Protection is Best Served With Benefits: MM DDlb Romance

Chapter Three

Not edited or proofread.

Max

For two days, I was laid up in bed, lost in a haze of pain. Only two things had been clear the entire time—one, the bed I was in was very comfortable, and two, Griffin had been there every time I managed to open my eyes before falling back asleep.

Finally, when I opened my eyes, the pain was mostly gone—just a dull ache. Barely even a headache. My stomach was nauseatingly empty, and I felt a bit weak... and disgusting. I hadn't showered in days.

I eased out of bed, smiling a little at the sight of the brand-new, black fuzzy slippers waiting right beside my feet. They didn't look the slightest bit touched, and when I slid my feet into them, I flushed a little. They were the perfect size. Had Griffin really bought me slippers? That was... extremely sweet of him. And it melted my heart.

I was a sucker for someone taking care of me. I hadn't been taken care of in a long time.

When I opened the bedroom door, the scent of coffee assaulted my nostrils. I quickly followed the smell, my dragging feet silent on the fluffy carpet. When I found the kitchen, I also found Griffin. He was standing in front of the coffee maker with a mug of coffee in one hand and a breakfast sandwich in the other. He looked up at the same time my stomach rumbled, and an embarrassed blush stained my cheeks.

"Hey, baby," he said, quickly setting his food down. "Sit down. I'll make you some coffee and food. What do you feel like eating?"

I sat down on a stool at the bar. "Honestly, that sandwich looks good." I'd eat anything at that point. My stomach was threatening to eat my organs if I didn't give it sustenance soon. Without a second's hesitation, Griffin grabbed his plate and set it in front of me. "I didn't mean—"

He hooked his finger beneath my chin, closing my mouth for me. "Eat, baby. I'll whip me up another one, and if you're still hungry after that one, I'll make you another."

I smiled at him, my insides going all gooey. "Okay," I said softly, grabbing his barely-eaten sandwich and taking a bite. I didn't even care that he'd already eaten off of it. I was so damn hungry. Besides, it wasn't any different than kissing Griffin, and fuck, did I want to kiss him. Especially since he was being all soft and nice and good to me.

By the time I'd finished the rest of his sandwich, Griffin had placed a cup of coffee in front of me that he'd cooled off with an ice cube, and he was halfway through his second attempt at eating a breakfast sandwich. I grabbed my coffee and sipped it, sighing when I realized it was just hot enough to be enjoyed and just cool enough that it wouldn't burn my tongue.

"You still hungry?" Griffin asked me.

I shook my head. "No." I smiled at him. "It was really good. I didn't know you could cook."

He shrugged. "I don't like eating out much." He patted his flat stomach, drawing my eyes there. My cheeks heated, and I glanced down at my plate. His upper body was covered by a black t-shirt, but it was tight, so it didn't leave much to the imagination. I could see the press of his abs against the shirt. He chuckled. "It's not easy keeping up this body, baby."

Fuck, there went another term of endearment. He was killing me.

Griffin patted the counter. "I need to check my emails, and then I can drive you back to your place so you can shower and change, if you want."

I froze, my heart lurching into my throat. I glanced around Griffin's expensive apartment. It wasn't huge by any means, but I knew it was expensive, especially given the view of the city skyline right outside the floor-to-ceiling living room windows. If he saw where I lived, the building, the neighborhood...

Just the thought made me sick to my stomach. He seemed to like me and care about me. What if I lost that after he saw where I lived?

"I can Uber," I told him. I didn't even want to think about what my parents would do to me when they saw the unexpected charge in my account, but it was worth not losing Griffin. I was already so attached to him.

"No." Griffin shook his head. "I don't trust some random stranger to drive you home. I'll take you."

"But—"

He put his finger over my lips, silencing me. "No, baby. No arguments. Besides," he smirked at me, "I have your phone. So you can't order an Uber anyway."

I gaped at him once he dropped his hand. "But it's my phone." Had my parents contacted me? Oh, God, what if they did and he saw their messages? Had he snooped through my phone? I was feeling a little nauseous.

"Hey, hey." Griffin cupped my cheeks and stroked his thumbs beneath my eyes. "Easy, baby. Just breathe. You're panicking. Breathe, baby boy." I sucked in a deep breath, held it, and then slowly released it, all too familiar with panic attacks. He smiled at me, and something inside of me loosened. "Good boy." Oh, fuck. "Your clothes are washed, and they're sitting on my dresser." He stroked a hand over my hair. "Go use my shower. Feel free to use anything you find in there, okay? And then get dressed. I'll drive you to your apartment so you can change into something more comfortable, and then I want to spend the day with you."

His last admission cleared the fog of panic from my brain immediately. "You do?" I asked, completely bypassing his insistence on driving me home.

He nodded. "I do, baby." He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and my heart turned into a bloody puddle in my chest. I had zero defenses against this man. "Go shower, baby boy. I'll be done with my emails by the time you get out."

I nodded and slid off the barstool. It wasn't until I was in the bathroom and unbuttoning his extremely large shirt that I realized he was still taking me to my apartment.

Fuck.