“It wasn’t this bad earlier.” Colby sounded distracted now, soothed by comfort and the motion of Jason’s hands and the reprieve from tautness. “It got worse after…I’m fine, but it was a lot of, well…being fine…I kept wanting to ask you to hold me, but then of course we had all the fans…oh, that, just there…I couldn’t ask everyone to wait all over again, just because I’d suddenly realized I’d prefer having one more moment to breathe.”
“You could have.” Jason let his hands drift lower, bit by bit: walking downward, making their way across the treasure-map of Colby’s body. Colby had a few more freckles along his back, not too many, but one right beside his spine. Jason traced it with a thumb. “Nobody would’ve minded. People want to help, babe.”
“I’m trying to know that.” Colby sighed. “I th
