A few seconds later, his persistence was rewarded as the ice pack fell to the ground and Tristan curled his hand around the back of Jax’s neck, returning the kiss.
That neatly trimmed beard was lush and soft against Jax’s face, and he immediately stroked it with his good hand, wishing he could curl up in it. Licking the seam of Tristan’s lips, Jax requested entry, wanting to raise the temperature, and Tristan allowed it with a gasp.
Their passion ignited into a raging fire as their kisses became deeper, wetter, their tongues sliding against each other. To Jax, kissing Tristan was like drinking cool, clean water; it cleansed him, draining all his fury. And for someone as soft and sweet as Tristan, he kissed like a villain, swallowing Jax’s moans while prodding at the tongue piercing.
Jax couldn’t help but be a little smug. If Tristan thought the barbell was cool, he was going to love how it felt against his cock.
Suddenly, Tristan pulled back, chest heaving and cheeks pink.
“We probably shouldn’t do this,” he mumbled through kiss-swollen lips, but neither of them believed that.
They’d been pulled toward each other like magnets for a while now, so that kiss was inevitable, but Jax never thought it would be sogood. Tristan’s gentle lips and tongue had taken him to a different planet, and his brain was still there, replaying the last minute over and over, so it took him a moment to reply.
“Why?” was the best he could come up with.
“Well…” Tristan stammered, touching his lips. “We work together-”
Jax grinned, going for broke as he stared into Tristan’s pretty eyes. Despite all his reservations, this man was perfect for him, and he’d take the social hits; besides, he had the ability to separate work from relationships.
“It’s a restaurant. Everyone hooks up in restaurants.”
“This is a catering hall.”
“So, it’s alargerestaurant.”
Tristan sighed, and for a moment, he looked tired. “I just got out of a ten-year relationship with the wrong person.”
“The person I saw in the parking lot?” Jax asked, deciding to sit on the elephant in the room.
“Yes,” Tristan said after processing. “And I also just found this job, which I love, so I’ve been starting over.”
“No, I get it.” Flexing his fingers, Jax grinned. Good, almost no pain. “You don’t find me cute.”
“No! I…” Tristan stroked his beard nervously. “I feel like I’m too old for you.”
“You’re what, thirty-five?” Jax squinted, and Tristan let out a disbelieving bark of a laugh.
“I’ll be thirty-nine soon.”
“Really? That only makes you hotter, you know.” Jax wanted to climb him and make out some more, but they really needed to get back to work. Also, he knew that if he pulled back, Tristan would follow. “Thank you for the ice pack. And when you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
He walked away without looking back, wishing he could put a sway in his step. But he didn’t need to, because that kiss had been enough to change things between them.
As the days passed, Tristan paid more attention to Jax, sheepishly greeting him in the mornings again and hanging around the kitchen to check on his hand even after it healed, and Jax had to admit that he loved it. He hadn’t been into someone for so long that he’d forgotten how it felt. It put color back into his life, gave him extra energy, and he still couldn’t believe that the punch hadn’t scared Tristan off.
But it was only a matter of time.
Wrapped up in his thoughts, Jax’s knife slipped from his fingers, clattering to the floor.
He stared at it for a moment, tapping his tongue piercing against his teeth. He’d been feeling better lately, but if he bent down the wrong way, then that could all go out the window.
Tristan was there before Jax could even flex a knee, easily scooping up the knife and turning it handle-first toward Jax.
“Thank you.” Jax took it, checking it for damage. Satisfied, he put it aside to clean as Tristan watched silently. They hadn’t spoken about the kiss because Jax could see everything in Tristan’s eyes.
But today his gaze didn’t have as much shine, and Jax could immediately tell that something was wrong. “Is everything okay?”
Tristan’s eyebrows flew up, as if he were surprised that Jax could read him. “It’s nothing. This event is a little difficult to handle.”
