Gavin made a snuffling noise, then woke with a start. He sat up so fast he nearly toppled the chair, which wasn’t super stable to begin with. He grabbed hold of the sides and held tight, like a sailor afraid of tipping a lifeboat, and Jace laughed. Gavin’s head snapped in his direction. His startled expression shifted into something warmer, happier.
“Hey, you,” Gavin said.
Jace untangled himself from the pile of blankets that had been heaped over him when he came upstairs to nap earlier. Gavin crawled across the bed and became the only blanket Jace needed. They wrapped their arms around each other, creating a tangle of limbs and body heat that Jace never wanted to lose. Gavin’s face pressed into the crook between his neck and shoulder, his breath warm on Jace’s skin.
The knots of anxiety that had turned his stomach inside out for the last few weeks were breaking apart, letting go. That wouldn’t have happened without Gavin in his life, and Jace didn’t have the words to say thank you. He hugged him instead, hoping his body said what his mouth could not.
They relaxed into the pillows together, facing each other. “Where is everyone?” Jace asked.
“Your mom went into work for a few hours, and your dad said something about errands before he was due in at the station. I told them I’d stay here in case you needed anything. How do you feel?”
“Better.” He was still tired, but his energy would return once he got up and ate something. The idea of some soup or toast made his empty stomach grumble for food. The noise made them both smile. “Not top shape, but a lot better.”
“Good.”
Jace brushed his fingers over the hollow of Gavin’s cheek, right below the purple swelling.
“You gonna tell me about this now?” he asked.
Anger sparked in Gavin’s eyes. “My asshole of a sperm donor showed up at the trailer last night.”
“He hit you?”
“Yeah.”
“Son of a bitch.” Something rose up inside Jace like bile, only darker and more deadly. It heated his chest and made his heart pound. His hand started shaking with the force of it.
Gavin grabbed his hand and squeezed tight. “Hey, it’s fine. The cops arrested him.”
“What did he want?”
“I’m not sure. He was raving about Mama having something of his, but Mama had no clue. I really don’t care as long as he stays the hell away from us both for a long, long time.”
“I wish I’d been there.”
Gavin shook his head, a fierceness in his eyes that startled Jace. “I’m glad you weren’t. If he’d hurt you or Mama, I’d have killed him.”
“But he hurt you.”
“This is a mosquito bite compared to when I was a kid. I didn’t know how to fight back then. Didn’t think I was supposed to. For a while, I thought hitting was what real men did.” He snorted, then rolled his eyes—at himself, at some memory, Jace didn’t know. But he wanted to hurt Gavin’s father for ever laying a hand on Gavin.
“What do you think real men do now?”
Gavin rolled them so Jace was on his back, looking up. Gavin gazed down at him, his dark hair hanging over his forehead. “Real men protect what they love,” he said.
The words stole Jace’s breath away. His heart swelled with their meaning. He pulled Gavin down into a tender, lazy kiss, enough to put Gavin’s taste back in his mouth. Gavin settled into the kiss, the long length of his body a weight and warmth that Jace wanted—needed. Everything felt right with Gavin here like this.
Jace allowed his hands to wander, instinct inching them around Gavin’s waist, then under the hem of his shirt to touch warm skin. His dick finally took notice of the action above and an unexpected shudder of arousal rippled through his abdomen. Gavin deepened the kiss, his tongue darting into Jace’s mouth, licking lightly, more a question than a demand. Jace was exhausted and hungry, but he wanted something—wanted it more than rest or food, and he wanted it from Gavin.
He pushed his hips up, felt Gavin’s growing erection against his own. Gavin broke the kiss and gazed down at him, warm brown eyes full of heat and uncertainty. Jace nodded, answering the unasked question.
Gavin rose and locked the bedroom door. They took their time undressing each other, peeling back clothing to reveal lickable, kissable skin, until nothing remained between them except air. Gavin pulled a blanket up over them, creating a dark cocoon of warmth that hid them from the world. Nothing existed outside of this moment.
They kissed, lips and tongues and hands moving together. Jace rolled them so he was on top. Gavin lifted his knees to cradle Jace between his thighs, wrapped his arms around Jace’s waist to keep him close. Jace reached between them and aligned their cocks. He wrapped his fingers around them as best he could, and Gavin groaned against his throat. Jace stuttered, seeking a rhythm with his hips and hand, until he forgot about technique and let nature take over. He fell into the pure pleasure of his erection rubbing against Gavin’s, skin to skin, their bodies wrapped around each other.