Page 25 of Saving Noah

Chapter 7

“Hey, neighbor,” Zach said quietly as soon as Noah stepped back into his apartment, thankful Noah didn’t flinch when he heard his voice. While he hadn’t had a huge problem going along with Connor’s plan to lure Noah out and give him a chance to slip inside, startling or scaring Noah was the last thing Zach wanted to do. To try and appear as non-threatening as possible and be in full view when Noah walked back into his apartment, he’d sat on Noah’s couch. He’d hoped for a relaxed appearance, but doubted he was anywhere near success. For reasons he couldn’t begin to understand, Noah’s feelings were already his primary concern.

Zach wasn’t sure what reaction he’d expected from Noah, but nothing could have prepared him for what the younger man did next. Noah’s movements were slow and graceful as he walked across the room, not stopping until he stood directly in front of Zach. Feeling almost like a boy driven by teenage hormones, Zach fleetingly considered sitting on his hands to keep them from reaching up and grabbing hold of Noah’s trim waist and yanking him down onto his lap.

“You wouldn’t answer the door or your cell and I really needed to talk to you face to face. Don’t be too mad at me and Connor for tricking you,” Zach said softly. “I was worried about you.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for somebody to worry about me, Zach. If that’s the only reason you’re here, you should probably go.”

Zach looked up and the sheer determination in Noah’s blue eyes amazed him. They were a turquoise blue this morning, bright and beautiful, but with dark smudges beneath them. He looked fully alert and more than a little ready for a confrontation. The Noah standing in front of him, hands resting on his hips, didn’t look like he fearedanything, much less leaving his apartment complex. The Noah standing in front of him looked strong enough to handle the darkness living in Zach’s soul.

Honesty. Connor had suggested he show Noah the real Zachary Meadows, but Zach worried that if the younger man ever got a look of what he tried so hard to keep hidden from everyone, including himself, he might not ever open his door to him again.

“It’s not the only reason,” Zach answered after a few seconds. “Yes, I was worried about you, worried about what I’d done to hurt you, but I’m also here because there is nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m not here as your doctor. I’m not here as your protector. I’m not even here as your neighbor or friend. Yes, I want to be all of those things, but they don’t have one damned thing to do with what’s going on right now.”

Noah dropped down onto his knees and forcefully pushed Zach’s legs open, giving him enough space to slip his body into the opening. “Whatisgoing on right now, Zach? I think you and I are both fuck-ups when it comes to reading each other’s body language or trying to guess what the other is thinking. Let’s not play games neither of us are good at,” he suggested.

Zach took a deep breath. Another deep breath. “I’m afraid for you to see the real me, Noah. I don’t want to scare you away before we ever have a chance to get to know each other, but I’m afraid if I show you the real me, you’ll run in the opposite direction. Is that what happened yesterday? Was I too…forward?”

Noah gazed up at him and then barked out a laugh. “Are you being serious right now?” He snuggled his body farther between Zach’s spread legs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Have you met me? If anybody is going to be running in the opposite direction, it’s definitely going to be you. I’m fucked up. I know this; you know this.” He gripped Zach’s thighs as he talked. “Yesterday afternoon, you told me you wanted to explore a relationship with me. You left for a few minutes. I napped. You came back. I forgot the entire conversation. The next thing you know, I’ve locked you out of my apartment without an explanation.” He waved a hand in front of Zach. “I’m the nutcase, Zach. Me. It will be me messing things up every damned time.”

“Don’t call yourself that, Noah. I’ve already warned you several times,” Zach growled.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. Whatever. The bottom line is whatever you’re afraid for me to see, it’s going to be nothing compared to the shit I’ve waved in front of you.”

“I want to fuck you, Noah. I don’t know if it’s what’s best for you, but it’s what I want.”

Noah laughed nervously. “I’m afraid to leave my apartment building, Zach…I’m not afraid to be fucked. I’m not going to break. I’m not interested in hooking up with somebody who will try to handle me with kid gloves.” His fingers moved up Zach’s thigh, every inch bringing him closer to the cock that had been hard from the moment Noah had walked back into his apartment. “I’m looking for somebody who will treat me like a man, not a child or medical experiment.”

“Are you sure this is something you want to explore, Noah?” Zach asked, once again feeling the need to give Noah an avenue of escape. Seventy-two hours ago, he’d thought Noah was a prostitute. Today, Zach considered him the most cherished, innocent man on the face of the earth. As he met Noah’s challenging gaze, he had a feeling the younger man wouldn’t appreciate the oldornew opinion Zach had of him.

Noah narrowed his eyes and slowly withdrew his hands from Zach’s thighs to place them on his own hips, right above his waistband. Those sweatpants barely hung onto his lean frame, and Zach wanted nothing more than to reach out and give them a happy nudge in the right direction—to Noah’s ankles.

“This isn’t anexploration, Zach. Like I told you, I’m not a science project, medical experiment, or charity fuck. Either you want to get to know me or you don’t. I know I’ve left the impression I’m high maintenance, but that isn’t the case. I’m just…new to all of this. It’s been a while since I’ve even thought about talking to another guy, much less getting naked with him.”

Oh, yeah; Noah barreled straight toward being pissed off.

“Calm down; I just didn’t want to screw things up again. To use some of your words, it’s been a while since I’ve cared about what my bed partners thought about my performance, tastes, or desires. I’m pleased this appears to be something special for both of us.”

“Oh…okay,” Noah answered, apparently allowing Zach’s admission to take some of the edge from his irritation. “Just…just don’t treat me…weird. My phobias and my ability to fuck are two very separate things, and the last thing I want is for you to mix them up. I’m a nutcase in every other aspect of my life, but not when it comes to that. I’m a grown man, perfectly capable of telling you if I am or am not enjoying myself.”

Zach wanted to believe Noah’s words. Desperately. He also wanted to think he would be capable of keeping the two worlds from colliding, to not allow Noah’s social phobias to cause him to treat Noah any differently than he would if they’d met at a bar somewhere. Okay, hewasworried about that one. His urge to protect Noah was damned near overpowering, and he wasn’t sure he could squash it every time it tried to interfere with the physical side of their relationship.

“I’ll try, Noah,” he answered honestly. “I have to admit it’s going to be tough; I have this overwhelming urge to protect you and keep you safe.” A smile tugged at his lips as he added, “And keeping you safe is a total contradiction to what my dick wants to do to your ass right now.”

“W-wow. O-okay, then,” Noah stuttered. “Let’s…eh…go with what’s behind the door called your dick, shall we?”

Hunger for Noah slithered through Zach. “If you don’t feel comfortable or get nervous at any time, you have to promise to let me know, Noah,” he ordered.

“Again, comments like that piss me off. It makes me feel like a kid and I’m not one,” he growled. Still on his knees, he edged a few inches closer to Zach, and said, “How about this? If I get too bored or if you’re not giving it to me hard or deep enough, I promise to let you know. Sound fair?”

Zach couldn’t wait to tan Noah’s backside. It wasn’t like he was into the BDSM lifestyle, but that didn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t enjoy issuing a much-needed paddling to a pert ass if the opportunity presented itself. His snarky neighbor needed discipline. It was, of course, a damned good thing he enjoyed handing out discipline. They could very well be a match made in heaven. He smiled up at Noah and said, “Take your clothes off, Noah. All of them.”

“Hmmm, bossy, aren’t we,” Noah answered as he tugged his T-shirt over his head, tossed it aside, and stood up…all in the same motion.

“You have no idea, babe,” Zach said. “But you’re about to find out. Clothes off,” he ordered again. “You’ve been teasing me and everybody else at the gym with those baggy T-shirts and ridiculous sweatpants that leave way too much to the imagination. It’s time to put up or shut up.”

“Ha! You should see some of my photo shoots. I’m not leaving much to the imagination with those,” Noah sassed as he looped his fingers beneath the waistband of his sweats and underwear, slowly lowering them inch by inch until Zach could see the head of his swollen cock peeking out.

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