Hudson would beat the shit out of him when he was feeling his masochistic streak. They sometimes fucked. Sometimes they slept together. But they both knew there was something missing. Someone. The mysteriousshe. And Huds thought the street urchin could be her, huh? Of course he did.
“Then give her a shot, Ian. What’s the worst thing that could happen? We help her get back on her feet and she leaves? We’d be no worse off than we are now. I know you’re lonely. You want a girl as much as I do. So why don’t you let us have one, even for a little while? Please. I won’t bring her here without your okay but it would take me a damn long time to forgive you if you say no.”
Sonofabitch. Huds was the worst. Also the best, but Ian was focusing on the worst part right now.
“Fine,” he conceded, and Hudson sprung to his feet, more agile than a man of his size should’ve been. “You can have her, and I’ll help. Under one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You owe me like a hundred thousand beatings, starting out by flogging me until you break the skin tonight.”
His partner grinned and then hugged him so tight his back cracked in three places, and okay, that felt good.
“Deal. You’re not going to regret this, I can feel it.”
Ian just rolled his eyes because it didn’t matter now. Hudson shouldn’t be allowed on his knees when they were negotiating, Ian always gave in. Dirty trick.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Stop loving on me and get your ass downstairs so you can work me over.”
“You got it.”
Hudson started toward his room, probably to change before heading downstairs to the club where he’d lay out half a dozen floggers to take to Ian’s back. That was what he needed right now. To shut up his too-loud brain and focus so far inward he got sick of himself and he’d be relieved to care for someone else who desperately needed it.
Ian had only taken a few steps toward the kitchen to grab a snack when Hudson’s voice stopped him in his tracks, made him turn around.
“Hey, Ian?”
“Yeah?”
Huds put a hand over his heart and it was one of those times when Ian felt like his best friend, his partner, was looking straight into his soul. That man killed him.
“Thank you.”
Goddamn that heart-punching bastard. He waved Hudson off with a dismissive “Yeah, yeah,” even though he knew Huds was right. He wouldn’t regret this decision. He couldn’t when taking this girl in was going to make Hud so goddamn happy. And maybe Hudson was right. Maybe she would make him happy too.