The Bodyguard

38. (m)

6 weeks later

"Are you sure nobody saw you?"

"Of course," Ace responds after Jasper shuts the door behind them.

"You worry too much," Ace adds on, taking Jasper in — his hair damp from the shower and a t-shirt and sweatpants hanging loosely on his body.

Ace sensed that he was calm, collected. He imagined that Jasper had been waiting for him all day, that this was a home he'd come back to, to find Jasper waiting.

It had been a dream of his from quite some time. It didn't matter anyway. Jasper would never adhere to domesticity.

He was reminded that this wasn't a home. It was just another hotel, in another city, after another event.

He couldn't achieve domesticity. Jasper was his but barely.

Ace walks further into the room, sensing Jasper's presence behind him. The guard makes his way to the bar where two drinks had already been prepared.

"I don't worry — I'm just —"

"Careful?" Ace finishes for him, then a slight raise of his eyebrows.

The truth is, Jasper says he doesn't care if anyone finds out, but deep down, he was scared of what his mom would do, if anything.

Only because he cared about Ace, wanted to protect him. Jasper didn't care what happened to him — he'd inherited his mother's sins long before he had the chance to atone.

"Stop that."

"What?"

Ace inspects the drink before him that Jasper presumably made with the endless supply of alcohol.

"Stop stalling."

"I'm not stalling."Ace challenges, but Jasper doesn't look nearly as amused.

His eyes are bright but unfocused. Ace leans against the bar, his arms crossed over his chest. Jasper studies him.

"You are," Jasper says. "You haven't kissed me."

"Oh, is that what you want?"

Ace's eyes twinkled before he set the glass down.

"All you had to do was ask."

"Shut up," Jasper says. "I don't even want it anymore."

Jasper moves to push past his tease of a guard, but Ace pulls him back into his orbit.

"Don't be ridiculous."

In an instant, their chests are pressed against one another. Jasper feels Ace's erratic heartbeat through the thin fabric of his shirt.

He pauses, staring at Ace's lips, then back into his eyes.

"Did you miss me today?" Jasper whispers.

Ace slides one hand through his hair, holding it at the base to garner control of his his movements.

"I always miss you," Ace responds.

"She needs to hire her own fucking security again and stop taking you from me," Jasper complains.

Ever since Karla had fired a couple of her security, Ace had been there to pick up the slack. It started out as a few random outings, but recently Ace would be gone for hours on her meaningless excursions.

He always said it was normal, that Karla never overstepped or did anything off putting. But Jasper absolutely hated it and hated her for lessening their time together.