Brody either. Apparently, Zak was a whole lot more attached and emotionally involved with Brody than Lark had given him credit for.
“I never suggested he was just a fling, Zak,” Lark said carefully, watching Zak attentively the whole time.
“I just said I think he’s really interested in you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He was holding that jacket in front of him pretty damn protectively, like a shield. And I saw the way he was looking at you when I came back with the wallet. He was more than just a bit embarrassed. I’d say he was all but begging you to let him suck you off.”
“You’re delusional!”
Lark took a deep breath and tried for patience. What he really wanted to do was grab Zak by his bulging biceps and shake the stuffing out of him. Unfortunately, owing to the considerable size difference between them, that wasn’t going to be possible. So he tried a different approach—being reasonable.
“I love you, Zak. I don’t want to lose you, but there’s something more for us. I know there is. I don’t know what it is, but I won’t pretend the need isn’t there. I can’t lose us, Zak. Not if all it takes is for us to be brave enough to try something different. And I won’t back away from this, either. It’s too important. I know it is. I can feel it.”
For a long time, he wasn’t sure Zak was going to acknowledge what he’d said. How he felt. But then gradually the tension melted from Zak’s muscles and face, and Zak nodded slowly.
“I know you’d never back down, baby. Not if it’s something you really feel is important. You’re one of the bravest men I know. And you won’t lose me. We won’t lose us. I promise.” Zak opened his arms and Lark stepped into the warm, welcoming embrace that meant home, just as it always had. “It’s not like it’ll be the first time you slapped me around until I saw sense. Assuming this is going to make sense sometime soon…”
Lark choked on a laugh. For a long time they stood together, holding each other and letting their embrace dissipate the fear and worry. Slowly, Lark felt the two of them relax into one another, and he knew everything would be all right between them.
“Zak?” he whispered quietly.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“I like him too. I just thought…if you… then we could both maybe…”
Zak sighed and pulled him a little closer. “Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we see him again. I think…I don’t know, Lark. There’s just something…lost and vulnerable about Brody. We may have scared him off.
And I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing.”
“But if we do—see him again I mean—do you think…”
“Lark. I don’t want to push him…Brody…I think Brody needs us to give him space and time. He doesn’t need us to jump on him and try to whisk him off to our bed.”
“But that sounds like fun,” Lark protested with a cheeky little pouting smile. For once Zak didn’t join in his playfulness.
“Brody’s not a plaything, Lark. He’s not some new toy you get to unwrap and experiment with. If you want to do this then you have to promise me it’s not just because you want something new to play with. I won’t toy with Brody.”
Lark pulled away a little to look up into Zak’s determined face. It gave him pause for a moment.
Something more was going on. He could feel it in the tense muscles under his fingers and the way Zak’s clenched his jaw again at the mention of treating Brody with anything but the utmost care and respect.
Maybe Zak was a lot closer to coming to the same conclusion about Brody than Lark had thought.
Lark was already well and truly convinced that Brody was someone they were meant to meet and get to know more intimately. He’d just never expected his normally obsessively cautious and methodical lover to get to the same point so quickly. He’d thought that by slowly introducing the idea of letting Brody into their bed, he might have some hope of getting Zak to see
“I never suggested he was just a fling, Zak,” Lark said carefully, watching Zak attentively the whole time.
“I just said I think he’s really interested in you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He was holding that jacket in front of him pretty damn protectively, like a shield. And I saw the way he was looking at you when I came back with the wallet. He was more than just a bit embarrassed. I’d say he was all but begging you to let him suck you off.”
“You’re delusional!”
Lark took a deep breath and tried for patience. What he really wanted to do was grab Zak by his bulging biceps and shake the stuffing out of him. Unfortunately, owing to the considerable size difference between them, that wasn’t going to be possible. So he tried a different approach—being reasonable.
“I love you, Zak. I don’t want to lose you, but there’s something more for us. I know there is. I don’t know what it is, but I won’t pretend the need isn’t there. I can’t lose us, Zak. Not if all it takes is for us to be brave enough to try something different. And I won’t back away from this, either. It’s too important. I know it is. I can feel it.”
For a long time, he wasn’t sure Zak was going to acknowledge what he’d said. How he felt. But then gradually the tension melted from Zak’s muscles and face, and Zak nodded slowly.
“I know you’d never back down, baby. Not if it’s something you really feel is important. You’re one of the bravest men I know. And you won’t lose me. We won’t lose us. I promise.” Zak opened his arms and Lark stepped into the warm, welcoming embrace that meant home, just as it always had. “It’s not like it’ll be the first time you slapped me around until I saw sense. Assuming this is going to make sense sometime soon…”
Lark choked on a laugh. For a long time they stood together, holding each other and letting their embrace dissipate the fear and worry. Slowly, Lark felt the two of them relax into one another, and he knew everything would be all right between them.
“Zak?” he whispered quietly.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“I like him too. I just thought…if you… then we could both maybe…”
Zak sighed and pulled him a little closer. “Honestly, I’ll be surprised if we see him again. I think…I don’t know, Lark. There’s just something…lost and vulnerable about Brody. We may have scared him off.
And I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing.”
“But if we do—see him again I mean—do you think…”
“Lark. I don’t want to push him…Brody…I think Brody needs us to give him space and time. He doesn’t need us to jump on him and try to whisk him off to our bed.”
“But that sounds like fun,” Lark protested with a cheeky little pouting smile. For once Zak didn’t join in his playfulness.
“Brody’s not a plaything, Lark. He’s not some new toy you get to unwrap and experiment with. If you want to do this then you have to promise me it’s not just because you want something new to play with. I won’t toy with Brody.”
Lark pulled away a little to look up into Zak’s determined face. It gave him pause for a moment.
Something more was going on. He could feel it in the tense muscles under his fingers and the way Zak’s clenched his jaw again at the mention of treating Brody with anything but the utmost care and respect.
Maybe Zak was a lot closer to coming to the same conclusion about Brody than Lark had thought.
Lark was already well and truly convinced that Brody was someone they were meant to meet and get to know more intimately. He’d just never expected his normally obsessively cautious and methodical lover to get to the same point so quickly. He’d thought that by slowly introducing the idea of letting Brody into their bed, he might have some hope of getting Zak to see
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