Page 6 of Alpha's Touch
Preston quickly swiped at his eyes when the back door opened, causing the music and conversations to swell before dying back down.
Zeppelin stepped outside, the door closing behind his tall, muscular frame. His presence demanded the kind of attention hard to ignore. It was as if the very air around the guy bent to his will.
He gave Zeppelin his back, even though his body was screaming to fall into those brawny arms.
It had to be the stress that made Preston feel that way. He didn’t even know the biker, and Zeppelin’s persistence should’ve caused alarm bells to go off like sirens in Preston’s head.
Instead, all he felt was… safe.
Don’t you dare fall for another handsome face. That’s exactly what got you in trouble to begin with.
The quiet seemed to stretch between them. Zeppelin just stood there in the darkness as Preston’s breathing grew faster and more shallow. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm down, but felt like he was choking instead.
“Take a deep breath, sunshine.” Warm, strong hands cupped his cheeks. Hands that had no business holding him so tenderly.
“I-I can’t.” This wasn’t Preston’s first anxiety attack, but it was the first time he wasn’t experiencing it alone. He kept his eyes shut, because he didn’t want to be seen like this.
Weak and helpless. Those traits only attracted predators. Something Preston was unfortunately familiar with.
“Look at me, Preston.”
Zeppelin wasn’t asking for anything. Not really, but Preston still felt cornered by the softness in his voice.
Blowing out a deep breath, Preston curled his fingers around Zeppelin’s wrists, half afraid the guy would vanish if he didn’t hold on.
“There you go, love. Now open your eyes.”
The edges of him came into focus one blink at a time. Then Preston’s gaze climbed, until there was only him. Zeppelin’s smile had a warmth that wrapped around Preston, soft and easy, coaxing trust in a way words never could.
But as badly as Preston wanted to trust him, safety was a lie.
Letting go, he took a step back. Zeppelin released him without being asked.
“Thanks for the save.” Preston tried to sound like a bro, act like one too, even giving a peace sign, acting as if he embraced toxic masculinity.
The feeling made him want to vomit. He wasn’t his dad, who, to this day, was still pissed at his wife for naming their youngest son Preston.
Like a name could turn someone gay. Unfortunately for his dad, his worst fear had come true.
When Preston was a teenager, he’d been so enraged about his father’s clear prejudice that he’d purposefully acted flamboyant as fuck. He’d pretended he was Midas. Only, everything Preston touched he pretended turned gay.
One afternoon he’d freaked out his father when Preston had walked past their family dog, King, and tapped the dog’s head like he held a glittery wand. “And now you’re gay. I guess we should rename you Queen, huh?”
His mom had snickered.
His dad had been seconds away from unhousing Preston.
Zeppelin smirked, but his eyes said he knew exactly what Preston was doing. Or so Preston thought.
The sexy biker threw up a peace sign in return then clapped Preston on the shoulder. Which now slightly throbbed.
“Come on, bro.” Zeppelin opened the back door. “You can hang out with me and my guys. You know, throw back shots, grab some ass, and talk shop.”
That sounded like the worst time ever. Preston would rather lick the glasses clean than act like one of the guys. Biker guys.
“I’m still working my shift.” Preston cautiously eyed him. Was Zeppelin being serious? Now Preston wondered if he’d been right. Was the guy straight?
“No biggie.” He waved off Preston’s statement, making him feel thoroughly dismissed. “We’ll move to the counter so you can be a part of our machismo. Right, bro? Hope you got dirty jokes.” He winked at Preston. “We macho men love them.”
