The fire’s small flames lick the edges of the logs, steadily growing faster under Zach’s attention. I pull my legs up into my chair and watch him, the flickering glow illuminating his perfect profile.

In the woods around us, branches crack. An owl hoots. The land is throbbing with life. I take in a deep breath, feeling peace wash over me. It’s been too long since I’ve gotten out into nature and just let everything go. Claire and I used to have a pretty good routine going when it came to weekend hiking trips, but recently, we’ve been too busy. Searching for a job and then acclimating to work at the Tribune just seemed to take up all of my time.

Thoughts of work make me gnaw on the inside of my cheek. The article… Ethan… He sent me a text right after dinner telling me to continue taking as long as I need to on the article; that there’s no due date. A part of me can’t help but wonder if he somehow knows where I am. Or if he even cares.

He’s the one that wanted me to ‘get close’ to Zach, to use my womanly wiles as a device to get information. But now that something has happened between me and Ethan—and he’s made it clear he wants more—does he feel any different? Would he be jealous if he knew where I was right now?

And, what’s more, what if he’s with a girl this weekend?

The thought should make a hot wave of jealousy sprout in me, but it doesn’t. I don’t really care if Ethan is seeing someone else, as long as we get to spend time together again. After all, I’d be a freaking hypocrite to insist he only have eyes for me.

Zach straightens up from his crouched position next to the fire.

“There we go.”

“It’s awesome,” I tell him.

He comes and takes a seat next to me. Since it’s one of those loveseat folding chairs, there’s just enough space for two.

“I can see you out here, doing this every weekend,” I say.

Zach cocks his head. “Not every weekend…”

“But?”

He smiles. “But sometimes, yeah. Life out here is the opposite of what it is in the city.”

I sigh in pleasure, just thinking about it.

“I would love to have a little place near here. Or just in a small town, you know? Somewhere where there are woods in my backyard and I know half the people downtown.”

“I see it. Sounds ideal.”

“But there’s work.”

“Indeed,” he nods, still looking at me. That’s one of the best things about Zach: he’s not shifty with his eyes or attention during a conversation. He looks right at me, giving me his whole attention, making me feel like I’m the only thing that matters in the world.

“I could work for a smaller paper, I guess,” I say.

Zach shakes his head. “You don’t want to do that, though, do you?”

“No,” I admit. “I don’t want to write articles about small town happenings, things only a few hundred people are going to read… I want to change the world.”

The last part makes me blush. Saying I want to ‘change the world’ is such a juvenile statement. Zach is only nodding, though.

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Maybe I’m just good at reading people. Or maybe you just have that strong a personality. It was pretty obvious within the first few minutes we met: you’re a go-getter, Noelle. And not for shallow reasons. You have a good heart.”

The heart in mention skips a beat. I think of what Zach has told me about his life, his journey to climb to the top. As ambitious as I might be, he has to be triple the amount.

He reaches over and places his hand against the back of my neck, his thumb gently stroking there. The touch has me relaxing against the seat. The painful craving I had earlier subsided a while ago, but it’s back now. I’m starting to get what he means about waiting, though, and how much better it’s going to make it when we do finally tear each other’s clothes off.

We sit in silence for a while, watching the logs burn.

“Dance with me,” Zach suddenly says, breaking the quiet air.

I stare at him. “To what music, sir?”

He throws his head back in laughter. “To this music, miss.” Pulling his phone from his pocket, he puts on some slow jazz, rests the phone against the back of the folding seat, and offers me his hand.

I push my fingers across his, and with a swift tug I’m up and in his arms. He wraps one arm around my lower back, intertwining our two hands, and I splay my fingers across his chest.

Zach steps closer as the music plays on, the bottom of his chin brushing against my forehead. There’s hardly any space to move around, so we just sway where we are. What’s happening could hardly be called dancing. Zach is just holding me as we sway together. It’s perfect, though.

“Spin?” he asks, stepping back and sending me out.

I twirl in the confined space before coming back to his arms. “We’re going to fall into the fire.”

“No, we won’t,” he confidently answers. “I have you.”

If I could, I’d record those words and play them over and over.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, breath grazing across my ear.

That this is amazing.

“I’m thinking…that we could try and take another swim.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Yeah, but what if I went into the water? Would you follow me?”

“In this hypothetical situation, are you wearing clothes or not?”

“Why would I wear my clothes in the lake?”

He shrugs against me. “So you’re naked. I think you can guess what my answer is going to be.”

“What happened to waiting? To building the tension?”

He looks down at me, top teeth biting into his bottom lip. “There’s only so much tension that can be built.”

A groan of desire leaves me. Our faces move together at the same time, lips meeting with a sweet collision. The kiss is tender and slow, with hot desire smoldering behind it. We don’t give into the frantic need, though, instead taking our time and letting our mouths explore one another.

My body tingles, each part of me experiencing a different kind of pleasure. I see what he meant about waiting, about building want. I could kiss this man all night long, simply enjoying the experience of our own desire.

As we kiss, I turn sideways, edging us toward the loveseat. Zach takes the lead, settling down and pulling me into his lap. I straddle his lap, legs on either side of him, the heat of the fire pushing into my back.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he murmurs, lightly twisting a strand of my hair.

I can’t find any words right now, so I just press my lips against his once more. His hands run down my back, pushing their way under my shirt and going back up my shoulders.

I push my hips against Zach, absorbing the heat there that rivals the fire. His tongue slides against mine, delicious as honey. As I wrap my arms around his neck, the pace of my hips speeds up. I rub against him, a painful mix of pleasure and need growing.

He makes a little noise of joy, which I swallow down. His hands are still under my shirt, all over my back and waist.

Pausing my frantic grinding, I run my palm against the rock-hard bulge in his pants. My previous acceptance of waiting is long gone. I need Zach now, need him with a pain that goes beyond physical. I want to merge with him, to make his body mine, to give myself over to him completely and utterly.

My hands trembling, I work loose his belt buckle and unzip his pants. Zach makes no move to stop me. His breathing quickens, each exhale kissing my cheek.

He’s wearing boxers—perfect thanks to the slit in the middle of them. I gently pull his dick out, enjoying its smooth tightness against my hand.

Zach’s hands skim the nape of my neck and reach up into my hair, and he brings me back to his mouth. Our tongues dance together as I slowly stroke his length. A bit of pre-cum leaks out, coating my thumb. My body immediately responds with a gush of wetness.

Just like that, I’m ready to go. It’s just like Zach promised: this whole afternoon and evening has been nothing but delicious foreplay. He could have taken me at any moment and I would have been primed and on point.

Pausing to remove my shorts and panties, I drop them on the seat right next to us and climb back into Zach’s lap. He watches me the whole time, waiting with a hungry look on his face. We must be of the same mind, because he hasn’t asked to go inside. We’re doing this right here and right now.

Holding onto his shoulders, I lower myself against his length. He enters me smoothly; I’m slick and ready for him. A shudder goes through me as I sit all the way down. Zach is buried in me to the hilt, every inch of him taken by my body.

I press my chest close against his, starting our kiss once more. It’s a desperate meeting of mouths now, our teeth clinking together and scraping against lips. I rock back and forth, arching my back and pressing my hips forward. Zach lets me do what I please as he buries his face in my neck and sucks.

Each slight movement brings me another hit of pleasure. Lost in Zach’s arms and warmth, I let instinct take over. I move like a wave against him, back and forth, but always staying close.

As the pressure builds, I dig my nails into his shoulders. Our hot gasps mingle together. Zach plants kisses on my neck, my ear, my cheek, my lips. He’s all around me, the rest of the world falling away.

I press my mouth tight against his, swallowing his perfect taste. It’s so unique, so special… But reminds me of something.

Or someone.

With a cry, I explode with pleasure and collapse against Zach’s chest. He lifts my face with both his hands and kisses me deep, the mixture of our sweat already on his lips.

“I’m taking you inside,” he announces, before carefully lifting me off him and depositing me on the other end of the seat.

I wait as he pulls his pants up and dumps the waiting water on the fire. With the flames extinguished, he lifts me into his arms once more.

“It’s dark,” I laugh.

“Don’t worry.”

Zach squeezes me tight and walks carefully up the hill, the double rows of solar lights illuminating the way. He somehow manages to get the back door open and carry me up the stairs without any complications. The whole way I’m stroking his hair, working my fingers deep into his waves.

In the master bedroom, we hit the bed already wrapped around each other. Zach pulls my clothes off, leaving me completely naked before he undresses himself. The room is just as dark as it is outside, with only the moon’s shine coming through the skylight.

Zach’s naked body presses against mine, all smooth muscles and hot touches. He rolls, pulling me with him. I end up on top again, our hips locked. With a growl, he rolls again, putting me on the bottom.

Locked between Zach and the mass of blankets and pillows, I reach between us and stroke his length. He shimmies lower, though, out of my reach. His mouth locks on one of my breasts, while his hand finds the other one. Gentle flicks of his tongue and quick twists of his fingers cause an unexpected mix of pleasure and pain.

I thread my fingers through Zach’s hair, bucking my hips against him. Despite the release I enjoyed outside, I’m already hungry for more.

Both hands take over my breasts as Zach kisses a path down my belly. His mouth locks onto my swollen bud and he sucks hard. With a guttural cry, I writhe beneath him. He keeps going, immune to my gasps of pleasure—or maybe spurred on by them.

“Zach,” I cry out, not even sure what I’m saying or asking for. Everything is too overwhelming: the sharp sweetness of his pinches on my nipples and the frantic lapping between my thighs.

I release with the force of a volcano, crying out and clutching at the top of his head. Instead of backing off of me completely, Zach only slows down his movements. His hands gently massage my breasts as he lethargically laps at my sore opening. I squirm, but he doesn’t stop. He just keeps going, kissing and stroking.

Soon the uncomfortable tickling is melting away, an unfolding of pleasure replacing it instead. I’m wet all over again, and Zach knows it. It’s what he wants. Pushing two fingers inside of me, he flicks his tongue against my clit. My body silently screams with the need to have him inside of me again.

But I can’t talk. Only uncontrollable sounds come from me. Zach makes his way up to me, kissing the whole way. His weight delicately presses against mine, just enough for me to feel contained. As our fingers intertwine he pushes into me, spreading my walls and completely owning me.

Lips moving against mine, he gently drives into me. It’s a delicate act, with him slowing down the pace instead of speeding up. Over and over, he takes me to the very edge then backs off, easing the pace until sometimes he’s barely moving. Each time I get closer to release, it’s better. Finally, I can’t take it anymore. Digging my hands into Zach’s, I burst with the need, pleasure, and frenzy of the entire day.

Zach groans, pulling out of me as he sucks my lips hard. After a long, passionate session we’re finally both still. He drops his forehead against mine, and our breaths mingle in the sticky room.

I’m intensely aware of everything, each inch of my skin tingling with sensation.

“You were right,” I whisper at the dark form above me.

“Hmm,” he coos. “Yeah, I was.”

“You weren’t sure you would be?” I giggle.

Zach rolls off of me, but instead of shimmying away he pulls me against his chest. I nuzzle my face into the firm and slick abs there and enjoy the scent of his exhaustion.

“I was,” he says confidently. “It’s nice to hear you agree with me, though.”

I grin against him.

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I’m not going to go along with everything you say. I’m not that kind of girl.”

His hand trails lightly up and down my arm. “I know you’re not,” he whispers. “That’s what’s so special about you.”

A rush of euphoria hits me. This feeling must be what people are talking about when they say they’re on cloud nine.

Zach lets out a contended sigh and hooks his other arm under his head. We both look up at the stars twinkling through the skylight. It’s an amazing sight.

“This has to be the best weekend I’ve ever had out here,” he sleepily says.

“Well, we’re only halfway through it, so don’t get too excited yet.”

“No,” he says. “The world could go up in flames tomorrow, and this still would have been the best weekend.”

I’m grinning so hard that my cheeks hurt. Since meeting up this morning, Zach’s been making me smile like it’s my job.

We stay still for a long time, breathing in the same air and watching the night sky. Zach’s breaths get shallower, the rising and falling of his chest more drawn out. I can’t tell if he’s asleep or just awake and completely at peace.

I try to keep my eyes open, but they grow heavy, till I’m blinking at the sky.

Out there, down at the campfire, when I climbed onto Zach’s lap… I couldn’t help but think about the other time recently that I was on top of a man.

Riding Ethan was just as amazing, albeit different. If you asked me who I liked it better with, I wouldn’t be able to give an answer. But if Zach only knew that I was thinking about another man while I was with him… And his ex-best friend, at that.

He would be furious. Who wouldn’t?

For the first time since meeting both Ethan and Zach, I feel truly guilty. Seeing two men is one thing. But two men who absolutely hate each other?

I know it’s not right.

But maybe I can still find out what really happened between the two of them. And if I do that, maybe I can help fix things. I can heal the wounds, close the rift.

It could be wishful thinking, but I have to try. These men are already both so important to me. I’m too invested now to walk away from either one of them.

And I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, don’t know if things will work out with either one of these relationships… But I do know, as I fall asleep in Zach’s arms, that only one thing could make tonight better: Ethan being here as well.