Later, with Parker dozing off in the back seat, Desmond drives me home. It’s fully dark, lamps casting round pools of warm light over the parking lot as we creep through the campus. When he pulls to a stop at the same spot he dropped me off after the beach date, I turn and look at Parker behind me. His forehead is pressed against the glass, eyes closed, and arms loose in a way that makes me think he’s probably not awake. I glance over at Desmond, who simply climbs from the vehicle.
I close my door gently, trying not to startle Parker awake, and immediately reach for Desmond. Unlike the first time, when I was cautious and a little bit anxious about it, this hug is perfectly natural. I grab hold of him and cling on tighter than I did before, face turned into his hair. He does the same, except, being shorter than me, this puts his face directly against my neck. I swallow back a groan, face heating in a furious blush at the feel of his lips against my skin.
Even though I wouldn’t have complained about a solid fifteen-minute hug, Parker’s sleepy presence in the car has us stepping apart after only a few moments. He touches the tips of his fingers lightly to the side of my jaw, and my cheeks prickle with a different kind of heat. I don’t know how anyone could stand to have someone’s hand on their dick. Desmond barely touches my face and I’m practically a puddle of longing and apprehension.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jacko. Thank you for…well, thank you for being there. Sorry again about all the drama.” He looks so tired, too sapped to even smile.
“It’s okay. I had fun.” Groaning, I close my eyes. Great. “No, I just meant?—”
“I know what you meant,” he replies, finally summoning a smile. Maybe it’s worth being awkward, if only because I occasionally get a treat at the end.
When I get upstairs, I check my cell and see a message from Nate that I’d missed. Yawning, I toss my phone down onto the bed and change into sweats. I should probably try and go to sleep, but what I’d really like to do is read some of my shifter romance book and imagine Desmond as the main character; distract myself from the real world with a fictional one.
Climbing into bed, I situate my pillow behind my back and grab my book. When my phone buzzes again, I remember Nate’s message and set the novel off to the side with a sigh. Sometimes, I wish life would just leave me alone for a day or two, and I could read in peace.
Nate
Mick Mick Mickyyyyy
Are you with Desmond?
Jack
Hey, sorry, I forgot to respond earlier. Yeah, how did you guess?
Nate
Figured you weren’t ignoring me for just anyone. Still hurts my feelings though.
Jack
I wasn’t ignoring you!
I didn’t actually hurt your feelings, right?
Seriously, I would never ignore you.
Nate
I know, I know. Just giving you a hard time. How’s the Aussie hottie doing?
You know what I realized?
Desmond = Daddy
Jack
NATE I SWEAR TO GOD.
Nate
I know you’ve thought it.
Jack
Unless you need something, I’m putting the phone down.
Nate
