Page 91 of Breaking the Ice

Zach had been trying to play it cool, still half-afraid he was going to scare Gavin off from this new closeness, but there was no way he was hiding the thrill that sent through him. Or his smile.

“Yeah? I’m glad. Really glad.” Zach dipped his head down, making his voice low and intimate. Gavin flushed.

And oh yeah, it was on, baby. Hayes was right. Gavin wanted this, and he just needed Zach to push them over the finish line.

How perfect would it be if they finally got together on New Years Eve? A new start and a new beginning, all for them.

“You ever play these?” Gavin asked, gesturing towards the bank of pinball machines.

“Yeah,” Zach said. “I’m okay.”

Gavin held out his hand and Zach wasn’t sure what he was doing until he was taking Zach’s wrist with a light touch and tipping a few quarters into his hand. “Give it a go,” he said.

Zach half-expected Gavin to stay over where he was at, but to his surprise, he followed Zach as he picked a machine at random. He didn’t drape himself over Zach like Malcolm did to Elliott, but he was close enough Zach could feel the heat of his body.

He dropped the quarter and dragged his mind back to the machine in front of him.

For a few minutes, Zach focused on the game, figuring out the good spots to hit, the idiosyncrasies of the paddles. By the time he was on ball three, Gavin leaned in and said, “Better at this than you said.”

Zach glanced over. Felt his fingers tremble on the controls at the look in Gavin’s eyes. Heat, singeing him. Pupils dilated. Hands shoved into his pockets like he might reach for Zach if he thought he was allowed to.

Swallowing hard, Zach nodded. “It’s been awhile.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Just . . .uh . . .riding a bike,” Zach said.

“Right.” There was a glimmer of mischief in Gavin’s expression, like he was thinking of something else.

And okay, it had been awhile for Zach, not just playing pinball but flirting with intent and wanting badly to take it farther. Ever since the summer, when he’d gone to Michigan, he hadn’t even been vaguely interested in anyone else or even hooking up. But it had beenyearsfor Gavin. And he hadn’t ever done anything with a guy before.

Zach would be the first.

It made his breath short and his skin hot.

He missed the ball completely, pulling the paddle a whole half-second too late.

Shrugging, he turned to Gavin. “You wanna go?”

“I’ve never done this before,” Gavin said.

But with Hayes’ words echoing in his head—lean into it, and make it happen—Zach put his hands on Gavin’s waist, gently pulling him over, where he’d been standing a second ago.

Gavin tensed, but then he relaxed.

“Have a little fun,” Zach suggested slyly.

“If you insist.” Gavin shot him a smile, a little shaky around the edges. But determined, too.

Like maybe he was scared, too, but the fear mattered less because he wanted this as much as Zach did.

“I do,” Zach said. He inserted a quarter into the machine.

Gavinwasn’tas good at it as Zach was, but it was fun to watch his brow furrow in concentration and to witness as his reflexes came to life, again.

Between balls two and three, Gavin turned to Zach, astonishment creasing his expression. “This is a little like hockey.”

“A little?” Zach raised an eyebrow.