Page 15 of The Tech Guru's Heart

After a glance around, Link swung Ezra into his arms.He clutched him close to his chest as he stared down at the handsome face of his sleeping human.Even though Ezra had passed out, Link still smiled, relishing the chance to hold the other half of his soul.

Link continued to smile as he headed between the trees, needing seclusion for when his mate woke.

I’ll explain everything when he wakes, and everything will be fine.

Link would accept no less.

Chapter Six

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ROUSING SLOWLY, EZRAfought through his grogginess.He groaned quietly, turning his head and nuzzling the firm yet soft pillow his head rested on.His muscles felt relaxed, but sore...as if he’d strained himself.

What the hell happened?Did I overtax myself?

Ezra decided that could be the only logical explanation for what he was feeling.

So how did I do that?

Racking his brain, Ezra searched his memories for what he’d done on the prior day’s hike.He drew a blank.He couldn’t think of anything that would explain his fatigued soreness.

I woke up, ate a small breakfast of fruits, nuts, and jerky, and hit the trail.There was nothing real strenuous about any section.Nothing I haven’t handled plenty of times before.

So what...wait, did I make it to the river crossing?

Recalling swapping out his shoes, Ezra knew that he had.

Did I slip in the water and hit my head or something?

Then the image of the big, shaggy ox-like animal filled his mind.

Did it attack me?

A second later, Ezra recalled Link...appearing in the trail...directly where the big animal had been.

“What the hell?”Ezra gasped, snapping his eyes open.He tried to jackknife into a sitting position, but something held him immobile.

“Easy, Ezra.”Link’s deep voice crooned into his ear.Ezra felt big, soothing hands caress his neck, shoulders, and back, and his hair stood on end as goose bumps broke out on his flesh.“You’re safe, sweetheart.You’re okay.”

Turning his head, Ezra realized a couple of things at once.

First, the firm, soft pillow was actually the crook of Link’s shoulder.A few inches away, his light-brown nipple poked up from within a smattering of dark, wiry chest hair.That led across his broad pectorals and down over his slightly rounded belly to disappear into the waistband of a pair of jogging shorts.

Second, Link held him in a firm hold while rubbing his back with one hand and massaging his neck with the other.They were reclining beneath the trees on Ezra’s sleeping bag.The huge, bearded man sported a worried look, and concern filled his warm, dark-chocolate-brown eyes.

“L-Link?”Ezra whispered, uneasy confusion flooding him.

“Yeah?”

As usual, the timbre of Link’s voice caused a rush of heat to fill Ezra’s veins.He forced himself to ignore that in favor of asking, “Uh, wh-what are you doing here?”Doing his best to keep his voice steady, he added, “A-And how?Why?”Another thought struck him.“Are you stalking me?”

“Uh, I guess you could say that, in a way, Iamstalking you,” Link muttered, grimacing.“But, uh, I just couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing you for weeks after just finding you.”

A fresh wave of shock flooded Ezra, and he gaped at the big man.

Damn.At least, he’s honest.

Link’s dark eyes widened, and his cheeks took on a distinctive pinkish hue, so dark it was even easily seen through his thick, black beard.

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