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Leo pulled Brian into a one-armed hug, and I moved back out of the way so they could have their moment. I liked that Brian had so many people looking out for him. It didn’t surprise me, though. I’d known all my life that Brian was special, and if people would look past his shyness and his status as a foster kid, they’d see what a beautiful soul he had. It thrilled me that he’d finally found that kind of acceptance here.
    “I’ll text you later,” Brian promised, and double-locked the door behind Leo when he left. Finally alone in our new apartment, Brian was anxious to show me everything about it. We walked past Alex’s couch and into the tiny kitchen, where he showed me how he’d organized it.
    Then he pulled me around the corner to show me a bathroom no bigger than our half bath back home. The room was just big enough to hold a tub with a shower, a sink, and a toilet. The barren white walls gleamed, as they did in every other room we’d seen. I didn’t care. Brian and I were together, and we had a roof over our head. Everything else, we’d work out.

    Determination
    45

    “Are you hungry?” Brian asked as he took a half step toward me.
    His gaze had almost turned predatory, and there was only one thing that I wanted right then.
    “No.” I moved another step closer to him.
    “Want to watch a movie?” He smiled, and the expression just made butterflies erupt in my stomach.
    “No.”
    Our lips met first as we stood next to our new, shared bed, and then his fingers ruffled the back of my short hair as our limbs wound around each other. I caressed his face with one of my hands, feeling the stubble from the day scratch against my palm. The way his body hummed under my hands, his hard chest rubbing against mine, made my heart pound, and I moaned into his mouth. His breaths were harsh against my face, as I’m sure mine were against his.
    “We shouldn’t do this. I don’t want to hurt you,” Brian murmured against my lips as I pulled at his shirt. Our mouths met again as I succeeded in tugging his T-shirt up over his nipples. Finally, he moved back just enough to allow me to get the shirt over his head. It hadn’t even hit the ground before he was kissing me again. My trembling hands explored all the delicate lines of his bare back, and his fingers slid down my back into the waistband of my loose sweats.
    “I want to touch you,” I whispered as I pulled my own shirt over my head. “It doesn’t have to be anything intense. Just lay down in bed with me, and let’s see what happens. I promise we’ll be careful.” I wanted our first night in our own place to be about love and hope, not regret and pain. Against my cheek where his forehead rested, I felt a small nod. Pulling down my borrowed sweats, I took my new briefs with them and stood naked before him. Brian stepped back to look at me, and I saw his eyes cloud over with pain as he again took inventory of my injuries. His sadness made my heart clench.
    I tilted his chin up so that his eyes met mine, and his expression softened. With a small kiss, I moved past him to drag back the covers and climb into our new bed. Our bed. The sheets had a stiffness to them that reminded me of a new shirt. My half-hard cock showed interest as Brian smiled down at me. He opened his fly and tugged his jeans and 46
    Jamie Mayfield

    boxers down long, muscled legs. I tried not to think about how perfect his skin was while the burn and my other injuries had permanently scarred mine. I pushed away the thought that he would be better off finding someone whole, because he didn’t want someone whole—he wanted me.
    As he started to climb into bed with me, he stopped and jumped off again. I didn’t understand for a minute until he strode to the front door and turned off the light.
    “In case we fall asleep,” he explained when he finally reclined on his side next to me on the bed. The light coming in from the window over our heads allowed me to see his beautiful face as