Jericho chuckled softly, watching goosebumps erupt along Atticus’s skin. “You came to me, Freckles. Remember?”
Atticus turned his head to let Jericho plunder his mouth before pulling away to say, “You came to my office first.”
“You came to my house,” Jericho teased. “You said you weren’t leaving, no matter what I did. You begged me to fuck you, remember?”
“I remember,” Atticus managed, seeking Jericho’s lips once more.
After that, there was no talking, just kissing and touching and the occasional breathy sigh or moan. It didn’t go anywhere. Atticus had made it clear he wasn’t in the mood for more than that, which was fine with Jericho, even if he was hard enough to pound a nail through a two by four.
By the time they slowed, the movie was over. Atticus put his laptop on the side table. Jericho rolled them so Atticus was the little spoon. He could feel him gearing up to tell Jericho that he had to leave. “Don’t even try to tell me I can’t sleep over, Freckles. You’re sleeping in my arms tonight. Deal with it.”
Atticus harrumphed like the spoiled brat he was. “Fine. I’m too tired to argue.”
“Such a gracious host,” Jericho murmured, letting his lips trail over whatever skin they could reach.
After a few minutes, Atticus asked, “What are you planning on doing with our friend Bryan?”
Jericho didn’t stop his lazy exploration. He touched his tongue to Atticus’s shoulder before scraping his teeth along the spot.
Atticus shifted slightly when Jericho’s fingers began to trail along his chest and belly. Atticus was so into being touched. He loved it. He gravitated towards it without thought. It was so hot.
Finally, he said, “Fine, but I’m just going to keep you company. I told you, I don’t like the killing part.”
Jericho shook his head, dropping a kiss to the nape of his neck. “I just want your company, Freckles. I’ll do the wet work.”
That seemed to settle him. “Just don’t tell my brothers. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Already thinking of introducing me to the family?” Jericho teased.
Atticus shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll meet them eventually. Too many of them know about you now. If I don’t bring you to them, they’re going to come find you. They’re probably already watching you.”
Jericho supposed that should have concerned him, but what were they going to learn? That he was in the same business they were? “So, you did tell them about me.”
Atticus heaved a heavy sigh. “Not exactly. It just…happened. It’s complicated.”
Jericho curved his hand over Atticus’s hip. “Does it bother you that your family thinks you’re gay?”
Atticus shrugged. “My family doesn’t care about sexuality. Most of them are gay. Seems statistically impossible, but I’m the only one who’s ever seriously dated a woman.”
Jericho’s stomach soured, his lip curling in disgust. “Kendra.”
“Did I tell you her name?” Atticus asked.
Jericho’s grip tightened. “I do my homework, too, Freckles. I saw all the articles about the two of you. She looks like a real bitch, if I’m being honest.”
Atticus gave another soft laugh. “She was a real bitch. I’m pretty sure she was a psychopath, too. My brother, August, was sure she was just a narcissist. Whatever she was, she had an agenda and woe betide the creature who got in her way.”
“What did you see in her?” Jericho asked, hating the way his stomach clenched.
“Do you want me to be honest?” Atticus asked.
No.“Yeah.”
“Nothing. She was just relentless in her pursuit of me and I was too busy working to keep fighting her. I’m sure she assumed that, as the eldest, I’d inherit my father’s money because there were plenty of other, hotter Mulvaneys she could have tried for, but she went for me with the same single-mindedness she attacked everything.”
“Why didn’t you just get rid of her?”
“Like, kill her?” Atticus asked.
