Five, four, three, two…

He counted down and didn’t even get to one before he heard Jackson’s gruff bellow through the order window.

“What the fuck is this shit, I didn’t—”

“Watch your mouth, Joker,” Heidi yelled.

He cackled from the kitchen as he scraped down his grill and waited for the mid-morning rush. For some reason, they had a lull between eight and nine a.m. and it was always the time Jackson showed up.

“Hire a competent cook next time. He can’t even get a damn order right.”

Jackson was asleep when he’d left the man’s home earlier. He’d almost called in sick. When he’d woken to Joker coming home last night and asked him to sleep naked beside him, he hadn’t expected the man to say yes. It had been years since he’d slept beside a naked man. His ex was a pajama bottoms and t-shirt to bed kind of man. The man had also been slick skinned. Years of manscaping—one stray hair and his ex lost his damn mind. Oh, but not Jackson, and his man was sexy as fuck.

Before he’d left to go to work, he’d taken the time to study every inch of Jackson exposed by the pushed down sheet. The sheer amount of scars had brought tears to his eyes. They were a part of Jackson and as horrific as the damage was, the man was perfection. Lean, powerful muscles under hair-roughened skin covered in thick black hair. The sight of the perfect seven-inch uncut cock in a thick nest of pubes was mouthwatering.

“Dem!”

He smiled sweetly as he stuck his head through the window.

“Hello, baby, you bellowed?”

His man was too cute when he glared and silently threatened bodily harm. If he didn’t get a spanking out of this one, he didn’t know what else to do.

“What the hell is this shit?”

“That’s your breakfast.”

Along with Jackson’s customary six pancakes, he also made the man scrambled eggs, home fries, and bacon. The man didn’t eat enough, and his diet was sorely lacking.

“This isn’t what I ordered.”

He almost cackled like a madman at the disgust on Jackson’s face. He couldn’t get over it…the man was adorable.

“Eat it.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Eat it anyway, and I made you lunch to take to work. No arguments. Do as I say.”

“I hate you.”

“I hate you more.”

“You coming home...to the trailer tonight?”

He didn't miss the slight pause and turned as he heard Heidi gasp, he smirked at the shock on her face. He winked at her and turned his attention back to Jackson.

“Do you want me to?”

“It was a fucking yes or no question, not an opening for an interrogation.”

“You should know all about interrogations. But to answer your question, yes, I left my stuff there.”

Heidi sounded like she was going to choke to death.

“That's why I asked. I nearly tripped over it this morning when I got up. Should I set it on the steps for you?”

“Baby, you're going to hurt my feelings.”

“I must try harder since I don’t seem to be succeeding.”

“Do I have to come out there?”

“No, stay your ass in the kitchen.”

He snorted as Joker used his fork to push the second plate away and then tore into the stack of pancakes.

“Both plates better be empty before you leave here.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“Are you three?”

Heidi gave up the pretense that she wasn’t paying attention and ran into the kitchen loudly laughing when Jackson flipped him off. He straightened and turned to find Heidi wiping tears from her face.

“What am I going to do with him?”

“I have no advice for you, Dem, you picked the meanest man in town.”

“But he’s so adorable, Heidi.”

“You need to get out more.”

“I get out plenty. You’re going to have to take him this when he pays.” He picked up the metal Beast Lunch box he’d picked up while Jackson was away. “It’s his lunch.”

“I’m not taking him that!”

“Why not?”

“What about him being the meanest man in town didn’t you get?”

“It’s all show.”

“Dem, all kidding aside, you do know about Joker’s past, right?”

“I know what I need to know, and unless he wants to tell me more, I don’t need to know it. So, I’m going to take my future grouchy husband his lunch.” He hooked the handle of the lunchbox on one of the grips and made his way out of the kitchen.

“I was told you were crazy, but I didn’t believe it.”

“Yeah, yeah, one little incident at Pride involving no clothes, rainbow streamers, and a clown nose and I’m forever known as crazy. “

He approached Jackson’s table with a grin on his face. “Hello, Handsome, do you come here often?”

“Before you showed up, I had an enjoyable and blissfully silent breakfast.”

He slammed the lunch box down on the table. “There’s your lunch,” he said as he eased onto the seat opposite Jackson.

“You’ve got to be fucking joking.”

“Nope. Made it special just for you. Also, there’s extra in there for Killer.”

He’d noticed Jackson’s habit of feeding Killer some of his lunch until she was full, and then Jackson would eat the rest. Jackson was covetous of the things and people he considered his. He wondered how many years Jackson went without things and people all his own? He hadn’t missed the obsessive neatness of Jackson’s surroundings and the way he was protective. He couldn’t deny he wanted to belong to Jackson.

“Extra for Killer?”

“Yep.”

“Th...thanks.”

“You want me to bring dinner when I come?”

“Naw, I'll get some steaks to throw on the grill.”

The chime over the door signaled the lull was over. He pushed up on his crutches but didn't leave before leaning down and giving Jackson a quick kiss. As much as he longed to linger, he didn't want to make the man uncomfortable.

He headed back to the kitchen. Taking his perch on the rolling bar stool he used to move around the kitchen. It wasn't ideal, but he wasn't ready to find another job. He loved cooking and knew he could start catering…he just didn't want to give into his body...his limitations yet.

He pushed away those thoughts and focused on better ones. Jackson and dinner. When he'd come to Powers, he hadn't thought about finding someone there. One look at Jackson's scowl in the single picture and knew the man was special. He didn't know if it would go anywhere, and no matter how much he wanted it to, he had to get Jackson to let him in. Everyone left the man alone, let Jackson stay in the past, but he wasn't going to do that.

Jackson Webb was his, and soon the man would know it.

Heidi yelled order, and he got to work. He caught Jackson leaving and smiled at the lunchbox tucked under Jackson's arm. Good boy.

* * *

“What the hell is this,” he asked several hours later as he pulled open the door and threw his bag inside. It landed almost on Jackson’s scuffed tactical boots. He’d known getting his man wasn’t going to be easy, but Jackson needed to stop being an asshole.

“I left your bag on the steps.”

“Don’t be obtuse. How was your day?”

He slowly ascended the steps. His legs were tired and his back hurt, but that was normal.

“Same as always.”

“Did you eat your lunch?”

“Yes, I ate my lunch.”

Jackson was acting strange, not unusual and he knew having him around was new. His man didn’t do well with things outside his comfort zone. He was more than willing to be patient. He took a seat on the couch but kept distance between them in case Jackson was not in the mood to be touched. He’d give anything for the man to touch him.

Patience wasn’t a virtue he possessed, and it had gotten worse since he’d met Jackson.

“Why do you let them call you Joker? I know you don’t like it.”

“My friends are idiots, except for Harper, she’s perfect.”

A thought struck him, and he needed to know.

“Why didn’t you ever hook up with Harper or have you?”

He choked back a laugh at Jackson’s slow pan toward him. He tried to keep his expression as serious as possible.

“She’s like my sister, that’s fucked up.”

“Most of the people in town thought you had a thing for her.”

“She’s like my sister.”

Having Jackson repeat the sentence like he was an idiot should’ve offended him, but he was just amused.

“Not even a little attraction?”

“I’m gay, and she’s a woman.”

“When you put it like that then it does sound silly.”

“I tried to take care of her, but I didn’t do a very good job of it.”

“Harper loves you, and I’m sure she thinks you did a great job.”

“I should’ve killed Bill sooner.”

Jackson said it so matter of fact, as if he was talking about the weather, it shocked him a bit. He understood the motive and knew Harper’s ex-whatever he was wouldn’t have stopped until Gideon and Harper were dead. Jackson had done what was necessary.

“Are you leaving?”

There was a deadness to Jackson’s tone. The man expected him to get up and walk away, give up on there being a them some time in the future. That wasn’t what was going to happen. Jackson was a runner, and everyone else let him be, but that wasn’t Dem. He didn’t want the other man to feel like the only way to exist was to lock himself away in a shack when the rage became too much to bear.

“I’m not going anywhere. Let me sit a minute, and I’ll get dinner started. Where’s Killer?”

“In bed taking a nap, she’s pissed at me.”

“What did you do to our furry daughter?”

“It was her own fault. She rolled in burnt oil, and she needed a bath.”

He laughed and leaned sideways and laid his head on Jackson’s shoulder. He stayed still until he was sure Jackson wasn’t going to pull away. Would there be a time when Jackson became comfortable with affection? It wasn’t a guarantee. The man had lived through hell and only time would tell, but he had all the time in the world. He wanted a chance, and he wasn’t scared of working for it.