“And that’s the issue. If you think that’s nice, ‘Houston, we have a problem.’” Jeremy made air quotes. “I’m gonna have to step up my game ’cause that’s only the beginning with me and you.”
“You’re sweet.” Blake ran a hand up Jeremy’s arm, loving his strength, yet knowing how gentle and tender he could be.
“Yeah, I’m a fucking candy cane, waiting for you to lick me all over.” His eyes danced, and Blake tumbled down into the abyss, but instead of crashing he soared. Denying how much he wanted this man didn’t solve problems. Blake was ready to open his heart to Jeremy’s love.
“You saw Cassandra, I presume. She’s the only one who knows where I am now.”
“I saw her, yeah. And it was rough going, boy. She’s like a tiger. Put me through the wringer.”
The image of Cassie schooling big, tough Jeremy brought tears of laughter. “Oh, I would’ve loved to see that.”
“I got what I wanted, didn’t I? She told me what happened. What those bastards did to you.”
The laughter dried up, and Blake ducked his head, fresh humiliation washing over him. This was the part he dreaded. Exposing himself. But if Jeremy could do what he did, Blake had to face his demons.
“I found irregularities in one of our clients’ accounting practices. Instead of thanking me for what happened, they told me I should’ve covered it up for them. Basically certify financials I knew to be false. I couldn’t do that, so they fired me, which I could’ve recovered from, but they made sure to blacklist me so that no other major firm would want me. I don’t even know what they said, but it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t find a job, and then from the stress I couldn’t…you know, be with you in bed. It was all too much. So I ran. Stupid and childish. I know that now. Running away from my problems didn’t make them go away. And I missed you so damn much. Every night I wondered if you’d found someone new, and it tortured me.”
Jeremy cast his gaze downward, and Blake’s heart pounded. “You did, didn’t you? You were with someone else?” Bile rose in his throat.
“No. But I’ll admit I tried at one point.”
Unbearable hurt made it hard to speak. “Oh.” He’d known a man like Jeremy wouldn’t be without someone for long.
“It went nowhere. I couldn’t even kiss her good night. But it was good that I did it.” He took Blake’s face between his hands, and Blake saw the yearning in Jeremy’s eyes. “It made me realize how right we are together. And Chelsea—the girl I went out with—she made me face the facts and told me if I want you, to go get you. So we have her to thank in a way.”
Mollified, Blake rested his head on Jeremy’s shoulder. “We have a lot of people to thank. Noah called me as well.”
Jeremy stilled and stopped caressing his leg. “He did?”
“Yeah. And we had a great talk. He made sense out of things I hadn’t been able to.”
“He’s the best. And I’m going to thank him right before I kill him for not telling me.” Jeremy nuzzled his neck. “Let’s go back to bed. It’s late and you have to get up early. I missed our morning wake-ups.”
Heat spiraled through Blake remembering. Every morning, Jeremy would pounce on him and they’d have quick, hot sex, leaving Blake so sated, it was a wonder he was able to walk for the rest of the day. But much as Blake wanted to give in to Jeremy, who’d begun to tweak his nipples and rub his cock, he hadn’t finished what he needed to say.
“I, uh, I have something to tell you.”
“Uh-oh.” Jeremy lifted his gaze from where he was about to suck at one of Blake’s aching nipples. “Sounds ominous.”
“No, I don’t think so. But it is important.”
Jeremy sat up straight and faced him. “Okay. Lay it on me.”
“I quit my job today. And I’ve never been happier. I hated that place and the way Kyle treated everyone. The workers, the customers…” He shook his head at the memory of this afternoon, after he’d told Kyle. The man screamed at him, telling him how worthless he was and how dare he walk out on them. For a second he felt guilty leaving them in the lurch but knew Kyle would have a replacement for him tomorrow. And Oscar said he wished he had the guts to do what Blake did, giving him pause to think.
“Good. That guy’s a real bastard. You’ll find something. I’m not worried.”
“So here’s the thing. Cassie—Cassandra—and I want to start our own business. But we want it to be more than tax prep. We’ll do headhunting for everyone, not simply those looking for high-level jobs. Helping low- and middle-income people get the services they need. We could find a lawyer to help people set up small businesses. Working at that job wasn’t a bad thing. I got to meet a cross-section of so many different people, and it led me to an epiphany of sorts.”
“Go on,” Jeremy urged him, eyes bright. “I’m loving every word of this.”
Encouraged, Blake continued. “We want to help the regular people struggling to make it in the city. We know how hard it is to be poor and middle-class here. At the job, if I tried to help people by giving them advice on social services or job-recruitment sites, Kyle yelled at me and said that wasn’t what we were there for. Do their returns and forget about helping them.”
“But you’re not like that. You have a heart.” A warm palm rested against his chest. “You care.”
He shrugged. “I can’t ignore when I see things. And even if I could get a job back in the private sector, doing what I used to do, I’m not sure it’s right for me anymore. I’m not interested in finding places for rich assholes to shield their income.”
“In all the time we were together I never saw you so passionate about anything. Except me, of course.” With a wink, Jeremy leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
