But that wasn’t what Jase had intended. Shit happened, and everyone knew Leyton wasn’t responsible. Everyone but Leyton.

“Point received,” Leyton hissed, releasing Jase’s shirt and pushing him back. “That doesn’t mean you won’t fail her. Keep fuckin’ her and you’re gonna let your guard down.”

Jase studied Leyton for a moment before he spoke.

“Are you worried about her safety? Or are you more concerned that it’s not your dick in her mouth?”

Leyton’s eyes narrowed.

An inexplicable force drew him, made him desperate to touch Leyton again. Going with his gut, he took a step closer, bringing him face-to-face with the man he’d fantasized about on more than one occasion. From this distance, he could smell him—that intoxicating cologne Leyton favored made Jase’s dick harder.

Trying not to be too affected by him, Jase said, “I don’t think this has anything to do with my ability to do my job.” Damn, the guy had the sexiest green eyes. “We all know I’ll keep her safe. Your problem is that you want somethin’ you think you can’t have.”

Leyton’s eyes narrowed, his lips slightly parted, but he didn’t speak.

“The question is,” Jase continued, lowering his voice and stepping even closer, close enough he could feel the warmth of Leyton’s breath on his face, “which one of us do you want more?”

Neither of them moved. They seemed to be lost in the moment, their mouths hovering dangerously close. If Jase moved a fraction of an inch, he’d get to feel the exquisite sensation of Leyton’s lips on his. And fuck if he didn’t want it.

“You’re fuckin’ outta your mind,” Leyton retorted but didn’t move back.

Jase was tempted to crush his lips to Leyton’s, to thrust his tongue into Leyton’s mouth and show him just how fucking out of his mind he was. This dance they were doing was getting tiresome, and Jase wanted more. As did Ashlynn. The only person who didn’t seem to be on board was Leyton.

Jase eased closer, but this time Leyton moved back a step. He tried again. Leyton moved as well, until finally, Jase had Leyton trapped against the wall. Goddamn, it wasn’t easy to keep from taking what he wanted, but he managed to refrain.

“You like watching us,” Jase whispered, his lips brushing Leyton’s ever so slightly while he allowed his hand to graze Leyton’s dick. Yep, hard as fucking stone. No way to deny it now. “You like thinkin’ about drivin’ your dick into Ashlynn’s tight pussy, don’t you? But you also like the idea of my lips wrapped around your dick, right? Or how about my dick buried in your ass?”

Leyton’s sharp intake of breath was the only answer Jase needed. He’d nailed it. And Jase could no longer resist the temptation before him.

Planting his hands on the wall beside Leyton’s head, Jase leaned in, firmly resting his lips atop Leyton’s. He lightly caressed Leyton’s lower lip with his tongue. Pressing closer, he crowded him against the wall but didn’t trap him completely. He wanted Leyton, but he wasn’t interested in forcing him.

“Kiss me,” Jase whispered. “I know you want it as bad as I do.”

Fully expecting Leyton to push him away, Jase was nearly knocked off his feet when Leyton’s thick arms slid up Jase’s back, jerking him forward until their mouths were sealed, tongue gliding against tongue.

Fuck.

It was so much better than Jase had anticipated. Leyton wasn’t a submissive lover. He took what he wanted, giving as much in return, as the kiss heated, charged with an underlying emotion that Jase couldn’t quite name.

The passion was fueled by adrenaline, sending Jase’s pulse into overdrive. When Leyton flipped them, slamming Jase against the wall while plundering his mouth, Jase gave everything he had. Taking control once more, Jase came out on top, putting Leyton against the wall roughly while nipping Leyton’s lower lip. Unfortunately, it didn’t last nearly long enough. When Jase growled his approval, Leyton shifted, pulling back and putting some space between them. Jase didn’t back away, though. He couldn’t.

“Fucking hell!” Leyton grumbled harshly. “We can’t do this. I can’t do this.”

Jase wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, continuing to stare at the sexy man who’d just kissed him like he’d never been kissed before. “But you want it.”

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Leyton finally said.

“Oh, it definitely does.” Jase was still close enough to kiss Leyton, their chests touching, the hard ridge of Jase’s dick brushing against Leyton’s. Desire was pouring off Leyton in waves, but he was fighting it. If only he would give in, give it a chance.

Before Jase could get up the nerve to kiss him again, Leyton forced him back, pushing him away as he cleared his throat and thrust his hands through his hair. “No. It doesn’t matter. And you’d do well to remember that. My loyalties lie with this family. With Max. And I damn sure don’t intend to do anything that’ll jeopardize that.”

Jase hated the fucking excuses. “What does Max have to do with…?” Staring at Leyton, it hit him then. “Max warned you to say away from her?”

Leyton didn’t respond.

“Of course he did. If he hadn’t, you’d have already given in. Because you want her more than your next fucking breath.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me,” Jase insisted. “Fucking tell me you don’t want her.”

Leyton’s green eyes glittered. “Yes! Goddammit. I fucking want her. I’ve always wanted her.”

“But you’re too much of a pussy to tell her brother to go fuck himself?” Jase couldn’t stand the fact that someone would interfere with someone else’s happiness. It wasn’t Max’s fucking business what Ashlynn or Leyton did.

“Watch it,” Leyton growled, a clear warning that Jase was overstepping.

“And me?” Jase wasn’t jealous. Quite the opposite, actually. He merely wanted Leyton to finally admit it.

“What about you?”

“Don’t play games with me. Do you fucking want me or not? I know for a fact Max didn’t warn you away from me.”

“It’s not like that.”

“The hell it ain’t,” Jase exclaimed. “Don’t try to fool yourself more than you already are. You’re just as turned on by the thought of bein’ with a man as you are a woman.”

“Not true,” Leyton said, his tone softening.

“News flash, Matheson, the way you fucking kissed me says it all.”

“You don’t fucking get it,” Leyton countered hotly, taking a step forward. “It’s not just any man or any woman that I want. It’s you. It’s Ashlynn. But I can’t have you. Either of you.”

“But you can.”

“You don’t know what you’re fuckin’ talkin’ about. And we’re not supposed to be talkin’ about me and what I want. This is about your ability to protect Ashlynn.”

“I’d like to think Max would’ve said somethin’ if he was worried about his sister’s safety. He’s got cameras everywhere. He sees everything, and he wouldn’t hesitate to put me in the ground if he didn’t approve of my ability to keep her safe. So that tells me you’re talkin’ out your ass. This isn’t about me doin’ my job. This is about me doin’ Ashlynn and you wantin’ to be part of it.” Jase took a deep breath. “Well, here’s the deal. When you’re ready to come to terms with what you want, we’ll be waitin’. Until then, keep tellin’ yourself that loyalty is what’s keepin’ you away.”

Jase spun on his heel and went for the door. He gave Leyton one second to respond, but when he didn’t, he left him there to chew on that. Leyton would come around, of that Jase was certain.

The question was, how long would the man torture himself before he finally gave in?

Chapter Eight

The question was … who needed protection from whom?

Rather than go home like he’d wanted, Leyton waited for Max to return from the hospital so they could talk. He could’ve used his phone or borrowed Max’s laptop and checked up on a few things, but instead, he had sat outside under the stars, alone.