Page 10 of Fighting Fate

A gorgeous smile stretched Chipper’s lips. “Will you take care of me if you do?”

“I can’t carry you around.”

“And you don’t want to miss more work,” Chipper tacked on.

Baylor wouldn’t confirm that. He knew he was a bad person, but he probably wouldn’t miss work. “Have I kept you from anything?”

Chipper shrugged. “I got a fight coming up, but I can train at home.”

“How do you usually train?” While Baylor mostly asked questions so he could have something else to focus on, he genuinely wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about Chipper.

“My buddy, Maverick, he’s won heavyweight champion too many times for me to count. He helps me. We spar and whatnot.”

“I should let you get back to that, and get some work done too. Our careers shouldn’t suffer because of a virus.”

Chipper’s gaze moved over Baylor’s face. He didn’t fuss the way he normally did when Baylor mentioned getting back to work. When he spoke, he sounded curious. “If you were getting married, who would you want to plan your wedding?”

“Me.”

Chipper rolled his eyes. “I mean, if you were forced to hire someone else, who would you hire?”

“Sacha,” Baylor answered without thinking about it. He had trained Sacha, and he was the best.

Chipper nodded. “Then why in the hell are you acting like Sacha can’t handle things while you heal?”

The question made him look too hard at himself, and Baylor never liked what he saw when he did that. “Maybe I’m a control freak.” The way Chipper stared at him—like he saw Baylor to his core broke him. “Or maybe, if I stop, all I have is me and who wants to be around that guy?” He chuckled, making light of his true feelings. Baylor couldn’t help it. All the therapy in the world couldn’t fix some things. It couldn’t change the past.

“Me.”

Baylor’s breath caught at the surety in Chipper’s voice. He meant it. Before he could think of a way to respond, the door opened. The nurse returned to change out the bag. Baylor hadn’t realized how long they had been talking. There was one thing he had realized, though. He didn’t want to lose Chipper when he got well. No one other than Bandit saw him the way Chipper did. He didn’t want that to go away.

Chapter Five

Healingwastakingsolong. Baylor had convinced himself he would never get better. But he also became a little more aware every day of the body that held him each night. Cuddling became less about warmth and more about need. Maybe Baylor hadn’t eaten much in a week and a half, but Chipper had forced water in him, and these goddamn tattooed abs were making him insane. They were too close for Baylor’s sanity.

He knew Chipper wasn’t asleep. There was a stillness in the air that didn’t exist when Chipper slept. It was like the entire universe held its breath, waiting to see what Chipper did next. He was such a goofy force of nature. Surely, he fascinated the universe every bit as much as he did Baylor. With zero permission from his brain, Baylor’s fingertips skimmed the abs he wanted to lick. Chipper’s muscles tensed for a second, as if surprised by the touch.

Embarrassment had Baylor making up excuses. “How many years has it taken to get all these tattoos?”

Chipper sounded groggy when he responded, as if he had almost been asleep. It was no wonder he flinched at Baylor’s touch. Baylor felt guilty. “I started as soon as I turned eighteen, so fourteen years.”

So he was thirty-two. Baylor felt like he should have known that. He forced his eyes closed. Chipper needed sleep. Baylor was the only one who had slept nonstop for over a week. His mind didn’t want to stop zooming. That wasn’t Chipper’s problem.

“I’ve tried so hard to be respectful when I help you dress. I’ve never noticed. Do you have any ink?”

Chipper always left the bathroom light on and the door slightly ajar. It lit the room enough for them to see at night without tripping on the way to the bathroom. Baylor took off his shirt and rolled so Chipper could see his back. His eyes fell closed and chill bumps rose on his skin when Chipper traced the numbers above the soccer ball on his back.

“What’s this date?”

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye and landed on the bed. Baylor hadn’t thought he had any left to shed. “I lost a bet.” He cleared his throat. “I think I should get out of your hair tomorrow. You still have some time left before your fight to train. You’ll get more done without me here.”

Warm lips touched his shoulder.

A shaky breath fell from Baylor’s lips. Baylor could only end up hurting Chipper, but he didn’t know how to say no. It had been so long since anyone touched him. He had nothing to offer, but Chipper’s mouth felt perfect on his skin. At some point, Chipper had slipped beneath his walls. He didn’t have the strength to shove him out again.

Chipper scooted closer. His hard body molded against Baylor’s back. A warm breath caressed his ear as Chipper kissed its shell. Baylor felt like he would fly apart into a thousand pieces any second.

“Tell me what you need to stay.”

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