“Here,” Gage whispered, kissing his cheek. “Go back to sleep.”
Ulric reached behind, splaying his hand on Gage’s bare thigh. Then, half-awake, he stroked Gage up and down, making a soft sound when he found Gage’s bare abs, and then his cock.
“Sleep,” Gage said.
Ulric shuffled around and buried his face against Gage’s chest, working Gage over until he’d gotten Gage pulsing-hard. Except his movements grew slower, his breathing deeper.
Ulric fell back asleep.
Figures. Gage sighed exasperatedly, getting himself off the rest of the way. Ulric had found another of Gage’s used shirts—Gage cleaned up with that, tossing on the floor so he’d remember to put it in the laundry hamper tomorrow.
He turned off the lights and fell asleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, he woke to the sound of a muffled crash. It was brief, quiet. Gage drifted in and out of the fog between sleep and reality, unsure if he’d dreamed the sound, or if he’d really heard it.
Through his eyelids, he sensed a light somewhere in the room—not bright enough that it was painful. Just enough that he knew he wasn’t alone.
He opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar bed—too big, but it smelled like honey oak. Ulric’s bed. Ulric wasn’t with him, though. And the ensuite bathroom door was ajar, light spilling out around it.
Ulric was probably taking a piss. Gage closed his eyes, waiting for his alpha to return.
But there came no sounds of pissing. Or the toilet flushing. “Babe?”
There was a quiet shuffling noise. Ulric didn’t answer. Was he in trouble?
Blearily, Gage crawled out of bed. He crossed the room, pushing the door open.
Ulric jumped and dropped something onto the bathroom counter, papery things fluttering around him. “G-Gage?”
Was that... money? And Gage’s wallet? “What’re you doing?”
Ulric swept the notes into a pile, shoving Gage’s wallet into his pocket. “Nothing.”
That was enough to wake Gage right up. “Ulric. That was mine, wasn’t it?”
Ulric froze, meeting Gage’s eyes in the mirror. “It’s...”
Gage stepped behind him; he reached into the pocket of Ulric’s sleep shorts. Ulric shoved the wallet further down into it. Gage caught his hand, lifting it out. At least his workouts came in useful for something.
Then he took the wallet out of Ulric’s grasp—it was Gage’s. Gage couldn’t help the betrayal coiling through his chest.
He opened the wallet, flipping through the bills in there. Instead of missing notes, there were now two twenties tucked in with the rest of his money. More fives and ones than Gage remembered, too.
Ulric’s neck flushed red. “I was just—trying to help.”
Humiliation prickled down Gage’s skin. “I don’t need an allowance, Ulric.”
Never mind that he’d spent that twenty earlier—that had been from Ulric, too, hadn’t it?
“I’ll take it back.” Ulric reached for the wallet; Gage placed it in his hand. He didn’t know how he was going to get by with the few dollars he had left, but damn he had his pride. And he wasn’t stooping so low as to receive handouts from Ulric.
“Don’t do that again,” Gage muttered.
Ulric thinned his lips. “Then how am I supposed to help you?”
“Don’t.”
Ulric scowled, pulling out some notes from Gage’s wallet. He left an extra five in there; Gage took it out and added it to Ulric’s pile of cash.
Yeah, Ulric was loaded and Gage wasn’t, and maybe if they were in an actual relationship, maybe they would pool their finances together. But right now, it just felt like a donation. Besides, Gage’s wages were going to Debbie’s hospital bills. He couldn’t possibly ask Ulric to help with those.
Ulric set Gage’s much-thinner wallet down on the counter. Then he eased out of the bathroom, not touching Gage at all.
When Gage returned to the bed, he found Ulric curled up on his side, facing away. “Are you mad at me?” Gage asked.
“No.” Ulric fidgeted.
Gage wasn’t sure what to think of all this. Ulric sneaking around at night to give him handouts, Ulric keeping secrets from him. It wasn’t right. He was starting to care too much for Ulric, and it scared him, knowing that he was now vulnerable to this man.
He couldn’t help remembering Ramsey, the best friend he’d trusted. And who’d ended up betraying him in front of the entire school. He didn’t think Ulric would do the same, but tonight... it had changed something between them.
Gage hoped this wouldn’t shatter like all his other relationships had.
25
The Wrong Gamble
Ulric breathed out his relief when his mom disappeared into the airport, her suitcase in tow. She was finally taking a flight back to New York. And he would finally stop being a disappointment.
At least, he would finally stop hearing about being a disappointment.
He knew he’d fucked up the other night with Gage. He didn’t regret trying to give Gage money—what he’d regretted was tripping over some shirt on the floor, and waking Gage up.
Either way, there was a distinct rift between them now: Gage didn’t hold him for so long these days, and Ulric didn’t want to look at Gage for longer than he had to.
Maybe his mom had been right. Maybe Gage would now see how ugly Ulric was, and he’d leave. His chest squeezed tight.
Ulric set off, making the hour-long drive back to Meadowfall. When he got back to the house, only Wilkie was there. And Wilkie was pacing in the kitchen, biting his thumbnail.
“What’s wrong?” Ulric asked.
Wilkie looked at his phone before shrugging. “Nothing.”
“More bills?”
Wilkie cringed. “We’ll be fine.”
“Because Gage’s working two jobs now?” Ulric couldn’t help the resentment seeping into his voice; Wilkie looked up.
“Things aren’t okay with you guys, are they?” Wilkie asked.
Ulric pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re just friends. How much is the bill this time?”
Wilkie studied Ulric for a long while. “You don’t have to help.”
“I don’t, and I hardly see Gage around anymore.” Was Gage’s pride more important than spending time with Ulric? Clearly he wanted to work more than he wanted Ulric’s help.
Ulric stalked up the stairs to his study, grabbing his checkbook. He tore out a
