Page 164 of Everything That Kills Me
Jack didn’t answer for a long moment. “When I first met you, you had this look on your face. Not just because of Rufus and Scott. It was as if someone had whipped a bar of chocolate out of your hand and eaten itandstamped on a ladybird right in front of youandthen told you can never be what you want to beand—”
“Enoughands.”
Jack chuckled. “But whenever you looked at me, you didn’t look like that. You made me feel hope for the second time in my life. A hope that I didn’t want to lose. When I wasn’t with you, I wished I was. But I was afraid of you getting dragged into my world when yours was going to be so bright and brilliant. Butyou took your own risks for me and I want to be with you, not without you.”
Zeph swallowed hard. “What now?”
“Bath and bed? Is there a bath?”
“No, but there’s a big shower.”
“Then that will have to do.”
When the sun came up—they’d not even drawn the curtains, but then the only things that would have been able to see what they’d got up to last night were seagulls—they were tangled in the sheets and tangled with each other. Zeph ached from the hairs on his head to those on his toes. Last night had been like a try out for the sex Olympics. He had carpet burns on his knees, bite marks on his shoulders and probably love bites too, though he’d given back as much as he’d received.
Zeph didn’t want to move unless he had an incentive. Oh look, there it was lying next to him. He grinned. Jack had let him fuck him. Notlet, he’d demanded it because he was the alpha male in this relationship. And it had been glorious. Zeph had even managed not to come the moment he got inside Jack’s slick heat. A miracle. They’d had a lot of those.
He lay on his side staring at Jack who looked younger and unstressed. Zeph wanted him to look like that more often. Jack had told him over and over again that he loved him. Now he’d said it more than Zeph had and apparently, he was keeping count. A thought that made Zeph smile.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Zeph whispered over and over again, then brushed his fingers across Jack’s mouth.
Jack flinched and turned his face into the pillow. Moments later, he was on his back and snoring quietly. Zeph licked his finger and ran it over Jack’s lips. This time, Jack’s hand shot out and swiped at his face. Zeph was pretty sure he was still asleep.
Prettysure.
Then again… He waited and waited, then reached out again. Jack’s hand flashed out and caught his wrist.
Jack opened his eyes. “You’re asking for trouble.”
“Yes, please.”
And Zeph found himself exactly where he wanted to be, pinned down by the man who loved him.
Epilogue
Two years later
Zeph looked up when Jack put a coffee on his desk. “You’re back! Ooh coffee, thank you.”
If they’d been the only ones in the office, Zeph would have leapt into Jack’s arms, but he made do with a caress of Jack’s thigh. Then did it again. They might be alone in the room but could get interrupted at any moment.
Jack groaned quietly and caught hold of Zeph’s wrist. “Are you busy? Is it urgent?”
“Yes, and yes. I’m expecting clients. Damn them to hell.”
That made Jack laugh.
So would this. “Do you think you can persuade Ethan Ward to stop sending dick pics to every woman who gives him her phone number? The guy might be a brilliant drummer but he’s also a complete moron.”
Jack looked over Zeph’s shoulder at the screen. “Nice dick, though. Wow. Quite a tattoo.”
Zeph spun round, then caught the smirk on Jack’s face and changed what he’d been going to say. “Yes. It is a lovely dick. The idea of being impaled on a green dragon. Hmm. Enticing. Can’t think when I last saw a nicer dick to get impaled on.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “Try.”
“Might take me a while.” Zeph turned his chair and his fingers flew over the keys. “But this guy should keep it in his pants.”
Finally, he sighed and pushed back from the desk. “There’s going to come a time when I can’t solve this sort of thing. How boring my life will be then. No dicks to look at.”
