Page 21 of Bonus Game
He didn’t want Jake to feel awkward about the things he saidever. And he knew he had to say that out loud because he had a feeling that even with his heart thundering between them, Jake hadn’t caught on to how close he was to kissing him.
“Don’t apologize,” Allen said, his voice sounding breathier than he meant for it to be. “I love the fact that you caught onto my random quote, so don’t backtrack on me, big guy.”
Seconds ticked by with no answer from Jake. He might have fallen back to sleep, but Allen’s anxiety wouldn’t relax enough to allow him to accept that answer.
Worried he had already ruined the thing he didn’t want, Allen spun around and searched Jake’s expression for a hint. The sun had risen enough that he could see the look he was getting, but he didn’t understand what it meant.
“What?” Allen asked. “Did I say something stupid?”
Jake’s bottom lip was caught between his teeth, and he appeared hesitant for the length of a breath, and then he sighed.
“Can I…touch you?” Jake asked, the eagerness in his voice turning his tone desperate.
They had been touching all night, but if Jake needed the affirmation that he had consent, Allen could give it to him. His nod might have been too eager, but he wanted to know what was going through Jake’s head more than he cared about how he was acting.
A large hand tentatively touched his thigh, sliding down to his knee and hoisting his leg up so Jake could slide back intoposition. It was more intimate now that they were facing each other, but still abnormally comfortable.
“Don’t be scared,” Jake whispered, brushing Allen’s hair away from his eyes. “Hearing the wordlovecoming from you made me…”
Jake paused, a frown tugging at his mouth as his gaze drifted somewhere far away.
Heat crept into Allen’s face, on his neck, and even his damn arms. He hadn’t meant it that way, and he knew Jake knew that, but he understood what he was implying.
“Do you really like me that much?”
Allen didn’t mean to let the words slip out, but he always had a faulty verbal filter that tended to act up when he was stressed. Lying in bed with Jake was not normal for him; he typically kicked his conquests out before they had a chance to feel too comfortable. For Allen, cuddling in bed wasn’t a vibe; it was a marriage proposal.
Yet here he was, accepting his fate as a teddy bear, staring into Jake’s gorgeous brown eyes with his thigh pressed against Allen’s cock. Allen had to know; he had to understand the reasoning.
“I do,” said Jake.
Simple.
Easy.
Decisive.
Terrifying.
“Can I kiss you?” Jake murmured, hand lightly cupping Allen’s cheek like he was something precious.
What a joke.
Since Allen was on a streak of listening to the hopeful flutter of his traitorous heart instead of the logical thought-processing of his brain, he nodded again.
He barely had time to second-guess himself before Jake leaned in, slow enough that he could’ve pulled away—should’ve, maybe—but didn’t.
Jake’s breath was warm against his skin, their noses brushing before his lips finally touched Allen’s. It wasn’t the desperate kind of kiss Allen had braced himself for. It was soft and careful, like Jake was memorizing the shape of him, testing the waters with curiosity instead of hunger.
Allen’s heart gave up all pretense of calm, hammering against his ribs as he leaned into it. His fingers found Jake’s hair, not gripping, just anchoring himself to something more solid than he currently felt. Jake’s thumb brushed a slow circle over his cheekbone, a barely-there motion that made everything inside Allen ache in the gentlest way.
When they finally pulled apart, it wasn’t with the awkwardness Allen had feared. Just a small breath shared between them, and their foreheads almost touching.
Jake’s eyes were half-lidded and soft with something that made Allen’s chest tighten all over again.
“Yeah,” Allen whispered, more to himself than to Jake. “That was… okay.”
Jake smiled faintly, that shy, crooked one that was starting to catch Allen off guard. “Okay,” he echoed, voice low enough that Allen could feel the word vibrate against his skin.
