Page 73 of Natural-Born Cullers

Jack lifted his head back to Jan a second later and touched his cheek. “Flu at least. Which means two… maybe three days in bed. I’ll even smuggle in a plushie.”

Jan laughed, and a look came Gray’s way. “Help?”

Gray laughed, then pointed at the coffee. “I did. Jack’s has a nice sleeping agent. He gets… intense when it comes to someone being ill.”

“A cold,” Jan said back to Jack. “It’s just a bloody cold. Was it worth going caveman with me over your shoulder?” But Jan’s cheeks carried a burn to them that had nothing to do with Jack’s mock play, and perspiration dampened his brow. His eyes looked a little heavy.

Jack frowned as he tugged off his T-shirt. “You keep the bed warm, I’ll put a movie on.”

Jan eased up onto his elbows as Jack’s work boots came off. “A movie? Seriously? One you’ll watch with me?”

“Yep.” Jack got off the bed. “Your choice of.”

“Oh, well….” Jan pulled the duvet up, almost fluffing up everything to get comfortable. Jack had already stripped him, it seemed. “Yeah, I think I can just about handleallof this.”

Jack winked at Gray as he got off the bed and found the remote for the cinema screen to twist into life at the foot of the bed.

Gray doubted if he’d ever quite realise it, but Jan had just been played by a good Dom, by Jack, in that moment. And thatignorance is blissstate was how Gray needed him to stay. Jack’s quiet look back at the bed as Jan tried to settle called outjust be you, soft lad, because even though it seemed like a bad cold, concern was there for Jan. He didn’t flag often, so when he did….

A little guilt crept in off Gray because he knew he used Jan’s sickness to avoid telling them both about the gunshot wound to Light’s ear. He’d tell them, but when the time was right, and sometimes the moment never was… right.

Chapter 22

Home

“Jack.” Jan’s soft call came just as the credits brought up the closing soundtrack to The Day After Tomorrow, another favourite disaster movie of Jan’s. Gray thought he’d had enough of the chaos, but apparently, this was Jan’s weird masochistic kink.

Gray settled on the couch, retracing the history on memetic kill agent. Something niggled about it, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He’d shut the movie out as soon as the whole plate off the Larsen B Ice Shelf in Antarctica had broken apart, nearly eating Dennis Quaid. Gray had lost interest when it didn’t as Quaid was a far cry from the likes of Anthony Hopkins, and he’d let etymology searches take over to quell the need for Quaid to be lost to the depths. Jan had settled into the movie, but Jack?

“Hey.” Jan’s tone came so soft again. “You lasted until what, half eight tonight? You’re getting old, martial arts guy.”

In the tangle of covers, Jack had long since lost the battle to stay awake, and he didn’t make it exactly subtle. On his back, arm flung over his face and going full vampire cloak to ward off the evils of the movie not being Top Gear, he’d stopped tossing and turning and lay lost in sleep. Gray snorted a smile. Strange, Jack always ended up the same when they used Gray’s home cinema suite: down on the sofa, an arm over his face, going full cat caught in doze. He really wasn’t into fiction of any kind, but rustle a Land Rover magazine at him….

“He’s been crashing early a lot lately,” mumbled Jan.

Gray understood the concern. Some of it was down to the change in meds, how Jack balanced peace of mind with letting Martin have some space of his own. The rest was down to how Gray knew he’d had months of not working, and true Jack-style, he’d thrown himself back into it, balls deep. Most times he was gone by six in the morning and not back until seven, and that was Monday to Saturday, with only Sunday seeing him get a lie-in. He worked hard, always had, but then they all did, so it bothered Gray as well with seeing Jan knocked off kilter a little now too.

The flush of heat still touched Jan’s cheeks, and he shaped Jack’s side, half dragging the cover back over them both.

“Lost the signal there with him, huh?” Gray shut his laptop and, barefooted, padded over as he wiped tiredly at his eyes.

“I’m thinking of getting him PJs with a Loading sign on it.” Jan eased back onto his elbows as Gray sat on the bed by him, and he cocked a smile. Hair was bed-ridden, all cowlicks, and he still wore his work glasses, opting to use them sometimes for a movie. “Should have opted for something with cars in, right?” He scratched at his head, and Gray buried a smile and looked away for a moment. “Hey. You look knackered too,” Jan added quietly. “Something up?”

Gray frowned, then eased down next to Jan. “Just so damn tired lately.” He slipped a hold around Jan as Jan turned into him.

“You know talking’s still good for the soul?”

Gray gave a hard sigh, tugging him in closer. “Not mine lately,” he said quietly, soaking up the heat running Jan’s body. Gray kissed at his cheek. “Get some sleep.”

“Hmm,” mumbled Jan, already sounding like he was losing the battle. “Sleep… sounds… sounds good….”

Life stirred beside Jan, and Jack stretched into Jan’s side, a hand running the length of his hip. He was as half lost to sleep as Jan, and his shift from not wanting to disturb Jan to finding Gray seemed as natural as bird to a change of breeze.

Gray smiled into the sleepy offer of a kiss at Jan’s shoulder, then Jack took Gray’s breath with an intensity that still seemed caught between knowing what he was doing and… not.

Then Jack was all heat in the clash of tongue. He still carried a lot of Gray’s bruising from their last rough play, and that forced a heat of Gray’s own back into the kiss. Jack… his handling… his kiss carried that next-level need, knowing exactly how to get at Gray and draw him in with tongue and teeth, and his goddamn slip of hand down to Gray’s cock….

“Huh—” Jack suddenly choked against his kiss, almost as though he’d just remembered something, then he pulled back, his body jolting in time with Jan as he looked down at his touch on Gray’s cock. “Fuck.” Jack shifted backwards off the bed a moment later as though he was balls deep in a snake pit, and he took the duvet with him, covering himself up to stop the snake bites.

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