I pull the pizza from the oven and get it on the plates, and once I manage to calm myself down, I realize I know exactly how I feel. I feel like the man I love is hurt and I want to take care of him, and I have to trust that will be enough.
Joey’s sitting on the couch in a short pair of plaid boxers, a small pile of soaps and towels and medical supplies in front of him. I set the pizza on the dining room table to cool, then join him. “Have you cleaned your back yet? It’s pretty scratched up.”
He hands me the ointment he was using earlier. “This should help.”
I nod and, as Joey turns, I pull my body close behind him. His skin is warm and still damp from the shower, and the raised red marks are hot to my touch. “Does this feel good?” I ask and draw my fingers in a slow circle as I rub the ointment in.
Joey’s voice rumbles in his chest. “Yeah, that’s good.”
Instead of talking, I bite my tongue and give Joey a minute. Even though I can’t see his expression, I somehow know the look on his face and the way his jaw is working a slow circle while he thinks.
“I found a way to cut my family off permanently,” he says. “Adrian, too. My dad took it rough, but it’s over.”
I tense. The fact that his own father did this to him makes my blood boil, but I push that aside. “It’s over?” I ask gently. “How?”
Joey reaches back and his hand closes over mine, pressing me to his shoulder. He turns and holds my eyes and nods. “It’s over. I had a photo, me and Adrian, together in bed. I showed it to my dad and told him that if he ever came for me again, I’d send it to everyone he works with.”
I blink. “Whoa, Joey. That’s… intense.”
Joey shakes his head, shame tugging down his expression. “They’re awful people. The fucking worst. A picture like that, with his employee and his son, my dad would be humiliated, and his reputation in the business would be shot.”
It strikes me what this means. He’s risked his own life, sacrificed his access to his family and the docks and the world he grew up in. He’s thrown it all away.
“Milo, I want you to know, I couldn’t have done that without you.”
“Me? I literally didn’t do anything, Joey.”
Joey releases my hand. “You gave me a reason,” he says. “You’re like no man I’ve ever met before, Milo. When I’m with you, I don’t feel the pain that I’ve been carrying around my whole life. Everything is easy and good, and it’s because of you.”
My breath catches in my throat. “I feel the same way about you, Joey.” His bruises are growing darker, and his eye is swelling, but I can still see Joey, just as handsome as the first time I laid eyes on him. “Being with you, and seeing myself the way you see me, I feel like the whole world changed. Like all the flowers started blooming at the same time.”
I don’t even have to feel embarrassed, talking like that. Joey just smiles, and his hand lands on my bicep, right where his ink is. “Milo, I want to be with you,” he says, even and steady. The words swirl through me, quivering my muscles as blood rushes to my cheeks. “I’ve never felt that way about anyone before, but it’s true. I want to be with you, if you’ll have me.”
“Joey.” My voice comes out soft, barely a breath, and I can feel tears burning in my eyes. “Joey, of course I’ll have you.”
He leans forward with a wince. I know his body must be throbbing with pain, and I gently trace my fingers down his arms, over his chest, and across his cheeks while our lips meet. He’s been through hell, faced his demons and confronted his family, all so that he can be with me.
Joey wants me. He needs me like I need him, and my heart sings as our legs press together and I linger in his heat.
I pull my lips back. “If I’m your… boyfriend?”
Joey chuckles. “Boyfriend, yeah. That sounds good.”
“If I’m your boyfriend, then I have to insist on taking care of you.” I lean forward and lift the bandages from the coffee table. “I’ll put these on your back. Do you want your pizza first, though?”
Joey rubs the back of his head. “Shit,” he chuckles. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone take care of me before.”
I kiss him lightly on the nose. “Well, get used to it. Although I hope you’re not going to be injured like this regularly.”
“I fucking hope not.”
I stand to grab the pizza. “If something bad does happen, what I said the other night is still true. I’ll be there for you, Joey. You can tell me. I just need to know you won’t hide.”
“Thanks, Milo. That means more to me than I really know how to explain.” He takes the plate and smiles to himself. “Shit, I hope I’m not too boring for you now.”
I laugh. “Excuse me, boring?”
“All I can think about lately is the boring shit. Cooking together, maybe getting a place together, telling you about the book I’m reading. All the daily stuff that I used to just do alone.” He chuckles, and his voice goes rough again. “I don’t care what we do just as long as I’m with you, and I get to cover that beautiful body in flowers.”
