The Beautiful Escape [ZARRY]

27

Zayn swallowed and waited for the worst of the spasms in his belly to pass. It must be the candles, he reasoned desperately. "No, never," his stern denial emerged as a hollow whisper.

Zayn's fingers, still curled around the blanket and Thermos, trembled. It didn't occur to him to release his grip on them as Harry pulled them- and him- slowly towards his large frame. Finally, Harry removed them from Zayn's weak grasp and placed them on the floor, their eyes never left each others'.

An image of the livid bruising he'd seen on Harry's body came into his head, but his imagination didn't limit itself to damage; it conjured up some impressive muscles and the smooth-toned flesh. Zayn ran the tip of his tongue over his dry lips to lubricate them and gave his head a tiny shake, but it didn't dispel the disturbing image. 

"Did I hurt you?" Zayn asked hoarsely. He knew he hadn't been a submissive victim.

Harry touched the side of Zayn's face softly and sent and illicit little shiver through the tensed body. Zayn couldn't afford the time to worry if the tremor had been transmitted through his fingertips- it was taking all his energy convincing his knees they didn't want to fold under him. To make matters worse, the debilitating weakness wasn't just affecting his limbs. At best, his brain was functioning on a very basic fuzzy level.

"Do you want to?" Finger on the angle of Zayn's jaw, Harry tilted Zayn's face up to his.

Zayn shook his head- he didn't want to think about what he'd like to do to Harry; it wasn't decent. Harry's face was swimming in and out of focus as Zayn stared back at him.

"I don't like hurting people. Do you...?"

Harry didn't reply; he simply took Zayn by the shoulders and drew his unresisting body towards him, parting his thighs to let Zayn rest within their confining circle.

"Are you quite sure that concern for my health was the only reason you came here, Zayn...?"

Zayn had to do something to throw cold water on the escalating intimacy and danger of a situation that was fast getting out of hand.

"What other reason could there be?"

Underneath the faint antiseptic hospital scent and a distinctive male fragrance Zayn could smell him- not just his soap or cologne, but him. Panic was just a heartbeat away- or was it capitulation he could sense??

"This one..." Harry's intention was written clear on his impassioned features.

Desperation and panic flared in Zayn's wide eyes just before they reflexly closed. The uncoordinated flailing movements of his hands brought them in contact with the iron-hard thighs pressed either side of his hips; he froze and his fingers spasmed, relaxed, then tentatively spread out over the hard-muscled expanse. 

"That's good," Harry approved.

Zayn gave a sigh; it was. He felt Harry's breath as it moved over his cheek, felt it tease the quivering line of his trembling lips at the moment before those lips purposefully parted Zayn. The sensual, silken, smooth stab of the tongue melted Zayn's last of the resistance. 

Zayn gave a lost little cry and sank deeper into the seductive velvet blackness inside his head. The explosive force of Harry's hunger was something he'd never encountered before. Almost more shocking was the equally unexpected raw response that uncoiled within his gut. He gave himself up totally to the seductive exploration, only stopping when he could no longer breathe.

They drew apart, but not very far. His forehead was resting against Harry, his fingers were twisted in the glossy curls.

"I forgive you totally for waking me up."

And, given he kissed like an angel, Zayn was prepared to forgive him for sounding so smug. Harry knew all the moves all right; even now Zayn didn't want to admit even to himself that it wasn't a simple slick technique that had made him respond to Harry that way. 

"Ever undressed inside a sleeping bag?"

Zayn stiffened slightly but didn't draw back. He only had himself to blame for this situation- if he hadn't kissed him back like that...

"Isn't that a bit of a leap from a kiss?"

"There are kisses and then again there are kisses."

Again, Harry was right. Until that particular moment, Zayn hadn't known how great the gap between the two was. He was red all over already, and the shade deepened perceptively as he encountered the sensuous warmth of Harry's eyes.

"It's a challenging proposition..." Zayn admitted, a responsive smile in his voice. Yesterday he would've laughed his socks off if someone had suggested he would be seriously considering sleeping with someone he barely knew, let alone a man. 

"I can hear a 'but' coming on," Harry predicted gloomily.

Reluctantly Zayn released his hold on his hair and straightened up. He became aware for the first time that at some point during the embrace Harry had removed his jacket. He stood there shivering, but not from the cold. 

"I think it would be a safer bet all around if you invest in a heated blanket," Zayn explained regretfully.

"No electricity." Harry's gesture caused the candles to flicker and dance in the draught he created. "And if you're worried on a safety basis I'm a prepared sort of guy."

"I wasn't."

"You ought to be; you don't know me."

Zayn blinked. Is he lecturing me on safe sex...? "Which is one of the reasons I'm not about to sleep with you."

"The others being...?"

"You have several broken bones."

Harry impatiently disposed of this objection. "We can work around that."

Just imagining what 'working around' might involve made Zayn's skin burn. 

"You know you want to."

Zayn gasped. "That," he bit back with tremulous contempt, "is an incredibly arrogant thing to say."

"Maybe, but it's true," Harry returned imperturbably.

"What are you doing...?" Zayn squawked as Harry got to his feet.

"I can't make love to you if we're on opposite sides of the room."

This would have been even truer if I had stayed safely tucked up in my own bed- only I didn't. Why didn't I...? Did I want this to happen...? Zayn shook his head in feverish denial but the idea clung stubbornly on. 

"I find you quite incredibly exciting."

Harry's honeyed drawl froze Zayn to the spot, the dark reckless glow in Harry's eyes liquefied Zayn's bones and held him there. Eyes a little wild, Zayn tilted his head to maintain eye contact as Harry came closer... and closer.

'I think you must be thinking of someone else..."

"You smell like summer."

"I do...? When you said we could work around it... are you sure...?"

Harry took Zayn's small face between his big hands. "I don't say things I don't mean."

"You're quite sure..." Zayn felt Harry's low laughter against his ear, smelt the murkiness of Harry's arousal, which made him hard in return.

"Shut up and kiss me, boy."