Love Is Always Write Volume 4

for his shot at the dart board.
    All through the third set Chad's eyes kept landing on the sexy singer. Luckily the area of the bar they were in was so dark he knew Zeb couldn't see him look. He thought he'd finally gotten his mind off it and was surprised when the next time the band went quiet, he found Zeb standing next to him.
    "Hey." Chad smiled but Zeb only gave a half smile back. Damn! Chad thought, expecting another blow off.
    "So, there's a diner about two blocks from here that's open all night."
    "What?" Chad was thrown off track again.
    "A diner, you know, to do that going out thing?"
    "Oh! Yeah. You mean now?"
    "After the show?" Zeb didn't seem at all sure about this.
    "The thing is, my friends and I have a hotel room in town for the night-" Chad didn't get to finish.
    "Oh. Ooooooh." Zeb stretched out the word like a light bulb had just turned on above him. "I get it."
    "You get what?"
    "I guess I misunderstood. Actually pretty easy to do considering you were talking about getting to know me and shit." Zeb's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't the fucking that was the problem, it was the location. You want to hook up back in your room instead."
    "What…" It took him a second before understanding hit, probably helped by the drinks, and the disappointment on the other man's face. It was definitely disappointment and Chad smiled. "No, that's not what I meant." He reached out and put a hand on Zeb's arm. "I just wanted to ask if you can give me a lift back to the hotel later. I rode here with my friends."
    "Oh, um, yeah." Zeb gave an unsure smile. "Yeah sure."
    "I'll see you after your next set then? There's just one left, right?"
    "Yeah." Zeb turned to walk away and Chad was almost giddy when he saw the sexy man glance back over his shoulder with a wink.
    Hours later, sitting in a small diner that had seen better days, Chad couldn't remember a better first date. They talked for hours. Thinking Zeb had a few years on him, since Zeb had talked about how he'd met Callie, his first roommate, years earlier and that he'd been singing in the band for three years now, he was surprised to find out the other man was younger than him; only nineteen. Zeb had laughed while telling the story about the first time they got a job in a bar and Callie getting him a fake I.D. that said he was over eighteen and legal so they wouldn't lose the job. Zeb's face sobered after that and Chad assumed the conversation was going to get more serious, maybe on why Zeb had been on his own so long, but then Zeb shook his head, clearing the frown off his face and changed the topic to something lighter.
    Before Chad knew it the sky had reached that deep blue color that you only see right before dawn.
    "We should get going. It's almost daylight and you're probably exhausted."
    "A little, yeah, but…" Zeb hesitated.
    Chad knew he had a silly, soft smile on his face and wouldn't have been able to wipe it off if he'd wanted to. "I know," he answered simply. They paid their tab and Zeb drove him to the hotel. After putting the car in park Zeb turned to him and for the first time in hours Chad felt his nerves return.
    "So…" Zeb started again, and Chad couldn't help his grin, knowing now that this was how Zeb started any subject he was unsure of.
    "So…" he answered back and leaned a little closer in their seats.
    "I've heard one of the best parts of this whole dating thing is the goodnight kiss, so I'm guessing this is the part where I finally get to taste those gorgeous lips of yours, right?
    Chad blushed, but then what Zeb had said hit him. "You've never been on a date before." It wasn't a question.
    "Well, um… no. This is my first." Zeb looked uncomfortable admitting this, halfway between embarrassed and defensive, like he expected Chad to make a big deal about it. Instead, Chad leaned in closer.
    "I better make it good than. Reealllllly good," he whispered, reaching up to cup Zeb's cheek and pull him closer. Their first brush of lips was so soft Chad almost groaned at the sweetness of it. Slowly, he allowed it to deepen. He could feel Zeb's need to make it more urgent, and guessed that was what the younger man was used to, but instead he held back. Each time it started to feel on the verge of turning into a frenzy he'd slow things down, lighten his touch, and start the seduction over until he was pretty sure he'd pass out from restraint alone.
    Reluctantly he pulled away, only to have Zeb's face following, wanting more. God! It was so good. Too good