“Because you’re smart and good with people,” he said. “You work hard and put your all into everything you do. And”—Jensen smoothed back Daniel’s hair—“I’m not going to let you fail.”
A breathy, muted chuckle escaped him. “How are you going to do that?”
“Do you trust me?”
Daniel looked up at him, emotion swirling in his eyes and a slight frown on his lips. “You know I do.”
“Then trust my faith in you. I know you’re going to do well and everything’s going to be all right.”
Blowing out a breath, Daniel tucked his face into Jensen’s neck. “I don’t know if I can believe that. Nothing has ever gone right for me, not permanently.”
“Okay, what if you did have to find a different job?” Jensen smoothed down his hair. “You already know you can get one with your résumé, and we’ve refinanced your debt so you’re paying less interest. And we can drive my car over here so you can sell yours.”
He huffed. “I’ll probably only get a couple hundred for scrap.”
“We can find an apartment near your work, and I’ll cover rent,” Jensen continued on, ignoring the comment and, for once, focusing on the good rather than all the things that could go wrong.
“You mean you don’t want to live with three roommates?” Daniel said, the smile on his lips apparent.
“I’m not an easy person to live with,” he admitted. “And Casey has a tendency to leave candles lit around the house that I’m trying very hard not to say something about.”
That earned a small laugh from Daniel. “Just wait until Brody edits one of his videos using the living room TV so Casey can critique it.”
Jensen scrunched his nose. “I don’t really want to see any of your roommates naked.”
Daniel pulled back, their legs still pressed against each other from knee to waist, his foot moving to hook around Jensen’slower leg. With an unsure look in his eyes, he took Jensen’s hand. “So, we’re doing this, then? You still want to be with me even though my life is a mess?”
Jensen lifted his free hand and stroked the sharp edge of his jaw. “Yes,” he said simply, resolutely, and with perfect confidence.
“Yes,” Daniel repeated, the word no more than a whisper leaving his petal-soft lips, but forceful enough to level mountainous burdens and loud enough to echo in Jensen’s heart. A grin tugging at his mouth, Daniel leaned forward.
Jensen met him halfway.
25
There wasa moment before Daniel left the house in which he debated wearing a bulletproof vest or one of those collars with massive spikes that protected dogs’ necks. Or a cup in his underwear.
He regretted not following through on any of that.
Lucinda stared at him from across her desk, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed, bringing out the laugh lines surrounding her full mouth. The terse silence hanging in the air was as far from laughter as one could get. Although she hadn’t said a word since Daniel walked in and took a seat—his balls receding into his body and his heart thrumming painfully in his chest—her disappointment was audible.
Taking a deep breath, he attempted to sit up straight. “I can’t do this anymore,” Daniel admitted, breaking the silent standoff.
“You’re quitting.”
“Yes, it’s …” He struggled to find the words even though he’d been mentally preparing for this conversation all day.
For years he’d been fine with everything he did within the walls of the Lillian. It had just been work, something that got him a paycheck and allowed him to cover rent and eat. Getting on his knees or back hadn’t been emotionally taxing for him.He wasn’t sure if he’d been able to shut off his brain or compartmentalize the work or what. But he had been truly at peace with what he did. He had enjoyed it most of the time, and gotten heavy doses of satisfaction from satisfying other people. Those feelings had dissipated years ago though.
Now the thought of flirting with people in the bar and taking their money and cocks had a deep melancholy sweeping through his body. And he didn’t have to do it. He had a job he was excited about and people who would catch him when he fell.
Letting out a heavy breath, he said, “I can’t handle doing this work anymore. It’s making me miserable.”
“I know.” Lucinda gave him a gentle look. “Why do you think I’ve been putting you behind the bar?”
Brow creasing, he laced his clammy hands together over his rioting stomach. “Because Tyler was sick, Ricardo wanted to leave, and you couldn’t find anyone to hire?”
The look in her eye turned from gentle to almost pitying. “You really think I couldn’t find a single person in the entire city that wanted to work for the salary I’m offering and the tips they’d get? If I opened the position, I’d be flooded with people who would willingly turn a blind eye to the nature of our business for the benefits alone.”
