Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
“You won’t get sick of me if we live together and work together?”
“I love being with you. Having you next to me when I start and end each day, sharing meals with you, playing games, talking. I enjoy your company more than anyone else I’ve ever known. I feel at peace with you.” He caressed DJ’s hair. “The sex is incredible, but your presence is what I really value, and I don’t want to be apart most of our waking hours when we don’t have to be.”
“The sex really is incredible.” DJ grinned.
“DJ?”
He sighed. “I really like being with you too. Let me think about it.” He had been relying on himself since childhood, and he wasn’t sure he could stop. He was already depending on Seamus for so much, could he give him everything?
Seamus looked like he was going to push but then his phone rang, distracting him.
“Saved by the bell,” DJ joked.
“It’s Richard.”
DJ scrambled up. “Answer it.”
“Rich?” Seamus said as he answered the call on speaker. “DJ’s with me. Do you have news for us?”
“I do. We got him.”
“Oh my God,” DJ said, shocked.
“He took a swing at me when I approached him, which was fun.” The sheriff chuckled. “I charged him with assault and resisting arrest for now. That’ll let us keep him locked up while we work with a handful of other departments to build a loan sharking case against him. You’re not the only person he’s been doing this to, and once we gather all the evidence, either the county attorneys in a few counties will pursue charges or the attorney general will take it. If we can prove he crossed into California or Nevada to make his loans or intimidate his clients, he could face federal charges.”
DJ’s heart raced. Could it actually be over? He honestly hadn’t believed that was possible.
“Oh, he also had an unregistered handgun on him and a felony conviction on his record. He’s not going to get out for a long time, DJ. You’re safe now.”
His teeth were chattering, and he was shaking too hard to speak.
Seamus immediately pulled him onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly.
“Thank you, Richard. I owe you.”
“I was doing my job. And hopefully this’ll make up for how I acted that one night, DJ.”
He wanted to tell him he was grateful, but he couldn’t get the words out.
“I think he’s a bit overwhelmed right now but stop by the bar later and we’ll buy you a drink and thank you properly.” Seamus combed his fingers through DJ’s hair. “Thanks again.”
Once the call ended, Seamus set the phone down and looked at him. “You okay?” He dragged the blanket up and draped it over his shoulders.
“I don’t know.”
Seamus held him quietly, giving him space to process.
“This has been going on for so long, and deep down, I thought it’d never stop, and I get that the sheriff knows what he’s doing but it’s like I can’t really believe it’s over.”
“That makes sense. It’ll take time for your brain and your body to catch up to the change.” He caressed DJ’s cheek and gazed down at him affectionately. “It took me a little while to do the same thing when it came to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was so certain that I never wanted to get married that I left my family and the community and moved to the other side of the country. I had built a good life here and I was happy and I thought this was it, this would be the rest of my life. And then suddenly, in one day, all that changed.” He traced DJ’s lip with his thumb. “Even that first night, I think I knew. I could feel something different when we were together. When you agreed to marry me to make my parents happy, I realized I was happy about it too. But I didn’t know why until we spent more time together. Eventually, I figured it out, but even then, I had no idea what to do about it.”
“Seems like you figured that out too.” DJ put his hand on Seamus’s chest and smiled up at him. “You figured it out really, really well.”
“I sure did. And you’ll figure out this new freedom the same way. No more looking over your shoulder all the time and working yourself to the bone to pay an endless debt.” He brushed the back of his fingers across DJ’s hairline, looking as relieved as DJ felt.
“I don’t know what I’ll do with all that free time.”
“I have some suggestions.” Seamus grinned.
“Do you now?” DJ draped his arms over Seamus’s shoulders. “Are they the dirty kind? Will you tell me about them in graphic detail?” He gasped in surprise when Seamus suddenly tipped them over and lay on top of him.