Lucas crossed the room without a word, his chest squeezing at the exhausted, vulnerable look on his man’s face.
Ryder didn’t see him until he was just a few steps away. His eyes flicked up, and for a second, there was surprise. Then a quiet exhale, and his shoulders lost some of the tension that held them high and tight under the damp coat.
“Hey,” Lucas said.
Ryder blinked at him, surprise breaking through the haze on his face. His eyes widened, and he pushed away from the wall a little too fast, wincing as he straightened. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Lucas reached out automatically, steadying him with a hand on his arm. “I heard about the pile-up. I went to the overpass and saw you get into an ambulance.”
Some mix of anger and fear flashed through the big man’s eyes. “You were driving in this?” His voice was quiet, but the edge of it was unmistakable. “Lucas, the roads are shit. It’s still coming down. What if something happened to you?”
Lucas didn’t let go of his arm. He held Ryder’s gaze and said simply, “I had to.”
Ryder shook his head, lips pressed into a line. His brows pinched together, and his thick mustache twisted with frustration. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”
“But I didn’t,” Lucas said gently. “I knew you were here, and that you’d need a ride. You’re not getting an Uber in this mess.” He tried on a little smile, but he knew it would take more than that to ease Ryder’s mind.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The room around them buzzed with quiet conversation, the occasional cough, and the soft pad of nurses’ shoes. Ryder’s grip on his discharge papers tightened, then loosened again as the fight seemed to drain out of him.
“Okay,” he said finally. “You’re right.” His bright blue eyes, ringed with tired lines, met Lucas’s. “Take me home, Luc.”
With a quick nod, he took Ryder’s phone from his hand and slipped it into his own coat pocket. He folded the discharge papers and shoved them in there, too. Ryder didn’t protest. He just let Lucas guide him toward the sliding glass doors, one slow, limping step at a time.
Lucas helped Ryder up the short set of steps, one hand steady on his back, the other holding the duffel slung over his shoulder. Ryder limped along, his own fist gripping the railing, clearly trying not to groan too loud every time his leg protested. Every time Lucas clutched him more tightly, he muttered something about being fine under his breath, which Lucas chose not to acknowledge.
The second the door opened, Ritz bounded forward like a furry missile. His nails skittered wildly across the floor as he launched into the entryway, tail wagging hard enough to do more damage if it collided with Ryder’s hurt leg.
“Easy, easy,” Lucas laughed, just managing to fend off Ritz’s happy leap. The golden retriever whined, then whirled in a circle before turning his attention to Ryder.
Ryder limped over to the couch, pulling off his wet coat on the way, as Ritz snuffled at his side, nosing his thigh and dancingin place. “Traitor,” Ryder said softly, managing a smile. “Didn’t even check on me first.”
“I’m still new enough to be exciting,” Lucas said, which earned him a quick smirk from Ryder. He picked up the dropped coat, hung it on the hook, and crossed the room to drop to his knees by the couch. “Come on. Let’s get you comfortable.”
With infinite care, he pulled off Ryder’s big boots before tugging the insulated coveralls down his thick thighs. Lucas hung them in the laundry room, rushed to fetch sweatpants and a fresh tee and hoodie from the bedroom, and returned.
“I need a shower.” Ryder heaved to his feet, took the offered clothes, and staggered down the hall.
Before Lucas could offer to help – not in a sexy way, although the idea of running his hands all over Ryder’s thick, wet body had his dick taking interest – the man disappeared into the bathroom. The shower started a moment later, and Lucas tried to ignore the fantasies that swam through his mind. Ry didn’t need that type of comfort right now. He needed clean, warm clothes and comfort.
By the time Ryder emerged, Lucas had turned down his bed, collected pain killers, a bottle of water, a chicken sandwich on a plate, and a steamy cup of cocoa on the nightstand. Ritz let out a low, contented huff and laid down on the bedroom rug like he’d appointed himself a live-in nurse. “Don’t even argue,” Lucas said as he led Ryder to bed and drew the covers up over his wide chest.
Ryder didn’t. He swallowed the pills, sipped the cocoa, and let Lucas tuck the blanket around his legs.
Lucas sat close, but not quite touching. He didn’t get under the blanket either. They’d lounged together on Ryder’s bed before to watch a movie or get off, but he never stayed. Now, Lucas watched him drink the cocoa and thought, stupidly, that he wanted to do this again tomorrow. And the next day. Andevery day after that. The air was warm, the rich scent of cocoa wafting through the space. “Do you need anything else?”
Tipping his head to the side to meet the other man’s gaze, Ryder smiled soft and slow. “No. I have everything I need right here.” The silence spun out until Ryder reached up to brush a lock of hair behind Lucas’s ear. “Stay.”
Lucas nodded, eased out of his jeans and hoodie, and crawled under the blanket in his t-shirt and boxer briefs. He rolled onto his side, tucked his arm around Ryder’s biceps and laid his head against the broad shoulder, careful of the bruises he couldn’t see.
Ryder let out a long, low breath. “This is really nice.”
“Yeah,” Lucas whispered. “It is.”
He closed his eyes and let himself rest. The sound of windblown snow still tapped against the windows, but it didn’t feel so harsh anymore. The chill couldn’t touch him when he had a cozy quilt and a soft mattress, a sweet dog curled up nearby, and a man worth staying for finally within reach. He could get used to this.
Chapter 14
Ryder
