He grabbed my wrist. “You’re like a fucking cat.”
“How do you figure?”
“Causing mayhem and destruction until I pay attention to you.”
“You’ve been paying attention to me this whole time,” I replied, trying to pull out of his grasp.
“Are you going to push everything off my shelves when I have you over?” He tightened his grip on my wrist until it burned.
“No, but I will turn stuff so you won’t notice they are all off-kilter until I leave.” I spoke through my teeth. “Wait…invite me over?”
He released my wrist and grabbed the cocoa, and instead of fixing it like I’d expected, he measured and poured some into the pan. “We are only having sex at your place then.” He gave me a stern look.
I laughed. “What did you mean ‘invite me over’?”
“I told you we were going to talk.”
“I told you I didn’t want to talk.” I started to make a circle out of his line.
He held my gaze. “We still aren’t having sex until we talk. You are running out of time…” He glanced at the window and I followed, the last rays slashing over the snow, projecting rainbows in every direction.
“Maybe I’ve gotten all the play I wanted.” I was a little smug about it. “You assume I want to have sex again?” Spoiler: I did. I hated he was sticking to what he’d said. I might have respected it a tiny bitty bit, but it was way more infuriating.
“I’m not assuming anything. Merely telling you my stance on it.” He didn’t look at me when he said it and the lack hurt more than his words.
I stuck my lower lip out. “I can keep avoiding until we are dug out of here.”
“You’re going to avoid the living room while I touch myself?”
I gasped. “Maybe! But you wouldn’t. My brother could come in any minute.”
“I would.” He grabbed himself, turning from what he was cooking to look into my eyes and making sure I saw both his expression and the promise in the grip of his cock. As quick as it happened, it was over and he was stirring his concoction again.
I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t think a pout would work on Jensen but I could try it.
He flicked my ear. “You’re so cute when you pout, but we are talking.”
I huffed and walked over to the sofa. He joined me a few minutes later, pressing a mug into my hands. It was chocolaty goodness with whipped cream on top, and Jensen had even ground up and sprinkled some of my candy canes over the cream.
“Thank you.” It left me with a lump in my throat. I brought it to my lips, burning my tongue in the process. “Ouch.”
“You’re welcome.” He took a seat in my father’s old leather wingback. I’d begged for it when they’d moved. He liked those same types of chairs in the library. Jensen looked more at home in it than I ever had. He filled it with his broad shoulders. His shirt pulled around his biceps as he settled. His arms had to be as big around as my thighs.
I swallowed and returned my attention to the hot cocoa. We sat there in silence for a long time.
“How long do you think until they dig us out?” I asked.
“I’ll call the station in a bit and ask. I bet they are asking everyone who doesn’t need immediate assistant to stay where they are. Since you live out here in bumble fuck, you’ll be one of the last ones.”
“Won’t my brother wonder why you’re late?”
Adam was an asshole. He loved me, but he would not hesitate to freak out about me sleeping with Jensen. He was quite territorial over his friends.
“He’ll be fine at my place alone. I told him I’d be there sometime tomorrow.”
“Why is he even coming home early?” I asked.
“I bet his trip was cut short with the storm and he stayed in one of the resorts last night.”
I wasn’t surprised. Adam did that frequently. He came and went as he wanted. Sometimes he penciled in his trips on the calendar on the fridge but other times he forgot. His day job was running the family bar in town but he also led all kinds of adventure tours for the resort.
I blew out my cheeks. It was not good to have Adam in town. Much better for him to be off adventuring, not this close to the sin I was currently committing. “Just my luck.”
“He’ll be at my place and we’ll be fine here. He thinks I’m at work.”
Jensen stood and began to load firewood into the fireplace. He’d brought in the stuff from the backdoor while I napped. He had a fire going in a few minutes. It would have taken me twice that long. I pulled my knees into my chest, knowing he’d be there next to the fire with his dick out as soon as the sun sunk below the horizon. My mouth watered.
I pursed my lips, sure he was right. “Okay, I’m ready to talk.”
His brows rose. “Are you sure? You don’t have any other buttons to push? Perhaps knocking a water glass off the table? Another injury? Maybe some insults?”
I gave him a flat look. “Do you want me to go back to not talking?”
His mouth broke into a smile. “No, Prince. I want to talk. How do you want to do it?”
I picked at a string on my sweats. “What do you mean?”
“Do you want to sit there, or do you want to be at my feet?”
I closed my eyes. There was no way I was going to be able to think straight if I was at his feet. “Maybe here.”
“Wherever you are comfortable.” He readjusted his seat and spread his knees.
My eye twitched as my line of sight went right to his groin. The posture so welcoming. I swallowed and made myself look at my sweats again. “What are we talking about?”
“How about we start with you trying to run away at the first sight the snow is cleared?”
“I have very real claustrophobia.” My head snapped up. “I can’t be in confined places for too long.”
“Why do you think I took you on a walk today?”
I nodded. I’d recognized it for what it was then. “I know.”
“I could tell with your supply checking and I remember when we got trapped in the elevator in high school.”
“You do?” It had been the longest twenty minutes of my life. I was sure Jensen and Adam would make fun of me for months after the freak out I’d had in there, but they’d never mentioned it again.
“You were not doing well. You fainted in my arms. Of course, I remember.”
I searched his face for anything poking fun, but he was steady, as steady as he’d always been. So I nodded, slowly. “It was quite traumatizing. I kept waiting for you and Adam to make fun of me.”
His brows pulled and he shook his head. “Never. You couldn’t help it.”
“Thanks.” I pulled at the string some more, sure it was better than how I knew Jensen would be looking at me.
“That string going to hold your attention all night?”
My cheeks started to flush. “Maybe.”
“I’d rather you look at me when I’m speaking to you.”
My eyes lifted, automatically. Months and months of being a good boy for him had my body trained to move automaticity. There wasn’t pity or sympathy in his eyes like I’d expected. There was something deeper. How I’d imagined he’d looked at me when I wore my mask. Proud maybe. Adoration even. Something deep in my chest stirred.