Page 61 of The Mechanics of Lust

“Sure. Why not? It’s not dark for a bit. We’ve got time.” I saw the minute he gave in.

“Okay. But on one condition.”

“Name it.”

He threw me a crooked smile. “When we’re done at the observatory, I get to show youmyversion of the night sky.”

I cocked my head. “How could I possibly say no to that?”

I checked there was room on the tour, and then we both showered and dressed to ward off the much cooler—read bloody freezing—clear autumn night. Zach fed the dogs from a large container of food that magically appeared from his vehicle along with a decidedly red face, while I rustled us up some snacks and drinks from my meagre pantry. After that, we let the dogs out for a few rounds of the backyard before locking them in the laundry and throwing everything into the back of Zach’s ute along with a heavy blanket and some cushions, which I thought were promising additions.

I’d organised to meet the tour at the observatory itself, rather than join the twenty-minute van trip from Tekapo. It meant Zach and I could begin phase two of the evening as soon as the tour was done.

As we pulled into the observatory car park, Zach chuckled. “You look as excited as a kid on a school trip.”

“I am.” I lifted my hand from where it had been resting on his thigh and took his hand instead. Surprisingly, he let me. “I love this kind of thing.”

He grinned and shook his head. “You’re a pilot. You must’ve seen some amazing skies.”

I shrugged. “Not through a telescope. Besides—” I squeezed his hand. “—the company is everything.”

He didn’t look away, but he didn’t say anything either, the burgeoning silence broken by the arrival of the tour company van that parked alongside. A half-dozen people climbed out and Zach cast a keen eye over every one of them before relaxing back in his seat. “No one local,” he muttered, sounding relieved.

I felt a twinge of disappointment at his determination to keep us a secret, while at the same time acknowledging the whole evening could’ve been ruined if anyone had recognised him. You win some you lose some.

“Come on.” I got out of the ute and beckoned him to follow. “Let’s get this done so I can see what you have planned for later.”

“Don’t get too excited.” He locked the ute and walked around to join me, looking like a wet dream in his soft-as-butter faded blue jeans, a long-sleeved black Henley, black beanie and scarf, black biker boots, and a black puffer jacket zipped to his chin. The outfit made his bright eyes pop and shine whenever the light caught them.

To say the air was crisp at the top of Mount John was putting it mildly. But at least the skies were clear. I rubbed my hands together to warm them up and then held one out for him to take. “No one here you know, right?”

He frowned at my hand, then up at me. I raised a brow, and after a few seconds, he shook his head and slid his hand into mine, threading our fingers together.

I tugged him close to my side. “Thank you.”

He gave a soft huff. “You’re an idiot.” Then he shot me an almost-shy smile and if I hadn’t been a goner for him before, that pretty much did it.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Luke

We spenta little under two hours observing satellites, tracking a shooting star, listening to Maori legends, discovering new things about the Milky Way, the Southern Cross, and watching colours normally hidden from the naked eye come alive in long-exposure photographs taken through the massive telescopes.

I have to admit I spent more time watching Zach than looking at the stars, his uncensored expressions of wonder and delight had me wanting to bundle him into a dark corner and kiss him silly. I kept hold of his hand as much as humanly possible without handcuffing him to me. But perhaps more importantly, he hadn’t tried to pull away, his attention fixed on our guide, his warm body pressed against my side. At one point, I’d slid an arm around his waist and for a short time, he even leaned into me.

To my surprise, he asked a ton of questions, and after the tour was finished, he and the guide had a long conversation about mustering, local cloud formations, weather, and a whole lot of things I had no clue about while I watched from a short distance away.

It didn’t matter what they were talking about, I could’ve listened to Zach for hours. And it was then I realised that sex was never going to be enough for me again. Not with Zach. I wanted every part of him.

In the car park afterward, we held hands and stared at the sky, chatting as we waited for the tour van to finally leave. The minute they were gone, Zach turned and crowded me against the ute before taking my mouth in a hard kiss that quickly softened into something enticingly tender, something very boyfriend-like, very heart-stoppingly wonderful.

He licked into my mouth and hummed his pleasure, and it was hard not to hope it meant something more. My hands stole under his Henley and around his waist until I had an armful of the man I was failing to keep any distance from my heart.

When he finally pulled away, Zach cradled my face and pressed our foreheads together. “Thank you. That... that was amazing. I should’ve done it years ago.” His eyes gleamed in the light from the observatory reception room. He looked so damn happy that for a mortifying moment, I was at risk of blurting something that would get me into all kinds of fucking trouble.

“Come on.” He pushed me toward the passenger door. “It’s my turn now.”

We drove in comfortable silence. My hand found its way back onto Zach’s thigh, and the fact he didn’t protest made me ridiculously happy. Fifteen minutes later he made a left off the main road onto a dirt track and the ute made its way up one of the few low hills in the area.

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