Except…yeah. He might have felt strange if he’d thought Dox was ditching him.
“And if you ever are interested in going with me, just let me know,” Dox added.
That also brought out some…confusing emotions he’d have to unpack and examine later. When he wasn’t so fricking exhausted. “I’d need a babysitter.”
“I know we could arrange something with someone trustworthy.” But Dox intently watched him now.
Hank felt captured by his gaze, like something vital was spinning just outside his grasp.
The easy answer came to him. “Maybe sometime. It’s not in my budget right now, anyway. I have to pay off what I spent on JJ’s gear, and I need to put all my extra cash into building an emergency cushion.” He laid his head back again. “Those fuckers wiped me out in legal fees. Thank god Bryce helped me with legal advice and all the paperwork.”
In fact, that reminded him—hereallyneeded to get together with Bryce, make him dinner or something as a thank you.
“I want you to promise me, if something ever happens and they come after you again, you let me help you fight them.” The determination in Dox’s tone reminded Hank of when they were kids.
“I promise.” He drew in a shuddering breath. “I can’t let anything happen to her. It’d kill me, man. She’s my whole life.”
He looked over when Dox laid a hand on Hank’s shoulder. “Then I’ll make sure I’ll always have your back so that never happens.”
When Hank started yawning a little before nine, Dox bid him goodnight, and they made plans for him to come over the next night. As Hank lay in bed and waited for sleep to take him, he realized how it was weird in a funny sort of way that he’d accepted Dox’s admission without qualms.
How it was…
Just Dox.
It fit his personality, that was for sure.
Because if there was one thing Hank knew about Dox, it was that hereallyliked to be in charge. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he’d always been okay with it. He always followed where Dox led him, because Dox had always taken care of him, and he’d trusted him.
Always.
For some reason, the thought of a woman getting to do that with his friend and stepping between him and Dox…
Well, it didn’t set very well with him.
And he wasn’t exactly surewhatto make ofthat.
