Page 43 of Two for Holding
“I’ll show you.”
“Show me?”
“Yeah.”Jax cleared his throat.“I can teach you how to flirt, and dance, and get a guy to leave with you.It’s easy.”
Tom snapped to attention, back going straight and face going guarded.“It’s still risky in Montreal.”
“We’ll be careful.There aren’t many hockey fans in queer nightclubs, and the lighting is shit anyway.”
For a long moment, Tom said nothing, and Jax was sure Tom would turn him down.And then he’d have to stay here, too, because Tom didn’t want to be alone, and Jax would never, ever leave him, and then maybe they would open something from the minibar and sit down on the bed, and Jax could watch Tom’s pink tongue lick the alcohol from his lips, and they would get closer, and—
“All right.Let’s do it.”
Jax didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
The heating in the hotel must have been turned up much too high.The bracing air outside forced Jax out of the hazy headspace he’d been in.You deserve to be worshiped?What had he been thinking?
Clearly, he hadn’t been thinking.Not with his upstairs brain anyway.He made sure to keep his distance from Tom as they walked.He didn’t trust himself not to do something stupid if he got too close.
The club was mostly empty when they got there, a few groups standing awkwardly by the edge of the dancefloor, waiting not to be the first ones dancing.
Jax led Tom to the bar and ordered a beer for them both.
“Oh my God, relax.No one is watching us.”
It wasn’t strictly true.A group of college-aged guys had definitely taken note of their entrance.Jax doubted they were hockey fans.Based on the way they’d eyed Tom up, their interest had to do with his extremely nice ass.But with Tom’s shoulders hunched practically up to his ears, he looked terrified.Jax would point them out later.
“I can’t help it,” Tom snapped.
Fifteen years.He hadn’t been touched by another person (outside of hockey) in fifteen years.
Jax would allow a little snippiness.But only a little.
“And you’re sure this is—”
“Tom, I have been doing this for six years, and the only person who ever caught me was you.”
Incrementally, Tom’s shoulders loosened.“Okay.”He took a sip of beer.“Okay.”
“Okay,” Jax repeated.“So, Mr.Hat Trick.See anyone you want to have suck your dick?”
Tom choked on his beer.
Jax twisted in his seat to examine the room.It was filling up, albeit slowly.“So there’s a group over on the left.See them?The guy in the purple crop top would absolutely blow you in the bathroom.”
After wiping up his spilled beer, Tom turned to follow Jax’s line of sight.“He looks a little young for me.”
“Fair.You are a dinosaur.Okay, how about the guy heading toward the bar now, in the black T-shirt?”
“I don’t know…”
“Tom.Do you or do you not want someone to blow your brains out tonight?”
Tom’s eyes went a little wide.“I don’t know?”
“You don’t…Tom.”
Tom mumbled something so low Jax couldn’t hear it over the deafening sounds of a Dua Lipa club remix.
