Park barked out a laugh. “No, I wouldn’t make you do that. You’d never pull it off.” He looked at Jackson, met his gaze. “If we do this, we do it right. I’m going to talk to Martha tomorrow about setting up a press conference. I have to announce that the campaign is back on anyway, so I’ll do that and then I’ll...open the window.”
“You’reserious.”
Park nodded. His gut told him this was the right thing to do. He felt confident in his decision, even if it terrified him. “I’ll probably lose the election, if only because a scandal breaking only a month before the vote is going to be nearly impossible to recover from. But I don’t care anymore. If I lose, I lose. Maybe I take some time off, regroup, run again for something elsein a few years. Or I go back to Ving or invest in some new ventures, or... I don’t know. There are a lot of possibilities. All I know is that a life without you is not worth living, and I’m tired of lying, so I’m going to be honest.”
“What about your father? He won’t love this turn of events.”
Of course Jackson would know that, but Park wouldn’t let his father rule him anymore. “It doesn’tmatter. I have to do what’s best for me, not necessarily what’s best for the family. And I... I’m tired. I’m so tired of trying to be what everyone else wants me to be. I just want to be myself for a while. Dad will have to cope with that.”
Jackson’s eyes went a little wide in surprise. He pursed his lips and tilted his head as if he were contemplating what to say. “What if I said I wantedno part of politics?”
“Well, we could discuss that. But I wouldn’t choose politics over you. Being with you is more important. I’ve learned that lesson.”
Jackson leaped on top of Park, kissing him hard, before Park even knew what was happening. He was glad for it and thrust his fingers into Jackson’s hair, massaging his scalp as they tangled their tongues. He held his sprained wrist outof the way, which was awkward, but he didn’t care. He had Jackson with him here now.
“God, I love you,” Jackson said between kisses all over Park’s face. “You would really do this for me?”
“Yeah.” Park sighed. “A crazy man pointing a gun at you will make you rethink your priorities. So I’ve rethought mine. I love you, Jack. So let’s do it. Let’s be together.”
Jackson smiled. “All right.”
Park put his good hand on Jackson’s shoulders, wanting to pull him down for another kiss, but instead he said, “Does this mean you forgive me for leaving you? And compromising your ethics?” He met Jackson’s gaze, anxiously waiting for an answer.
Jackson sighed. “I think I forgave you the moment you walked into my office and asked to hire me.” He looked away for a moment and then turnedhis head back and met Park’s gaze. “It was a hard thing, getting over you the last time, but today has made me realize that there’s always been something between us that apparently even time and distance can’t kill.”
“Yeah. I think that’s true.”
Park leaned up to kiss Jackson, mashing their lips together but not caring about bruises or teeth, only about getting to Jackson. Jackson heldhimself up a little, probably conscious of Park’s wounded wrist, but Park didn’t care about pain, either. He curled his fingers into Jackson’s hair and pulled him down, reveling in the weight of him as Jackson forgot himself and sank onto Park and into the bed.
“Make love to me,” Park whispered.
“Yes.”
Jackson kissed Park and slid his hands under Park’s T-shirt. The tips of his fingersgrazed Park’s nipples, sending little electrical pulses through Park’s body. All at once, his skin went on red alert, and he thrust his hips up toward Jackson. Jackson’s lips shifted, maybe in a smile, as he continued to kiss Park and touch Park’s skin hungrily.
It took some tricky maneuvering, but Jackson managed to get Park’s T-shirt off and his arm back resting on its pile of pillows. Hepulled Park’s sleep pants off, too, and tossed them aside. Then he stood at the foot of the bed and tugged his own shirt off one-handed.
“Jack...” Park said, and it came out as half a moan.
Jackson’s hard cock tented his sweats, and Park wanted to see it. He reached out with his good hand. Jackson’s whole body flushed pink, and his muscles strained against his skin. They’d been rushedthe last time they’d gotten naked together, and getting to really look at Jackson felt like a luxury.
“Come here.” Park hooked a finger into the waistband of Jackson’s sweats, tugging a little.
Jackson pushed his sweats down his legs. Park’s initials still stood out on Jackson’s hip, Jackson’s cock was still a thing of beauty, and the way Jackson ran his hands through his own hair wasdead sexy. Jackson was a well-formed man, no doubt about it. He was so clever and essentially good, and he loved Park, and they were so good together... Park ached with the need to have Jackson inside him.
Jackson climbed on the bed. “Your wrist okay?”
“It’s fine. Kiss me.”
Jackson complied, pulling Park into his arms and nudging at Park’s hip with his hard cock. Park loved being pressedagainst Jackson. In all their years together, they’d had plenty of time to get to know how to drive each other mad, and Park wondered if there were many more nights in their future in which sex got inventive and maybe a little kinky, but for now, Park just needed Jackson, above him, inside him, beside him for always.
So Park kissed Jackson and trailed his fingers down Jackson’s spine. He cuppedone of Jackson’s round buttocks, enjoying the slightly fuzzy skin there. He pulled Jackson closer until their cocks lined up, but Park wanted Jackson inside him, wanted to be as connected as possible.
Park pulled a bottle of lube out from under the pillow. “I stole this from your briefcase.”
Jackson laughed softly. “Don’t go through my stuff.”
“You really would have preferred to getup now and go grab it?”
