Page 11 of In Daddy's Hands

Jupiter set the box on the bedside table, moving as slowly and quietly as possible. Then he undressed. If Boone slept, then Jupiter would too until he was needed to pamper him or pour drugs down the throat.

Once he was down to his underwear, Jupiter tried to climb onto the mattress without moving the bed at all. Thankfully, Boone’s expensive mattress was made to stop movement transfer.

Suddenly, Jupiter found himself beneath a heavy body with a gun pressed to his temple. Boone blinked down at him. Jupiter was scared to move or make a sound. The gun moved away.

“Sorry, baby.”

Boone sounded like shit. He rolled to the side, freeing Jupiter.

Jupiter stroked his chest. “Banks sent me with your cigars.” Jupiter whispered the words. He didn’t want to hurt Boone in any way.

A sound came from Boone—like he had swallowed hard past a dehydrated throat. “Can’t. Hurts. I can’t see.”

Fuck. It was so much worse than Jupiter expected. He didn’t know what he could do. It seemed like making him talk, when he could have slept this off, was the opposite of helping. An idea struck. He rolled from the bed. It took a minute of fumbling in the dark, but he found a lighter. With his back to Boone, hiding the flame, he lit a cigar. His head immediately swam. This would definitely knock him totally on his ass, but it would be worth it ifit helped. Jupiter straddled Boone and took a drag. He held the smoke in his mouth while trying not to inhale. Jupiter covered Boone’s mouth and blew the smoke in. He heard Boone breathe. Jupiter waited until the smoke left his nose before repeating the process. He kept going until half the cigar had disappeared and the entire room spun.

“Thank you.”

Jupiter nodded. At least, he thought he did. He didn’t truly know anything about his body anymore. He wouldn’t pass a drug test for a year after this. Jupiter heard the colors in the room.

“Put that out before you black out.”

Jupiter forced himself from the bed, doing his best to stay upright. He felt around for the ashtray before mashing the hot end on the glass. Jupiter spotted a bottle of water. He took a drink. It was warm, but he was so thirsty. Jupiter remembered he was there for Boone.

“Come on, baby. Take a drink before you fall asleep.”

Boone let him help him take a drink. Jupiter honestly didn’t know if any of it went in his mouth. He was seeing double. The second he set the water aside, Jupiter slithered to the bed. It sort of felt like Boone caught him and eased him down. Jupiter had no idea. Everything went black.

Boone had no concept of time. He assumed it was night when Jupiter had shown. With his blackout drapes pulled tight, and his inability to stay awake, he had no idea how much time had passed. Jupiter slept soundly. Boone couldn’t stop staring at him. If Jupiter hadn’t shown up and did what he did, it likely would have taken days for him to recover. He was easily the most amazing person Boone had ever met. The poor guy had sacrificed himself to ease Boone’s pain. No one else would have done that for him.

He stroked Jupiter’s stomach. Chill bumps rose beneath his fingertips. As much as Boone hated covering so much beauty, he pulled the blankets higher. He needed Jupiter to know he was as safe with Boone as Jupiter made him feel.

Jupiter snuggled closer.

Boone pressed his lips to Jupiter’s temple and breathed in his scent. He was in love. It was terrifying. Love had cursed him with this broken body. But Jupiter was so very different. In every way, he was superior. That was why loving him scared Boone so much. This time, it might actually kill him.

Jupiter’s eyes opened. For a moment, he blinked at the ceiling, as if trying to remember where he was. Then his gaze swungBoone’s way. When he saw Boone awake, he smiled. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

“Not perfect, but much better, thanks to you.”

Jupiter snuggled even closer. His skin felt like ice. Boone did his best to warm him while Jupiter kissed his chest. “Banks deserves some of the credit. He brought me to you when his calls went to voicemail. He also provided the drugs.”

“Well, providing the drugs is his forte.”

He felt Jupiter smile against his chest. “You had me worried. When you look at your phone, I swear I’m not psycho. I might’ve called and texted a few hundred times.”

“I know you’re not psycho. It’s my fault.”

Jupiter’s chin lifted. He met Boone’s stare. “It isn’t.”

It was, but Boone didn’t see the point in arguing. “If I smoke, will you die?”

A laugh burst from Jupiter.

Boone loved his smile.

Jupiter rolled away. “Do whatever it takes to come back to me. I need some water anyway. Lord, I feel like I spent two dayslicking shag carpet.” He crawled from the bed. “Jesus. It’s like forty degrees in here.”

“I can’t tolerate getting overheated once the pain sets in.”

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