Page 34 of The Long Game

He was struck again that, before yesterday, he’d never even had any inkling that Grady was so damn fit.

Grady was undoing his pants when he noticed Jack just standing there like an idiot. “Sorry,” Grady said, pulling his hands away from his fly and holding them up like he was being held at gunpoint. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jack said quickly. “I was spacing out.”And hoping you’d keep stripping.

Grady gestured at the bathroom. “I can—”

“No, really,” Jack said, placing the clothes he clutched in his hands onto the dresser and reaching for the hem of his shirt.This is fine. Everything is fine.It’s just like the locker room at the gym.“What do you usually wear to bed?” he asked over his shoulder. “Whatever will help you get a good night’s sleep is fine,” he added as he pulled his shirt off and reached for the clean one Grady had given him.

When Grady didn’t answer, Jack turned, holding the shirt so it covered most of his chest.

Grady opened his mouth twice without making any sound. He didn’t seem to know where to look. Finally, he blurted, “I sleep in my boxers.”

Jack could tell he was lying and his brain unhelpfully concluded Grady slept naked, which Jack absolutely didn’t need to know. Or picture.

Ever.

He wasn’t going to question Grady on any of it because he needed to keep his sanity and because he wasn’t stupid enough to think this whole “Two Dudes Who Sleep Next To Each Other For Comfort” thing wasn’t weird enough already.

“Same for me,” he said, which at least was mostly true, in that he slept in his underwear. He didn’t think he needed to get into details, like the fact that those oftenweren’tboxers. “And a t-shirt.”

He pulled Grady’s on over his head, then smirked down at the RCMP stamped across his chest. Grady was leaner than Jack, so the torso and sleeves were a little tight, but not too bad.

Grady nodded, his eyes trailing over Jack’s stomach. Jack wondered if he’d been able to make sense of the ink Jack had flashed. Shrugging, he reached for his pants because he was nothing if not determined to follow this through. Also, thank god, today hewaswearing boxer briefs.

Grady followed his lead and soon they were both in their underwear and Grady’s t-shirts, and Jack had no fucking idea what to say or do next. Had he ever found a pair of bare legs as sexy as Grady’s? They went on for miles, and Jack wanted to run his hands over every inch of them.

Fucking hell, he needed to get a grip.

Grady, thank Christ, appeared unaware of Jack’s traitorous thoughts as he dug through his linen closet to retrieve a new toothbrush for Jack. They shared the sink as if they’d done it a zillion times before, which felt strange since it was only the second time Jack had done something like this. Ever. But it was also kind of comforting.

Jack hoped Grady thought so, too.

After brushing their teeth, they took turns in the bathroom. Jack went second and came out to find all the lights off except the little lamp on Grady’s side of the bed. Jack climbed in the other side, thinking the queen-size mattress would be a tight fit. He settled against the pillows, not giving in to the urge to fling himself on top of Grady and demand he feel better.

That probably wouldn’t work anyway.

Grady turned out the light while Jack told himself that being here was enough and he wouldn’t be disappointed if they stayed on opposite sides of the bed. He was a liar, though, and sighed with relief when Grady rolled and curled a long, warm arm over his waist.

“Is this okay?” Grady asked as they both wriggled toward the middle of the bed.

“Of course,” Jack said, encouraging Grady closer until his head rested on Jack’s chest, his hair tickling Jack’s chin. Jack curled his arms around Grady’s shoulders and told his brain and his dick—both of which were finding the proceedings more exciting than they should—that it was time to go to sleep.

With their bodies this close, Jack could feel the tension running through Grady’s muscles, so he held on and hoped that the warmth and his tight hold would make a difference.

Eventually, Grady let out a long breath, his arm tightening around Jack’s waist while the rest of him sagged against Jack’s side. Jack rubbed a hand up and down that arm in long, slow strokes, and let his eyes slide closed, content he was where he was meant to be, doing something that helped. Even if only just a little.

For the secondday in a row, Grady woke up with Jack tucked against his chest, this time facing each other. Jack’s head was buried under the covers and beneath Grady’s chin, and their legs were tangled together.

The good news was Jack hadn’t been poked awake by the raging hard-on Grady was sporting. The bad news was, if Jack woke up while Grady got out of bed, he was going to see a pup tent that would make even LL Bean proud.

Fortunately, Jack seemed slow to wake, his eyelids barely fluttering as Grady scooted across the bed and practically fell on his ass getting out from under the covers. Two seconds later he was stumbling through the bathroom door, hoping Jack assumed this was due to a full bladder and not because Grady needed to spend a few minutes sitting on the cold toilet seat thinking deeply unsexy thoughts.

Fuck fuck fuck.

What the hell were they doing?

Grady shook his head. He knew what the hellhewas doing.Hewas doing his level best to utterly nukeOperation: Get Over Jack Chevalier.

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