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“How many times have you put yourself in danger for me and Emma?”
“Not really keeping count.”
“At least tell me why,” Dane responded. His eyes felt heavy as the painkiller the doctor at the clinic had given him kicked in. He’d been lucky not to lose consciousness or he’d be dealing with the ramifications of a concussion rather than just a killer headache. He felt the car roll to a stop and he managed to pry his eyes open long enough to see that they were already back at his house.
“We’ll talk later,” Jax said as he got out of the car. By the time Dane managed to get out, Jax already had Emma’s car seat in one hand and her diaper bag slung over his shoulder. When he tried to reach for his daughter, Jax gave him a dark look and Dane quickly dropped his hand. Jax stepped in close to him as they made their way to the house and Dane had to admit that for once, he was glad of the man’s proximity because there were a couple of wobbly moments where Dane wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stay upright. Once inside the house, Jax kept him moving until they were in Dane’s room.
“I need to change and feed Emma,” he mumbled tiredly.
“I’ll take care of it. I’ll get her settled and bring you an ice pack for your head.”
Dane wanted to argue but didn’t have anything left in him so he dropped down on the bed and closed his eyes. What seemed like minutes later but could have been hours for all Dane knew, Jax was back and sitting on the edge of the mattress as he pressed one of Emma’s ice packs against his injury.
“Where’s Emma?”
“I put her in her plaything down in the living room and she fell asleep.”
Dane watched Jax in silence as the man studied him and the throbbing in his head began to intensify as his body reacted to Jax like it always did. He groaned and closed his eyes, though that did nothing since he could still feel Jax’s hard thigh pressed up against his hip. “I think you should probably go,” Dane muttered.
There was a slight pressure on his injury and Dane popped his eyes open to see that Jax’s lips were drawn tight and his entire body seemed to be consumed with rage. Jax grabbed Dane’s hand and forced him to hold the ice pack himself, then stood up to go. It finally hit Dane what he’d said and how it must have sounded. He grabbed Jax’s wrist before the man got out of reach.
“Shit, Jax, I didn’t mean it that way,” he began to say.
“Go to hell, Dane,” Jax snapped as he tried to disengage from Dane’s grip. Even in his anger, Jax was being gentle because Dane knew that Jax could have escaped him with little effort. Dane also knew he had to act fast before Jax walked away from him so he dragged the man’s hand down to his lap and settled it on the burgeoning erection there. Jax stilled and snapped his eyes up to Dane’s.
“This,” Dane said as he covered the warm hand that was now gently palming his dick, “does not help this.” He pointed to his head with his other hand. “And this,” he said again as he tightened his hand on Jax’s, “is never going to go away while you’re in the same room with me.” Jax watched him for so long that Dane was about to say “fuck it” and beg Jax to tighten his grip, but then the other man removed his hand, his expression unreadable.
“Get some rest,” Jax said quietly as he stepped away from the bed and left the room. Dane knew he should call Jax back to make sure the guy would at least stick around long enough to keep an eye on Emma, but then he realized that he already knew the answer. Only a bastard would leave without thinking of the little girl and Jax was no bastard.
* * *
Jax cradled Emma against his chest as he carefully removed the bottle from between her slack lips. He was content to just hold her which surprised him since he’d never considered himself much of the kid type. And since the only relationships he’d been in were the kind where talking about the future consisted of deciding whose place they were going to fuck at, the idea of being a parent someday had never even crossed his mind. But now with this baby in his arms and her confounding father upstairs, Jax was wondering if he was missing something in his life. Jax sensed he wasn’t alone anymore and looked up to see Dane leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, his wistful eyes on him and Emma.
“How you feeling?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound as needy as he felt. Dane had devastated him when he’d asked him once again to leave. The second the words had left Dane’s mouth, Jax had been ready to pick up the phone and call Rhys so he could hand off the vet and his daughter to the ex-cop and get his ass back home, lick his wounds and get back to a life where dodging bullets was a hundred times easier than trying to figure out the fierce, unrequited attraction he felt for a man he’d known less than three days. But then Dane had touched him – had had Jax touch him. And there had been that brief moment in Dane’s eyes where he was about to ask Jax for more and if Jax hadn’t known from experience how much pain the other man was in, he would have been shoving his dick deep inside of Dane’s welcoming heat before the man even finished asking him to do it.
“Better,” Dane said quietly as he went to the cabinet and fished out some aspirin. He sat down in the chair kitty-corner from Jax and reached over to run his finger over his daughter’s cheek. Jax watched in surprise when Dane drank from the glass of water Jax had filled for himself and he wondered if the man’s lips had touched the same place on the glass that Jax’s lips had been when he took a sip moments ago.
“It’s nearly seven. You up for some dinner?” Jax asked. Dane only nodded and Jax could still see the pain lingering in his eyes. “I’ll put Emma down. You want her back in your room?” he asked.
Dane shook his head. “It’s a bad habit to start.”
Jax chuckled. “For you or for her?”
Dane smiled and said, “Both, I guess.”
“I left a bit of a mess up in her room when I was changing her earlier. Why don’t you take her while I go get it cleaned up?” Jax said when he noticed the longing look in Dane’s eyes. He handed the man his daughter, then went upstairs. Since Emma’s room was fine, Jax went into the bathroom and searched out the supplies he would need to change Dane’s bandage and then took his time making his way back downstairs. As he re-entered the kitchen, he was glad to see the old Dane focused on his daughter, not the shell of a man who’d ignored the baby after whatever had happened at the CB Bar Ranch yesterday during the barn raising.
Dane gave Emma a quick kiss before handing her back to Jax and he carefully got her upstairs and in her crib. By the time he made it back to the kitchen it looked like Dane was starting to drift off. He took up the seat next to him and closed his hand over Dane’s where it rested on the table. Seemingly startled, Dane opened his eyes, then smiled sheepishly at being caught half-asleep. But when the man’s gaze traveled down to where their skin touched and didn’t move his hand like Jax expected him to, Jax felt his need intensify. He forced in a breath and removed his hand from Dane’s and then began unpacking the dressings he’d found. He absolutely refused to believe for even a second that his fingers were actually shaking as he was doing it.
He’d just managed to get the gauze free of the paper wrapping when Dane suddenly rose from his chair and leaned over him. Jax couldn’t even process what was happening at first because it seemed to be playing out in slow motion. Dane’s lips hovering over his, those warm, chocolate eyes watching him, the hand closing around the back of his neck.
“Jax,” Dane whispered a second before he closed his mouth over Jax’s. Desire shimmered and then sparked to life as Dane kissed first his bottom lip, then his upper one. The hand on his neck was gentle at first, the fingers stroking his skin. But then something in Dane seemed to shift and his fingers moved upwards until they were buried in Jax’s hair and Dane was tipping his head back. And the next kiss was anything but soft and gentle and the instant Dane slid his tongue over the seam of Jax’s lips, Jax opened to him on a moan. Dane’s tongue thrust into his mouth like he owned it and Jax closed his eyes at the overwhelming sensation that bombarded his body all at once. Dane explored every inch of him before sucking Jax’s tongue into his own mouth so Jax could do the same to him.
And then Dane surprised him again by swinging one leg over him and sinking down so he was sitting astride Jax on the wobbly kitchen chair. The move put their cocks in perfect alignment and Jax immediately grabbed Dane’s hips as Dane began to ride him and Jax took control of the kiss.
“Yes,” Dane hissed as his head lolled back when Jax dug his fingers into Dane’s hips and increased the pace. Jax bit into the sensitive skin on Dane’s neck before licking his way down the column of his throat. The man had way too many clothes on, but Jax didn’t even have time to contemplate removing any of them because Dane was suddenly in a frenzy as he frantically rubbed against Jax’s cock over and over.
“Fuck,” Jax snarled as he dragged Dane’s mouth down for another kiss. Both of Dane’s hands tightened in his hair as Dane ripped his mouth free and panted against Jax’s lips. He pressed his forehead against Jax’s and pumped his hips until he was shouting out his pleasure as his orgasm ripped through him. Jax gripped Dane’s upper arms hard enough that he was sure there would be bruises and gave in to the release that coursed through him as wet heat flooded his slacks. Dane collapsed against him as harsh gasps escaped him and his lower body continued to rock against Jax gently, each slide causing an aftershock to ripple through Jax’s sated body.
