“I have history on my side,” he says wryly.
Fuck, he might have a point there. Self-control has never been my strong suit. “Maybe I should go get the potholders,” I suggest, and start shifting away.
Jackson pulls me back against him, though, not letting me get very far. “Just got to sleep, Skyler. And if you need to, you need to. How many times have I told you I don’t care?”
But I care,I think with a frown. And I have no idea why that is. It’s not like we’ve never jerked off in front of each other before. We do it all the time when we’re watching porn together, and we share a bathroom, so interruptions are inevitable. But this is different for some reason; I’m not entirely sure why, it just feels…strange. And nothing about Jax and me is supposed to feel strange. So, I take preventative measures, much to Jackson’s amusement and mild exasperation.
I sigh and let my eyes fall closed. “Okay, sleep. I can do sleep.”
“Thank god,” he mumbles through yet another yawn. “Night, Skyler.”
“Night, Jax.”
ChapterThree
Jackson
Skyler’sstill asleep when I wake up the next morning. And, as usual, I’ve ended up on my back, with Skyler sprawled out like a starfish on his front, his head and shoulders propped on my stomach. It’s probably a good thing he prefers not to do the whole sleepover thing with any of his hook-ups, because I can’t imagine the wide-open mouth, pools of drool, and quiet snoring would be remotely attractive to anyone.
I hear a clattering noise out in the kitchen, causing me to jolt in alarm.
“Hmm? What…huh?” Skyler mumbles, reacting sleepily to my movement.
“There’s someone out in the kitchen.”
I make a move to get up, but he wraps his arms around my torso and nuzzles his head against me. “Probably just Rocket getting some breakfast.”
I grunt at the thought of the orange tabby tearing up the kitchen. “That fucking cat…”
“Or maybe a burglar,” Skyler murmurs through a yawn.
“Yeah, that’d be better,” I say dryly.
Then I remember the reason Skyler crashed in my bed last night and I relax. “Oh, it’s probably just your guy from last night.”
Suddenly, it’s as though I’ve just told him armed militia have stormed into our apartment and are planning to hold us for ransom. He bolts upright, his face a mask of fear mingled with dread.
“No, no, no, no,” he chants, shaking his head. “Make him go away Jax.”
My protective instincts are immediately on alert, and I sit up as well, my jaw tensing as I register the desperate panic in Skyler’s dark eyes. “Did hedosomething to you?” If that asshole hurt Skyler in any way, he’ll be heading back to Jersey with a black eye and a broken nose. If he’s lucky.
“I already told you he tried to suffocate me!”
I sigh in exasperation, relaxing a little. “I meanapartfrom the cuddling, Skyler.”
“What more do you want? He’s probably out there making…breakfast,”he says with a curl of his lip, as though that kind of gesture is as distasteful to him as scraping dog poop off his shoes. “The next thing you know he’ll be telling people we’re anitem.”
I let out a soft chuckle as I remember a conversation we had with Deacon back when he and Tanner were having some issues. Unlike me, Skyler was absolutely certain Tanner was the real deal, based on the sole fact that he’d made Deacon breakfast. So I can definitely see why he’d be freaked out by the idea of one of his hook-ups taking that initiative. Like cuddling, breakfast is something Sky only does with me. I’m sure one day he’ll meet someone who’ll change his stance on that, but clearly that’s not today, and not this guy.
“I think you might be overthinking things a little, Sky. You screwed the guy one time, then disappeared for the night,” I remind him. “He woke up to an empty bed and—” I cut off as I catch a guilty expression crossing Skyler’s face. “What?” I ask him, my voice full of suspicion. “What did you do?”
He bites his lip and averts his gaze, the way he always does when he thinks he’s in trouble. “Well, I was trying to go to sleep but my…situationwouldn’t go away. And I didn’t want to do that in here, so I figured I’d just go to the bathroom and take care of things. But I had to go past my room to get to the bathroom, and somehow—through no fault of my own—I ended up in there instead. And some things happened…”
“What kinds of things?”
“Uhh…some blow jobs, and some sex…and some kissing,” he adds with a wince. I know Skyler doesn’t consider kissing to be anything particularly meaningful or intimate, but there are a lot of guys who do and I’m guessing that’s a thought that is only occurring to him now in the light of day.
“Jesus, how long were you gone for?” And how the hell didn’t I notice he wasn’t in my bed anymore?
