Jay arched an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, there was a blue one, too, but it had a shark on it.”
“Admit it, you were tempted to get the shark,” Jay teased.
Ryden pressed his lips together, and Jay’s eyes went wide before he laughed so hard that he was in tears. Then he scrambled out of bed, and Ryden threw the blanket over his head, hearing Jay from his bathroom.
“Oh my God, you got the shark!”
The next thing he knew, the mattress bounced, and a little shark head popped up under the blanket.
“Let’s be friends!”
Ryden groaned. He flipped off the blanket. “You are never gonna to let me live this down, are you?”
Jay held up the shark loofah. “No, I am not.”
“Come on. Look at that little toothy grin. Tell me you would’ve walked right by and left his little sharky face in the bin all by his lonesome.”
“Heiscute,” Jay admitted. He placed the shark on the nightstand before lying back down, his smile still in place. He popped a kiss on Ryden’s lips. “He’s not the only one who’s cute.”
Wait,what?
Jay shifted, fitting their bodies together and hugging Ryden close, his head under Ryden’s chin. He let out a contented sigh, and a heartbeat later, he was asleep.
This was bad.
No, it’s good. So damned good.
Which was why it was bad.
The scent of Jay’s shampoo hit him, and he managed to stifle his groan. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Fuck, Jay smelled so good. Smelled good, felt even better, and tastedamazing. With a sigh, Ryden let his cheek rest against Jay’s head. He might as well enjoy this moment because, come tomorrow morning, all this would be nothing more than a heartbreakingly beautiful dream.
CHAPTER TEN
Jay rolledonto his side and slowly blinked his eyes open, his gaze landing on a toothy grin. What the hell? Wait. It took him a heartbeat to remember Ryden’s sharky friend, and Jay couldn’t hold back his smile until he remembered where he was.
Shiiiiit. Jay’s eyes widened. O.M.G. He was in Ryden’s bed. The thought should have sent him running, but instead, warmth spread through him. Was this a good life choice? Did he care if it wasn’t?
A soft sigh came from behind him, and he carefully rolled over to face Ryden, his heart squeezing at how handsome he was. Jay had sneaked a long peek at Ryden on multiple occasions at work. Okay, he might have ogled him a few times, but Jay had refused to acknowledge how good-looking the man was. His hair was shorter than usual, thanks to the neat and trim military cut he’d had to get for the wedding, but the scruff Jay liked so much had grown back quickly.
Last night had been so…strange. Usually, a bad dream wouldn’t send Jay fleeing from his bedroom, but this nightmare had been terrifyingly vivid. He’d been too scared to lie down and go back to sleep, so he’d come to Ryden’s bedroom without thinking of what he’d do when he got there. With his heart stillpounding, he’d stood in the doorway, unsure what Ryden would do. He certainly hadn’t expected the tenderness and comfort offered. Jay had been so wrong about him.
Guilt ate away at him for all the times he’d been so terrible to Ryden, snapping at him or throwing books at him, even if Ryden did get his revenge by keeping them or playing pranks on Jay. It wasn’t like Ryden hadn’t done his fair share of instigating a reaction out of Jay. How many times had he teased Jay about his outfits? Or his taste in books, coffee, music… Only now did Jay question Ryden’s motives.
Thinking back to any of those times, Ryden hadn’t been cruel or malicious. An ass, maybe. A juvenile, for sure. But purposefully cruel? Not once. He’d been hurtful the day they kissed, but even Jay would admit that things between them recently had escalated.
Their relationship was complicated, but Jay could no longer deny the attraction. Not that they had to do anything about it. Talk about a terrible idea. Neither of them needed any more drama in their lives.
“You’re thinkin’ an awful lot over there, sweet pea,” Ryden mumbled, his throaty voice laced with sleep. Ugh, the man’s voice and that accent. So not fair. How was Jay supposed to ignore the sexiness?You’ve been doing it for years. Why stop now?Mmm, but had he?
Jay arched an eyebrow at him. “Sweet pea?”
“It’s a flower,” Ryden said, eyes still closed. “The term of endearment came from a pretty fragrant flower, not the tiny green vegetable.”
“Yes, I know. Just wondering why you chose sweet pea.”
“Because they’re pretty and smell sweet.” Ryden opened his eyes and smiled, stealing Jay’s breath away. “Mornin’, sweet pea.”
