25. Kingston #3
Jake finally loosened his grip and stepped back, giving Kingston enough space to look up at him.
“It’s our first date,” he said. “Of course it means a lot to me.”
Kingston stared, and the silence stretched a second too long.
Jake’s smile faltered, and his brows slowly drew together, panic replacing the happiness he’d been wearing moments earlier.
“Did you miss the conversation last night?” Jake asked, visibly stressed. “Allen wanted us to try switching today so we could see how we like it.”
Kingston continued staring, doing his goddamn best to recall any conversation from the night before.
It happened to be a very difficult task, because all Kingston could think about was how Jake had been trapped on his knees between Allen’s legs while they’d watched a movie.
Allen had wanted to show Kingston and Riley how submissive Jake could be by letting him cock warm him for two hours straight, and Kingston was unaware that there had been a conversation.
He couldn't even remember what movie had been playing. Every time he’d tried to focus on the screen, his attention drifted back to Jake. To the way Jake had looked at Allen like he was a god he was devoted to worshipping, even though his jaw had to have been aching.
And he’d also been distracted by the way Allen had brushed his fingers through Jake’s hair, silently taking care of him throughout the entire display. Every touch had seemed effortless, born from the kind of intimacy that came from knowing someone so completely that affection was second nature.
There was something almost unbearably tender in it. The intensity of it should have been ridiculous, but somehow it was beautiful.
Which was why Kingston still had no idea how he’d ended up agreeing to a date with Jake in the middle of all that. He wasn’t upset, but it was embarrassing that he couldn’t remember, and now Jake was panicking because of his stupidity.
“I’m having fun,” Kingston said before Jake could get even more worked up. “I admit I forgot about the date stuff, but now that I know, I’ll lock in.”
When Jake continued to look crushed, Kingston knew he had to act quickly. He was new to having romantic partners who relied on him for emotional support, but Riley always perked up when Kingston initiated kissing, so that’s what he went with.
Crossing the space separating them, Kingston scruffed Jake by the back of his shirt and dragged him down into a kiss. Not a hungry one like he often shared with Riley, but something softer and slower—something to show Jake proof that everything was okay.
Jake responded by moaning into his mouth and matching his pace. Their lips parted and met again in an addicting rhythm, Kingston’s thumb stroking slow circles at the nape of Jake’s neck, while his other hand stayed firm on the fabric at Jake’s back.
Jake’s fingers tightened in Kingston’s shirt, pulling him just a fraction closer as their mouths opened slightly, tongues brushing in lazy, unhurried strokes. The kiss deepened only enough to taste each other, breaths mingling as the moment stretched out with simple affection and reassurance.
When they finally drew back, Jake was smiling again, and the knot of fear lodged in Kingston’s chest unravelled with his next breath. He’d been scared he’d ruined the day, but one small kiss was all it took to settle them back into place, like they’d never slipped out of sync at all.
“I brought a picnic,” Jake said, grinning with enough boyish charm to make Kingston answer with his own. “I know it’s basic, but planning dates is hard.”
Kingston shook his head, refusing to let Jake overthink his choice. “A picnic is perfect. You’re obnoxiously perfect. You and Evans have that in common.”
Jake snorted a small laugh, and Kingston was suddenly struck by a thought.
“Wait, are Riley and Allen on a date?”
The look Jake shared was also one of confusion…and concern. Not concern about their boyfriends dating because that was cool, but Kingston had no idea what Riley and Allen had in common, and boredom wasn’t something Riley handled well.
“They talked about karaoke,” Jake said, his expression pinched. “I can’t do karaoke. Too much noise.”
Kingston had heard Riley singing in the shower, and he wasn’t bad, but there was usually a door between them, and Kingston was either napping after getting fucked or distracted by his phone.
“You’re not worried they’re going to kill each other?” Kingston asked. “They bicker almost as much as Evans and I do.”
Jake shrugged and started walking toward the car. “Stay there. I’ll get the food, and then we can pick a spot.”
Jake was far too nonchalant about this for Kingston’s tastes, but there wasn’t anything he could do to save Riley when he was in the middle of the woods and an hour drive away from the city.
Left with no choice, Kingston let out a sigh and tried to focus on where he was instead. He resigned himself to the fact that worrying wouldn’t change anything—and that Riley was probably going to survive purely out of spite.
Hopefully anyway, because Kingston sort of liked the guy, and it would be lonely on the ice without him.