“Ry… Oh, fuck yes,” Z whispered, bending over farther, giving Ryan better access. “Don’t be easy. I don’t need easy.”
Wanting to give Z what he wanted, Ryan thrust his hips forward, lodging his cock halfway before pushing in all the way, his hips pressed up against Z’s ass.
“Aww, yes. Fuck me. Hard,” Z growled.
Gripping Z’s hips, Ryan pulled back, thrust his hips forward, pulled back again. Shallow at first, then deeper until he was pounding into Z, his fingers digging into Z’s flesh as he focused on the point where their bodies joined. Ryan was mesmerized by the carnal sight of his cock tunneling in and out of Z’s ass, rocked by the intense sensation, his skin feeling as though it were too tight for his body.
“Jack yourself off,” Ryan insisted. “Stroke your dick hard and fast, Z.”
Z released the edge of the couch and took his dick in his hand, furiously stroking himself while Ryan continued to drive deep into Z’s body. Neither of them spoke other than rough growls and groans as Ryan fucked Z against the sofa.
It felt as though hours passed but was only minutes as Ryan drilled his dick into Z’s ass, fucking him harder and harder until they were both sweating. Ryan hit the point of no return, his eyes crossing, lost in the ecstasy of Z’s body. He cried out at the same time Z did, both of them groaning as they came.
He was weak and tired, but Ryan managed to pull his cock out of Z, stumbling until his back met the wall, his lungs working double time in an attempt to suck in air.
“Now that’s what I consider a damn good day off,” Ryan rasped, unable to tear his eyes off Z.
Z’s gaze found Ryan’s and he smiled. So beautiful.
“I’d have to agree with you there,” Z huffed. “Best damn day off I’ve had…ever.”
TWENTY-SIX
“TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAD.”
Z peered over at RT from beneath his sunglasses, wishing he’d heard him wrong but knowing he hadn’t. They’d been relaxing in the sun for the past hour, jumping into the pool when they were hot, drinking beer and watching the waves crash below, but apparently the silence had been too much for RT.
“What about him?” Z asked, trying to prepare an answer that would be sufficient for RT.
“Tell me about the crash.”
Z hated talking about the accident that had put his father in a coma for the past four years, but it was much easier to discuss that than the rest of it, so Z told him. “He’d been on a business trip to Houston. On the night he was comin’ home, there was a bad storm. The police say that visibility was minimal on the highway, so they suspect that he didn’t see the lines on the road, possibly crossing over into the other lane. An eighteen-wheeler was coming right at him, so they believe my dad swerved to get back into his lane but overcorrected and ended up going off the road and hit a tree head on.
“A woman with her two children were behind him when it happened. Thankfully she stopped, because they said it could’ve been a while before anyone would’ve noticed him due to the rain.”
“What about the eighteen-wheeler? He stop?”
“No.” Z had long ago stopped blaming the trucker who hadn’t bothered to stop and render aid, though the witness said there was no way he wouldn’t have known what had happened. Regardless, Z knew deep down that it wouldn’t have changed the outcome if he had. “He was lucid for a bit, but after they rushed him to the hospital, he was unconscious. He’s still in a coma,” Z added sadly.
“Any change in his condition?” RT asked.
“Not yet.” Yes, Z still held out hope that his father would one day open his eyes, despite the fact that four years had passed since the accident.
“Do you visit him often?”
Z didn’t look at RT when he answered. “Every chance I get.” What he didn’t tell RT was that he spent every single night in the long-term care wing of the nursing home when he was in town. He hated that his father was alone in that place, although he knew the medical staff was looking after him. Z didn’t want to think that his father could possibly wake up one day and he wouldn’t know where he was, how he’d gotten there, or even who was there—and that was if he had all his faculties, which the doctors weren’t sure would be the case, even if he did regain consciousness. It didn’t matter to Z; he wanted to be by his father’s side as much as he could.
“And your mom? How’s she doing?”
Happy to change the subject, Z uncurled his hands, realizing he’d been fisting them at his side. “She’s doin’ well. She’s been workin’ at an elementary school in Plano since she relocated.” Glancing out at the water, Z resigned himself to telling RT the rest. “She recently met someone.”
“A man?”
Z nodded. “They met in a support group for grieving spouses. She’s still having a really hard time with it all. My dad’s been in a coma for so long. They’ve stated there’s a ninety percent chance he’ll never wake up, and if he does, he’ll have significant brain damage. She’s put her life on hold in the hopes he’ll wake up.”
“What do you think about that?” RT didn’t sound judgmental, which made Z feel marginally better.
“I want her to be happy. She didn’t intentionally start dating, so meeting this man was happenstance, but he knows what she’s goin’ through, so that helps.” Z knew that his sister was encouraging their mother to keep living her life, which he understood, but it was still a hard thing to wrap his mind around.
“Is it serious?”
“Yes.” Much more serious than Z had expected. “She loves him.”
“Do you think they’ll get married?”
“No,” Z answered immediately. Although he wasn’t even sure how that would be possible. She would have to divorce Thomas in order to do so, which seemed complicated and…wrong. “Jensyn mentioned that and my mother nearly lost it. She’s insistent that she will remain by my dad’s side because she takes those vows seriously.”
“What does this new guy think about that?”
Z wasn’t exactly sure. He’d met the man a time or two, and he seemed nice enough, even supportive, but Z was still leery to trust him.
Z stared out at the water, watching dark clouds roll in from afar. When RT didn’t say anything more, Z felt both relief and disappointment. He liked that RT had asked him about his family, that he had wanted to know more.
No matter what RT would say, Z knew that it meant there was more of a connection between them than RT would be willing to admit.
And that was the bright spot in an otherwise gloomy conversation.
RYAN DIDN’T MOVE FROM HIS position on the lounge chair, although he wanted to go to Z, to offer him physical comfort. He’d heard the devastation in Z’s voice when he talked about his father, and it was apparent that the situation weighed heavily on him. It didn’t surprise Ryan that Z went to see his father whenever he could. From what he’d heard over the years, Z was very close to his family, even though they’d been mostly separated since Z and his brother and sister had grown up and started to make their own way in the world.
But that was the type of man Z was; anyone who knew him knew that. He supported everyone he came in contact with. Never one to judge or belittle, always finding a way to help if he could. Another quality Ryan found so damned appealing.
“Are you ready to go in?” Z finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
Ryan sat up. “I was thinkin’ we could take a walk.”
Z peered back at him, nodding instead of saying anything. They headed down to the beach, and once they made it to the water, Ryan took Z’s hand in his, unable to resist.