555-2829: You’re crippled. There’s no way Wyatt gets to fuck you the way he likes. Not like he fucks me. 

* * *

Wyatt: What are you wearing?

Benny: Clothes. Do I need to lose them?

Wyatt: I was thinking about you this morning in the shower. I’d love to take you against the shower wall with your legs wrapped around my waist. 

Benny: I probably can’t do that, especially since I’ve been having shooting pains all day.

Wyatt: This is sexy talk. Just go with it. Plus, one day you’ll get better and I’ll get to make all this a reality. 

Benny: My pants are off and I’m waiting.

Wyatt: I fucking love you. 

* * *

555-2829: You never responded to my last text. Can you honestly say you please him? If not, you should let him go. He’s too sexual to be trapped with a cripple. You should be embarrassed. 

* * *

555-2828: You look ridiculous next to someone like Wyatt. He deserves a real man. 

* * *

The back of Benny’s neck tasted damn good. Wyatt couldn’t stop licking it. Benny’s laughter didn’t help. It seemed like Wyatt hadn’t heard it as much lately. Wyatt kept pretending to gnaw on his neck while Benny washed dishes. His heart smiled at the sound of Benny’s chuckles filling the kitchen.

“You’re not making this easy.”

“I know,” Wyatt said, dragging his hands down Benny’s body. “It’s my goal to make you as hard as possible.” Benny’s laughter transformed into a pained gasp, drawing Wyatt up short. “Damn, baby, are you still have that shooting pain?”

The way Benny’s jaw jumped as he ground his back teeth said even more than his nod. “I’ve got an appointment tomorrow. They seem to be getting worse.”

“What time is your appointment?”

Benny didn’t answer. His eyes were closed, proving his pain was massive.

Panic hit Wyatt in the chest. “Should I call Jayden?”

“Goddamn,” Benny growled through clenched teeth. “That’s why he won’t let you go, because you call him over every fucking little thing.”

Wyatt drew back at the unexpected attack. They never talked about Jayden, but Jayden had backed off, and Benny wasn’t one to show an ounce of jealousy. Wyatt was speechless.

Benny shook his head. “I’m sorry. That was the pain talking. My appointment is at ten in the morning.”

Wyatt rubbed his back and let it go. He understood how hurting fucked with everything. “Would you like me to take off and go with you?”

“No. There’s no sense in that. I truly am sorry. I don’t know what happened there.”

Wyatt wrapped Benny in a tight hold and went back to kissing his neck. “Stop apologizing. Tomorrow might be my bad night. Plus, it’s my job to make it better. I’m so in love with you. Have I told you that lately?”

“I’m not opposed to hearing it again. Have I told you lately I feel same?”

“Seems like I remember hearing something like that. Can I talk you into leaving this and coming to bed with me?”

“So easily,” Benny said, turning off the water, but when he turned toward the room, he leaned heavier on his cane than usual. Wyatt felt like the world’s biggest prick for pawing at Benny while he was in so much pain.

Rather than pouncing on him, Wyatt chose to baby his baby. He helped Benny strip and climb into bed. Instead of moving to his side, he rubbed Benny’s leg. The humming noises coming from the back of Benny’s throat tightened the muscles in Wyatt’s stomach. “I’ll make you better,” Wyatt promised as he leaned over and kissed Benny’s thigh, moving higher. Benny’s cock stirred. Wyatt bit back an evil smile. He loved pleasing Benny. Wyatt dragged his tongue up Benny’s length. Benny buried his hand in Wyatt’s hair and hung on.

“Damn, I want you inside me.” Benny’s breathless tone had Wyatt damn near humping the bed.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Let me do this instead.” Benny froze. Wyatt felt his body tense. Before Wyatt could react or ask what was wrong, Benny rolled from the bed. He limped for the bathroom.

“I need a shower.” He closed the door with a definite snap, leaving no doubt Wyatt wasn’t invited.

* * *

Darrel: Want to meet for lunch?

Wyatt: Sure. In 30 at the usual spot?

Darrel: Save me a seat.

* * *

Wyatt: I miss you.

No answer came to Wyatt’s text. Benny’s doctor’s appointment had been an hour and a half ago. He should’ve been out of there by now, but who knew? Benny had seemed to be out of his funk when Wyatt left for work. He knew Benny was getting aggravated with always being in pain. Wyatt also got that Benny thought he was failing Wyatt in some way. It was total bullshit, of course. Since meeting Benny, Wyatt had been happier than he’d ever been. He was just at a loss as to how to find a middle ground. Tonight, he’d try something new. Wyatt had to take a breath to calm his body before climbing from his cruiser. The last thing he wanted was to meet Darrel with a hard dick. Darrel was the type to take it personally. All Wyatt’s erections belonged to Benny. 

As he headed for the door of the diner, where he always met Darrel, Wyatt spotted Jayden in the crowd but not Darrel. “Hey. It’s a small world.” 

Jayden smiled. “Not really. Darrel said he’d invited you to join us.”

“Us?” Wyatt asked, incapable of hiding his hope. “Does that mean the two of you finally got your shit together?”

A blush touched Jayden’s cheeks. “Yeah. You’ve got a good man. I needed the kick in the ass he gave me last month. No doubt he’ll never talk to me again, so I won’t get to thank him, but I’m grateful he pointed out my blind spot. He could’ve easily broken a lamp over my head. Instead, Darrel and I have been seeing each other ever since.” Jayden’s expression turned serious. “By the way, I’m really sorry. I have no excuse. Hopefully, we can still be friends and you can forgive me someday.”

“Shit happens. It’s water under the bridge.” They made their way inside, automatically moving toward the only empty booth inside the twenty-four-hour diner. Of course, it was dirty. It was no wonder no one had been sitting there. Wyatt stared at the syrup-covered bench. The seat looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. “That’s disgusting.”

“Not it,” Jayden called before snagging the side of the booth that didn’t look like someone had poured an entire bottle of pancake syrup on the seat.

Wyatt shook his head. If he hadn’t been in a hurry, he’d go elsewhere. His lunch break wasn’t that long. “Scoot your skinny ass over. I’m not standing here like an idiot until someone cleans that up, and everywhere else is full.”

Jayden slid over, making room. Sort of. Wyatt was too big and too well armed to comfortably sit next to Jayden. He draped his arm across the back of the bench behind Jayden’s head. “I hope they hurry. I like my elbow room when I eat.”

“That’s because you throw down like you’re in a hot-dog-eating... uh oh.”

“What?” Wyatt asked, following Jayden’s line of sight. Benny sat, turned sideways in a booth nearby. His laptop was open in front of him. It was obvious by the way he sat with his leg stretched out, he was still in pain today. His face was free of all emotion as he snapped the lid closed on his laptop.

“Even objectively speaking, this looks bad,” Jayden said, giving credence to his fears that things looked as bad as they did.

While leaning heavily on his cane, Benny slid from the booth. He grabbed his laptop and headed their way. His every step spoke volumes about his anger.

The instant he was within earshot, Wyatt tried explaining. “Benny, we—”

Benny tossed his laptop onto the table and kept walking. “You can give that to him, since the two of you can’t seem to stay away from each other.” He didn’t slow, but Wyatt didn’t miss a word.

“I deserved that,” Jayden said under his breath.

Wyatt’s surprise made him slow to act. He blinked at the laptop he’d given Benny when he’d graduated. Had that just happened? He flew to his feet, banging the table loudly on his way up. Wyatt didn’t let it slow him. By the time he made it through the crowded front door, Benny was nowhere to be seen. Cursing heavily under his breath, Wyatt made his way back inside, pulling his phone from his belt as he went. There was a waitress cleaning the empty side of the booth. He dialed Benny’s number while she wiped down the seat with a wet washcloth before drying it. When she finished, he dipped his chin at her in a way of thanks as he listened to his call go unanswered. As soon as Wyatt sat, he turned the laptop his way and opened it. He didn’t know what he was looking for. All he knew was it wasn’t like Benny to make snap judgments. Usually, he stood his ground. Running away wasn’t his style.

The call went to voicemail. Wyatt hung up and typed in Benny’s password, which he knew because Benny trusted him. His eyes fell closed at the thought. Goddamn it. Jayden was right. This looked so fucking bad.

“Would it help if I called him and explained? I feel horrible.”

Wyatt shook his head and focused on the screen. His stomach dropped. The only tab open was one where Benny had been searching for information about his mom. Double fuck. Benny was silently enduring again while he was having lunch with his ex. In truth, he hadn’t had time to think about how Benny would feel about him having lunch with Jayden. Everything about the situation was completely innocent, including the moment he’d slid in close and put his arm around Jayden. But, Wyatt realized now, if the shoe was on the other foot, Wyatt would be headed to jail.

“Is there any way you can cut out early and go fix this?”

Wyatt chewed his bottom lip. “I don’t know. Someone has to cover my patrol.”

Benny materialized beside the table once more. “You know what? Fuck this.” He snapped the lid closed on his laptop, nearly taking the tips of Wyatt’s fingers with him. “You don’t get to steal everything from me,” he said, grabbing the computer and starting away.

Benny would’ve made another clear getaway if Jayden’s mind hadn’t obviously still been working at one hundred percent. He snagged Benny’s wrist before he could get away. “Nope. Sit down,” Jayden said, pulling Benny into his side of the booth. “You have to stay and hear Wyatt out.”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Wyatt said fast before Benny bolted. “There was syrup all over this side of the booth. We were waiting for the waitress to clean it up.”

The heartbreak in Benny’s eyes didn’t lessen. “Maybe I’ll call my ex and we’ll have lunch. Enjoy yourselves.”

Instant rage hit Wyatt. He’d kill him. Wyatt didn’t let it show. “That’s not fair, Benny. You know Jayden is my friend, and he regrets everything. Not to mention, he’s with Darrel now, and he’ll be here any second. We were waiting for him to arrive.”

Benny hugged the laptop to his chest, looking like he’d been physically beaten. His gaze finally lifted from where he’d been staring at the table. The dark circles under his eyes made Wyatt wonder how long Benny hadn’t been sleeping while he’d been clueless. The shine was gone from his eyes—like Wyatt had killed something inside him.

“I’m not mad,” Benny said, sounding more hurt than any one man could contain. “After all, you don’t have to worry about hurting him when you touch him. It’s not like I can compete with that. You don’t have to be ashamed of him. I told you. I always eventually lose everyone.” Without a word, Benny stood. This time, he got away before Jayden could stop him.

“What the fuck just happened?” Wyatt asked, sounding every bit as lost as he felt. Yeah, things had looked bad, but they weren’t. He never would’ve imagined Benny not giving him a chance to explain himself. Just like that, he’d lost everything.

* * *

Benny struggled. Everything hurt—mentally and physically. He wanted to smash shit. Benny had never felt weaker. In the past few months, he’d lost more than any one person should. He was tired. Years ago, he could remember his mom telling him a story about an old man who’d killed himself because he couldn’t take living in constant pain after a back injury. At the time, he hadn’t understood. Now he did. People who didn’t get it were blessed. Life hadn’t found their line and pushed them over yet. Benny had been well past his line for a while now.

He hadn’t stopped pacing since he’d gotten home. At least he still could walk a hole in the floor. Pretty soon, who knew? Benny hated everything. The inside of his mind was black. His doorbell rang and Benny almost didn’t answer. Fuck whoever was on the other side. Then he made the mistake of checking the peephole. Jayden stood on the other side. White-hot rage had the doorknob turning beneath his hand.

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.”

“It seems I do,” Jayden agreed, looking unnaturally calm for a man stealer. “Can I come in?”

“Sure. Why the fuck not? After all, if you’re going to steal every goddamn thing from me, you may as well get to brag.” Benny was so fucking mad. He was already plotting where he could hide the body. Jayden had no idea how stupid he was to step foot in Benny’s house.

In the center of the living room, Jayden turned and watched Benny close the door. “You should sit,” Jayden said, still calmer than he should be.

“It’s my fucking house.”

Jayden stayed serene. “I know, but you’re limping pretty hard.”

“Mind your goddamn business,” Benny snapped as he headed for the couch. Fuck him. He was only sitting because he hurt.

The moment he settled on the couch. Jayden moved to sit between his knees on the coffee table. Benny ground his back teeth to a pulp. It wasn’t fair for Jayden to be gorgeous. He should be as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside so unsuspecting people would see him coming.

“Wyatt didn’t know I would be there today. He was meeting Darrel for lunch, and Darrel invited me. I just happened to beat him there. Since he started dating you, Wyatt has barely spoken to me, even though we were friends before you came along. I’m not saying that’s not my fault,” Jayden said, holding up a hand before Benny could interrupt him. “I’m just saying he’s barely spoken to me, much less whatever you have in your head. Do you really think I’d stand for being someone’s side ass?”

Benny eyed the man’s features and thought about the texts he’d been getting. “No. You’d never give me peace.”

Jayden nodded. “I’d be on your doorstep every night, threatening you. But that’s not happening, because I was wrong to text or call Wyatt, knowing he was with you. I’m sorry for that. You were right about Darrel. I should’ve been paying attention.”

No matter how hard Benny tried, he couldn’t stop wanting to throat punch him. “I got bad news at the doctor today. My mom recently passed away. I’ve got you texting me to stay away from Wyatt all the time and showing up in the middle of the night, trying to steal him. Of course, then you’re all cuddled up with him in a restaurant, so I guess it’s working for you. Forgive me if I’m a little underwhelmed by your bid to convince me nothing is going on at the worst possible time in my life.”

“I haven’t been texting you.”

A snort that sounded disbelieving even to Benny slipped out. “Okay. I suppose that’s all in my head too. You know I’m not an idiot, right?”

“Seriously. I don’t even know your number. Let me see your phone.”

Benny was so fucking tired. He passed the phone over because what did it matter any longer? “Whatever.”

“You’ll have to unlock it,” Jayden said, turning the device Benny’s way. Benny pressed his finger to the phone and used his fingerprint to unlock it. “Where are these messages?”

Benny pulled them up and Jayden scrolled through them. His face was clear of all emotion. A ringing filled the air as Jayden hit “call” on the number, leaving it on speaker.

A woman answered. “Hello?”

“Kayla?” Jayden asked, sounding accusing. “What the hell are you doing texting Wyatt’s man?”

“I’m not,” she said, obviously trying to sound innocent without luck.

“Bitch, I just called you from his phone—directly from the messages you sent.”

A loud click sounded as she hung up. Jayden growled and called again.

“What?” she snapped when she answered.

“Kayla, don’t bother Benny again or I’ll have my cousin add that to your restraining order. You need to leave shit alone. Wyatt doesn’t want you. Be a woman about it.”

Another click filled the air. Jayden shook his head and passed the phone back to Benny. “Just block her. She’s too lazy to change her number to get at you. Kayla is harmless. She’s just unhappy. I’ll take care of her. You won’t hear from her again.”

Benny accepted the phone. He held on to it a little too tightly. Honestly, he no longer knew if things were getting better or worse. He shouldn’t have let those texts get under his skin in the first place, but they’d only confirmed every thought he’d already had. It hadn’t been Jayden texting him. He’d been wrong about that, but now it was a second person. “I apologize for accusing you of texting me,” Benny said, trying to take the high road.

Jayden shook his head. “Don’t apologize. In your shoes, I would’ve thought the same thing. The thing is, Wyatt really loves you and I can’t be the reason that’s fucked up. I need to make this right.”

Benny’s eyes and throat burned. Exhaustion and pain owned him. The day kept caving in on him. He was so damn tired. The last thing he needed was the guilt that built inside him. “He probably doesn’t want to talk to me after I showed out today.”

“Call him. I guarantee he wants to talk to you.”

Benny shook his head. “I can’t.” His voice broke on the words and Benny had to stop. Why did it have to be Jayden? At the lowest moment of his life, why did it have to be this man staring at him? “I’m sorry,” Benny said again. He couldn’t seem to stop apologizing. “I’ve just had a really bad day. Could we do this another time?”

Jayden’s expression transformed from determined to worried. He eyed Benny as if trying to put together a puzzle. “You said you got bad news at the doctor today. What did they say?”

Benny’s stomach twisted into knots. There it was—the real reason he couldn’t tie Wyatt to him for life. He’d never hurt worse. Because whoever had been texting him—Kayla or Jayden—they were right. Wyatt was too good to be stuck with half a man.

* * *

Rapid knocking on his front door had Wyatt jogging to answer. He threw open the door, half expecting to find the fire department saying his house was on fire. Instead, he found Jayden, looking grim.

“I need you to come with me,” Jayden said as way of greeting.

“What’s going on?”

Jayden waved him impatiently out the door. “Get your shoes and keys. We have to go. I was over at Benny’s and—”

“You went to Benny’s? Damn, Jayden. I told you—”

“Hush,” Jayden fussed, cutting him off. “I was over at Benny’s, and he was explaining to me how he’d overreacted today, because he’d just gotten bad news at the doctor. He was in the middle of telling me what he’d learned, and he just sort of fell out. He’s in the hospital now. We have to go.”

Panic slammed into Wyatt. He stamped into the first shoes he saw. Wyatt wasn’t one hundred percent sure they matched. He shoved his keys, wallet, and phone in his pockets and was out the door. They were headed in the wrong direction before Wyatt got his bearings. “You’re going the wrong way.”

Jayden shook his head. “Don’t you have a key to his place? He’ll need stuff. Remember last time? He didn’t have anyone to make his life easier. Now that’s your job. Run in and grab him some clothes and whatnot. I’ll turn on the lights and get us to the hospital in no time.”

Jayden made sense. Benny didn’t have anyone else. Wyatt would need to stay calm and make sure he had what he needed. Jesus. He couldn’t let the last moments between them be Benny thinking he’d cheated. Wyatt knew how that felt. He’d come home from work early and caught Kayla. It was a shot to the gut. How had he let Benny walk away feeling that way—like the air had gone from the world? If anything happened to Benny, it would kill him.

“Do you know anything about his condition? What did he say they’d said at the doctor?” Wyatt needed info.

Jayden watched the road and shrugged. “He lost consciousness before I learned anything and he never regained it before I got him to the hospital. His vitals weren’t great. I don’t know. I just got him there and rushed to get you.” Jayden pulled into Benny’s driveway. “I’ll call in and see if they have any info on him while you run in and grab his stuff.”

Wyatt nodded and jumped from the ambulance. “Thank you. I’ll hurry.” His hands shook so hard it took him forever to find the right key. He shoved his way inside, accidentally slamming the door behind him as he went. Benny’s neighbor would pitch a fit later. Wyatt headed for the bedroom. He should’ve asked Jayden if Benny had shoes.

“What are you doing?”

Wyatt skidded to a stop before clearing the bedroom door. His gaze landed on the couch where Benny was stretched out. “You’re here.”

Benny’s hair stood on end. Dark circles marred his eyes. An empty bottle of whiskey sat on the coffee table beside him. “I live here. What about you?” His words were slightly slurred.

“Are you drunk? I’ve been trying to call you all day. And I thought you were in the hospital. Jayden said you’d fallen out, and he’d taken you in. I was here to get clothes for you.”

Benny dropped his head back onto the couch with a snort. “He lied.”

Wyatt moved to the front door and looked out. “And he’s gone.”

“Of course, he is,” Benny said, struggling to sit up.

“He said you got bad news at the doctor today. Was that a lie too?”

Benny gave up trying to sit. He let out a humorless laugh and covered his eyes with his arm. “I wish.”

The panic that had drained away, at seeing Benny was fine, came back with a vengeance. He moved to sit on the coffee table next to Benny’s head. “What did they say?”

“Why does everyone sit on my coffee table? Do you sit on your mom’s table?”

Wyatt shrugged even though Benny wasn’t looking at him. “Sometimes. What did they say?”

“They said this is it for me. I’ll never be better.” Benny’s voice cracked on the last word, and Wyatt’s heart broke for him. “He said there’s too much scar tissue. They could go in and remove some to try to ease the constant pain, but I might lose the leg if they try it. So my options are constant pain and a cane, or no leg.”

Wyatt wanted to hit something. If Benny would’ve just let him die, the damage to his leg might not have been as bad. He’d ruined Benny’s life.

Benny’s throat moved as he visibly swallowed. He kept his eyes covered as if he couldn’t stand looking at Wyatt. “Aren’t you glad we’re over? All that talk of me healing and you getting to fuck me the way you like; you get to do those things with someone who can.”

“We aren’t over and fuck that. First off, I’m not with you for the sex. Secondly, there’re countless sexual positions. I can find one to work for us. Third, even if I couldn’t, it wouldn’t fucking matter because I love you.” Wyatt was near to roaring each word before he finished.

Benny finally uncovered his eyes. He looked so sexy and broken. “If you think sex doesn’t matter, then you’ve never gone without. When the new wears off with me, you’ll just be stuck with a guy who can barely walk and can’t please you in bed. Fuck that. I love you too much to stick you with that.”

“To hell with this shit,” Wyatt said, completely losing his temper. In one swift move, he had Benny thrown over his shoulder and was headed to the bedroom. “You don’t get to steal my heart and throw me away. That’s what everyone does to me. You’re not everyone. You’re my person, and I’m not losing you.” Benny didn’t fight him or run when Wyatt threw him on the bed with enough force he bounced. Of course he straddled Benny’s hips, pinning him in place before he could move. “You want to downgrade me to just someone who cares about sex. We’ll do this,” Wyatt said, too fucking enraged to calm even a hair. He pulled Benny’s clothes off with little to no grace or care. Wyatt had never been angrier with anyone in his life. With Benny nude, Wyatt tore at his own clothes. “I fell in love you immediately—like at first sight. I don’t care if people think that’s stupid or impossible, because I know it’s true. You held my gaze under that truck, so fucking brave. I can remember that moment so clearly because I knew I’d met someone important to my life. You just want to fuck, though. I got that.”

A tear fell from the corner of Benny’s eye. Wyatt swore he heard it fall—smelled it. That one tear was more powerful than any words ever spoken. Wyatt’s anger collapsed in on itself. Then a shuddered breath escaped Benny and Wyatt swore part of him died. He had to see this through. Benny thought he didn’t or couldn’t please Wyatt as he was. It wasn’t true. Wyatt had never been happier in his life, but saying the words meant nothing. Benny needed actions, but anger probably wasn’t the way.

Wyatt crawled higher up Benny’s body. He opened the bedside table and found the lube. As he fingers encircled the bottle, he captured Benny’s lips. Part him expected Benny would turn his head. He didn’t. Their lips clung. Then, Benny’s mouth opened, and he sucked Wyatt’s bottom lip. Wyatt’s heart turned over in his chest. Benny wasn’t rejecting him. There was still time to convince Benny not to break his heart.

Without watching what he was doing, Wyatt made a mess of the lube. He squirted it everywhere, oiling their cocks and Benny’s ass. The mess didn’t matter. He needed to make Benny fly. While their tongues brushed, Wyatt rolled to his side. He hated to break their kiss, but he couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t pictured the best way to get inside Benny without hurting him. On his side. Wyatt shifted positions and draped Benny’s knees over his hip. Benny held his stare as Wyatt probed at his ass. Even though Benny’s eyes were still bright with tears, his face was dry as Wyatt pushed his way inside. Benny’s expression filled with heat. His lips parted and Wyatt nearly came right then. Turned on looked damned hot on Benny. Wyatt went hard and deep. His heart wanted to slow down, make love to Benny. His head said Benny needed to know there was nothing holding them back. Wyatt held tight to Benny’s good leg and pounded the man’s ass. With his head thrown back and gasping for air, Benny tugged at his cock, openly seeking relief. Wyatt watched the man’s dick sawing in and out of his fist. The pressure in his balls screamed for relief. Benny’s tight ass felt like heaven on his cock. Wyatt needed Benny’s orgasm. He changed angles, ensuring his thrusts hit Benny just right. A cry tore through the room as jets of cum coated Benny’s body. His ass tightened on Wyatt’s dick, threatening to break him. Pleasure slammed into Wyatt, stealing his breath. He clung to Benny and rode every wave.

“Holy shit, Benny. I love you so goddamn much. You can’t leave me. It would kill me. Promise me you won’t leave me.” Wyatt didn’t care if he sounded desperate. Without Benny, his life would be less than ever before. It would be meaningless.

Benny stroked his arm. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re the love of my life. I’m sorry I scared you.”

Uncaring of the mess and still suffering aftershocks, Wyatt straddled Benny’s hips again and kissed him deep. They needed to talk about where they were headed. Wyatt couldn’t live with the constant fear of losing Benny. But right this second, they just needed to be. He’d come closer to losing Benny than he could live with.

For hours, Wyatt watched Benny slip in and out of sleep. He was beautiful. It was no chore, but his mind wouldn’t quiet. Benny needed help. He needed Wyatt to be more than a guy who stayed the night and helped him from the bed to the couch and back again. Wyatt needed to think. He had to come up with a plan. After slipping from the bed, he headed for the bathroom. He flipped on the light and immediately tripped down the step.

“Who the fuck designed this shit?” Wyatt grumbled under his breath.

A low rumble of laughter drifted from the bed. Wyatt’s gaze shot that way, finding Benny watching him. “I fucking love you.”

A smile lit from Wyatt’s chest and tugged at his lips at Benny’s claim. “I love you too. Go back to sleep.” When Benny closed his eyes, Wyatt shut the door. He needed to get moving and coffee. Lots of coffee. He turned on the water and splashed his face. As he cupped more running water in his hands, Wyatt froze and stared at the stream through sightless eyes. He knew what needed to be done. It was well past time he acted. He’d let Benny sleep. In the morning, Wyatt intended to take over the man’s life.

* * *

The sensation of someone staring at him dragged Benny from his dreams. Wyatt leaned against the headboard, fully dressed and watching him.

“Good. You’re awake.”

Benny blinked, trying to get his bearings. “Have you been awake long?”

“All night,” Wyatt said, sounding over caffeinated. “I’ve been up researching, and I’ve made some decisions.”

“Okay,” Benny said, speaking through a horrible case of cotton mouth.

“First, once you’re up, showered and dressed, we’re going to get married.”

Benny blinked some more. “Was that a proposal?”

Wyatt’s eyebrows rose. “No. It was a demand. You’ve had the meat. Now you’re buying the bull. I expect to be made an honest man.”

Benny rolled to his side and tried harder to keep up. He searched his brain and came up empty. There wasn’t a single argument he could make. If Wyatt wanted to get married, what could Benny say? He deserved that much, and Benny loved him. “Okay. Anything else?”

Wyatt’s smile looked triumphant. “I’ve decided I’m taking over your life. You see, you don’t think enough about yourself or your health. That’s where I come in. After we get back from two days in Vegas, which I’ve already booked, we’ll go see your surgeon and we’ll talk this out. You can’t live the rest of your life in pain.”

“I see,” Benny said for lack of anything else. “And I have no say in this?”

Wyatt nodded. “Exactly. See, the way I see it is—you’ve been alone too long. You need help and don’t know how to ask, so I’m taking your choices away. I love you and won’t let anything bad happen to you. You can trust me to be your strength while you deal with everything.”

Benny felt lighter just listening to Wyatt talk. He was tired and too scared to make any decisions. There was no one else he trusted. His eyes burned, because Wyatt was too amazing, and he needed him. It hurt his throat to voice his deepest fears. “What if I lose the leg?”

“Baby, I won’t let you deal with anything alone. I plan to be everything for you until the very end. You won’t have time to carry any of the fear or worry because I’m doing it for you. It’s my turn to carry you. Let me do it.”

“I love you.” Even though the words sounded strong in his head, they barely reached a whisper in reality.

Wyatt’s smile tugged at his heart. In one look, Benny knew hearing those words meant everything to Wyatt, and he was the luckiest bastard alive to have Wyatt in his life. “I love you too. Get up. We’re getting married today.”

A burst of happiness sent Benny scrambling for the shower. He couldn’t wait to have everything he never knew he wanted.