything that existed but the press and weight of him, but the warm heat of his mouth and the soft slide of his hands on Jed’s body.
The glass of the tank was cool against his back, and Jed grinned a little into the kiss. Redford was getting demanding, pushing him back, getting a better grip with his hands curled into the sides of his shirt. God, did he like that. “Babe?” he murmured, tipping his chin back when Red decided to explore his throat with a surprisingly nimble tongue. “Not that I mind making out in public, cause I really don’t, but you realize—”
“There’s no one here,” was Redford’s reply, a faint pant of air, nerves and lust warring together, making his voice crack.
“No, there’s not,” Jed agreed, intent, smile fading as a sharp rush of want made his head spin. Redford leaned forward, daringly pressing his mouth to Jed’s, their tongues coming together in an explosion of wet, heated need. Pressing and tangling, Jed sucked lightly on Red’s, smirking at the low gasp that got tangled up in the next growl. Jed was shoved back again, Redford’s eyes dark with arousal, and he would have sworn there was a glimmer of yellow buried there in the dim light.
He nipped Redford’s lower lip hard, tangling his fingers in his hair to pull him back in when Redford jerked back, startled. The sting was soothed with slow, sucking kisses and Red sank into the sensation of pain meeting pleasure, whimpering a little when Jed repeated the movement. Big, callused hands, hands that seemed designed for holding a gun or imparting violence, pushed up under Redford’s shirt with a gentleness that surprised them both. Jed’s fingertips painted slow arcs against the warm, bared skin, enthralled with the silky smooth feel under his hand.
“Jed.” The restless whisper drove him crazy, and Jed’s only response was a deeper kiss, losing his breath, his mind, into the bliss of Redford’s mouth.
Red’s fingers were at his belt, fumbling with the clasp, pushing it aside with a single-minded determination. There wasn’t any more time for second guessing, for Jed’s many issues to rear their ugly heads. It was as if every ounce of self-control he had just snapped the moment Redford reached for him.
“It’s okay,” he found himself murmuring, open-mouthed kisses leaving a wet trail down Redford’s neck. “God, you’re so good.”
The hesitance was easily apparent in Redford’s touch, his inexperience making him nervous, but Jed responded so well to even the lightest attention that he couldn’t help but gain confidence. Redford’s fingers slid just under the button of Jed’s jeans, and he moaned softly when he finally reached bare skin.
“Hey! What the hell are you two perverts doing in here? This is a family place, for Christ’s sake.” The barking holler of what Jed’s barely focused gaze identified as a rent-a-cop ripped through the mood and practically shot Redford off of him and across the narrow viewing galley.
“Fuck,” was Jed’s completely appropriate reaction, scowling at the man and adjusting his pants, trying to ignore the tight press around his groin area. These jeans were made for showing off his ass, not hightailing it with an erection. “Okay, okay, General Kill Joy. Keep your shirt on. We’re going.”
Not exactly the most romantic ending to that particular situation—or the most satisfying, unfortunately—but this was hardly the first time he’d been caught with his dick out. Grabbing Redford’s hand and giving the security guard a two fingered salute, Jed took off running out of the exhibit and toward the zoo exit. Redford’s rigidly mortified stare pretty much ruled out any hope Jed might have had of fading into the crowd and trying again, perhaps at the butterfly garden. Nobody was ever at the butterfly garden when it got chilly out. Oh, well.
They made it back to the car without further incident. The security guard had halfheartedly chased them as far as the giraffes to make sure they actually left. The parking lot was all but empty while Jed fumbled with the key, cursing the loss of his sweet Jeep, Matilda. Matilda had been a good car. She’d never complained when he drove above the speed limit or used her backseat for things decidedly outside the manufacturer’s intended use. This car was an ugly boat, some late eighties station wagon with wood panels. It did have considerable room, though. For storage and whatnot. Or other things, should the need present itself.
Huffing out a sigh, leaning against the door frame once he’d finally gotten the key to cooperate, he gave Red a pathetic smirk, running a hand through his hair. “So, that probably ruined the mood a little, huh?”
Where there’d been utter mortification before, Redford was now smiling. Nearer to full-on grinning, almost, there were actually teeth showing. “It doesn’t have to,” he replied, leaning against the door next to Jed, hip to hip, turning to rest his chin on Jed’s shoulder.
A sharp little jump in Jed’s stomach took his breath clean out of his lungs. He found himself smiling back, completely and utterly lost in how amazing Redford looked. He wasn’t hunched in on himself, wasn’t skittering back and praying to disappear. There was mischief in his eyes, a proud humor at their escape. Confidence in how he reached out for Jed, casual little touches that electrified them both. He was incredibly transformed, and Jed couldn’t believe how much he liked seeing that.
“Yeah?” he asked, throat jumping as he swallowed, voice dropping like a stone. “You got something in mind there, sweetheart?”
“Well.” The hesitance was back, but it wasn’t the kind that made Redford freeze up like before. “You
r place is… completely free of security guards.”
“That it is,” Jed agreed, turning slightly to wrap one arm around Redford’s waist, to pull him in closer so that their lips could ghost along each other’s. It was more the promise of a touch, their breath mingling between them, the soft inhale when Jed’s tongue eased an outline of Redford’s lower lip. “One of my favorite things about the place. No rent-a-cops.”
“Maybe we should go back there,” Redford replied, a quiet smirk lurking in the corners of his eyes. Jed blinked a few times, focusing. Yes, that had been the suggestion, hadn’t it? A very good suggestion, in fact, and one he had every intention of following. Just as soon as he’d finished investigating the little dip just under Redford’s left ear. His tongue circled against the soft skin there, and his hands wandered up, under Redford’s T-shirt, palms flat against the small of his back.
“Yeah,” he agreed absently, letting his teeth scrape a light path down the column of Redford’s neck. “Yeah, we should. Good idea. Let’s go.”
Jed pressed the keys into Redford’s hand, nudging his chin up so that he had more room to slide his tongue down to the hollow of Redford’s throat, to suck tiny reddened marks in the skin, a hop-skip guide to where he’d been. “You drive,” he mumbled, busy trying to get Redford’s shirt unbuttoned, completely oblivious to where they were. “I’m gonna suck you off so hard, baby. You’ll come twice before we even get home.”
“I’ve never driven before,” Redford protested, pushing the keys back at Jed. “We’ll crash, and—” He broke off to inhale sharply, trying to get his thoughts together. “You drive. I don’t want to die.”
Oh. Right. Damn it. Raising his head, looking around him dazedly, Jed scrubbed a hand over his face and barked out a laugh. “Right. Jesus, right, sorry. I forgot.” Another breath, slower this time, and Jed shoved his hormones back away from his higher thought processes, which was a little hard to do when Redford was attaching himself to his neck. “Okay. Come on.” With a low groan, Jed sagged back against the door, eyes fluttering shut, pulling Red closer. “Fuck, right there.” There was a spot just beside his pulse point that drove him absolutely fucking insane every time, and Redford had just gleefully discovered it. It took several more minutes before he even remotely could think about anything but the wet, hot pressure of Redford’s tongue, the way his teeth scraped so gently against his skin.