Jasper looked up at him. “Bennett.”
Bennett’s voice came out rough. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Jasper held his gaze. “Then don’t.”
Bennett’s hands flexed at his sides. His whole body felt like it was balancing between instinct and fear.
He took a breath.
“I don’t know what I am,” Bennett said quietly. “I’ve only been with women. I thought that meant I was straight. Thought I had it figured out.”
Jasper’s expression softened. “Labels can change. Or expand. Or turn out to have been incomplete all along.”
“I should have known,” Bennett said, frustration bleeding through.
“You’re realizing now,” Jasper replied. “That’s what matters.”
Bennett swallowed. “I’ve never been with a man.”
“I know.”
Bennett’s voice dropped. “But I want you. Want this. Even though it scares the hell out of me.”
The words hung in the air.
Jasper didn’t move. He didn’t reach. He didn’t push.
He just looked at Bennett like the honesty mattered more than the timing.
“Are you sure?” Jasper asked.
Bennett’s breath shook. “No.”
Jasper nodded. “Okay.”
Bennett frowned. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Jasper repeated, calm. “Because sure is not required. Consent is. Want is. Respect is.”
Bennett stared at him. Jasper’s voice was steady. His gaze was steady. It made Bennett’s chest ache again.
Bennett’s hand lifted, slow, as if asking permission even though he was the one who had spoken first. His fingers brushed Jasper’s cheek.
Jasper leaned into the touch, just slightly.
Bennett’s breath caught. He had wanted this for days. He had wanted it in the gym, by the window, in every moment he pretended he did not.
He moved closer.
Jasper met him halfway.
The kiss was quiet at first. Careful. Bennett felt Jasper’s hand come to his waist, not pulling, just anchoring. Bennett’s mouth parted on a shaky exhale. Jasper’s tongue swept inside, tasting him, claiming him with patient thoroughness.
Bennett’s body reacted as if he had been starving, and he finally stopped pretending he was not hungry.
He kissed Jasper again, deeper this time, pressing him back against the wall. The sound Jasper made, half gasp, half moan, went straight through him, settling hot and urgent in his gut.
Bennett’s hand slid to the back of Jasper’s neck, fingers threading through his hair. Jasper’s fingers tightened at Bennett’s waist, then slipped beneath his shirt, palms hot against bare skin. The kiss turned hungry, tongues sliding together, teeth grazing lips. Bennett’s hips rolled forward involuntarily, and Jasper groaned, pulling him impossibly closer.
