Love in the Land of Fire by Rebecca Brochu Read Free Book Online

doorstep. And if they don’t, then I’ll bring their organization down around their ears.”
    Josiah smiles down at Rafe’s still form and the expression’s a sharp one, all gleaming teeth and satisfaction.
    “Good.”
     
    2 Chapter Seven
     
    “Easy now, there’s no need to rush.”
    “Honestly, Josiah, you’re hovering. Give the poor thing some room to breathe.”
    Josiah fights down an uncharacteristic flush that’s threatening to work its way across his cheeks at the poorly veiled amusement in Marcel’s voice. He knows that he’s hovering, that he is practically on top of Rafe as he walks slowly down the hall towards the door of Josiah’s apartment, but he can’t help himself. Rafe is still noticeably unsteady on his feet after over a week spent confined to a hospital bed and heavily sedated.
    He would personally prefer not to start Rafe’s tenure in his home with a return trip to the hospital to treat the concussion the submissive would probably get from tripping over his already dragging feet.
    “It’s fine…I’m grateful for the help.”
    Rafe’s softly spoken sentence draws all of Josiah’s attention back to the other man as he willfully ignores the smug expression on Marcel’s face. She’s entirely too amused with the fact that he’s being openly concerned over Rafe and almost manic when it comes to anything that he deems too stressful for the other man. Still he doesn’t intend to stop; he’s not ashamed to openly care for a submissive in his power. He’s always been a firm believer that only the foolish believed that showing concern over someone entrusted to them for safekeeping was a mark of weakness.
    To have someone willingly give themselves over to you is to experience true power and only a fool would abuse such a thing. Josiah is many things but a fool is not one of them.
    So instead he rests one hand lightly on the small of Rafe’s back and cups his elbow with the other, feigning ignorance to the way the submissive automatically tenses and then flushes in embarrassment. Rafe is helpless against his body’s natural desire to protect itself from harm and Josiah will not embarrass the man further by bringing attention to it. Rafe’s reaction is more than expected from someone who’s been through so much and Josiah cannot hold it against him.
    They manage to make it into Josiah’s apartment without any mishaps, and Marcel waves them off with a wink, saying something about raiding Josiah’s kitchen for lunch of some sort. Left alone, Josiah and Rafe move slowly down the apartment’s short hallway and stop in front of the door to the spare bedroom Josiah’s had prepared specifically for Rafe. He’d had it done in colors that reminded him of Rafe, colors that he hoped the submissive would find relaxing and appealing, and he finds himself strangely nervous about showing it to him.
    “I had the room made up for you. It’s not much, but I hope it pleases you.”
    Josiah’s voice is a bit rough, his nerves showing through in the stiff way that he holds himself as he unconsciously falls back on his engrained training. Rafe looks at him silently for a moment before he nods his head, and Josiah reaches out and slowly opens the door. Their eyes maintain contact with one another until the doors fully open and Rafe turns his head slowly to take in his new living space.
    The room is done in cool mint green, the hardwood floors are polished to a shine, and the thick black comforter on the bed is already turned down invitingly. They’re standing so close to one another that Josiah feels more than hears Rafe suck in an unsteady breath.
    2“This is…” Rafe trails off and clears his throat roughly as he turns back to Josiah, his eyes suspiciously damp around the edges and his face filled with a sort of confused awe. “Is this really for me?”
    Josiah closes his eyes for a moment, fighting to repress the urge to turn around, walk out of his apartment, hunt Frisch and the rest of Rafe’s