Chapter 3 WAKEUP CALL
Jan stirred beneath the bedcovers, at first stretching into the cool dark morning, then grumbling as he shivered and curled back into the swamping of the soft white duvet. He’d caught a tan over the weekend with the unusual warm weather, but now that winter bite was back, and he really wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow, not with the brand-spanking-new offer at work on the table. It helped he spooned up behind Gray, and a smile crept up as he reached to his hip and lazily traced over the naked offer of tanned muscle before a kiss went to Gray’s shoulder.
Yeah. Jack was right.
Who you got to hold in the aftermath was all that mattered.
Eyes closed, breathing steady, Jan traced his fingertips over Gray’s bare hip, the toned muscle, all to rest at his side. The hardness to his cock brushed into Gray’s thigh as he shifted again, but this kind of hold wasn’t ever about sex.
Not yet, anyway.
He buried a smirk, then hid his head in Gray’s shoulder.
Despite the diverse levels of sex and damn tough mind play around them, here, under the covers, vulnerable equality played so artfully. And that’s what Gray unconsciously offered: naked vulnerability. It wasn’t the offer of a tough soul, because Gray walked such a damn unique path on that score, but feeling his bare skin exposed under fingertip, Jack’s too, it focused life on the now and chased old nightmares away, keeping Jan owning his own because of this shared naked exposure.
Silence played around the bedroom and dark grounds outside. That Monday morning feeling and the preparation needed for tomorrow niggled more at Jan, but the blues it came with stayed on the outskirts of the bed as if knowing the alarm would put it on Gray’s hit list for unsettling life beneath the covers.
Then as coolness seeped into his skin from behind, he risked a look over his shoulder.
Space danced in the moonlight and kept the bedsheet company. No sound of shower water hitting tile came from the bathroom. No light trickled under the rim of the door to call out Jack’s need to order life. There was just this… quiet.
And no Jack gave life a cold shower with how after two years, there was still… no Martin. After Light and Martin going poison here in the bedroom, Jack…?
“My head, my body. My fucking heart behind it all.”
Giving a long, slow exhale, Jan turned back into Gray and hid in his shoulder. A moment later, a brush of thumb came at the back of his hand, and Jan eased up.
Caught in the moonlight trickling through the half-open blinds, Gray’s eyes were open, focused on the windows, yet along with the faint traces of a smile, they seemed too lost in time to be focused on life outside. To most it would have seemed a trick of the moonlight, but the pure blueness carried a darker shade, leaving only black alive in them. It made him dangerous territory to be caught sleeping next to. He’d been awake for a while by how sleep decided to stay grudgingly at the edge of the bed along with Monday morning and his blues, and Jan kissed at his neck, nibbled lightly at his ear, then rested in close.
Yeah.
No Martin.
It was there in Gray’s stillness. Yet his private smile kicked Jan’s arse over how it said don’t linger on the hurt, only what was yet to come. Maybe it was just his natural Martin will be back reaction to Jack’s confidence over the years, his fight to get Martin back with changes in meds, regression sessions with Halliday, any new therapy that might have triggered him, but Jan suspected more that it was Martin’s determination to hold Jack off that said he was still around to Gray. That he’d be back when he thought it was best, not Jack. Hence Gray’s smile of a morning, all the complex cat-and-mouse play between Martin and Jack that told them both Martin was still very much… here.
Gray shivered, and it wasn’t lost just whose soul walked over his grave. After a moment, he eased onto his back, and he slipped an arm around Jan before a touch ghosted his spine.
The black in Gray’s eyes faded to a lighter shade, and he offered a wink. “Morning, abstract.” His light touch of fingertip brushed Jan’s cheek, tracing the shadow and silver light that must have made an abstract mosaic of his own features, just like it did with Gray’s. But then this kind of moment belonged to Gray: the contented quiet over playing with both the light and shadow that ghosted someone.
Jan kissed at the offer of shadow on Gray’s cheek, at the sliver of moonlight exposing his neck. The kiss brought back memories of the Christmas before last, where Gray had dressed all Bram Stoker’s Dracula: suit and stove pipe hat in true Gary Oldman style. He’d nibbled at Jan’s neck as they’d stood in the shadows of his Welsh manor, and how easily the police—or Jan as the only one—had been corrupted back then. He’d opted for dressing as a Victorian copper for Jack’s murder mystery night.
Jan hid a grin. The look on Jack’s face when he’d found out just who the killer was…. They’d made it a promise to spend any Christmas after that in Wales with murder-mystery solely in mind, and with festive season kicking off in just over a month… that’s all he had to wait.
“Time,” Jan said to Gray gently. “We need to start playing with it and get ready for work.”
“Hmm,” mumbled Gray. He pulled Jan in closer for a moment as he eased to his side a little, then stroked a light trail down Jan’s cock. “Fuck time.” He gripped around it. “Fuck Monday. Fuck mornings. Fuck work.”
Jan groaned, then shivered as the pressure between his thighs didn’t ease. “Not… not Jack here.” He buried a grin in the bite to Gray’s shoulder blade. “Ease down on the rough touch there, boy.”
Gray laughed softly. “Martin rubbed off on you a little too much over the whole… personal space thing you have going on there.”
Jan lifted his head and stroked along Gray’s jaw. Gray eased his hold on his cock, but only made it worse by stroking just as gently along it.
“Didn’t say a word about wanting personal space.” Jan kissed at Gray’s jaw. “Just that I like it… gentle—” He smirked. “—or seeing you trying to be.”
“Gentle’s an artform I practice…” Gray cocked a half smile and he eased Jan on top of him. “Sometimes.”
A shiver raced through Jan as Gray stroked the curve of his ass cheek, then gripped it. Christ…. Felt so good, his body pressing into Gray’s, cock on cock, all heat beneath the covers, the scent of duvet and last night’s shower coating Gray’s skin as much as his own scent played on Gray, and in all the mix: fading echoes of Jack.
Jan snaked his arms under Gray, running gentle kisses down his throat as Gray slipped his leg around Jan’s, almost giving him anchorage to dip his hips and leisurely play cock against cock.
“Fuck,” mumbled Jan, and Gray’s soft “Hm” only notched up the heat. A grip went to Jan’s hair, tugging his head up, and as a rougher bite played his throat, Jan dipped his hips harder into Gray with each rub of hard cock against hard cock. He didn’t hold back on his private smile. How even from the bottom, Gray’s grip in his hair, the cup of Jan’s ass to pull him in, the leg wrapped around his: Gray controlled the heat so unconsciously.
“Jesus.” Jan groaned and came quickly, the rush catching him out as he dipped into the curve of Gray’s neck and screwed his eyes shut to just how fast heat raced his body. It took him a moment of heavy breaths to realise soft kisses brushed his shoulder blade and that Gray’s hard cock played the echo of his.
“Hmm.” Jan took some wipes that Jack always kept close on the nightstand, then eased up, straddling Gray’s thighs. Gray cocked a brow as Jan took his time wiping him clean.
Yeah, scent tracing…. Jan eased down and kissed along Gray’s lower abs as he stroked gently along his cock, returning Gray’s earlier… tease. But Jan did know how to play softly, and in the shiver that traced Gray’s body, it made Gray stumble and falter. Jan sighed. What was it about loving his own scent on Gray, on Gray’s ghosting his in these quieter moments that seemed to catch them both off guard with the yin-yang tonicity surrounding them…?
A softer run of hand played through Jan’s hair, and Jan kissed at Gray’s cock, knowing the subtle play the best part of him courted.
A thud came against the bedroom door, followed by a—“Fuck.”
Jan jolted slightly, a look going its way.
A rattle of tray, then two attempts at the door handle unsettled the quiet, no doubt all done with an elbow, then another—“Chainsaw. I have two of them. Don’t fucking make me—” The door clicked, then whimpered under Jack’s chainsaw-massacre threat as it eased open.
Jan shared a brief, private smile with Gray, and Gray winked up at him as he eased off and lay back down. Jack threw the door a “sort you out later, mate” look before heading over, his long black fringe almost hiding the fight-night look in his silver-grey eyes as the light came on. As he did, Jan traced his fingertips lightly along Gray’s cock.
A world away from London commerce and suits, Jack looked so damn good with garage coveralls tied by the sleeves at his waist, thermal T-shirt clinging all too-lovingly to his abs as he padded over bare-footed and ready to rough-sex it with someone outside, under bush. Or perhaps more he’d sit happily in there and fondle a few spare car parts out of Gray’s line of sight if he were given the chance.
Gray eased into such a natural smile, like he’d found where light ended and shadow called him in for darker play with Jack coming in. “Fuck Mondays… fuck breakfast in bed… just—”
Jack cocked a brow, took in the wipes Jan had tossed in the waste basket, then he gave a shake of head. “Such mouth under all that offer of class and cover there, mukka.”
Jan laughed softly as he scratched at his head, heat still no doubt calling out what they’d been caught out doing. “Heads up. He’s been saying that a lot this morning.”
“S’why I loves him.” Jack held the tray up. “But grub. No fucking that.” A wink at Gray. “Big bloke here. I needs it.”
He didn’t lie about needing it. He’d been liking the gym in the early hours, burning calories and carbs under Dr Halliday’s recommendations to swap one of his many sessions in the shower to control his late-night, OCD rituals. From how goddamn toned he was, it had worked surprisingly well. The workout took away focus on needing to clean and burned away so much of the energy he had, tiring him out too much to wake again and shower a second… third… forth time. On two occasions, he’d even not showered after his workout, and that… that was unheard of in Jack’s world. Added to his diet, overseen by Craig, his named-nurse—given the title because he was solely in charge of Jack’s care before Jack had to be referred to Doctor Halliday—he was never more toned, never more energetic and giving Gray a literal run for his money around the manor grounds five times a week, and that didn’t touch all the added heat beneath the covers lately either. Jan still barely made it to the manor gates, but he’d sometimes jump on a bike and play carrot stick with Jack, grinning back as he ate his way through a Danish Pastry, and earning fuck yous off Jack because, well—Craig, the diet, and Craig tying Jack down so he wasn’t able to carry on his love affair with a tableful of Danish Pastries if ever left alone in a bakery with them.
“Hang on.” Jan tried innocent here as he eased up onto an elbow and rubbed sleep away from an eye, feeling slightly guilty he’d not been able to ease the hardness in Gray’s cock. “Wasn’t it Gray’s turn for breakfast?”
Jack frowned for a moment, then seemed to catch on with an awkward cough. “Oh, erm. That a complaint with me kindly taking over so he can have a lie in, soft lad?” Yeah, he could play innocent too and they both avoided looking at Gray, Jack more so as he started to turn away from the bed. “Here’s me trying to ease that head of yours over the try-out for promotion at work,” added Jack, “and you opt for the whip with no strip, boring fucker. I’ll just take all of this back downstairs and make you walk down in the bollocking seven-in-the-morning cold.”
“Hey, no.” Jan shifted and tugged him back by his T-shirt with a grin before stealing the tray onto the bedcovers, getting really comfortable. The scent of the blueberry crunch breakfast bake with a side serving of strawberries already had his stomach dancing and losing worry over work. Christ, Jack had that unconscious cooking ability of being able to throw anything together and make it look and taste adulterous. Strange there was only one bowl and a single glass of orange juice, though. That hadn’t been part of the plan last night.
“It was my turn, Jack.” Gray eased back down and gave a stretch, the covers shaping his hard cock beautifully
“Precisely.” A harsh beep assaulted the air, and Jack headed over to Gray’s side and tapped the alarm off. “S’why I really legged it to the kitchen first.” He rubbed distractedly at his abs. “It’s no fun having a dicky stomach with garage coveralls on. It’s all arms, legs, and hop, skip, humping to get to the men’s.” He winked at Gray. “Swear you do the whole poisoned art over cooking deliberately just as practice for MI5 fuckery.”
Gray smirked at Jack as Jan choked a laugh.
“Jumping,” Jan finally managed to add, pinching a strawberry and loving how ice-cool it sat on his tongue for a moment. “There’s no humping, only jumping in hopscotch.”
“Only in your playground, Jan. Only in yours.” Jack tutted in a serious sex instructor Vs virgin student disgust, and Jan flipped him off.
“And you…” Jack slipped a look down on Gray, more the length of his body. “You didn’t shove back the covers once when you heard me get up in this ball-bollocking cold either, huh? Getting too cosy with Jan, were we?”
“Well.” Gray stretched so comfortably into the covers again and Jack seemed taken with just how well it shaped his cock. “This is me, doing it deliberately and keeping you safe and healthy away from my cooking and all that hop, skip… humping in the process.”
“Oh….” Jack folded his arms. “Like that, is it?” He straddled Gray’s thighs, leaving Gray grunting as he pinned him to the bed from the hips down.
“Pup. I can play that for you.” Jack framed Gray, hands either side of his head as he dipped his hips, giving a soft hm with the friction. “Would you Dom up then? Take the lead… the collar… join me in the humping, then look out for me in bed long after you’ve wasted yourself?”
Jan loved seeing this switch, the reactions it caused in Gray, because Gray automatically rested his hands on Jack’s hips, pulling him in, pushing him away from his cock, fuelling heat one moment, teasing it with distance in the next as his eyes filtered through into such a death blackness.
“Always, stunner. Just name the time, because we already have the place right here. Fuck the world and everyone outside.”
And there it was. The reason why Gray wanted to say fuck to the world. Gray was a bastard, Jan knew that, but since Jack had radically cut Gray’s control of his care plan in order to get Martin back his own way, it left Gray with his stay by the door when it did come to Jack and Gray’s own… control. So his stay by the door it had become with his dark You won’t ever leave focus. He still had his time away over counterterrorism issues at MI5, but Sundays away from that were purely reserved for… this. Them. That only left the culler side in Gray, but four calls from that side had been strangely… silent.
Jack’s look softened even with the offer of Gray’s rough hold, seeming to add all that up as well. “Bed’s a rather conservative place for you jumping my bones, but, yeah—” Jack grinned. “—fuck to the world and everyone outside.” He traced a touch down Gray’s side, dipping his own hips and seeming to lose himself to the closeness. “But work?” He groaned, sounding like he loathed the taste of that word on his tongue. “Stop skiving. That’s my job.”
“Work?” A slow smile crept in on Gray’s lips, a grip on Jack’s hips that pulled him down as Gray arched up a little. Yeah, that heat level said Gray wasn’t going anywhere.
“Hm,” breathed Jack, rolling with the friction, dipping his hips and going full grind. “Work…” He stopped, tried to shake something off, then—“Hey. Stop playing dirty distraction down here. Up and eat ’em.”
Jan choked on his orange juice. Yeah. He bet there were a few MI5 ops who stayed beneath the sheet, whispering fuck no, not work with Gray as boss in mind this morning, especially the unit manager who had taken over from Simon and how Gray privately hated losing Simon at MI5 and beyond.
Gray played grip, release, grip at Jack’s hips. “Prefer the offer of pup in bed until you’re both wasted. Fuck life. Fuck breakfast. Fuck—”
Jack eased the duvet down, exposing Gray’s abs. A kiss went just below his navel, then a few slices of ice-cold strawberries had Gray drawing in a sharp breath as they were laid to rest in a line towards the refined, teasing offer of pubic hair.
“You had me at fuck the first time,” murmured Jack. “But…?” Another wink as he looked up at Gray, he licked, then flicked each slice of strawberry in turn onto his tongue before—running hard and fast vampire nibbles across Gray’s hip with a full chorus of “Get… the… fuck… up, you… bastard,” growls.
Gray doubled, his laughter hard as he tried to push Jack off making Jan grin. “Pack it… it bloody in,” said Gray between breaths. “Trying to get Jan’s emotional-support pup to support me here.”
Jan choked a laugh, then didn’t stop until Jack patted his back.
“ Emotional support pup?” Jan finally managed as he looked at Gray. “Really? You went there?” He found Jack next. “And you… you say there’s only no humping in my playground, huh? You cockblocking us , Jack?” It won another laugh off Gray as that sobered Jack.
“Cheeky bloody bastard. Damn meeting with Halliday this morning puts me rather stupidly in charge of the responsible adult section. Respect my authority.” He pinched a strawberry off Jan’s plate, no doubt for the cheek. “Up, the pair of you,” he said, shaking his head as he rested back on his heels, Gray splitting his thighs. “We’ll talk about the emotional support sucking… erm, pupping later,” he said to Gray, but the lone, slow wink he sent Jan’s way seemed to say he’d more than caught sight of what they’d been doing under the sheets as he’d pushed into the bedroom.
Cocking a brow that called out Later, huh ? Gray eased an arm behind his head as a slow half-smile played across his lips with having Jack on his skin. Then he rested a hand palm-flat just above his own fine line of pubic hair. Jack followed the pure Going nowhere allure. Although Gray’s breathing came a little hard and fast from the nip and lip assault. “Breakfast… in bed, if I remember, stunner.” He drew a slow circle on his lower abs. “Right here.”
Jack came back down, completely framing him again after he stole another slice of strawberry from Jan’s bowl. “ Grub . I said that.” He drew the fine slither of strawberry along Gray’s lips, then rested it down to keep him quiet. “I didn’t say it was yours, or that you could have anything in bed.” As Gray took in what Jan did: one bowl, one glass of orange juice, Jack stole the strawberry off Gray’s lip with a flick of his tongue, giving more decadence to his lick over nip this time, then he eased back and sat eating the strawberry. “That’s Jan’s,” he said with a wink and a nod at the tray straddling Jan’s hips.
Gray lowered his look. “Seriously? Just Jan’s.”
Jack kissed at Gray’s lips. “Seriously,” he said to him. “Emotional support pupping before Jan goes off to work. He needs it more. Now… up.” Jack patted lightly at his cheek, then went to climb off.
Only Gray went up with him, tugging him back down with a grip on his arm, then grabbing the back of Jack’s hair. Making sure he stayed still, he untied Jack’s coveralls at his waist and flicked open the clasp to his jeans underneath. “Anyone would think you’re both out to push my buttons this morning, stunner….” A smile, Gray nipped at Jack’s jaw, then gripped his balls.
“Fuck.” Jack tried to double, but the grip in his hair didn’t allow it. He did offer a wink after a second or two despite the teasing offer of hurt in his eyes, though. “For missed breakfast, I’m thinking three, maybe four lashes, right?” He seemed to rethink that quickly. “Or time on the prostate milking machine with no Off button allowed until I cry Uncle?”
Gray stopped, winced… shivered. “Uncle? A family game for two or more? Get the fuck out of here.” He shoved Jack off, sending him to the floor, and Jan choked on a strawberry.
“Hey…” Jack came up, silver-grey eyes like a war machine, a vampire stretch of clawed hand towards the duvet…
“Touch that, and I’ll use the sheet to soak up the blood stains, stunner.” Gray pinched a strawberry off Jan and winked Jack’s way. His smile all mean play.
Grumbling, Jack got up and pointed at him. “Old. One day you’ll be too old to catch me, mukka.”
“With age comes… tripwire where you’re concerned,” said Gray, pinching another strawberry. “That or I’d just leave a dented oil sump on the floor for you to go all Oooh, look, a car part on. Or a simple your zipper’s down .”
Jack stopped, looked down, and—“Fuck. Seriously?” Fighting to get his cock cooled down and back in its confines, Jack laughed and padded barefoot back over to the door. “Asshole.”
Jan couldn’t stop chuckling as Gray raised onto his elbows, watching him go.
“Why take my turn with breakfast, stunner? Best tell me now before I pull you up over that asshole comment.”
“Ah.” Jack scratched boyishly at his head and glanced back as he opened the door. “His fault.” He pointed at Jan and looked set to bolt. “Him and his bribe—”
“ Jack .” Jan nearly choked, then a wink went Jan’s way before Jack bolted real quick-like out the door.
“Bribes?” Gray cocked a brow at Jan.
Shit. Jan controlled the burn of choking and almost ducked under the duvet. “Erm. Can I plead the 5 th , maybe finish that blowjob?”
“You’re not American, and I’m not in the mood. What bribe? For me not cooking this morning? Seriously?”
“For the next few days, actually.” Jan reached over to the bedside unit and pulled a magazine from the drawer. He offered it to Gray a moment later. “Jack got some dirty midnight reading, all on the quiet… like. Gets me breakfast in bed for three days without a dicky stomach, starting—”
“Today, when it was my turn to cook, by any chance?”
“Just, erm, don’t need the hop, skip, humping to the bathroom during this level-up up at the MC tomorrow.” Jan winced, trying not to laugh. Gray was taken with the front cover of the magazine and the Range Rover that skidded down a ravine, going all off road and… muddy. Yeah, real X-rated stuff in Jack’s world.
“Christ.” Gray tossed the magazine back at Jan and eased down with a soft smile. “Fucking mechanics.”
Jan chuckled and got out of bed. “C’mon, get a shower. You know full well he’s treating you mean to keep you from going strip and whip on him. As much as he’ll mukka tip you for it, by the time he walks that expensive coffee up here that you like, it’ll be too damn cold.”
“Fuck sake…. Rabbit hole.” Gray wiped a hand over his face. “I’m still down the wrong one if I’m getting relationship memos off a soft lad.”
“That’s the soft lad to you.” Jan grinned. “One you’re not getting any more emotional support sucking from either this morning.”
Gray’s grumble followed him as he turned away to the en suite.
“Yeah, love you too, tough guy.” Only he lost his smile a little too fast, and it wasn’t helped with how a call from the bedroom comm cut through the room.
Jan paused by the bathroom door and glanced back as Gray reached over and tapped at the comm.
“Make it good, Ray.” Gray wiped a hand over his face. “It’s too early in the goddamn morning, fucking Monday morning for that.”
Gray’s head of security chuckled. “You have a visitor on his way. Chief Superintendent Shaun Brennan, boss. Said he’ll be here in about an hour. It’s marked as urgent. That good enough for you?”
Gray eased up in bed, arms across his knees, and Jan cocked a brow. Yeah, that was good enough. Brennan was boss of the Metropolitan Police, but he was also Jan’s main boss at the Masters’ Circle. Well, more the boss of the boss, of the whole collection of bosses and the complex play of all their departments that spread through the British army, MI5 and 6, and the Met police combined when it came to the MC.
And for him to be coming here before work on a Monday morning… yeah. It was urgent. Gray’s look called it out too as he got out of bed, all naked, and headed over for the shower.