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When they finally parted ways with Thomas, Zeph was exhausted.

He’d done none of the work, but knowing what the other two had been doing frazzled his nerves and left him feeling as if he’d just run a marathon.

The body was gone, the gun was gone and now they were gone.

Thomas had Django and was heading for…somewhere or other.

Zeph wasn’t sure where he and Jack were going but Jack was driving and Zeph kept falling asleep.

Jack woke him and Zeph sucked in a breath as he jerked upright.

“We’re in Southampton. See that hotel? I’ve booked us a room for two nights under your name. I need to get rid of the car. I’ll be no more than an hour. If you take one case, I’ll bring the other.”

Zeph nodded and climbed out. He almost lifted Jack’s case from the boot, but that wouldn’t stop him leaving if he wanted to.

As Jack drove away, Zeph felt his eyes fill with tears. Please come back and tell me you love me.

The hotel was lovely. Zeph sat on the balcony and watched the boats coming in and out of the harbour. If Jack didn’t return, Zeph thought he’d go travelling on his own. He’d start in Paris and he’d do wild and crazy things. Well, no, he probably wouldn’t but he’d try to.

When he heard the balcony door slide open behind him, he looked round and flew into Jack’s embrace.

“Did you miss me?” Jack hugged him hard.

“You’re seventy-six seconds early. Plenty of time for shenanigans before my boyfriend gets back.”

Jack laughed. Zeph pulled him down onto the chair and climbed onto his lap.

“Everything okay?” Zeph asked.

“Yes.”

“Are we really going to stay here two nights?”

Jack nodded.

“What are we going to find to do?”

“I have a list.”

Zeph smiled. “Do you?”

“Anything you want—is at the top.”

Zeph smiled harder.

“I love you,” Jack whispered.

Zeph blinked. Those words… They flashed straight to his heart.

“I thought I was waiting for the perfect moment and it was just an excuse. I’ve had trouble getting my head around the way I feel, convincing myself I deserve to wake up next to you. I wanted to show you how much I love you, but I’m so bloody tired.”

“It’s been quite a day.”

“Better that you don’t think too much about it.”

Zeph nodded. “You’ve distracted me with those three words. When did you know?”

Jack didn’t answer for a long moment. “When I first met you, you had this look on your face. Not just because of Rufus and Scott. It was as if someone had whipped a bar of chocolate out of your hand and eaten it and stamped on a ladybird right in front of you and then told you can never be what you want to be and —”

“Enough ands.”

Jack chuckled. “But whenever you looked at me, you didn’t look like that.

You made me feel hope for the second time in my life.

A hope that I didn’t want to lose. When I wasn’t with you, I wished I was.

But I was afraid of you getting dragged into my world when yours was going to be so bright and brilliant.

But you took your own risks for me and I want to be with you, not without you. ”

Zeph swallowed hard. “What now?”

“Bath and bed? Is there a bath?”

“No, but there’s a big shower.”

“Then that will have to do.”

When the sun came up—they’d not even drawn the curtains, but then the only things that would have been able to see what they’d got up to last night were seagulls—they were tangled in the sheets and tangled with each other.

Zeph ached from the hairs on his head to those on his toes.

Last night had been like a try out for the sex Olympics.

He had carpet burns on his knees, bite marks on his shoulders and probably love bites too, though he’d given back as much as he’d received.

Zeph didn’t want to move unless he had an incentive.

Oh look, there it was lying next to him.

He grinned. Jack had let him fuck him. Not let , he’d demanded it because he was the alpha male in this relationship.

And it had been glorious. Zeph had even managed not to come the moment he got inside Jack’s slick heat. A miracle. They’d had a lot of those.

He lay on his side staring at Jack who looked younger and unstressed. Zeph wanted him to look like that more often. Jack had told him over and over again that he loved him. Now he’d said it more than Zeph had and apparently, he was keeping count. A thought that made Zeph smile.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Zeph whispered over and over again, then brushed his fingers across Jack’s mouth.

Jack flinched and turned his face into the pillow. Moments later, he was on his back and snoring quietly. Zeph licked his finger and ran it over Jack’s lips. This time, Jack’s hand shot out and swiped at his face. Zeph was pretty sure he was still asleep.

Pretty sure.

Then again… He waited and waited, then reached out again. Jack’s hand flashed out and caught his wrist.

Jack opened his eyes. “You’re asking for trouble.”

“Yes, please.”

And Zeph found himself exactly where he wanted to be, pinned down by the man who loved him.