Page 22 of On the Edge

“Maybe.” He sounded like he was only humoring me, which was hardly reassuring. Crossing the room, I dragged the chair closer to the bed.

“What are you doing?” Declan’s frown deepened. “You look dead on your feet. I’m not going to ask you to read after a twelve-hour shift.”

I stifled a yawn. “I’m not going to deny being tired, but I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone in case this worsens. I can stay, or I can set alarms to come back and check?—”

“I’m not a cake.” He threw up his hands before patting the bed next to him. “If you’re intent on keeping an eye on me, at least sit where it’s comfortable with your feet up.”

The offer to sit next to him was too tempting on multiple levels. The bed was cushy with a padded headboard and putting up my tired feet sounded heavenly. Before I could overthink the choice, I slipped off my shoes and sat beside him, trying to keep a reasonable distance between our bodies.

“Do you want me to read?” I asked, pulling out my phone. I needed the distraction from his nearness. He might be hurting, but that only made me want to touch him more. “I don’t want to accidentally fall asleep here.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” A slow blush spread up his pale cheeks. “Anyway, yeah, read a little if you’ve got energy.”

“For the vicar?” I smiled over at him, hoping like heck I could stay awake longer than him. “Always.”

Chapter Eleven

Declan

I woke up groggy in the weird not-quite morning, not exactly night hours, but remarkably, I wasn’t in pain. My headache had retreated, my leg wasn’t throbbing, and apparently, I’d found a sleep position that worked because I had none of my usual aches and stiffness.

Well,somethingwas stiff. Very stiff, indeed. I was immediately and acutely aware of Jonas lying beside me, asleep with soft, even snores. The low bedside light was still on, allowing me to take stock of the situation. When Jonas had first sat on the bed, he’d left a good three feet of space between us on the queen mattress, but sometime after we both drifted off, our bodies had migrated.

We’d found each other, and the dog had found a new resting spot under the window. Like Jonas, Oz was sprawled out and fast asleep, but I was way more concerned with Jonas’s nearness.

We were facing each other on our sides, my head tucked near his neck, close enough so each inhale brought another intoxicating dose of Jonas. My bare stomach rested against hisshirt-covered belly, making it so I could feel his every breath. My hand was resting on his biceps, and the smart thing would have been to remove it—and the rest of me—as soon as I was awake.

But as my high school grades clearly showed, I wasn’t that smart.

Instead, I lightly stroked his arm, measuring the curve of his muscle, tracing it down to where his hand lay loosely against my waist. His hands were larger than mine, wider with hairier forearms that had me wondering how fuzzy his chest was. I set my hand on his, comparing, then stroked back up his arm so I could coast down his shoulder and back.

Part of my curiosity was the novel opportunity to explore another guy outside of the confines of my own brain, and even that, I’d tried to limit. But this was alsoJonas,and I’d spent the last twenty-four hours battling attraction and arousal both. I wasn’t simply curious about how any male chest would feel. I likedhis.The fuzziness turned me on in a way nothing else ever had. Apparently, I had a thing for hairy? Who knew. But I liked everything I was discovering about Jonas.

Continuing my exploration, I tried deepening my breath so I could feel even more of the flex of his belly against mine. My cock was growing harder by the second, and I instinctively rocked my hips.

Oh.

Jonas was hard too. Did he like me touching him in his sleep or?—

“What are you doing?” he mumbled into my hair.

Experimenting. The word was right there, but something told me Jonas wouldn’t take kindly to it. Instead, I went for the truth.

“I don’t know, but it feels good.Right.”

“Declan…” Jonas sighed but didn’t move away, which I took as a major win. “How is your head?”

“Better. Lots. Check my pupils.” I tilted my head so he could gaze directly into my eyes.Holy fuck.Looking deep into Jonas’s hazel eyes, centimeters away from mine, lips so close I could feel the warmth of his exhale was heady stuff.

“Your eyes look good.” His voice was husky with more than sleep. “Fine.They look fine.”

Continuing to hold his gaze, I did what I’d been longing to do for days and ran a thumb down his beard. I hadn’t intended to bring his face even closer, but I wasn’t about to argue with that result either. In fact, the easiest thing in the world was to try a barely there kiss, the lightest press of my lips against his.

“Oh.”We made the same sound at the same moment. Jonas’s eyes went wider and darker, surprise replaced by heat. He tightened his grip on my waist, holding me firmly against him.

“Can I do it again?” I whispered, wanting the chance at another kiss more than any holeshot or victory lap.

“We shouldn’t,” he murmured, staying exactly where he was.

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