Chapter 33
JAY
Distant clanking dragged Jay into consciousness. He stretched without opening his eyes, pleasant soreness spreading across his body as he basked in the afterglow.
The memories of their explosive scene and what happened afterward rushed through his mind, sending his heartbeat racing.
It had been the most intense sex of his life—rough and feral—but then something changed.
Aaron went off script and tugged the bandana out of his mouth to moan Jay’s name.
The mood had shifted. Their carefully negotiated encounter had morphed into raw passion, and instead of standard filthy talk, Jay’s words were primal.
Possessive. He’d wanted to own Aaron—body and soul.
To give him pleasure. To take care of him.
Then Aaron kissed him, and the last shreds of Jay’s control vanished, swept away in a torrent of love and bewilderment. All thoughts dissolved as the two of them melted into each other, sharing breath and kissing for what felt like hours, until exhaustion claimed him.
He opened his eyes, disoriented, wondering if he’d passed out during sex and everything else had been a dream.
The sheets on Aaron’s side were slightly warm to the touch, the faint aroma of oranges lingering in the air. Jay tugged Aaron’s pillow closer, burying his face in the familiar scent.
He was on the verge of falling back asleep when the door creaked open.
“You look good in my bed.”
“I feel good in your bed,” Jay responded without lifting his head. “This mattress is incredible.”
“I’m glad you approve, because you’ll be spending plenty of time on it.” Aaron’s playful voice drifted closer, accompanied by measured footsteps and the light clink of dishes. “I made something to eat.”
The salty, greasy aroma of hash browns hit him moments before the mattress dipped, and Aaron placed the tray between them.
Next to the plates of eggs, potatoes, and pancakes was a small ramekin of maple syrup, a saltshaker, and a cup of tea.
Each item in the neat arrangement reflected Aaron’s adorably organized nature.
“I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while, so we’re doing breakfast for dinner. Hope you don’t mind.” Aaron climbed under the blanket next to him, grabbed his plate, and dunked a pancake into the syrup before taking a big bite.
“This is perfect,” Jay murmured. A tender, vulnerable feeling throbbed in his chest. He’d never had a partner pamper him like this, never had someone cook for him or bring him dinner in bed.
It was a role he thought was his to play, never even considering that he might find himself on the other side.
Aaron made it look effortless, like taking care of Jay was second nature.
“This is the nicest breakfast in bed I’ve ever seen. Sure beats the mess that Jasmine and I tried to feed our mom on Mother’s Day every year.”
Aaron chuckled and leaned over to brush his lips against Jay’s shoulder. “I’m glad you like it. By the way, that’s decaf tea. I read that caffeine could be a migraine trigger, and I didn’t want to risk it.”
Jay stared at the cup. Fuck, he was head over heels for this man. How could he not be? Aaron talked about researching migraines so casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world—as if Jay’s safety was his priority.
For the first time in his adult life, Jay could relax and let himself float with the current, secure that Aaron would be there to watch over him.
“If you don’t want tea, I have apple juice and wine. Well, wine isn’t great for migraines either. Oh, and water. I always forget about water.” Aaron kept going when Jay didn’t respond. “I can run downstairs to the corner store if you want something else?”
Jay tore his gaze away from the cup and looked at Aaron, impossibly handsome even with his messy hair and wearing dinosaur sweatpants instead of his signature suit. His face radiated concern, his body tense, ready to jump up and hurry downstairs should Jay decide he wanted something.
“I’ve never met anyone like you, Aaron. I’m so fucking lucky you didn’t give me a fake smile and tell me to fuck off that first night we met.
” Jay cupped Aaron’s face, careful not to jostle the tray between them.
“I want to take you out on a date and kiss you at the end of the night. And then I want to do it again the next day, the next week—as often as you’ll let me. ”
“I want that too,” Aaron whispered.
They moved toward each other at the same time, their lips pressing together softly.
The earlier wild frenzy was replaced with a cozy feeling of belonging, and Jay reveled in the sweetness of Aaron’s lips, enjoying the soft, unhurried kisses that felt like the beginning of something wonderful.
After a few minutes, Aaron placed a final peck on his cheek and straightened.
“Eat your food before it gets too cold.” Aaron pointed to Jay’s plate before digging into his own. Jay obeyed without complaint.
They ate slowly, their bodies in constant contact, shoulders pressed together, never pulling away.
After they finished, Aaron took the dishes back to the kitchen while Jay lounged on the bed.
“We should take a shower before we go back to sleep,” Aaron said when he returned. “You’re staying, right?”
Jay’s heart fluttered with nervous excitement. They’d already spent one night together, but this time would be on purpose. After they’d agreed to date.
Their first night together as boyfriends.
“I want to stay,” he whispered, staring into Aaron’s eyes to catch the moment they lit up with satisfaction. “But I have to get up early to go over to Layla’s and help set up.”
“Oh, is she doing something for the Fourth of July?”
“Family and friends barbecue.”
It hit Jay that he hadn’t asked Aaron what he was doing for the holiday. If he had anywhere to go. Aaron was new to the city and constantly working, so it was unlikely that he had plans. “Do you want to come with me?”
“Meeting the family already? You move fast.”
Jay laughed and tugged Aaron closer. “I have to warn you, my sisters will be insufferable once they find out I finally asked you out.”
“I think I can deal with that. But isn’t it rude to just show up uninvited?”
“Nah. They make more food than we can eat, and people drop by all the time.” Jay ran his fingers through Aaron’s silky hair and pressed his lips to his forehead. “I’d love for you to come and meet everyone.”
“I’d like that.” Aaron sighed and leaned in. “I didn’t make any plans. Kind of assumed I’d be called into the office, but they’ve been quiet all weekend.”
“Perfect. Now, let’s go take that shower.” Jay looked down at his wrinkled shirt, damp with sweat. “I’ll need to borrow some clothes.”
Aaron bit his bottom lip to hide his smile. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a sister who’s exactly your size, but I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Aaron led them to the bathroom and turned on the shower while Jay looked around in wonder. A few weeks ago, when he was here for dinner, the counters had been spotless. In fact, everything he’d seen of Aaron so far had been neat and tidy, perfectly organized.
Not today. Not here. The bathroom was an absolute chaos of bottles, jars, tubes, and other toiletries taking up every available surface, along with some truly random items. Aaron caught him looking around and shrugged. “Don’t judge me. I have a routine.”
“Does your routine include a purple Sharpie?” Jay picked up the colorful marker from the counter and quirked an eyebrow.
“It might.” Aaron huffed while tugging off his sweatpants. He put one hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow, his half-hard cock hanging between his legs. “Do you want to complain about how messy I am, or would you rather get a shower blowjob?”
He didn’t wait for a response, turning around and walking into the stall. Jay shook his head with a silent chuckle and stuck the Sharpie back into the toothbrush holder before following. There was plenty of space for two, the large showerhead raining hot water over both of them.
Aaron grabbed the tall, slender bottle of bodywash and squeezed a generous amount onto his palm, filling the air with the scent of tart citrus.
He nudged Jay to turn around before running his slick hands down Jay’s back, massaging the skin as he traveled down, working the soap into a lather.
His fingers lingered on Jay’s ass, spending longer than necessary kneading the cheeks before continuing on to his thighs and shins.
To Jay’s surprise, he didn’t stop there, kneeling behind Jay and picking up his foot, gently rubbing the rough skin of the sole before rinsing it and repeating the process on the other side.
Jay leaned against the wall, resting his forehead on the cold tile. He was overwhelmed by Aaron’s ministrations, by the sweet and reverent touches that washed whatever doubts had remained down the drain with the soapy water.
“Turn around.” Aaron’s husky voice pierced through Jay’s languid thoughts, and he obeyed without hesitation.
It immediately became obvious just how much Aaron’s touch had affected him.
His heavy erection bobbed up and down, grazing Aaron’s cheek.
A sly smile bloomed across Aaron’s face. “None of that now. I’m not done yet.”
The slow, sensuous movements whispering along Jay’s hot skin were pure torture. His breath hitched when Aaron trailed his fingertips up, bypassing his weeping cock.
“I think you’re out of body parts left to wash,” Jay gritted through clenched teeth after Aaron spent several minutes rubbing his pecs and laving the nipples with his tongue. He was sure this was the cleanest he’d ever been.