Off Base Read online

  You’re the one who’s always on about how straight you are, Pike’s eyes said as he didn’t move at all to rescue Zack, instead saying, “Go on now. I’ll keep the table and order some fries for when you get back.”

  Nothing to do other than drain his beer in one swallow and follow the woman to the dance floor at the far end of the establishment, separated from the rest of the bar by a low wall.

  She was cute in a little silver tank top and smelled liked the wisteria in his mom’s front yard, and Zack supposed he should be thinking how good her chest looked in the tight top or how much he wanted that scent all over him, but...yeah, not happening. Still, though, he’d been down this road enough times to know the drill, and he liked dancing, liked letting music move through him, even if the partner stuff did get tricky. The dance mix pumped out a fast beat, enabling him to keep space between them. And she was good, not stomping his feet or draping herself all over him. One dance and he’d politely send her back to her friends.

  Near them, a couple—a guy-guy couple to be exact—danced super close. Fuck. One of them wore some sort of spicy aftershave and had a low chuckle for his partner that went right to Zack’s gut. The two shared a private look and a kiss so dirty that Zack couldn’t look away. He’d seen Ryan cuddle up to his boyfriend a couple of times, but that sort of playfulness was a far cry from this...fireworks show inches from him.

  “Hey.” The woman tugged on his arm. “Your friend was wrong, wasn’t he?”

  “What?” Zack forced his eyes back to her. “Just...not used to...never mind.”

  “It’s okay.” She gave him a knowing smile. “Thanks for the dance.” And she headed back to her friends with a little flip of her hair. Fuck. Zack had been figuring he’d buy her a drink, get her off the scent of whatever trail she thought she was on, but she’d dismissed him, clear as day.

  “Strike out?” Pike asked when Zack made his way back to the table.

  “She had to get back to her friends.” Zack tried to sound regretful but doubted he was all that convincing.

  “Fry?” Pike passed him a basket of sweet potato fries with some sort of mayo-based dipping sauce that was far spicier than it looked.

  “Whoa.” Zack fanned his mouth, then noticed his beer had already been refilled. He took a swig. “Thanks, man.”

  “Not into spicy?” Pike managed to make the question sound rather suggestive.

  Zack could survive hours of surf torture, but he couldn’t control his blush. “Nah.”

  “That’s okay.” Pike swiped a ketchup out of the condiment display on the back edge of their table, passed it to him. “Simple’s good too.”

  Zack honestly wasn’t sure whether they were talking about fries anymore, but he nodded. “So...crap week?” he asked partly to avoid a long awkward silence and partly because he figured even Pike couldn’t flirt while bitching.

  “Oh man, you have no idea. Defended my dissertation back in the winter. I thought I had a job all lined up with War Elf—”

  “That huge role-playing game?”

  “Yeah. I did my dissertation on a statistical analysis model of their users’ usage habits over time.”

  “Impressive.” Zack blinked. He had a degree himself, but his BA in history didn’t include the wherewithal to decipher all the lingo needed for a math PhD.

  “Yeah, anyway, I was told they might have a place for me, but they don’t, so now I’m stuck tossing my hat in the teaching ring. And it sucks.”

  “You don’t want to teach?”

  “Do I look like professor material?” Pike gestured at himself. Zack let himself do the one thing he tried to avoid and really looked at Pike—faded T-shirt advertising the game Ryan’s boyfriend worked for, ripped jeans. Surprisingly full pink lips. Twinkling green eyes—wait. Clothes. He was supposed to be noticing clothes.

  “Not exactly,” Zack mumbled into his napkin.

  “I had to wear a suit three times this week,” Pike moaned.

  “Dude, until you have to wear the same soggy BDUs for five days running, you don’t get to complain.”

  “Okay, okay, you win. I’m just saying that this whole adulting thing bites.”

  Zack had seen enough suckage in his life to decide that “adulting” was practically a vacation, but he nodded because a “suck it up, buttercup” wasn’t going to go over well with Pike’s pity party.

  “You know what we should do?” Pike brightened, getting a gleam in his eye that frightened Zack more than a live grenade. “Shots. We need to do shots.”

  Across the room, the woman from earlier was talking to her friends and as if on cue, the whole table tittered and three blond heads swiveled in his direction before returning to the giggle fest. Fuck.

  He knew he’d regret this, probably within the hour, but at that moment he couldn’t stop his head from nodding. “Bring it on.”

  Chapter Two

  “Another round?” Pike headed to the bar without waiting for Zack to say no. They’d done a round of shots, but Pike really needed at least two before he got buzzed. Pike had been intending to get his swerve on even before Zack walked into Mellow all alone and put out over the no-shows. Oh he’d tried to cover it—for like five seconds—but Zack had not been happy to see him. Which was fine, because Pike knew that, like Fireball shots, he was an acquired taste. And twice as much fun. Or at least he liked to think so.

  Not that Zack agreed—Pike could tell that he was on the man’s “barely tolerate” list, and even when he was talking about SEAL stuff, he didn’t get particularly happy. Not that he’d gotten any happier when that chick had dragged him out dancing. Pike had figured he might lose Zack for the night to those girls, but then Zack had gone into tourist mode over the gay couples on the dance floor and had his sorry ass booted back.

  Oh yeah, Pike had noticed all that. It was why he enjoyed riling Zack up so much—he was the gayest straight person Pike had ever met. And Pike had a mother who loved theater, Glee, and Drag Race. No, with Zack, it wasn’t what he liked or how he spoke or stood. It was his eyes.

  Zack’s pale spring-sky eyes went all hungry and needy whenever he was near two men being affectionate—exactly how he’d gotten about the couple next to them and the guys on the dance floor. Even from where he’d been sitting, Pike could see that need rolling off Zack when his attention should have been on the girl he’d been with. He got that way around their mutual friends a lot, and even had the hungry look when Pike and his roommate Landon rolled around on the floor mock-wrestling during a LAN party. And it wasn’t even a flirty thing—Landon was the brother Pike had never had, and tangling like happy puppies was just part of their shtick. Pike had offered Zack a turn, but Mr. Big Tough SEAL had turned crimson and fled the room.

  And therein lay the reason Pike was waiting on the bartender to get them their shots—if he got Zack loosened up enough, maybe the guy would actually talk. And despite what everyone thought about Pike being a loose cannon and immature, he totally could listen.

  Finally, shots in hand, he made his way back to their table where Zack was texting on his phone. He scowled when Pike set the drinks down. “I was trying two of my buddies, see if they wanted to come out and join us, but they’ve got plans.”

  “Too bad.” Pike refused to feel slighted that Zack couldn’t stand being alone with him, and instead passed over the shot. “Guy buddies or girl buddies?”

  “Guys.” Zack threw back the shot with a full-body shudder. And damn but those muscles were sexy when he moved. When he’d first met Zack, he’d noticed his ropey forearms first. Pike was definitely a hand/arm guy, and Zack’s were sexy as fuck with the sort of vein and muscle definition that only came with serious work. But now his biceps were bigger, shoulders more defined, and he had this new way of standing where it seemed like he physically took up more space. Hell, even his neck was ripped, and Pi
ke really needed to focus on Zack’s answers, not his muscles.

  “So no girlfriend waiting back in Arkansas? No hotties on the hook down in San Diego?” Pike pushed before he tossed back his own shot.

  “Fuck no.” Zack’s tongue had become looser with each drink.

  “Ever had a girlfriend?”

  “Nah.” Zack shrugged and stole the last fry. “Too busy.”

  The “too busy” part sounded like a well-rehearsed line, but Pike nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. No girls in high school or college though?”

  “There were some girls at church. Went to a few dances. Not really my thing.”

  “Girls or dancing? Because I saw you earlier—you’re a good dancer.”

  “Thanks.” The tips of Zack’s ears, bared by his blond crew cut, flared pink. His short hair always made Pike want to pet it, see if it was as soft as it looked. “And I dunno. Maybe both?” He sounded unreasonably sad, then brightened, a rather fake smile firmly in place. “I’ll figure it out, man. By the time I’m ready to settle down, right?”

  “I am never settling down.” Pike laughed because the other option was to let his heart hurt for this guy who was so clearly twisted up in ways he couldn’t even see himself. Been there. Done that. Didn’t get the T-shirt. “And now I’m going to dance. Join me?”

  “Dance? With you?” For someone with lightning reflexes, Zack could be rather slow. And adorable. “Together?”

  “No, not together.” Pike patted him on the shoulder. “Dial back the horror. Come dance.” Zack’s mouth quirked like he wasn’t sure whether to trust Pike, so he added, “Maybe we’ll find you another hookup potential. Come on.”

  “Okay.” Zack followed Pike, steps decidedly looser. Pike was barely buzzing himself, but he resolved to slow Zack down. True to his word, Pike put several feet of space between them on the dance floor. Zack was a surprisingly good dancer—innate rhythm and all those muscles turning fluid. He’d been good with the woman earlier, but on his own with the shots on board, he was almost hypnotic. Pike bet Zack was an amazing swimmer—he had the body for it, and Pike would have killed for a chance to watch him do his SEAL long-distance swims. It didn’t take long for two teen-looking women to dance up on either side of Zack, and the helpless look he shot Pike was almost too much.

  Pike grinned back at him. Zack could extricate himself with three steps to his right, but that would mean getting closer to dancing with him. Problems, man. Thank God, Pike didn’t have them.

  The song changed and a tall, skinny goth guy danced closer to Pike. Across from him, Zack’s eyebrows went up. Oh this could be fun. Pike gave the goth guy a seductive smile he made sure Zack saw too. Eyes firmly on Zack, he started dancing with the guy, stepping a bit closer than he might otherwise.

  The other guy, bless him, caught on quick and pulled him in tight, mouth dipping close to Pike’s ear. “Are we making your boyfriend jealous or is he the kind to like watching? Because I could be down with that.” He gave a deep, rumbly chuckle, something that ordinarily would have turned Pike on. And he did like this guy’s style.

  “Jealous,” Pike said, then because the guy seemed nice enough, added honestly, “Not a boyfriend.”

  “Yet.” Goth guy gave him a wink, dark hair falling in his eyes. Yeah, if Pike wasn’t hung up on Zack tonight, he would totally be in favor of pursuing this far easier prey.

  The man was too tall for them to easily fit together, but they managed to stay close enough, and Pike made sure Zack saw every flirty touch they exchanged. Showing off for him was more intoxicating than the Fireball, making Pike’s blood hum. Eventually the girls drifted away from Zack, and the other guy got a gleam in his eye. Oh yeah. Pike had an idea what he was thinking, and followed him when he danced a few steps toward Zack.

  Zack’s eyes went wide and he bit his lip, impeccable rhythm faltering, but he didn’t step back. The three of them danced together, the goth dude touching Pike and turning him to face Zack so that they made a sexy little sandwich. Zack was still too far away to grind or anything like that, but he was close enough that Pike could feel the need rolling off him. He hooked a finger though Zack’s belt loop, pulling him closer still. Behind him, the other guy was hard, grinding against his back, touching his sides and arms as they moved together.

  Any other night and Pike would be plotting how to get the guy back to his place, which wasn’t far away. But tonight all his attention was on Zack and how he responded to Pike’s nearness, body going supple, hips matching Pike’s rhythm. Fuck yes. Each song seemed to make the energy between them more charged.

  Eventually, the other guy leaned in. “I’m going to get another drink. You guys?”

  “I could go for a beer.” Damn. He was rather thirsty.

  Zack nodded slowly and followed them to the bar.

  “I’m Chris,” the goth guy said as they waited their turn in the thick crowd around the bar. The place had really filled up while they’d been out dancing. “Any chance you guys want to go to Micky’s with me? One of my friends is dancing go-go there tonight, and I’m supposed to meet up with a group of friends there. But afterward...” His voice trailed off, invitation clear in his dark eyes.

  “Go-go?” Zack’s voice cracked. Man, it was almost too fun making Mr. Big Shot SEAL lose his cool.

  “Yeah, you know, guys dancing around in their underwear,” Pike said.

  “I...uh...” Zack swallowed hard. “I’m gonna need more shots. Now.”

  A better friend than Pike probably would have stopped him from ordering tequila with a beer chaser, but Pike merely got his own beer and turned to Chris, who was drinking soda. “We might meet you over there.”

  “Do it,” Chris urged, leaning in to whisper against Pike’s ear, “Bring your tourist. We’ll show him a good time.”

  Tourist. The reminder that Zack was most likely an otherwise straight guy who was merely curious shoved all Pike’s adrenaline aside. Pike had had enough tourists to last a lifetime, thank you very much. However, Pike wasn’t sure what Zack was and that bugged the fuck out of him. Even worse, he wasn’t sure he wanted to share Zack and wasn’t that a bitch of an emotion to get hit with?

  Chris’s phone went off, and he headed out, leaving Pike and Zack to nurse their drinks alone. The tables were all taken, so they lounged against the wall rimming the dance floor, watching.

  “Let’s dance again,” Zack said abruptly, draining his beer. His eyes were glassy, and his words had a much more pronounced drawl to them.

  Again, a better person would have noted that Zack was getting drunk and not said, “Sure.” Pike wasn’t that person.

  He started out dancing with some space between them, like before, but Zack quickly closed the gap between them. They weren’t grinding, but they were very much dancing together, something Pike wasn’t about to point out. They drifted through several songs, dancing both in groups like they had with Chris, and separately. Zack loosened up when the third or fourth was a girl, but he also didn’t make any move to keep the women around longer. He tensed up when other men joined up, but then went boneless against Pike a few seconds later, like he trusted Pike to make this safe for him.

  Fuck.

  “Want to check out Micky’s?” he asked when he finally needed a break from dancing. “It’s easy walking distance.”

  “Guys in...uh...” Zack turned crimson again. “It’s a gay gay bar, right?”

  “Yeah. But you won’t be the only straight person in there by far.” Tourist. Chris’s word rang in Pike’s ears.

  And when Zack nodded, Pike wasn’t sure whether to celebrate or worry. Maybe both.

  * * *

  Zack was drunk, something that hadn’t happened very often in his life, but it wasn’t a sensation a person forgot. Damn shots. He knew he shouldn’t have gone there. And Ryan was right. Fucking Pike didn’t appear any worse
for the wear as he paid the cover charge for them at the new club.

  The gay club. Fuck. Zack might be about to get ill. And still he followed Pike in.

  It was a packed room, guys everywhere. Even though he was buzzed, Zack’s training kicked in and he surveyed the space, but hell, it was hard to stay neutral. Gay guys. All over each other. And there were some girls scattered throughout too, but it was the guys who held his attention. Guys holding hands. Guys grinding. Guys without shirts. Guys in tight pants. And on platforms scattered throughout the cavernous space, half-naked guys in their underwear dirty danced, packages outlined in lewd detail.

  Fuck. He needed air. Right fucking now. But Pike seemed oblivious to his distress, calmly navigating the crowd, eyes scanning much more purposefully than Zack’s. Probably looking for Chris. Chris with the seductive gaze and the sinewy muscles and the hands all over Pike.

  “Drink. I need another drink,” he said as they passed the bar, the big metal structure seeming like a lifeline to him.

  “You sure?” Pike grabbed his arm, peering into his face, looking for God knew what. “You seem pretty toasty right now. Maybe just a soda?”

  “No. I can handle my drink.” Zack was careful to keep his steps steady as he approached the bar.

  “Okay, but I’m switching to soda. And if you puke on me, man, I’m not going to be amused.”

  “Don’t gotta babysit me.” Zack glared at him. “Imma jus’ fine.”

  An hour or two later, however, even he had to admit that he wasn’t fine. They’d found Chris and Chris’s friends, and Zack had kept right on drinking as they all danced and hung out together. Another few drinks and his vision was blurred, speech harder to come by, and muscle control more shredded than after making three passes through the grinder course at training. Yup, he was wasted.

  Wasted and so fucking happy, dancing with Pike and Chris. Damn, he never wanted this to end. Chris was a dirty motherfucker, the way he rubbed up on Pike, even getting his hands up under his shirt. Chris had a way of pushing Pike closer to Zack too. Drove him nuts, Pike brushing against his overheated skin.