Benji nodded fervently. His cock was pressing against the cage, trying desperately to get hard and failing. It was torture. It was the best thing he’d ever felt.
Then Noah pushed him down onto that canvas, mashing him into the paint, and the best thing he’d ever felt was replaced by about ten other things at once.
Afterward, Noah wiped Benji’s face clean with his shirt. “You can safeword anytime.”
“I know,” Benji said, his tongue thick. He dropped his head onto Noah’s shoulder, which was wet with paint. He wanted to tell Noah how devoted he was to this, how it made him feel like a religious person on a pilgrimage, how it narrowed the world down into manageable proportions after a lifetime of chaos.
“I can do it,” he said finally. “Feels like I wasmadefor it. To do this for you.”
Noah hummed quietly. He stroked Benji’s hair, getting more sticky paint on his hand.
Benji sighed and pulled away. The paint was sexy in the moment, but it was getting truly gross now that it was drying.
“Okay,” Benji said. “Now we gotta sneak across the building hallway covered in paint.”
“My favorite part of the day,” Noah said.
For once, they both climbed into the bath.
After the annoying scrubbing was done, Benji settled back against Noah with a sigh.
“This is nice,” he said sleepily. “You should get in with me more often.”
Noah kissed his wet hair. He felt so good behind Benji, strong and slick and cooler than the bathwater. And Noah could hold him properly like this, both arms around him.
Then again, Benji began to consider as his eyelids fluttered. If Noah climbed in with him every time, Benji would probably fall asleep before Noah got any actual cleaning done.
Noah stroked his chest soothingly. “Benji?”
Benji made a curious noise, still half-asleep.
“I want to adopt Max.”
Benji’s eyes snapped open. He turned to face Noah, suddenly wide awake.
“You want what?” he demanded. He blinked hard, memories struggling through his sleepy, post-orgasm brain. “Like Desmond said? A… a publicity stunt thing, to show everyone we’re serious?”
“No. Not a publicity stunt. I want…” Noah paused. “I want Max to know he can always come to me. That I’m in his corner. Not just as his brother’s partner, but as his guardian.”
Guardian, Benji mouthed. They were going to have to do something about that. Max wasn’t going to call him a guardian.
He laughed, the noise uncomfortably wet until he cleared his throat.
“Shit,” he sighed, letting his head flop back against Noah’s chest. “We’ll ask him.”
CHAPTER 17
Noah sat in the living room, watching the clock.
Benji had to float the idea first. They’d both agreed on it. Max wouldn’t feel pressured if it were just a casual conversation between brothers. And the last thing Noah wanted was for Max to feel pressured.
Max’s bedroom door slammed open. Noah straightened his shirt as Max bounded out, grinning wildly.
“You want toadoptme?” Max shrieked and burst into giggles. “What the hell, man?”
Noah looked up at Benji, who was jogging into the living room. He was trying badly to hide a smile, which made most of the tension leave Noah’s shoulders. The news couldn’t be that bad if Benji looked so happy.
“Is this a PR thing?” Max asked. “You can tell me. Benji says it’s not, but?—”
