Page 93 of Zero Confusion

Zach gasped in surprise. “Miles! You said we should go.”

“No, you said that,” Miles replied playfully. “I have to do something first.”

With slow, deliberate movements, he slid his other arm up from Zach’s waist, fingers lightly tracing Zach’s stomach and chest before tightening around his throat. The glossy fabric of Zach’s tie bunched under his palm, erratic pulse thrumming under the soft skin of his neck. Miles applied enough pressure that it wouldn’t hinder Zach’s breathing but would definitely remind him who he belonged to.

Zach’s dick throbbed in his hand, and Miles chuckled. “You like that? You like being helpless while I do whatever I want to you?” He lowered his voice. “You like your pretty dick on display so everyone can see how hard you are for me?”

Zach choked back a moan, his throat jumping under Miles’s fingers. He tightened his grasp and gave a few slow strokes, enjoying Zach’s whimpers of submission.

“Imagine if someone came around the corner. They’d see how needy you are, so desperate for my touch that you’d do anything. You’d bend over for me right here, wouldn’t you? You’d get on your hands and knees on the dirty ground and beg me to fuck your pretty hole?”

It didn’t matter that five minutes ago, Miles had been the desperate one. It didn’t matter that if someone came around the corner, Miles’s first reaction would have been to hide Zach, to keep him safe. Nothing he said made any practical sense, but it made Zach writhe and let out soft, pleading noises, and that was all he cared about.

“They’d see how good you are for me, doing anything I tell you. So, when I tell you to come—” He licked the shell of Zach’s ear, picking up the pace until his fist was flying back and forth over Zach’s shaft. “—you’re gonna come.”

Zach shuddered in his arms, moaning as hot come spurted into Miles’s fist and dripped on the ground.

When the aftershocks faded and Zach stilled, Miles examined his hand.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a tissue in your pocket, would you?”

Instead of responding, Zach grabbed his wrist and brought it to his mouth, licking the palm clean before sucking on Miles’s fingers. His tongue swirled around each digit, making Miles wish they could go for round two.

“Okay, that’s good,” he rasped, slowly pulling back. “If you keep doing that, we’re going to be here all night.”

He helped Zach put himself together, making sure they were both decent before peeking around the corner. No one was paying attention, and they were able to stroll out and rejoin the party as if nothing had happened.

Chapter 36

ZACH

Farm life didn’t stop for celebrations. It barely even paused. Which was why, despite being hungover and groggy, Zach was drinking black coffee in the kitchen only a few hours after getting to sleep.

“Do you want to baby the tomatoes today?” Jerry asked, poking his side when Zach didn’t immediately answer.

Zach glared back. “How are you so awake? You got home at the same time I did.”

“Big-city life made you soft, baby brother.”

“Shut up,” Zach grumbled and drained his mug. “What am I doing?”

“We had tomatoes a few years back, remember? Pain in the ass. Gotta prune and weed them constantly.”

“Sure, whatever. Sounds nice and quiet.” Zach dropped his face in his hands and tried to convince himself to move. When he lifted his head up, disappointed to see that he hadn’t budged an inch, Jerry shook his head with a grin and gave Zach’s hair a quick, teasing ruffle before walking out of the kitchen.

What an asshole.

Zach smiled. Jerry had gone out of his way to make him feel at home, and Zach’s heart was full to bursting with joyful relief to have his big brother on his side.

After dragging himself to the vegetable patch and plopping on the ground, Zach tried to concentrate. It was late in the season, and most of the plants were fully grown, with the exception of a few rows seeded much later to extend the harvest. The earthy aroma of fresh tomatoes floated on the air and clung to his skin as he pruned, making his mouth water.

If he gave in and tossed one into his mouth every few minutes, it was only because he was concerned about his blood sugar being low.

Practically a medical necessity.

He slid along the meticulously spaced rows, alternating between pruning and weeding to prevent his wrist from cramping up. At the sound of someone approaching, he looked up and realized he’d finished almost half of the patch.

“You forgot to wear a hat,” his mom admonished as she thrust a baseball cap on his head. Zach let out a sigh his teenage self would have been jealous of, and she laughed. “Here’s your lunch.”