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  Zed swallowed, sucking a little more at the cock already softening in his mouth. He was still jerking off, but very close. Until then, Alex's soft, and nonthreatening cock would stay in his mouth. He knew that Alex became very sensitive after he'd come and that his continued teasing would be very close between pleasure and pain.

  "Your turn." Alex ran his fingers through Zed's hair. "Come for me."

  Always for you. Zed groaned and spat out Alex's cock. He was so close, teetering on the edge. Drugs were never this good. He had one clear thought. "Love you, Alex." He grunted and thrust into his fist, come shooting up, landing in rustling pats on the dry leaves covering the ground.

  "Love you, too."

  Zed leaned his forehead on Alex's knees. "How are you still standing? That was intense."

  "I have a tree supporting me." Alex knelt and rested his arms on Zed's shoulders. "You ready to go back, or do you want to hang here longer?"

  "They had to've heard us." Zed laughed. "I'm surprised the girls aren't there scoring us." A light-hearted giggle came from behind him. "Or maybe they are."

  "They heard us last night too." Alex leaned in and nuzzled Zed's ear. "You're wondering how they scored you."

  "Oh, I know my score. I'm just hoping they scored you as high." He heard the giggle again, sharper than before, and turned around. Nothing there, not even a shrub to hide behind. "Who's there?"

  Silence.

  "It's probably just the girls by the fire." Alex stood and zipped his shorts. "Sound does carry more at night."

  "You heard it?" For some reason, Zed felt as if it had been meant for him alone. "Nah, it definitely came from behind me." He pulled his shorts up and stood, feeling for Alex's hand. "And there's no one there."

  "Probably just someone else out enjoying the night, and it just sounds closer than it is." Alex threaded his fingers through Zed's, holding tight. "Just ignore Jon, don't let him get a rise out of you."

  Zed snorted. "Fuckwit."

  "Exactly."

  A sudden chill, icy feathers, brushed across the back of Zed's neck. He didn't look behind him; there would be nothing there. He clenched Alex's hand tighter. "Let's go back, I need a drink."

  "Me too."

  Alex led the way back to the others. Stopping at the cooler Alex grabbed two beers, handing one to Zed.

  "Where's Jon?" Alex asked as he sat down.

  "Went to bed," Travis said. "Said something about being punched being a buzz kill."

  "He shouldn't have been such a dickhead, then."

  "I don't think he understands." Mel shrugged and looked at Zed. "You weren't there when we heard. We had no idea anything was even... wrong, then suddenly you're in therapy, and we didn't see you 'til the prom."

  "It was years ago."

  "Doesn't matter. I still don't think he actually comprehends why it was so bad for you that you felt you had to kill yourself -- try to." Mel finished in a rush.

  "The only one that saw you during that time was Alex," Rhys added. "And he wasn't telling us anything."

  Zed smiled. That was typical of Alex; guarding him fiercely. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot." It'd been a haze of prescription drugs and alcohol. Alex had been there almost constantly, as had Scott -- first boyfriend; older and hot. Zed did remember he'd been a brat for most of the time, the drugs affecting his sleeping and eating habits, and had been on somewhat of a downward spiral.

  "I remember enough for the both of us," Alex whispered before taking a long pull of his beer.

  "Well, don't. That part of my life is over." But even as he said it, Zed wondered if it was. What had made him try the suicide option when things got bad, while other people would react to the same situation differently? Alcohol had always been freely available to him, and drinking to make himself feel better had become a bit of a weekend ritual when he was in his teens, home alone on Friday and Saturday nights, knowing that Alex was out with nameless, faceless bimbos. Even now, when things got bad, he drank more than if he was just on a night out with friends.

  "I can't believe Spain and Germany are playing each other in the semi-finals," Alex said.

  Zed figured it was a not so subtle way to change the subject, and was glad of that. He didn't need to go to sleep with those memories assaulting him.

  "I know!" Phil quickly jumped on the new topic of conversation. "A rematch of the Euro Cup -- gonna be good."

  "I wonder if we can watch it on the computer..." Alex finished his beer and reached for another one.

  "No!" Tania glanced at the house where her beloved laptop was open on the kitchen table. "That is my only communication with civilization while I'm here. You are not wasting all my precious giggage watching that stupid game. Just my luck that I'm spending the weekend with every soccer fan in New York. No wonder you all gravitated together."

  "Stupid game?" Alex and Phil said in unison.

  Zed laughed at the look of outrage on their faces. "I'm with Tania. Nothing worse than being a soccer widow."

  "Alex still drops everything for a soccer game?" Becca asked.

  "Oh, God, I hate it when guys do that." Kitty added her two cents.

  Zed laughed. He sometimes forgot that Becca had dated Alex. He nodded at Mel. "Yep, and me, too. Then they demand beer and salty snacks, and whether you get sex or not depends on who won."

  "Hey! I do not do that."

  "Okay then, the quality of the sex..." Zed slowly shifted away from Alex.

  Alex laughed. "Well, no one will be disturbed by the sounds coming from our tent tonight -- you ain't getting none."

  Zed shuddered at the disgusting grammar. A double negative, yet. Which meant he'd be getting sex. "If I want, you can't resist."

  "I have amazing willpower. It'll do you good to go without once in a while."

  "Hah! You think?"

  "Who do you think will win the Germany/Spain game?" This time it was Travis trying to redirect the conversation.

  "What you don't want to hear about their sex life?" Rhys asked.

  "I heard enough last night."

  "Both are great teams, but I think Spain will win." Alex was just proving his one track mind. Soccer over sex.

  "I'm rooting for Germany. They have some great talent -- Klose, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, and the newbie Mueller." Phil jumped right back into the conversation.

  "But Spain has Ramos, Fabregas, Xavi, Villa, and Torres -- to name a few." Alex was in full blown soccer mode.

  "Torres hasn't done shit this tournament," Travis said. "I'm rooting for the Netherlands to win it all."

  Zed rolled his eyes and yawned. Nothing like fresh air, discovering hidden underground secret rooms, and an argument or two to make you tired. Add soccer talk to that and yep, he was going to fall asleep relatively quickly. Kitty had the same glazed look on her face, too, and Tania had already headed for the house and her bed. Mel looked to be the only other one following the conversation.

  "Might crash, then," Zed said to Alex, who seemed to be right in the middle of describing a World War II tank maneuver. Or discussing quarter sides or double backs or something.

  "Goodnight, I'll be in soon," Alex said, without real conviction.

  "Okay, might invite Bec to keep me warm 'til then."

  "Sounds good," Alex gave Zed a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to face Phil. "If we can't use the computer, do you think we sneak away to watch it somewhere?"

  Phil laughed. "Tania would have all our balls."

  Laughing to himself, Zed wandered off toward the tents. He unearthed his Kindle and book light, and read until he fell asleep.

  ***

  A few hours later, Zed was woken by several things happening at the same time. Coyotes were yowling right outside the tent, one of them was playing with the zip and trying to get in, and someone had just brushed something freezing cold across his forehead. If one of those things wasn't Alex, Zed swore he was running to his car and getting the hell out of this place.

  "Alex?" Hmm, his voice was ste
adier than he was.

  The tent flap opened and Alex tumbled in -- on top of Zed.

  "Sorry," Alex whispered. "Go back to sleep."

  "Where're the coyotes?" Zed reached out a hand and stroked Alex's thigh.

  "No idea." Alex wriggled around, taking off his shorts. "Freaky isn't it? Who knew they were that loud?"

  "They sound close." Another loud yowl rent the air, and Zed sat up. "They are close."

  "Nah, they're not." Alex's t-shirt hit Zed's face. "Go back to sleep."

  Zed lay back down and waited for Alex to join him. He was too sleepy to fuck, but he wouldn't say no to a mutual jerk off.

  "Were you serious about asking Becca in here?"

  Zed sighed. "Alex, I like her heaps, but no. C'mon, lie down and cuddle me."

  "What's that smell, then? Like perfume."

  Zed sniffed the air. A heavy floral scent was discernible. "Smells like Aunt Gloria. And, no, she wasn't in here, either."

  "It's terrible." Alex crawled over to the tent flap. "It's stifling." He pushed the flap open and breathed in the fresh night-time air.

  "Where are you going?" Zed panicked. "Don't leave me alone in here, not with killer coyotes out there."

  "I can't stay in here." Alex groped around for his shorts. "Smells like someone doused the tent with it -- that's an asthma attack waiting to happen. Sleeping under the stars will be fun; you'll love it."

  "Hmm, out there where everything from ants to coyotes can get me. No thanks. Go crash in Rhys' tent."

  "Aren't you coming too?"

  Resigning himself to not getting any sleep 'til this was all settled, Zed nodded. "Of course. Don't think I'd leave you in Rhys' evil clutches, do you?"

  Alex laughed. "Nah, Rhys is harmless."

  "You've obviously never dated him." Zed pulled on his shorts and grabbed his torch.

  "But you two never--" Alex shook his head. "Never mind. Let's go so we can get some sleep."

  "We didn't. Would you rather hear what we did?" Zed laughed and pushed Alex from the tent, following closely in case the coyotes were waiting for him.

  "Why didn't you date him?" Alex scrambled to his feet and pulled Zed to his.

  Zed shrugged. "Don't ever tell him, but he was a poor substitute for who I really wanted."

  "Good answer."

  "But when Johnny Depp took out that restraining order against me, I settled for you."

  "Well, I love you anyway."

  "You, too."

  A coyote howled and several answered, their yowls splitting the calm night. Zed was sure they were watching him and Alex and discussing their midnight snack plans. He'd feel safer in a tent with three millimeters of canvas between him and the dogs with sharp teeth. "C'mon." He tugged Alex's hand.

  "Hopefully the girls weren't in Rhys' tent as well."

  "They weren't in our tent. I'm telling you, I went in there by myself and read for a while, then went to sleep," Zed affirmed. "Those girls don't smell like Aunt Gloria, anyway."

  "True, but if it wasn't them who was it?" Alex knelt in front of Rhys' tent and unzipped it. "Rhys, I hope you're decent."

  "Wha--?" Rhys mumbled, still half-asleep. "What the fuck, Alex?"

  At least Alex managed to miss trampling Rhys when he entered the tent, Zed thought. Rhys had fared better than he had. "Mind if we crash in here? There's a funny smell in our tent."

  "You need to use a better lube then." Rhys gave a husky laugh. "Sure, there's room. No sex unless I'm invited."

  "No worries there; I'm too tired." Alex made himself comfortable on the opposite end of the tent. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra pillow?"

  "No. Why didn't you bring yours?"

  "Good question. Zed, go back and get them."

  "You go back."

  "Can't, asthma."

  Zed glared. He knew that neither Alex nor Rhys could see it, and that just made him angrier. "Coyotes."

  Rhys laughed. "They're miles away. Sound travels at night."

  "I knew that." Zed sighed. Why was everything up to him? Packing lube and toys, driving his car up here, fetching pillows, and dodging coyotes in the infested outdoors. Camping fucking sucked. Alex'd be lucky if he ever got sex again.

  He muttered to himself -- cursing Alex, Rhys, coyotes, and farms in general -- for the full five minute round trip to retrieve pillows and a blanket to sleep on. The air mattress would take too long to deflate and blow up again. Yes, he had considered it. It'd be the only thing Alex would be blowing in the very near future.

  "Here." Zed threw Alex his pillow. "If there's anything else, feel free to ask."

  "Yeah, get your ass over here." Alex patted the canvas floor between him and Rhys.

  "Like hell I'm sleeping on a hard floor." Zed folded the blanket and lay on that, his wonderfully soft pillow under his head. "Night, boys. Sweet dreams." He curled up, and was asleep within minutes, the faint scent of Aunt Gloria surrounding him.

  Chapter Three

  Sunday July 4th, 2010

  Birds were singing their joy of the early morning, and the sun was already warming the air when Zed became aware of Alex's hand stroking his thigh. Oh, that was so nice. Just the languid glide against his skin, coming higher each time or sliding around to caress the curve of his ass. Slow and somnolent sex.

  Alex shifted, his hand slipping around Zed and pulling him closer. Zed moved lazily against the thigh that had settled between his and sighed into Alex's neck. He loved waking slowly like this, wrapped in his lover. This was the way Zed liked to do mornings... Mornings and Alex both.

  Arms circled him from behind and a gentle kiss landed on the back of his neck. Mmm, that sent lazy tingles down his spine. It really was funny how when he needed Alex, Alex managed to literally surround him.

  Zed's eyes flew open. He stared into the startled hazel ones of Rhys.

  Rhys?

  Realization hit. He was cuddled up to Rhys. Alex was behind him.

  "Fuck, sorry," Zed mumbled, both pushing himself away from Rhys and being released hurriedly.

  "Sorry about what?" Alex mumbled. The blanket rustled as he pushed up and rested his weight on his arm. "What the fuck? I thought you were done with threesomes."

  Zed rolled over. "I was asleep."

  "You are a frisky sleeper. I always figured you'd be able to tell me apart from everyone else."

  The forced smile Alex wore deflated what was left of Zed's 'frisky' mood. That and the insinuation that he'd slept with everyone else. Figured he'd get in trouble for something he did in his sleep. The day had just started, and it already was going badly.

  "Don't be stupid," Zed started, stopping abruptly when he realized that anything else he said would be insulting to Rhys. Instead he pulled his shorts and sneakers on and left the tent. Fuck Alex! As if Zed would be stupid enough to get off with Rhys while Alex was right there. Even if he wasn't, Zed wouldn't have. He'd been there, done that, and now had who he'd wanted from the start. He wasn't likely to muck that up -- not on purpose, anyway. He went back to his tent, found a T-shirt and wandered up to the house where Blake, Jon and Phil, the only ones up at this unearthly hour, were drinking their first coffees for the day.

  "Morning," Phil said. He sounded chirpy enough. But, of course, no one had accused him of trying to have a threesome.

  "Hey," Zed mumbled back.

  "Too early, huh?" Jon said. "Stupid, noisy birds."

  Zed shot him a look, but he was just smiling. As if the previous evening hadn't happened.

  Jon shrugged. "Sorry, mate. No excuses... blame the sun."

  Relieved, and hoping that that awkwardness was behind them, Zed laughed. "And early mornings and the beer. Works for me."

  Jon grabbed a New York Red Bulls mug and filled it with coffee. "Where's Alex?" he asked, handing the mug to Zed.

  Zed took the mug and raised it in salute. "Thanks. He's still in the tent." He glanced at Rhys' tent, then hoped Jon hadn't noticed.

  "Rhys' tent?"

  Zed could tell tha
t Jon was dying of curiosity but, after their altercation the previous evening, was loath to ask.

  "Our tent smelled like Aunt Gloria, so we crashed with Rhys."

  The puzzled look on Jon's face eased, then he frowned again. "Like who?"

  "My Aunt Gloria. She wears this heavy florally perfume. It plays havoc with Alex's asthma, even more than others."

  Blake nodded and joined the conversation. "Yeah, my mom wears that Chanel one when she goes out. It stinks for ages; the dog hates it."

  "That could be the one. I didn't think any of the girls wore it."

  "Don't think so. You think one of them was in your tent?"

  "How else would that smell be there?"

  Before anyone could speculate, Rhys wandered over to them, running his fingers through his blond hair in an attempt to flatten it. "And I thought you were a bitch in the morning." He looked pointedly at Zed. "Mornings must be a disaster at your place."

  "I have that effect on him." Zed filled another mug with coffee and walked back to Rhys' tent. Alex was tying up his shoe laces -- and not looking any friendlier.

  "Everyone up?" Alex asked, not even bothering to look up from his task.

  "Nope." Never one to let Alex's disinterest deter him, Zed crawled into the tent and put the coffee mug in front of Alex. "But that means there's still plenty of coffee."

  "Thanks." Alex took the mug. "We should try and air out the tent today."

  Zed nodded. "The smell is that Chanel perfume, and none of the girls wear it."

  "So a Chanel-wearing stranger was strolling past and decided to stink up our tent?"

  Zed shrugged. "That's as good an answer as any I managed to come up with."

  "That doesn't make much sense though." Alex drank his coffee. "I just hope we get the smell out."

  "Me, too. I want to wake up snuggling you." Zed watched Alex from under his lashes, wondering if Alex would look at him at last. Alex had been carefully avoiding that for the past few minutes, it seemed.

  Alex looked up, blue eyes that normally were warm and friendly were cold and hard. "You sure about that?"