“Fuck, now I just want you to take me back to bed.”
“Food first. Yes, I’m taking care of you. Not because you’re a child. Because you’re my man.”
“Well, in that case, hand-feed me if that’s what you like. Pamper me like a prince. As long as I get to be your man.”
I laughed and shifted to take the seat beside him. “I bring you Zacos, my prince.”
“A very good start,” Bailey said with an approving nod.
I unpacked the bag, doling out Zacos like offerings.
“How else may I please your royal highness?”
“I decree that you shall kiss me whenever I want. Take off your shirt upon my command. And never stop looking at me like I’m the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen.”
“You have my word.”
Our eyes met, and Bailey shivered again. I didn’t think it was the cold this time.
“Also, don’t watch me when I eat. It’s never pretty,” he said.
I laughed and turned to unwrapping my sausage-and-peppers Zaco. I’d gotten the same kind for Bailey. I knew what he liked from the many lunch orders we’d shared at Forrester Bros Auto Shop.
“I’ve been in prison, Bailey. Trust me. You make eating look very good in comparison.”
Bailey took a bite of his Zaco—half taco, half pizza, all good—and chewed, eyes thoughtful.
“Was it terrible in there?”
“It wasn’t fun, no,” I said quietly. “It changed my life in ways that can never…be undone.”
This was the crux of what bothered me about touching someone like Bailey. He was untarnished, and I was tainted by years spent with hateful, violent, rough-edged men.
There were good men too. Men like Knight and Matteo. But there were alotof shitty people, and the only way to survive in prison was to be hard. To lock down your emotions, lock down everything important to you, and give them nothing to use against you.
I’d failed at that with Snake.
Bailey touched my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
I tried to shake it off. “It’s okay. It’s part of who I am. That’s why I was so hesitant to do this with you.”
“Because you’ve been in prison? So what? You’re still Flynn. You’re still hot and sweet and loyal. Maybe prison changed parts of you, but not the most important ones. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to be with you in the first place.”
My chest warmed. “I don’t think it’s as simple as that, but thank you for saying it.”
Bailey nudged me. “I bet Aiden would agree with me.”
I chuckled. “He definitely would. My brother is the loyal one. He always made time to see me in prison, even with his demanding class load.”
“He must be brilliant if he’s in med school,” Bailey said.
I warmed a little at Bailey’s acknowledgment. “Oh my god, he is. He’s always been great at school. He won a very prestigious scholarship, but he still had to take out some loans. Even with his inheritance after…”
“After his dad died?” Bailey prompted.
“Yeah.”
“It’s okay to talk about. You won’t scare me off.”
