over his chest. Brett smiled again at the sight. The rigid way he stood screamed that he had no intention of peeking. If he had asked, Brett would have let him know he didn’t care. While Brett might not strip for a living the way Roman did, he was no prude. Nor was he ashamed of his body. It was too skinny and not at all as sexy as Roman’s, but his body wasn’t the worst. Brett managed a lot by standing on one leg and bracing his weight with his hands until he sank into the hot water Roman had readied for him. A relieved sigh fell from his lips as the heat enveloped him. Roman glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll find you something to wear.”
Brett wanted to make Roman sit still, but he needed the help, and he didn’t know how to convince Roman to do anything. He felt ridiculously uncomfortable. No one ever took care of him. He fought the urge to swing wildly between thanking Roman and apologizing. Brett agonized over it until Roman returned. Then Brett’s mind latched on to how gorgeous Roman looked and refused to budge. He didn’t want to believe Roman was as beautiful on the inside as he was the outside. That meant Brett had been wrong about Roman all along. Brett wasn’t the type to misjudge. He had always been great at weighing character.
“Okay. I swear, everything you own is boujee as hell. You have next to no normal-people clothes. However, I managed to find this huge V-neck t-shirt in the back of your closet. Since you’re going back to bed, I say you should just wear this and be comfortable.”
Brett eyed the shirt and tried not to be offended by the “normal people” comment. He knew he wasn’t like everyone else in the world. Brett didn’t need that pointed out. “That’s Wrecker’s shirt.”
Roman’s steps faltered. He glanced down at the shirt and back Brett’s way. “Why would you…” Brett saw the moment the pieces clicked together in Roman’s mind.
An overwhelming need to explain washed over Brett. “It was before Johnny came along. Johnny doesn’t know. I’d like to keep it that way.”
The closed expression Roman wore gave nothing away. He turned away, tossed the shirt in the trash, and walked out. Brett blinked at the spot where Roman had been. He didn’t think Roman had any reason to be jealous. Damned if that wasn’t the vibe that he had gotten from Roman’s reaction, though. Brett bathed and tried not to overthink things. Being clean was nice. At least Roman had left him a towel, since it seemed he had been abandoned. Brett braced his one good foot against the tub and used his upper body strength to push himself from the water. It wasn’t a graceful exit. In fact, he almost fell. Somehow, he managed to end up sitting on the edge of the tub with his feet on the floor. He wrapped the towel around himself while struggling to catch his breath. Everything felt like a chore. Exhaustion sat heavy on his shoulders. He swayed.
Roman was there. “Whoa. Why didn’t you call for me?”
“I’m fine.” Even Brett heard the weakness in his voice. “I just need a minute.”
Roman snorted. “You’re so stubborn.” He grabbed another towel and went to work drying Brett. Before Brett could argue, Roman stole the wet towel draped around him and tossed it aside. He looked completely detached as he helped Brett into a pair of underwear and then lifted him into his arms. Roman fascinated Brett. While he knew there was nothing sexy about being someone’s caretaker, the flirt he had come to know had vanished.
Brett needed to know more. “You’re missing some golden opportunities here to be vulgar.”
Roman’s mouth lifted in one corner in a sexy smirk as he set Brett on the bed. “There’s nothing sexy about exploiting an injured man.” He tucked Brett into bed before using the covers to pin Brett to the mattress. Roman’s mouth hovered an inch from Brett’s lips. If he lifted his head, their lips would touch. Brett’s cock twitched. Roman’s breath fanned Brett’s face as he spoke. “You’ll come to me when you’re feeling up to it.” Roman pushed away, leaving Brett turned on and breathless. The pure cockiness in Roman’s claim had Brett wishing he could scramble after the man. Brett had never dealt with anyone like him. And fuck if Roman wasn’t right. The moment Brett had an ounce of strength, he