“Not really. He was out in all his cold-water gear. Near as anyone can figure, it was an accident is all. One of those shite things that happens.”
I stepped closer to stare at the pic.
“Are you sure? It’s only a photograph, and it can go someplace else. You’re worrying me a bit tonight.”
“Yeah. It’s fine.” I let out a long breath. I wasn’t superstitious or anything, but I hoped he would have at least been okay with this. “I… you want me to talk? Fine. All this shit that’s happening with Brickton has me shaken up. I mean, I know you probably know that, but even before that I was wound too tight. I’ve been headed toward a quarter-life crisis for a while.”
“Quarter life? You’re planning to live to what, then, hundred and sixty?” Jayce cracked an obnoxiously handsome smile in my direction.
“You and your math can go to hell. My point is, it’s nice to see proof here. It’s good to see a reminder that you’re capable of sticking it out with someone. Yes, he died, but if he hadn’t, I bet you would have been good as ever.”
“Truth is—” He sighed and slid his arms around me, leaning his chin on my shoulder. “—I think we were headed for divorce.”
Shock had me turning to glance up into his face. “Really?”
“I still don’t feel the way I think I should about him dying. I mean, I loved him and everything. I really did. Still do.”
My stomach crumpled in on itself. I refused to be jealous of a dead man, but he’d said those words so easily.
He nuzzled his nose against my ear. “This mean you’re thinking about me being yours for the long haul?”
I rested my hands over his on my middle, and he gave me a squeeze. “That’s outright unacceptable at this juncture. But… I like that it’s there. As an option. For the far distant future.”
“How far?”
I shrugged and leaned back against his front. “I have to work in the morning. Did you want to turn in with me now?”
He pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck.
“Mm….” I sighed and eased back against him when he kissed me again. “I’m still all wound up. I know I’m tired, but I just… that’s the reason I was still at the office. I don’t feel ready to sleep.”
“Wow, okay. Come on,” he said with the resigned tone of a man headed to the gallows. I laughed and let him haul me toward the stairs. He pushed me up the steps ahead of himself and gave my ass a pat when we reached the landing together.
“Havin’ trouble relaxin’, huh?” he asked, and urged me the final few steps to his bedroom. I wasn’t sure if it was the late hour making me loopy, but his accent seemed sharper in the darkness. My suit coat hit the floor, and my shirt went next. I toed out of my shoes, and he unbuckled me. The pants went. I stepped free of the pile of clothes around my feet and stood there, embarrassed and turned on, naked in front of him. There was some light from the windows, but he didn’t bother turning on the one beside the bed.
“Not gonna lie. You’re fuckin’ gorgeous,” he murmured, and I glanced away from him. He turned back the blankets on the bed and slapped a bottle of lube into my hand. I stared stupidly at it.
“Get ready for me, much as you want, or don’t. I’m gonna be back in that lovely arse again, though.”
He stripped off his own shirt and then stared at me as he unbuckled his belt. He pulled it lazily through the loops of his pants and let it fall to the floor with a clink. “Did I mention that you only have till I’m naked to do that?”
I jolted and turned the bottle over, popping the lid. Seemed like Sir didn’t branch out much, he just had a good old standard bottle of glide, and I didn’t mind that. Sometimes surprises in this arena were bad ones. I slathered my fingers and wasted no time bending over to lean a hand against the bed. He let out a happy little grumble as I sank my fingers into my ass without much concern for whether or not it would burn. He’d already stretched me earlier with his cock and there weren’t any worries there.
But it felt good. There was a twinge because he’d hammered me hard when I was over the desk earlier, and I twisted my fingers around, causing it to hurt worse. I hissed and then moaned when he came over behind me and rested his hand lightly on my wrist.
“Harder,” he said.
My dick rushed with heat and felt heavy. I sucked in a breath and spread my legs. He didn’t force my hand, but I went from a mostly half-minded lubing of my asshole to fucking myself with my fingers. I curved my ass out, aware that he was probably watching, and he rubbed his hand over my wrist as I fucked my hole faster. I wasn’t catching my prostate because I didn’t know if I was supposed to or not, but my dick ached anyway, and I felt completely exposed as it jerked between my legs and hardened to the point that my tip was all I could concentrate on for a few seconds. Precum leaked out of me and dripped.
“In the bed.” He let go of me, and I hissed out a rough breath. “On your side,” he specified when I was going to flip onto my back, so I did as he said. He crawled onto the bed behind me, and I let him situate the pillow under my head. He slid his arm under there and pressed his hard body along my back, and then dragged the blankets up over us.
“You need to unwind,” he whispered into my ear, and I burst out laughing.
“Not sure how this is going to do that.”
He chuckled, and then his dick was poking at my asshole. That was fine. This wasn’t kinky or anything, but that was okay. I liked his cock, and I especially liked it in me, so I moved my knee forward and canted my ass backward, and soon he was nudging squarely against my hole. Before I could count to three, he’d pressed against my ring and forced his cock deep into me. I moaned, and my hole quivered around him as I tried to relax, but at the same time I almost wanted there to be a burn as he stretched me wide open. He slid in until he was squishing my asscheeks, and I let out a little moan at how well he filled me.
He wrapped his other arm around my waist, and I sucked in a breath as he danced his fingers along my hip bone.
