44

JIMMY

The sound of rain pattering against my bedroom window beat a soothing rhythm in accompaniment to the gentle snores of the man lying next to me. TJ slept on his side, turned away from me, but he’d kicked one leg back to rest over my ankle as if wanting to make sure at least some part of him was touching me. It was reminiscent of the days we’d shared a dorm bed when it had been impossible not to touch while sleeping in such a tight space. In those days, we’d often woken completely tangled together, and while it was nice to have more space now, it made me smile that we’d still found a way to stay connected.

I hadn’t looked at a clock when I’d woken, but I’d guess I’d been lying there for at least twenty minutes listening to the sound of the rain and the sleeping man beside me, savoring his warmth. He’d been nothing short of perfect last night, from his reaction to my club look to the way he’d had my back as I’d confronted Steven, and then after when he’d taken care of me in the shower and then worshipped me with his body. Every step of the way, he’d made me feel like a king.

I was fairly sure he was in love with me. He’d said it in every way possible without actually saying the words, likely because he knew I wasn’t ready. A man as touchy-feely as TJ didn’t go five years without sex without good reason. And then there was the tattoo. I’d noticed the sun on his wrist weeks ago.

Years ago, he’d told me he wanted it but was terrified of needles. Yet he’d gotten it anyway. Those weren’t the actions of a man who wasn’t in love. The question was, why wasn’t I ready to hear it? Or rather, why wasn’t I ready to receive it?

It certainly wasn’t because I didn’t return the sentiment. The connection between us had always been intense. Time and distance had muted the ties that bound us, but they hadn’t been completely severed. And now that he was back, they were as vibrant and strong as ever. Or at least, they mostly were. There was still that tiny part of me holding something back, and I didn’t know how to release it. Mostly because I didn’t understand why.

His leg slipped off my ankle and he executed a full-body stretch before rolling over on his other side to face me with a sleepy smile. “Hi,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

“Hi,” I returned, tipping the corners of my mouth up in a smile.

His blue eyes were warm, shining with happiness, and…my god, he was beautiful. He had an indentation on the side of his cheek from his pillow, and his hair was mussed, but none of that mattered when he looked at me like I was the center of his universe.

Was that what bothered me? The weight of that responsibility? If I was his everything, then I had the power to make him happy and to ruin him. It was a terrifying amount of pressure.

“What’s this?” He reached out and traced a finger between my brows, and I released the tension there automatically.

“You look at me like I hung the moon. I don’t know how to deserve that.”

“Deserve it? You already do, just by being you.”

I let out a disgruntled sigh, and he chuckled, pulling me into his arms and kissing my forehead. “I’m just going to keep doting on you until you get used to it and, eventually, accept that it’s not something you have to earn but something I do because it makes me happy.”

“ Doting , huh?”

He grinned. “You making fun of me, sunshine?”

“What if I want to dote on you too?”

“You can dote on me. Mutual doting is very healthy for a relationship, I think.”

God, he could be so damn charming. “How about we start with me making you breakfast?”

He kissed me on the nose. “That sounds perfect.” And then he rolled me onto my back and began working his way down my torso with his mouth, leaving a trail of saliva in his wake.

I threaded my hands through his hair. “I thought I was making you breakfast.”

“You are. After I suck you off.” He looked up and waggled his brows, then continued his path downward until he arrived at my cock, which had risen to the occasion.

I mentally cringed, remembering we’d fallen asleep right after that mind-blowing orgasm last night, but he didn’t hesitate to push my tip back so he had better access to lick a stripe up my shaft from root to tip. “Maybe we should….ungh…” He swirled his tongue around my crown. “Maybe we should shower first. I’m probably covered in dried jizz.”

He paused his assault on my dick and looked up at me. “No, you aren’t. I wiped you down after you fell asleep.”

“You took care of me?”

He gave me another look that said, duh, then bent back to his task. I didn’t have much room for coherent thought after that. It was an all-out assault on my cock as he licked and sucked with wild abandon.

He played with my balls, squeezing and sucking them, but returned his attention to my dick, taking it all the way to the back of his throat and massaging the underside with his tongue. He added his fist to the mix, jacking me in time with the bobbing of his head until I exploded down his throat with an embarrassingly loud shout that had Lucy jumping up on the bed to see what was happening. He nudged my face, purring loudly, trying his best to convince me to feed him.

“Not now, cat,” I mumbled as I shoved him away, my dick still in TJ’s mouth as he did his best to suck my dry.

TJ sat up on his knees, jerking himself in earnest as he prepared to unload all over me. “Come here. I want you in my mouth.”

He didn’t hesitate, moving up the bed to straddle my face. Holding on to the headboard, he lowered his dick into my mouth, groaning in pleasure as I enveloped him. He started to fuck my face in short, shallow strokes, but I reached up and grabbed his ass, pulling him down as far as I could take him.

Hollowing my cheeks, I sucked with as much force as I could muster while simultaneously massaging him with my tongue and swallowing around him. It didn’t take long before he threw his head back and coated the back of my throat with his cum. I swallowed, and then he collapsed on the bed beside me, limp and sated.

“How about a mid-morning nap, and then you can make me breakfast?”

Lucy returned to the bed, relentless in his pursuit of breakfast, this time climbing over me to nudge TJ’s shoulder. Startled, TJ opened his eyes and glared at the cat, who blinked at him in wide-eyed innocence.

I chuckled at the exchange between the two of them. “You are welcome to take a nap. But if I don’t get up and feed this cat, he’s going to make us pay.”

“Well, that sounds ominous.”

“Lucy is short for Lucifer. He’s a great cat, but occasionally, he takes it upon himself to do his best to live up to his name.”