My stomach sank. “Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Come on. You don’t have to work.”
“Of course I have to. I can’t depend on you.”
“You’re not being dependent. I want to take care of you.” He headed for the stairs. I marched after him.
“What are you doing? We’re having an argument.”
“We are?” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Why? We don’t have a problem.”
“We do have a problem. You want to take away my livelihood.”
“I’m giving you an easy way out, Kit. Do you know how many boys like you would be happy to not work and just spend their man’s money?”
Heat surged into my cheeks, and my lips moved, but I couldn’t formulate words. What in the hell would have given him the impression I would be someone who didn’t like to work for my own money?
I stormed after him. “What do you mean, boys like me? Boys used to selling their bodies?”
He finally stopped and turned to me. “Let’s get one thing clear right now because I don’t want this coming up every time we have a fight. I don’t care what you used to do in the past. It has no bearing on this relationship. I’d never treat you differently because of it.”
That made me feel a bit better. Not enough to let the conversation go, though.
“Then what did you mean by boys like me?”
“Boys who love pretty shit.”
“Oh.”
“Yup.” He continued to his bedroom, and I followed him inside.
He put the suitcase by the door, sat on the bed, and gestured at his crotch. “You seem upset. Come here, and I’ll make it better.”
The classic Neanderthal. To think sex could solve every situation. It was tempting, though, with him stroking the front of his jeans like that.
I shook my head. “I’m not having sex with you right now. I want your reassurance that you won’t stop using me for work.”
“I don’t want to use you for that kind of work anymore. It just seems wrong. Like I’m pimping out my boyfriend.”
“You didn’t have a problem with it before.”
“That was before we got involved. I don’t want you having sex with men just for me to make hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“Is that your only objection? Because we already agreed I wouldn’t be sleeping with anyone else, so I don’t see why that point would be relevant now. If you don’t use me anymore, what are you going to do? Find another boy?”
“I already have Liam looking into it.”
“Then tell him not to. You can’t take away my job and give it to someone else.”
Sully rose to his feet, scrubbing a hand over his face. “That aside, I’m no longer comfortable with the danger associated with the job and you being in the middle of it. If something goes wrong and you wind up hurt, I’d never forgive myself.”
“That’s hypocritical. You think I don’t worry about you too?”
“That’s different. I’m trained. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I know how to handle myself.”
“But I—”
“I’ve made my decision.” His hand landed heavy and tight around my shoulder. “I care way too much about you, and I will not feel bad for protecting you, so let’s drop it.”
If he thought I’d drop something so important, he didn’t know me that well after all.