Page 47 of Night By Night

“Look, Marcia already told me tonight while they were helping us for me to work from home tomorrow. She also said I can have a flexible schedule for the next couple of weeks if I need it, until you get another vehicle. I’ll drive you to work and handle getting the pumpkin to school. Then I’ll pick her up from Eliza in the afternoon, and come get you from work. Once your landlord refunds your deposit, and you get the power deposits and everything back, I’ll take you car shopping.”

Despair filled Hank’s face again. “Now I’m back to no place to liveandwe have even less than we had before.”

“Dude. Youhavea place to live—you’re livinghere, withme.”

“I mean…we can’t stay here forever.”

Sure you can.

But Maddox didn’t say that. Instead, he took a risk and reached up, cupping Hank’s face in his hands, and he went full Dom on him.

“You’re livinghere, withme,” Maddox quietly said. “That’s anorder. You are setting yourself up for a heart attack at the rate you’re going and the stress you’re under. Look, I wasn’t there for you when I should’ve been. Let me be here for younow. Lean on me. Do it forme, if nothing else. Fuck it, I’m lonely. I’ll admit it. Having you two around is going to be fun.”

“But…what about dating and…stuff?”

“I’m not dating.”

“You started going to that dungeon. Didn’t you go out with someone? I thought Eliza fixed you up.”

“I have gone to Venture, but I’m not seeing anyone right now. It’s only you and JJ in my life, okay? So if you need to tell yourself you’re doing it to keep me company, then dothat. All right?”

He thought Hank might argue further but he finally nodded, looking weary and exhausted to his core.

“Excellent.” Maddox pulled him in for another hug, relief twining through him.

Did it make him a shitty friend for manipulating Hank like that?

Maybe.

He didn’t fuckingcare. He reallywasworried about Hank killing himself with stress. If he had to resort to a little manipulation to get Hank to see things his way, so be it.

He set Hank up in the shower with fresh towels and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

What he really wanted to do was climb into the shower with Hank and make love to him, promise him he’d take care of him and JJ, and end up having a movie-perfect future together.

Life didn’t work that way, though.

For tonight, he’d have to graciously accept that the universe had put Hank in the same bed as him.

And hopefully maintain his patience and not rush things and scare the man off in the process.