CHAPTER 17

Geo

Zeb parks the car, but neither of us move.

I stare at the house, noting it looks no different than the last time I saw it.

It’s not ominous looking or anything, but it’s pretty large and spacious because even before my mother started managing local artists, she and my dad used to entertain a lot.

“You okay?” Zeb asks, pulling my attention.

I turn to him.

The dark plum of his shirt makes his tan complexion almost golden.

His green eyes stand out against the dark hair framing his face, speckled along his jaw.

He was never unattractive as a teenager, but there’s no denying he’s had the fucking glow up of the century.

New demographics, indeed.

“It’s just dinner, right?” My gaze flashes to his perfect, pink, full lips, thinking about Mateo and Dare’s words.

You got this.

Zeb nods.

“Don’t worry, if things go south, I got your back,” he says, offering me a small smile.

And for the moment, that’s enough.

We climb out of the truck and Zeb comes around to my side with an encouraging smile on his lips.

Zeb sets his hand on the small of my back, giving me a nudge.

Katy all but crashes into us.

“Oh my God!” She squeals as she throws her arms around me.

“Look at you!”

Zeb laughs, but he doesn’t remove his hand.

When my mom and dad round the corner, I don’t miss the look of happiness on their faces.

Zeb drops his hand, and immediately, I feel the emptiness, my skin still burning from the heat of his palm through my shirt.

“Welcome home, baby,” my mother says as she pulls me into her arms.

Reflexively, I lift my arms to hold onto her as she kisses me on my cheek.

I flash my gaze at Zeb who offers me a reassuring smile, and I close my eyes and wrap my arms around my mom, and pray to make it through this dinner unscathed.

After dinner, a couple glasses of wine, and a healthy helping of my mother’s apple pie, I am more than ready to crash.

Zeb opens the car door for me, and I relax instantly once the door is shut.

“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asks, casting me a sexy smile.

I look at him in the amber light of his truck, the way the shadows fall across his face.

God, he is gorgeous.

“Guess not,” I reply as he turns the car on.

He nods to the radio dial.

“You pick this time,” he says softly.

I reach for the dial, fiddling until I find a station I like.

I stop when I hear Kenya Grace’s Strangers, my thoughts falling back to his voice, the way he sang “We’ll get in your car and you’ll lean to kiss me...” so fucking perfectly.

I watch him as he drives, one sizable arm resting on his windowsill, while his other hand palms the steering wheel.

I can’t take my damn eyes off of him.

Maybe it’s the wine, maybe it’s the fact today wasn’t a total disaster, maybe it’s just my mid-life fucking crisis obliterating me to pieces.

“Can I ask you an insanely personal question?” I ask softly, my heart in my throat.

Zeb turns to raise an eyebrow at me.

“That depends on what it is,” he says with a grin.

I lick my lips, unable to tear my gaze away from his absolutely beautiful profile, the way the muscles in his wrist and his forearms draw my attention in a way I know I’ve never noticed on anyone else.

“How did you know you were gay?”

Zeb pauses, and for a minute I think he’s not going to answer me.

“It wasn’t any one thing. More like, it was a bunch of little things,” he says honestly.

“Like what?” I inquire as he turns down the road I’m starting to recognize as the main drag to his house.

“Well, for starters, my crushes were never girls my age,” he replies with a laugh.

“That was probably a big one, but there were other things, too.” He pulls his truck up to his driveway, but he doesn’t shut it off.

“Like what?” I ask, shifting in my seat.

The motion puts me closer to him since there isn’t a console between us.

He chews his bottom lip, his green eyes sparkling the same way they did when I ran into him into the hallway earlier.

“I think a big one was when all I could think about was kissing this guy I was fucking crazy about,” he says quietly, his gaze flashing to me.

“It was brutal. Literally, all I could think about when I was around him.”

A wave of heat overtakes me as the longing in his eyes registers.

“Did you do it?” I ask, my gaze fixated on his glittering eyes.

“Kiss him, I mean?”

Zeb licks his lips, swallowing harshly, and he leans in closer to me.

Without thinking, I lean in, my gaze dipping to his mouth.

And then it hits me like a fucking brick.

I.

Leaned.

In.

Oh, fuck.

“Nope,” he says, his breath warm on my skin.

“Didn’t think he wanted me to. Didn’t think he was into me like that.”

I set my hand on the seat in the space between us, noting how the edges of my fingers graze his knee as I do so.

He shifts a little closer, the motion putting my entire hand on his knee.

I lean in an inch, feeling like I’m on the edge of a fucking cliff.

My body heats as my heart beats faster, so fast I think it’s going to explode out of my fucking chest.

I slide my hand just an inch over his knee, resting it.

My palms heat, and I think I am Hellbound for sure.

“What if he did? Want you to, I mean?” I ask calmly.

“If said he wanted you to... would you?”

Zeb’s breath is steady, and he implores my gaze.

“Fuck yes, I would,” he breathes.

“In a heartbeat.”

I move closer until the edge of my knee brushes against his and my hand slides up his leg, resting on his thigh where I leave it.

He closes his eyes for a moment as he bites his lip, opening them to implore my gaze once more.

“Is that what you want, Geo?” he whispers.

His verdant gaze falls to my lips.

“For me to kiss you? Here? Now?”

I don’t miss the way his voice shakes, and it’s a strange sort of comfort knowing he’s just as scared as I am.

“Yes,” I whisper shakily, because I do, and the levity of that truth is not lost on me.

Zeb reaches out, settling his fingers on my throat, his gaze focused on mine for what feels like an eternity until he moves and he pulls me in, his lips grazing over mine.

My entire body responds to his mouth in a way I’ve never responded to anyone.

It feels unlike anything else I’ve ever felt.

Every muscle in my body loosens, my limbs suddenly like jello, and I feel like I might actually pass out.

I grab onto his neck, grounding myself to him as I process the smooth, soft feel of his lips on mine.

The way they move slowly, almost angelically.

His sweet tonka-bean teakwood scent surrounds me with familiarity and comfort.

A soft groan escapes my throat, and I don’t even try to fucking hide it.

I can’t.

He breaks away slowly, his breath heavy as the sound of sexy “uh huh’s” echo in the space.

It’s like I’ve finally awakened from a spell I didn’t even know I was under.

I tighten my grip on his neck, his skin warm against my palm, and I crush my lips against his once more.