Defying Dominance (MxM) (18+)

23

Chapter 23: Jace

With Daniel and Cameron casually talking to one another, Max turns to me. "Thank you," he whispers.

"You don't have to thank me," I tell him, keeping my voice just as soft as his had been. "I'm sorry for being so awkward about it, I just...You know. Didn't expect it. Is he happy?"

Max nods, glancing over at Jacque with a little smile. "He is. Still angry, though. But we're working on that."

"What about...the girls?"

His face falls, but then he's back to smiling once more. "We've talked about that. He's trying to do that less, but...He's still struggling with some stuff."

"But doesn't it hurt you?"

"Of course it does, but I'm a patient man. I'll wait until he's comfortable with himself."

Jacque looks past Max at me, giving me a dark look. "If I find out you've told anyone...I'll-" I hate that look. It makes him look so much like Dad and makes my blood run cold.

Max puts a hand on his knee. "Jacque..." he says gently. At the tone of voice, Jacque's expression softens.

"I wasn't gonna...threaten bodily harm this time. I was just gonna...I don't know. I hadn't thought of an alternative yet. I figured it would come to me when I opened my mouth.

Max snorts, grinning at him. "Of course." Jacque just rolls his eyes and turns back to his phone. Max focuses his attention back on me. "He'll be nice. I promise. To you, and to Kai."

"You know that for sure?"

Max nods, grinning proudly. "100%."

Cameron glances at us in the mirror. "What's with all the whispering back there? You three plotting something?"

Max shrugs. "Maybe we are, maybe we aren't."

"You aren't buying Jace another giant-ass sundae, Max. I'm not dealing with him being a little shit because he's on a sugar high. And I'm not dealing with his crash after the fact."

"I mean, how are you going to stop me, exactly?"

At the possibility of getting ice cream, I lean forward excitedly. "Yeah, Cameron. How are you going to stop him?"

Cameron sighs. "Jacque, what's with the angry eyes?"

I look over at the same time Max does. Jacque is openly glaring at Max, but Max just smiles at him. "I'll get you an even bigger sundae than Jace, okay? Hell, I'll get you a banana split. Deal?"

Jacque nods once then goes back to his phone. Cameron gives him a weird look, but stays quiet. I lean forward as far as I can to tug on Daniel's sleeve.

"Danny. Danny. Danny!"

"Yes, Jace?"

"If I get a sundae, we can share! As long as you're okay with gummy bears on it. If you aren't you could pick them off, but it wouldn't be the same, really. And that would be messy."

Daniel smiles. "I'm fine with gummy bears."

"Don't encourage that," Cameron adds in playfully, parallel parking outside of a building. I lean around Max to look out Jacque's window at the place.

It doesn't look like a sex-gear shop on the outside. It looks like it should be a bakery or something. Cutesy brick walls, a light-wooden door, and a huge window taking up most of the front wall. The displays in the window though...Yeah, it's definitely a gear shop.