Page 15

“From some reason, I doubt you were a Boy Scout,” Noah answered with a laugh. “Sure, take my key. I trust you.” Wow, he hadn’t truly trusted anyone in years, but he trusted Zach. He wasn’t an idiot; it was a trust based on nothing but mere faith on his part, but he went with it.
Zach stood. “Call me if you feel even the slightest twinge of nervousness. Denala will stay with you while I’m next door.” When Noah frowned, Zach explained, “I need to make some calls, check on the puppies, and then I’m going to scrape together some food to bring over and cook for us. Do you like steak, baked potatoes, and salad?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Of course I like steak. I may be craz—” He caught himself midsentence and stopped. “Yes, I like steak, baked potatoes, and salad, but I have plenty of food in the kitchen. Let me fix us something.” He started to get up, realized he was completely naked, and tucked the blanket back over his lap.How did I get naked? More importantly, how in the hell didn’t I notice?
“There’s nothing but junk food and frozen dinners in your kitchen. There’s caffeine and sugar everywhere, and neither of them are good for helping you overcome your phobia. Caffeine is a no-no for agoraphobia. You should know this. Your doctor should’ve told you this, and whoever is bringing you this shit should know better, as well. I’m cooking your supper and then, together, we are going to clean out your cabinets. No arguments, hot stuff. I’m going to help you get better.”
Uh-oh. That comment made Noah sad. Zach thought he could make him better—fix him. Noah knew it was too late. Zach would figure it out on his own before too long, so Noah vowed to enjoy his time with his hot neighbor for as long as Zach would allow it. “So, what happened to my clothes? I can’t help but notice I’m buck-ass naked.” Noah liked Zach’s blush when he brought up the state of his undress.
“You had blood all over your clothes. I ditched them. Is that a problem?” Zach asked.
Flirt! You know how to flirt. You can do this. His mind cheered him on. “I don’t know, Zach. I guess how I feel about you seeing me without my clothes on has to do with whether you were impressed.” He shrugged like his words were no big deal, but his teeth were busy tugging at his bottom lip, giving testimony to just how out-of-practice he was with the whole flirt thing. “I don’t have another damned thing to do with my time except work out in the gym, so I’m really hoping you were impressed.”
He couldn’t believe he’d just said that. Zach had treated him with nothing but contempt in every previous encounter, and Noah acted like they already had a fuck-date set. His teeth tugged at the skin on his bottom lip again until Zach reached up and tugged his lip away from the attack of his teeth. He hated the nervous gesture, but hadn’t made any progress in overcoming it. But, then again, he hadn’t made progress in overcoming any of his phobias or weaknesses, so he shouldn’t be surprised.
“Let’s leave the biting of your lips to me, okay?” Zach whispered in a voice that made Noah’s entire body feel warm. When Noah nodded, Zach continued, “I was impressed, Noah. I’ve been impressed with your body from day one. Now, you asked me where your clothing went and I answered. Tell me, where did your tattoos go?”
“Oh…those…yeah, they aren’t real. Cameron sends somebody in to paint me up before a photo shoot. Disappointed?”
“Nope,” Zach answered. “They were sexier than fuck, but the pale perfection you have going on right now works even better.” He stood and said, “Be a good boy while I’m gone. No pills. Rest. If you start getting nervous, call me immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” Noah answered.
Zach’s eyes widened and then darkened. Noah’s cock twitched at the hot gaze. Just a twitch, but a twitch to a man who’d been without twitch for a long time was good. Really good.