At first, his voice is shaky. “You drive me crazy, Chase.” His fingers, matching the tremble of his voice, snake up the hem of my shirt, and I gasp. He leans his forehead against mine and exhales, his breath traveling down my face. When his hands leave my stomach, my body bucks, yearning for more. “You’re so goddamn sexy, you have to know that I …” His voice is low, grumbly, but steadying now as he moves to undo the last of the buttons on Xavier’s shirt. He starts kissing my neck, and I close my eyes and tilt my head back hard against the stone, which must knock some sense into me because suddenly, I’m very aware of where we are and what he’s doing.

I push him back hesitantly. “Jack …”

His eyes are sultry and hungry like something is possessing him.

Which is kind of the problem.

It’s as if he’s a different person.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “I want you so badly, but I don’t want you to get scared again, and I, just, is this too fast?”

“Would it be weird if I told you that every night since I kissed you, I’ve gone to sleep dreaming about you and what I would do to you if I ever got up the nerve to apologize and you gave me a second chance?” His fingers hook onto the belt loops on my jeans. “I’ve waited my entire life for you, and yeah, it seems like I’m moving at Mach 5, but in my head, in the fairy tale I’ve told myself to help me sleep, I’ve been with you this whole time.”

That makes logical gay sense. “You’re more fucked up than me. But also, same.”

He smiles so wide, and it’s unencumbered, freer than I’ve ever seen it. The balls of his cheeks are so cute I might actually die. I want to kiss each one.

He licks his lips. “I have to get back inside to wrap up the open mic. They’re probably wondering where I went, but Rhett books a private studio to practice on Thursday nights in the music school, so my room is free until one a.m.” Jack kisses the tip of my nose then squeezes my hand before smoothing the wrinkles in his shirt and adjusting his dick so it’s not visibly hard; I do the same. “Should be done in an hour. See you at nine?”

I have no idea what I’m doing.

Chapter 13

13