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endless. So many places to hide &
Close it now, Bertoli.
One step, my dear. Bertoli laughed softly, the sound reassuring somehow. For me,
Dent. Just one.
I & Please. He couldn t.
Bertoli grabbed both his hands and took a step backward. Outside. I know that you can.
No. His breath whistled from him, his knees weakening, buckling.
Yes. Bertoli tugged him forward, pulling him right over the threshold and into Bertoli s
arms.
Things slowed down impossibly, Bertoli s mouth moving, the familiar voice distorted
and wrong, echoing. Dent could hear them, he knew he could. Waiting.
Just me, Dent. No one else is here. It s safe. Bertoli held him close to his gaunt body.
Please. He shook violently, eyes rolling.
You ve done it, my dear. Bertoli s laughter filled the air. You came out!
Then, he was pushed back into the apartment, the door closing loudly. He crawled back
toward the bathroom, whimpering as he moved. He was not alone. Bertoli s fingers continued to
move on him, his lover s voice flowing over him.
Dent headed straight for the water, for the shower. He needed to get clean. The water was
turned on for him; his clothes pulled away, Bertoli taking care of him.
They touched me. They fucking hurt me. His teeth ground together and his jaw hurt
from clenching it.
I know. Bertoli took the soap and began to rub it over his body.
I hate them. He leaned back against the tile, allowing the touch, welcoming it. He was
home. Bertoli wouldn t harm him. I hate them, Bertoli.
Bertoli s hands took his face and looked at him. I know. I hate them as well. The words
were fierce, as was the look in Bertoli s eyes.
They broke me. His words were whispered. Ruined me.
Bertoli shook his head. They might have broken you, but they didn t ruin you. And we
are putting you back together. You are my Dent. Mine. And they have not taken that.
How can you be sure?
Laughing softly, Bertoli pushed against him. Because you are here with me now.
Because you respond to me. Here, in the room, in our bed. Because you met with Hercules and
Mal. And because, as terrified as you were, you went outside and lived.
Don t laugh at me, love. Please. I m trying so hard. He ached inside, down to his
bones.
Oh, Dent, you know I would never laugh at you. You of all people know how my joy
spills from me. Bertoli pressed their lips together, the kiss insistent, tongue pushing into his
mouth. I love you, Dent.
Dent nodded, accepting the kiss, if not returning it.
Bertoli sucked gently on his bottom lip, and then returned to washing him, eyes watching
him, hands moving over him, touching him everywhere, absolutely everywhere.
He allowed himself to slowly relax, to accept the fact that he was home, safe.
Bertoli flashed a smile up at him, his lover feeling it, sensing it. There. You see. You
survived going beyond the door.
Shush. You talk too much. He offered Bertoli a smile of his own.
Bertoli s eyes flashed, and then he laughed. Oh, my dear. My dear. His lover pushed
into his arms, wriggling against his slick skin.
He rested back against the tile, holding his lover close. He had survived he had not
survived well , but he had survived.
Chapter Ten
It was Luttrell s turn at not being able to settle. Dent had gone out. Out . Yes, just a single
step, yes, he d all but collapsed upon doing so, but it was nonetheless a huge leap in the right
direction.
And now, Luttrell wanted to do it again. He wanted to push. He wanted Dent to have a
life again, to feel safe, at the very least here at the club.
He put together a light salad for their midday meal, lost in thought.
That looks good. Dent wandered by, stealing a bit of fruit on the way to fetch juice.
He blinked, startled, and chuckled. Does it? I m not even sure what I ve put in it, he
admitted. He grabbed a couple of plates and the garlic toast out of the oven, putting it all on the
table.
Dent nodded, pouring two tall glasses of a pale pink juice and setting them on the table.
His lover was bundled in the layers he favored now, the skin no longer gray, but still odd and
pale. Paler than himself, even. He wondered if Dent would ever be willing to go up to the
gardens, to lie in the sun again. No, he would not wonder such things. They would happen.
First they would eat, and then he and Dent would take another step outside their door.
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