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I t took every ounce of Baylor’s strength and willpower to roll from the bed. He had to find his phone, pray it wasn’t dead, and see what he could do to keep from losing clients. He never thought he would be down this long, and he couldn’t expect Sacha to do everything. Since he didn’t see the device in the room, he went in search of Chipper. He made it to the bedroom door before tripping over the huge pants he wore. Baylor didn’t have the energy for this. He let them hit the floor. The shirt he wore nearly came to his knees and covered everything, so what the fuck ever. He felt too bad to care.

Baylor followed a rhythmic sound alongside an upbeat metal song. He rounded the corner into an open doorway and froze. In nothing but shorts, Chipper bounced on his toes while punching and kicking a punching bag that hung from the ceiling. Sweat poured down the most perfect body Baylor had ever seen. He vaguely recalled cuddling against that solid body. Holy hell. Even on the edge of death, Baylor’s body tingled. Chipper’s entire body from the collarbone down was tattooed. Baylor couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Since Chipper had his back to the doorway and looked busy, Baylor moved to a stack of nearby mats against the wall and sat. He leaned back, bracing his shoulder blades against the wall. The mats were long enough for him to stretch his legs out. He crossed his ankles and settled in. Baylor had no clue how long these workouts took, but he understood this was Chipper’s job. Just like he wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted while working, he would extend the same courtesy. His reluctance to bother Chipper had nothing to do with enjoying the show. Nothing at all.

By the time Chipper stopped abusing the bag, his shoulders heaved from the exertion. More sweat rolled down his back. He grabbed a nearby bottle of water and turned. Chipper jumped slightly at the sight of him.

“Hey. What are you doing out of bed?”

Fighting for his goddamn life. That’s what he was doing. Holy motherfucking hell. Just abs. Obliques. The chest. He couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t fair. No one should look like him.

Chipper’s brow furrowed. “Are you okay? You’re sweating. I don’t think you should be up.” He moved as if to cross the room. As if a thought hit, he froze and changed directions. As Baylor looked on, he grabbed a towel and swiped the sweat from his torso and Baylor watched every second. Damn. He was thirsty. His mouth was the Sahara.

Chipper tossed the towel aside and headed his way. “Come on.”

Before Baylor said a word or knew what would happen, Chipper easily swept him into his arms.

“Back to bed. I bet if I take your temperature, you’ll still have a fever. Why did you get up?” He didn’t give Baylor a chance to answer. It was as if he spoke to himself. “I guess I should’ve figured out a way for you to call for me so I could bring you whatever you need. Don’t worry. I’ll figure out something. One thing I know I can leave you a phone or you’ll try to work.”

“I need to work.”

Chipper snorted. Even that was sexy. “See? Can’t be trusted.” He gently tucked Baylor back into bed. “Let’s see.” He sat on the edge and snagged a nearby thermometer. After a quick scan of his forehead, an alarm sounded. He turned the device Baylor’s way so he could see. “One hundred and two. Don’t get out of bed again until this has a green screen and has you at most ninety-nine. Understand?” He hesitated. “Unless you need to use the restroom, of course.”

Even though he was about ninety percent sure he was dying, Baylor still argued. “You don’t understand. I need to appease clients before they find someone else. I have two weddings next weekend.”

“Stop.” Chipper’s tone was so stern. Baylor automatically went quiet. He eyed Baylor, as if ensuring he would zip it before speaking again. “I told you I’d take care of everything, and I have. Sacha has you. I have you.”

He did. Baylor couldn’t deny that. “I know. You’ve been amazing.” Baylor regretted the admission immediately.

A huge grin lit Chipper’s face. “You like me.” He sang the words, making Baylor groan. It hurt his throat. “Ow.”

Chipper turned serious, like a switch had been flipped. “What hurts?”

“My throat.”

“I’ll make you some honey tea.”

There had to be a law against someone like Chipper existing. He made all the right moves and his name fit. Nothing seemed to bring him down. The only thing that soothed Baylor was the sound of his voice. “Is Chipper your real name?”

“It’s Chip. My mom called me Chipper, and it stuck.”

“Fits you.”

Baylor watched Chipper’s mouth lift in one corner. The smile had a hint of sadness to it. “She would’ve loved to hear it. Honey tea coming your way.”

Baylor watched him walk away with a combination of affection and something else he couldn’t place. Hope, maybe? He hadn’t felt that pesky emotion for so long, he couldn’t recall what it felt like. At a moment when he felt the absolute worse, Baylor teetered. He could give up now or he could fight. Baylor wasn’t sure yet which he would choose. He had always thought he knew which way he would go.

While the water heated, Chipper stared at nothing, seeing only the images in his mind. When he had started his chase, Chipper hadn’t truly known what he sought. He had never been like this. While he was the type of guy who liked everyone and made friends everywhere he went, he wasn’t so sure anymore Baylor’s resistance was what spoke to him. Plenty of people hadn’t meshed with him over the years. He had never acted like this. The mystery of it had him looking too hard at Baylor. What he saw terrified him a little. It was like Baylor wanted to die. His obsession with work wasn’t normal. It was a rush toward the grave.

He poured Baylor a cup of tea and headed back to the bedroom. Baylor was out again. He set the cup on the bedside table and made his way to the bathroom. He needed a shower and then he might hold Baylor again for a while. Truthfully, he needed to finish his workout. His next fight could go either way. He had to be in the best shape of his life. The thing about being a world champion meant no one reached challenger stage without being good enough to issue a challenge. He always had to assume there was a chance he would lose.

Chipper stood under the warm water and lost himself in thought. He liked Baylor. It was more than sexual attraction or a need to soothe his pride. The guy had mettle. He fought the urge to call Bandit and ask to hear more. But even though they were friends, Bandit was Baylor’s best friend. He likely wouldn’t tell Chipper anything too personal. A thought hit. He wondered if the two had ever been together. Chipper wouldn’t be surprised. They had gone to high school together. Two gay boys with nothing but raging hormones had at least made out. Chipper didn’t know why he couldn’t stop obsessing.

“Swear I’m not looking.”

The hurried words were followed by the sounds of retching.

Chipper jumped from the shower so fast, he almost fell. He snatched up the nearby towel and wrapped it around his waist before rushing to Baylor’s side like he could throw up for him. Since there really wasn’t anything in Baylor’s stomach, he only dry heaved. It sounded like it hurt.

He fell against the wall next to the toilet when the heaving seemed to pass. “God. If I’m dying, this needs to go on and take me. I’ll go willingly. There’s no reason to torture me any longer.”

The strange part was, Chipper got the feeling Baylor actually meant the speech for God. He sounded like he begged for mercy from the bottom of his soul. Chipper’s throat swelled unexpectedly from the plea. He turned away. With the press of a few buttons, he had the tub filling with water at his usual temperature. He dumped some lavender bath salts in the water and then a bath bomb that would turn the water a milky white. Thankfully, the competing smells weren’t overwhelming. He just wanted to ensure Baylor had his dignity while Chipper tried to help.

Thankfully, the computerized system filled the tub quickly and automatically stopped at the perfect depth. He moved back to Baylor’s side. “Come on. A warm bath will help. I’ll have to undress you, but I promise I’ll be respectful.”

Baylor didn’t make a sound or protest as Chipper stripped him and set him in the tub. His lifelessness had Chipper nervously chatting. “I hope the temperature is okay. If not, I can turn it up or down. Either way, it’ll stay that temp. I ordered this setup after a fight in Japan. Their technology is worlds ahead of ours. After fights, it’s nice to soak forever and let the heat loosen my muscles. I don’t know if it has the same results for illness, but it’s worth a shot.” When he realized he sounded like a panicked idiot, which probably helped nothing, he backed toward the door. “I’ll leave you alone to bathe. I’ll change the sheets and whatnot so you can come back to clean bedding. We’ll beat this one way or another.”

“Please stay.”

The quietly spoken plea had Chipper leaping to sit next to the tub. He stared at Baylor’s defeated expression. “Whatever you need.”

“Tell me what it’s like to be world champion. Your voice is soothing.”

He might have been flattered if Baylor didn’t sound half dead. All Chipper was, was scared. Still, he did what he could. “It’s humbling. Don’t get me wrong, I know I did it. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears went into it, but still. It’s humbling. Do you know how few people make it to where I am? Combine that with how badly I wanted it and there’re no words.” A sad smile pulled at Chipper’s lips. “I know I’ll lose it one day. That’s inevitable. But you have no idea how much I want to hang on to it forever. It’s always been my only dream. Where would I even go from here once it’s gone?” Chipper had never said any of that to anyone. Any time anyone asked him about upcoming matches, he always tried to play it cool. Truthfully, he was terrified of what was on the other side of the top.

“What do other people do after losing the title?”

Chipper shrugged. “He didn’t lose it. He retired, but my friend Maverick trains a few people here and there. Mostly, he just enjoys being with his husband.”

“That sounds nice.” Baylor slid beneath the water, making Chipper’s heart jump into his throat. But he reappeared and slicked back his hair before resting his head on the edge of the tub. “What would you do if you retired?”

This . The thought hit so loud and hard, Chipper stood. He stepped into the closet and found a pair of clean workout shorts. After throwing them on, he returned to Baylor with a few towels and washcloths. He tossed the washcloths in the water and rolled up one towel for Baylor to rest his head.

A sweet smile touched Baylor’s features as Chipper tucked the towel beneath his neck. “Thank you. You’re avoiding my question.”

Chipper shrugged and reclaimed his seat on the floor. “Not really. I just don’t know the answer. Maverick seems happy, but I’m not like him. You see me when I have downtime. I’m all over the country, incapable of sitting still.”

“You do seem like an unending ball of energy.”

Baylor sounded a little better. That kept Chipper talking more than anything. “Nah. I’m actually exhausted, but I don’t have anyone to sit still with me. So I visit my friends.”

“Sounds lonely.”

The observation made Chipper more than a little uncomfortable. “Would you like me to wash your hair?”

Baylor’s gorgeous green eyes searched Chipper’s face, feeling like the deepest of inspections. “Please? I feel really gross, but I’m also too weak to do anything about it.”

Chipper shifted to his knees. “Don’t worry. I’m here for you.”

Baylor flashed a weak-looking smile. “I know I’m in good hands. That’s why I didn’t call the cops when you kidnapped me.”

An unexpected bark of laughter escaped him. He grabbed the shampoo. “I’d just tell them you were an obsessed fan who jumped in my car like a homeless dog, and I didn’t have the heart to drop you.”

An adorable snort burst from Baylor. “Fuck. They’d believe you.”

Chipper realized he was smiling. Despite everything, he truly enjoyed Baylor’s company. Sick or not, Chipper would choose Baylor over anyone. The guy never bored him. It felt like Baylor was exactly where he belonged.