Page 59 of Hot Zone

“Yeah, then they moved on to a place in Georgia, I think. But even after she was gone, I read everything I could find about astronomy, and I spent forever outside looking at the stars.”

“You don’t talk much about your time at the ranch. What was it like growing up out there?”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad. My mom was really busy with the gardens and making all the products the ranch sells, so I basically had free run of the place.”

“What about school?”

“There was a woman who lived on the ranch who was a former schoolteacher. For the most part, she handled my education. But my mom thought life was the best teacher, so as long as I was doing the minimum required, she didn’t really worry much about school.”

“That must have been a big adjustment when you moved in with your aunt and started school.”

“It was. I don’t know what I would have done without Steven. It was like he saw me and just knew how lost I was.” He chuckled. “He attached himself to me and made sure I knew how things worked in the real world.”

Hearing that made me proud of my son, and I was glad he’d been such a good friend to Mars when he needed one.

“Don’t get me wrong, there are things about the ranch I miss.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Everything moves so much slower there, and the place has this overall feeling of peace and serenity. That’s why theAirbnbhas done so well. People from the city love spending a week where they can just completely disconnect.”

“I can see the appeal to that.”

“Yeah, I understand the value of what my mom’s created out there. That’s why, even though I don’t want to live there, I’ve tried to create my own intentional community right here in Vesper.”

“I get that. That’s what we’ve created at Station sixty-nine, or at least that’s what we aim for anyway.”

We lay there under the stars for a while longer, just taking in the view and talking.

The drive back to my house was quiet, but it wasn’t the awkward kind of silence—it was thick with tension, charged and electric. Every stolen glance in the darkened car, every brush of his hand against mine, had my pulse pounding like a drum.

We didn’t need to say anything. The look in his eyes as I unlocked the front door, the way his fingers lingered on mineas he walked by me to go inside—it was all there, unspoken but impossible to miss.

The door clicked shut behind me, and the air in the house felt different, heavier.

“Come here,” I said, my voice low and rough. My blood was running hot. I swear I needed this boy more than I needed to breathe.

He didn’t hesitate, stepping into my space, his movements fluid, like he was drawn to me as much as I was to him. My hand found the back of his neck, pulling him close, and our mouths collided in a kiss that was all heat and desperation.

“Take your clothes off for me,” I said gruffly. He didn’t hesitate, quickly moving to do as I’d commanded. When he was finished, I went back to kissing him again.

I walked him backward, my lips never leaving his, steering him through the house like it was instinct. Every step, every soft gasp from him, sent my pulse pounding harder.

By the time we reached the bedroom, I couldn’t wait any longer. His legs hit the edge of the bed, and I used that momentum to lower him down. I rubbed my hands down his body, and he arched.

“Damn, you’re stunning, Mars.” My eyes met his, and the hot shining need in his eyes was like fuel to the fire. I shoved histhighs apart and dropped to my knees on the floor between them. “Look at you, so ready for me.”

I lowered my head and dragged my tongue up his cock. I was like a man possessed. I licked and sucked, slipping an arm under his hips and yanking him closer to the edge of the bed, which meant closer to my mouth.

“Yes, please,” he moaned.

I worked two fingers into his hot, tight hole. Pumping them in and out while I continued to lick and suck his cock.

“Yes,” he moaned. “So good.”

I put my fingers in deep, looking for that magic spot inside of him. When I found it, his muscles tensed, and he cried out while emptying himself in my mouth. I swallowed as much as I could and then licked him clean.

“I want you inside of me, Daddy, please,” he said, panting, and fuck if hearing him call me Daddy didn’t make me even harder. I’d told myself that this was Mars and being with him was what mattered, so if we never got there, it would be okay. But fuck, the words sounded perfect on his lips. At this point, I would’ve given him anything he wanted, but the truth was, I wanted the exact same thing.

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