Page 135 of Jackrabbit

“I’m gonna crush you to death if I stay here.” Beau gently lowered Colt’s legs to the bed and sat back. “Lemme get you clean.”

“What a way to go.” Colt yawned and dropped his arm over his eyes. “I’d be alright with that.”

Beau squeezed Colt’s thigh and got up, his footsteps disappearing into the bathroom. The tap ran for a few seconds, and then Beau came back. The bed dipped as a warm washcloth slid up Colt’s inner thigh. Methodically, almost, Beau cleaned Colt’s body of lube and cum with steady swipes of that scratchy hotel washcloth. When Colt peeked from under his arm, Beau was watching what he was doing the same way he looked at a car when he was checking the detail work.

The washcloth got tossed into the trashcan, and Beau got off the bed again. Colt tried to hook him with his ankle and missed. “Where are you going? Get back here.”

“Demanding brat.” There was so much affection and softness in Beau’s tone that it made Colt’s ears heat as Beau picked up Colt’s bag and set it on the little desk next to the window. “Hold on.”

Beau returned with two of his own shirts and a pair of bright purple boxers, raising an eyebrow at Colt, who grinned at him. “What? I told you I stole your shirts.”

“You got three of my shirts in your bag,” Beau murmured as he took Colt’s wrist and pulled him into a sitting position. “Got any of your own clothes in there?”

“Of course I do.” Shifting where Beau wanted him, Colt let himself be dressed in Beau’s Pantera shirt and the underwear. “See? My own undies, right here.”

The other shirt Colt had stolen went over Beau’s head, a soft, old tee from a Sum 41 concert. Colt settled into the bed and pulled the covers up as Beau dug his own underwear out of his pants and put them on with the shirt. Beau let out a massive yawn and rubbed his eyes with his palms.

“Come to bed.” Colt patted the mattress next to him. “You look like you’re one second from death.”

Beau rolled his eyes. “Flattering.”

He got into the bed, and Colt plastered himself against his side before he’d even pulled the covers up. Despite the stickiness in the air, the lingering heat the air conditioner was having trouble keeping up with, Colt dissolved into Beau’s warmth, rubbing his face into his skin.

“Thank you,” he said against Beau’s chest. “For today. You saved me, you know.”

Yawning again, Beau squeezed Colt against him. “You did the drivin’. Jus’ gave ya the chance.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Colt asked.

Beau’s breathing was already evening out. “Not a wink.”

The arm around him loosened, and Beau was out. Colt lay there listening to him sleep, thinking about the day, about how it had felt to take a rideshare to the Liberty complex that morning feeling more alone than he’d felt in months and see Beau standing there already. How he’d been one second from throwing down with Marcus fucking Hoyt forColt. Hadn’t slept for one second, apparently, had spent all night building Colt’s case and then taken over and given Colt goddamn wings.

Colt lifted himself onto his elbow and watched Beau sleep. Traced the peppering of gray in his dark hair, the patch on his jaw that was going silver too, down his chest, his stomach, the scarred leg that was still out of the covers—Colt had felt every inch of it with his tongue.

Beau. Who believed in Colt even when he was done believing in himself, who Colt had hurt in a way Colt hadn’t known he was capable of last night. Who had fought for him anyway.

Squeezing his eyes shut against the sting of tears, Colt took a breath.

Fuck.

He settled back down in bed and pressed his face into Beau’s skin as his heart hammered so hard he felt it in his ears.

I fucking love him.

Chapter 57

They arrived for their meeting with Liberty at eight fifteen in the morning, and Theo was already standing out front waiting for them. Wearing flowy black pants that looked like a skirt when he stood still and a white blouse, he smiled as they approached and held out a cup of coffee for Beau and an energy drink for Colt.

“Oh, I think I love you,” Colt sighed as he took the drink and cracked it open.

“Flattered, baby, but you know I’m happily married.” Theo winked at Beau, who raised both eyebrows.

Hell. Was it obvious?

Colt laughed. “Yeah, I saw the picture on your desk. He looksamazing. Local shows?”

Opening the door and ushering them through, Theo nodded. “Yeah, but he travels to host burlesque shows around the state.”