“Hungry?” Henry murmured. “Guess you worked up an appetite last night.”
“Shut up.” Ignoring his friend, Sam strode inside and came face-to-face with Zach, who had a bag in one hand and a hunk of fudge in the other. A crumb of chocolate fudge hung off his upper lip, and Sam wondered what Zach would do if he leaned over and licked it off his mouth.
“Oh, hey.”
Zach seemed flustered at seeing him in the light of day. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know they’d been together, but he needn’t have worried. It wasn’t as if Sam was going to grab him in front of everyone, but it was still nice to be recognized.
“Hi.”
“Good?” Sam indicated the piece of fudge, enjoying this less confident side of Zach; it made him seem more human than the data-spouting, computer-whiz kid he watched earlier.
“What? The fudge? Yeah.”
From the size of the bag the man either had an enormous sweet tooth, or he was buying some to take home.
“I was going to buy some myself. Maybe eat it as a midnight snack.” He winked and smiled to himself, watching the red stain of a blush creep up Zach’s neck. “What kind did you get?”
“Um, plain chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, and rocky road.” Zach indicated the piece in his hand. “I took a slice to go since I was hungry.” He thought for a moment, then offered it to Sam. “Want a bite?”
Without any hesitation, Sam leaned over and bit off a piece of the fudge from the chunk Zach offered. There was something almost intimate and sensual about his action; Sam glanced up and found Zach staring at him, his gaze dark and unreadable. Sam licked his lips and grinned.
“Thanks, that’s delicious. I love chocolate. My favorite thing is the chocolate cannoli at Caruso’s pastry shop around the corner from me.”
“Yeah, I love chocolate too; it’s my favorite.” Zach hefted the shopping bag. “Well, um, see you around.” He passed by Henry and exited the store, leaving Sam standing there, watching him leave, feeling strangely bereft.
“You look like someone kicked your puppy, Sammy-boy. If you want to have lunch with the guy, go after him. I’ve got work to do, and I’m sure you’ll have more fun with him than with me.”
What did he want? With Zach retreating farther down the boardwalk, away from him, Sam knew he’d better make up his mind soon, or lose Zach in the throngs of people. Still he held back.
Henry, of course, understood without Sam needing to say a word. “You’re not marrying the guy. It’s only lunch. We’ll sit together during the awards ceremony, as I’m sure Zach’ll be up on the dais since he’s a presenter. Go on and have a little fun for once.”
Throwing a grateful smile to his friend over his shoulder, Sam sprinted out of the store and down the boardwalk after Zach. Maybe he was silly to feel so lighthearted; after all, it wasn’t as though he and Zach were in a relationship. But for so long he hadn’t had anything in his life to look forward to that even this little taste of fun made him happier than he had been in months. Sam caught up with Zach and fell into step behind him.
“Hey.” He placed his hand on Zach’s shoulder, and to Sam’s surprise Zach recoiled and pulled away from his hand. “Um, I forgot to tell you something.”
“Oh, hi, sorry. What are you doing here?” Zach peered over his shoulder. “Where’s your friend?”
“He had some work to do.”
Zach faced him, a confused look in his eyes. “What did you forget to tell me?”
Fortuitously, that piece of fudge still clung to Zac’s upper lip, providing Sam with the cheesiest excuse ever to snag a kiss. Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and pressed his lips to Zach’s, sliding his tongue over Zach’s lips to lick that errant piece of fudge from his top lip. At first Zach stood stiff, but at Sam’s insistent pressure, his mouth softened, and soon they were kissing, oblivious to the whistles and catcalls of the crowd on the boardwalk, passing by them.
He had never been a demonstrative man, preferring to keep his sex life under wraps for the most part. But Zach’s mouth tasted sweet on Sam’s tongue, and all thoughts of lunch faded from Sam’s mind, replaced by a different kind of hunger. The libido from when he was twenty-five reappeared, and he could’ve kept kissing Zach forever.
What was it about this unassuming man that brought out the desire that frankly Sam thought was gone for good? None of the men he’d been with since his breakup had made him feel this way. Right now he couldn’t care less, as Zach dropped his bag of fudge at their feet and slid his arms around Sam’s waist, opening his mouth and leaning into the kiss.
Without any idea how much time had passed, Sam broke away from the kiss, resting his lips on Zach’s forehead. The beat of Zach’s heart pounded frantically.
“What was that about?” Zach murmured against Sam’s chest, yet he made no move to pull away.
“I couldn’t have you embarrass yourself by walking around with chocolate on your mouth; you’re the star of the show tonight.” Sam picked up Zach’s bag of fudge and handed it back to him, but kept his other arm around Zach’s shoulders. “Consider what I’ve done for your image as a public service of a kind.”
“So very kind of you,” said Zach drily, but when Sam caught his eye, Zach’s smile seemed genuine.
“Think nothing of it.”
They began the walk back to the hotel in silence. “Are you ready for tonight’s ceremony?” He thought it was a pretty neutral conversation, but Zach’s shoulders tensed underneath his arm.
