Chapter Twenty-Five #3
“All right.” Vincent curled his fingers in a gentle tug. “We can stay like this.”
Jasper relaxed with a long sigh and let himself drift off again.
AT SOME point, he was vaguely aware of Vincent moving and whispering something about dinner, but it wasn’t important enough for him to get up.
IT WAS early in the evening when he finally woke up and felt more like himself again.
He was still on the couch, covered by a blanket, but Vincent was gone.
He could hear him nearby, though, which was good enough.
There was a cold bottle of water on top of the blanket, and he pushed himself up to guzzle most of it.
Dinner smelled good. The scent of cooking garlic made his mouth water and his stomach growl.
He pushed onto his knees and crossed his arms over the back of the couch to watch Vincent cook.
The movement made him fully aware of the twinge in his ass, and he winced, unable to stop the groan, but the discomfort was totally worth it.
“Finally awake?” Vincent asked, glancing over his shoulder.
“Yes, Sir,” he said, pushing up farther on his knees when Vincent set his skillet aside and moved around the kitchen island towards him.
Vincent obliged him when he tilted his head back for a kiss. “How do you feel?”
“Sore.” Jasper couldn’t help his grin as he added, “I think I know what ripping someone a new one means now.” When Vincent flicked his nose, Jasper caught the finger between his teeth before nuzzling against Vincent’s palm. “Can I stay the night, Sir?”
He peeked up at Vincent when he hummed, gently grazing his teeth over Vincent’s thumb. “Please?”
Vincent sighed and pulled his hand away. “You’re a menace.”
“Mm, but I’m your menace,” Jasper said, grinning when that earned a soft snort and a muttered “Lucky me.”
Happy to take that as a yes, he propped against the back of the couch again, closing his eyes and trying to shake off the lingering hazy fog in his head until dinner was ready.
Sitting at the table wasn’t the most pleasant experience of the day, but considering how he’d earned the ache, it was a miracle he wasn’t hard again by the time they finished eating.
He went through his flashcards and notes one more time, then called it quits. Either he knew the information by now or he didn’t, so he turned off the lights and went upstairs for a long, hot shower. Even after sleeping so long, he still felt exhausted enough to pass out again.
Vincent was propped up against the headboard and pillows with a book in his lap when Jasper stepped into the bedroom.
Jasper couldn’t quite stop the happy sigh as he crawled into bed, unable to stop staring. Somehow, Vincent in an old T-shirt and glasses was even hotter than in a suit with his Dom face.
He inched closer, until he could rest his head in Vincent’s lap, smiling against his stomach as Vincent stroked his hair. That was definitely becoming a fetish for him. Or maybe he was becoming a slut for Vincent’s touch in general. Even the rougher ones. Especially the rougher ones.
His cock twitched at the memory of being held down and overpowered, but he was too tired to try to act on it.
With a yawn, he wrapped himself around Vincent and drifted back to sleep.
For the first time since he was a kid, being near someone stronger than him made him feel safe instead of terrified.
TO JASPER’S horror, he woke to his phone alarm and an empty bed.
Throwing back the covers, he tumbled out of bed, cursing himself the entire way to the bathroom and through getting dressed.
He should have set his alarm earlier so he’d be up with time to make breakfast, but it was too late now.
He’d have to scarf a bowl of cereal and hope Vincent didn’t hold it against him.
Except when he reached the kitchen, Vincent was scraping eggs out of a pan onto two plates with toast.
“Sorry,” he said, moving up behind Vincent and wrapping his arms around him. “I should have been up earlier.”
“You needed the rest,” Vincent replied, lightly squeezing Jasper’s hands and offering him a plate. “Eat or you’ll be late.”
Jasper took his plate to the table and dug in.
When Vincent joined him, he set a paper and a pen down next to Jasper, and he almost choked when he realized it was the new contract.
He nearly pushed his plate away in favor of looking it over, but he needed to eat or he’d be starving all through his tests.
He compromised by shoveling eggs into his mouth with one hand and picking up the top paper with the other.
This contract was even better than the last one, and he barely refrained from grinning like a maniac at the written confirmation they’d be exclusive.
He shoved his toast in his mouth and held it there with his teeth as he snatched up the pen, adding punishments to the list of things he agreed to before signing.
He slid it across the table as he finished his toast, beaming as Vincent added his own signature below Jasper’s.
“All yours, Sir.”
Vincent’s smile was somehow both pleased and smug. He’d already finished his own breakfast and leaned over for a quick, consuming kiss that left Jasper breathless. “All mine,” he murmured, pulling back with a reluctant sigh. “Ready to go?”
Jasper nodded and glanced at the contract again as he stood, making sure it was real. With a grin, he landed a quick kiss to Vincent’s lips and turned to grab his things.
A year. An entire year of having a guaranteed boyfriend and all the kinky sex he could ask for.
How could his life possibly get any better than that?