Jared looked him dead in the eye, jaw clenching again.
“Whatever it is, I don’t want it to come between us,” Dylan said, seeing if those words offered the bridge Jared needed to cross to open up to him. “Jared, you need to be honest with me. I can’t stand this… this distance between us.”
As if that had hit a raw nerve, Jared took a deep breath as his eyes hazed with an onslaught of emotions. “You’re friends with most of your exes, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you... do you still hook up with them?”
“What?” Dylan frowned. “Where’s this coming from?”
“Just wondering…” Jared looked away, ruffling the hair on the back of his head. Then as if something sank in his mind, his demeanor relaxed a bit. “I-I’m sorry.”
“What happened?”
“Honestly? I have no fucking idea why seeing you with your friend has made me…” Jared bit his bottom lip.
“Jealous?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’re so fucking arrogant. But yeah... I guess that’s the word.”
“Why?” Dylan took a step closer to Jared, his heart already flipping.
Was this real? Did Jared actually feel ready for something other than the arrangement they had going on?
“I’m a fucking idiot, alright?” Jared huffed, a pained expression twisting his gorgeous face. “I know we said this was just some temporary fun, that you don’t do relationships, yada, yada, yada…” he continued rambling, so afraid of rejection he wasn’t seeing what was right in front of him—Dylan, more than willing to rip his chest open and give him everything he had.
“I didn’t think this would happen, not when I was still hurting and with so much bitterness inside me. B-but I can’t stand the thought of losing you, of becoming second best, or simply being your toy when you have no one else to call…” His eyes finally shot up again, meeting Dylan’s in the dimly lit room. “I-I... What are you doing?”
“Finish what you were saying,” Dylan rasped, taking his Henley off.
“I-I…” Jared stuttered, keeping his gaze fixated on him, as if what he was seeing was a daydream that could disappear any minute now. “I think I might be in love with you.”
Without letting him hesitate, think, or add another word, Dylan pressed his lips against Jared’s. It was like a magical cure. The jealousy, the fears, and all the other ugly emotions that were festering in the space separating them vanished. Slow, but every bit as claiming and possessive, his tongue swiped over Jared’s mouth while his fingers fidgeted with his belt and zipper.
“Jared…” Dylan whispered, dragging his friend’s bottom lip between his teeth. “Stop fighting, or running, or whatever the hell it is you’re doing. You’re mine, and I’m not planning to let you go.”
“W-What about the office?”
“What about it?” Dylan grunted as he continued undressing Jared.
“The gossiping and all that.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“What—” Jared panted, shivering when Dylan reached for the back of his thighs and lifted him with ease. “You’re not shitting me?”
Dylan rolled his eyes as he headed into the bedroom, biting hard on that plump bottom lip. “I am not shitting you. I’d choose you every fucking day for the rest of my stupid life.” He dropped Jared on the bed. “Now shut up, and let me show you.”
With his mouth on Jared’s again, they touched each other everywhere. But what had started as hectic and impatient slowly morphed into something more... Something gentle but violent. Sensual. Unfiltered. Necessary.
They rocked together, scalding waves riding through Dylan’s veins. He couldn’t remember the last time his entire being was connected like this—body, mind, and heart.
Jared made him whole.
Squirting a handful of lube on his palm, Dylan took care of Jared’s aching dick. All the love and attention was reciprocated as Jared slid his fingers in and out of Dylan’s ass. Every breath and heartbeat synchronized. But when they were ready and their bodies finally melted into one, the planet stopped rotating, freezing in time just for them.
“I know this is scary,” Dylan said as he began to fuck himself on Jared’s dick, a palm supporting his weight on the mattress, the other cupping this breathtakingly beautiful man’s cheek. “But I promise I’ll try my best to cherish you and make you feel worshipped.”
