Chapter Five

They spent every free second of their time together. Jupiter never tired of it. He had always been too anxious of a mess to learn how to drive, especially in California traffic. No matter what he had going on in his life, Boone was there to pick him up when he got off work. If there was any chance he couldn’t, he sent Banks, and Jupiter simply let himself into Boone’s house to wait. At this point, Jupiter had more clothes at Boone’s house than his. They had made it three months. Jupiter had never been happier. Tonight, not so much. He had texted Boone several times throughout his shift without luck. His texts went unread. Jupiter wasn’t angry. He was scared as hell.

His tips were down since his service sucked. Jupiter spent more of the night blowing up Boone’s phone than working. Unfortunately, Ross busted him right before closing time.

“Is everything okay?”

Jupiter blushed as he put his phone away. He knew he looked bad. “Yeah. Sorry. I was just trying to set up a ride home.”

“Oh.” Ross looked taken aback. “You know I’ll take you. You never have to worry about that.”

Jupiter did his best to look relieved. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I thought I had a ride, but I think they canceled. As much as I’ve tried not to worry about it, it seems I was more bothered than I thought.”

Ross nodded. His dark hair stood in every direction. By the end of the night, they all always looked like they’d been sent through the wringer, especially on busy Saturday nights. Ross opened his mouth, only to close it again. His green eyes flashed with something unnamed before he obviously decided he wouldn’t stay quiet. “Are you dating one of the Bosi brothers?”

For some reason he couldn’t fully explain, Jupiter panicked. Obviously, he was, but what if he wasn’t any longer? Boone was ignoring his calls. What if that meant they were over, and then he said they were together? He would look like an idiot. Maybe he was an idiot.

“I’m not judging or trying to get into your personal business. I’ve just seen one or the other picking you up every night.”

Jupiter tried to stay calm. “It’s fine. Yeah, I am.”

Ross nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He walked away, leaving Jupiter confused as hell.

With his mind buzzing, Jupiter moved to do his final cleanup for the night. Why was Ross sorry? Did he know something Jupiter didn’t? Jupiter’s breathing got heavier by the second until he was on the verge of a panic attack. The front door opened, pulling Jupiter’s gaze that way.

Ross rushed from the kitchen. “I’m sorry. That should’ve been locked. We’re—” His words died as he obviously realized who had waltzed in.

Banks’ gaze scanned the room, finding Jupiter. His face was set in a hard line. Jupiter’s pulse pounded in his ears. Banks pointed at him and then motioned toward the door. Jupiter looked Ross’ way. Ross threw his hands up, looking annoyed but resigned.

Jupiter rushed Banks’ way. “What’s wrong?”

Banks’ hand landed on the small of Jupiter’s back, steering him outside to his waiting car. “You’re needed.”

Jupiter wanted to scream. “Tell me what’s wrong. I’ve been texting Boone all night with no luck. My anxiety is off the charts here.”

“It’s fine.” He opened the door on the sports car he owned that looked exactly like Boone’s, except a different color. “He’s down with a migraine.”

Confusion washed over Jupiter as he watched Banks circle the car. Banks looked too pinched for a simple migraine. He watched Banks start the car. “A migraine?”

Banks buckled Jupiter’s seatbelt without looking at him. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yeah.” He handed Jupiter a box. “If you can rouse him at all, get him to smoke one of these.”

Jupiter opened the box and peeked inside while Banks steered his way from the parking lot. The laced cigars both brothers smoked were inside. “What do you mean, it’s more complicated than that? He told me they were debilitating, but I haven’t witnessed one.”

Banks kept his gaze locked on the road. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Boone wouldn’t like me telling you if you don’t already know.”

That stung. Banks made it sound like he wasn’t important enough to Boone to know some big secret. “That makes it a little harder to help him, but okay?”

Banks’ shoulders fell, as if he had been holding himself rigid. “He’s going to kill me.”

“Not if I don’t tell him you told.”

Banks shot him a quick glance. “I wouldn’t ask you to keep secrets.”

“It’s for the greater good.” Jupiter wasn’t above anything at this point.

“All right. He was shot in the head about ten years ago.”

Jupiter gasped. His mind raced. He couldn’t even imagine. When he thought about it, he had noticed a scar underneath Boone’s shaggy hair when it was wet.

Banks nodded. “I can’t go into details about how it happened, but only about five percent of people survive what he did. He was in a coma for about a month. Since then, he’s suffered constant pain. Even when it’s not migraine level, the pressure is there. It changed him, obviously.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”

Banks didn’t respond.

Jupiter hated there was still something he wasn’t being told, but at least he knew the important bits. The rest was the past. He set his hand on Banks’ forearm. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll take care of him.”

Banks shot him a quick smile. “Thanks. I’m glad he has you.”

Jupiter sat back and tried to be patient. Fucking Cali traffic. He couldn’t get to Boone fast enough. Another thought hit. “Will he be angry when I just show up? Is that why he called you and not me?”

“He didn’t call me.” That one surprised Jupiter. “I knew what was up as soon as all my calls started going straight to voicemail. Boone would never be unavailable to either of us unless he was completely down. Trust me, he’s too far gone to do anything but hurt. He won’t be mad.”

Jupiter nodded. The gesture was more for himself. He had this. It was time to take care of his daddy. He could show he was the best boy and Boone didn’t have to keep this a secret. Boone didn’t need to be strong all the time. When they finally reached Boone’s place, Jupiter was ready to jump from the car and run inside. Instead, he tried to measure his movements. He kissed Banks’ cheek.

“Thank you for the ride.”

Banks nodded. “Thanks for being willing to take care of him.”

“Of course.” That was something no one would ever have to thank him for. Jupiter climbed from the car and headed for the house. He set his finger on the scanner and the lock disengaged. Jupiter released a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. Part of him still worried Boone had dodged his calls because he was done. The house was totally silent and dark. Jupiter stood still and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He didn’t want to throw any lights on and cause Boone pain. Jupiter took off his apron and dumped it alongside his shoes in the mudroom. With the box Banks had given to him clutched to his chest, Jupiter tiptoed through the house, doing his best to be silent. He made sure Boone wasn’t on the couch before heading to the bedroom. He peeked inside. There was a lump on the bed.

Jupiter set the box on the bedside table, moving as slowly and quietly as possible. Then he undressed. If Boone slept, then Jupiter would too until he was needed to pamper him or pour drugs down the throat.

Once he was down to his underwear, Jupiter tried to climb onto the mattress without moving the bed at all. Thankfully, Boone’s expensive mattress was made to stop movement transfer.

Suddenly, Jupiter found himself beneath a heavy body with a gun pressed to his temple. Boone blinked down at him. Jupiter was scared to move or make a sound. The gun moved away.

“Sorry, baby.”

Boone sounded like shit. He rolled to the side, freeing Jupiter.

Jupiter stroked his chest. “Banks sent me with your cigars.” Jupiter whispered the words. He didn’t want to hurt Boone in any way.

A sound came from Boone—like he had swallowed hard past a dehydrated throat. “Can’t. Hurts. I can’t see.”

Fuck. It was so much worse than Jupiter expected. He didn’t know what he could do. It seemed like making him talk, when he could have slept this off, was the opposite of helping. An idea struck. He rolled from the bed. It took a minute of fumbling in the dark, but he found a lighter. With his back to Boone, hiding the flame, he lit a cigar. His head immediately swam. This would definitely knock him totally on his ass, but it would be worth it if it helped. Jupiter straddled Boone and took a drag. He held the smoke in his mouth while trying not to inhale. Jupiter covered Boone’s mouth and blew the smoke in. He heard Boone breathe. Jupiter waited until the smoke left his nose before repeating the process. He kept going until half the cigar had disappeared and the entire room spun.

“Thank you.”

Jupiter nodded. At least, he thought he did. He didn’t truly know anything about his body anymore. He wouldn’t pass a drug test for a year after this. Jupiter heard the colors in the room.

“Put that out before you black out.”

Jupiter forced himself from the bed, doing his best to stay upright. He felt around for the ashtray before mashing the hot end on the glass. Jupiter spotted a bottle of water. He took a drink. It was warm, but he was so thirsty. Jupiter remembered he was there for Boone.

“Come on, baby. Take a drink before you fall asleep.”

Boone let him help him take a drink. Jupiter honestly didn’t know if any of it went in his mouth. He was seeing double. The second he set the water aside, Jupiter slithered to the bed. It sort of felt like Boone caught him and eased him down. Jupiter had no idea. Everything went black.

Boone had no concept of time. He assumed it was night when Jupiter had shown. With his blackout drapes pulled tight, and his inability to stay awake, he had no idea how much time had passed. Jupiter slept soundly. Boone couldn’t stop staring at him. If Jupiter hadn’t shown up and did what he did, it likely would have taken days for him to recover. He was easily the most amazing person Boone had ever met. The poor guy had sacrificed himself to ease Boone’s pain. No one else would have done that for him.

He stroked Jupiter’s stomach. Chill bumps rose beneath his fingertips. As much as Boone hated covering so much beauty, he pulled the blankets higher. He needed Jupiter to know he was as safe with Boone as Jupiter made him feel.

Jupiter snuggled closer.

Boone pressed his lips to Jupiter’s temple and breathed in his scent. He was in love. It was terrifying. Love had cursed him with this broken body. But Jupiter was so very different. In every way, he was superior. That was why loving him scared Boone so much. This time, it might actually kill him.

Jupiter’s eyes opened. For a moment, he blinked at the ceiling, as if trying to remember where he was. Then his gaze swung Boone’s way. When he saw Boone awake, he smiled. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

“Not perfect, but much better, thanks to you.”

Jupiter snuggled even closer. His skin felt like ice. Boone did his best to warm him while Jupiter kissed his chest. “Banks deserves some of the credit. He brought me to you when his calls went to voicemail. He also provided the drugs.”

“Well, providing the drugs is his forte.”

He felt Jupiter smile against his chest. “You had me worried. When you look at your phone, I swear I’m not psycho. I might’ve called and texted a few hundred times.”

“I know you’re not psycho. It’s my fault.”

Jupiter’s chin lifted. He met Boone’s stare. “It isn’t.”

It was, but Boone didn’t see the point in arguing. “If I smoke, will you die?”

A laugh burst from Jupiter.

Boone loved his smile.

Jupiter rolled away. “Do whatever it takes to come back to me. I need some water anyway. Lord, I feel like I spent two days licking shag carpet.” He crawled from the bed. “Jesus. It’s like forty degrees in here.”

“I can’t tolerate getting overheated once the pain sets in.”

Jupiter rushed to the closet and found some teddy bear pjs. He pulled them on before disappearing into the bathroom. Boone gingerly sat upright and grabbed the half-smoked cigar. He lit it before making his way to the thermostat. There was an app on his phone to control the temperature in the house, but he honestly had no idea where his phone was, and his eyes still weren’t working right. Boone wandered through the house. Everything still had a looming feeling—like he wasn’t out of the woods. He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and headed back to bed. Jupiter emerged from the bathroom in time to see him getting back into bed.

“What were you doing up?”

With the cigar held between his lips, he couldn’t speak. He held up the two waters.

“You should’ve let me get them. I don’t want you up yet.”

Boone didn’t argue. He wasn’t sure if he should even be awake. These moments after a major event were the worst. He felt slightly confused and off balance. Everything had a surreal edge—like his brain didn’t get enough oxygen. He finished the cigar and chugged half the water while Jupiter watched, looking worried.

Boone dropped. His head hit the pillow with a thump.

Jupiter scurried into bed. “Are you okay? Tell me what to do?”

Boone held open his arms and waited. Jupiter didn’t hesitate to cuddle with him. A sigh escaped Boone as his arms closed around Jupiter. He kissed the top of his head.

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess. This isn’t what you signed up for.”

“This is exactly what I signed up for.” Jupiter kissed his chest before continuing. “You take care of me, and I take care of you—like a family. Our own little cozy pod.” He looked up and held Boone’s stare. “You mean everything to me. If you hurt, I hurt. So, get better. Understood?”

Fuck. Boone really was completely in love. He hadn’t stood a chance. “How can I disobey the cutest teddy in the world?”

Jupiter’s smile was everything. Boone wanted to spend the rest of his life seeing it. That meant, eventually, Boone would have to let him in completely. He couldn’t think of anything more horrific… for both of them.