Page 52 of Stolen

“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself.” Jacob shook his head with a laugh. “It still doesn’t change anything. I’m not touching you again until you’re begging me for it.”

“Then you’ll be waiting a long time, sinceone of ushas damn good resolve.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Jacob hummed before he set the bottle of wine down next to him. The next thing I knew, he was pulling off his shirt, letting it fall down by his feet. After that, he casually pulled down his pants and boxers, too, not stopping until he was fully naked in front of me. I tried my best to look away from him but couldn’t resist stealing glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye.

“How’s that damn good resolve of yours?” Jacob laughed. “You can’t even look at me right now. That’s how much you want me.”

“I never said anything about wanting you.”

“Careful, Leo.” Jacob’s hands were now at my side, even as I still looked away from him. “I know you’re competitive, but that’s no reason for you to start lying to me.”

“Fine,” I admitted. “You look good. But you already knew that.”

“You look good, too.” Jacob was staring right at me. “Maybe we could call a truce?”

“Maybe.” I smirked as I moved away from him. “Or maybe we could restart the clock. See if I win again.”

“Oh, you’re evil.” Jacob laughed again. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting this from you, baby.”

I shrugged, already walking toward the pillows and blankets he’d laid out, pleased with myself for passing Jacob’s naked test. “Always expect the unexpected. That’s what us winners tend to do.”

“Right. Of course.”

“You’ll get it someday, you know, when you’re a winner,” I said, as I lay down, patting the space right next to me. Jacob eventually came over, still naked, still tempting as ever.

“I’m looking forward to the day.” Jacob pulled me closer to him as he spoke, close enough that I was resting my head against his chest.

I didn’t say another word, just relaxed against him, my mind soon drifting off toward unconsciousness. It was a strange kind of pleasant, getting lost in the feel of Jacob, not knowing that it was possible to let myself get lost in a person. The last thing I felt was Jacob’s fingers gently moving through my hair, his touch wondrously soft and comforting.

Home.

The word appeared and then disappeared, as I finally closed my eyes to sleep.

14

JACOB

“How do I look? It looks good, right?” Diego was standing in one of the lobbies, in front of a nondescript wall, bland and boring. “Chris let me borrow one of his uniforms.”

“Yeah, but you forgot the ball, wanker,” Chris joked, as he kicked a soccer ball over to Diego. “Now, that completes the look. Don’t you think?”

“You look great, Diego!” Tommy offered them both a thumbs up before he adjusted his camera stand. There were a few photographers behind him, adjusting their camera set-ups as well, clearly playing follow the leader.

“So, is that a yes?” Leo walked into the lobby, holding a coffee from the café in his grip and his phone held up to his ear. “Because if it’s a yes, I’m going to be so fucking excited. If it’s a no, I’m willing to keep talking your ear off for the next three hours?—”

He stopped suddenly in his tracks. “Got it! It’s a yes! Thanks! I promise I won’t bother you for at least the next six months. Maybe. We’ll see what happens. Bye!”

“Wrapping up on getting approval for the shoot?” I started, as I walked over to him.

“Yep. I stayed up all night working through various time zones, but I think I finally got it all figured out. Or at least, most of it, which means if the last pieces don’t snap into place, we shouldn’t have to throw the whole project away.”

“See? Told you that you could do it.” I beamed over at him as I looked him up and down. I hadn’t seen Leo since he’d taken an impromptu nap in my arms yesterday. After that, he’d disappeared to get lost in his work.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Leo smirked. “How’s everyone doing so far? Anyone trying to kill each other yet?”

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