Cold’s ring was in his pocket, and it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He couldn’t wait to show it to him, and he found himself pacing anxiously while Cold finished up in the bathroom. He finally made himself sit down on the chaise at the foot of their bed, taking the ring out and holding it tight with both hands.
Cold emerged from the bathroom, smiling when he saw Jimmy waiting for him. “Ah, right on time.”
Jimmy glanced at his watch and laughed. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see ten hours and two minutes had passed since this morning. “Hey, Rod.”
Cold glanced at the open closets, noting, “Mmm, I see you got our tuxedos.” His gaze moved back to Jimmy, focusing on his hands. “That’s not all you got today, is it?”
“No.” Jimmy shyly approached, and his pulse started to flutter in his ears as he kneeled in front of Cold. He offered out the ring, his own hands shaking as he took Cold’s to slide the ring into place.
Just as Rowena predicted, it fit perfectly.
“Do... do you like it?” Jimmy asked anxiously. “The pearl, it just, it made me think of you and, and that I love you. I love all of you, even the parts you try to keep from me and—”
“Jimmy,” Cold soothed gently, shaking his head to silence his worried rambling. He took Jimmy’s hands in his and squeezed. There was something soft in his eyes that made Jimmy’s heart ache to witness, and he was almost afraid that he was about to see Cold cry.
The tears never came, but Cold’s voice was tender as he confirmed, “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Relieved, Jimmy smiled brightly and stood up to embrace Cold. He kissed him, the affection quickly turning heated, and Cold’s hand went to Jimmy’s belt. Jimmy pulled back to catch his breath, gasping as Cold began to work his pants off. “Wh-what about the party?”
“How about we have our own little party right here?” Cold smiled wickedly, urging Jimmy back into bed and sliding his pants down his legs.
“Are you all done planning whatever it was you were planning?” Jimmy moaned when Cold’s hot mouth pressed against his inner thigh. “I, I understand if you have to work on gangster stuff!”
“Not quite,” Cold confessed honestly. “You see, Mr. Poe, I’m currently planning to ravage you all night long and push your body to impossible limits of physical pleasure to show my sincere appreciation for the ring you got me. I also owe you a very exquisite punishment for how you’ve mocked my suffering while I was trapped with that terrible device around my ankle. It’s quite the task ahead of me, to both reward and defile you thoroughly. So, no, my plans are not technically concluded for the evening.”
“That, that sounds like a really good plan,” Jimmy hiccupped, wiggling out of his shirt as quickly as he could. “Such a good plan.”
“Are we then in agreement to forego the party?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Ihad a feeling you’dbe interested,” Cold drawled as he pulled Jimmy’s underwear down. “You do so want to be a good boy for me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Jimmy replied, naked now and earnestly gazing up at Cold. “Tell me what to do, sir.”
