by Jacy Braegan
He nuzzles into my neck with a soft kiss against my pulse as his giggles die down. He pulls back to smile such a soft smile up at me. “That was the highlight of my day. Thank you.”
Releasing his waist with one of my hands, I cup my fingers around his cheek. The pad of my thumb brushes along the prominence of his cheekbone as I meet his deep blue eyes. I would kill to put that smile upon his face every day. It’s hard to believe we still made it to this point despite all those years apart. I keep waiting to wake up and find all this has all been a dream. It sure as hell feels like one. “Anytime, baby.”
There’s a flicker of something within his eyes, and I’m not sure what it is. Disappointment mixed with pain? What is that about? The flicker is so fast I’m not one hundred percent sure it isn’t my imagination, so I don’t question him. For now, I will just bide my time and see if it happens again. A smile comes to my face at his next words.
“I like when you call me that. Makes me feel special to you.”
A soft sigh comes from me as I kiss the tip of his button nose. The man is beautiful, and I can’t get enough of my lips on any part of him. I lean back to look at him again. “Jayson, you are special to me. You always have been, even when we were apart. If you weren’t, it wouldn’t have hurt so much.”
He leans his face into me and nestles in to my chest. My arms wrap tight around him as I hold him close. Muffled against my skin, words slip out of him, “But I’m not sure I deserve it.”
Frowning over his head, I tighten my arms around him before responding. “You definitely deserve it.”
Chapter 18
Jayson
I can’t help the brief flash of pain that slips through me when he called me baby. Okay, so it’s not that he gave me a pet name. That’s so not my problem. I love that he gave me a pet name, but from him? That isn’t the one I want to hear. I’m probably the only one that remembers what he used to call me. To hear him call me that name again… it would be pure heaven.
Mentioning it to him, though, isn’t in the cards. If he doesn’t remember on his own, I don’t want to force it on him. Anything he calls me should be unsolicited. If I call him by his old nickname I’d given him, he’d probably remember, but that would be akin to giving him a hint. Is that bad of me? Perhaps so. After all, I’m the one who ruined everything, but that’s neither here nor there. Irrational thoughts are my MO.
I almost told him I loved him calling me that, but I can’t lie to him like that. I did like it though. I didn’t lie that it makes me feel special to him. Him saying I deserved it, however? Well, no matter what he says, until I have truly earned his forgiveness for the many years of silence, I know I don’t deserve it. “If you say so. I’ll just have to take your word for it.”
It’s the best I can do without lying to him about my current state of mind. All that would do is to lead us into an argument over my worth, and I don’t want to spend our second night together arguing. I want to curl up on the couch like we used to. Well, not quite like we used to. We never snuggled deep into each other’s arms. We may have leaned against each other’s shoulders, but never me snuggled tight to his side with his arm around me. That’s what I want tonight. Just me and my Aidan, and that’s exactly who he is. This man is mine whether he knows it or not.
With reluctance, I pull away to let loose of him. Backing away, I open the hallway closet and look into it. “You can put your coat in here, and I can get you some shorts…”
My gaze trails back to him where his jacket is still gaping open. I can’t help the grin that comes to my face before continuing my statement. Not bedtime yet, genius. “Or at least a blanket for the couch.”
He shakes his head and laughs at me as he lets the jacket slide from his frame. He hangs it inside and rolls his shoulders. My eyes trail to the expanding muscles of his back as he approaches the living room. I can’t help but to trail my eyes down to that perfect, round ass of his. The man has an ass I want to bite and bury my face into. Dammit, there goes my mind again. Clean thoughts, jackass, clean thoughts.
I force myself to look up at the back of his head and adjust my dick, which is trying to join the party in secret. Jumping into bed with the man wouldn’t be a hardship, but I don’t just want a fuck buddy. I want everything, and I want it all with Aidan. So, calming down the libido is a must.
Aidan walks over and sinks down onto my couch. It’s mere seconds before that perfect form is half covered by the purple fleece blanket I keep folded up on the back. I sigh inwardly at that perfection being covered, but I give him a smile. “Want a drink or anything? Some popcorn? I ordered pizza, but it’s not here yet.”
My rambling brings the warmest smile to his face. It’s not like I can help it. The man still strikes me dumb. His head tilts, sending his gorgeous curls to dance to one side of his head. My fingers tighten against my sides as the wish to bury them in those dark locks hits me. “Coke would be good, if you’ve got it.”
I laugh and shake my head at him as I head for the kitchen. It’s nice to see some things hadn’t changed over the years. Aidan had always had a love affair with the big red, also known as Coca-Cola. I rarely drink it myself, but I’d made sure I’d grabbed some on the way home. Pulling the fridge open, I reach in for a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke. I settle down on his right side as I hand him the drink. “I’m glad to see that hasn’t changed.”
He raises a brow at me as he takes the drink from me. He opens it and takes a swig before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “You had some? I was expecting water or tea.”
Another laugh falls from my lips as I realize he still remembers my drinks of choice. “I have those in the fridge, but I remembered you always wanted Coke, and we never had any. So, I bought some today to make sure I had some for you. I want you comfortable here.”
He sets his Coke down on the coffee table and leans back to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I’m pulled into his side which makes me snuggle into him, pulling my socked feet up onto the couch beside me to get comfortable. I’m still getting situated when I hear him speak. “I’ll be comfortable wherever you are, Jayson. Make no mistake about that. Coke or no Coke. ‘Kay?”
Looking up at him from across his chest where I’d gotten, oh so comfortable, a happy grin slips to my face. He looks down to meet my eyes as he squeezes me. “I will hold you to those words.”
He laughs at me and gives me a soft kiss before grabbing the remote. “That’s a deal. What are we watching tonight?”
I don’t care what we watch. We settle on some sweet, romantic comedy, but I’m too wrapped up in paying attention to this man to care, really. At least till I fall asleep held close to his chest.
* * *
There’s a hard chest under the side of my drooling face as I awake. My lashes flutter against it as I come to awareness. The smell of Aidan teases my nose as his chest rises and falls beneath me. Wait... beneath me? I’m all sprawled out across the man like a blanket. I don’t even remember us lying down. I’m still fully coming to when I feel something hard against my hip. Well, he isn’t the only one happy this morning, that’s for sure.
A groan rumbles in my ear as the warm body below me shifts, almost sending me sliding to the floor before a pair of arms grip me tight around the waist. His voice is a sexy, sleepy grumble. “Shit, sorry. Good morning?”
His husky laugh shakes me against him till I raise my head to look at him and his sleepy gaze. A smile is gently curving his lips, and I can’t help but to return it before speaking. “Good morning to you, too. What time is it?”
I glance up at the clock on my mantle and let out a loud gasp. Rolling off Aidan onto the floor, I force him to let me go. “Holy shit, I’m late.”
As I’m scrambling up from the floor, he grabs my hand. My head is whirling with all I need to do to get ready for work. Did I have any meetings with clients this morning? If so, Luca is going to kill me. Surely, he would’ve called if I’d missed something important. Shit, shit, shit!
/> “Slow down there, Jayson. It’s okay. I doubt you’re usually late. Breathe, baby.”
He has a good point, and I let him draw me to a stop. I inhale a deep, calming breath as I focus on the chocolate brown of his eyes. His presence calms me, and I give him a nod. It’s only ten minutes past the normal time I arrive at work. I look over to see my phone sitting on the wireless charger and am thankful for small miracles. At least it won’t be dead, though, I’m not sure why my morning alarm didn’t go off. “I’m okay, Aidan. I need to call Luca really quick though.”
He nods and gets up to head off to the bathroom. When the door shuts behind him, I grab my phone to call my friend. He answers on the first ring, so I’m grateful he isn’t in a meeting. “Hey Luc, I’m running late this morning.”
Luca laughs at me, actually laughs at me, over the phone before speaking, “Go get some coffee and wake up, sweetie. It’s your late morning. It’s Wednesday.”
Sinking down on the couch, I mutter fuck under my breath. Apparently, I had lost track of the week being all wrapped up in Aidan last night. Luca laughs at me again. “Oh, shut it. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
I don’t even wait for him to say goodbye, hanging up on him while he’s mid-laugh. Looking up, Aidan’s coming out of my bedroom in a pair of my biggest shorts. Given the size difference between us, they’re a tad snug, and I have to admit, I’m happy with that fact. He looks at me with that smile of his that melts my insides. “Everything straight now?”
My cheeks redden as I realize I had told him I go in late every fourth Wednesday of the month. I’m slightly embarrassed at my reaction this morning, which has me looking at the carpet under my feet. I don’t really know what to say. Fingers brush along my jaw to under my chin and tilt my head back to where I can see him standing over me. “Don’t hide from me, beautiful. I like your blush.”
I can feel even the tips of my ears warming up. He knows what he’s doing to me. I meet his eyes with an embarrassed look in my own. While I don’t want to own up to my mini panic attack, it’s best to. “I forgot today’s my morning off. I hate being late. Suppose waking up on a sexy man’s chest like that completely threw me. Sorry for the drool.”
And, here I go rambling again. It seems that’s all I can do with him in front of me. He chuckles softly and sits down beside me, reaching over to take my hand and lacing our fingers together. He draws my hand up to his mouth, and his soft lips brush against my knuckles. I want to melt into him. “How about I make you breakfast?”
Dammit, he’s too good to me. I nod my head in response, and he stands up to head toward the kitchen. Watching his ass in my shorts makes me suck in a quiet breath. Look away, Jayson. Look away. Tearing my eyes from him, I stand and go to freshen up in the bathroom. I change into another pair of my shorts and look at myself in the mirror. “Just cool it, man.”
Heading in to the kitchen, I smell the rich aroma of coffee brewing and inhale. The coffee scent mingles with the smell of bacon sizzling away in the skillet. My griddle is out and already full of pancakes that Aidan’s flipping over like a master. Either the man works fast, or I was in the bathroom way longer than I’d thought I’d been. He looks over a bare shoulder at me and winks. “About time, I worried I needed to send a search party. Grab some coffee and have a seat. Breakfast is about ready.”
I pour my coffee quickly and doctor it with some sugar and French vanilla creamer before sinking down onto one of the four chairs at my light wooden table. It’s moments like this I wish I had a circular or rectangular table instead of a square one, so we could sit next to each other instead of caddy-corner, but it’ll have to do. I’m taking the first sip of my coffee as Aidan sets a plate of steaming blueberry pancakes with bacon before me. “Bon Appetit, baby.”
Laughing softly, I set my coffee down and grab the syrup he places before us. I douse my pancakes in the sugary goodness and he laughs at me. “Got a sweet tooth there that I don’t remember?”
With a laugh, I look up at him. I can see the mirth twinkling like stars in his eyes as he teases me. I give him a large comical nod with what must be a huge grin on my face. “When it comes to pancakes, hell yes.”
A groan leaves me I dig in to the food. I didn’t have pancake mix, so I know he’d made them from scratch. They’re perfectly golden and oh so fluffy. Damn, the man can cook. As the taste melts on my tongue, I take another bite with a soft moan of appreciation. My eyes drift shut as I savor the sweet flavor. These pancakes are reason enough to keep him around forever. I’m jerked from my thoughts as a pair of warm lips meet my own. His tongue presses for entrance into my mouth, and I gleefully let him in. Our tongues tangle together in my mouth as he kisses me.
His hand comes up to rest upon the side of my neck and caresses me below my jawline. This time, it’s my heart melting in my chest. My fork clatters to the plate with a clang we both ignore as our kiss continues. My now empty hand finds his and clings to it as we lean forward in our chairs toward each other. Fuck, what that man can do to me.
Chapter 19
Aidan
This kiss can go on forever as far as I’m concerned. I can still taste him through the sappy sweetness of the maple syrup we’ve been eating. I want to eat him instead of the pancakes, but I’m afraid that we’re rushing things. Yes, I know we’ve already had sex once, but we got caught up in the heat of the moment and attraction. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself at any rate.
My lungs are near to bursting before I disengage myself from him, but I don’t pull back. Sucking in deep breaths trying to calm myself, I lean my forehead against his own and give his nose a soft nuzzle. I wish we didn’t have to work today. All I want is to go back to that couch and cuddle the ever-loving shit out of this man. “Can’t we play hooky today and just cuddle?”
My voice sounds pleading to my own ears and frankly, I don’t give a shit. He deserves to know how much I crave him. He chuckles, his breath caressing my lips. “No, despite wanting to. I have a big client meeting this afternoon.”
He places a soft kiss upon my lips before drawing back. Giving him my most serious puppy dog pout, he groans at me. “Don’t do that. You know I could never resist when you did that. I’d hoped you forgot.”
I laugh and squeeze his hand before letting him go to resume eating. The hand I have resting upon his neck slowly falls away to let the pads of my fingers graze along his pulse point and collarbone. A shiver racks his body as he draws in a slight breath. His hand trembles as he reaches for the fork that had fallen to his plate. I go back to my food when he suddenly turns slightly pale. I set my fork back down and frown. “Babe… what’s the matter?”
I worry for a moment he’s choking but clear blue eyes look at me with no sign of tears. He tucks his bottom lip into his mouth where his teeth gently sink into the plump flesh still swollen from our kiss. Moving closer, I go to speak, but he opens his mouth first, “Um… are you going out this weekend?”
The puppy pout in my eyes changes to confusion as I tilt my head at him. That had come out of left field, and I’m not sure why it worries him so much. He can’t think… no, of course he doesn’t. Not wanting to assume, I ask, “It’s not in the plans, but would that bother you?”
I’m thinking it has to do with his father’s alcoholic ways when he looks down to push a bite of pancake around with the tines of the fork. He shields his eyes from me behind his lashes as he shakes his head. “No, you’re free to do who… whatever you want. You know that.”
Jayson quickly tries to change his statement mid-sentence, but now I know what fear he’s fighting. His ex had done a number on him, and we’d not really talked about what we were doing. We had a first date where we fell quickly into bed with each other, and last night, we’d only slept with each other. He needs reassurance. I reach out to tilt his chin up with my fingers once again and wait for his eyes to meet mine before I speak, “Jayson, listen and hear me. We’re dating. We’re together. Whatever you want to call it. I will not go running a
round on you or hooking up with others on the weekend. I am a very dedicated boyfriend, I promise you.”
The largest flare of hope shines in those brilliant blue eyes as tears sparkle at the corners. He gasps before reaching up to grasp the hand that holds his chin. For a few moments, he sits there staring into my eyes. Have I shocked him? I figure I have when he finally swallows to speak, “Boyfriend… really?”
A soft smile creeps onto my face as I caress his jaw before nodding my head to him. “Absolutely. You think I’m letting you get away that easy after all these years? Not a chance in hell. I’ve staked my claim on you, Jayson. You’re mine, and I don’t fucking share.”
He abandons his food to climb onto my lap, straddling me. As he wraps his arms around my neck, mine wrap around his lithe waist to hold him. Our eyes lock together as he beams like the sun in the sky. There’s almost a reverence to his voice as he says, “Boyfriends… finally.”
His lips come down on mine, silencing any remaining words I might have uttered in response. The feel of his body against my own makes me groan into his mouth. Fuck breakfast, it can wait. I no longer can. Standing up from my chair, his arms tighten around my neck. I shift my hands down to the perfect curves of his ass and tug him closer. His legs find their way around my hips as I walk toward his bedroom. It’s time to show this man of mine how much I adore him.
I don’t bother shutting the door before I lay him down on his bed. Neither of us seem to want to let go of the other, so my body follows his down. Jayson has attached himself to me, and that’s A-Okay with me. I lower my body to rest upon his, our cocks pressing through the shorts against each other. He tries to roll his hips against me with a whimper, but I have him pinned down well. Last time, I’d allowed him to take control, but I intend on worshiping him this time.