JE owns the rights to anything familiar - thanks to alix33 for the beta skills

To all the guest reviewers I cannot respond to personally, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it greatly.

Very minor smut warning


Falling Slowly

HECTOR POV

I looked at Zip one last time before pulling my shirt down over my head. He was stretched out on his stomach, completely naked, and sound asleep. I tugged the sheet up over him so he wouldn't get cold and then fought every instinct I had to crawl back into bed with him. I knew I was a dick for leaving in the middle of the night but I had to get out; I had to get away from him and knew if I stayed a second longer I'd never leave.

Since we hooked up at the Manor a couple of weeks ago, he'd been unrelenting in his quest to get me to agree to go out with him. On a date. Like we were teenagers or something. I reluctantly agreed to talk about it, more than once, and we did. Well, he talked, trying to convince me for the hundredth time that we should be together – even though I'd done nothing but discourage him - if you can call ending up at a shitty motel and fucking his brains out discouraging. I don't even know how it happened. One minute we were in my truck, talking, and the next his mouth was on my neck and I was driving to the motel.

Zip was making me lose control and I needed to end this, immediately. Ditching him now was a start. I climbed into my truck and slid behind the wheel, yet when I remembered we'd left his car in the parking lot of a McDonald's in the Burg, I couldn't seem to make myself put the key in the ignition. I could clearly picture the look that would be on his face if he woke up and found me gone, knowing he'd have to call a cab to get back, and it made my stomach twist into a painful knot.

Shit. I didn't want this. I didn't want to be in a fucking relationship. What the hell is he thinking? I'm not worth all this. I'm not someone that anyone should ever want to be with beyond a quick, anonymous fuck. I'm a sick and damaged individual and Zip deserves way more than I could ever possibly give him.

I swore out loud before turning the engine over and backing out of the parking space. I drove about a block and then as if I didn't have any say in the matter, I yanked the wheel hard to left, making an illegal U-turn, and headed back. Fucking Zip. He had me all tangled up inside and it was making me crazy. I drove too fast and the tires squealed on the asphalt when I turned into the motel's lot. I pounded on the brakes, killed the motor and slammed the door closed after getting out.

I wasn't quiet when I had to pick the lock to get back into the room and the noise woke Zip. He lifted his chiseled torso from the bed and turned his head, regarding me over his shoulder with sleepy eyes.

"Where'd you go?" He asked with that stupid fucking half grin that never failed to make my heart skip a beat. It pissed me off and I threw my keys down on the scratched wooden table by the window and kicked the door closed.

"Damn you, Zip. God damn you. What the fuck are you doing to me?" He only lifted an inquisitive brow at my outburst and that just incensed me further. "Why do you even want this? You can have your pick of a million other men, so why the fuck are you so hell bent on having me?" I was breathing hard, my chest heaving, and I couldn't control it. I felt like I was going to come out of my skin.

Zip moved so fast I barely registered it had happened before he was in my face and crowding me against the door.

"Because I see you, Hector," he said softly, placing his palm on my chest, over my heart, "right here. No matter how much you try and hide, I see you. The guy in here, the one who is gentle and kind and incredibly smart, he makes my heart race whenever I see his face." Zip skimmed his hand along my chest and rubbed his fingers over the old gang tattoo peeking out of the collar of my shirt before trailing them up and doing the same to the skull inked over the knife scar on my neck.

"That guy mixed with this one," his hand found its way to my cheek and his thumb drifted over the tiny teardrop under my eye," the one you allow everyone to see, is a pretty irresistible combination."

He bent his head and touched his lips to mine. They were so soft that I thought I might come unglued. My throat started to clog with emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time and I could barely swallow. He was going to bring me to my knees, this fucking kid who could see right into the darkest part of my heart and still find the small flicker of light left in my soul.

"And the fact you fuck like a champion doesn't hurt either." He showed me his dimple with a quick grin and I couldn't stop the sudden burst of laughter. It was exactly what I needed right then and I tried not to think about how Zip seemed to know that. He kissed me again and then tugged at the hem of my shirt, lifting it up and peeling it off my body. "Come back to bed, Hector."

At that point I didn't think I could say no if my life depended on it. Zip reached for the waistband of my pants and undid the button while I kicked off my boots and tore the socks from my feet. When I was as naked as he was, we fell on the bed and I hovered over him, staring into the molten gold of his eyes. I wanted to say something, anything that might let him know what his words meant to me but I couldn't find my voice so I lowered my mouth to his and kissed him until all our air ran out. That still wasn't enough so I moved from his mouth, burning a trail of kisses down his neck and over the smooth expanse of every muscle on his chest and abdomen.

His hand rubbed over the stubble I was letting grow out on my head when my mouth reached his right hip and his fingers flexed on my skull as he parted his thighs and let me drop between them.

My goal was to get to the bottom of his foot and start back up the other side but I was distracted by the small mark high on the inside of his right thigh. Last time we were together I vaguely remember thinking it was an unusual spot for a tattoo, yet hadn't paid much attention to it. Now I wanted to take the time to discover what it was. I used my palm to gently push his leg back, opening the gap wider. I ran my tongue over it once and bent closer for a better view. It looked like...it looked like the letter H. I froze in place and my breath stopped in my lungs. Did he really have my initial branded on his thigh?

I lifted my head and met Zip's eyes. He was embarrassed, even in the dim light of the room I could see the pink blush tinting his cheeks but he didn't look away. "I did it a long time ago," he admitted with a small shrug and when I could only lift an eyebrow he nervously laughed saying, "I'm not sure if that makes this better or worse."

I dropped my gaze for another look and then skimmed my thumb over it. It was done with surprisingly intricate scroll work, the detail sharp and clean, and it was my fucking initial. I bent my head for another taste and then another and when I nuzzled my cheek against it, Zip made an erotic noise in the back of his throat that turned my dick to stone. I crawled up his body and lowered on top of him until every part of us was touching. "It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen," I allowed before covering his mouth with mine.

The next few hours passed in a haze of sexual bliss that left us both beyond the point of exhaustion. I fell asleep sometime before dawn with my head resting on Zip's shoulder and my arm draped across his stomach.

I was in the same spot at nearly nine in the morning when I opened my eyes and peered at the bedside clock. I was supposed to meet Stephanie for breakfast at ten and wondered if I'd get the third degree if I cancelled on her.

Of course I would, it's Stephanie.

Zip was snoring softly and I did my best to not disturb him when I extracted myself from his arms. He didn't move, not even when I accidentally kicked the leg of the night stand and let out a string of curses.

I hit the bathroom and turned on the shower, taking care of other business while the water got hot.

As soon as the room was filled with steam I yanked back the curtain and stepped into the spray, pulling it closed behind me. The water pressure was strong and felt good on my overtaxed muscles. I lathered up a wash cloth just as Zip filled the tub behind me with his unmistakable presence. His lips found my neck and I tilted my head so he could have better access even as I said, "What are you doing?"

"Thought you might need some help," he murmured in my ear before licking the inside rim.

I let out a laugh. "I've been showering by myself for a while now; I think I can handle it."

"Hmmm." Zip's skeptical response was followed by his fingers removing the wash cloth from my hand. He ran it up my arm and over my shoulder, across my deltoid muscle until he stopped in the center of my spine, pressing it right between my shoulder blades. "What about this spot? I don't think you can reach here on your own." He trailed the cloth up and down my spine in slow circles and my cock swelled with every single one. "I don't think you can reach any of these spots so you definitely need my help."

He alternated strokes of the wash cloth with swipes of his tongue on the back of my neck and shoulders until I thought I would die from the stimulation. When he dropped all pretenses of helping and let the cloth fall to the bottom of the tub, replacing it with his bare fingers, I thought I was going to come without him even touching my dick.

Pressing me into the tiled wall of the shower, he plastered his front to my back and slid his soapy hands down my arms. "Have dinner with me," he said directly into my ear.

My first instinct was to say no, that was always the first word that formed in my brain but I stopped myself from uttering it by biting my tongue. "When?" I eventually asked, a little proud of myself for not instantly denying him.

"Tonight," he replied and kissed my neck while his fingers flexed into my hips.

My stomach dropped a little as I remembered my schedule. I was going to have to say no after all. "I can't. I'm working the next few nights."

Zip was quiet, although that might have been because he was kissing his way down my back and not because he was upset.

"Will you tell me when you're free?" He finally asked, grazing his substantial erection across my hip.

"Yes," I breathed as his teeth sunk into the junction of my neck where it meets my shoulder.

"Good," he said before yanking my hips back and impaling himself inside me with a thrust so powerful it took my breath away.

An hour later, I dropped him off at his car, promising again that I would let him know when I had a break in my schedule and I was only ten minutes late when I walked into the diner to meet Stephanie.

"They're out of blueberry muffins," she said without preamble as I slid into the booth across from her. "What kind of breakfast place runs out of muffins? Do you want pancakes instead?"

Truthfully I wasn't even hungry but Steph didn't like to eat alone so I told her pancakes sounded good.

Our waitress arrived looking seriously put-upon and I wondered how much grief she'd gotten about the muffins. Stephanie ordered for both of us before leveling me with a knowing look.

"What?" I asked and took a sip of the scalding hot coffee that was placed in front of me.

"You got laid," she stated with a sly smile.

"So did you," I pointed out and she laughed.

"I'm married to Ranger, it's a daily occurrence."

"Excellent point," I conceded and drank some more caffeine.

She leaned forward, curling her hands around her mug like she was cold and said, "It was Zip, right? Please tell me it was Zip."

Sometimes I thought Stephanie was more focused on getting me to go out with him than Zip was. She was staring at me with such a hopeful look that I almost wanted to lie to her just to see if she'd try to strangle me in the middle of the diner.

"It was Zip," I allowed, maybe a little afraid to push her off the deep end.

"Did you guys talk?"

Our waitress returned with blueberry pancakes before I could respond and Stephanie was temporarily sidetracked by the gallon of syrup she poured over the stack. After stuffing a bite in her mouth, she chewed and washed it down with some coffee and then said, "Well?"

"I wasn't really in a chatty mood last night."

"Hector," she warned and rolled her eyes while taking another bite of pancake. I took the opportunity to start in on my own plate, the delicious scent finally making my stomach take notice.

Stephanie devoured the entire contents of hers in a matter of minutes and when she was done, she leaned back in the booth and pushed a stray hair off her cheek. "He did ask again, didn't he? Or did you do enough dick distraction to make him forget?"

I almost spit out the sip of coffee I'd just taken. "Dick distraction?"

"That's a thing, isn't it? I think that's a thing; Ranger does it to me all the time."

I let out a laugh. "I bet he does. Works too, doesn't it?"

She cocked an annoyed eyebrow but couldn't contradict me. Dick distraction. I'd have to tell Zip that one.

Whoa...wait. Where did that come from? I didn't think like that. It was dangerous to be thinking like that about him.

"You know it wouldn't kill you to open up a little bit. Have a meal with the man, ask him some questions, and maybe learn something about him besides what size condom fits him."

That got her a double eyebrow raise.

"I'm nagging, aren't I?" She asked with a small grimace.

"A little bit, yeah."

"Crap. I probably sound like my mother." The thought seemed to horrify her. "Do I sound like my mother?"

"Somehow I can't imagine Helen Plum bringing up dick distractions or condom sizes."

Stephanie laughed and finished off her coffee. "True. Grandma would though."

"It actually scares me to think about the things your Grandma would talk about."

"That scares everyone, especially my mother."

"Can't blame her there." I took one last bite of pancake and pushed my plate away. I had no idea how Steph consumed all of that. I couldn't even finish half.

"I'm sorry for nagging you about Zip...I just want you to be happy, Hec, and it seems like this might be an opportunity."

She was right, it was an opportunity, I just wasn't sure happiness would be at the end of it. And yet I found myself hoping she was right. Stephanie glanced at her watch. "Shit, I gotta go. I'm supposed to meet Tank on the gun range in twenty minutes." I lifted an eyebrow. Steph hated the gun range.

"Lula wants a lesson," she explained as she slid out of the booth, "and Tank refused unless I was there to mediate."

"Sounds reasonable to me," I told her. For, Tank anyway. You couldn't pay me enough money to try and teach Lula how to wield a firearm properly.

"I just hope she doesn't shoot him before I get there."

"Maybe get out the Kevlar," I advised, only partially kidding.

"I love you," she told me with an another eye roll. "I'll see you later and think about what I said, okay?

"Which part? The dicks or the condoms?"

"I hope Zip likes your smart mouth." She left me with that parting thought and I followed her out a few minutes later wondering if he even knew I had a smart mouth. I'd done a lot of things with that mouth, but most of them didn't involve words. The truth of Stephanie's statement hit me when I was in my truck. I really didn't know much more than the size of his cock and the many ways he could torture me with his tongue.

What had an even bigger impact on my psyche was the fact that I actually wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything. His words from the night before came flooding back to me. I see you, Hector. I see you, right here. No one ever had before, with the exception of Stephanie, and there was a good chance no one ever would again. I'd never met anyone quite like Zip and really didn't want to lose the chance he was giving me.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the bottom of my Rangeman contact list where I found his number. I hit the button to call him before I could talk myself out of it. He picked it up on the second ring, with a surprised, "Hey."

"Are you working today?" I asked.

"No," he replied slowly. "Why?"

"I could use an extra pair of hands for a rewiring job in Princeton." I didn't need the help and actually preferred to work alone, but I was going with it.

There was a pause before he said, "Okay, what time?"

"Can you be ready at four?"

"Sure."

"I'll pick you up in the garage...and maybe we can grab something to eat after, before the next job."

There was another pause, this one longer and then Zip finally said, "Sounds like a plan." I could hear the smile in his voice and when I disconnected the call, I was smiling too.