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“Quit?” Seong Min laughed. “Are you kidding me? This job finally got fun. Why the hell would we quit?”
Jason chuckled again, but it sounded a bit forced. Tae Hyun could understand. It had been that kind of day. “I’m glad to hear that. I like having you around.”
Seong Min brightly smiled. “I took my first bullet today. Now, I’m a genuine bodyguard. I feel fucking invincible!”
Jason patted Seong Min’s good arm. “Maybe so. But you’re not, so please don’t do anything stupid.”
Seong Hyeon drove them all back to the apartment while Seong Min cheerfully chattered for the whole ride. Tae Hyun tried to pay attention, but his day had caught up with him. After they got dropped off, Jason walked him to the apartment and helped him undress.
“You go take a shower. I’ll order us some food, and then come join you.”
Tae Hyun knew his smile was meager, but it was the best he could manage. “Thank you, hyung.”
After Jason left, Tae Hyun started the water and stared at it for several minutes before stepping under the steamy spray. His headache had returned with a vengeance, but the soothing flow helped him calm down. The tears came out of nowhere. Tae Hyun hadn’t realized how much he’d been holding them back until he couldn’t stop them. It had all been too much. Too many people who’d supposedly cared about him had betrayed him. His ex. His parents. His company. All he’d done was get out of his own fucking way, and they’d punished him for it.
Then Jason appeared, quickly stripping off his clothes before stepping into the shower. Tae Hyun immediately stiffened at his touch, but Jason wrapped his arms around Tae Hyun’s chest anyway, pulling him close and gently squeezing while he sobbed.
“Shh,” Jason cooed. “I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Tae Hyun nodded as he cried. He had no words to express his overwhelming feelings. So he grabbed Jason’s arms and held on until the tears finally slowed. Once he’d calmed down, Jason grabbed the body wash and a bath sponge and slowly, gently began to wash Tae Hyun. His touch was a comforting anchor, grounding Tae Hyun in that place and moment. He winced when Jason tried to wash his hair, so Jason stopped and rinsed him off. Then, he quickly washed himself before turning off the water. He wrapped a giant, fluffy bath towel around Tae Hyun and softly patted him dry before drying himself. Then he took Tae Hyun’s hand, led him to the bedroom, and helped him dress in shorts and a loose t-shirt.
Jason smiled and carefully lowered the shirt over Tae Hyun’s sore head. “There you are. Do you want to lie down while we wait for the food?”
Tae Hyun nodded, so Jason helped him into bed. “Could you lay with me, hyung?”
“Of course.” Jason climbed in beside Tae Hyun as he turned to his side. Then he wrapped his arms around Tae Hyun again and pulled him close. “Better?”
“Yes. Will you hold me for a while?”
“Are you kidding?” Jason leaned in close enough that his warm breath caressed the gentle curves of Tae Hyun’s ear. “I’m never letting you go again.”
24
Jason had always complained when watching movies or shows where one lover tenderly gazed upon another while they slept. It was creepy and, frankly, a little stalkerish. And yet, that’s what he found himself unable to stop doing the morning after the kidnapping. He watched Tae Hyun sleep. And he finally understood why people did it. He’d been doing it most of the night, occasionally dozing off only to wake with a start and the absolute fear that Tae Hyun would no longer be lying there. He’d come so perilously close to losing the man he loved, and that was a pain he didn’t think he could survive twice. And in the dead of night, Jason had vowed never to take his eyes off Tae Hyun again.
Staring at his serene, sleeping face, Jason could never have guessed everything Tae Hyun had endured the day before. His only visible reminders were the fading pink rings on his wrists from the hours he’d spent with his hands zip-tied together. Otherwise, he was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Jason swallowed a sudden pang of immense longing–a deep-set ache so intense that it nearly made him sob. He reached up and ever so softly brushed Tae Hyun’s bangs from his face as tears blurred his vision. Then he quietly rolled over and climbed from the bed, careful not to disturb his lover’s slumber. Despite his recent vow, he knew he couldn’t resist the urge to wake Tae Hyun and smother him with passionate kisses if he stayed there, and the man deserved his sleep. So he grabbed his phone as he softly padded from the bedroom to the bathroom. After using the toilet and quickly showering, he went to the kitchen. A quarter-full bottle of Kingston temptingly sat on the granite-topped counter, but Jason shook his head. He felt hungover, but it wasn’t from drinking. It was from a day filled with the most urgent, primal emotions. And he’d been an actor long enough to know that the hair of the dog only made an emotional hangover even worse. He started making coffee instead.
As the kettle warmed, Jason grabbed his phone and went into the guest room on the opposite side of the apartment, hoping that would shield Tae Hyun from the call he was about to make. He didn’t care if Tae Hyun heard it. He only wanted to keep from waking him.
Naomi picked up on the third ring. “Fucking hell, Jason.”
Jason snorted. “Hell, for sure, yeah. But no fucking.”
“It’s only a figure of speech.” Naomi sighed. “But how are you? How’s Tae Hyun? Is he–”
“He’s asleep. I don’t know how he’ll be today, but everything hit him pretty hard last night.”
The deep ache surged as Jason remembered Tae Hyun’s sobbing in the shower and his simple request to be held while he fell asleep. But he also remembered watching with something close to awe–or maybe pride–as Tae Hyun turned his charm and fury on an unsuspecting Choo Ji Hoon.
A tense conversation had led up to that plan. Had it been up to Jason, he would’ve just beat the answers from his maniacal uncle. Or, maybe, just beat him. In fact, Min Kyu and Seong Woo had to physically restrain Jason from taking his rage out on Ji Hoon. But Tae Hyun presented an alternate plan, and Jason finally saw the truth of it. Tae Hyun had been Ji Hoon’s target. But he also knew Ji Hoon better than anyone else in the room.
Naomi blew out a heavy sigh. “I can’t–Fucking hell. I can’t even think of something clever or hopeful to say. What about you? Are you okay?”
Jason forced himself to chuckle. “You know me. I tore through this fucking city, lighting every goddamn thing I could think of on fire until we finally found him.”
“Of course you did.” Naomi snorted. “I can’t imagine you not raising absolute holy hell while he was missing.”
