Chapter 14 - Craig

Craig carried the pizza box into the room and set it at the foot of Jack’s bed. Jack sat up and scooted over, legs crossed.

“Did they send napkins?” Jack asked.

“Were they supposed to?” Craig looked in the plastic bag he carried. He’d ordered a two-liter of Coke to go with their meal. Inside, luckily, was a stack of napkins. “Yeah, they did.”

“We’re going to need them,” Jack warned. “It’s probably a good idea that we eat over the box, unless they sent paper plates, too.”

“Nope.”

“Then over the box it is.”

Isaac slept. By the looks of it, he was down for the count. Crying for so long had to have tuckered him out. The guilt Craig felt over prolonging his son’s suffering was muted when Jack reached out and took him by the wrist. Craig met his eye.

“Hey,” Jack said. “Sit down. Enjoy. I know you’re a little on edge from Isaac, but he’s okay now. You should eat something and try to take your mind off it.”

The touch of Jack’s hand sent a shock through Craig that ran up his arm and right to his groin. Why the hell was he feeling like this? He let his eyes search Jack’s, looking for answers, but Jack’s kind hazel eyes offered no explanation.

What Jack’s eyes did offer was depth and beauty.

Craig lost himself in them. All Jack was trying to do was invite him to sit down, but it had turned into so much more. The hairs on the back of Craig’s neck stood on end, and he allowed himself to be guided to the bed. They sat close, and Craig swore he saw Jack lean toward him to close some of the distance between their bodies.

Jack’s bottom lip was plump. Craig’s gaze dipped to it, then jerked back up to meet Jack’s eye.

What the hell was going on?

“What kind of pizza did you get?” Jack asked. He spoke softly. The television volume was low, but besides that, there was no other noise in the room. Their voices carried fine in hushed tones. Better yet, when Jack spoke so low his words were almost whispered, the sound of his voice stirred Craig in a delirious kind of way he wanted to acknowledge but couldn’t quite compartmentalize.

It was like being stuck in a fever dream—helpless, confused, and yet certain that the experience was familiar.

“Deluxe.”

“Mm. A man after my heart,” Jack teased.

The words struck Craig harder than they should have. Craig’s conversations with Jack had always bordered on flirtatious, but Craig hadn’t ever felt attraction from it. It was something playful. Something forbidden. It was what best friends did.

Wasn’t it?

Craig wasn’t so sure anymore.

Jack opened the pizza box. He pulled free a slice. The cheese stretched and dripped from the sides, and Jack grinned. “God, I love it. I don’t know what they put in this, but the cheese is the best I’ve ever had. So stringy and good.”

He broke one of the cheese strands with his finger and spooled it around the pizza slice. Craig watched, transfixed. There had to be something going on with his head because what he was feeling certainly wasn’t right.

“So…” Craig needed a distraction. If he kept focusing on Jack like this, he was going to go insane. “You said you used to come to Charlotte when you were younger. Did you always live in Dekalb?”

“No. I used to live in an even smaller town.” Jack stuck out his tongue. He leaned forward to make sure his slice was over the box of pizza in case anything fell. The weight of the toppings almost guaranteed that would happen. “It was a little further east, near the ocean. About a three-hour drive. I grew up there, went to school there, then went and lived in Fayetteville to go to college. I’ve always loved North Carolina. I don’t think there’s a more beautiful place in the world.”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to beat the California coast,” Craig said.

“Mm.” Jack looked at him. His eyelids grew heavy, but exhaustion was absent from his face. Something warmer and sweeter was lowering his eyes instead, and it burned in his gaze when he looked at Craig. “You grew up with your toes in the sand on one coast, and I grew up with my toes in the sand on another.”

“And now here I am.” Craig smiled for him. He was drawn in by Jack and the things he said. The gentle lilt of his voice was alluring.

“With me.” Jack set his pizza down without biting into it. He wiped his fingers on one of the napkins. “It’s too hot right now. Damn Spiro’s for being so quick and efficient with their delivery service.”

Craig chuckled. “Yeah, damn them for serving us hot food right out of the oven.”

“It’s disgusting what this world is coming to,” Jack agreed sarcastically.

“Terrible.”

“Is it like this in LA?” Jack kept quiet, but Craig heard the subtle curiosity in his tone. “I’ve never been too far out of North Carolina, so I don’t know.”

“Never?” Craig couldn’t imagine having such an insular life. “How far have you been?”

“I’ve gone further south,” Jack said. “Georgia, Tennessee… not really ever to the North. I’ve never even been to the Midwest.”

Hawthorn wealth meant Craig could afford the luxury of travel. He’d visited the states worth visiting and seen the cities worth seeing. He’d been to other countries, both in North America and abroad. Sometimes he saw little more than boardrooms and office buildings, but there were other times he was able to cut loose for long enough that he could see the world.

If only Jack could share in his experiences.

“California itself is a whole other beast from the rest of the United States,” Craig said. “The weather is temperate in the winter and scorching in the summer, but everyone loves the sun. There’s fresh produce year-round, and culture, and if you get far enough away from the coast and the big cities, you still have all the small-town charm you find here in North Carolina. There’s wine country out there. Farmlands. More avocados than you could ever know what to do with.”

“Avocados?” Jack grinned.

“They come from Mexico, mostly,” Craig explained. “But when your neighbors have a surplus of avocados, suddenly you do, too. Avocado goes on everything in LA. The people are friendly, for the most part, and there’s such incredible diversity.”

“That’s… probably what I regret the most about living here,” Jack admitted. “I wish there was more culture. Sometimes I feel stifled.”

“Come out to LA sometime,” Craig invited. He said the words before he could think them through, but he didn’t regret them. Apart from strange jealous and very troubling feelings, he was having the time of his life with Jack. “There’s room in my condo. We can even go traveling, if you want. Follow the coast up until we hit Oregon.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Jack warned. “I might just take you up on it.”

“You should.” Craig imagined it already. Easy road trips rife with laughter. Stops at fast food places and small tourist towns. Overnight stays at charming bed and breakfasts. He wanted it, but most importantly, he wanted to share it with Jack.

“There’s a chance next year I can afford it,” Jack said. “I’m taking some time off now while you and Isaac get settled, so I’m going to have to pick up the slack when I get back to the office. What’s a good time to visit? In the fall?”

“I’ll comp your expenses,” Craig said. “It’s no big deal. Even without my inheritance, I’m more than well off. I don’t mind.”

Jack’s lips twitched. Craig noticed. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Jack this entire time.

“I wouldn’t want to burden you or cause drama in your family,” Jack said. “Roman’s been telling me what it’s like with the Hawthorn side of your family. It’s… probably better I didn’t complicate things, right?”

Craig narrowed his eyes, not understanding what Jack meant. “Complicate things?”

“Roman’s mom came to his wedding,” Jack said. “You know. You were there. None of us really hid the fact that we were gay. If you fly me out, pay for me to visit you, house me, take me around to see the sights… they’re going to think something’s up.”

“Oh.” Usually Craig would have laughed, but he didn’t find humor in the situation anymore. The longer he spent on the bed with Jack, the easier it was for him to imagine that the mistake would be made. They fit together so flawlessly that even the woman at the football game had mistaken them for a couple.

The crazy thing was, Craig found he didn’t mind.

Why would he be embarrassed about being mistaken for Jack’s partner? Jack was independent and funny as hell. He was charming and handsome. He lived a life of integrity. If anything, Craig was flattered that someone would think that Jack could want someone like him.

“So, maybe next year, right?” Jack asked.

Craig’s gaze dipped to his lips again. What would it be like to be in a relationship with a man? All his life Craig had dated women. He’d moved from one to the next, looking to feel something, but never quite finding it. The sense of companionship he felt with Jack filled the void inside.

It made Craig want him.

“I don’t really care what other people think of me,” Craig replied. The words came out in a whisper. “In fact, why would I be upset if they mistook me for being your boyfriend? You’re the best person I’ve had the pleasure to meet.”

“You’re full of shit,” Jack accused fondly.

“Try me.”

The challenge sparked in the air. Jack crawled from where he sat, abandoning the pizza box to sit by Craig’s side. “How do you want me to try you?”

The way he spoke sent shivers down Jack’s spine and woke his cock. Their banter had gone from innocent to sexually charged way too fast.

Craig didn’t want it to slow down.

“I don’t know,” Craig uttered. He leaned forward, his nose an inch away from Jack’s. His pulse beat in his neck, keeping time with his racing heart. Was this still playful, or was this something more? Craig didn’t care. “What do you think’s the best way?”

Jack bit down into his lip. Craig watched the whites of his teeth sink into his tender flesh. His arousal spiked.

He didn’t understand what was happening, but he knew damn well that he liked it.

Jack’s eyes were hooded now. His lips were parted. He looked up at Craig from beneath his lashes, the scant space between their bodies charged with desire. Despite himself, Craig’s cock strained against his fly.

“Well, if I’m the best, and you wouldn’t be embarrassed being seen with me, then…” Jack reached out. He slipped a hand over Craig’s shoulder and tilted his head the tiniest bit to the side. Looking at him like that, face overcome with need and hesitant longing, made Craig ache for him even more. “You wouldn’t mind if I did this.”

Jack kissed him.

Craig didn’t pull away.