Page 23 of Jinn

Finn mimicked his position, propping his head on one hand. “No. I was thirteen when it first happened and it was in front of one of the men who ran the orphanage I was in. Freaked him out, as you can imagine.”

“I bet. What did he do?”

“Locked me into a windowless room. It took me a long time to learn to control my power and escape. Years.”

Ajax sat up. “Seriously? They kept you locked up for years in that room?”

“That one and others, since they moved me around often. They didn’t know what else to do with me. But I turned out okay, as you can see. And it has been a very long time since all that happened.” He patted the bed. “Lie back down with me. I don’t need sympathy; that’s not what I want from you. I wasn’t unhappy, and I got to see many beautiful places while I traveled the world.”

Ajax lay back down, this time closer with his hand on Finn’s chest. “What is it you want from me, then?”

Finn was silent a few moments because he still didn’t know. Well, he did, but it still felt like asking for too much. “Not entirely sure yet. This, whatever is between us, feels pretty intense.”

“It does. I’m fascinated by you.”

He frowned. “Because of my magic?”

“No,” he said softly as he stroked the hair on Finn’s chest. “That’s just a part of who you are. I mean, it’s a big part obviously but not all there is to you. You’re strong and protective. Kind.”

“How do you know I’m kind?”

He chuckled. “We’ve spent a month together now, so how could I not see it? Besides, you’ve eaten all my bad meals without once telling me the truth about them.”

“I like food.”

“But my food?”

“Well…not really. But you’re learning. And that one casserole wasn’t bad. The one with the broccoli.”

Ajax snuggled closer. “Cheese makes everything good.” He kissed Finn’s chest. “I hate that you had such a rough childhood.”

“It was a really long time ago.”

“To be alone for so long—it breaks my heart.”

“I’m not alone right now,” he whispered, enjoying the feel of Ajax’s skin against his and the way his breath brushed over his chest.

“I’ve got to get up and blow out the candles, and I don’t want to move.” Ajax’s words were slowing, his body growing more pliant against Finn.

“I’ll get them.” Finn reluctantly slid away. Ajax watched him with sleep-heavy eyes.

“Come back and sleep here?”

Finn looked down at him, his heart feeling a mix of emotions that he simply didn’t want to deal with, so he nodded. The whole time he took care of the candles, he worked not to think about the future. Maybe he could do this. Just be with this wonderful man for another five months.

But even as he tried to convince himself, he knew that in the long run, it would kill him to leave Ajax.

Chapter Fourteen

Ajax

Ajax set his jaw and locked the studio door, shutting himself inside. It had been three days since he’d led Finn to his room, and they’d spent every night in each other’s arms. He couldn’t keep his hands off Finn during the day, either, which meant he’d made no progress on “Smoke Moves.” Today, he was determined to work on it, no matter the temptation. The lyrics kept changing, but he had the music down. Slow beat, and a build on the second chorus that gave him goosebumps when he played it. So he knew he’d created something memorable. And even if it wasn’t to anyone else, he was still proud of it.

Once it was done, he’d play it for Finn first. After all, the song was about him. Inspired by him.

After a few hours, he found his attention wandering back to breakfast and the way Finn had backed him into the counter and devoured his mouth. This kind of chemistry was something he’d dreamed of finding and never thought he’d have.

Finn was a dream with his hands, andholy fuck, his mouth. All their encounters so far had moved fast and hot, hands and mouths sending them both to ecstasy before they even had timeto reach for the lube. Tonight though, Ajax wanted that powerful man to fuck him into the mattress. Pound his brains out. They’d made plans to watch a movie, and he looked forward to that, too, because spending time with Finn was just as good as the sex. The bodyguard had started out so serious and professional, but there was a really delightful sense of humor starting to shine through.

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