Page 55

Nico surprised Bennett by drawing closer and throwing an arm around his waist, nudging his right shoulder under Bennett’s left arm until it slid around Nico’s neck. “I will help you.”

Nico’s body was supporting his, yet Bennett couldn’t move, his brain looping with what the fuck? “I can walk, Nico.”

“Yes, you are un marcantonio. Start moving.”

Bennett took a normal step with his right leg, doing his best to keep the weight off his left side and Nico. He didn’t want to seem weak. No one wanted a defective man. “What does that word mean? Asshole?”

“No, it means a big, strapping manly man. Now, stop trying to pretend your leg doesn’t hurt. Let me help you.”

They took another step, with Bennett bearing his own weight as much as possible. He didn’t know any other way. Hockey players were taught to play through pain, and Bennett had always toughed out any injuries—maybe more so because he was secretly gay and didn’t want anyone to question his manliness. His entire life had been about gritting his teeth and playing through discomfort. Tonight, this felt even more critical. He couldn’t let Nico of all people view him as frail or unstable. There was nothing sexy about a broken machine, a body slowly failing at its only purpose, the only reason it had ever existed.

“Basta! You are pissing me off.” Nico practically lifted Bennett off the ground, so his left side had no choice but to rest on the other man.

Heat washed over Bennett, the embarrassment over being treated like a worn-out contraption, weak and dilapidated. “It’s not that bad,” he protested as they moved together toward the bedroom. “You’re making it into more than it is.”

“Are you saying I am being dramatic? Because this does not offend an Italian. We invented drama.”

“I think that was the ancient Greeks.”

Nico made a rude noise in his chest. “The Greeks. My people were building roads and aqueducts. The Greeks were wrestling naked in public and calling it a religious experience.”

“Well, it can be a religious experience.”

That got a genuine laugh out of the mobster, his big body shaking with the force of it. “Only when my dick is in your ass, bello.”

They were in Bennett’s bedroom now and Nico brought him to the side of the bed, then dropped his arms. “There. Do you want help getting undressed?”

Something warm unfurled in Bennett’s chest. No one had ever taken care of him like this before, and he was finding that he liked it. A lot. Bennett could be himself with Nico, without hiding or shame, and Nico had shown he could handle it. Was this the closest thing to a real relationship Bennett had ever had? Maybe—and how fucking sad was that? Thirty-one years old and a casual hookup offering him water and helping him to bed was causing Bennett to become emotional.

Don’t get attached. Neither one of you can afford to do this.

Bennett attempted to scowl. “Nico, for fuck’s sake. I’m not an invalid. My knee is sore.”

Nico turned to switch on the lamp. As Bennett stripped out of his clothing, he noticed that Nico didn’t leave. Instead, he slipped off his shoes, then unfastened his watch and set it on the nightstand. Was he planning on staying? “I’m tired,” Bennett announced, even though his dick was starting to pay attention.

Nico pulled back the covers. “You said this already. I am not hard of hearing, you know.”

When Bennett was down to his briefs, he stood there, unsure of what to do. Nico’s gaze drifted down Bennett’s body, inspecting, and Bennett resisted the urge to fidget or hide his scars. The longer Nico stared, those dark eyes traveling slowly over his exposed skin, the more Bennett’s dick thickened.

Of course, Nico didn’t miss it. “Always so eager for it. I’m not even touching you and you are almost fully hard.”

“My dick is hard because you’re staring at it.” Bennett lowered himself gingerly onto the mattress, then reclined flat, his head centered on a pillow. Nico pulled the covers over Bennett’s mostly naked body, then stretched beside him, staying on top of the covers.

Bennett closed his eyes and swallowed, refusing to feel embarrassed about wanting this. Not after Nico’s heated gaze a few seconds ago. “Does this mean you aren’t planning to do something about it?”

“Hmm. I can’t decide.” He rolled toward Bennett and placed a warm palm on Bennett’s chest. “You are too tired, I think.”

“No, I’m not.” The words were punctuated with a yawn, making a liar out of him.

“See? You are, and even if you weren’t I cannot fuck you tonight,” Nico said. “There is not enough time and I don’t want to hurt your leg.”

“My leg is fine.”

“Debatable, but I have a busy night ahead. If I fuck you, I will want to go slow and this is impossible.”

“We can be quick.”

“No, we cannot.” Nico’s tone was firm, with zero hesitation. This was the boss being bossy, which should’ve been a turn off for Bennett but was definitely not. He was almost fully hard now, with the base of his dick pulsing in time with his heartbeat as the shaft filled with blood. “When we fuck again,” Nico continued, squeezing Bennett’s pectoral almost painfully. “I will take my time.”