Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
All of that made sense. There was no way out. DJ squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to take slow, even breaths.
“So what I’m going to do is call Richard Davis.”
DJ snapped his eyes open. “Sheriff Davis?”
Seamus nodded. “He’s a friend of mine.”
The sheriff had come across as a giant, emotionally unregulated jerk earlier that night, but Todd seemed to like him, and if Seamus called him a friend, then maybe he had been having an off night. DJ could understand that; it happened to everyone.
“What can the sheriff do?” DJ asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but I’ll talk to him and get his advice. He’s smart and he doesn't put up with any nonsense. There’s a man coming into our town and beating people. That’s not going to fly with Richard.”
“You think he’ll help me?”
“Absolutely.”
DJ considered that plan. “What if my grandfather’s loan shark gets mad that we got the police involved? What if it makes things worse?”
“He is assaulting you. I know it’s happened a lot just from looking at you. You’re more injured than you’re admitting to me. What happens if next time he hits you in the wrong spot or too hard or for too long? One of these days, you’re not going to be able to recover.” Seamus rolled to the side, taking DJ with him, wrapped his arms around him so they were chest to chest, and tucked him against his body. “This can’t continue.”
Tired of pretending everything was fine and carrying the burden alone, DJ leaned into his husband and buried his face into his neck. “I’m scared.”
“I know. It’s a bad situation but I’m going to make it stop. And until then, you’re not going to answer his calls, you’re not going into work because he knows to look for you there, and you’re not going out alone.”
He would have balked about being told what to do as if he was a small child and not a grown man who had been taking care of himself for most of his life, but the truth was, he appreciated having someone care about his safety and his welfare and he yearned to take a break from managing everything alone.
“Okay,” he agreed and closed his eyes. He was so tired and Seamus smelled so right.
“I didn’t think you’d give in so easily.”
“I trust you,” he slurred, already half-asleep. “Good night.”
When DJ woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find Seamus still in his bed, arm around his waist. With him being naked and Seamus in his underwear, the situation was incredibly arousing but also potentially uncomfortable so he slowly moved to the side in an effort to get out of bed before Seamus woke up.
Immediately, Seamus gripped his hip. “Go back to sleep,” he mumbled.
“I’m used to getting up early.”
“I know. You don’t rest enough. I’m fixing that problem.” His eyes were still closed.
“You can’t fix all my problems.” At that point, he was pushing back more out of reflex than anything else.
“Watch me,” Seamus rasped, immediately adding smoking hot to the list of reasons DJ needed to get out of that bed.
“I’m going to make breakfast.” He tried to wiggle away. “You said you liked that casserole yesterday.”
“I did and I put the leftovers in the fridge. We can eat them later.” He pulled DJ closer. “If you don’t stop moving, I’m going to roll on top of you and pin you to this bed until you go back to sleep.”
Now he was naked and hard in bed with his smoking hot husband; sleep was going to be impossible. He wasn’t going to out muscle Seamus so he’d wait him out. He stilled, relaxed his body, and took slow deep breaths, hoping Seamus would be lulled back to sleep. Whether his efforts worked or not, DJ would never know because, when he opened his eyes to check, he was in bed alone and, according to his phone, it was one in the afternoon.
“Shit!” He scrambled to a sitting position and then winced in pain when his body protested the fast movement. “Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Seamus’s voice reached him seconds before he entered the room.
“I overslept!” He dragged his fingers through his hair and tried to get his bearings. “I never oversleep.”
“You didn’t oversleep.”
“It’s one o’clock!”
“You don’t have anywhere to be.”
He considered that and then flopped back down. “I don’t have anywhere to be,” he repeated. When was the last time he could say that? He honestly couldn’t remember.
“How do you feel?” Seamus sat beside him and ran his gaze over his body. “Turn over so I can see your back.”
He slowly flipped over, no longer bothering with protests. They were a waste of time when he would ultimately give in anyway.
Seamus sucked in air and then huffed, “God.” Barely making contact, he ghosted his palm over DJ’s back. “I hate that he did this to you.”