Page 14 of Ruined

Gable knew he had him. “You can gently cuddle with me here and make sure I have everything I need on our schedule rather than when hospital staff can get around to me.”

“That’s true.”

They came to an open doorway and Gable froze. Not only had Cutler bought a whole new house during the two weeks Gable had been hospitalized, but everything about his bedroom was different. All new furniture and decorative items. Gable’s throat swelled. This man really loved him. It wasn’t just words.

“You chose a purple duvet? You hate purple.”

A sexy chuckle rumbled from Cutler. “It’s your favorite color. That’s all that matters to me.”

Gable shook his head as he eased beneath the covers Cutler turned back for him. “Why would you base all your decisions around me? This is your home. It should be done—shit.” Gable panted for breath as he stretched out, making his insides turn to fire. “It should be done how you like.” He tried to keep talking and focus on anything other than the pain. “Fuck. I hate this.” He rolled to his side and drew his knees up, taking pressure off his wounds. It would take a long time for him to recover from the massive internal trauma. In some ways, he wasn’t completely out of the woods. If anything leaked, it could poison his blood. The sepsis would kill him in an ugly and painful way. Gable had always thought of himself as a strong person, but this was beating him. He had never experienced pain like this.

Cutler quickly circled the bed and climbed in next to him. He held Gable, stroking hisside and kissing the shell of his ear. “It’s okay, baby. I’m right here. Just breathe. If you can last an hour longer, you can have a pain pill.”

Gable tried breathing through the pain. “Just hold me and keep talking. I’ll be all right. I just need some distraction.”

Cutler kept kissing his ear. “You’ve got it. Anything you want, it’s yours. Um, distraction. Okay. I decorated the place for you because I want you to live here. With me. Permanently,” Cutler added, as if he worried Gable didn’t understand.

He held his breath. Gable didn’t know how to react. He loved Cutler, but he hadn’t seen this coming. Truthfully, he kind of loved the idea. They were always together, and this was the happiest he had ever been. Plus, his injuries likely meant he would be down for a while and the agency already made noises like this would mean a forced retirement forhim. It wasn’t personal. He would probably get one hell of a retirement package, but he would be unemployed.

“You don’t have to answer right now. I know this was a bad time to ask. Just think about it, okay? Because I don’t know if my heart can stand you going back to your place and sleeping without me. I don’t know if I’ll survive worrying about you through the night. I have some serious PTSD now.”

Gable couldn’t stop smiling. Fuck, he was in love. “Yeah, I’m not going anywhere. I need you to protect me while I sleep.”

He felt Cutler go still. “Did you just agree to move in with me?”

“Yes.”

Cutler’s lips shaped a huge grin against hisneck. “Good.”

Gable closed his eyes, still smiling. He could sleep now that the pain had subsided, and he had made Cutler happy. Nothing else mattered. He could survive anything except Cutler hurting. Gable just needed some rest. His body was exhausted.

For way longer than necessary, Cutler listened to Gable breathe. It was such a calming sound that soothed Cutler’s frayed nerves. Since Gable came out of surgery, Cutler’s entire focus had been on making Gable’s life easier and better. He didn’t have time to think about the people behind this. The man who hurt him was dead. It seemed the entire incident had the CIA in an uproar, so whoever ordered the attack hadn’t donethemselves any favors. Staying under the radar was a criminal’s first line of defense. So this had been a dumb as hell move. It was one Cutler wouldn’t imitate. Gable had survived. Cutler would tighten their security, batten down the hatches, and keep sentinel. He knew now there was an enemy out there. Cutler was smart enough to protect his and let bigger fish eat his prey. Considering Lazarus kept hanging around, Cutler had a feeling he was on the job. Gable had his full attention.

Even in his sleep, Gable still shook slightly. He knew it was a combination of trauma, blood loss, and pain. Cutler wanted to spend the rest of his life making him better. He would start with handling Gable’s things, getting him moved in and settled. Cutler had to keep his mind busy. He hadn’t been joking about the PTSD. Cutler hadn’t even returned to the scene. He had paid a companyto handle the old house and the mess. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw a mixture of Danilo and Gable bleeding to death in his arms. His heart was beat up and tired. Cutler kept it to himself, but sometimes the past drowned him. There was so much ugliness in his mind and heart. All Cutler wanted was a peaceful life.

Cutler sniffed. His eyes burned and his throat swelled. He just wanted to hold Gable like this for the rest of his life and leave everything else behind. He sniffed again. The air stuttered from his lungs.

A loud cry escaped Gable, shattering Cutler’s heart as Gable rolled. His baby shook harder as he buried his face against Cutler’s throat. “Shh. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

Until Gable hurt himself trying to comfort Cutler, he didn’t realizehe silently cried. Life had just been too overwhelming. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

Gable held him tighter. “I’ll never be too hurt or tired to hold you. You go to sleep too. Don’t act like I don’t know you’ve been staying awake all night, keeping me safe with the hospital’s lax security. Close your eyes.”

Cutler did as told.

“Take a breath:”

Cutler breathed.

“Relax. I need you to be my pillow.”

A soft chuckle escaped Cutler. Gable shouldn’t be comforting him, but it was just another sign of how perfect they were together. He settled in to be the pillow Gable needed. His warmth soothed Cutler’s soul. In no time, Gable’s even breathing had the darkness coming for Cutler. Everything would be fine.

Chapter Ten

Gable could say withoutan ounce of hesitation that Saul and Case’s wedding was the most extravagant thing he had ever witnessed. Every detail was over the top, from the flowers to the food. The couple looked happy. That was Gable’s biggest takeaway. He had never seen two people smile as hard. Alcohol flowed freely. The elite danced with anyone and everyone except their spouses. It was quite the show. Gable wasn’t up to drinking and partyingjust yet. He enjoyed watching, though. Exhaustion still kept his feet still.

A bored-looking young buck in an overly expensive suit appeared at Gable’s side while he waited for Cutler to finish a conversation with some men Gable had never seen. They had their heads together, looking like they plotted something Gable didn’t want to know. Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off the man who had stolen his soul.

---