Chapter Seven
Their legs tangled beneath the covers. Jakk was the most comfortable he had ever been in his life. Rocky’s nude body spooned his, keeping him warm and making it impossible for him to fully wake. Occasionally, his lips brushed Jakk’s neck. A smile kept passing over Jakk’s lips. He knew he should get up and face the day, but he wasn’t ready. Jakk never wanted to leave Rocky’s arms.
The alarm went off. A groan burst from Jakk. “No.” He dragged the word out. “I don’t want to go to work.”
Rocky chuckled against his skin.
Jakk slapped the face of his phone to make it be quiet, but he didn’t move. He was too content.
Rocky’s hand slid across his hip. “How much time do you have?”
A hum vibrated in the back of his throat. Jakk could make time. “A couple of hours.”
Rocky sucked his neck.
Jakk immediately went hard. That was his weakness. “Oh, God.” He held Rocky’s head lightly, silently begging for him not to stop.
Rocky didn’t let him down. He stroked Jakk’s erection. Even though Jakk felt how hard Rocky was for him, he made no move to do more than touch Jakk.
“Fuck. I’ve never seen anyone sexier when they’re turned on. You could do porn.”
A chuckle rose in Jakk’s throat. He had never really thought about the way he looked. The laugh died when Rocky rolled, pinning Jakk beneath him. He disappeared just long enough to return with wet fingers. The cold lube swept down his crack and soaked his hole. Jakk held the sheet beneath him and buried his face in the mattress. He focused solely on feeling everything. That was the one thing Rocky did best: make him feel. Rocky bit his shoulder and licked his spine. When he drew Jakk’s hips up and back, Jakk went willingly.
“So beautiful.”
Unexpectedly, Jakk’s throat swelled at the quietly spoken compliment. For a long fucking time, he had kept his heart on lockdown to keep from getting hurt while simultaneously feeling like nothing thanks to Eric and his bullshit. Life just felt so goddamn full of hope, and he felt desired again. Sometimes it was overwhelming. He was thankful he could hide his face. Jakk didn’t want Rocky to stop. He likely would if he saw the way everything about him devastated Jakk—in the best of ways.
Rocky’s cock stretched Jakk’s asshole. “You make me feel like my whole life led to you.”
Jakk couldn’t breathe. His emotions were too high. Then Rocky thrust and Jakk forgot everything except the ecstasy. Moans vibrated from him. He was at complete peace with life as Rocky took him to the stars. When his orgasm hit, Jakk had to bite the sheet to stop himself from confessing his love. It was dumb. Realistically, they hadn’t known each other that long. As Jakk listened to Rocky moan through his orgasm, they felt realer than anything he had ever experienced. He felt safe and alive. This was the real thing. Jakk never wanted this to end.
Jakk’s team meeting was supposed to be a short one. Rocky didn’t have much time. He wanted to do something special for Jakk. They had been together a couple of months and Rocky was happier than he had ever been. He was also exhausted. So fucking exhausted. He tried to hide how much the constant jump around the US and Canada affected him, but he was older than Jakk. This shit wore him down, forcing him to make a few decisions and adjustments. He had sat on the news until he had everything in order, but that day was today. Rocky wanted to set the mood.
He strolled through the store, going aisle by aisle. Despite being on a time crunch, he didn’t want to miss anything. He had a list in his head. Rocky wanted the night to be perfect. His phone buzzed halfway through his shopping with Jakk, letting him know he was on his way home. With a silent curse, he picked up the pace. The last thing he wanted was for Jakk to beat him home. He grabbed the last of what he needed and rushed through the checkout. When he reached the car he borrowed from Jakk, his phone buzzed again.
Rocky jumped behind the wheel before checking his phone. His brain screeched to a halt. His lungs ceased to function. Rocky stared at the first of a stack of images.
Unknown number: He gave up a good man for a whore.
Image after image showed Rocky with someone else. Sometimes they were simply sitting too close. Other pictures were fake. Some were old and of things he was highly ashamed of doing. Strung together, they looked damning as hell.
Unknown number: Yes, I sent these to him.
Rocky blinked. His brain screeched back to life. He didn’t bother responding or blocking the number. Nothing mattered more than getting to Jakk before he got it in his head Rocky would cheat. Fucking Eric. Rocky knew full well that was who sent those pictures. Eric was the one who had given Jakk a deep-seated fear of being with someone unfaithful. He had some fucking nerve. The images from the past and the ones of him getting close to go over contracts weren’t the ones that scared him, even though those were horrible. He didn’t know how to explain the fake pictures of him kissing other men. What the actual fuck? This was a nightmare. His worst fucking nightmare.
He one thousand percent believed he had met the man he was meant to spend the rest of his life with, and now this. Rocky thought he might hyperventilate. He didn’t know what to do. There was a real possibility Jakk would toss him out before he even said a word. He couldn’t survive the humiliation twice in one life. Rocky had spent years working his ass off to get out from underneath the stigma of people thinking a player could just fuck him to get a good contract. A free ride through life. Throw on a little charm and Rocky would do anything. Get what they want and then bounce. He was easy to manipulate like that. Goddamn it. Rocky slapped the steering wheel. For once, that wasn’t the case, but it would fucking look that way when Jakk dumped him. He had kissed Jakk publicly last night. By now, everyone knew they were together. He couldn’t do this again.
By the time he reached Jakk’s place, he was in full-blown panic mode. Jakk’s car already sat in the garage. Rocky parked Jakk’s sports car in its usual place in the third bay. Even though he couldn’t breathe, Rocky still grabbed the bags from the store. It was like he went through the motions without any help from his brain. Jakk was in the kitchen as Rocky came through the door. He turned as Rocky stepped into the room.
Rocky didn’t give him a chance to toss him out. “I can explain.” He dropped the bags.
Jakk looked down as they fell. “Okay.”
Rocky pulled out his phone and opened the images as he closed the distance between them. He pointed toward the first one. “This is just me showing a client a contract on my phone. I didn’t see any point in printing it since we met at a bar.” He scrolled to the next one. “This is an old picture. If you look, I’m still wearing my college championship ring.” His breathing got more ragged-sounding as he went. It had been a long time since he had this big of an anxiety attack. “This one, I didn’t think I’d be able to explain, but it’s clearly us kissing, but someone has photoshopped a different face over yours. And this one—”
Jakk pushed the phone away and took Rocky’s face between his hands. “Take a breath. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”
Rocky numbly handed him the phone. He watched as Jakk flipped through every horrible image.
Finally, Jakk handed back the device. “Baby, I never got those. Even if I had, I’m not stupid. I know how manipulative Eric is, and I know you’re not him.”
Rocky’s head swam. He felt unsteady on his feet. He wondered if he would drop. “You believe me?”
A sweet smile touched Jakk’s lips. “I’m completely in love with you. It’ll take a hell of a lot more than some badly photoshopped pictures to make me walk away.”
The complete swerve from thinking he would lose Jakk to hearing Jakk say he loved him was his undoing. Thankfully, a stool at the island was close enough to catch him when his knees failed. He sat down hard. His gaze never wavered from Jakk. He had no idea how he looked, but Jakk shifted from foot to foot nervously.
“You’re kind of making me feel like I should’ve kept that to myself.”
That was enough to rally a few of Rocky’s brain cells. “I hired someone to take over the travel part of my job.”
Jakk blinked at the wild swing of subjects like he didn’t realize they were talking about the same thing. “Okay.” He blinked again, as if not fully recognizing the extent of what Rocky said. “You won’t be traveling anymore?”
Rocky shrugged. “Well, I’ll still have to travel occasionally, but nothing like I have been.”
“We get to have more time together?”
“If you’d like.” He didn’t want to assume anything.
Jakk shuffled closer. “You did that for me?”
Fuck. He felt so goddamn vulnerable. Jakk could crush him now. “Yeah. I also did it for me. I hate being away from you. You make me feel something I never thought I would again, but I’m equally sure I’ve never felt this much. I love you.”
Jakk looked like he might cry as his hands landed on Rocky’s shoulders. His gaze never wavered from holding Rocky’s stare. “Stay here with me.”
Rocky’s brow furrowed. “I am.”
Jakk licked his lips, looking nervous. “I mean permanently.”
The request was a big one. They had just exchanged I love yous. It was a big jump from that to living together. Rocky couldn’t imagine ever sleeping apart.
“You don’t have to answer right now.” He took a step back. His gaze slid away. “What all did you get at the store?” Jakk’s voice was a bit too cheery.
Rocky realized his slow responses hurt Jakk. He never wanted that. “I grabbed what I need to make you a romantic dinner. Things took a turn when I got that text, but I wanted everything to be perfect for when I told you about my plans for work. Now it can just be a celebration of us moving in together.”
Jakk’s gaze snapped to his. “Are you sure? I never want to pressure you. Knowing you love me is enough. We’re too important to me to do anything to—”
Rocky stood and kissed Jakk, cutting off his nervous chatter. He knew all that and more. Rocky was well aware he could say no and Jakk wouldn’t pressure him. He knew they would be okay, no matter what. It had just taken Rocky a moment to process, but he wanted this and more. He craved experiencing everything with Jakk. They were perfect together. There was no such thing as too much or too soon. They were a set.
Jakk watched Rocky cook with a mixture of elation, wonder, and rage. He was so in love. How dare Eric try to ruin anything else for Jakk? The fucking nerve. It wasn’t even good Photoshop and Eric had been taking digital art classes, for fuck’s sake. If he wanted, he could have made those images impossible to differentiate from reality. He hadn’t even bothered. It was obvious he thought Jakk was dumb and easily manipulated. Maybe he had been when they were together. Those days were gone. Rocky was his. Jakk wouldn’t lose him.
He still couldn’t believe Rocky had hired someone so they could spend more time together. Jakk was even more shocked Rocky had agreed to move in. Rocky had said he loved Jakk. He was over the moon. Jakk couldn’t handle not touching him for another second. He stood and crowded Rocky’s space. Jakk pressed his lips against Rocky’s shoulder blade and held on while Rocky continued cooking, like he hadn’t acquired a leech on his back.
Rocky chuckled when Jakk kept step with his every move without letting go. He bit back a sigh when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Jakk regretfully let go and dug out the device.
Private Number: Good strategy, fucking Rocky to land the best contracts.
Jakk’s eyebrows shot up at the text. He had no clue who sent it or why they would say such a thing.
Jakk: Who is this?
Private Number: Just a colleague wanting to send my congrats. Sometimes you have to take a dick up the ass to get ahead. Everyone knows Rocky will do anything for a blow job. We’ve all been there.
“What the fuck?”
Rocky turned. His gaze dropped to Jakk’s phone before moving to hold his stare. “What’s up?”
With no clue where to start, Jakk handed Rocky the phone. He studied Rocky’s expression as he read the exchange. Rocky just looked sad as he passed the device back to Jakk. Rocky went back to cooking, confusing Jakk.
“How do I respond to that?”
“I can’t decide that for you.” Rocky’s voice sounded dead.
Jakk quickly blocked the mystery messenger before setting the phone aside. He crowded Rocky’s space again, clinging to him as he had earlier. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
He felt Rocky shrug. “It seems someone is trying to break us up, and it’s looking more and more every second like it’s working.”
That remark doubled Jakk’s confusion. “Please, just leave that for a second and look at me.”
At his demand, Rocky set his spatula aside and turned. Jakk sucked in a breath. He looked wrecked. Jakk turned off the stove and took Rocky’s hand. He led him to the living room and urged him to sit before straddling him so he couldn’t get away.
With his arms wrapped around Rocky’s neck, Jakk toyed with the ends of his hair while holding his stare. “I can’t help if you won’t tell me what’s going through your mind.”
“They weren’t lying.”
Jakk’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”
Rocky swallowed so hard, it looked like it hurt. “When I first started out as an agent, I was determined to succeed, but I was also kind of a mess.”
Having experienced the same rejection as Rocky, Jakk understood that. “That’s fair.”
“It sort of made me an easy target, I guess, but I also let it happen.”
An ugly picture unfolded in Jakk’s mind. Rocky had lost his dream and was vulnerable. He represented men who would do literally anything for their big break. Jakk wondered how many men had used and humiliated him before Rocky shut down and stopped trusting everyone. He wondered if Rocky thought Jakk was one of them. Obviously, other people thought exactly that. At least one person out there did, anyhow.
“You know I’m not one of those guys, right? You know this is real, don’t you?”
Rocky never wavered from holding his stare. “The intelligent side of me knows the truth. I guess there’s still just a small piece of me that’s scared shitless.” He swallowed again. “I can’t go through all that again.”
Damn. Jakk had leaned so hard on Rocky from day one. He hadn’t realized he wasn’t the only one drowning. “How crazy do you want me to get to prove myself? I can get pretty fucking insane.”
One corner of Rocky’s mouth lifted. It was obvious he didn’t want to doubt them. “Every day I wake up and you’re still around, you’ve proven yourself. This isn’t your issue. It’s mine. I never wanted you to feel like I doubt you.” His expression turned defeated. “I also don’t want you to think I’d use my position as your agent to get you in bed or keep you in check.”
“Okay. You’re fired.”
Rocky looked as if Jakk slapped him.
He realized immediately that was the wrong strategy. “You’re rehired. Let’s get married.” Yeah, even Jakk couldn’t believe what he said. He heard himself. The words had simply popped out. But then, he didn’t stop. “I won’t have anyone questioning my love for you, especially you. You’re mine. More than that, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. That has nothing to do with your fucking job, or mine, for that matter. Yeah, you showed up and rescued me when everyone else turned their backs, but my career isn’t what you saved that night. It was me. My sanity and my heart. I was silently falling apart before you. There’s nothing I won’t do to prove I just want you.”
The way Rocky stared at him with hope bleeding from his eyes swelled Jakk’s chest. This was love. If anyone thought otherwise, they were dumb and blind.
“I don’t doubt you.”
Jakk gave him a sharp nod. “I don’t doubt you either. The moment you want to say yes, just tell me. I’m completely set to spend the rest of my life with you.”
A sweet smile touched Rocky’s lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Jakk kept the words matter of fact. He needed Rocky to take this seriously.
“I should finish dinner before it’s ruined.”
“In a second.” Jakk pressed a sweet kiss to Rocky’s lips. “Now you can go.”
The smile that lit Rocky’s face made every second of his life worthwhile. They both had a past, and it was obvious everything they had left behind wanted its pound of flesh. It wouldn’t be happening. This was real. They were solid. Jakk would be damned if anyone broke them.