Page 43 of Natural-Born Cullers

Gray stole a kiss, and Jack returned it, seeming to make it last a lifetime between them. Jack pulled back eventually, but eye-balled Gray. “Don’t call me a fucking wuss again, you asshole. I’d like to see you walk away from a fucking like that.”

Gray winced. “I called you a wuss after a fucking like that?”

One thing Jack wasn’t was a wuss, Gray’s look said that because it took so much more balls to take it. Jan had seen that a few nights ago. Most good Domsknewthat and didn’t ever piss on a sub’s endurance levels, certainly not one with Jack’s class of endurance level.

“Culler talk,” Gray said softly, and he pulled Jack in and kissed at Jack’s cheek. “I owe you a mukka tipping, right?”

Jack laughed, returning the kiss. “Do it again, I’m leaving Martin a Post-it note forhimto go mukka tipping with you.”

Now Gray buried his laugh in Jack’s shoulder. “Fuck no. He’d line the floor with pikes and dance around them naked, salting them just for the fun of it.”

“Hmm.” Jack lifted Gray’s look to his, and for long moments, he searched it. Eventually he seemed to find something in there that Jan couldn’t see. “Loving the old look. Scary as fuck but….” A grin. “Really fucking loving it.”

Gray frowned, and Jack came over to Jan and stole just as long a kiss, then a sausage off Jan. “Take my turn with the suggestion tub next weekend.” Jack flashed his baby greys. “Imagination’s the limit, baby. Go wild, because fuck knows I’m not going to be able to do anything but raise a few pom-poms from the side-lines for a few weeks… months. You’re pure and sole focus.”

Jan stole his half-eaten sausage back. “I take it that’s gonna be your excuse for falling asleep this Friday night too, huh?”

“Annnd that’s me gone.” Jack blushed, then pointed back at Jan as he headed out, his walk less of a hobble now. “Stop taking the piss. It’s notallabout sex, you know. God…. Bloody kids.”

Jan choked a laugh as Gray came back over and picked up his coffee.

A fresh order of breakfast would be here in about an hour for Light and Simon, and Jan would get one of Ray’s men to handle that today before he headed off to work. But for now, it was good to get a few moments alone with Gray.

“You okay?” he said gently as he sat down to eat.

Gray flicked him a smile. “You going Dom on me, Jan? Aftercare?”

Jan shrugged from behind his mug. “Why? You think you don’t deserve it? Because you weren’t a gentleman or a Dom through all your touch on Jack a few days ago?”

Gray frowned a little and took a sip of his coffee as he sat down. “Maybe,” he said gently. He fell quiet, a blush creeping up, and they didn’t come often. “Maybe because Jack’s used to seeing all of me, but you…?”

“I see more of you than Jack does, Gray. No need to get naked either.”

Gray nodded eventually, went to say something, then shifted and pulled out his phone when a text came through. He thumbed in a number a moment later. As he made no move to go into the Oval to take the call where a secure line was set up, this call was something outside of MI5, outside of Nottingham business.

“Raoul.”

Why did that sound sexier when added to Gray’s slight Welsh lilt? Jan snorted behind his cup. Something was said the other end, then—

“Today?” said Gray. “Fine.” He cut the call a moment later.

“Bad news?”

Gray sat back heavily in his chair. “MC meeting, dinnertime.”

Jan raised a brow. They’d known this was coming. “Are you in the best head space for it?”

Gray pushed his plate away. “I’m good, or will be.”

Jan lost his appetite seeing it. “Not being funny, Gray, but we both made those decisions last year. It wasn’t just you who fucked up. It’s wrong how they’re only targeting you for this. I mean, I still got to keep my job at the MC despite how I was the one to tell Halliday to leave.”

Gray shook his head. “My fuck-up. I’m supposed to be the Dom.”

Jan watched him so closely. “NoMasterin there anymore?”

Gray snorted a bitter smile and hurt crept into his eyes. “I fucked that up a long time ago.” He sighed heavily. “And a blacklisting is a blacklisting with them. Today? It’s all just about signing the paperwork to make it official.”

“So don’t go. Tell Jack not to.” It was simple enough in Jan’s world.

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