Dogwood Days (15 page)

Zane chuckled and pushed him away. “Go find the mayor and your uncle. See you after the parade.”

Jefferson took a few steps back but found himself reluctant to let Zane out of his sight. When he stumbled over the curb and saw Zane crack a grin, he gave a quick wave and made his way to the town square to hunt down his uncle. He passed by Clover’s Creations and saw the booth doing a brisk business. He really didn’t give Clover enough credit sometimes.

He kept going and found his uncle and the mayor sitting on one of the benches. Several folks from town were chatting with them, but Uncle Sherman looked tired, and Jefferson noticed that he winced a few times. His crutches were propped up on the bench beside him. Someone had probably overdone it.

“Hey, Uncle Sherman. You ready for me to take over?”

“I am, indeed.” Uncle Sherman passed over the camera and struggled to get to his feet.

“You need help getting home?”

“I can manage, but thank you.” He turned to the mayor, who was deep in conversation with a couple standing beside him. “Charles, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’ll need to get to the parade. You are our grand marshal, after all.”

“Oh, yes. Of course. Please excuse me.”

The couple wandered off, and Charles let out a groan. “I have so much work to do.”

“You’ll get it done,” Jefferson said. “Or Uncle Sherman will nag you. We can’t have that, now can we?”

Charles chuckled. “No, we can’t. Sherman, would you like me to make sure you get home first?”

“No, it’s fine. You better go check on your baby. You’ve left her unattended for nearly half an hour.”

Charles looked slightly panicked and checked his watch.

“Don’t worry. Zane’s on guard duty.” Jefferson grinned as the mayor hurried off.

Clover came over to them, beaming as usual at Uncle Sherman.

“Hey, Cloverberry. Would you mind walking Uncle Sherman home? And yes, I know you don’t need an escort, but I’d rather you had one in case people try to stop you. You need to get off that leg for a while.”

Uncle Sherman winced, and Clover began her mother-hen routine. They bustled off, as quickly as Uncle Sherman could hobble, and Jefferson began snapping pictures of the crowd. He hadn’t realized how much these silly events meant to him until he’d experienced one again firsthand. Through the lens he could see nothing but smiling faces. Everything seemed sharper, brighter, and more in focus.

With a quick glance at the clock on the church’s bell tower, Jefferson realized the parade was about to start. He made his way down Main to find a good spot to snap photos. He found an unclaimed light post and leaned back against it. His phone buzzed, so he gave it a quick check and found a text from Trent, as well as a missed call from an unknown number.

Where are you?

On Main. Getting ready to take pics of the parade.

Be there in a sec.

K.

The unknown number had left a voice mail. A perky voice on the other end of the line let him know that he’d been selected for a job interview for a small lifestyle magazine in Charlotte. He saved the message and tucked his phone away.

He’d applied for the position on a whim, since he’d be able to stay at the apartment with Trent, but he didn’t expect to get a call, much less an interview. It would be a great transition for him, though, especially considering how much he’d enjoyed the lifestyle pieces he’d been doing for the blog.

He blew out a breath and decided not to think about it. Then changed his mind and pulled his phone back out. He returned the call and spoke to the HR person who answered. He had an interview on Monday at nine in the morning. He could follow Trent back on Sunday night, go to the interview, and then head back to Holly Creek until he heard. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

His heart gave a little flip as the parade started, and Zane appeared behind the wheel of the mayor’s Corvette. He snapped a few pictures of them both, then put thoughts of leaving out of his mind as he took photos of all the floats that followed. Trent finally appeared at his side, and he bumped his roommate with his shoulder.

“Guess you might get to put up with me for a bit longer.”

“Yeah?”

“Have an interview Monday morning.”

“No way. That’s awesome!”

Jefferson tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage.

“Isn’t it awesome?”

“It is. It’s a great opportunity.”

Trent dropped his arm over Jefferson’s shoulders. “It’ll work out, J.”

“I know.”

It would. He’d just be leaving more of himself behind in Holly Creek than he ever had before.

AFTER THE
parade, Jefferson went back to the town square. He made his way to Gracie’s and received a beaming smile and a free cup of coffee from Owen, who was proudly manning the coffee cart in front of the shop.

“Gran’s so happy, Jefferson Lee. She thought this was a great idea. Thanks for helping me.”

“Not a problem. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for a great cup of coffee.”

The line had a dozen or so customers, so Owen hurried back to serving them. The kid’s smile never faded.

Jefferson wandered the route for a couple of hours before he finally found Zane.

“Been looking for you,” the sheriff scolded.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m done for the day. Told my guys that if they called me for anything short of a dead body, heads would roll.”

Jefferson let out a dramatic sigh. “You do realize you’ve cursed us, right? Someone’s gonna die, and it’ll be all your fault.”

Zane snorted and wrapped his arm around Jefferson’s shoulders. “You want to head to my place?”

Yeah, he really did. He looped his arm around Zane’s waist. “That would be a yes.”

Zane grinned down at him.

“You done with all your blog stuff?”

“Yep. Have five million pictures for Uncle Sherman to choose from.”

“Only five million?”

“My finger got tired. What can I say? It refused to push the button on the camera any more in protest.”

Zane cackled and began leading him down Main Street.

“You hungry?”

“A little. I can wait. Why? You hungry or you stalling?”

“Honestly, a little of both.”

“Yeah?”

Zane shrugged but pulled Jefferson closer against him. He made the turn onto Spruce, and they walked down the cracked sidewalks for a block before turning onto Park.

“This one’s me,” Zane said as they stopped in front of one of the small bungalows that lined the street. It was a pale sage color with cream trim and had a wide front porch that held a couple of rockers.

“I like it,” Jefferson said.

“Come on in.” Zane led him up the sidewalk and onto the porch. He paused with his key in the lock.

“Zane, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to.”

“God, Jefferson Lee. I want to do this so much. I guess I’m just a little afraid of how much. It’s not… well, it’s not been like this before for me.”

Jefferson pushed himself up on his toes the couple of inches so he was even with Zane’s lips. “Me either,” he answered and gave the sheriff a quick kiss. “We can slow down.”

“I think I’ll explode.”

Jefferson laughed. “I think I will too. Let’s just see what happens, okay?”

Zane opened the door and led him inside. Everything in the home spoke to the masculinity of its owner, from the dark-wood trimmed built-ins to the gleaming pine floors. The walls were all white, but Zane had added a collection of black-and-white photographs from around Holly Creek.

“You really love this town, don’t you?” Jefferson asked.

“I really do. I found home.” He stepped up behind Jefferson and wrapped his arms across Jefferson’s stomach. “Hoping I’ve found something more now.”

“You’re really too sweet. Killin’ me, Sheriff.”

Zane pressed a kiss to Jefferson’s neck before spinning him around. Their eyes met, then Jefferson grabbed Zane by the arms and hauled him close. Their lips met, back to that first devastating heat they’d created together after their first date.

Jefferson’s entire body sang. He ran his hands up Zane’s arms, wondering when the feel of a polyester uniform shirt became such an utter and complete turn-on for him, then continued farther up to tangle his fingers in the dark curls on Zane’s nape.

Zane, in turn, tugged Jefferson’s button-down loose from his jeans and ran his hands up the bare skin of Jefferson’s back. Jefferson let go of Zane’s hair and started fighting with the snaps on his shirt. He growled and jerked the two sides apart, causing Zane to pull back with a laugh.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Jefferson said with a scowl. “And why are you wearing a shirt under your shirt?”

“Part of the uniform. I need to get my belt off and locked up. Hold that thought, okay?”

Right. He was stripping the sheriff, who was carrying a loaded weapon. The thought should terrify him, but it just riled him up even more. While Zane took off the belt and all the attachments, Jefferson went to work on the buttons of his shirt. He stripped it off and dropped it on the floor, then followed Zane like a puppy as they walked into an adjoining room with a desk and bookcases. Zane used his keys to open a large gun safe that stood along one side of the desk and locked the entire belt inside.

“Why is that so damn hot?” Jefferson sighed.

Zane turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw Jefferson’s bare chest. “Damn. You’re perfect.”

“Your turn,” Jefferson demanded. He grabbed the hem of Zane’s white T-shirt and tugged it up. “Off. Now.”

Zane hurried to comply and pulled the material up and over his head.

“Oh hell. You’re the perfect one.” Jefferson ran his hand over Zane’s sculpted chest, reveling in the crisp dark hair on Zane’s chest.

After making a pleased little growl, Zane grabbed Jefferson’s hand and tugged him along toward the back of the house. He pushed open the bedroom door and spun Jefferson around. He guided him backward, licking his lips.

Jefferson’s knees hit the edge of the mattress, and he grinned up at Zane. He flicked open the snap of his jeans and slowly slid the zipper down. “Now you’ve got me here, what are you going to do with me?”

Zane growled again. Damn the sound went right to Jefferson’s dick.

“I have a few dozen ideas.”

“Yeah? Gonna show me what you got?”

Zane hooked his fingers in the belt loops of Jefferson’s jeans and tugged them down over his hips. He knelt on the floor at Jefferson’s feet, then pulled off Jefferson’s shoes and removed the pants the rest of the way. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against the bulge in Jefferson’s boxers.

“Oh hell,” Jefferson moaned.

All thoughts left his head as Zane mouthed the outline of his dick, then reached up to tug on the elastic band on Jefferson’s boxers. He pulled them slowly down, revealing Jefferson’s length.

Jefferson whimpered.

Tugging the elastic down farther, Zane leaned forward and began tracing each exposed bit of skin with his mouth.

Jefferson’s knees wobbled. He grabbed Zane’s shoulders for support as pleasure burst through him.

Zane abandoned the boxer’s at Jefferson’s midthigh and curled his fist around Jefferson’s dick. “Been waiting for a taste of this,” Zane purred.

“Oh hell,” Jefferson whimpered.

He licked the tip, then swallowed Jefferson down. Jefferson cried out, his entire body trembling with need.

“Zane!”

Zane hummed his reply, and Jefferson nearly collapsed. He frantically tangled his fingers into Zane’s hair, whimpering with need.

By the time Zane finally pulled away, Jefferson couldn’t focus. His breath came in labored pants, and his entire body quivered.

Zane pulled the boxers down Jefferson’s legs and guided him back onto the bed. Jefferson collapsed willingly, unable to focus on remaining upright for another single second.

He heard a zipper and pried his eyes open long enough to watch Zane push his tan uniform pants down his legs. He heard the thump of his heavy boots hitting the floor and then waited for Zane to tug his own boxers off. It was well worth the wait.

“God,” Jefferson whimpered. “Get over here right now.”

“On my way,” Zane said. He fumbled in the nightstand, and his hand emerged with a condom and lube.

“That’s good. Really good. Hurry it up, Sheriff.”

Zane chuckled and climbed onto the bed. “What’s the rush, Jefferson Lee?”

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Not too worried about it. I’ve got you right where I want you.”

He dropped the condom and lube and wrapped his fist around Jefferson’s cock again. Jefferson arched off the bed.

“I’m too close, Zane. God.”

“Just breathe. Not done yet.”

Zane’s hand drifted lower. He cupped Jefferson’s balls and rolled them in his hand before dipping lower. Jefferson wantonly spread his legs and pushed his hips up, encouraging Zane to move lower still.

“So gorgeous like this,” Zane mumbled. “Can’t get enough of you.”

Jefferson fumbled for the lube and pushed it at Zane’s exploring hand. “Hurry up.”

“Not gonna hurry, Jefferson Lee. Not gonna rush this a bit.”

“You’re going to kill me for real. I’m going to die right here, right now. How are you going to explain that?”

“Well, I’d think of something.”

Zane grinned and flipped open the top of the lube. Jefferson watched, entranced, as he dripped some of the lube onto his fingers then lowered them to Jefferson’s spread legs. By the time his fingers reached their target, Jefferson had to reach down and grab his dick to keep himself from coming.

He whimpered again, even the touch of his own hand too much for his sensitized body. “Zane, please.”

Zane finally pushed a finger into him, and Jefferson grabbed at the comforter, wrapping his fist into it so he didn’t fly away. With a pleased little groan, Zane added another finger, teasing and stretching Jefferson to the point where he wanted to scream.

“I’m ready, Zane. Come on.”

“So pushy,” Zane grumbled. He reached for the condom and tore it open before sliding it into place.

Jefferson tugged at his shoulders, pulling him down on top of his body. “Well, if you were pushing, I wouldn’t have to be pushy.”