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"Water," Novo said, pressing a cold bottle into my hands. "Drink all of it."
I obeyed, grateful for the cool liquid sliding down my throat. When I finished, Novo took the empty bottle and handed me another.
"All of it," he repeated firmly.
"Bossy," I muttered, but took the second bottle. As I drank, I watched him move around the room, setting out what looked like sweatpants and a t-shirt on the bed beside me. I heard a knock at the door and Bear opened it to see a young man standing with a tray of food. They smelled like burgers, but I was full of water.
"Thanks, Risk."
"Sophie said you weren't gay," I blurted out suddenly when the door closed, then clapped a hand over my mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Novo went still, his back to me. "What exactly did Sophie say?"
I swallowed hard, wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. The alcohol had loosened my tongue too much. "She said you two hook up. That you're not... that this is just an arrangement for you." I gestured vaguely between us. "Which it is, I know that. And you just have to be a Daddy not do anything else."
Novo turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "Sophie's been trying to get into my bed for years. I've never been interested."
"Oh." Relief washed through me, though I wasn't sure why it mattered. Our marriage was a contract, nothing more. "That's good. I mean the contract doesn't specify fidelity, but it does require discretion, and she seemed... not discreet."
"Sophie is many things. Discreet isn't one of them." Novo sat beside me on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. "For the record, I'm bisexual. But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be interested in Sophie."
"It doesn't matter," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I know what this is. What we are." The room swam before my eyes, and suddenly the emotions I'd been holding back all day—the terror of nearly being killed, the humiliation of being fired, the confusion of Sophie's claims, the unexpected kindness of the club women—crashed over me like a tidal wave.
A sob tore from my throat, followed by another, and then I was crying uncontrollably, my whole body shaking with the force of it. I pressed my hands to my face, mortified but unable to stop.
"Matty..." Novo's voice sounded alarmed, but distant through the roaring in my ears.
"I'm sorry," I gasped between sobs. "I'm so sorry. I don't—I don't know why I'm—" But the words dissolved into more tears.
"Hey, hey," Novo's voice gentled as his large hand came to rest on my back. "It's okay. You've had one hell of a day."
"Someone tried to kill me," I choked out, the reality of it hitting me all over again. "My own godfather wants me dead. I lost my job. I have no home. I dragged you into this mess. And I'm so drunk and I never get drunk because I can't afford it and—"
"Breathe," Novo instructed, his hand making slow, steady circles on my back. "Just breathe for me."
I tried, but the sobs kept coming, months—years—of fear and loneliness pouring out of me in an unstoppable flood. "I'm so tired," I admitted, the words barely intelligible through my tears. "I'm so tired of nobody ever liking me."
Without warning, Novo's arms encircled me, pulling me against his chest. One large hand cradled the back of my head while the other continued its soothing motion on my back. "I'vegot you," he murmured, his deep voice rumbling through his chest against my ear. "You're safe now."
Something about those simple words, about the solid warmth of him, broke me completely. I clung to him, sobbing into his shirt, all pretense of dignity abandoned. I couldn't remember the last time someone had held me like this—like I mattered, like my pain was worth comforting.
"That's it," Novo encouraged softly. "Let it out. I've got you."
I don't know how long we sat like that, me crying in his arms while he held me steady. Eventually, the sobs subsided into hiccups and shaky breaths. Exhaustion swept over me like a heavy blanket, my eyelids suddenly too heavy to keep open.
"Sorry," I mumbled against his now-damp shirt. "Ruined your shirt."
"It'll dry," Novo said simply. He tried getting me to take a small bite of the burger but I turned my face away. Then he was lifting me and taking me to the bathroom, and I was too out of it to even register how he did everything for me, wiped me, washed my hands, brushed my teeth. Then we were back in bed and he pulled me close so I could use his shoulder for a pillow.
"Just like a proper Daddy," I murmured and promptly fell fast asleep.
Chapter seven
Novo
I woke to findMatty curled against my side, his head tucked under my chin, one arm flung across my chest. His breath came in soft, even puffs against my neck, his body warm and pliant with sleep. I hadn't meant to fall asleep holding him like this, but somewhere in the night, we'd shifted together.
Carefully, I tried to extricate myself without waking him, but as soon as I moved, he made a small, disgruntled noise and pressed closer. I froze, not wanting to disturb him. The kid needed rest after yesterday's fuck-up.