Page 7

Not waiting another moment, I lunged forward and scooped him up, tightening my arms around him. I buried my face against his neck and found his pulse, which relaxed me.

His arms flung around my shoulders and his legs crossed behind my back, making a noise of surprise, but settled into my hold. Because I had him in my arms, safe and sound, I huffed out a relieved breath and held on.

After a few minutes where I calmed down and regained my senses, I found Neko’s body shaking against my own. I freaked out, thinking I hurt the younger man with my rough manhandling of him, and loosened my arms. But I didn’t let him go. I didn’t think I could for a long while.

He glanced up at me and a wide smile met my curious gaze.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Um.” Eloquent, Norris.

Neko’s expression fell as he searched my face. “You watched it.” But then he paused and continued, “But… this isn’t the reaction I expected. I thought you’d be mad—”

“At you?” I growled.

“No, because of the situation. But the look on your face when I answered the door makes sense now. It was a cross between wanting to kill someone and worry for me. Concern won out.”

“I still want to kill that fucker. What’s his name?”

“Donovan.”

I scowled but froze when Neko cupped my cheek and whispered, “He’s not worth it. What you saw was the first and only time he put his hands on me in violence. He went to court and pleaded guilty to the charges. Not to mention, he had a limp from where Echo broke his kneecap.”

“Still doesn’t make me feel better,” I pouted.

“I know. I learned, much later, what coercive control was and how it started at the beginning. He chose where we would eat, what theatre we watched movies at, and trust me, no one wants to sit on your ass for two hours as you drive to the City before sitting on your ass for another two hours watching the movie, and he even dictated how often we spoke on the phone.”

I melted even more when he used his exasperated tone. It made his brows furrow, his lips flatten out, and his nose twitch, and I couldn’t help but think it was cute.

“He even wanted me to send him a certain number of texts per hour, and he always counted. He worked on separating me from my friends and family, keeping me isolated and alone, dependent on him. But because we didn’t live together, although he asked many times to move in, there were certain aspects of my life he didn’t have access to. He never cracked the code for my cell, I didn’t allow him near my computers, and I never took him anywhere near my family home.”

“How did he get in that night?”

“He admitted during his interrogation to taking my key two nights before the incident and having it copied.”

“Did you—”

Neko nodded. “Yes, I’ve changed the locks. And added an alarm. Do you… are you usually this protective of people?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, Graham, love, sweet cheeks. I’m draped around you because you haven’t released your hold on me since you arrived and we’ve been giving the other neighbors a reason to stop and stare.”

If he thought I would drop him when he reminded me of the position we were in, he was in for disappointment. But him calling me a nickname, when no one in my life ever had, warmed me through.

Smiling, he patted my cheek. “Well, I cooked a roast and veggies for most of the afternoon and baked fresh oat-wheat bread to go with it. Are you hungry?”

“Um.”

Again, you’re brilliant Norris, you fucking idiot.

Neko reached for the front door, straining in my arms as he reached out. He cheered aloud when he pressed his fingers to the wood and closed the thing with a satisfying thunk. Without releasing him, I reached back and flipped the lock, smiling when Neko tilted his head toward the kitchen with a wink.

“Since you’re not letting me down, and I need to go check on the roast. If you could…”

Without a word, I walked us past his vast living room and into the kitchen. I inhaled, savoring cooked meat and spices warming the room.

“One question, and I’ll let you down.”