Chapter 5 Bennett #2
In the room, Bennett paced for a minute before sitting at the desk. He opened his laptop, then closed it again.
Jasper sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone with exaggerated casualness.
Bennett stopped pacing. “You’re too calm.”
Jasper glanced up. “I’m trying to be nice.”
Bennett stared at him. “That makes it worse.”
Jasper’s mouth curved faintly. “Good.”
Bennett’s heart kicked. “Do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Say things like you are not afraid of what they do to people,” Bennett said.
Jasper’s gaze sharpened. “I am afraid.”
Bennett went still. “You are?”
“Yes,” Jasper said. “I’m afraid you will take what you want and then decide you never wanted it.”
Bennett’s throat closed before he could talk himself out of it. He stopped close to Jasper, close enough that he could feel Jasper’s warmth.
Jasper looked up at him. “Bennett.”
Bennett’s voice came out rough. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Jasper held his gaze. “Then don’t.”
Bennett’s hands flexed at his sides. His whole body felt like it was balancing between instinct and fear.
He took a breath.
“I don’t know what I am,” Bennett said quietly. “I’ve only been with women. I thought that meant I was straight. Thought I had it figured out.”
Jasper’s expression softened. “Labels can change. Or expand. Or turn out to have been incomplete all along.”
“I should have known,” Bennett said, frustration bleeding through.
“You’re realizing now,” Jasper replied. “That’s what matters.”
Bennett swallowed. “I’ve never been with a man.”
“I know.”
Bennett’s voice dropped. “But I want you. Want this. Even though it scares the hell out of me.”
The words hung in the air.
Jasper didn’t move. He didn’t reach. He didn’t push.
He just looked at Bennett like the honesty mattered more than the timing.
“Are you sure?” Jasper asked.
Bennett’s breath shook. “No.”
Jasper nodded. “Okay.”
Bennett frowned. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Jasper repeated, calm. “Because sure is not required. Consent is. Want is. Respect is.”
Bennett stared at him. Jasper’s voice was steady. His gaze was steady. It made Bennett’s chest ache again.
Bennett’s hand lifted, slow, as if asking permission even though he was the one who had spoken first. His fingers brushed Jasper’s cheek.
Jasper leaned into the touch, just slightly.
Bennett’s breath caught. He had wanted this for days. He had wanted it in the gym, by the window, in every moment he pretended he did not.
He moved closer.
Jasper met him halfway.
The kiss was quiet at first. Careful. Bennett felt Jasper’s hand come to his waist, not pulling, just anchoring. Bennett’s mouth parted on a shaky exhale. Jasper’s tongue swept inside, tasting him, claiming him with patient thoroughness.
Bennett’s body reacted as if he had been starving, and he finally stopped pretending he was not hungry.
He kissed Jasper again, deeper this time, pressing him back against the wall. The sound Jasper made, half gasp, half moan, went straight through him, settling hot and urgent in his gut.
Bennett’s hand slid to the back of Jasper’s neck, fingers threading through his hair.
Jasper’s fingers tightened at Bennett’s waist, then slipped beneath his shirt, palms hot against bare skin.
The kiss turned hungry, tongues sliding together, teeth grazing lips.
Bennett’s hips rolled forward involuntarily, and Jasper groaned, pulling him impossibly closer.
When they finally broke apart for air, Bennett could feel Jasper hard against him, could feel his own arousal straining against his zipper. The evidence of their want made his head spin.
Bennett pulled back suddenly, breath uneven.
Jasper did not chase him. He stayed close, eyes half-lidded, breathing steady.
Bennett’s voice came out low. “I have no idea what I am doing.”
Jasper’s mouth curved. “You are doing fine.”
Bennett stared at him. “Don’t make jokes.”
“I’m not,” Jasper said softly. “I mean it.”
Bennett swallowed. His chest rose and fell too fast.
Jasper’s thumb brushed the edge of Bennett’s shirt where his hand still rested at his waist. The touch was small. It made Bennett shiver anyway.
Bennett stepped back because if he did not, he would keep going. He did not know where it would end, and that frightened him.
He cleared his throat. “We should.”
Jasper’s eyes stayed on him. “We should what?”
Bennett’s hands clenched. “Slow down.”
Jasper nodded immediately. No argument. No teasing.
“Okay,” Jasper said again. “We go at your pace.”
Bennett’s stomach twisted with relief and frustration. “You’re too reasonable.”
Jasper smiled faintly. “You say that like it is a flaw.”
Bennett looked away, then back. “It’s a problem.”
Jasper’s expression softened. “We can handle problems.”
Bennett’s heartbeat slowed, just slightly. He nodded once, a small concession.
“Fine,” Bennett said. “We can handle problems.”
Jasper’s smile widened. “That sounded almost optimistic.”
Bennett picked up his phone from the desk and stared at the screen, as if it could save him from how warm his mouth still felt.
“Do not get used to it,” Bennett said.
Jasper’s voice was gentle. “Too late.”
Bennett did not answer.
He did not need to.
His pulse said enough.