Every Shade by Nora Phoenix
6
Jace slept fitfully that night. He’d installed himself on the couch, which proved to be far more comfortable than he had expected, and yet he couldn’t relax. His mind kept buzzing. Matthew’s room was close enough, and he’d left the doors open, but he was too worried about him to sleep. He’d set alarms every three hours to check on him, and Matthew was still restless and mostly out of it throughout the night.
When dawn broke and a ray of sunlight peeped between the curtains, Matthew had finally fallen into a deep sleep. Jace, of course, was wide awake.
He took the liberty of using Matthew’s shower. The hot water did him good, and once he’d gotten dressed again, he felt a little more human. A quick check in the fridge told him that Matthew needed groceries, and he made a list of things he’d have to get for the next few days. He wasn’t going anywhere until he was convinced Matthew could take care of himself. And judging by how sick he still was, that could take a while.
Matthew had his Wi-Fi password taped to the router, so that made things easier, and a short Google search later, Jace had located the closest grocery store. No Instacart options here—not that he had expected them. The town was way too small to warrant such a service.
When he walked into Matthew’s bedroom, the man was awake, staring at Jace with glassy eyes. “You’re really here.”
Oh boy, how often were they going to do this? “I am. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck.”
“The flu will do that to you. Do you have a thermometer? I couldn’t find one in your bathroom.”
“I don’t need a thermometer. I’m never sick.”
“You are now, and I’d love to keep an eye on your fever. But it’s fine. I’ll get one when I buy groceries.”
“You’re buying groceries?”
“Dude, your fridge is all but empty, and you’re almost out of coffee. I don’t know which of those two is worse.”
Matthew rubbed his temples. “I meant to go shopping, but I wasn’t feeling well.”
“You don’t say. But no worries, I can manage. Is there anything specific you need?”
Matthew merely blinked. “It’s really hard to think right now.”
Jace smiled. “I bet, big guy. I’ll do my best not to forget anything. But before I go, you need your next dose.”
When Jace held out the Tylenol, Matthew didn’t protest and dutifully took them with the water Jace handed him. After that, Jace made him drink more of the Gatorade, then allowed him to settle back under the covers. Still naked, but he forced himself not to think of that.
“Get some more sleep,” he told him as he walked out. “Sleep is the best medicine, my mom always says.”
He was almost in the hallway when Matthew said, “Jace.”
He turned around. “Yeah?”
“Thank you. I don’t know if I said it already, but I didn’t want to forget. Thank you.”
Jace sent him a wide smile. “You’re welcome. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The benefit of small towns was that navigating was easy, and Jace had no issue finding his way. He stopped by the pharmacy—which was an old-fashioned drug store that sold everything under the sun—to get a thermometer, then headed to the grocery store. Their selection was limited, but they had everything he needed.
“Are you visiting?” the cashier—a woman in her fifties—asked him as she rang him up. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
“Yes. I’m from Maryland.”
“Oh, how nice. Where are you staying?”
“With a friend.”
She looked at him for a moment as if trying to assess if she could get any more information from him, then went back to scanning his items. “Make sure to keep an eye on the weather, honey. That storm will hit us hard, it looks like.”
Storm? What was she talking about? He’d better find out and fast, but he wasn’t showing her he was clueless. “Yes, I’m tracking it. Thank you, though. I appreciate it.”
“We look after each other here, honey.”
Jace thanked her again, then hurried out with his groceries. As soon as he’d put the bags in his trunk, he slid behind the wheel and opened the weather app on his phone. He hadn’t even checked it before he’d left Maryland, which, in hindsight, hadn’t been smart.
He pulled up the forecast, and a gasp flew from his lips. Between sixteen and twenty-four inches? Were they insane? That was two feet of snow. And it would hit in two days. If he wanted to make it back before that storm arrived, he’d have to leave the next day. Would Mathew be recovered enough to fend for himself?
He pondered it as he drove back. The man still had a fever, though Jace wouldn’t know how high until he could put his newly acquired thermometer to use. But he guessed it was still substantial, and it would linger longer without someone to help remind him to take his meds. Would it go down in a day?
As he let himself in through the front door—he’d found a key in a kitchen drawer—he still hadn’t made up his mind. Matthew was still asleep, and so he unpacked the groceries and went to work. As the soup simmered, he put his laptop on the kitchen table and messaged his clients to see if they needed anything from him.
Good thing he had Matthew’s passwords so he could post a quick update on his Facebook and Instagram. “Caught a bad case of the flu. Will be offline for a few days to recover. Stay healthy everyone!” he wrote, then double-checked for spelling errors and posted it.
Two hours later, he’d crossed off everything on his to-do list and was doing some research on Facebook ads for Emmy, his Etsy client, when Matthew called from the bedroom. “Jace!”
He hurried in and found Matthew sitting on the edge of the bed, only a sheet draped around him. He was swaying a little, and his forehead was sweaty.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Jace asked, and it came out much sharper than he’d intended.
“Bossy Jace is back,” Matthew said slowly, sounding like he was drunk. “I like bossy Jace.”
“So we’ve established. Now answer the question, boss.”
“If you call me boss and I call you bossy, it’s gonna get confusing.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “What’s far more confusing is why you are trying to get out of bed when you’re sick as a dog.”
“I need to pee.”
Right. He could hardly tell him he couldn’t. Besides, it was a sign he was hydrating again. “Okay. I’ll get you something you can pee in.”
Matthew frowned. “I’m not peeing in a bottle or some shit. I’ll drag my sorry ass to the bathroom like a man.”
“I’m not sure what peeing has to do with masculinity, but are you sure that’s a good idea? You’re not too steady, and you’re not even standing yet.”
“I was hoping you’d help me.”
Oh dear heavens, how was he supposed to say no to that? Matthew looked at him with sad brown eyes, like a puppy that wanted a treat for being a good boy. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jace muttered. “All right, I’ll help. Let’s get you some pants first.”
“Why would I need pants if I’m going to have to take them off again?”
“I’m not escorting you naked to the bathroom.”
“You don’t have to be naked.”
Jace let out a growl of frustration. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding me.”
“Of course I am. I’ll take my fun where I can get it, especially when I feel like utter crap.”
“That’s mean.”
“No, that’s entertainment. Now set aside your delicate sensibilities, please, and help me get to the bathroom. I promise seeing me naked won’t scar you for life.”
He was infuriating. How could the man be foggy from fever and yet so sharp? It was the same wit that had become a trademark of his books. “I don’t have delicate sensibilities, I assure you. It’s not like I’m some blushing virgin who’s never seen a cock.”
“No? I want to hear all about that while you accompany me.”
“I’m not talking to you about my sex life,” Jace said as he took position next to him, then helped Matthew off the bed. The sheet slid down, revealing his semi-erect cock.
Matthew looked down, then shrugged. “All that talk about virgins and naked cocks…”
“Just don’t get any ideas. This whole thing is all kinds of inappropriate as it is.”
They shuffled through the bedroom, Matthew leaning heavily on Jace’s shoulder. “Oh, I know I don’t stand a chance. I’m not your type,” Matthew said, panting slightly.
Jace frowned. “What do you mean? How would you know what my type is?”
Matthew huffed. “Have you seen the pics you post on Facebook? They’re all the same kind of guys. Pretty guys. Flawless. Fitness models and personal trainers and guys who chop wood for a living or some shit.”
Wow, where did all that bitterness come from? All thoughts of Matthew’s nakedness were forgotten as the emotion in his words hit Jace much harder than anything else. “That doesn’t mean anything. I mean, of course I post them because I think they’re gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean they’re my type.”
“That makes zero sense.”
Jace led Matthew into the bathroom, where the man slapped his hand against the tiles and stood still for a moment, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.
“Why wouldn’t that make sense? Just because I think someone is gorgeous doesn’t mean I want to date only guys who look like that…or just have sex with pretty guys. Those are two completely different things.”
This had to be the weirdest conversation ever. Under Matthew’s confusing remarks, Jace sensed a layer he didn’t understand, something that sounded far more important and sensitive than the man let on.
“So who’s your type for sex, then?” Matthew asked.
Yeah, he could’ve seen that one coming. Jace’s cheeks heated up, but dammit, he refused to feel ashamed for this. He raised his chin. “I’m not that discriminatory. I like sex. If I can find a guy who’s single, practices personal hygiene, is not too much of an ass, and knows how to use his dick, I’m game.”
