Title: Looking For Love
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ryan Wolfe/Zeke Barnes
Fandom: CSI: Miami/A Gifted Man
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Ryan Wolfe or Zeke Barnes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Zeke took a deep breath, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror one last time. It was only a matter of minutes before Ryan would be meeting him in front of the clinic; he felt strange about meeting his date here, but it had seemed like the best place.

He hadn't really felt comfortable about inviting Ryan to pick him up at his place yet; as much as he liked this man, he'd long since learned the folly of letting anyone he didn't know well enter his home. He wasn't ready for that yet -- but maybe tonight would change things.

He turned and headed out of the bathroom, down the hallway to his small office, looking around and taking a deep breath. He was off for two days; hopefully, he would feel differently about his life in Chicago when he came back to this place on Monday.

Making his way back down the hall to the front of the clinic, Zeke waved at the receptionist as he pushed the front door open. He had no idea if Ryan would be waiting for him, or if he wouldn't get there until after the time that Zeke had told him to; cops were busy people.

As soon as he stepped out of the front door, he realized that he hadn't had anything to worry about; Ryan was there, leaning against the door of a black Camry with a soft smile curving his lips. Zeke could almost feel his heart speed up in his chest as he regarded the other man.

He'd thought that Ryan was attractive when they first met, but now, Ryan looked utterly breathtaking. Zeke was sure that he'd never seen black jeans and a sleeveless black button-down shirt put to quite such devastating use before.

"I wondered if you'd be waiting," he said with a soft laugh, trying to keep things light. "Any idea where we're going for dinner?" Ryan opened the car door for him, a gesture that he hadn't expected. Most of the men he'd dated in New York hadn't been that chivalrous.

"There's a really nice Italian restaurant not far from where I live," Ryan told him as he slid into the driver's side of the car and fastened his seat belt. "Near the lake. I figured if I was going to live in Chicago, I wanted to have a place that was close to the water."

"Yeah, I can understand that," Zeke murmured, nodding. "I live in Wicker Park. Just a couple of blocks away from the Double Door. I like going out to see bands -- I used to be in a band when I lived in New York. I've got to admit, I kind of miss it."

"I can see you with a guitar," Ryan said, glancing over at him as he slowed the car for a red light. "Or were you the singer? Your speaking voice sounds like you'd be pretty devastating crooning a love song." He raised an eyebrow at Zeke. "I'd like to test that theory sometime."

"You just might get the chance to do that," Zeke told him with a smile. He could actually picture himself singing to Ryan -- when they were both in bed, after they'd made love, him wearing nothing but a guitar and Ryan just wearing .... well, nothing.

Zeke pulled his thoughts away from the direction they were heading in; that wasn't something he needed to think about right now. This was just their first date; there was no telling whether he and Ryan would ever get to that point. It was too soon to tell.

"I've never had a gorgeous guy serenade me before," Ryan said, his voice suddenly sounding husky and sensual. "I like the idea of you being the first." The tone of those words sent a shiver down Zeke's spine; anticipation was already coursing through his body.

He had been looking for love for so long that he'd almost decided to live without it, thinking that he would never find anyone he wanted to be with who felt the same way about him. But it seemed that now, without even looking, he'd found what he had always searched for.

Ryan was not only handsome, he seemed like a nice guy. That would be a refreshing change from some of teh people he'd dated, too, Zeke thought, wincing inwardly. He'd had the worst luck ever when it came to the boyfriend department; he had a talent for dating men who were bad for him.

But this wasn't the time to think about any of them, he told himself firmly, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. He should be concentrating on Ryan, and thinking about the future that they might be able to build together, rather than focusing on the past.

Ryan seemed to be looking for love in the same way that he was; they were both lonely, that was obvious, and Zeke had the feeling that they both needed someone in their lives. Maybe they would fulfill that need with each other. He certainly hoped so.

It only took a few moments to reach the restaurant; Ryan pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car and turning to Zeke. "I know this might not be the right time to start throwing out compliments, but I've got to say that you look amazing. I can't keep my eyes off you."

"Do you know how hard it was for me not to melt into a puddle of goo when I walked out ot the clinic and saw you?" Had he really said that? Zeke was shocked by his own words; he hadn't meant to be so frank with Ryan about how much he was affected by his mere presence.

Ryan leaned over to whisper into his ear, sending a shiver down Zeke's spine. "If it wasn't illegal to make love in public, I'd have had you on the hood of the car with your clothes off in about ten seconds. I kind of wish we were going home now so I could take you to bed."

Zeke's breath caught in his throat at those words, his dark eyes widening in surprise. He'd thought that he was being far too pushy just to think of how much he wanted Ryan -- and yet Ryan was saying the words out loud, unafraid to make his feelings known.

"That can come afterward," he found himself saying, almost not realizing what the words meant until they came out of his mouth. "We need to get to know each other a little better before we jump into bed, don't we? I'd like to know the person who's making love to me."

Ryan laughed softly, shaking his head and giving Zeke a rueful smile. "Sorry. I'm coming on too strong, aren't I? I've got a tendency to do that, especially when I'm really attracted to somebody. I don't want to scare you away, Zeke. Sorry if I'm pushing too hard."

"You're not," Zeke hastened to assure him. "I think we're both looking for love, Ryan. You're just less cautious about saying what you mean than I am. I've learned the hard way that it's not always the best thing to let your emotions get ahead of your brain."

Ryan placed a hand on Zeke's thigh, not squeezing or groping, simply touching him. Zeke didn't move away; that touch was welcome, though he wasn't sure if this was the right place or time for them to be getting this close. Still, he didn't want to move away.

"It's not just a sexual attraction, Zeke," Ryan said softly, his green gaze fixed unwavering on Zeke's face. "I'm not going to deny that I want you, but what I feel is so much more than that. I think we could really have something. I want this to be a relationship that lasts."

As he spoke, he leaned towards Zeke, his other hand moving up to cup the other man's chin. Zeke closed his eyes, leaning towards Ryan, knowing that he couldn't stop the inevitable kiss that was going to happen -- and knowing in his heart that he didn't want to stop it.

When their lips met, it was as though a stream of molten lava flowed through his body; no one else's kiss had ever affected him like this. He wanted to throw all caution to the winds, to wrap his arms around Ryan's neck and pull him close, to never let him go.

He had thought from the first moment he'd seen Ryan that kissing this man would be incredible -- and he hadn't been wrong. Ryan's kiss transported him into another world, made him feel as though his body was melting into the other man's. He'd never felt so aroused before in his life.

After what seemed like a very long time, they both broke away from the kiss, coming up for air. Zeke was breathing heavily, his pulse pounding, his blood racing through his veins -- and suddenly, he didn't want to go out to dinner. All he wanted was to be in bed with Ryan.

It was going to be so hard to sit across from this man at a table and make small talk, to hold back his arousal until they were safely behind the closed doors of either his or Ryan's home. But he would do it. He would behave himself until the time was right.

But once they were alone, he couldn't help feeling that he was going to beg Ryan to make love to him. He didn't care how the night ended at this point; he didn't care if this was just a one-night stand, a quick, brief fling. He had to be with Ryan, under any circumstances.

"We'd better get out before I lose control and try to get you into the back seat," Ryan said with a shaky laugh. "It's going to be hard enough to have dinner with you and not want to drag you off to someplace more private. I wonder if either of us can wait that long."

"We'll have to," Zeke told him, his own soft laugh joining Ryan's. "I'm pretty sure that just about every restaurant in existence would frown on two guys having sex on one of their tables. It might not give them the kind of reputation they want to have."

"I guess not," Ryan said, laughing against as he opened the car door. Zeke followed suit, and within a few moments, the two of them were entering the restaurant and sitting down at a table in the corner, a quiet, romantic candlelit atmosphere all around them.

Zeke couldn't hold back a smile as he looked at the man sitting across the table from him. He'd spent so much time looking for love that he had thought he would never find it -- but it seemed that it might have finally dropped into his lap when he least expected it.

Where was their future headed? He had no idea, and at the moment, he didn't want to hazard a guess. It was enough that he and Ryan were here together, and that they would obviously spend the night with each other. Things were moving faster than he'd thought they would.

Yes, this was moving quickly -- but it didn't feel frightening. It was just as it should be, Zeke told himself as he picked up the menu and glanced over at Ryan. The night was young; there was still much more to come, and he couldn't wait to see just how the evening would unfold.

***