“I want to get to know you,” Callahan said. “That’s not a secret.”
“It’s not.”
“So,” Callahan asked, moving their arms and pulling Jace closer. “Can I?”
A small thrill shot up Jace’s spine. The same one as every time when Callahan instigated something with him, but this time it spread like a sparkler, igniting everything it touched inside of him. Callahan’s eyes glittered and Jace could smell the toothpaste on his breath.
“I don’t know.” He cradled Callahan’s cheek in his hand and studied the other man’s face.
Callahan’s face looked soft and relaxed, much like he did as he’d jacked Jace off on the couch earlier in the day. His features were calm and his shoulders loose. Callahan’s mouth was kiss-swollen and Jace ached to puff those lips up even more. He made a fist with his free hand, gouging his nails into his palm to stop himself from conceding prematurely, to stop himself from giving in when he knew better.
“That’s fine. That’s fair.” Callahan leaned against his palm. “Just tell me when we get home, I can see you again.”
Jace closed his eyes, taking a fortifying breath. What would Carmen or Remington say if he’d had either of them to consult? Carmen would laugh at him, call him a fool, and hang up the phone. Remington would probably remind him that he only had one life to live and not everyone…not everyone would leave him. He’d point to himself with a sheepish smile and quote some verse or poem Jace had never heard before.
They both would be right. He was a fool, and he couldn’t live like he had been forever. He was young, but he needed to start somewhere unless he wanted to remain both of those things.
“Okay,” he finally conceded. “Yes.”
“Yes?” A laugh bubbled out of Callahan’s mouth.
“Yeah. Why not.”
Callahan’s mouth crashed into his and Jace stumbled backward, his shoulders slamming into the closet door. His breath puffed out of his lungs and Callahan laughed, smiling into the kiss.
“I’m sorry,” he said, backing away and smoothing his hands down the front of Jace’s dress shirt. “I just… I didn’t think you’d agree.”
“Hard not to with a reception like that.”
Callahan grinned at him like Jace had gifted him the world, and for the first time since he’d sat down on the airplane, he thought maybe this wasn’t a mistake. Maybe he could find something good out of these circumstances.Someonegood. It was hard to see Callahan in these quiet and tender moments and not believe that to be the true and real version of him.
Jace swallowed. “Should we get going?”
“Right,” Callahan answered with a small frown.
“It’ll be okay.” He took Callahan’s hand and, after they’d gathered their phones and wallets, they waited in the hallway for the elevator. The doors opened revealing an empty car, and Jace’s shoulders sagged.
“It’s nice to not be stuck with him in a confined space,” Callahan murmured, undoubtedly speaking about Rhys and their last elevator ride.
They stepped into the empty elevator and Jace pushed the button for the lobby. The doors closed, and Callahan crowded him into the corner, tilting his head up and sucking in a deep breath at the base of Jace’s throat.
“You didn’t wear the cologne,” Callahan murmured, his lips puckering and leaving a kiss just above Jace’s collar.
“You didn’t like it.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat.
Callahan blinked up at him, and they were on the ground floor. The elevator doors opened and the bustling noises of conversation filled the small space, breaking the moment.
“Are you ready?” Jace asked, speaking to Callahan and himself.
He wasn’t sure he was ready. The hours they’d shared alone in the room had felt special somehow, and he worried going back into the public with Callahan would be a repeat of the night before. He wasn’t ready to let go of the soft and quiet things that had started to grow between them, and Jace bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from pulling Callahan back into the elevator and taking him back to their room. He understood this event—even if obligatory—was important.
“Not really.” Callahan chuckled. “But that’s pretty much my whole life.”
Jace followed Callahan to the taxi stand. “You worry so much about what other people want you to be. Isn’t that exhausting?”
Callahan let out a rough breath, snorting in the back of his throat. “Extremely.”
They walked past the taxi stand to the line of sleek, black, town cars. Jace studied Callahan as his eyes moved over the line of identical cars, his eyes widening when he found what he was looking for.
