Embracing the Unexpected (6 page)

Jace looked down and didn’t speak for a few moments. The
memories were painful and while the bad feelings had faded over the past several
years, they still hurt. He didn’t begrudge Tyler’s choices, but it took him a
long time to get over him.

“I loved him,” he said. “But not enough to follow him. And
he couldn’t give up his dreams either.”

“I’m sorry,” Parker said. “It must have been very difficult
for you.”

“I haven’t had a serious relationship since then. I really
haven’t had any desire to.”

“Oh?”

“Until I met you.”

Jace hadn’t felt this way about another man in a long time.
When Tyler left, he didn’t think he’d ever find that kind of connection again.
He really had no desire to until last night. What he’d shared in that brief
time with Parker made him realize this relationship was worth the time and
effort.

“I don’t want to put any more pressure on you than I already
have, but I haven’t felt the need to be involved with anyone since Tyler. I was
establishing my career and throwing myself into my work.”

“I can relate,” Parker said. “I’ve been doing the same thing
for the past five years.”

“I’ve had casual flings, some were a little more serious
than others, but I haven’t made a commitment to anyone.”

“I understand, and I appreciate your honesty. I’m still
trying to sort this all out, but I don’t know if I can do casual.”

“I want more with you. I knew the night you walked into that
class I’d want things with you.”

“How could you have known?”

Jace reached out and stroked Parker’s cheek. “Well, at
first, it was purely physical.” He smirked. “I mean, how could it not be?”

“Stop it.” Parker blushed. “Seriously, Jace, I need to
know.”

“It intrigued me that you were in my class. You clearly
didn’t belong there, and each week I hoped you’d say something to me. I needed
some indication as to your preferences.”

“What made you presume I could be interested in you?” Parker
asked. “No other man has ever expressed interest in me.”

“It was a big assumption and one I knew could get me into a
lot of trouble if I was wrong, but really, that first night I spoke to you, I
didn’t care if you could reciprocate. I just wanted a chance to talk to you.
You were all I thought about, and I had to at least hear your voice.”

“I’m glad you approached me.”

“Really?” He smiled.

“Yeah.” Parker nodded. “It wasn’t something I expected, but
now that I’m getting to know you, well, it feels right.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why did you come here today?”

“That’s the problem, when I really think about the
possibility of us, I panic.”

“Then why did you kiss me?”

“Because when I’m with you, I don’t have any doubts. I want
more, but I don’t know how that will work. There are just so many things to
consider.”

“Like what?”

Jace was very aware of all the emotions swirling around in
Parker’s head. The uncertainty of having physical feelings for another man, the
fear of being different, going against what one perceived to be natural, but he
needed for Parker to vocalize them.

“My family, friends, clients, acquaintances. What will they
think?” Parker asked.

“Does it matter?” Jace said, trying not to feel offended,
but he had to remember how new all of this was for Parker.

“Didn’t it matter to you in the beginning? I don’t mean to
sound cold, but if it feels sudden to me how will it feel to everyone else in
my life?”

“Ava understood,” Jace reminded him, because he wanted Parker
to see that a relationship between the two of them wasn’t that farfetched.

“Ava is different. She’s always been the one constant in my
life. She supports me no matter what.”

“How do you know the others in your life won’t?” Jace said.
“I’ve been very fortunate. My parents and siblings were very accepting of my
lifestyle. It was never an issue.”

“I don’t know.” Parker sighed. “I don’t want to worry about
those things now. I really want to concentrate on us. Is that wrong?”

“No.” Jace leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Parker’s
lips. “
Us
is the only thing that should matter.”

“You still want to be patient with me?”

“I won’t rush you into anything,” Jace said. “We can take
this as slow as you need us to. But you have to promise me something.”

“Anything.” He brushed his lips against Jace’s jaw.

“Don’t distract me.” Jace laughed.

“Sorry, what do you need me to promise you?”

“When you’re feeling insecure or afraid to explore the idea
of us, you come to me. We have to talk it out. I want to help you with all of
this.” Jace knew how confusing this was for Parker. He was nearly thirty years
old and had been living a lie. Whether Parker wanted to admit it or not, he was
gay. Jace had a difficult task ahead of him, but he believed Parker was worth
the wait and the effort.

“I will,” Parker said. “Ava told me I should come to you.
She said you’d help me.”

“She’s a smart girl. Listen to her.” Jace took Parker’s face
between his hands and kissed him. This time it was harder and a little more
possessive.

“Hmm…” Parker moaned against his mouth. “I really do like
when you kiss me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for later, but now, how about we go
grab dinner?” Jace suggested. “I’m starving.”

“Me too.”

Ava fidgeted in her seat. She looked around the beautifully
decorated office and noticed Jace and Parker had similar tastes. She was happy
for her friend and hoped he’d find a way to make his new relationship work, but
she worried he’d over think it and get in his own way. He had a habit of
ruining things for himself. She hoped the gorgeous doctor staring at her would
find a way to make Parker see that Jace was exactly what he needed in his life.

She’d agreed to come here because it was what Parker wanted,
but now she was worried she wouldn’t be able to handle what this whole therapy
thing entailed. She’d spent months trying to forget the past and now she was
going to have to rehash every unpleasant memory. She was embarrassed about what
had happened with Mike, and she didn’t want to have to admit how long she had let
it go on.

“Ava,” Jace softly spoke. “You need to relax. As I mentioned
before, this is a very informal session. I’d like to get to know you a little
bit and see how we’ll progress.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I’ll try to settle down. I’ve just
never done anything like this before.”

“Anything like what?”

“Shared my feelings,” she admitted. “I really only talk to
Parker, and sometimes I can’t even do that.”

“Why not?”

“He worries about me.”

“Is that why you didn’t go to him when your relationship
with Mike went bad?”

“I was embarrassed and thought he’d stop, plus, I knew how
Parker would react.” Ava pushed the hair from her face. “But maybe his reaction
was a good thing after all.”

“How do you figure?”

“His actions caused him to meet you, and he really likes you.”

Jace smiled at her.

“Do you like him?”

“We’re not here to discuss my feelings for Parker,” he
reminded her.

She bit her lip and looked up at him.

“Yes, I can see why Parker gives you anything you want
.
Those wide, brown eyes of yours are evil.” He laughed. “But I’m here to help
you, and I’m very expensive, so let’s put Parker’s money to good use.”

“I just want to make sure he won’t get hurt.” She tried
again to get Jace to give her anything concerning Parker. “You won’t hurt him,
right?”

“Ava.” He sighed. “I know you care about him, and so do I.”

She nodded.

“I’ll tell you what, we move forward with your session and
then I’ll leave time at the end to answer whatever I can about Parker.”

“Thank you,” she said. “He means so much to me.”

Jace eased Ava into the conversation, eventually getting her
to open up about her childhood and family life. She didn’t have it easy growing
up, and the one thing that remained constant in her life was Parker. She kept
all of her pain inside, and her troubles didn’t just stem from a two year
abusive relationship. She had many things to sort through, but she hoped Jace
could help her.

Ava found Jace to be extremely soothing and tender. His
voice was soft and calming, and he asked questions in a way that made her want
to answer them. She really liked him.

When they were finished with the session, Ava nervously
laughed and asked, “Can you cure me?”

“I can.” Jace smiled. “But I’m extremely arrogant.”

“Oh?” Ava worried he wouldn’t be able to help her after all.

“I’m kidding. I honestly believe you want to get better. You
say you’re here for Parker, but you wouldn’t have done this today if a part of
you weren’t seeking help.”

“I don’t want to be afraid anymore,” she said.

“I can help you.”

“I trust you.” Ava gave him her most dazzling smile.

“Then we’re off to a good start.”

“So, can we talk about Parker now?” She chewed on her lip,
hoping her shameless attempts would work on Jace the same way they did on
Parker.

“We can talk about Parker now.” He shook his head and
smiled.

* * * *

Jace invited Parker in for a drink after the movie, but he
declined since Ava was still having trouble sleeping through the night. They
had been together almost every day that week and were getting to know one
another quite well. The more time they spent together, the harder it was for
the other to leave. Tonight, it was Parker’s turn to go home.

“You sure you don’t want to come in for a little bit?” Jace
asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“I would like to, but it’s getting late and Ava might have
trouble falling asleep.” Parker really wanted to stay. They’d held hands
throughout the entire movie and once they got to the car, they kissed for a
good ten minutes. His dick still hadn’t settled down from all the excitement.

“You could call her,” Jace suggested as he licked Parker’s
bottom lip.

“You don’t play fair,” he said. “I’ll check in with her.”

Jace smiled as he pulled Parker into the foyer.

“You call her and I’ll pour us a drink,” Jace said. “Meet me
in the family room.”

Parker shook his head as he reached into his pocket for his
phone. He was torn because he wanted to be there if Ava needed him, but he also
wanted to stay here with Jace.

After a few minutes, Parker came in and plopped down on the
floor next to Jace. He looked around at the comfortable atmosphere Jace had
created. He’d turned on the gas fireplace, poured two brandies, kicked off his
shoes, and sat on the rug by the heat of the fire.

“You were awfully confident Ava wouldn’t need me.” He smiled
as Jace handed him his drink. “She’s still at my sister’s house and told me I
should take my time. They were just putting in a movie.”

“Have I ever mentioned how much I like Ava?” Jace laughed.

“She seems to be quite fond of you too. So, how is she
doing? She told me her sessions have been going well.”

“I can’t discuss Ava with you,” Jace reminded him.

“I know, but you have no problem discussing me with her.” He
arched a brow. “I hear I’m paying for the two of you to chat about me at the
end of her appointment.”

“Only the last five minutes, and it’s because she has so
many questions.” Jace unsuccessfully held back a grin.

“She’s always been a very curious one, but I hope you don’t
tell her too much.” Parker smiled before settling in between Jace’s legs and
resting against his chest.

“I don’t kiss and tell, Mr. Phillips.” He ran his lips along
the back of Parker’s neck.

“Glad to hear it, Dr. Cross, because she’ll want all the
details.” He threw his head back, giving Jace better access to his neck.

Jace ran his hand down Parker’s chest, stopping just below
his belly button as he sucked on his neck. “I think I’ll keep the details
between us.”

Parker could feel how aroused Jace was. His dick was
pressing into his back, creating a delicious sensation throughout Parker’s
whole body. Jace pulled Parker’s shirt from the waistband of his pants and then
slipped his hands underneath, running his fingertips over his stomach.

Jace’s touches were feather soft, but it was enough to send
Parker into overdrive. They hadn’t really been intimate since that night Jace
had come to dinner at Parker’s house, because Jace was keeping his promise to
be patient. They’d been kissing and groping through clothes for a week, but
that didn’t seem to be enough for either of them tonight.

Jace crawled around and gently pushed Parker onto his back,
looking into his eyes before climbing on top of him and straddling him. He
slowly unbuttoned Parker’s shirt and spread it open, revealing his chest.
Parker didn’t move at all as Jace licked his lips before leaning forward and
kissing his collarbone.

“Jace,” Parker said. ”I’ve been thinking about what it would
be like for you to touch me.”

“I want to touch you.” He moved his lips lower, swirling his
tongue over Parker’s erect nipple. “I want to put my mouth all over this
perfect body. You’re all I think about.”

Parker twisted his fingers in Jace’s hair and guided him
lower. He wanted Jace lower, closer to the source of his desire. He was
practically twitching in his pants, and he wanted to reach down and free his
dick from his jeans.

Jace trailed his mouth down the center of his stomach,
stopping to kiss and lick his belly button, before moving just above the button
of his jeans. He grasped Parker’s upper thigh, causing Parker to jerk forward.

“Can I touch you?” Jace mumbled against his stomach.

“Yes, I want you to touch me
there
,” Parker said
breathlessly.