Page 56 of Worth the Wait

Jack collapsed on him, sweaty and panting and out of breath. Callum hurt so much, but in the best way. He shouldered his way onto his back and wrapped his arms around Jack, burying his face against the slippery lines of his throat.

“I didn’t even know that was a fantasy,” he mumbled.

Jack’s body vibrated with a laugh, his hand pushing Callum’s hair away from his forehead.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” Callum admitted.

Jack tensed, and he patted Callum’s head sort of awkwardly before ending their embrace and sitting up. He unrolled the condom and tied it off, tossing it onto the bag their dinner had been delivered in.

“Uhm,” Callum chewed his lips between his teeth and sat up as well, turning to face Jack, who now wouldn’t meet his eye. “Did I say something?”

Jack touched his knee and shook his head. “No, kitten. Nothing like that.”

“What then?”

“That’s another thing we need to talk about, but I don’t want to do it now.”

“Well, you can’tnotdo it now. Sorry.”

Callum wasn’t sorry. He was nervous and scared, but his body felt better than it ever had. Like it was alive for the first time.

“I’m going to stay here the week, then I’m going to go stay with Landon and Verity.”

Callum’s face fell and he pulled his knee away from Jack’s hand, his body turning cold.

“You’re what?” he whispered.

“Hear me out,” Jack said.

Callum suddenly felt naked. That was stupid because he was naked, but he felt emotionally naked. Like Jack had just flayed him open and then called in an audience kind of naked.

“This isn’t the way I wanted to have this conversation.”

“I didn’t want to have this conversation at all.”

Jack exhaled.

“I want to do things right.” He reached out and grazed his thumb across Callum’s cheekbone and he did everything he could to not recoil from the touch. “I don’t want you to get tired of me.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“I know you say that, but you don’t know that.Idon’t know that.” Jack framed Callum’s face with his hands. “I want to do right by you.”

Callum studied the fine lines of Jack’s face and the dark chocolate color of his irises. The way they reflected whatever he was looking at. The way they reflected him. Callum looked down.

“When we started talking, you said you wanted something online because it was what your schedule allowed. Your schedule hasn’t changed.”

Callum wanted to protest, but Jack was right. He knew it. They both did. Callum had never hated his job the way he did in that moment. It was this obtrusive thing forcing its way into this otherwise perfect moment.

“I want to date you, Callum.”

Jack’s use of his name drew his attention and he looked up, finding Jack’s features honest and kind.

“We did this all wrong, didn’t we?” Callum asked quietly.

“This,” Jack said, gesturing between them, “This thing between us couldn’t ever be wrong, kitten. Maybe we did it backward is all.”

Callum couldn’t help but smile.