Breathe with Me
Page 28
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“Ice cream,” he says with a grin and joins me on the couch with two pints and two spoons. “Dinner of champions. Do you want Chubby Hubby or Chunky Monkey?”
“Yes.” I reach for the tub closest to me, take the spoon offered and press play on the remote. “We’ll switch when we’re halfway through.”
“Jesus, this is a lot of calories.”
“Calories don’t count on GGN. Besides, we’re working our asses off, literally, on Starla’s routine. You’re kicking my ass with this one.”
“It’s good, though. It’ll be the best routine at the VMA’s.”
“Obviously,” I reply and roll my eyes. “You’re the best there is, Jax.”
“This is why I love you. You feed my ego.”
I kick him and take a big bite of Chunky Monkey. When both containers are empty, we lie in sugar comas and watch the movie, cuddled up on the couch. Jax’s body is hard. Broad. Lean.
He’s a hottie. I hope Logan isn’t going to try to screw him over. I’d have to kill him.
Just as the movie ends and the credits begin to roll, Jax’s phone rings.
“Is that Mr. Lovey Pants?”
“Yeah.” He looks torn as he glances at me. “But it’s GGN.”
“Answer it. I’ll call Mark and then we’ll snuggle up in my bed and sleep.”
He grins and swipes his finger over the phone, answering, “Hey. Yeah, I’m still with Mer. We’ll be hanging out all night.”
“Hi, Logan!” I call into the phone. Jax grins.
“He says hi.”
“I want to see a photo of you!” I yell.
“Yeah, I’ll show her one when we get off the phone.”
“You have photos and I haven’t seen them?”
“Can I talk here?”
I grin and walk into my room, giving Jax privacy as I call Mark.
“What are you wearing?” he answers.
“Just a smile, sexy man,” I reply and giggle.
“Well put on some clothes. You’re hanging out with Jax, and even if he is gay, I’m not comfortable with you hanging out naked together.”
“Well you’re no fun.” I giggle again and collapse back on the bed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m painting the downstairs bathroom.”
“So, you work construction all day and then go home and keep working?”
“If you were here, I’d be working on something far more exciting.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Well, it’s almost ten, so you’d be well on your way to your third orgasm by now.”
“Damn Jax,” I murmur, making Mark laugh.
“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.”
“Yay me!”
“I thought this was super secret gay girl time. What are you up to?” I can hear clanking in the background, and I picture him pouring more paint into a plastic pan.
“Jax got a call from the guy he’s seeing, so I decided to take advantage of it and call you. I kind of miss you.”
“Kind of?”
“Just a little bit.”
He chuckles and then I can hear him swallowing something. “I can come over later.”
“It’s okay.” I sigh. “Jax and I are going to snuggle up in my bed and go to sleep.”
The line gets quiet and I think I’ve lost him there for a minute.
“M?”
“You and Jax are going to snuggle up in your bed? All night?”
“Um, yeah?” I phrase it as a question because I’m not entirely sure why he sounds suddenly jealous.
“You’re sleeping in your bed with another man?”
“With Jax,” I clarify. “Clothed. I was just kidding about the whole being naked thing. Sleeping. He snores. I’ll probably kick him out at some point.”
“Now would be good.”
I frown and bite my lip. “Jax and I have slept together—just slept—for ten years, M. It’s nothing new.”
“It’s new to me.” He sighs and I can picture him rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
“If it makes you this uncomfortable, we won’t.”
“Why does my caveman come out full blast with you?” His voice is gritty and I grin. It’s sexy as hell.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I will sleep alone tonight.”
“This is my own issue, baby. Do what you’ve always done. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“I want to say no. I want to say the only man who will ever share your bed again is me. But that’s irrational. If Jax was a woman, I wouldn’t care.”
“Let’s snuggle,” Jax announces as he barges into my bedroom. “But I’m not staying. Logan says he’s staking a claim on sleeping privileges.”
I blink at Jax, who is smiling smugly, as he climbs into my bed and opens his arms. “Come on. Bring Mark with you. It’ll be a Chunky Monkey sammich.”
“What is he talking about?” Mark asks with a laugh. “Who is Logan?”
“His boyfriend,” I reply and crawl under the covers to snuggle up to Jax. “And apparently, you and Logan just laid down the law that we can cuddle, but there will be no more sleeping together.”
“I like Logan,” Mark replies.
“Yes.” I reach for the tub closest to me, take the spoon offered and press play on the remote. “We’ll switch when we’re halfway through.”
“Jesus, this is a lot of calories.”
“Calories don’t count on GGN. Besides, we’re working our asses off, literally, on Starla’s routine. You’re kicking my ass with this one.”
“It’s good, though. It’ll be the best routine at the VMA’s.”
“Obviously,” I reply and roll my eyes. “You’re the best there is, Jax.”
“This is why I love you. You feed my ego.”
I kick him and take a big bite of Chunky Monkey. When both containers are empty, we lie in sugar comas and watch the movie, cuddled up on the couch. Jax’s body is hard. Broad. Lean.
He’s a hottie. I hope Logan isn’t going to try to screw him over. I’d have to kill him.
Just as the movie ends and the credits begin to roll, Jax’s phone rings.
“Is that Mr. Lovey Pants?”
“Yeah.” He looks torn as he glances at me. “But it’s GGN.”
“Answer it. I’ll call Mark and then we’ll snuggle up in my bed and sleep.”
He grins and swipes his finger over the phone, answering, “Hey. Yeah, I’m still with Mer. We’ll be hanging out all night.”
“Hi, Logan!” I call into the phone. Jax grins.
“He says hi.”
“I want to see a photo of you!” I yell.
“Yeah, I’ll show her one when we get off the phone.”
“You have photos and I haven’t seen them?”
“Can I talk here?”
I grin and walk into my room, giving Jax privacy as I call Mark.
“What are you wearing?” he answers.
“Just a smile, sexy man,” I reply and giggle.
“Well put on some clothes. You’re hanging out with Jax, and even if he is gay, I’m not comfortable with you hanging out naked together.”
“Well you’re no fun.” I giggle again and collapse back on the bed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m painting the downstairs bathroom.”
“So, you work construction all day and then go home and keep working?”
“If you were here, I’d be working on something far more exciting.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Well, it’s almost ten, so you’d be well on your way to your third orgasm by now.”
“Damn Jax,” I murmur, making Mark laugh.
“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.”
“Yay me!”
“I thought this was super secret gay girl time. What are you up to?” I can hear clanking in the background, and I picture him pouring more paint into a plastic pan.
“Jax got a call from the guy he’s seeing, so I decided to take advantage of it and call you. I kind of miss you.”
“Kind of?”
“Just a little bit.”
He chuckles and then I can hear him swallowing something. “I can come over later.”
“It’s okay.” I sigh. “Jax and I are going to snuggle up in my bed and go to sleep.”
The line gets quiet and I think I’ve lost him there for a minute.
“M?”
“You and Jax are going to snuggle up in your bed? All night?”
“Um, yeah?” I phrase it as a question because I’m not entirely sure why he sounds suddenly jealous.
“You’re sleeping in your bed with another man?”
“With Jax,” I clarify. “Clothed. I was just kidding about the whole being naked thing. Sleeping. He snores. I’ll probably kick him out at some point.”
“Now would be good.”
I frown and bite my lip. “Jax and I have slept together—just slept—for ten years, M. It’s nothing new.”
“It’s new to me.” He sighs and I can picture him rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
“If it makes you this uncomfortable, we won’t.”
“Why does my caveman come out full blast with you?” His voice is gritty and I grin. It’s sexy as hell.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I will sleep alone tonight.”
“This is my own issue, baby. Do what you’ve always done. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“I want to say no. I want to say the only man who will ever share your bed again is me. But that’s irrational. If Jax was a woman, I wouldn’t care.”
“Let’s snuggle,” Jax announces as he barges into my bedroom. “But I’m not staying. Logan says he’s staking a claim on sleeping privileges.”
I blink at Jax, who is smiling smugly, as he climbs into my bed and opens his arms. “Come on. Bring Mark with you. It’ll be a Chunky Monkey sammich.”
“What is he talking about?” Mark asks with a laugh. “Who is Logan?”
“His boyfriend,” I reply and crawl under the covers to snuggle up to Jax. “And apparently, you and Logan just laid down the law that we can cuddle, but there will be no more sleeping together.”
“I like Logan,” Mark replies.
