“You’ll be happy here. No one will judge you.”
Cooper smiled.
“Holy shit. He can smile,” Rocky said with a laugh.
Cooper ignored him. “Do you live here too, Jinx?”
Jinx nodded. “For now.” Jinx could feel Rocky staring a hole into the side of Jinx’s face. It was hard to keep from looking Rocky’s way. “There are a lot of good people living here. You don’t have to worry. We’ll let you take a shower or whatever. When you’re clean, there’s a staff kitchen down the hall on the right. The fridge is fully stocked. Maybe tomorrow, after your first day on the job, I could take you shopping for clothes or whatever.”
Cooper shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t have any money.”
Jinx shrugged. “That’s fine. I can spot you for a new wardrobe.”
For a moment, Cooper didn’t respond. When he did, he sounded tired. “So when does the other shoe drop?”
In truth, Jinx didn’t know how to answer that. He imagined this sudden change in circumstances felt like a trick to someone like Cooper. Jinx took a breath and answered in a different way. “My mom died almost two years ago. Even though I had my own place and didn’t need the help financially, Zayn took me in because I needed the help emotionally. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are good people left in the world. You just found them.”
“You still have to work,” Rocky said, obviously intent on being a hard-ass.
Cooper nodded. “I will. This still doesn’t feel real, but yeah. I’ll do whatever.”
Jinx took Rocky’s hand. Cooper looked ready to drop. They needed to let him sleep. “We’ll let you settle in. You’re safe here. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”
Rocky let Jinx pull him from the room, but he kept looking over his shoulder. “I’ll come by at nine tomorrow morning to get you set up at work, okay?”
“Okay.” Cooper followed them to the door and closed it behind them.
Jinx heard the lock turn. No doubt the poor kid thought he would be molested or dragged into the street. It wouldn’t happen. Jinx invaded Rocky’s space. “Softy.”
Rocky looked away, but Jinx saw the way his cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, well.”
Jinx laughed as he pressed his lips to Rocky’s chest. “You’re such a teddy bear. I love you.”
Rocky snatched Jinx from his feet and tossed him over his shoulder, tearing a loud squeal from Jinx. Jinx covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. Rocky swatted his ass. “Teddy bear. I’ll show you a bear. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that I still owe you for earlier.” Rocky stormed toward his bedroom. Jinx caught a glimpse of Cooper peeking out his door at them while Jinx tried pushing his way off Rocky’s shoulder without luck. Giving up, Jinx relaxed into his fate. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to get punished. He couldn’t think about anything else. It would be a long night. Jinx couldn’t wait.
Seven
Between getting Cooper settled and Jinx acting suspicious, the days flew. Wednesday came before Rocky knew it. Then the day screeched to a halt. By the time Rocky headed to Hudson’s—alone because Jinx weirdly wasn’t home—Rocky was ready to crawl out of his skin if it got him to Hudson faster. When the black and gold gate to Hudson’s property came into view, a smile exploded across Rocky’s face. He had to stop himself from bouncing in his seat.
After punching in the code, the gate opened, and an unexpected laugh burst from Rocky—like his body couldn’t contain his happiness any longer. It had been way too long since Rocky had seen Hudson’s gorgeous face in person. Video calls weren’t enough. He wanted that warmth he felt when Hudson was in his arms. Rocky needed the scent of Hudson’s expensive cologne washing over him. He swore he could already smell Hudson.
Rocky followed the pebble driveway to the front of the house. Rocky parked inside the circle and jumped from his truck. As he jogged up the brick and concrete front steps, the front door opened. Rocky froze. His breath caught at the first sight of Hudson. Until Rocky set eyes on Hudson, he hadn’t realized how much he had missed the guy.
Hudson danced in place in his excitement. “You’re here.”
Rocky ran the last few feet. His mouth covered Hudson’s before he managed a word. He fought the urge to shout at the top of his lungs in his happiness. Rocky couldn’t stop running his hands over Hudson’s body, as if his mind needed proof Hudson was really there. Hudson tried climbing Rocky like a tree until Rocky grabbed two handfuls of ass and lifted Hudson off his feet. Hudson held on while their kiss went from wild to sweet.
Rocky spoke between kisses. “I’m sorry Jinx isn’t with me. He’ll be here later.”
Hudson dropped his feet to the floor but didn’t back away. He buried his face in the crook of Rocky’s neck and held on. “I know. He’s with Tito. They’ll be here any minute.”
Confusion had Rocky taking a step back. “Why is Jinx with Tito?”
Hudson twisted his fingers. His gaze moved from side to side, obviously searching for any place to look other than meeting Rocky’s stare. “Um... come see what I had done to the bedroom while I was gone.” Hudson walked away.
Rocky followed since Hudson left him no other choice. “What’s going on?” He knew something was up. Rocky felt it in his gut.
A loud and fake-sounding laugh trailed down the hall as Hudson quickly marched ahead of him. “Nothing is going on. Well, that’s not true. I’m showing you my new bedroom. You have to see it since we’ll be sleeping in it soon.” He raced around the corner, picking up speed and forcing Rocky to practically jog to keep up. He spoke a mile a minute as he went. “I guess I should wait until
