Love Ahead: Expect Delays (7 page)

made it perfectly clear he wasn’t ready to move in together. Austin needed to give

Zach time. He didn’t know what had happened to make someone as affable and full

of goodwill as Zach so distrustful of domesticity, but he was willing to wait for him.

Zach made him a better person, and he couldn’t imagine anyone else he’d rather

spend the rest of his life waking up next to.

Austin turned the engine over. It buzzed to life, and with one last wave at Lou,

he drove into the cold and foggy morning.

Zach waited for him at the front of the hotel with their bags, cheeks already

red from the cold. Austin pulled up, and they loaded the car.

“You want me to drive first shift?” Zach asked.

“I barely drove the other day. Why don’t I take the first shift?” Austin said.

Zach nodded and sat in the passenger seat. He smiled at the repaired window,

then knocked on it.

“Now all I need to do is get you a new iPod, and we’ll be almost back to

normal,” he commented. He glanced at Austin. “How much were the repairs

altogether?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Austin said. He merged onto I-90. The engine sounded

strong, and the temperature gauge stayed cool.

“No, come on. How much was it?” Zach asked.

“I mean it. Don’t worry about it. Lou cut me a deal.” It was partially true. Lou

had given him a heavy discount, but it still hadn’t been cheap.

Love Ahead: Expect Delays

41

Zach scowled. “No way. It’s not your car. It’s not even
my
car. We’ll hit my

parents up for the cash when we get to Boulder.”

Austin frowned. “I’m not asking your parents to pay our bills.”

Zach looked like he was about to say something but changed his mind.

They traveled through hills of evergreens and a stunning, isolated landscape

made surreal by the thickness of fog that covered the north of Idaho. It took only an

hour to pass through the panhandle of Idaho and cross into Montana.

“
Oro y plata
,” Zach said, smiling at the WELCOME TO MONTANA sign.

“Huh?”

“
Gold and silver
,” Zach clarified. “The state motto for Montana.”

Austin snorted. “How can that be a motto?”

“Better than Idaho’s, which is
Let it be perpetual
.”

“At least that could actually apply to Idaho.” Austin laughed. “What is it for

Washington State?”

“
Al-ki
, which means by and by.”

“These are all ridiculous.”

“You’ll like Maryland’s,” Zach said with a smile. “
Manly deeds, womanly

words
.”

Austin laughed. “How do you know all these?”

“I spend way too much time reading random lists. Good material for

crosswords.”

Austin smiled, steering the Spectrum around a slow-moving semi. It

disheartened him to floor the pedal and see the car top out at fifty miles an hour,

but eventually he passed the truck, although not in time to avoid pissing off several

SUVs tailing him.

The weather worsened farther east, and rain obscured the landscape. By the

time they hit Missoula, sleet mixed with rain, and they were no longer the slowest

car on the highway as people carefully navigated the slick surface.

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Astrid Amara

Tension still lingered in the car. Zach was overly polite, as if afraid to set

Austin off. Austin second-guessed everything he wanted to say, for fear of seeing

more hurt in Zach’s eyes.

They had been driving for several hours when Zach, who had been unusually

quiet, suddenly spoke. “Pull over.”

Alarm flashed through Austin. “What? Why?”

“Just pull over. Soon as you can.” Zach looked grim.

Austin thought Zach was going to be sick, and frantically searched for the

nearest exit.

He pulled off at the interchange with Highway 10A.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Pull over there.” Zach pointed to a gravel side road. Austin did as requested.

He shifted into neutral, turned off the car, and set the parking brake.

Zach shook his head. “I can’t take it anymore.”

“What?” Austin felt suddenly sick.

“This tension.” Zach stared at him intensely. “I’m really sorry about last

night.”

Austin felt himself flushing. “I know. It’s over, okay?”

“No, it isn’t. You’re still hurt, and so am I, and I can think of one way to make

it all better.”

“What?”

The corner of Zach’s mouth curved upward. He reached over and unbuckled

Austin’s belt.

Austin, stunned, didn’t know what to say or do, and he froze as Zach reached

for the zipper of his jeans and pulled out Austin’s cock.

“What are you doing?” Austin said, more forcefully than he intended.

“What do you think?” Zach asked.

Love Ahead: Expect Delays

43

“Y-you don’t have to do this to apologize!” Austin stumbled on his words as

Zach leaned over and pulled Austin’s cock into his mouth.

Zach swallowed Austin for a moment before pulling back to smile. “I’ve wanted

to do this ever since we started this road trip.” He leaned down again.

Austin’s head hit the back of the driver’s seat, and he closed his eyes, body

relaxing before his mind caught up.

Zach started slowly, his head bobbing as he took Austin in with long, deep

swallows. Austin could feel each swipe of Zach’s tongue through his shaft and down

into the bones of his toes. He slipped his hands from the steering wheel and rested

them in Zach’s hair, kneading a desperate rhythm.

In all his years as a driver and as a mechanic, Austin had never gotten a

blowjob from a guy in a car. It had been one of those fantasies that, when it came

down to it, never seemed practical or comfortable. But here—on a gravel road in the

middle of Nowhere, Montana, with the crocheted car seat and the dream catcher,

the Star of David, and polka cassette tapes bearing witness—everything seemed

right.

Zach sped his rhythm. Austin’s cock was rock hard now, thick and long, and

Zach could no longer pull him all the way down his throat. He fisted the base in one

hand as he swallowed the rest. Austin moaned. He realized he was probably

gripping Zach’s hair too hard and relaxed his fingers. He lifted his hips off the car

seat and flexed his pelvis to pump his cock into Zach’s mouth with frenzied need.

He had to stop before he came. He had to return the favor. Austin could see the

painful bulge of Zach’s cock trapped behind unforgiving denim.

Austin pressed at Zach’s shoulders, but Zach didn’t stop.

“Zach…” Austin gasped, his voice broken. “Let me suck you off.”

“You first,” Zach demanded. He moved faster.

Austin groaned. There was no way he could hold on much longer. He reached

for Zach’s belt, but Zach pushed his hands away.

44

Astrid Amara

“For once I want you to come first,” Zach told him, breathless. His cheeks were

flushed, his eyes dilated, his lips red and swollen from sucking Austin’s dick. He

looked so fucking hot, Austin grabbed the hair at the back of Zach’s head and pulled

his mouth in for a desperate kiss.

Their teeth clashed; they struggled to open to each other, careless and starved

with need. They broke the kiss, and Austin leaned back and gasped for air. Zach

swallowed Austin’s cock deep. Austin could feel himself swell into the back of Zach’s

throat, and he came, holding Zach tight to him as pulse after pulse released into his

lover.

Austin’s body shook afterward, and he blinked at Zach in shock at the power of

his release.

Zach grinned, mouth swollen and beautiful. “That was fun.”

Austin lunged for him, pushing him back into the passenger seat so hard Zach

hit his head against the new window.

“Ow!”

“Sorry!” Austin cried, pulling back. “Sorry, sorry!”

“No, come back here.” Zach grabbed Austin’s shirt and pulled him back down

on top of him.

It wasn’t comfortable. The clutch and parking brake were in the way, and

Austin’s knee sent the cassette tapes and water bottle scattering across the floor.

But then he kissed Zach, pushing him into the seat, and nothing else

mattered. He felt Zach’s lithe body squirm and writhe under his, hot and wicked

with need, Zach’s cock pressing hard against Austin’s thigh.

Austin growled as he ripped open Zach’s fly. He yanked down Zach’s jeans past

his hips so his groin was exposed. Austin cupped Zach’s testicles. They were soft

and long, heavy in Austin’s hand, and he rubbed them against his face before

pulling Zach’s leaking cock into his mouth.

Love Ahead: Expect Delays

45

It was urgent, foolhardy, and overwhelming, and Austin felt a quivering,

beautiful happiness blossom through him as Zach laughed and struggled to make

himself more comfortable in the compact car. Austin started laughing as well, and

they gasped for breath and fought the damn car until Austin could get purchase

without crushing Zach.

Once Austin got a rhythm going, it didn’t take long for Zach to climax, filling

Austin’s mouth. Austin held it all in and swallowed, pulling back once he was sure

he’d got everything.

He rested his head on the flat of Zach’s stomach, panting. Somewhere above

him, Zach started laughing again.

“I think my arm is broken,” he commented.

“Wiggle your fingers,” Austin suggested. “Do they move?”

Zach squirmed upward. “Oh yeah. My hand’s just trapped in the crack of the

seat.”

Austin sat up clumsily and pulled Zach up with him. They’d spilled the

remains of Austin’s coffee and somehow unraveled one of the polka tapes, but

otherwise they were fine.

Austin couldn’t have wiped the smile from his face even if he’d tried.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Zach said, wincing as he gently pressed his

still-hard dick back into his jeans.

“Me too.”

Zach grinned at him. He reached up and wiped the corner of Austin’s mouth

with his thumb.

Austin straightened his pants and leaned back against the seat to catch his

breath.

“Thank you,” he said, when he was sure he could think again.

“Thank
you
,” Zach replied. He stroked the back of Austin’s neck.

46

Astrid Amara

With a sigh Austin started the car again. “We’ve still got a long way to go

today.”

“Want me to take over?”

“Nah.” Austin rested his arm on the back of Zach’s seat as he looked behind

him, backing up the car. “I feel rejuvenated. I can drive for
days
now.”

Zach looked so pleased with himself, Austin almost said something, but then

realized he was being a fool. Instead, he continued on without commentary.

Everything was all right between them once again.

* * *

Montana, and called it quits for the evening. On their side of the interstate, dinner

choices were scarce, but neither felt up to exploring Billings itself, so they settled on

a couple of gas-station corn dogs and a cheap bottle of wine.

This motel room had a prairie theme, complete with moldy buffalo head over

the bed. There was a funky mothball smell to the sheets, and the filthy carpet

turned the bottoms of their feet black as they walked barefoot to the bathroom.

But the TV worked, the room was otherwise cozy, and even though the wind

and sleet intensified outside, Austin felt safe inside. Zach lit his menorah and put it

in the window of their room.

“Teach me the prayer,” Austin said on a whim.

Zach’s face brightened. “Yeah?”

Austin shrugged. “Why not?”

“It’s easy. Just recite after me.”

The Hebrew words didn’t come naturally to Austin, but he liked the rhythm—

or more important, what saying them seemed to do to Zach, who crawled over

Austin’s body and kissed him as he practiced the prayer.

“Maybe there’s something to this whole Hanukkah thing after all,” Austin

mused.

Love Ahead: Expect Delays

47

“You thinking of converting now?” Zach laughed.

“No, I just want to impress your parents.”

Zach studied him for a moment, a curious look on his face. “Believe me when I

tell you. They’re going to
love
you.”

48

Astrid Amara

Chapter Five

Sunday, December 5

Sunday morning, Zach awoke to a storm.

He glanced out the hazy window of the Super Sleeper to view a swirling mass

of snow thick enough to dampen even his spirit.

This could be bad.

But as always, there were two ways to look at any situation, and he chose the

optimist’s route.

“I bet there’ll be hardly anyone on the roads this morning,” he said cheerfully.

“Smooth sailing all the way to Boulder.”

Austin mumbled something from bed and, a moment later, stood behind him.

He smelled sleepy and warm and draped a heavy arm over Zach’s shoulder. He was