Every Shade by Nora Phoenix

8

Matthew was beautiful in his sleep. Jace told himself that he’d set up shop in Matthew’s bedroom to keep an eye on him, but the truth was that he couldn’t keep his eyes off him as he slept. Creepy for sure, and yet here he was.

He’d fantasized about Matthew in many different ways, but never like this. In his imagination, Matthew had been sexy and suave, a man of the world who could seduce men with a simple look—a player for sure. Maybe because his books were so fucking hot and sexy?

Jace was well aware he had a little crush on him, which was stupid. They’d never even met in person or even seen each other. They mostly texted and messaged with the occasional phone call, but never through FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or any video conferencing platform. Matthew had stated he disliked those, and Jace had never pushed. He’d been content to dream from afar, picturing Matthew in his mind.

The truth was far more complicated…and yet surprisingly captivating. God, yes, the man was sexy, but not in a slick way. He was rugged, with slightly untamed edges, a little grumpiness, and a lot more hair than Jace had thought. A bear. The man was a certified bear, and while that had never been Jace’s preference, he found himself incredibly fascinated by the fur on Matthew’s broad chest, the thick happy trail leading straight down to his groin, and his heavy cock, nestling in dark public hair, framed by a set of big balls.

Even thinking about it made Jace lick his lips, and for probably the seventh or eighth time that day, his cock stirred. He’d stopped telling himself to cut it off because it hadn’t worked. How could it when he was constantly feeding his weird obsession by studying the man in his sleep?

After the soup was done, he’d poured it into a container and placed it into the fridge to cool off. Then he’d brought his laptop to the bedroom and had set himself up in a comfy reading chair—after he’d removed about a week’s worth of clothes. He’d thrown them in the washing machine, along with a bunch of laundry he’d found strewn throughout the house: towels, dishcloths, socks, even a pair of boxershorts on the living room floor.

Matthew was a slob, and what should have turned Jace off instantly instead made the man even more endearing. Every time he’d finished a book, Matthew would sweep through his house like a madman, cleaning left and right, but after that, he’d forget all about it again and focus on his writing. He’d explained that more than once to Jace, who found the concept equally fascinating and worrisome.

Matthew clearly needed someone to run his life so he could focus on writing. And Jace found himself wanting to be that person, now even more than before he’d met him. How silly of him and most likely utterly futile, and yet as he sat there and tried to get some work done, his mind kept wandering off to how good he could take care of Matthew.

He’d always been a caretaker. He’d gotten that from his mom. She’d hoped he’d become a doctor as well, but he’d never had the grades for it. He wasn’t stupid, not by any standard, but he wasn’t the kind of driven, A+ student who would get into med school. He liked serving behind the scenes, out of sight, just helping people. Tending to whatever they needed.

“Hey,” Matthew croaked, startling Jace.

“Hi.” He put his laptop down and got up. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I could eat a bowl of that delicious-smelling chicken soup.”

Jace smiled, his insides strangely warm at that praise. “You haven’t even tasted it yet. For all you know, it tastes like wallpaper glue.”

Matthew chuckled, but his laugh transformed into a nasty cough. Jace handed him water, then patiently waited until Matthew had regrouped. “Nothing that smells that good can taste nasty,” Matthew said, his voice hoarse.

“Can I take your temperature?”

“Sure.”

Jace sighed with relief when he saw the result. “A hundred point three. Much better.”

“I feel better.”

“It’s not gonna last.”

Matthew rolled his eyes at Jace. “Spoilsport.”

“Just managing expectations here. I checked with my mom, and she said it could take a week until you’re recovered enough to be up all day again and another week to feel like before.”

“Ugh, great. Just what I needed.”

Jace bit his lip. Should he bring up the snowstorm? He had no intention of leaving Matthew on his own to face that, but it didn’t seem fair to keep it from him either. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll stay for a few more days. Just to make sure you’re all right.”

Matthew pushed himself up, the sheet sliding lower and revealing his chest. Jace swallowed. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own again tomorrow. I mean, you have a life to get back to…a job.”

“I can do my job from anywhere. That’s the beauty of working from home anyway. It doesn’t have to be my home.”

“Right. But I’m sure you’d rather be home. With your family. Friends. It was super sweet of you to drive all the way here, but I’ll be fine, I promise. I’d be happy to reimburse you for your gas—”

“There a snowstorm coming,” Jace said. “A big one.”

Matthew grunted. “When? And how big are we talking?”

“Day after tomorrow. Up to two feet of snow.”

“Holy shit. God, I never should’ve fucking moved to this town. In the city, I had an apartment where someone else shoveled the sidewalk. Here, I have to do everything myself. My driveway, the path to my front door, everything.”

“You won’t be shoveling snow in two days. You’d kill yourself with the exertion.”

Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little, but it was for a good cause, right?

Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Kill myself? Feeling dramatic, are we?”

“Dude, you cough up a lung every time you breathe in too deeply. Imagine how that would go over outside at freezing temperatures when you try to shovel two feet of snow.”

“I have a snow blower, actually.”

“Same difference.”

Matthew’s shoulders dropped. “Dammit. I hate it, but you’re right. Maybe I could call a neighbor and ask them for help. I think there’s a high schooler a couple of doors down who would maybe do it for twenty bucks or so.”

Jace crossed his arms. “Or you could stop being so damn stubborn and accept my offer to stay.”

Mathew looked away. “I don’t like the idea of taking advantage of you.”

“You’re not. I’m offering.”

“It feels that way. You’re my PA. This falls far outside your purview.”

Jace waited for Matthew to raise his eyes again and meet his gaze. “You know I’m not here because I’m your PA,” Jace said softly. Maybe he was giving away too much, but all this talk about what sounded like duty made him crazy. He wasn’t here because he’d thought it was his job or his duty. “I care about you.”

Matthew licked his lips. “You do?”

“Come on, why else would I drive for nine hours? It’s not like it’s part of my job description to take care of you when you’re sick.”

“I really like that you’re here…”

Matthew’s tone was hoarse, but it held something else as well. A layer of affection that rung deeper than more gratitude. It made Jace open up a little more. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

“If that’s really true…”

“It is.”

“I’d love for you to stay until after the storm.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

“Really?” Matthew’s smile was hopeful as his warm brown eyes met Jace’s.

“Yes.” Jace took a deep breath. “I really like taking care of you.”

“I really like it too,” was Matthew’s soft reply, and suddenly the air between them crackled. Could this really be happening? Or was he imagining things? And he shouldn’t forget that Matthew was sick, still had a low fever. He shouldn’t get his hopes up too much.

“I’ll heat up some soup for you,” he said.

“Will you come sit with me when I eat it?”

Jace’s heart was a little lighter again. “I’d love to.”