sometimes you’re overrated, just f.y.i. [jared/jensen, nc17, 32k] part 3
Although Jared’s interest in an honest conversation about what the fuck they were even thinking got side-railed by - admittedly - far more interesting prospects, he wasn’t too worried. Maybe for the first time since he’d finally allowed himself to admit to the strange attraction he shared with gay porn’s current heartthrob.
Or maybe it was just the fucking fantastic orgasms, and really, who could blame him?
“Keep smiling like that and you’re gonna blind someone with those dimples.” Jensen nudged his shoulder as they got out of Jared’s car and started up toward his apartment building. Tucking a finger in the back of Jared’s jeans, casual as you please, a matching smirk stretched across Jensen’s lips as Jared glanced over.
“You must be feeling pretty fucking smug right about now.”
The words were without any real heat, and Jensen crooked his finger so that it swept into an intimate caress across the swell of Jared’s bottom. “You bet your sweet ass,” he purred in that deliciously dirty voice Jared was starting to grow really, really fond of.
Jared rolled his eyes, but didn’t pull away from the blatant gesture. When they rounded the upper landing, he caught sight of an unfamiliar figure leaning against the wrought iron railing. Blue-grey smoke wafted out of the cherry of a cigarette and curled in wisps above the guy’s dark blond head.
Jared’s brows drew together; the automatic greeting on his lips died when he felt Jensen go still beside him just as the young stranger turned to gaze at them through light green eyes.
“About time you showed up,” came a sweet, southern drawl with the underlying flavor of New Orleans that Jared had learned to pick out of a lineup over years spent in Louisiana. The guy stamped out his cigarette and swept that pale gaze over Jared, lingering, before settling it on Jensen. “Thought I was gonna have to sit out here all damn night…Jeff didn’t tell you I was coming in?”
Jared turned to look at Jensen, who just stared at the kid - and he really was a kid. Couldn’t be more than nineteen if Jared was feeling generous about the situation, which he really, really wasn’t at the moment.
“Jeff,” Jared echoed, his stomach beginning to churn as Jensen finally blinked and turned his gaze toward Jared. “Like, your agent Jeff?”
“Yeah, Jeff told me you were coming in at the end of the week,” Jensen said, ignoring Jared’s question completely even as he held his gaze with helpless green eyes. Jared looked away, and Jensen growled, “So what the hell are you doing here now?”
The kid shrugged his shoulders and a faint pounding started up in the back of Jared’s head. “I got bored waiting around in LA and decided to catch an earlier flight. Figured it’d be a good chance for us to get to know each other, considering…” When he wiggled his brows, Jared felt sick and took a solid step away from Jensen.
Jensen’s jaw ticked. “Jeff gave you this address?”
“Hey, is this your boyfriend?” the kid asked, eyeing Jared with blatant appreciation and a wicked little half-smile that under other circumstances might’ve had Jared’s lips curving in response. But Jared was too busy remembering exactly why Jensen was in New Orleans to begin with, and his apartment for that matter, and quickly losing the battle against the twisted jealousy threatening to knot deep in his belly.
“No,” he said bluntly, and caught Jensen pressing his lips tightly together out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry. Who are you again?”
“Brock Kelly.” The kid reached out a friendly hand and Jared took it, just because it seemed to piss Jensen off. Good, join the fucking club. The kid’s grip was surprisingly strong and steady. A charming dimple dented his cheek, and Jared had to banish the sudden disturbing image of Jensen licking across it. “So, if you’re not Jensen’s boyfriend, then you must be…?”
“None of your fucking business,” Jensen interrupted, voice shot with rough as he moved to subtly push his way between them. “And you still haven’t explained why you’re here and not at the hotel, or hell, the studio even. Jeff knows better than to just hand out my friends’ addresses-”
“Yeah, about that.” Brock rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly at the two of them. “I checked and they’re still all booked up until Friday. So I’m kinda homeless at the moment, and I was hoping, well, maybe-”
Jared cleared his throat. Hard. “Jensen, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure,” Jensen said, shooting Brock another irritated glance as he reached out and took hold of Jared’s wrist in a proprietary maneuver no one could miss. Jared stalked off around the corner, dragging Jensen behind him, until they were somewhat shadowed from the main landing.
He turned and met Jensen’s worried green gaze. “What the fuck, man?”
“I know,” Jensen said, fingers stroking up Jared’s arm. “Hey, I’m blindsided, too, baby, but we can’t just leave him sitting out in the cold all damn night.” His use of the more intimate plural barely soothed the frazzled emotions churning in Jared’s stomach, and he shrugged away from Jensen’s touch with a frustrated hiss.
“Jensen, this is my home, not a goddamn whorehouse!” As soon as the angry words came out, Jared wished he could call them back. Jensen reeled, cheeks turning a dull pink that flared out across his freckled skin like a disease. Jared opened his mouth to somehow make it better, but the words just wouldn’t come.
Jensen licked his lips, turning to stare out over the parking lot as a cricket’s song punctuated the awkward moment. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” he finally murmured, and Jared couldn’t miss the hurt weighing down his deep voice. “It’s not like you didn’t know what I am, Jared. I never hid anything from you.”
“Yeah, I know.” Which made it all Jared’s fault, because he’d known better. Right? He blew out a breath, tugged at the ends of his hair. Jensen turned and stared up at him with huge eyes that seemed to be begging Jared for something Something that maybe he wasn’t ready to give. And maybe Jensen knew it, too.
“Look,” he tried again, feeling an awkward mixture of anger and shame. “Yeah, I know what you…do. Obviously. I just wasn’t expecting it to show up on my damn doorstep.”
“I’m going to murder Jeff,” Jensen muttered under his breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Slowly.”
Jared’s throat worked for long seconds. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked over into Jensen’s apologetic expression. “You’re right, though. You can’t just leave him here.”
“Jared,” Jensen whispered, catching the ends of Jared’s fingers as he brushed by. Squeezing. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Yeah,” Jared said, Brock’s pretty face coming back into view as he left Jensen standing there. “Me too.”
Brock looked suitably chastened as Jared approached, and oddly enough, Jared felt a bit of his annoyance over the situation fade as the kid chewed nervously on ridiculously pink lips and shifted on his feet.
“Hey, look, I’m really sorry to just show up like this, I obviously interrupted…something.” Despite the curiosity evident in his eyes, his voice, it was obvious Brock really did feel bad. “I’ll just make some calls and see if any of my buddies are still around and willing to let me crash for a few days. Most of us beat it out of here after Katrina, but I’ve always been a pretty lucky guy.”
Jared wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, or to the teasing glint in those pale green eyes. “Nah, don’t worry about it, you’re welcome to stay. So, you’re from New Orleans?”
“Born and bred, baby.” Brock tilted his head, amusement deepening his dimples and somehow making Jared feel like the fresh-faced innocent instead of the other way around. “And I take it you’re not a fan of my work, then. Because it’s pretty obvious.” He licked his lips and wiggled his eyebrows shamelessly “You know… little Billy boy takes it up his tight, cherry ass from the big, studly farmer, et cetera, ad nauseum. There’s no getting around this accent, I’m afraid.”
“Ah…” Jared busied himself with unlocking the door as Jensen came up to join them. Cleared his throat and lied through his teeth. “Yeah, I’m not really…into all that?”
“Whatever you say, straight boy.” Brock laughed and winked, reaching out to pat Jared on the arm as they walked inside. “Relax. I’m not about to go all diva boy-bitch on you, though I’ve gotta admit, the bitch part’s starting to seem pretty appealing the more I look at you…Jared, right?”
The tips of Jared’s ears went hot, and Jensen made a disgusted sound before grabbing Brock by the arm and steering him across the room. A flurry of furious whispering happened soon afterward, but Jared couldn’t make out anything other than Brock’s mild amusement and Jensen’s dark expression.
Christ, Padalecki, how do you always do this to yourself?
He shook his head as the argument continued, and went to figure out how the hell he was going to house another human being for the next few days. The guest room was obviously going to have to be cleaned out, but he had no idea where he was going to store everything. He stared at the boxes and boxes piled high and full of everything from childhood paraphernalia to used school textbooks and clothing he’d outgrown and he kept meaning to take down to the Salvation Army.
A sharp knock sounded just seconds before Jensen poked his head in. “Hey,” he said uncertainly, coming inside and pulling the door shut after himself. Jared turned to face him just in time to wind up with an armful of gorgeous male, Jensen’s mouth practically eating him alive.
Jared responded on auto-pilot for all of a second before he pulled back, sputtering Jensen’s name and looking over his shoulder like he was worried Brock was going to suddenly pop up from the shadows, waving a camera and exposing this whole scenario for the joke on Jared that it was.
“Come back here,” Jensen growled, eyes dark and cheeks flushed as he fought to pull Jared right back into his embrace. “Don’t turn away from me.”
“Where’s Brock?” Jared asked, and winced a little bit at the accusation that laced his voice. Jensen obviously didn’t miss it, either, because his expression got even angrier. If that was possible.
“Who the fuck cares?” he replied shortly, and Jared caught the shine from his own mouth slicking Jensen’s lips as they pursed together. “Or is that the problem?”
Jared’s brows came together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jensen stared at him for several, long seconds, then heaved an exasperated sigh and threw his hands up. “You tell me! What the hell, Jared, just how bad are you planning to punish me because it’s gonna be my job to screw that kid’s brains out?”
Jared flinched, and then an odd calm descended upon his shoulders as Jensen slumped and the heat drained out of his features. “You done?” he said coldly, and Jensen pressed his lips together. “Let’s get something straight, here and now. I don’t care if you wanna go screwing a nail into a damn door, Jensen, but if you ever try to manhandle me again I’ll put you through one.”
But instead of getting upset or angry, Jensen’s mouth simply curved into that sexy half-smile that had been Jared’s downfall from the beginning. He took a step toward Jared, voice dropping low. “Wow. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel, baby?”
“Call me that again and I’ll punch you in your pretty face,” Jared said through his teeth, and his palms were definitely itching…but not to break Jensen’s skin. A sort of desperate, crawling need was pounding through him and judging by the look in Jensen’s eyes, he wasn’t the only one feeling it.
“Only if you promise to kiss it better,” Jensen murmured, and reached out. Yanked Jared’s head back down and swept his tongue across the crease of Jared’s mouth. Jared found his fingers digging into the sweet curves of Jensen’s ass before his brain managed to catch up with the situation.
“Wait,” he groaned out, eyes heavy-lidded and unfocused as he stared down at Jensen’s mouth working up his neck. “I can’t think when you’re…touching me.” Admitting that was more than Jared wanted to do at the moment, but holding it back was impossible with Jensen’s fingers searching between them.
Jensen smiled against his jaw. “That works for me.”
“Yeah, but I need some time to deal with this, okay?” Jared gritted his teeth and staved off the rush of disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him when Jensen bit off a curse and jerked away.
“Fine. Then I need a drink.” He didn’t meet Jared’s eyes as he turned on his heel and started out the door. Jared walked back into the living room just as Jensen hurled an unflattering suggestion toward Brock, who was lying comfortably on the couch, before stalking out and slamming the front door.
“Well, that sure looked fun,” Brock quipped, one blond brow quirked up high as he met Jared’s pained gaze. “You sure you don’t want me to make those calls, cutie?”
“It’s not your fault,” Jared said, honestly. He shook his head and picked up his phone to call Chad and get his best friend to come over and help pack his shit up. “Excuse me just a second.”
He was starting out of the room when Brock’s too-serious tone stopped him cold.
“You do know that fucking me will mean nothing to him, right? I could basically be a blow-up doll for all he’ll notice in that studio.”
Jared squeezed the phone in his hands so tightly he was afraid it might splinter. Careful to keep his voice as steady as possible, he turned to Brock and said, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
There was no teasing in the younger man’s expression anymore, just something almost approaching sympathy. He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe, maybe not. But it’s the truth. And hey, not everyone can handle what we do for a living and be with us at the same time. Jensen knows that. You shouldn’t blame yourself if you can’t.”
“How old are you, Brock?” Jared was a little disturbed by the apparent experience the kid was expounding.
That already too-familiar, shameless grin fell back into place. “Old enough to know that if Jensen does let you get away, then I plan on being right here to make my move. I’m younger and blonder, and double-jointed in a few interesting places.”
Jared had to laugh, even if nothing about the current situation seemed the least bit funny. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
“I am,” Brock agreed, “which is why I gotta tell you. It’s obvious you’re having some kind of quasi-bisexual crisis. Are you sure you want to dive in headfirst like this? Jensen Ackles isn’t exactly a discreet college experimentation, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, that’s sort of the problem you just stumbled into, actually.” Jared tried for a smile that fell miles too short. “Lucky you.”
“Damn, that’s rough.” Brock shook his head. “Can’t say I envy you much. The guy’s…intense, to say the least.”
“I thought you wanted to work with him,” Jared said, confusion momentarily trumping his jealousy over the idea of Jensen and this pretty young man together.
“Oh, I do. He’s pretty much the best there is.”
Jared wasn’t really sure he wanted to know the answer, but he asked anyway. “And why’s that?”
Brock’s gaze turned sympathetic again. “Because, sweetie, he can eat an ass like a peach.”
Jared really hated being right.
Jensen tried to catch Jared’s eye with little to no success while the Sink crew set up for the big signing Danneel had pimped across the internet waves.
Oh, he knew Jared was just as aware of him as ever, but the fact that he was deliberately trying to distance himself from Jensen now…it was fucking frustrating as hell. Especially given that Jensen had apparently, suddenly, and willingly found himself smack dab in the middle of the exact situation he’d always tried his hardest to avoid.
Jared walked by with a box of flesh-colored Jensenators in his arms, and Jensen blew out an exasperated breath. “I told you I didn’t know he was gonna show up,” he muttered, not really expecting Jared to respond. Or even hear.
Jared paused, but didn’t look up. “And I told you I believe you.” His voice was too calm, and Jensen ground his jaw at the complete lack of emotion.
“Then you could give me a fucking break already,” Jensen said through his teeth, staring at the sheen of clean sweat that beaded across Jared’s golden skin. He lowered his voice and came up behind Jared, hands hesitating over those big shoulders. “It’s not fair that you get me so hot over you and then just…” He trailed off on a hiss and gripped Jared by the arm, forced him to turn around. “You haven’t let me touch you since he got here.”
And that was the absolute bitch of it all. Brock had been in town a grand total of three days and had taken an immediate liking to Jared, not that Jensen could really blame him. And though Jared still held a certain wariness about him, he seemed to be eating up the attention. Jensen didn’t think Jared was necessarily into Brock - hell, as far as he knew, Jared was still pining his days away longing for Danneel; wasn’t like he was telling Jensen a damn thing - but, well, Brock Kelly was hot. And Jared had proven, quite enthusiastically, that at least parts of him very much enjoyed the things two men could do together.
Jensen wasn’t used to this clawing, creeping insecurity that settled down deep in his bones and threatened to slowly drive him out of his mind.
“It has nothing to do with Brock,” Jared said, finally meeting Jensen’s gaze from under a dark curtain of lashes. His eyes looked as tired and faded as Jensen felt, and when he pulled away to set the box on the ground before rubbing his forehead, Jensen’s stomach took a dip. A quick, soft sigh, and then, “Jensen, I just can’t do this. Okay?”
Jensen took the dumb route, ignoring everything and everyone around them as his focus narrowed in on Jared. “You can’t do what?”
Jared’s expression was blatantly uncomfortable, and he shot a sidelong glance toward the corner of the room where Brock was busy entertaining Danneel with stories about God only knew what. Jensen’s jaw ticked, and Jared blinked. Looked back at him with that same frustrating stoicism that had recently taken him over every single time Jensen was within reach. “I just think that maybe it’d be best if we just ended this now,” he said, low and rough and heartbreakingly sincere. “It’s early enough…we could just. Before it gets serious, or-”
“So, what, ‘it’s not you, it’s me?’” Bitter mocking edged Jensen’s voice. “Jesus Christ, you’re something else. Look at me, damn it!” When Jared did, Jensen held his hands out in appeal. “It already is serious. To me.”
Jared’s lips pressed into a stubborn line, his eyes quite clearly saying he didn’t believe Jensen for a single second. “Jensen-”
“Don’t say my fucking name like I’m some annoying child you’re trying to punish.” Jensen knew he was dangerously close to sounding like a bitchy queen, but his pulse was pounding in his ears and leaving him light-headed and aching. He resented the glances being exchanged around the room, the flush darkening Jared’s cheeks.
“You told me yourself, you don’t let yourself get into these situations.” Jared threw it back at him like a dagger. “So just consider it a favor.”
“Fuck you,” Jensen managed after a long beat of silence, something hot and sour rising up in the back of his throat.
“I guess you didn’t hear me too clearly before. I’m not interested.” Jared’s eyes gleamed with repressed anger, big body practically bristling, and Jensen hated the fact that his dick sat up and took notice despite everything else.
Jared was fucking gorgeous under regular circumstances; when he lost the good-boy edge and went toe-to-toe with someone as inherently dominant as himself, it made Jensen want to bend over the nearest surface and offer himself up like a fucking dessert platter. Jared could make him beg for it. And a part of Jensen really fucking wanted him to.
“Is there a problem, boys?” Danneel’s overly cheerful voice broke the heated gaze that was slowly melting Jensen through, and he didn’t miss the sharp warning in the way she clasped their shoulders. Dug in with her nails. “Do we need separate corners, hmm?”
“I’m fine,” Jared said, jerking away from Danneel’s grip. Jensen couldn’t even enjoy the fact that he’d all but snapped at his precious Danny, too, because Jared’s hazel eyes were suddenly back on him and filled with disgust and shame, the latter maybe even worse than the former. He picked up the box of dildos. His words were directed toward Danneel, but obviously meant for Jensen. “I’ve just got to get this stuff put up before people start coming in. Then I’ve got class. All afternoon.”
Run away, then, fine, Jensen thought with irritation, jaw grinding down to the bone. He muttered an oath under his breath and shoved a hand through his hair, turning back to Danneel. “Fuck this, come find me when it’s time for me to play performing monkey.”
He ignored both Danneel’s raised-brow expression and Brock, who came walking up to him holding what looked like some kind of prostate massager shaped like the state of Texas. Who knew why, since they were in Louisiana.
“This place is great!” Brock was laughing, waving the damn thing in Jensen’s face like a flag. He wagged his brows. “Everything’s Bigger, am I right or am I right?”
Jensen didn’t bother to lower his voice. “Do me a favor, kid? Stay the fuck out of my way.”
Brock’s mouth fell open as Jensen shoved past. He managed to make it a good ten feet before Brock reappeared in front of him, completely unfazed and still holding the damn ridiculous massager.
“So, are you menstruating or just pissed off that we’re moving into the hotel tonight?” Brock’s green gaze held way too much knowledge for Jensen’s comfort, and he sent the blond a warning glare that should’ve had him slinking off to lick his wounds. Instead, Brock’s eyes fell onto a shelf behind Jensen and lit up.
“Oh shit, do you think that comes in butterscotch?”
Jensen stared at Brock in disbelief, then caught a flicker of movement from behind him. Tall body, broad shoulders, and shaggy hair. His voice turned gruff and determined. “Move. Now.”
“No,” Brock said easily, opening the tester jar of edible body paint and sniffing. “Jared doesn’t really want to deal with you right now. Not surprising, since you’re kind of being an ass.”
“I’m going to beat your ass if you don’t fucking move.”
“Save all that emotion for the cameras, Jensen.” Brock’s smile held a surprising edge as Jensen met his gaze again. Brock set the body paint back on the shelf and moved in close enough that only Jensen could hear. “After all, we both know you’re gonna need it to get through this embarrassing farce, don’t we? Why don’t you just grow a pair and pull out? If you’ll pardon the pun.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jensen said through his teeth, his pulse kicking up a few notches as Brock simply stood there smirking at him.
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re an incredible dumbass, and in love with that guy standing right over there.” Brock nodded Jared’s direction, and everything in the room seemed to come to a complete stand-still as Jensen blinked in shock.
“I…you’re so full of shit,” he said, but the thickness in his voice proved the weak denial for what it was. It had his voice coming out even sharper than before. “You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, okay? Stay the hell out of my business.”
“Gladly,” Brock shot back, and Jensen didn’t think he was imagining the disappointment in the kid’s gaze, which only pissed him off more. “But you ought to know you’re not the only one around here who might be interested. And I’m not too scared to man up and admit Jared’s one in a fucking million.”
Jensen’s lips parted on a furious breath.
“See you at the studio on Tuesday.” Brock grinned and saluted him with two fingers before turning and making his way over to Jared, who greeted him with a flash of dimples and an easy amusement that tore at Jensen’s insides.
Jared didn’t glance his way once, and Jensen finally gave up and went upstairs to stare at the wall.
Jared skipped class and went with Sebastian and Chad across the street to get plastered instead.
The idea of sticking around the Sink for the rest of Jensen’s signing - or even worse, being at the apartment when Jensen’s agent finally showed up to escort Jensen and Brock to their hotel - was causing a faint pounding somewhere behind his eyes.
“Leighton’s driving me insane,” Sebastian said into his drink, eyes trained on the busty blonde waitress yawning over in the corner of the still mostly empty bar. “I don’t get girls, man. I thought shit was going pretty well, and then all of a sudden…hello, Crazy Central. I miss the good times.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you fell cock-first into Brandi ‘I’m Just Working My Way Through Med School’,” Jared suggested, and rolled his eyes when Chad saluted Sebastian with his half-empty beer stein.
His best friend grinned drunkenly. “C’mon. Brandi was awesome.”
“Leighton is awesome,” Jared corrected, and frowned into the golden-brown depths of his own glass. He heaved a huge sigh. “She’s amazing, and you probably made her cry and shit. So now she’s just mean to everybody, and you drink too much, and you both belong together but it’ll probably never happen because she’d rather cut out your heart with a hunting knife and feed it to her goldfish than ever touch you again.”
Sebastian blinked. “Dude. You’re a fucking maudlin drunk.”
“Whoa. Does Leighton have a goldfish?” Chad stared at him through fuzzy eyes, and Jared pushed back in his chair and dropped his face into his hands. Groaned.
“What’s this dude’s deal, anyway?” he heard Sebastian say. Something poked his arm. “Hey. What’s your deal?”
“He’s going through a ‘what does it all mean’ phase,” Chad explained, and Jared could almost see the absent handwave that comment would’ve brought along. “Like, oh no! Is this where my dick is supposed to go? Or should it go here, and blah blah blah.”
Jared sat straight back up and squeaked out, “Chad. What the hell?”
“Relax, man.” Sebastian reached out and slapped him on the back. “Everybody knows. You should embrace that gay shit and roll with it.”
The tips of Jared’s ears felt like they were searing right off of his head. “I… I’m not…”
“You are.” Chad sucked down the rest of his drink and slammed the glass on the table. “Jared, you are. Okay? You’ve been after Danneel for months, but everyone knew that wasn’t gonna happen.”
“You even knew it wasn’t gonna happen,” Sebastian pointed out, shaking his head. “And it was so sad to see, man.”
When it came, Jared’s voice was a tight drum of irritated denial. “I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about.”
‘We’re talking about the fact that you could’ve had Danneel on her back fifteen times over by now if you’d really even tried.” Chad’s slurring voice grated on Jared’s already frazzled nerves, and he had to bite down on the urge to do serious damage to the sloppy smirk coloring his friend’s features. “Instead you sat around drinking Misha Collins’ coffee.”
I might’ve been…curious. Once or twice.
His own words came back to haunt him now, along with Jensen’s accusing green-gold gaze.
Surprisingly, it was Sebastian who seemed to realize first that Jared was seconds away from a full-fledged panic attack. “Hey, you okay?”
Jesus, what was he supposed to say?
Well, now that you mention it…remember Jensen Ackles, gay porn king extraordinaire? Yesterday he bent over and begged for my dick and I wanted to give it to him. So, yeah, maybe you’re right about me.
Or maybe I just don’t know what the fuck I want anymore.
He ground his teeth together until his head ached, then shoved back from table. Ignoring Chad’s questioning call of his name, he tossed a couple of bills beside his barely touched bottle and left the bar. The jaunt across Bourbon took half a minute, maybe more, and then he was pushing through the Sink’s doors and searching the room.
Danneel looked up with a start when he came into her office. She smiled and began to close the notebook spread out across her desk. “Hey you, class already over?”
“I wanna try something,” Jared said shortly, and reached for her. Pulled her out of the chair, backed her against the wall and kissed her lipsticked mouth. Danneel didn’t protest, hands sinking into his hair as Jared’s slid up the short hem of her skirt.
He pulled up just shy of her upper thigh, big palm closing around the supple skin and squeezing as he swallowed the pretty little moan that escaped her throat. She tasted good, smelled better, and Jared…didn’t feel a goddamn thing.
The realization was like a bucket of ice water to the face, and Jared dropped her leg in the process of pulling it around his hip. He moved back to stare down into Danneel’s surprised brown eyes.
“Wow,” she breathed a bit huskily. She licked her lips and gazed up at him as Jared loomed tall and uncertain. Then, “Jensen was right.”
Jared jerked back. “What the hell does Jensen have to do with anything?”
Danneel just rubbed along her lower lip with one manicured nail, and she smiled that same easy, flirty smile he’d seen day in and day out for months on end. “He said I’d make an exception to my rules…for you.”
“So, what, you guys discussed this?” Jared felt sick to his stomach, shame over what he’d done, what he’d just discovered. “Me?”
“Jared,” Danneel began, blinking long lashes as he backed away, shaking his head.
“When?” His voice sounded like raw flesh scraped over sandpaper. “Was this all some huge fucking joke? You shove your sick bastard of an ex onto the poor, pitiful, lovestruck moron who worships you and you both laugh and laugh-”
“What the hell are you talking about?” It was Danneel’s turn to sound pissed, and she curled a hand into the material of Jared’s shirt. Just as quickly, her anger seemed to disappear as she read whatever was written across Jared’s features. Instant sympathy darkened those big, gorgeous brown eyes, and Jared wanted to die. “Oh, baby.”
He closed his eyes, heart thudding in his ears. Laughed without any humor. “Don’t. Just…forget it.”
“Like hell I’m going to forget it!” Danneel reached for his arm when he moved to leave the office. “Hey, wait a second there, buddy. You just molested me, so at least-”
“You liked it.” Jared was damn sure he’d read her right, and maybe for the first real time since he’d laid eyes on the woman.
Danneel pursed her lips. “Well, duh. But now you’re going to listen to what I have to say, damn it.” When Jared stayed silent, she blew out a breath and shoved a hand through her long hair. Then, bluntly, “Jensen is miserable. Okay? I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but something obviously did. And Jared, I don’t know what misconceptions you’ve got going on here, but-”
“Did you know that I liked you?” he interrupted again, and saw the way her eyes widened before she could mask the response. His lips twisted. “That figures. Jesus, what do you see when you look at me, Danny?”
“What do you mean?” she asked carefully, and for a split-second in time Jared almost wanted her to…what? Save him? Tell him he wasn’t going crazy, wasn’t up to his elbows in trouble with a goddamn self-proclaimed commitment-phobe who, oh yeah, also had a penis.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then laid it all out on the table once and for all. “You don’t want to be with me, do you?”
“Sweetie,” she said dryly, but not quite unkindly. “You don’t want to be with me.”
That simple truth washed over Jared, hot and cold, and he let out a soft groan. Dropped his head back against the wall and pressed the heels of his hands against suddenly burning eyes.
“You should talk to Jensen,” Danneel said quietly, recognizing the fact that Jared’s emotions were already well on the way out of there. “He’s probably over at the Monteleone by now. Jared, please, talk to him.”
Jared laughed low, bitterly, opening his eyes and pinning her with a resentful gaze. “There’s nothing he could say that I’d want to hear, believe me.”
Danneel eyed him for a long, tense moment. Jared was pretty sure it was disappointment coloring her dark gaze before she lowered her lashes and cleared her throat. “Then I gave you too much credit after all.”
Jared turned and threw a few last parting words over his shoulder. “Sweetheart, I could say the same about you.”
[ part quatre] [ master post]