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by Dawn Kimberly Johnson

  “It’s just a few things. I’ll help.”

  As the suds grew in the sink, Eli added the dishes, and Alec stepped up behind him, close behind him, encircling him with his arms and reaching around to shut off the water. Alec’s hands covered Eli’s in the hot, soapy water. Together they grabbed a sponge and slowly began washing a plate. Alec nibbled Eli’s earlobe, causing him to shiver, grin, and lay his head back against Alec’s shoulder.

  He felt so at home in those arms. “What movie would you like to watch?”

  “Movie?” Alec asked.

  “You said we’d be lounging and watching movies.” Eli stopped washing and turned within Alec’s arms to face him. “You don’t have a game today?”

  “Uh… there’s a friendly scrimmage this afternoon, but I’m not going.” Alec’s lips found Eli’s neck again. “I’d rather stay in with you.”

  “Good to know,” Eli said as he gripped the back of Alec’s head with his sudsy hands and brought their mouths and tongues together. He raised his leg, wrapping it around Alec a bit to bring him forward, pressing them more tightly against each other as Alec’s hands, still hot from the water, slid past the waist of Eli’s sweatpants and cupped his bottom, squeezing and pulling a moan from him. Alec’s grip and the rim of the sink held Eli safely in place as his cane leaned unattended in the corner where the oven met the counter.

  “You know, the other day,” Alec panted, as Eli kissed him between his words, “I was daydreaming at my desk.”

  Eli grinned against Alec’s lips. “Tell me,” he whispered.

  “I had you in the shower, and we—”

  A knock at the door cut him off, and both he and Eli groaned out loud. They smiled and rested their heads against each other, waiting, hoping, that whoever it was would move on. But when the knock came again, followed closely by the doorbell, they sighed and released each other.

  “I’ll meet you in the shower,” Eli said, grabbing his cane and following close behind Alec to the door. He kept walking as Alec paused in front of the door, tamping down his arousal before opening it.

  Eli was nearly to the bedroom when he heard Alec say, “Dray?”

  ALEC’S stomach dropped when he saw Dray’s bright smile, and he almost groaned out loud. Not now! From the corner of his eye, he could see Eli had frozen and turned back around.

  “Hey, Alec,” Dray said, gliding through the door, carrying two coffees. “Conley had to go to the field early, and I thought maybe I could give you a ride to the scrimmage.”

  Bracing himself, Alec glanced at Eli, but his boyfriend was simply standing there watching them from the hall. “D-Dray, I’m not going to the scrimmage.”

  “Really? Conley said he’d call you for me. I was working late last night, or I would have done it myself.” Alec saw a brief puzzled look pass over Dray’s face when he spotted the table for two by the windows, but the man recovered quickly and smiled brightly. “Coffee?” He held one of the cups out to Alec.

  Before Alec could respond, Eli did. “We’ve already had our coffee,” he said, stepping from the shadow of the hallway.

  Dray’s eyes widened. Obviously he hadn’t expected to see him. “Erby! How are you, love?”

  “I’m great, Dray,” Eli said, slowly advancing. “Fucking fantastic! Bloody brilliant! Now what the f—?”

  “Eli—”

  “No, Alec! Enough!” He pulled his eyes away from Alec and looked directly at Dray again. “You are to stay the fuck away from Alec. Do you hear me?”

  Dray sipped his coffee and grinned. “Now, Eli, don’t get so worked—”

  “Up? Don’t get so worked up?!” Eli took several steps closer to them, and Alec moved to intercept his boyfriend. He knew Eli had a temper, but he’d never seen anything like this. The shift in him from how he was mere moments before was staggering. “You pulled the same shit with Bennett!”

  “Eli,” Alec said, taking hold of his shoulders and holding him in place and away from Dray, “I’m not interested in Dray.” He gently shook Eli, forcing him to meet his gaze. “I’ve told you that several times.”

  “It’s true, Erby. He’s told me more than once he’s not interested.”

  Alec ignored Dray. “Why don’t you believe me, babe?” he asked, gazing into Eli’s eyes and stroking his face. He could feel the tension in Eli, a low hum of fury running through him, and he still didn’t understand it, not completely.

  With him blocking Eli’s view of Dray, his boyfriend softened. “I’m… I’m sorry. He just… he has this… this way of—”

  Alec kissed Eli deeply. “Trust me,” he whispered. “Trust that I love you.”

  Eli smiled, closed his eyes, and melted against Alec. “You love me?”

  “Absolutely,” Alec said, kissing him again.

  “I don’t think you’ve ever said that before.”

  Dray sighed more loudly than necessary. “Well, I’ll take my leave. Sorry I interrupted your lovely—whatever this is.” He turned to leave. “Don’t be too hard on him, Alec. He’s just insecure. He’s afraid you won’t be able to resist me because he couldn’t.”

  Alec felt Eli go rigid within his arms and pull away.

  “What?” he asked, finally turning to face Dray as his words sank in. “What did you say?” Alec watched Dray grin pleasantly—no, wickedly—at Eli, then his hazel eyes widened in shock.

  “You didn’t tell him! He doesn’t know, does he?” Dray asked, and then he burst out laughing. Alec glanced between the two of them. Eli looked like he was going to be ill and was backing away from them.

  Alec laughed weakly at Dray. “What are you talking about?” He turned to his boyfriend. “Eli?” But Eli wouldn’t look at him, so he turned back to Dray. And for the first time since he’d moved to London, Alec felt like he was invisible, because Dray was glaring happily at Eli, ignoring him, and obviously delighted by whatever had just happened.

  “Good Lord, Erby, if I’d known Alec didn’t know, I would have said something sooner.” Dray’s eyes grew even wider as comprehension dawned. “That’s it! All this time I thought you were worried about him succumbing to my charms, formidable though they are, but you were afraid he’d learn of our little encounter.” He began laughing again. “You didn’t want him to know you’d cheated on Bennett—with me!”

  “No!” Alec spoke up. “He told me… he told me he knew what you were up to, that you were using him just to get close to Bennett. He saw right through you, Dray.”

  Dray smiled sadly at Alec and nodded in Eli’s direction. Alec turned toward his boyfriend and found Eli had gone ghostly white. He was backing away and shaking his head, his eyes cast down.

  “Eli,” he said, stepping toward him. Eli held up a hand to stop him where he was. “Eli, you said you told Dray ‘No’.”

  Dray chuckled. “Well, he didn’t say ‘thank you’, but he didn’t say ‘no’, either.”

  “Dray!” Alec roared, rounding on him.

  “Leaving now.” The door closed, and Alec rushed forward to lock it. When he turned back, Eli had disappeared into the bedroom. Alec ran back into the room. The first thing he noticed was Eli’s clothes were no longer in the chair by the bed.

  “Eli?” he called, heading straight for the bathroom. He tried the door, but it was locked. “Eli, please talk to me.” Alec listened at the door. He heard movement and then a phone ringing. He heard Eli answer it but couldn’t really make out the conversation. He waited for several minutes, and then the door opened. Eli stood before him, fully dressed and talking into his cell.

  “Tell Casey I’ll be right there.” He hung up. He wouldn’t look at Alec.

  “Eli—”

  “I just found two messages from Casey,” Eli said, moving swiftly around him. “I’d turned my mobile off… last… n-night. She’s been trying to reach me for two hours.” He continued walking, out of the bedroom, heading for the apartment door. The way Eli refused to look at him had Alec panicked, so he rushed by him and blocked his way.

&n
bsp; “Eli, talk to me. Look at me.”

  He didn’t look at him.

  “That was the hospital just now.” Eli stepped around him. “I’m on my way there.”

  “Please, let someone else handle—”

  “Some tourists were injured in a car accident—Americans. The boy is deaf and the parents are in surgery.”

  “We need to talk. Let me drive you.”

  “No!” Alec cringed at the volume of his voice, and Eli continued more quietly. “I’ve called a taxi already. Should be downstairs any minute.” He reached for the doorknob, but Alec grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, pushing him back against the door.

  “Tell me,” Alec pleaded, gently gripping Eli’s chin and raising his face to look at him. “Tell me, and I’ll believe you.”

  “Dray and I fucked,” Eli said matter-of-factly, his eyes filling with tears. Alec tried to keep his expression from changing, but he failed. “I cheated on Bennett. I broke his heart.” Alec’s hands fell away, and Eli turned his back to him and opened the door. “And four months later, I lost him.” Eli left the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

  Alec stood frozen in place.

  Chapter 24

  “ELI. It’s good to see you.”

  “Oh, uh… hi, Jason. Casey around?”

  The nurse nodded. “She told us she called you. End of the hall. On your left.” Eli turned away from the nurses’ station. “Eli?”

  He turned back. “Yeah?”

  “You okay?”

  Eli thought about it and lied. “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.” He turned and continued up the hallway.

  On the way over in the taxi, he’d struggled to get himself under control, tried to shut down all the emotions Alec had freed in him, had set loose so many months ago. Part of him longed for the quiet, self-imposed numbness he’d known after Bennett but before Alec. He felt his throat tightening, but he shook it off, swallowing the tears before they could begin spilling out of him again.

  Alec knew now, and Eli had seen what he’d feared most on his face: disappointment. He stopped walking and supported himself against the wall for a moment, trying to rid himself of the image of Bennett and the similar expression he’d had when Eli confessed what he’d done with Dray. It was different, of course. Alec was disappointed, surprised, and probably hurt that he’d lied to him, but Bennett had been devastated. Eli shuddered at the memory.

  He pushed himself away from the wall and walked on, remembering that he was needed and that work, being able to help someone else, would blessedly occupy his thoughts for a while. As he neared the last room on the left, he heard the shouting, the crying, the unintelligible wailing, and above that, he heard Casey’s frantic voice trying desperately to sound calm. He knocked on the door.

  “Come in!”

  Eli pushed open the door and saw his friend and two other nurses trying to get a small tow-headed boy to settle down in bed. Wearing a hospital gown and about to lose a sock, the boy cowered in the far corner of the room. He had big, brown, frightened eyes and was signing frantically. One of the nurses held a small notepad and pencil. She kept holding it out to him, encouraging him to write, but the boy was too worked up to notice.

  A hospital being a frightening place at the best of times, Eli could imagine how terrified the boy must be: probably in pain from his injuries, wondering where his parents were, surrounded by silent strangers trying to control him, hold him down, and stick him with needles. Eli balanced his cane against the wall and clapped his hands together loudly several times. Everyone froze and looked at him, the boy lagging a few beats behind but following the nurses’ gazes.

  “Eli!” Casey said rushing to his side. “Thank God you’re here.” She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him forward. “I’m so sorry I had to call you, but the interpreter on call isn’t answering his mobile.”

  The boy watched this exchange, clearly wondering about this new threat. Eli smiled at him before turning to the others and saying, “Can everyone else leave the room, please?” Casey nodded to her coworkers and they headed for the door. “Casey, please stay.”

  She stopped and closed the door after the others, rejoining Eli. He faced the boy, who watched him warily. Eli went closer, making sure to keep the bed between them. The boy pressed himself as deep into the corner as he could go, all the while watching Eli’s cane curiously.

  Hello, Eli signed. My name E-L-I. You?

  The boy’s eyes widened, but he stepped forward slowly. B-R-A-D. Where Mom and Dad?

  “Where are his parents?” Eli asked Casey, never taking his eyes off Brad.

  She seemed startled but answered, “Uh, they’re recovering from surgery.”

  “Are they going to make it?”

  “It looks good, yes.”

  Eli turned back to Brad and signed that his parents were hurt in the same accident he’d been in, but that the doctors had helped them, and they were sleeping right now.

  I want see.

  “Can he visit them?”

  “Once they’re awake, yes,” Casey said. “Oh, and after his stitches are done.” She pointed to her head, then looked at Brad. “That’s what we’ve been trying to accomplish. That wound needs to be cleaned and closed.”

  Eli winced when he noticed the cut on the boy’s head. He explained to Brad that once his injury was fixed, he could see his parents. Brad reached up and gently touched the wound on his head as if he’d forgotten about it. He cringed and began to cry softly.

  I want Mom. I want Mom. I want Mom.

  Soon.

  Without thinking Eli sat on the bed and, looking at Brad, held a hand out to the boy, inviting him to climb aboard. Brad hesitated, staring at Eli’s outstretched hand. Then he looked into Eli’s eyes and slowly came forward, reaching out, taking his hand, and allowing Eli to pull him up into the bed. Eli reached down and straightened the sock that Brad was about to lose, pulling it firmly back into place. Brad looked at him through tear-filled eyes and sniffled a bit.

  “I’ll… I’ll get the doctor,” Casey said and left the room.

  Brad and Eli sat together for a few moments, the boy nervously wiggling his feet and periodically glancing at the door. He never released Eli’s hand.

  Okay? Eli asked.

  Brad tightened his grip. He looked at Eli’s cane resting against the mattress, and Eli passed it to him. Brad ran his fingers over the dark wood as Eli watched, smiling. The boy took a closer look at the brass collar joining the handle and shaft together. He squinted, trying to make out the scrolled lettering. He looked up at Eli questioningly.

  It’s me: E-L-I-A-S—he hesitated before continuing with the middle name he hated—R-O-S-C-O-E—B-U-R-K-E. Understand? E-R-B.

  Brad beamed up at him, and Eli smiled back, but slowly Brad’s smile faded, and he frowned looking at Eli’s leg. It hurts?

  Sometimes. A little.

  You sad? Brad asked, searching Eli’s face. Apparently the boy saw something else there.

  Eli smiled nervously, but the doctor rescued him as he came sweeping into the room.

  “Brad Woods?”

  The boy immediately shrank down next to Eli, grabbing his hand with both hands now as if he feared the doctor was there to spirit him away.

  “Yes, this is Brad,” Eli answered.

  “And you are?”

  “His interpreter. Eli Burke.” The doctor looked perplexed and paused in donning his surgical gloves. “Brad is deaf… um, Doctor…?”

  “Cooper, Dr. Cooper.”

  “If you’ll tell me what you plan to do, I’ll explain it to Brad,” Eli said, pausing as Dr. Cooper huffed, clearly exasperated. “And together you and I can keep him calm.”

  Eli stared at Cooper pointedly, making it clear that they would be doing things his way despite the doctor’s busy schedule. Just then Casey entered the room carrying a suture kit, but stood by, awaiting the outcome of the stalemate.

  Eli smiled at her before turning back to Cooper and continuing. “I’m sure
you understand Brad’s very frightened in this strange place and missing his parents.”

  “They’re in recovery, Doctor,” Casey added.

  “I see. I see.” The doctor nodded, trying unsuccessfully to gain Brad’s trust with a phony grin that, when translated by frightened child eyes, could only be described as menacing. “I need to clean the wound, disinfect it, and sew it shut.” He finished putting on his gloves, and then he and Casey looked expectantly at Eli, who tapped Brad on the shoulder.

  I need my hand.

  Brad released it reluctantly, and Eli quickly explained what the doctor needed to do. Brad’s eyes widened even farther. He and Eli stared at each other for a few seconds.

  You stay.

  I stay, Eli promised.

  Chapter 25

  “WE’RE here because of that call, right?”

  Mirabell glanced at Buddy and smiled, preferring the look of him to anxiously watching the lift numbers blink as they climbed through Alec’s building. She closed the tiny distance between them and held her arms out to be picked up, which Buddy did, allowing her to kiss him. He was delicious, and not for the first time did she feel that nervous twinge in her gut warning her.

  She pulled back and looked through his glasses to the warm brown eyes beyond. “I expected a call from Alec. Not this soon, but definitely a call.” Buddy put her back on her feet. “I was ready for rave reviews about his date, but—”

  “That’s not what you got.”

  It wasn’t. On their way to the club, she’d answered an aborted call from Alec. Something along the lines of “I give up” was all she could make out before being disconnected. She definitely hadn’t liked the sound of that. The lift stopped on Alec’s floor. “Ding,” Mirabell mimicked as she stepped off, Buddy following with a smile. His legs were even longer than Alec’s, so he had no trouble keeping up with her rapid gait.

  They reached Alec’s door and she knocked. There was no answer, so she knocked again.

  “Come in!” a voice shouted from within.