Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
HUGO
Jade took Casey out to pick up supplies. Both Jewel and I had simmering anxiety the whole time they were gone, and the same relief when they finally returned. Jade gave me a nod, then took her bag straight to the bathroom.
Casey set down three bags of things and started unpacking.
“Clothes?” I asked, stepping over to help.
“Mostly,” he replied, giving me a smile. “Thanks.”
“Don’t suppose there’s anything good?” Jewel asked, peering doubtfully at the dark T-shirts Casey was folding.
He sighed, then plucked out a couple of plastic-covered electronics.
I passed him some SIM cards I’d dug out of another bag, and he started to get the phones out of their cases.
He’d set up the first one by the time Jade called from the bathroom.
“Jewel! I need you in here!”
“Coming, angel!”
He cocked his head to the side and gave me a grin before sauntering over to the en suite. A minute passed before I heard an ear-splitting shriek of terror. Heart rate spiking, I burst into the bathroom, searching for a threat.
Instead, I found Jewel crouching on the toilet, snarling at Jade. He had a blob of black dye right in the center of his wispy blond hair.
“Are you insane?” His voice cracked as he spoke.
Jade was standing by the sink, a bowl of dye in front of her and a brush in her gloved hand. She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. It’s temporary.”
“It’ll stain!” he whined.
“Stop fussing and sit down, or I’ll shave your head instead.”
His eyes almost bugged out of his head. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.” She tapped her foot. “We could try a buzz cut? Honestly, I’ve always wondered if you could pull off a mohawk.”
His jaw dropped open, and the horror on his face would almost be comical in a different situation. “Hugo! Tell her to stop!”
I snorted.
Jade sighed. “You’ve already got the dye on your hair. Let me finish, or you’ll look stupid.”
His eyes darted to the mirror, and he let out a whine that set my teeth on edge.
“She’s got a point,” I said. “Quit wasting time and let her finish.”
He glared at me. “For the record, I hate both of you.”
“Noted. Now sit your ass down and shut your mouth.”
He glared at us but climbed down to sit on the seat.
One hair dye and shower later, Jade emerged from the bathroom with Jewel in tow. Casey had gone out again to pick up the food he’d ordered.
Jewel appeared distinctly mopey with his freshly dyed black hair. A black band tee was practically drowning him.
“Oh, good god, don’t look at me,” he wailed as he sat down on a stool. He flopped dramatically against the table, burying his head under his arms.
“Like the new look,” I told him.
“You’re just being nice. This hair completely washes out my complexion.” He lifted his head to glare at Jade. “And she won’t even let me add a little bit of flair to this awful style.”
“Wearing makeup defeats the whole point. We’re trying to hide you. Now, put these on.”
She placed a contact lens container on the counter next to him.
He pouted. “Only if you let me wear one of your chokers—I know you have some! And put on nail polish.”
“Black only.”
“Good god, did you bring me here just to torment me?”
An evil little smile played on Jade’s lips as she hopped up onto the TV table to sit next to him. “We wouldn’t be in this mess at all if you’d listened to me and not antagonized the Institute and your psycho uncle in the first place.”
“See, this is victim blaming at its finest,” Jewel told me. “I’m not responsible for other people’s morally repugnant actions.” With that, he snatched up the contacts and headed back to the bedroom to put them in.
Jade had a choker and nail polish ready for him when he returned.
He sniffed. “I suppose I do still look hot. You’re lucky I’m pretty enough to pull off this awful grunge look.”
He let Jade start on his nails without further complaint. In fact, by the time Casey returned, he was positively beaming.
“Casey, look!” he said, leaping up and throwing an arm around Jade. “Me and Jade match now, isn’t it the cutest thing?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek before she managed to shove him away.
“You’re lovely as always, Master Jewel.”
He practically preened before he sat back down.
?
JADE
I stepped out to the deck to get some fresh air, needing the quiet. It was sunset, and the sky was lit up with hues of pinks and reds. I got lost for a moment, admiring the view.
After a minute or two, the door slid open behind me. I turned to see Casey had joined me outside. He sat down beside me on the wicker furniture.
“Want some food?” he asked, holding up a bowl.
“Ohh, what did you get?” I took it from him. It smelled amazing.
“Um, foh. I mean, pho?” The second time, he pronounced it correctly, like fuh.
“Aw, Casey!” My heart fluttered as I looked up at him.
“I just, um, we never got to go to dinner like you wanted.” A blush was starting on his face, too, and he broke my gaze to look at his feet.
“That’s okay. We can have our date now, instead.”
Casey froze. “Date?”
I gave him a grin. “Yeah, a date? You know, when two people who are into each other go out together?”
My smile faltered as he shifted on his feet, his expression nervous. “Wait, you didn’t think it was a date?” I asked.
“I didn’t think you liked me like that. I thought you wanted someone to hang out with.”
“Oh my god!” I slapped a hand to my forehead as the pieces clicked into place.
“That’s why things still felt weird between us! I thought I was going crazy, but you just didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Jade.” Casey’s voice was quiet, and when I looked up, I saw his eyes were a bit wet.
“Oh, no! Don’t be sorry, babe. I could have made it clearer. I guess I assumed you knew I wanted you.”
Casey was blinking hard, and I clambered onto his lap, resting my arms on his shoulders.
“Cuz I do,” I told him gently. “I think I fell in love with you when we worked in the Pens together.”
“Oh,” he managed, and gave me a watery smile.
Concern was churning in my gut, and I pulled away a bit. I’d assumed he felt the same, but what if he didn’t? Had that been too much? I chewed on my lip, studying his face as the silence stretched.
Then his eyes widened. “Oh! I feel the same way, I do!” he said in a rush. Oh, thank fuck. “I hadn’t ever met anyone so brave or clever. I’ve always adored you, even when you were pretending to be Shaun.”
I laughed, and Casey blushed again.
“I just…” His voice was quiet, now, and he swallowed. “I’m not used to being wanted. It’s always been safer to be needed.”
A tear ran down his cheek, and I pulled him into a hug.
I blinked furiously as I clung to him, trying to put every single bit of love I had into our embrace.
Like perhaps I could burrow down into his very soul and shoo out every doubt and erase all the memories of anyone ever even implying he wasn’t enough.
“I want you, and I need you,” I said. “Not because of what you do, or how hard you work, but because of you. You deserve everything good in the world, and I’m going to make sure you get it.”
“Thank you,” Casey whispered.
?
Jewel was reclining on the bed when we came back inside, while Hugo was seated at the desk. He had a pair of reading glasses on and was frowning at a laptop screen, earphones in.
“Finally, you guys return,” Jewel said. “I’ve planned a little date night.”
“Date night. Really?”
“What, do you have other plans?”
“We can’t go outside,” I reminded him.
“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. “What, do you think date night with me is limited to fancy restaurants and opera shows?”
“Something like that,” I said.
“Well, fret not, my darlings, because I am nothing if not resourceful. We’re going to have a movie night.”
“With good snacks?”
“Of course I have good snacks,” he replied tartly. “Casey graciously picked some up earlier.”
He waved a hand at the side table. It was loaded with popcorn and candy, chips, chocolate, and pretzel sticks. My mood brightened, and Jewel gave me a smug smile.
“Now change into something cozy and help me pick a movie.”
When I returned in teddy-bear-print jammies, the boys were loading up plates of goodies. Jewel tossed a piece of popcorn toward me, and I caught it in my mouth.
“Eyyyo!” I whooped, punching the air.
That turned into a whole game of popcorn throwing. Casey got really excited every time he landed a throw, grinning from ear to ear and lifting his hands into the air.
“How about we make this a bit harder?” Jewel said, pulling out a sleep mask. He shot me a devious smirk as he guided Casey to the recliner and secured the mask over his eyes.
The sight of Casey sitting patiently on the chair, hands folded on his lap as he waited for direction flipped a switch in my brain, and I went from amused to horny in an instant.
“I like that,” Jewel said, his voice a low purr.
He trailed a finger over Casey’s shoulder, then across his back. The room suddenly seemed very hot, and my heartbeat was loud in my ears. I wasn’t the only one affected; Jewel’s bond was wide open, and his arousal was impossible to miss.
Hugo glanced up from his screen.
The laptop closed with a snap.
His eyes were dark as he swivelled his chair around to face us.
I walked over to Casey. He was still just sitting there, though the flush on his face told me he could feel Jewel’s arousal.
“Open your mouth,” I told him, my voice husky to my own ears.
Without hesitation, Casey opened his plump lips, waiting. My pussy was throbbing as I picked up a piece of chocolate and placed it in his mouth. His lips were soft against my fingers, and a shiver ran through me as I withdrew.
“Good boy,” Jewel said, and Casey swallowed, shifting on his seat. I could see the blush spreading down his neck and his cock tenting his sweatpants.
“Do you like that, Casey?” Hugo asked. “Do you like being our good boy?”
Casey swallowed again. Hugo had leaned forward, a smile playing on his face. I hadn’t seen this side of him before. Before today, he’d been burdened by doubts and hesitation.