Page 90 of Ring Rust

“I won’t let you fall,” Ryan said, wrapping his good arm around Jasper’s back, pulling him close.

“Why don’t we go to the bedroom?”

“That’s better. Yes, please.”

Jasper guided Ryan down the hallway, neither of them able to stop kissing, undressing, and touching each other. Ryan kept catching Jasper every time he tried to pull back, attempts to walk more directly to the room derailed by Ryan’s hand sliding around his waist, neck, even his face, kissing him harder each time they stopped for even a second. They crashed into the bedroom, rattling a framed poster of the Blue Ridge Mountains that Ryan loved, and things shifted from individual touches and moments to something desperate and continuous, with only one direction left to go.

Jasper pressed his eyes shut with the hope that the house would stay empty for just a little while longer.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Your hand seems moreuseful these days,” Jasper said, sprinkling flour on the counter in their kitchen.

“Yeah, feels better,” Ryan said, extending his fingers, then making a fist. “I’m not in much pain anymore, but it is annoying that I can’t move my arm.”

“How much longer are you in the sling?”

“Another couple weeks, sounds like.”

“Poor baby,” Jasper cooed, rubbing Ryan’s good arm. “You know, you never told me exactly what you were doing when you fell off the ladder. I only know you were at the park with Logan for some reason.”

It was a week before Christmas when it finally happened—Jasper noticed he never got the full story of what happened to Ryan’s arm. Ryan had managed to avoid the topic for a couple of weeks, but he knew it would come out eventually. And he did want credit for the carousel, but there was a cloud of uncertainty around it—concerns that Jasper would see it as an apology gift, which he’d made very clear he didn’t want, especially if it came at the expense of their time together.

Which it had. At least somewhat.

And okay, hecouldadmit he’d done it to win Jasper back. But he’d also done it because he needed a distraction, and he had free time, and it was the right thing to do because Logan was going to destroy everything if he hadn’t stepped in.

Convincing Jasper of that may be hard, though.

“That fuckin’ guy,” Ryan huffed, shaking his head and trying to put the truth off just a minute longer. “Where did you find him?”

“Don’t change the subject. He’s done a great job since you guys started working together, hasn’t he? Last night he told me you’ve taught him a lot.”

Ryan huffed and punched the dough he was kneading with his good hand. “Okay. Didn’t realize you guys were buddies.”

“We’re not. I was asking about—wait, are you jealous?” Jasper ran his hands up the inside of Ryan’s shirt, stopping when his fingers hit the sling.

“I’m not jealous of Logan,” Ryan said, staring intently at Jasper. “At all.”

“Oh my God! You are! Were you showing off that day, or something? Climbing that big ladder to do something risky Logan couldn’t do?”

Ryan stopped kneading and turned to glare at Jasper. “I wouldneverdo something unsafe around a ladder. You know that.”

Jasper’s brow furrowed. “Huh. I guess you’re right.”

“Yeah.” Returning to the dough, he worked it under his palm, folding it over until Jasper spoke again.

“So what was it, then? You didn’t answer my question.”

Ryan worked another few seconds before realizing there wasn’t any point in pretending he hadn’t heard him or was confused by what he was asking. He wiped his hand on the rag hanging from his waistband.

“I wasn’t trying to impress Logan on the ladder.”

Jasper leaned against the counter. “We’ve covered that.”

Ryan cleared his throat. “Are you busy?”

Jasper looked from Ryan to his hands, tearing sprigs of rosemary off the branch he’d brought inside. He smirked. “I mean… a little.”