“And, if you're honest with yourself, you want someone who will keep you in check, don't you?”
“I really don't know,” I admitted. “I feel like an incompetent failure if I say yes. It's like I'm admitting I can't handle life on my own and I need someone to take care of me.”
“There's nothing wrong with that if you're with the right person, Slade,” he assured me.
I quirked an eyebrow. “And you think you're that person for me?”
Finally, I got to see a glimpse of Jack's captivating smile. I wanted to stand on my tiptoes and kiss both of his dimples before begging him to finally kiss me properly. All day, I'd been driven by thoughts of how Jack would taste, and how it would feel as he twisted my hair around his hands, completely consuming me, controlling me, owning me.
And now, I was getting hard.
“There's the cheeky little brat I figured you to be.” Jack slid his hand down my arm, lacing our fingers together before guiding me into the living room. He looked around, nodding and humming his approval. “You did well, boy.”
Jack sat down on the couch, his brow furrowing when he noticed the cheap vinyl placemats and silverware on the table. When I sat down, he stared at the space between us, then jerked his head, inviting me closer. I did, turning so I could drape my arm over the back of the couch and face him. He mirrored my position, our arms brushing, teasing me. I visibly shivered and Jack smiled.
“You feel it too. There's something here. Maybe it's the start of a relationship, or it could be something as simple as a sexual attraction that will fade in time. But, if you're up for it, I would like to see what happens. Am I the man you need to get your life in order? Only time will tell, but I think I am.”
“I don't typically do relationships,” I told him. It was important to me that I make that abundantly clear from the very start. Even if I did, I couldn't imagine I would ever rush into anything committed. There were far too many examples of people in my family who'd done exactly that, then spent the rest of their lives miserable because they were playing a game of emotional chicken. I came from stubborn stock—as my grandmother used to say—and no one was willing to be the first to concede failure. Except me. I was nothing but one failure after the next.
“I can respect that,” Jack said with a nod. “Does that mean this could be nothing more than a casual affair, or would you be willing to explore all options?”
This whole conversation was surreal. Taken out of context, it would be easy to assume Jack was in the middle of a business meeting, rather than negotiating whether to bend me over, spank me, then fuck me until I begged him to let me come.
“I probably won’t be any good at it.”
“You don’t have to be, as long as you try,” Jack reassured me. “Let me ask another way… Do youwantwhatever we do to stay casual, or will you let go of whatever insecurities are holding you back?”
I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. When I reached up to tug at my hair, I cursed myself for having it tied back. I couldn’t pull out the tie without Jack seeing through my attempt to hide. He’djustasked me to do the exact opposite.
“I want to try,” I admitted.
“And you promise you won’t do or say whatever you think will make me happy?” Jack pressed. He trailed his fingers along the side of my arm. I squirmed, resisting the urge to laugh. I couldn’t help that I was ticklish, but in the middle of, what felt like, a very serious conversation wasn’t the time for laughter.
“I promise.” I slumped against the arm of the couch, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Jack probably didn’t even realize the relief he’d given me. I would still obsess over whether or not I was making a huge mistake, but the idea that I didn’t have to sort shit out on my own was definitely appealing.
Now what do I do?
Neither of us said anything else. The silence quickly grew awkward, and I began fidgeting in my seat. Jack placed a hand on my knee, and I stilled immediately.
“Did you start dinner when I told you to?”
“I did.”
“Then let's eat.” He stood, clapping his hands together once.
I gaped at him. “That's it?”
“That's what?” Jack crossed his arms over his broad chest. The motion drew my attention to the fact that he wasn't dressed the way he had been last night. He looked like pretentious perfection in his suit but dressed down he was sexy as fuck. His jeans hugged his body just enough that I could see the outline of his cock. The fact he wasn't even hard unnerved me. He was going to split me wide open.
“I thought for sure you'd want to have this long, drawn-out conversation about expectations and how I’m supposed to behave if I want you to believe that I'm doing my best,” I admitted. And was it a little fucked up that I was upset hehadn'twanted to bore me to death? Probably.
“There will be plenty of time for all of that,” he assured me. I groaned. Me and my big mouth. “But dinner is ready, and I don't know about you, but I would prefer to eat before it gets cold.”
Okay. I guess that made sense.
“Glad you think so,” Jack replied. The corner of his mouth turned up and he winked at me. Shit. I hadn’t realized I’d said that out loud. “Give me enough time and I'll show you that I'm full of all sorts of good ideas.”
“Do any of themnotinvolve household chores?”
