Determination by Jamie Mayfield Read Free Book Online Page B

protect you.” The intensity of his voice underscored just how much he meant what he said. It felt different, though, than having that same conviction about him. The idea of him following through with that sentiment scared me to the core, where dying for him didn’t.
    “It won’t come to that.”
    “No, it won’t, because we’ve been very careful. He’s not going to find you, and he’s not going to hurt Alex,” he told me softly, and I didn’t argue because I didn’t want to upset the sweet moment. Nestled in his arms, loved and happy, I knew it could be taken away at any second, so I clung to it as tightly as I could.
    “So, what happens now?” I asked after a few minutes. The topic wasn’t something I wanted to talk about, not while I sat sheltered in the warmth of Brian’s arms, but I needed to know the plan. My life had been out of my control for such a long time, and I didn’t like that feeling. Brian yawned quietly and snuggled closer under the blanket.
    Our combined body heat took the chill out of my bones, which helped with the dull ache I felt all over.
    “We’ll stay here a few more days so that you can get a little stronger, and then Leo will take you and me to our new apartment.
    Nick is going to make sure that Alex and Mike shoot on the same schedule for a while in case O’Dell shows up at the studio. They’re 34
    Jamie Mayfield

    going to start locking the door from the first to the second floor just in case, and there are usually a bunch of other guys around so Alex won’t be left alone for a while. Alex, Leo, and Emilio can drop by the apartment while I’m working so you won’t be lonely. Once your stomach has healed, we can do whatever you want. We can stay in San Diego in the new apartment, or we can go back to Alabama. As long as we’re together, Jamie, it doesn’t matter to me where we are.” Brian’s voice trailed at the end, and I knew it was a lie. Brian loved San Diego.
    He’d just admitted it was the only place he’d ever felt like he belonged.
    I wouldn’t take that away from him, not after what he’d risked for me.
    Besides that, I hated Alabama. I didn’t have anything there worth going back for.
    “I think we should stay in San Diego if we can figure out how to stay safe.” I kissed the side of his neck as if in punctuation of my statement. I felt his throat vibrate under my lips and asked, “What?”
    “I said thank you,” he whispered. My burn screamed in protest as I turned my body so I could kiss him properly, but just as my lips touched his, one of the doors across the small room opened and Emilio came through with a grocery bag in one hand and his keys in the other.
    “Hey, guys,” he said with a wave of his keys as he went into the small kitchen. I lost track of him then, though I could hear him putting things in cabinets and some kind of glass bottles in the refrigerator. It took several minutes for him to come back into view and drop into the chair across from where we were on the couch. He flopped one perfectly sculptured, tanned leg over the side, slouching and comfortably spread. A pink flip-flop dangled from his foot as it bounced anxiously. His loose shorts gaped a bit in the leg, and I could see a flash of turquoise beneath. Em really was a beautiful guy and probably the only guy, besides Brian, I’d really enjoyed having a scene with at Hartley.
    I found myself rubbing Brian’s bare thigh absently under the blanket.
    “How was the shoot?” Brian asked, but the underlying tension in his voice betrayed his nerves. The shoot wasn’t what he wanted to know about. Em understood that and got right to the point.

    Determination
    35

    “He sat in his truck from the time I got there until the time I left. I think he was waiting for someone else. You and I were never that openly friendly, Jamie. I doubt he even thought to stop me and ask me where you were. When I asked around at the studio, he hadn’t bothered any of them. Either he’s biding