“I’m late.”
“Not at all.” He hooked his arm through Zack’s and spun him around. “We have a meeting.”
“Where?”
“The special project you put me in charge of.”
He must have really been tired, because it took Zack more than a few seconds to realize what Nolan meant. Ringside. “What’s going on?”
“All good. We can walk.”
He groaned, but let himself be pulled along. “We don’t really have time for this.”
“You absolutely do. Your meeting with Ms. Rollins got moved to Monday—”
“What?”
“—so you have breathing room.” Nolan cringed, but didn’t stop moving. “I knew you’d be pissed.”
“Damn right I’m pissed. We killed ourselves for her, and she’s not even here to get what she demanded out of us.”
Nolan gave his arm a quick squeeze before letting it go. “I know. But I have something you need to see that will change your mood. Okay?”
Nothing about this entire situation was okay. “I have nothing else to do, apparently. Fine.”
The streets were busy with morning commuters, shoppers, and people going about their day. By the time they reached the gym, Zack was more than ready to be done with all of them. “Okay, what was so important?”
He should have known something big was up simply from the look of excitement on Nolan’s face. The moment they stepped through the doors, the sounds of people working overwhelmed him.
Gone was the stench of mold and grime that used to hit him whenever he walked into the old building; in its place were the smell of cleaning supplies and the sounds of young voices.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Nolan’s grin brightened. “With you so busy the past week, I had a bit of time to work out the details with the contractor. We’re going to have him and the students every day for the next three weeks. When he found out what you were planning to do with the place, the youth programs, he was able to get some of his buddies on board as well. We still have to pay them for labor, but it’s cheap and they’re getting us all the materials at barely above cost.”
Zack didn’t know what to say. He’d dreamed for so long about finally making some headway with this project, but he had never been able to make any progress. It had taken Nolan only a week to accomplish more than what Zack and Max together had done in six months.
“I thought there was paperwork? Max said there was a shit-ton and it would take weeks.”
“Well, there is. I talked to the school, found out what we can and can’t do, what we need permission for, etc.” Nolan shrugged. “Still some things to finalize. Today was supposed to simply be a scouting session. But when they got here and saw the state of the place, they bought some cleaning supplies and got to work.”
“I could kiss you.”
The blush that exploded across Nolan’s cheeks was stunning. “Please don’t. Until later, I mean.”
Their moment of privacy evaporated when the contractor came over and introduced himself. Zack grilled him on a number of points before talking to some of the students. It seemed they were all interested in taking some lessons once the youth program was up and running. He answered as many questions as he could, all the while completely aware of Nolan. Like he normally did, Nolan had slid into the background, letting Zack take center stage.
Before he knew it, the boys went back to work, and he and Nolan were on their way to the office.
“Max will be blown away by what you’ve managed to do in such a short time. If you’re not careful, he’ll be after you to come run Frantic for him.”
“I have a boss, thanks.”
Zack stopped and took Nolan by the arm. “I’m more than that.”
“What?”
God, he was too cute when he was surprised. “I’d like to think I’m your friend.”
Nolan’s blush returned. “Of course.”
“And your lover.”
It was so easy to say the words, even standing in the middle of a crowded street. Here they were anonymous, two men in a city of millions. Two lonely, horny men who’d drifted along in their lives until they’d crashed together. Zack knew as soon as they returned to work they’d fall into their normal roles, and Nolan would fade into the background, doing all the dirty work that no one else would.
Nolan cared so deeply. He’d been hurt, yet somehow managed to continue helping others. For one day, Zack wanted to enjoy that man, to be with Nolan and not his assistant. He didn’t want clandestine sexual moments; he wanted a day to appreciate the company of a man he’d grown to admire and care for.
“Is everything ready for Monday’s meeting with Samantha?”
“As ready as it can be. We now have three extra days to confirm the details, but everything was in your inbox this morning when I arrived.”
“Good. Can the guys lock up the gym when they’re done?”
Nolan gaped at him before nodding. “Of course. I had to give them a key and the code―”
“Let’s go.” Zack didn’t give him time to react; he tugged Nolan along with him when he didn’t immediately move.
“Where . . . What are . . . Hey!”
“Keep walking. We’re going for breakfast.”
Nolan stumbled briefly before getting his footing and falling into step beside him. Zack held on to his hand to ensure he wouldn’t take off.
For his part, Nolan didn’t try to pull away. “You do realize that it’s almost noon.”
“Brunch, then. I’m hungry and tired and want to enjoy your company.”
Zack had worked for years trying to not be the man who gave in to every impulse, whether it was his anger, lust, or any other emotion. He failed some days, but he’d learned to keep moving forward after the occasional slip. He could allow himself this indulgence. Giving in to this urge to be with Nolan, to keep him all to himself for a few hours, was something that couldn’t have a downside.
Since he was acting on impulse, there was no reason not to throw all caution to the wind. Instead of going to a swanky restaurant, he marched them over to a street vendor. “Sausage with kraut, and a pretzel. What do you want?”
“Ah, same. I guess.” Nolan was staring at him, no doubt trying to determine whether he’d had a nervous breakdown.
“I’m fine.”
“If you say so.”
It was probably for the best that Nolan didn’t realize how close Zack was to kissing him right then. How much he wanted to take him home and spend the next several hours stripping him bare to fuck him into the mattress.
Now that he thought about it . . .
He waited until the vendor handed over their food. Then he paid with the twenty he kept in his wallet for emergencies and led Nolan to the street to flag down a cab.
“Where are you taking me now?” Nolan followed the question with a huge bite of his sausage. When he licked his lips, removing some of the greasy residue from his skin, Zack knew he wasn’t going to make it all the way to a private place before giving in to his next impulse.
Grabbing Nolan by the tie, he pulled him in for a hard kiss, drawing it out just long enough to lick some of the grease for himself. “Home. Now.”
He could have walked them back to the office so he could get his car and drive them to his condo, but that would have wasted precious time. Every minute they took to get back to his place was a minute he couldn’t take to seduce Nolan properly.
If Nolan had any issues with the plan, he didn’t voice them. When a cab finally stopped for them, they fell into the back, happily crowding one another. Zack held himself in check for the entire ride, eating his breakfast without really tasting it. The food had quickly become irrelevant; it was simply another thing in the way, delaying the acquisition of his prize.
The ride took too long. Paying the cabbie took too long. The elevator took too long and was also far too crowded for his liking. When they finally reached his floor, Zack grabbed Nolan’s arm and tugged him along once again.
Nolan did nothing to stop Zack, but when they reached his condo door and Zack threw it open, Nolan didn’t move immediately from the hall to follow him inside.
Zack finally stopped and really looked at him. “Are you okay?”
Nolan swallowed and looked down the hall toward the elevator. “Yup.”
Fuck, he’d screwed up again. “You don’t have to come in. I want you to. I want to get you naked on my bed. I want to lick and touch every inch of you. But if you don’t want the same, you can say no. You can walk away and nothing will change.”
“If I come in, everything will change.” Nolan shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“How so? How could you being here, letting me treat you with the respect you deserve, be wrong in any way?”
Nolan chuckled. “Is this about me? You’ve barely looked at me since the gym. Just dragged me along behind you all the way here.”
“Of course it’s about you.” Zack held his arms open and tried to choose his words carefully, terrified that he’d mess this up, say the wrong thing, and lose his chance forever. “I . . . I know my faults. I know what others think of me, and until recently, I’d accepted that I was the office villain. My temper was my weakness, and no matter how much I tried to shove it deep down, I was destined to fail. It wasn’t until you showed up in my life that I found a way to keep things together. Your presence, you simply being near me has changed me, my perception of things.”