Page 43 of Brittle Heart

Sophia’s mischievous grin doesn’t escape me. “Oh, just a gesture? Sure, Joshy. But if you’re thinking of a gift, make it good.” Clay’s knowing look makes me uneasy. It’s as if he’s reading my mind. I do my best to keep a straight face. “It’s just a friendly gesture.”

His smirk speaks volumes, and I feel a blush creeping up my neck.Is it that obvious?

His smirk remains. “Of course, it is.”

Sophia frowns at us. “And what happened? Why did she have a hard weekend?”

“Nothing,” we both say simultaneously.

She groans in frustration. “God, you’d think you boys are too old for this shit, but here we are.”

* * *

Xander

I fell asleep on the couch again.

The front door opens, and I sit up, the streaming service on the television asking me if I am still watching.

The footsteps are heading upstairs, but a second later, Clay walks into the living room.

“There you are.” He smiles, coming over and laying on top of me, breathing in my scent. “I love the smell of your neck, just behind your ear. I could breathe you in forever.”

I put my arms around him and pull him even closer to me. “Fuck, I missed you. Did you have a good evening?”

I look over at the clock on the surround sound system, just after one in the morning. I actually wanted to stay awake and wait for him.

“Now it’s a good evening,” he murmurs against my skin as I trace slow circles on his back. “How was your day?”

“Finished a tattoo sleeve today. It went pretty well. The dude was chill. Didn’t talk much,” I say, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Clay laughs softly, pulling back to meet my eyes, “Your favorite kind of client, huh? The silent type.”

“Well, my private life is loud enough with my boy, who seems unable to shut up,” I tease him.

“Oh hush, I am a delight to be around,” he boasts.

“Wouldn’t argue with that,” I say, brushing his tousled hair away from his eyes, a clear sign of a long day at work. “Light of my life.”

His gaze gets soft. “Love of mine,” he says before his lips meet mine.

I groan into the kiss, my hand drifting down to gently massage his neck. Pulling back, he rests his forehead against mine, exhaling softly. “I need a shower.”

“Mind if I join you?” I ask.

He smirks before getting to his feet and reaching out to help me up.

“Oh, I so do not mind,” he says, pulling me to my feet, then we make our way upstairs.

I follow him into our room and close the door behind us before turning back to him. “Do you need help with that?” I ask, nodding to his uniform.

I absolutely love when he wears it, it’s so damn sexy. But I love it even more when he takes it off.

“I’m quicker,” he says, unbuttoning his shirt, making me chuckle.

I pull my black T-shirt over my head, then slide down my sweatpants along with my boxers, standing naked before him. This makes him pause, his gaze fixed on my hard-on, freezing in the middle of taking off his shirt.

“I thought you said you were quicker,” I tease, stepping closer to help him with his shirt and unzip his uniform pants. “God, I love how tight these are on your perfect ass,” I comment, reaching out to give it a squeeze.

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