Grabbing the modified Glock that had been outfitted with a laser recoil kit to simulate the real thing, Jase moved to one of the two lanes that faced a virtual target roughly thirty feet away. Taking his stance, he aimed at the target and began firing. Shot after shot, he hit the virtual target, watching as the simulated holes appeared.
He’d mentioned wanting something like this to Ashlynn once, and the next thing he knew, she’d had this specific room outfitted with a virtual system that cost who knew how much. And for the past couple of years, he’d used it to help Ashlynn perfect her shot and as a place for him to get away when he was overwhelmed by all that was going on. Luckily, that didn’t happen often, but tonight … yeah, it was safe to say he was overwhelmed.
As he was shooting, he heard the door open and then close, but he didn’t bother to look over to see who it was. He already knew.
No one bothered him there. Not Ashlynn, not Teddy or Leo, not Derrick or Cowboy. No one. So he knew it was safe to assume Leyton had joined him.
Without breaking his concentration, Jase continued to fire while he saw Leyton out of the corner of his eye, standing in the lane next to him. He heard the simulated gunfire from the gun Leyton was using.
“You do this a lot?” Leyton finally asked after several minutes.
“Not every day, but yeah,” Jase admitted.
“Not bad,” Leyton said, his voice sounding closer.
Jase lowered the weapon and looked over to see Leyton standing just a few feet away, his gaze on the target. “What do you want?” he asked bluntly.
“To talk.”
Great. Just what he was hoping to avoid by coming there. He’d already suspected Leyton had withdrawn, was likely regretting what they’d done and would tell Jase as much if he allowed him to. But Jase didn’t want to hear it. As it was, he’d avoided seeking his own release as a way to get right in his own head. Giving too much to Leyton too soon wouldn’t be in his best interests. What no one seemed to realize was that Jase wasn’t seeking a fast fuck. Not from Ashlynn and not from Leyton.
Unlike Ashlynn, Jase didn’t use sex as a coping mechanism. When he was with her, he felt a myriad of emotion, and he suspected that when it came down to it—if it did—he’d feel the same thing for Leyton. Which was why he wasn’t willing to act rashly. If Leyton was going to walk away, Jase damn sure didn’t want to be pining after him. He already loved one person who kept herself distanced from him; if he gave himself over to Leyton as well, he wasn’t sure he could handle the repercussions if things went to shit.
“Why’d you do it?” Leyton asked.
Knowing he wasn’t going to be able to ignore him forever, Jase placed the modified weapon on the counter and turned to face Leyton.
“Why’d I do what?”
“Give in to her?”
“Is that what you think I did?” Jase knew he sounded defensive, but he was.
“It’s obvious.”
“And you’re the expert now?” he countered hotly.
“Not by a long shot,” Leyton stated, his posture relaxed, his tone calm. “I’m just curious.”
“Why?”
“Because you love her.”
“Wow,” Jase huffed. “Just because I had your dick in my mouth doesn’t mean you know me.”
Leyton advanced on him, but Jase didn’t budge. He watched the sparks in Leyton’s green eyes, realized he’d pushed him.
“I don’t think I know you,” Leyton grumbled, coming to stand directly in front of him, his hands coming up to cup Jase’s head, surprising him. “That’s the problem. I want to know you, but you don’t let me in.”
“Me?” Jase couldn’t believe Leyton had found a way to turn this on him.
“Yes, you. You pretend it’s all about sex, but with you, I sense there’s more to it.”
“I don’t love you,” Jase snapped, disbelief echoing in the words.
“No,” Leyton said, stepping closer, his mouth close to Jace’s. “I didn’t think you did. But could you?”
Jase didn’t even know what to say to that. Could he love Leyton? Yeah, he could. Pretty damn easily, at that. Hell, he’d been harboring some sort of feelings for the guy for a while now. And Leyton was right in one regard, he did pretend it was all about sex, but that was because he didn’t want to get his hopes up. It seemed as though Leyton had been toying with them as much as they’d been toying with him.
“Is that what you want?” Jase asked, his eyes raking over Leyton’s face. “For me to love you before you finally give in?”
“No,” Leyton said, his hands surprisingly gentle as they continued to cup Jase’s head. “But I want to know if it’s a possibility. Otherwise, this’ll go nowhere fast.”
As they stared back at one another, Jase felt the emotion bubbling in his chest. And before he knew what he was doing, he nodded his head. “Yeah, I could love you.”
The small smile that played on Leyton’s mouth sent a shockwave of unexpected sensation through Jase’s chest. “Good. That’s all I needed to know.”
Leyton’s hands fell from his face as he turned to look at the target. “Now why don’t we give Ashlynn some time to herself while we play.”
Jase was always up for some friendly competition. “You wanna put a wager on it?”
Leyton smiled again, his eyes meeting Jase’s. “For now, let’s just chill. Give me a chance to warm up.”
Jase nodded, smiling. “Scared?”
Leyton’s eyes turned serious for a moment. “Shitless.”
And Jase knew he wasn’t talking about the simulated gun range.
He was talking about the one thing they all seemed to fear.
Love.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Making love… Don’t even know what that means.
Finally getting to her feet, Ashlynn placed her cell phone back on the nightstand and pulled the blankets back on her bed. She was tired. So damn tired. Part of her had hoped Jase and Leyton would join her, but after hanging up with Aidan, she’d stared up at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, and no one had ever showed. Now, she was ready to crash.
She allowed her robe to slide from her shoulders before placing it on the upholstered chair that sat in the corner, then, after switching off the lamp on the bedside table, she crawled into bed. It was almost two in the morning and she was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t shut down. She wondered what Leyton and Jase were doing. Were they talking about what had happened? Doubtful. If she knew Leyton, he was pretending it hadn’t. And Jase would be acting as though it hadn’t affected him as much as it had.
She had no idea how long she’d been lying there when her bedroom door opened. Less than a minute later, the mattress shifted when Jase climbed in, his warm, naked body spooning behind her as his arm eased over her, one rough hand cupping her naked breast firmly.
“You okay?” he asked, obviously knowing she was still awake.
“Yeah,” she lied. “Where’s Leyton?”
“I told him he could sleep in my room.”
“Oh.” She had hoped he would take her up on her invitation, but she should’ve known better.
“I left your door open,” he informed her.
Ashlynn twisted in his arms so that she could face him. “And what’s that gonna do for us?” She couldn’t hide her smile.
“He’s wrestling with his demons,” Jase told her, pressing his lips to hers softly. “He wants this, but he’s not sure how to go about it.”
“Because Max warned him away?” Ashlynn knew her brother could be overprotective, and he had been many times in her life. She respected him, and she owed him so much, but when it came to Leyton, she was angry that Max had interfered. Leyton was fiercely loyal to Max, and she understood that, but she hated that Max had played his hand, attempting to control them.
“Probably,” Jase agreed. “Which is why I thought we could entice him. Come here.”
She allowed him to pull her into his arms. When he rolled to his back, she straddled his hips.
“Let me make love to you,” he whispered.
Her heart pinched in her chest. Jase could be a heart-wrenchingly gentle lover when he wanted to be, and it was during those times that she was confused. Sex was sex. She didn’t confuse it with love. And she cared about Jase, no doubt there. But making love… She didn’t know what that meant.