Page 12 of Reactant

Will’s fingers dug into Quinn’s shoulder. “If he’s not responsive, he needs it cold,” he said.

“I’ll look after him, I promise,” Sebastian said.

“I know you will.”

Sebastian strode forward and took Will’s face in his hands and kissed him, holding firm as their lips moved together. He turned and bent, kissing Quinn’s forehead before he went after Peyton.

Peyton was standing in the middle of the bathroom, the light turned down and barely on. Sebastian moved up behind him, so close he could feel his body heat.

Sebastian ran his knuckles slowly up the middle of Peyton’s bare back.

Peyton let out a shuddered breath. “I don’t need—”

“I know.” He reached Peyton’s nape and then further, cradling the side of his head. He pressed his nose to the back of Peyton’s head and breathed deeply. It smelled like sweat and fading, fruity shampoo. Some kind of peach combination. “Turn around for me,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I can’t,” Peyton said, the small crack at the end of the words piercing Sebastian’s heart. Part of him knew that he should never have touched him. Him, or Will. If he’d stayed away from them, none of this would have gone near them. But he was selfish, so unbelievably selfish. He had wanted them in his arms, and he couldn’t feel regret for getting them there.

He just wished that the path hadn’t been so tumultuous.

“Please.” The plea was a bare whisper, more vibration than sound.

Peyton turned slowly, Sebastian’s hand sliding around over his ear and across to his cheek. He thumbed below Peyton’s cut. The press of their lips was less a kiss and more a broken touch meant to heal. Connection they both desperately needed.

“Shower with me?” Sebastian asked, their breath mingling.

Peyton didn’t respond, and Sebastian took it as a “yes.” Peyton was capable of telling Sebastian no if he really wanted him to leave. His body language screamed at Sebastian to stay, no matter the words he didn’t say.

Sebastian removed Peyton’s sling, mindful of keeping his arm as still as he could while he did, and then he hung it up beside the towels on the rack. He dropped to his knees and grasped Peyton’s hips, staring up at him. Peyton was watching him silently, his eyes a mixture of sweetness and heat.

Peyton lifted Sebastian’s glasses, the edges of him turning to a light blur, and placed them on the counter. He ran the tip of a finger down Sebastian’s nose, and it tickled, making Sebastian wrinkle it. A hint of a smile crossed Peyton’s lips. It was beautiful, and Sebastian wanted to see it again.

“On your knees is a good look for you,” Peyton said.

“Yeah? I’ll have to make sure to do it more often.”

“I’d like that.”

Sebastian licked his lips as he brushed the tips of his fingers across Peyton’s smooth skin. They tingled as he dipped them down the gorgeous V of his muscles. He hooked them in the waistband of Peyton’s briefs and slid them over slim hips and down strong thighs. Peyton’s dick was soft, nestled in curls and looking like a prize that Sebastian wasn’t sure he was worthy of.

He pressed his forehead against Peyton’s flat stomach and closed his eyes. The steady rise and fall was comforting, and if they had been lying down, he knew he could have fallen asleep listening to it. A hand settled on his head, and he let go of the breath he was holding.

Peyton was waiting with a kiss when he stood. Sebastian thumbed his cheeks as he kept it light. He trailed fingers down Peyton’s side, making him shiver. A small sound escaped Peyton, and it settled deep inside Sebastian.

“Ready to shower?”

Peyton’s lips quirked. “Are you planning to get naked or…?”

Oh. Right.

He slipped his own briefs off and threw them on top of Peyton’s. He went to turn on the shower and paused when he looked over his shoulder at Peyton. “Wait, your face.”

“My face?” Peyton asked, raising both brows. “Something wrong with it?”

“You need something on the stitches,” Sebastian said. He wasn’t an expert by any means, but he had looked at the paperwork the doctor had given them about Peyton’s shoulder. There had been a sheet in there for stitches, and it said to keep them dry, but if they got wet by accident, to dry the area straight away with a clean towel and make sure all the moisture was soaked up.

He crouched and opened the cupboard under the sink, where he’d put the waterproof bandages that they’d picked up at the pharmacy on the way from the hospital.

Peyton went to reach for them with his good hand when Sebastian stood, but Sebastian lifted them away. “I’ll do it.”

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