Angel's Redemption (6 page)

One hard lesson that he'd learned from Ben's untimely death was that life was short and every moment he had on Earth, whether good or bad, was truly precious.

Jack had known Elijah for a short time, but he shuddered at the thought of this world without someone as sweet and sexy as Elijah in it.

He took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions. The last thing the young man needed was Jackson turning into a basket case in front of him. Though there were many questions he wanted to ask, their budding friendship was still too new to broach such a subject. Maybe in time, Elijah would confide in him and tell him on his own.

At least he hoped so.

Jackson determinedly shook off his dark thoughts.

Right now, Elijah needed a good friend and someone to look out for him.

Being a friend to the younger man was something Jackson wanted to be. He was determined to fight his attraction for him and concentrate on building a close friendship instead.

Now all Jackson had to do was to convince his besotted heart of it too.

Chapter Five

"Elijah."

The soft-spoken, masculine voice invaded Elijah's deep sleep. He frowned and tried to ignore it, preferring to stay safe in the slumbering darkness.

"Elijah," the voice persisted. "Supper's ready, sleepyhead. It's time to wake up and eat, okay?"

Elijah frowned and slit his eyes open. The bright light of the living room was a stark contrast to the comfortable darkness of sleep, making Elijah's eyes water as he fought to keep both open and focus on Jack's concerned green ones.

"Sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to sack out like that," he mumbled while trying to ignore the ache starting to pound relentlessly within his brain.

"It's all right, Eli." Jack pitched his deep voice low while he pressed a cool hand to Elijah's forehead. "Honey, you're burning up. Why don't you get comfortable and lie down awhile? My guest bedroom is full of clutter right now, but my bed has clean sheets, and you can rest until you feel better."

Although the thought of lying down in Jack's bed held a lot of appeal, there was no way Elijah was going to be an imposition to his new friend. "No, that's okay. I'll just go home and go to bed." Elijah stood on shaky legs, felt a sickening wave of nausea, and immediately sat back down.

"Are you going to be sick?"

Just as he gave Jack a quick nod, he was immediately swept up off of the couch and rushed down the hall into a large bathroom. Elijah kneeled in front of the toilet just before losing the contents of his stomach.

After several moments, Elijah could feel the coolness of a soft washrag against the nape of his neck, and Jack's comforting hand running up and down his back. It felt so good to be taken care of and cared about; Elijah wanted to push himself into Jack's welcoming arms forever.

Jack flushed the toilet and helped him to his feet. He opened a drawer and took out a new toothbrush and handed it to him with a sweet smile. "Here, Eli, let's get that nasty taste out of your mouth, and then we'll get you comfortable, okay?"

Elijah nodded and before he knew it, his teeth were brushed and he was led to a nice-sized bedroom with a large, king-sized, four-poster bed. Soon, he was stripped down to his boxer-briefs and was gently laid down on the warmth and comfort of soft sheets.

Jack placed a cool washrag on his forehead and sat on the edge of the bed, lightly rubbing Elijah's arms. "Rest now." Jack sounded as if he were soothing a sick child. "I think I've got some Theraflu in my medicine cabinet you can take, and I'll get you some cool water to drink."

Elijah closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.

As nasty as Theraflu tasted, right now he'd take anything to feel better.

Elijah must have dozed for a few minutes, because he was soon awakened by Jack replacing the now-warm cloth on his forehead with a nice cool one.

Elijah opened his eyes and saw Jack leaning over him, holding a red mug in his hand. "Honey, can you sit up for a few minutes and take this medicine?"

Elijah pressed his hand against his forehead to hold the cloth in place and sat up. Jack propped some pillows against the headboard and gently eased him back against them. "Are you comfortable, Eli?"

"Yes," he managed to croak out. God, he sounded like a hoarse frog.

Jack gave him a compassionate smile and handed him the warm mug. He took a sip and grimaced at the bitter, lemony taste.

"I know it tastes nasty, but it'll help you feel better and sleep," Jack coaxed.

Elijah tried to give him a reassuring smile but had the sinking suspicion that it looked more like a frown than anything else. He forced himself to drink the contents of the mug and then handed it back to Jack with a shaking hand.

"Do you want to lie back and sleep, or do you want to try to sit up for a while and maybe watch a little television?" Jack gestured to the mid-sized flat-screen television hanging on the wall.

"I think I'll sit up for a while."

"Okay." Jack took the empty mug from his hands and lightly ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. "I'll be right back after I eat a quick bite, okay? If you need anything, just let me know."

Elijah clasped Jack's arm. "I'm sorry to be such a bother, Jack."

Jack shook his head and patted his hand affectionately. "Honey, you will never be a bother," he soothed. "Just rest and relax, and I'll be back in a few." Jack gave him a sweet smile, turned on the television, and handed him the remote.

He called me honey.

For the first time in years, Elijah felt warm and safe. He settled back against the soft pillows and closed his eyes, as he listened to the quiet sound of the television with a smile on his face.

****

Jackson sat at his lonely kitchen table and quickly ate his beef stew. He was anxious to get back to Eli to make sure the younger man was doing okay. Even though Eli had insisted on going home, he was glad he'd convinced the sick man to stay at his place. Being as sick as Eli was, the younger man didn't need to be home alone. Besides it felt good to be… well… needed again.

As he took the last bite of his stew, Jackson tried to squelch the guilty feelings he had over feeling needed again. Ever since Ben's death, no one depended on Jackson to help take care of him anymore. Hell, even when Ben was alive, his partner was so independent, he usually didn't want Jackson to hover over him or help him out in any way. Jackson was a caregiver at heart, so it always hurt when Ben pushed him away.

Finished, Jackson carried his dishes to the kitchen sink, rinsed off the bowl, and placed it in the dishwasher. Knowing Eli needed something that wouldn't upset his stomach any more than it already was, he hunted through his cabinets until he found a package of saltine crackers and a small bottle of ginger ale. He grabbed them both and headed toward his bedroom with Shep right on his heels.

As Jackson approached the bed, he found the younger man still propped up against the headboard with a miserable look on his flushed face. Jackson cautiously sat on the edge of the bed and set the package of crackers on the nightstand. Twisting open the cap of the ginger ale, he felt the weight of Elijah's heavy stare on him.

"Here, Eli." Jackson offered the drink to him. "Try and take a little drink, okay? Maybe it will help settle your stomach."

Eli continued to look at him with bloodshot, golden eyes for a few moments before he nodded and reached for the drink. Jackson handed it to him and watched the younger man take a few sips, before he handed the drink back to him with a slightly shaking hand.

"Are you comfortable?" Jackson pressed his hand against Eli's forehead and frowned at the heat against his fingers.

"Yes, thank you. I hate to impose on you like this, Jack," the young man whispered. His voice sounded more like a croak than the warm, masculine voice he was used to. "I'll get out of your hair and head on home." Eli pushed the comforter off and struggled to fully sit up.

Jackson shook his head. "You're not an imposition, Eli." He gently guided the sick man back against the pillows with his hand against his shoulder. "If you decide to leave, it'll just piss Shep and me off, so you might as well get it through your stubborn brain that you're staying here with us for the night." Jackson made sure his voice had an insistent tone to it. He gave Eli's shoulder a slight squeeze. Then he crossed his arms over his own chest and gave the younger man what he hoped looked like the stink eye.

At that moment, Shep jumped up and snuggled against Eli's side in the middle of the bed. A smirk fell across Jackson's face.

That's telling him, Shep
. Sometimes, he swore the dog knew exactly what was going on.

Eli glanced between Shep and Jackson and a helpless look crossed his young face. "Are you sure? What if I'm contagious, and you get sick? It would upset me if I made you ill." Eli hesitantly grabbed Jackson's arm; the heat of his hand burning into his skin.

Jackson patted Elijah's hand. "I'm sure." He gave the sick man a reassuring smile.

Eli's gaze roamed over his face as if to make sure he was being truthful. Finally, he closed his eyes and gave Jackson a nod. "All right. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jackson said. He was relieved the sweet man decided to stay.

Eli gave a slight nod and began scratching Shep's head. The dog's tail thumped loudly against the mattress. It was obvious Shep was enjoying the attention his new friend was giving him. Eli's shoulders finally relaxed, and he closed his eyes with a whispered sigh.

Jackson didn't want to disturb Eli further, so he eased off the bed and quietly started to leave the room. Eli's weakened voice made Jackson stop in his tracks.

"Stay with me?"

"I will," he softly answered, as he turned around and headed back toward his sick friend.

****

Elijah snuggled deeper into the warm softness that surrounded him. The scent of clean sheets and a light, musky aftershave invaded his comfortable slumber. Elijah struggled to open his gritty eyes and sudden wave of panic hit him, looking into the strange shadows of the darkened room.

Where the hell am I?

Elijah's heart pounded heavily as he struggled to remember where he was and why he felt so weak. Visions of waking up sick in dark, dirty places tried to invade his mind, and he panicked, causing him to cry out in fear.

"Shh… Eli, it's all right. You've been sick and you're with Shep and me." Jack sleepily mumbled into his ear. Suddenly, he was aware of Jack's warm body pressed against his back as the older man used a comforting hand to rub his stomach in light, soothing circles.

Memories from the past couple of days flashed through Elijah's mind as he laid there within the safety of Jack's embrace. His new friend had helped him to the bathroom when he was sick and kept him hydrated with fluids and broth despite his own pitiful protests. Elijah's body flushed with embarrassment as he suddenly remembered Jack giving him medicine, wiping his brow, and doing his best to keep him as clean and comfortable as possible the past couple of days.

In Elijah's life, he couldn't remember being so well taken care of. Although Elijah was a little mortified knowing the man who held him so sweetly had almost literally seen him at his worst, Elijah also felt hopeful that Jack may possess a budding attraction. Something special was passing between them.

He pressed into Jack's warm embrace and was pleasantly surprised when his friend also snuggled closer to him by aligning his pelvis against Elijah's ass. Jack's softened prick nestling gently against him and Elijah bit his bottom lip to keep in the moan that wanted to escape. Elijah fought the urge to move his hips and rub his ass against the older man until he felt Jack's welcoming hardness in between his cheeks. Though tempted to do so, he took a deep breath and tried to quell the excitement his body felt as he lay within Jack's arms.

This was the first time Elijah could remember ever being in a man's embrace without having to fuck him first and it was a heady but frightening feeling. There was no need to rush this. Elijah loved the friendship starting between them, and he didn't want to do anything that might scare Jack or jeopardize the relationship that was developing because they jumped into something to soon.

He settled comfortably into Jack's hold and listened to his friend's deep, slumbering breaths. Elijah closed his eyes and soon fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Chapter Six

Jackson leaned back in his office chair and groaned. For the past two days, he'd put in twelve-hour shifts at work to get caught up on two new big accounts he just received. So far, Edwards Accounting employed himself and the receptionist, Lena. But lately, since business was picking up, he began to realize maybe he needed to finally hire another accountant.

Now it was just after four o'clock and Jackson was ready to pack it up and go home. But he still had a few more hours of work to do if he wanted to have the weekend off.

"Jackson? If you don't need anything else from me, I'm going to head on out for the week."

Jackson looked up and saw a very pregnant Lena standing in the doorway with a tired smile on her face. Lena had worked for him for the past five years and was an asset to his small business. She had been with him through some tough times and Jackson was grateful to have such a devoted friend and employee. For years, Lena and her husband tried unsuccessfully to have children, and just when they'd both given up on having any babies of their own, Lena became pregnant.

Now in almost her ninth month, Lena was starting to tire easily and understandably didn't put in the hours she once did. Although she reassured Jackson that she was going to return to work after her maternity leave, he suspected once she had her baby, Lena would prefer to stay home. Not that he blamed her, but it was still going to suck because he was going to miss her.

He gave her an understanding smile and waved her off. "Absolutely, Lena. Go on home and have that husband of yours take care of you. I'll see you Monday."