Page 61 of Finally
A knock sounded on Jack’s office door. “Jack? It’s me.”
“Come on in, Jaime.”
The door opened and Jaime stepped inside. “Are you busy? Got a minute for me?”
“I’m always busyandI always have time for you.” He raised his arm toward the chair across from his desk. “What are you doing in the office today? Did you have a meeting onsite?” Jaime usually worked remotely because his responsibilities involved negotiations with outside companies about their distribution channels, manufacturing processes, and marketing, while Jack was responsible for day-to-day operations.
“No meeting.” He sat down and then scooted the chair closer to the desk. “I came in because I want to talk to you alone, and these days, that’s not possible in either of our homes.”
The reminder that he lived with Gray warmed Jack’s chest. With Gray as an incentive, Jack now left work at a decent hour every day. It hadn’t been easy and he was still adjusting some things, but he had managed to put in place a good team that took on some of his duties and reduced his workload. And while neither of them could completely ignore their work every weekend, they spent a lot more time wrapped up in each other than wrapped up in their projects. He forced himself to stop that distracting train of thought and tried to focus on the person sitting across from him.
“What’s going on?”
“I owe you an apology,” Jaime said. “I thought I was doing the right thing when we were together, but I’ve come to learn I was doing the opposite of that.”
Gray had told him that he had spoken to Jaime on Saturday. He had been sparse on the details, but he had been clear about the general topic and that the conversation hadn’t been friendly. He couldn’t do it while he was with Gray, but Jack had meant to reach out to Jaime once he got to work on Monday to smooth things over. Unfortunately, but predictably, the morning had been filled with one fire after another, so he hadn’t had the time.
“You’re fine, Jaime.” Jack assured him. “I promise, I’ve never been upset with you about our relationship.” It was impossible to be mad at Jaime in general and he certainly couldn’t blame him for how he felt, or rather how he didn’t feel, about him romantically. Besides, none of that mattered anymore and Jack wasn’t one to hold a grudge.
“Yeah, well, your man has, apparently, always been upset with me.”
My man. Jack smiled.
“Like the sound of that, do you?” Jaime asked, clearly knowing what had made Jack happy.
“I do. I really, really do.”
“Good.” Jaime tried to smile back, but it looked forced and it didn’t last. His lips turned down and his brow creased in seconds. “Seriously. He hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. Gray doesn’t hate anyone.” Gray didn’t like Jaime, that much was clear, but he didn’t care about people enough to have strong feelings about them one way or the other. Or at least that was how he felt about most people. Jack flashed back to the previous night, Gray’s lips swollen from their kisses, his chest shimmering with sweat, his expression pleasure drunk, and his rough voice telling him he loved him every time he thrust into Jack’s body. Gray had strong feelings for him, and he was extremely vocal about that fact.
“Alright. His dislike of me is excruciatingly pronounced. Take my word for it.”
Jack chuckled. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
“I’m serious, Jack!”
“I know you are.” He laughed. “This is killing you, isn’t it? Is this the first time in your life that somebody hasn’t liked you?”
“Yes!” Jaime slammed his hand on the desk.
Shaking his head, Jack patted the back of Jaime’s hand. “I’m sure once the two of you spend more time together, he’llfall under your spell like everybody else. Nobody can resist the James Snow charm.”
“I’ve known the guy for twenty years, Jack,” he said drolly. “The more time together ship has sailed and docked on the other side of the ocean.”
“He’s really taken a shine to Oliver,” Jack pointed out, trying to placate Jaime. “That counts for something with you, right?”
“He is smart,” Jaime conceded. “I’ll give him that. He’s a major asshole to me, but he’s brilliant.”
Jack picked up the framed photo he had added to his desk that morning. It was of him and Gray at a charity banquet. Gray was in a black suit, tailored to perfection. It highlighted his wide shoulders, broad chest, and his long legs. He turned the photo toward Jaime. “And he’s hot.”
Jaime threw his head back and laughed. “Smoking.”
Grinning, Jack set the photo down.
Jaime reached across the desk, palm up and Jack took his hand. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have hung on to you for that long. I was being selfish. If I could go back, I would do it very differently.”
Jack squeezed his hand. “It’s okay,” he said sincerely. “It’s in the past. We have great lives. We’re both very lucky.”
