Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
No matter how much time he spent with Gray, they didn’t lack for conversation. Gray could understand and dissect the most complicated of problems, which made him the very best person for Jack to go to when he needed to talk through work issues. He was the most supportive person Jack knew, which made him the safest person to talk to about personal concerns. And his brain was always running, so he had interesting takes on whatever he saw in the world around them or about what he read or about what they watched. Jack loved engaging in esoteric discussions with Gray as much as he enjoyed the silent times they spent together.
“This is nice,” Jack said, shifting to mirror Gray’s pose.
His intense expression immediately softening, Gray put both palms on Jack’s knees and then slid them up his thighs as he leaned forward. “Yes, it is.”
The years he had spent with Jaime had trained Jack’s body not to show arousal. Repeatedly getting erections with someone who didn’t have the same reaction had been in turn frustrating and humiliating and Jack’s body eventually did him the favor of stopping. By the end of their relationship, Jaime could walk out of the shower naked and Jack didn’t get hard, regardless of how long it had been since they’d had sex—and by the point, it was more months than Jack cared to count. That training was the only thing keeping him in check while Gray touched him that intimately.
When Gray’s hands reached the top of Jack’s legs, he spread them wide, tucking his thumbs into the area between Jack’s thighs and pelvis. “Jack?” he whispered, his face so close that Jack could feel his breath.
“Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”
Gray’s intensity and passion were unfamiliar and, as a result, disconcerting. Unaccustomed to being in such a situation, Jack’s instinct was to lighten the mood by making a self-deprecating joke. But before he could do that and ruin a moment that, while foreign, was also exciting, tender, and erotic, Gray moved his hands to the sides of Jack’s neck and tilted his head until their eyes met. When Jack looked into those grass green eyes, he saw his confidante and friend, someone he recognized and trusted.
“Okay,” he said and licked his lips. “I’d like that.” Jack expected to feel Gray’s lips immediately, but instead, Gray kept their current position—Gray’s body leaning over his, Gray’s palms on his neck, and Gray’s gaze locked with his. “What’s wrong?” he asked breathlessly.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Gray smiled. “Everything is exactly right, and I want to make sure I remember this moment forever.” He grazed his nose over Jack’s. “This is our first kiss.” He rubbed his cheek against Jack’s. “Our last first kiss.”
The anticipation combined with Gray’s proximity had Jack’s heart pounding and his lungs struggling to maintain a regular air flow. He heard Gray’s words, but they didn’t fully register because he was distracted by the feel of his hands, the scent of his skin, and the warmth of his body. “Gray,” Jack rasped.
“Shhh. I have you.” Gray slid his thumbs up and stroked Jack’s jaw. “You’re incredibly beautiful, Jack.” He moved even closer, his lips a hair’s distance from Jack’s. “Absolutely stunning.”
Warm, soft lips pressed to his, and Jack stopped breathing. He reached forward and clutched Gray’s biceps, needing the connection to ground him. His fingertips digging into Gray’s arms, Jack sucked in air. When his lips parted, Gray slid the tip of his tongue between them, licking first Jack’s upper lip and then his lower one.
“Perfect,” Gray whispered. He moved even closer, tilted his head to the side, and pressed his lips more firmly against Jack’s.
With Gray’s taste and scent and touch surrounding him, Jack slid his arms around Gray’s back and clung to him as he melted into the kiss. Gray was right; it was perfect.
Chapter 6
“This is going to be my favorite of the classes.”
Chuckling, Gray said, “You made that same prediction after they handed us the recipe in the other two classes.” He moved closer to Jack and looked at the paper he was holding. “That doesn’t look too difficult. We’re pretty much mixing everything together and then pouring it into a pan and baking it. The lava part of chocolate lava cake made me think it’d be more complicated.”
“I’m here still fixating on the chocolate portion of the title, and you’ve already read through all the steps?”
“You do love chocolate.” Gray squeezed Jack’s hip and chuckled. “If you had to choose between a month with bread and cheese but no chocolate or a month with chocolate but no bread or cheese, which would you choose?”
Gasping, Jack reared back and pressed his palm to his chest. “Why would you even suggest something that horrible? Who hurt you?”
Gray burst out laughing. “I take it back.” He circled his arm around Jack’s waist and pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry.” He kissed Jack’s forehead. “Hopefully I didn’t cause you too much trauma with that hypothetical.”