Chapter Five
Every second he wasn’t working, Leary’s thoughts never wavered from JJ.
While he had an extra pep in his step thanks to that orgasm, JJ hadn’t given him any openings to return the favor.
Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. JJ hadn’t seemed bothered in the least. Why?
Leary didn’t want to be worried over the one-sided situation, but he was.
His mind ran through several crazy explanations.
They all ended with Leary being unwanted.
The thing was, he knew that wasn’t true.
No one could look at Leary the way JJ did if they weren’t interested.
JJ wanted him. He just didn’t seem to be in any hurry.
Leary hadn’t decided if that was sweet or if he needed to be concerned.
JJ: I haven’t found anyone to take me to surgery tomorrow and take me home afterward. Do you have any suggestions, or should I cancel?
Leary’s heart jumped into his throat. JJ couldn’t cancel. This was too important. He saw how badly JJ wanted this, and it wasn’t fair for him to miss out simply because he had no family. He had to help JJ figure this out.
Leary: Have you tried Cairo, Rhodes, or Fletch?
JJ: They’re all out of town. Left this morning.
Damn. At his desk, Leary tapped his foot. He would work this out. Leary picked up the phone and pushed the button connecting him to front desk.
“Hey, Susan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I need to reschedule all the appointments I have on Friday. I’ve had something come up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.” He put the receiver down and texted July.
Leary: I need a humongous favor. Are you free tomorrow?
Thankfully, July responded immediately.
July: I’m supposed to be working, but I can blow it off. What do you need?
This was a huge thing to ask when July had only met JJ once.
Leary: Do you remember JJ?
July: Yes.
Leary: He’s having surgery in the morning to prep his arm for a bionic hand.
Since he doesn’t have any family and his friends are out of town, he doesn’t have anyone to go with him.
Do you mind going with him? When they discharge him, you can take him to my house, and I’ll take care of him after my final surgery tomorrow. He really needs this done.
He expected it to take July a while to respond, hunting his mind for a reason to say no. After all, people didn’t even like going with people they cared about to sit in the waiting room all day. July answered almost immediately.
July: Sure. Even that’s better than going to my job. Plus, that’s a valid excuse to miss work, so they can’t get mad.
Relief poured through Leary.
Leary: Thank you so much. I’ll make this up to you, and I’ll even write you a note for work.
July: Yay. I get to sit and play on my phone all day. Just send me an address and let me know what time.
He smiled at July’s enthusiasm. Unfortunately, picking JJ up from the Bosi compound probably wasn’t an option.
Leary: You can just pick him up from my place. He’ll need to be at the Surgi-center by five in the morning.
July: Awwww. You have tea to spill.
Leary: We’ll go to lunch next week. On me.
July: Sounds great. I’ll be there tomorrow with bells on.
Leary hoped July didn’t mean that literally. That was something he would do.
Leary: Hugs. See you then.
July: Hugs back.
JJ: This hesitation means I should probably cancel, huh?
He raced to text JJ back before he canceled the procedure.
Leary: I've got it figured out. You’ll stay the night with me, and then July will pick you up from there in the morning. When you’re discharged, he’ll bring you back to my place. I took off Friday so I can stay home with you for a few days.
The three dots did their thing while Leary held his breath.
JJ: You’re fucking amazing. I can’t imagine July wants to do this, but I’m thankful. Picking me up from your place, huh?
Leary covered his face for a second and let out a hysterical laugh before responding. He fought a blush as he typed.
Leary: You can meet him there, but I thought you might want to stay the night instead.
JJ: In.
It was just one word, and it was enough to set his stomach to fluttering.
He was in so much trouble. Leary liked JJ so much.
He had never felt this strongly about anyone.
JJ knew him and didn’t judge. He had even talked about being Leary’s daddy.
While Leary wasn’t looking for that, he felt all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that JJ would consider it.
Leary wasn’t that deep into the lifestyle.
He had only started going because July had suggested it.
Leary existed in bigger circles, considering who his father was.
That gave him the connections to land a club membership.
Leary: I’ll be home in about forty-five minutes.
JJ: I’ll be there.
Leary bit his bottom lip to keep from grinning like a fool.
He couldn’t wait to set eyes on JJ again.
Leary was so far gone. He never wanted JJ to be out of his sight.
Leary wanted to crawl beneath JJ’s skin and live there.
His focus was all over the place. That thought led to another, and a depressing realization struck.
He should let Dr. Highman do JJ’s surgery.
Him doing the procedure wasn’t against any rules or laws, especially since he was one of only two surgeons who did these procedures within a two-hour driving distance.
No one would bat an eye if they knew JJ was his boyfriend.
When a surgeon was a niche specialist, it wasn’t uncommon for them to end up treating someone they knew.
Still, Leary might panic if anything went wrong.
Wait. Was JJ his boyfriend? Oh no. New fear unlocked.
Maybe they weren’t an actual couple. It was possible that JJ saw other people.
He felt sick. JJ had said they were more than friends, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were exclusive.
Well, shit. Leary was always his own worst enemy.
JJ slept like the dead until nearly four pm.
The very first thing he did the moment he opened his eyes was fret over not having anyone to take him to his surgery.
The second thing was text Leary. He didn’t know why he knew Leary would fix it, but he did.
Then Leary had. While July was a complete stranger to him, JJ would take it.
He was unhealthily excited about this surgery.
Even knowing the entire process would be hard didn’t dull how much he looked forward to having some semblance of a working right hand.
JJ had talked with his therapist twice about the ordeal.
He had been told time and time again to manage his expectations.
This would take time, determination, and a lot of frustration. He was ready.
After a quick shower, JJ packed for a few days and headed out.
He hadn’t expected Leary to volunteer to care for him for the entire weekend.
JJ appreciated the hell out of it, though.
There had never been anyone to take care of him.
JJ didn’t even know how to act. When he had lost his hand and come home PTSD-ridden, in pain, and feeling helpless, even then, no one had truly helped him.
Austen had done surgery to fix the wound.
He had stayed in the compound’s version of a mini-hospital.
A hired nurse had come around to check on him quite a few times.
But there had been no comfort other than being told to keep his chin up.
This was different. Leary intended to stay by his side.
Halfway to Leary’s place, he decided to make a stop.
Since Leary had a lot of live plants and flowers, JJ assumed he liked those things.
He didn’t know anything about flowers, but he grabbed a vase of what he thought was pretty.
JJ didn’t know shit about relationships either, but it seemed like he should be doing nice things.
By the time he got to Leary’s place, he was sick with the need to set eyes on Leary.
He felt as if he were coming home. That realization caused his throat to swell.
This would never be his life full-time. People didn’t leave the family.
Not alive, anyhow. He had signed his life away when he went to live with Beau.
When Leary answered the door, his smile at the sight of JJ lifted a weight from JJ’s chest. He forgot to worry.
“Hey, beautiful.” JJ held out the vase to Leary. “For you.”
The pure joy in Leary’s expression made JJ feel ten feet tall. “Oh my gosh. These are gorgeous. Thank you.” He headed for the coffee table and set them on top.
JJ followed him inside and shut the door behind him. When Leary turned back his way, JJ kissed him. Like last night, JJ lost himself. There was just something about kissing Leary that brought him to life.
When he pulled away, Leary took a shaky-sounding breath. “Thank you. Kissing you is all I thought about all day.”
Now that was a confession JJ loved to hear. “I slept all day. But you’ve been the only thing on my mind since I woke up.”
Rather than looking happy about JJ’s words, Leary’s expression turned concerned. “Won’t you be awake all night now? You have surgery tomorrow.”
JJ made a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be sleeping all day again tomorrow. You’re who I’m worried about. You’re my surgeon.”
“About that.” Leary took his hand and led him to the couch. They sat side by side while JJ panicked internally. Was Leary not going to do his surgery? Had he canceled it after all?
Leary turned sideways and crossed his legs. “I think maybe I should ask Dr. Highman to do your surgery.”
“What?” JJ immediately apologized. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so snappish, but what? Why?”
Leary made a calming gesture. “I think I’m maybe too close to you. What if something goes wrong and I completely fall apart because it’s you?”