Page 79 of Needing Your Love
Chaz nodded, understanding in his dark eyes. “Ever consider talking to someone?” he asked, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
Jamie ran a hand over his back, gaze glued to Chaz’s profile, the love in his eyes no longer causing jealousy to stir inside me.
“No.” Jimmy cleared his throat. “I—I don’t mind you guys knowing, but to really dig deep and relive that shit?” He shivered and shook his head.
I soothed my fingertips along his forearm that used to be streaked red from scratching.
“Talking about it hurts,” Chaz stated, glancing between us, “but it’s so goddamned worth it. Even though you can’t set shit right with your old man, you can still figure out a way to move on. Find peace of your own.”
Jimmy shrugged, and I recognized him shutting down.
“I don’t have anything but a couple of Snickers bars for dessert,” I announced.
A soft laugh left Jimmy, and he glanced at me, his eyes wet.
“The first time I remember seeing Jimmy was a hot September afternoon,” I said, not taking my eyes off him. But rather than focus on the trauma that had brought me to the Riley home all those years ago, I told the tale of how we had shareda chocolate bar, how over his teenage years we’d often done the same.
I’d kept a box in my bottom desk drawer for the nights he hung out on the jail cell cot and a few stashed in my glove compartment during the cooler months for whenever I ran across him in town.
Twice in the week we’d been holed up I’d tasted chocolate and peanuts on his tongue, licking deep and trying to swallow him whole.
That led to the story of two best friends lying beneath the stars, admitting their feelings for each other, which brought up the topic of Dex.
“I have a love/hate relationship with that man,” Jimmy muttered, his forehead dented. “He’s so…handsywith you. Can’t stand it.” His pout had me chuckling.
“He’s a manipulative little shit,” I stated, eyeing him with an intentional stare.
Jimmy huffed, crossing his arms with a petulant scowl, and I chuckled.
“He got what he hoped for though, didn’t he?”
“What’s that?” Jimmy muttered.
“The two of us together.”
Jimmy whipped his head toward me, studying my face. “That’s what he’s been playing at?”
“He wants what’s best for me,” I assured Jimmy, hoping he would read between the lines—that he would offer me something in return.
“Well.” Jamie shot to his feet, pulling Chaz along with him. “We’ve got that…thing to take care of at home, right?”
Chaz gave him a strange look, and Jamie rolled his eyes. “Oh. That.” Chaz huffed a laugh, and five minutes later, Jimmy and I were alone in the entryway after seeing the two boys off.
“So,” I said, checking out the bumps of rings through Jimmy’s nipples. “Want to share that Snickers bar?”
“Only if you’ll let me suck the cum from your balls afterwards to help wash down all that sugar.”
I grabbed Jimmy, tossed him over my shoulder, and strode toward the stairs. “Deal.”
Chapter 30
Jimmy
“You haven’t been around much the last two weeks.”
Gram’s observance made my face grow hot, and I glanced around her consignment shop that hadn’t changed much in my long absence. Because of her declining health, she’d shortened the hours of operation and rarely went in to oversee it herself, leaving one of the two high school seniors who came in after school and for the weekend hours in charge.
I’d swung by a few times since my return, but she was right.
