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the second man leapt forward, grabbed the first one, whirled him around and punched him in the face.
The sharp crack of a fist against bone changed Adrian’s plans. Forgetting all about hiding, he sprinted down the steps toward the dark figure looming over the man huddled at his feet. “Hey! Leave him alone!”
The attacker straightened up. His face was a pale blur in the darkness. He spun on his heel and took off down one of the pathways leading from the theater into the surrounding woods.
Adrian shook his head. Coward.
Crouching on the cold stone, he laid a hand on the fallen man’s shoulder. “He’s gone. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Bastard can’t land a decent punch anyway.” The man pushed to a sitting position and felt gingerly along his jaw. “Thanks for chasing him away, I really appr—” He stopped, eyes going wide when they met Adrian’s. “Oh, my God. Adrian?”
Adrian drew a deep breath and let out the sudden rush of resentment, lust and fear along with it. “Hi, Greg.”

Chapter Four
    For a moment, Greg stared in silent astonishment. Then a slightly stiff version of his usual teasing smile spread across his face. “So, what’re you doing out here at this hour? You heading someplace in particular or just looking for guys in distress to rescue?”
    Adrian glared, irritated by Greg’s nonchalant attitude. “Drop the act, Greg. That man just attacked you. It’s okay to be a little shaken up.”
Greg opened his mouth as if to argue, took one look at Adrian’s face and let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, okay, you’re right.”
“I know.” Reaching into his jeans pocket, Adrian fished out his iPhone. “I’m calling the police.”
Greg’s hand shot out to curl around Adrian’s wrist. “No.”
The skin beneath Greg’s fingers burned. Adrian drew a shaking breath. “Why not?”
“It’ll just set him off.”
Adrian shook his head. “Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t like it, but so what? If he didn’t want to go to jail, maybe he shouldn’t have attacked you.”
“No, it’s just…” Sighing, Greg let go of Adrian’s hand, pushed to his feet and walked over to the stone arch a few feet away. “I used to date him. I know how he is. I’ve already told him to leave me alone. If I let this go, he probably won’t bother me again. If I call the cops and they arrest him, he’ll be on my ass the second he’s out, and not in a fun way.”
“Oh.”
Unsure of what to say or do, Adrian rose, shoved his phone back in his pocket and went to stand beside Greg. He watched Greg from the corner of his eye. They’d only known each other for a few days, but Adrian had grown used to the witty, outgoing boy he saw every day at Groome Castle. It bothered him to see this silent, hunch-shouldered Greg who stared into the trees as if he were being hunted.
Maybe he is, no matter what he said about the guy leaving him alone if we don’t call the cops.
Heart thumping, Adrian laid a hand on Greg’s shoulder. “Why don’t you let me walk you home? Just in case.”
Greg turned to look at Adrian. “Can we stay here for a few minutes? I mean, if I go back to my dorm now, he’ll probably be waiting for me, but he’ll give up pretty quick and it’ll be safe soon, so…” He shrugged. “You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to, I know you probably need to get home yourself since it’s so late and all. But I’m gonna hang out here for a while.”
His tone was casual, but the scattered moonlight caught the pleading look in his eyes. Adrian couldn’t have said no to that look, even if he’d been inclined to leave Greg alone with a violent ex out there in the night someplace.
“I’m staying with you. And once you feel like it’s safe, I’m walking you back to your dorm.” Feeling a little bolder in the face of Greg’s vulnerability, Adrian slid his hand from Greg’s shoulder down to gently grasp his arm. “Come on. Let’s go sit down.”
Greg let Adrian lead him