QUOTE : Without moving apart, Zev moaned and whispered into Jonah’s<br /><br />mouth, “Damn, Blondie, you’re a great kisser.”<br /><br />Jonah moved his arms up to Zev’s back, wrapping the young man<br /><br />in his embrace and stroking his smooth, firm skin. “You’re not so bad<br /><br />yourself, Hassick. You been practicing this with someone without me<br /><br />knowing?”<br /><br />Zev snickered. “You jealous?”<br /><br />Jonah didn’t return the smile. He looked into Zev’s eyes and<br /><br />answered without any guile, “Yeah. I’m jealous of anyone who got to<br /><br />touch you.”<br /><br />Instead of looking freaked out, as Jonah had half expected, Zev<br /><br />remained completely calm. He gazed into Jonah’s eyes with such<br /><br />powerful emotion that Jonah’s heart raced and his breath hitched.<br /><br />“Unless you can manage being jealous of yourself, you don’t<br /><br />have to worry. Like I told you yesterday, I haven’t ever thought about<br /><br />anyone else—girls or guys—let alone touched anyone else. It’s just<br /><br />you, Blondie. It’s always been you.” Zev let his words sink in, then he reversed the tables on the discussion. “What about you? Been hiding<br /><br />out behind the bleachers sneaking kisses with cheerleaders?”<br /><br />Jonah snorted more than laughed. “Uh, Zev, I was teasing about<br /><br />the whole not-so-smart thing earlier, but now I’m thinking I may have<br /><br />been on to something. That hardness you feel against your stomach<br /><br />isn’t a banana. That’s me happy to see you, or feel you, in this case.<br /><br />And you’re a guy. With that background in place, we can add two and<br /><br />two together here and even someone with your limited math skills can<br /><br />come up with the correct answer. I’m gay. I’ve got no deep dark<br /><br />cheerleader secrets in my past.”<br /><br />Zev was amazed at how easily Jonah said the words. He admired<br /><br />how his friend so completely accepted this part of himself. No shame,<br /><br />no hesitation. Just a matter-of-fact statement. In that moment, Zev<br /><br />decided he’d take the same approach. He knew it’d shock his parents.<br /><br />Hell, it’d rock his whole community. But he was attracted to a man. He<br /><br />had a male mate. That meant he was gay. Zev Hassick was a gay<br /><br />shifter. The pack would just have to find a way to deal with that truth<br /><br />even though they’d always believed it to be impossible.<br /><br />“And in case you’re wondering,” Jonah continued, his hand still<br /><br />rubbing Zev’s back but now moving lower, skating over his ass, “I<br /><br />don’t have any deep dark football player secrets, either. I’ve had a<br /><br />crush on one guy for as long as I can remember and I kinda put all my<br /><br />eggs in that basket.”<br /><br />Zev took another kiss, slow, soft and sweet this time.<br /><br />“I better be the egg-basket guy in that story, Blondie, or the<br /><br />tickles are coming back in full force.