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I heard in my own confession startled me.
    Given what we were all facing, being sentimental over a sandwich was just ridiculous. I took a drink of broth to give myself a reason to shut the hell up.
    When I finished with the mug, Brian set it on the table next to the bed and then stood up. Panic swelled in my throat, making it hard to breathe. I grabbed his hand before I could stop myself, and he looked down at me. My heart pounded in my chest, and for a minute, I couldn’t even make myself speak.
    “Jamie?”
    “Where are you going?” My voice shook, and I know I sounded near tears. I had no explanation for the panic, but deep in my soul, I just knew if he walked out that door, I’d never see him again. Steven would Determination
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    be out in the hall, or downstairs waiting for Brian. He would take Brian and torture him, pulling his flesh away from his bones with a utility knife. I could almost hear Brian screaming even over the sounds of my ragged breathing.
    “I was just going to lie down on the couch down—”
    “Stay with me? Please?” I pleaded and held back a grimace at the fire in my belly when I rolled over to give him room on the bed.
    Brian’s face was almost alarmed when he pulled off his T-shirt and climbed in bed behind me. His strong arm wrapped around my chest, careful not to go any lower and touch the bandages on my abdomen. I felt his hand settle over my heart, and finally, I could take a full breath.
    “He’s not going to find you, Jamie. I won’t let him hurt you ever again,” Brian whispered in my ear. I turned my head slightly, and he lifted up onto an elbow so he could see my face.
    “It’s not me I’m worried about him hurting,” I whispered, and Brian dipped his head, capturing my lips carefully, as if I might break.
    Then he pulled me back against his broad chest and held me until I fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was that I’d never felt so safe.

    THE sun crept in through the window as I woke. My body and my head both ached from the pain and stress of the previous day. An arm tightened its hold around my chest, and for just a moment, I allowed myself to smile. One of the greatest joys of my life those last few months in Alabama had been waking up in Brian’s arms. I had loved the way he smelled, the way he would nuzzle against my skin, still half caught in his dreams, and most of all the way he would whisper my name as if it were a promise.
    “Mmm… Jamie.” Brian’s whisper against my skin made me shiver. He tightened his hold and scooted his body closer on the small bed. His morning wood pressed against my ass, and even through the pain, I felt a flare of heat. I savored the feeling of his hand on my chest and his breath against my neck for several minutes before I rolled carefully onto my back and looked up at him. Almost as if I were made of glass, he pressed his lips against mine with the gentlest of touches.

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    Jamie Mayfield

    His nose bumped lightly against my cheek as his mouth slanted over mine, moving in a natural, timeless rhythm. The love I held deep in my heart filled my chest, and I couldn’t breathe for the intensity of it.
    It didn’t matter that neither of us had brushed, that the bed was too small, or even that my body ached from the beatings I’d endured. In that moment, all that mattered was the comfort I found in him. With Brian, I felt like just maybe everything could be okay again.
    Brian moved a little closer, his leg wrapping around mine as he cradled me in his protective hold. I felt his cock pressed against my hip, so I reached down between us and stroked him lightly as we lay entwined in nothing but our briefs. His warm, naked skin against mine was like a salve on my broken soul, and I clung to him. He had risked so much, done so much for me, and I had no way to show him how thankful I was for it.
    Or… maybe, I did.
    Sliding my hand down farther between us, I rubbed his erection through the thin briefs. I liked the way the soft