Page 9 of In Daddy's Hands

Did he? In theory, Jupiter recognized Boone was part of a major crime family. Realistically, he had no idea what that meant. Maybe he would wake up one day and find himself trapped in a nightmare. Except Boone always looked so miserable with his dad. Hell, he looked beyond sad every time Jupiter saw him, but not with him. Jupiter made him smile, and he didn’t want that to stop, so he went with the truth he understood. “I see you.”

Boone nodded. “I swear I’ll keep you safe and insulated from everything I do, but I need you to walk into this with open eyes. You’re mine. I want to tell you that and for you to feel it, but I have to give you this one chance to walk away. You have to want to be with me. The real me. The ugly me.”

Jupiter closed the distance between them. His hands slid up Boone’s solid chest because he couldn’t resist. “It was already too late the first time I called you Daddy. All I have in the world is my grandmother.” It hurt Jupiter’s throat, being so open and vulnerable. But he craved what Boone offered, and he needed Boone to understand that. “You have no idea how much I want you. The real you. The one I think sees me.”

Boone grabbed Jupiter’s hips and hauled him forward, leaving zero distance between them. “I’m jealous and possessive.”

“Good.”

“You’ll hate my family.”

“I like Banks.”

A tiny smile played on Boone’s lips. “Except Banks. Everyone likes Banks.” His smile slipped away. “But you need to understand he’s deadly too, and my parents are…” Boone visibly fought for a description. “Worse than what you’re probably imagining.”

“They didn’t abandon you when you were two so they could travel the world unburdened. So, they have a leg up on mine.”

Boone cocked his head and studied Jupiter’s face. “Soon enough we’ll see, I guess. They won’t let me go forever without meeting you. Afterward, you can tell me if abandoned beats being raised by wolves.”

“Fair enough.”

Boone smiled. “You’re very brave for a fish.”

Jupiter’s brow furrowed. “What?”

Before Jupiter saw it coming, he flew through the air and landed in the pool. He sank to the bottom before coming up sputtering. A tremendous splash hit him as Boone cannon-balled into the water next to him. A shriek tore from Jupiter before he found himself in Boone’s arms. With his hair slicked back and wearing a huge grin, Boone truly was the sexiest man Jupiter had ever seen.

“I guess it’s a good thing my wallet and keys are in my pajamas and not my shorts.”

Boone laughed. It was the most gorgeous sound. “I’m wearing thousand-dollar pants.”

Jupiter threw his head back and roared with laughter. He had never been happier. Jupiter struggled to get his giggles under control. “I didn’t know I was going for a swim, so that explains me, but why didn’t you take off your pants?”

“Oops.”

Jupiter laughed harder. He pressed his forehead against Boone’s shoulder and shook. No sound came out. He could barely breathe. Then Boone kissed the shell of his ear and the air shifted. In a flash, he found himself enmeshed in a battle of tongues. The heat between them was an inferno. Jupiter had no idea how he had gone his entire life without the feelings Boone brought out in him. He brought Jupiter to life. Jupiter prayed he never returned to the darkness of ignorance. He would die without this.

Chapter Five

They spent every freesecond of their time together. Jupiter never tired of it. He had always been too anxious of a mess to learn how to drive, especially in California traffic. No matter what he had going on in his life, Boone was there to pick him up when he got off work. If there was any chance he couldn’t, he sent Banks, and Jupiter simply let himself into Boone’s house to wait. At this point, Jupiter had more clothes at Boone’s house than his. They had made it three months. Jupiter had never been happier. Tonight, not so much. He had texted Boone several times throughout his shift without luck. His texts went unread. Jupiter wasn’t angry. He was scared as hell.

His tips were down since his service sucked. Jupiter spent more of the night blowing up Boone’s phone than working. Unfortunately, Ross busted him right before closing time.

“Is everything okay?”

Jupiter blushed as he put his phone away. He knew he looked bad. “Yeah. Sorry. I was just trying to set up a ride home.”

“Oh.” Ross looked taken aback. “You know I’ll take you. You never have to worry about that.”

Jupiter did his best to look relieved. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I thought I had a ride, but I think they canceled. As much as I’ve tried not to worry about it, it seems I was more bothered than I thought.”

Ross nodded. His dark hair stood in every direction. By the end of the night, they all always looked like they’d been sent through the wringer, especially on busy Saturday nights. Ross opened his mouth, only to close it again. His green eyes flashed with something unnamed before he obviously decided he wouldn’t stay quiet. “Are you dating one of the Bosi brothers?”

For some reason he couldn’t fully explain, Jupiter panicked. Obviously, he was, but what if he wasn’t any longer? Boone was ignoring his calls. What if that meant they were over, and then he said they were together? He would look like an idiot. Maybe he was an idiot.

“I’m not judging or trying to get into your personal business. I’ve just seen one or the other picking you up every night.”

Jupiter tried to stay calm. “It’s fine. Yeah, I am.”

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