Page 43 of Drift

Jack stayed straddled in his lap and a soft murmur came, followed by three gentle ghosts of kisses at his neck, then he rested in close, calming on the shared come down. Gray stroked at his bare back and rested in the curve of his neck.

“Where’d your head go to just, huh, stunner?” Gray never put sex into a box of firm dos and don’ts with Jack, not in their home. Jack could be as creative as he was spontaneous with ideas, but this…?

“Hmm?” Jack pulled back, but only enough to kiss and nip at Gray’s ear. “The trapeze.”

Gray twisted to look at him and caught the slight film of sweat dampening his cheeks and forehead.

“Der Himmel über Berlin,” breathed Jack. “The trapeze artists he falls for. More the precise moment after she left the board to just before she caught the bar…” Such a long stroke came at Gray’s jaw. “All safety nets removed with the moment’s freefall, not knowing if she’ll find safe holding or fall to the wayside.”

Jack eased back, an arm loosely around Gray’s throat, breathing a little heavy. “I see why he fell from grace for the chick and all her balls.” A wince. “Quite literally fell for her from heaven to, well… here.”

Gray moved damp hair from Jack’s eyes, and he offered a soft smile. “He fell from grace forher.” The start of a bruise touched Jacks shoulder, and Gray ran a gentle thumb along it. “It wasn’t just for one moment in time.”

“My ying to your yang.” Jack stroked distractedly at the back of Gray’s neck. “He loved her for that moment, in that moment,becauseof that moment. That moment and all the other single ones after that make up yourfor all of her.”

Gray smiled softly, then kissed at Jack’s jaw, maybe understanding his heated reaction. Maybe. “Yeah. Yeah it is.” Then he kissed at the bruise he’d seen. “How’d you get this?” He hadn’t caught it on the coffee table on his way down. That still sat in place.

Jack frowned and looked at his shoulder. “Hm, must have been pit-searching for my goddamn phone… should have sent Sam to get it out.” A smile, but there was something behind it. “You just jealous it’s not one of yours?”

Gray weighed that up, offered a smile. “Maybe.” And he meant that one.

A meow came from back by the entranceway, and strangely enough, the Maine didn’t come in and try to claim Jack, just sat there with aYou finished with my bed nowlook. “Bloody animals,” murmured Gray.

“She just knows how to push your buttons…” Jack winced. “And mine.”

And then some. Gray swore she smirked over.

“Talk?”

“Hm?” Gray found Jack again as Jack flicked a warning look the cat’s way, no doubt against being body-slammed to the floor, but he carried tension in the stiffness to his shoulders now too.

“You ready to tell Jan about Monique’s car?” he said eventually, and he looked so sad.

Gray eased back, not sure why he avoided looking at Jack as he picked up his gun. “Yeah,” he added quietly. “About that too.”

Jack gave a long sigh. “I gave him some stress release as well to prep him for this talk. Hence my… heat as I didn’t let him touch me. He’s just cleaning up.”

Gray cocked a brow.

Jack shrugged boyishly. “Lad needs holding in all manner of ways. I just gave him a choice: blowjob or iced dildo.” A shy smile. “And we’re talking this big on the dildo.” He measured the distance from the floor, starting small, then ending up in over his head: more exhaust-pipe size and no doubt the scene fromThe Maskand where the exhaust was… put to rest.

Gray choked a smile.Way to go, Jack.

“Yeah, me and going overboard with portions, right?”

Was it just down to portions? There seemed some guilt there too, no doubt over missing the call, but work… it got in the way at the worst of times.

Jack got to his feet and helped Gray to his before slipping his jeans over his ass. No rush to shower… no rush to get Gray off his skin…. “You think he’ll be okay with the news on Chris and Ben? We’re used to messing with cunts like that, but him…?” Yeah, that’s why Jan had needed holding in Jack’s eyes. Always would be.

Gray frowned as he tucked his shirt in. “I need a talk with you as well, stunner.”

Jack stilled, then flicked him a look as he picked up the cigarette butt. He tugged his cigarette packet out of his back pocket a moment later, slipped the used in there, then tugged out a lighter and lit up a fresh one. He did that more and more around Gray lately, picking up on an old habit over not leaving DNA and brand names of cigarettes in ashtrays. Letting out thesmoke, Jack turned his head a little away from Gray so Gray was also no longer caught in the poisoned stream.

He was too much like his old man, always knowing a… talk never did bring good news on most fronts. He looked ill at ease and on edge as he nodded and turned to head the Maine’s way. He seemed to be expecting a… talk. “Listen, I—”

Jan came on through, a hand running through his hair, and it stopped whatever Jack was saying.

“Brennan.” Jan paused in the doorway, looked back the way he’d come, shrugged. “I’ve… he called. Just.”

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