Bennett did not.
Jasper’s hand lifted, stopping just short of Bennett’s jaw, hovering like a question. Bennett’s pulse thundered. He could feel the warmth of Jasper without contact.
Bennett whispered, “This is a bad idea.”
Jasper’s eyes flicked up. “Then tell me to stop.”
Bennett should have.
Instead, he stood there, silent, because some truths were louder without words.
Jasper’s fingertips finally touched his jaw, gentle, steady. Bennett’s breath shuddered. The touch felt like permission and exposure all at once.
Jasper leaned in.
Their mouths almost met.
Bennett’s hand rose and caught Jasper’s wrist.
Not to push him away.
To hold him there.
Bennett’s voice came out low. “Not yet.”
Jasper stayed close, breathing the same air. “Okay.”
Bennett’s chest ached.
Jasper pulled back first, choosing restraint with deliberate care.
“Not yet,” he repeated softly.
Bennett let go of Jasper’s wrist.
“Go to sleep, Quinn.”
Jasper’s smile was small and unguarded. “Goodnight, Shaw.”
Bennett turned away before his expression could betray him, before his face could show the truth he was not ready to say out loud.
He climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling until his thoughts blurred. Jasper settled beside him, careful with space, as if he understood the fragile line Bennett was walking.
Bennett lay awake long after the room fell quiet.
Not because he was afraid of Jasper.
Because he was afraid of wanting him.
And he did not know what came after that.
CHAPTER FOUR
jasper
Jasper woke to the quiet sound of movement. Not frantic. Not careless. Just Bennett being Bennett. Already up. Already doing something purposeful.
Jasper kept his eyes closed for a moment longer, listening. The soft rustle of clothes. The scrape of the chair being pulled back from the desk. The low exhale Bennett made when something loaded slower than he wanted.
