ASHTON AND

JUSTICE

by

STEPHANI HECHT

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.amberquill.com

Ashton And Justice

An Amber Quill Press Book

This book is a work of fiction. All names,

characters, locations, and incidents are products

of the author's imagination, or have been used

fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or

dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

http://www.AmberHeat.com

http://www.AmberAllure.com

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or

reproduced in any form, or by any means, without

permission in writing from the publisher, with the

exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes

of review.

Copyright © 2011 by Stephani Hecht

ISBN 978-1-61124-154-9

Cover Art © 2011 Trace Edward Zaber

Published in the United States of America

Also by Stephani Hecht

Double Shot Cappuccino

I'll Run Away For The Holidays

Dedication

To everybody who's not afraid to give love a

chance.

Chapter 1

Two hours, five minutes and thirty-eight

seconds. That was how long before Justice could
blow off this mess of a party and retreat to the
safety of his apartment.

He dodged a frat brother making out with

some blonde chick and leaned against the wall,
wishing desperately he were somewhere else.
Anywhere would do--prison, a desert island with
no water, a country music concert, the fiery pits of
hell. Anything would be preferable to being the
only openly gay guy at a college kegger.

"Will you try to at least look like you're having

fun?" His older brother Craig thrust a plastic cup
of beer into Justice's hand.

Justice took it, more aware than ever just how

un-alike they and the lives they led were. Even
though their birth certificates claimed they were
blood related, they couldn't be more different.
Where Craig had sunny, blond hair, Justice had

plain brown. His dull, gray eyes didn't even come
close to attracting the same attention as Craig's
deep blue ones. The most stark contrast had to
be their builds, Craig had the muscle-bound,
football player look down perfectly, whereas
Justice was small, thin and...well, insignificant.

"Sorry," Justice mumbled automatically as he

took a sip of the tepid drink. It seemed he was
always apologizing to his brother or father for
some reason or another. It'd gotten to the point
where he'd considered prefilling out "My bad. I
know I'm always fucking up" cards just to make
things easier on himself. That is if Hallmark made
cards with that saying. But didn't they claim to
have a card for every occasion?

Craig gave him a patronizing smile. "Look,

don't be a brat. I'm doing this for your own good
and as a favor to Dad. You need to get out of that
shithole apartment of yours once in awhile or
people are going to start thinking there's
something wrong with you."

It was on the tip of Justice's tongue to argue

that his apartment was far from a shithole, but he
held it in. He'd learned long ago that it didn't do

any good to argue with his brother. It only ended
with Craig either hitting him or verbally cutting him
down.

"You're right. I needed to take a break from all

my homework and stuff." Justice forced himself to
smile. "Thanks for bringing me."

"Just make sure you don't embarrass me."
Craig gave him a not so gentle punch on the

shoulder before walking back to his friends. Once
more alone, Justice busied himself by people
watching. Since he didn't have much else to do, it
seemed like the most entertaining way to pass
the time.

There were two beefy, dark-haired guys who

were interesting eye food--that was until they
started sucking face with the same girl.

Ew!

There

was no way they couldn't be exchanging all kinds
of interesting germs with that kind of tongue
action.

Then there were the three sorority sisters who

were sitting on the couch to the left of him. The
middle one sobbed loudly, while her two friends
patted her back in sympathy. Justice couldn't be
for sure, but it seemed that she'd been dumped

by some jerk named Randy. That was okay,
though, because Randy was

an idiot who had a

dick the size of a thumb with an IQ to match and
he couldn't find a G-spot even if he had Google
Maps and a GPS at his disposal.

Distracted by thoughts of poor Randy and his

misfortunate penis, Justice took a huge swig of
beer. As soon as the now warm liquid hit his
mouth, he cursed himself for being an idiot. He'd
never been able to handle beer on a good day, let
alone the cheap junk they were serving at the
party. His stomach rolled as he forced himself to
swallow. Even though he managed to get it down,
he couldn't hold back the full-body gag that
followed.

Bringing his hand to his mouth, he prayed that

nobody noticed his embarrassing moment. A soft
chuckle off to his right dashed all those hopes.
Horror danced in his chest as he jerked his head
in the direction of the noise. Then, when he got a
good look at the source, his heart began
pounding for a whole new reason.

Just five feet away, stood the most gorgeous

man Justice had ever seen. Tall, but thin, with

short, dark brown hair and a smile too sexy to be
legal, the guy had to be pure perfection. By far,
though, his best feature had to be his eyes. They
weren't just brown, they were deep, soulful, and
surrounded by thick, dark lashes. While he wore a
Central Michigan T-shirt and jeans like so many of
the other partygoers, on this guy it somehow
managed to look classy. So much so, that he
almost seemed as out of place at the kegger as
Justice.

Justice silently chastised himself as he looked

back down at his cup of beer.

Deep and soulful?

Most gorgeous man ever?

Damn, if Craig could

only hear his thoughts. There would be no end to
the ribbing and scathing comments. With good
reason, too. One of the many traits Justice had
picked up from their deceased mother had been
a streak of sappiness that he never had learned
to hide.

That still didn't stop him from glancing back up

at Mr. Yummy. His stomach flipped when he
noticed the other guy looking back, his face
showing mutual interest. Justice felt the corners of
his mouth kick up in his first genuine smile of the

evening. The dark-haired stranger returned it
before walking over.

"Hey, I'm Ashton," he said by way of greeting.
"Hi," Justice returned. When Ashton cocked a

brow in question, he hastened to add, "I'm
Justice."

Ashton moved in closer. Even over the stench

of beer and too many bodies pressed together,
Justice could detect the scent of sandalwood.
Though it'd never appealed to him before, at that
moment it sent a jolt of desire through his body.

"So, I take it you're not a fan of the beer?"

Ashton nodded to Justice's cup.

"I much prefer a cold Mike's Lemonade."
"I'll have to remember that."
"Why?"
"So I know what to order for you on our first

date." Ashton flashed a playful look.

Justice laughed. He couldn't believe such a

hot guy was actually flirting with him. What's more,
he was flirting back. That had to be a first. Usually
Justice stuck to the corners and rarely ventured
out to socialize at all.

"You seem pretty certain that I'm going to

agree to that plan," Justice countered as he took
a step forward.

His fingers itched to reach out and touch

Ashton. Even a light caress would have sufficed.
Just so long as he got to test how hard and warm
the other man's flesh felt. Justice clutched the cup
tighter in his hand to resist from giving in to his
urges.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me 'no'?"

Ashton asked.

Justice shook his head. "If I could, I'd suggest

that we bail from this party and take off now."

"What's holding you here?"
Justice felt himself blushing while he

shrugged. "I kind of promised my brother that I'd
stay for at least three hours."

"Was that the blond you were talking to a few

minutes ago?"

"Yeah, I know we don't look much alike."
"You're right. You are way better looking than

him." Ashton reached up and lightly brushed one
knuckle down Justice's chest.

Justice sucked in a breath.

Oh, my Lady

Gaga!

Once again, he thought he

had

to be

dreaming or something because guys like Ashton
didn't flirt with mousy dorks like him. He looked
down at the area of his chest that had just been
blessed enough to be touched by Ashton. The
skin still tingled from the caress.

"Funny, most people usually think it's the other

way around," Justice confessed.

Ashton leaned in and whispered in Justice's

ear, "Surprise. I'm not most people."

A shiver went down Justice's spine and

traveled to his cock. "No, you're not."

Justice set his cup of beer on a nearby table

because he'd started to tremble so badly he
worried he'd spill the stuff on him. The only thing
worse than drinking the junk was reeking of it.
Something he'd know from previous experience
when Craig and his friends thought it would be fun
to douse the "sissy boy."

Still keeping his lips inches from Justice's ear,

Ashton asked, "So, if you won't leave with me
now, at least have some mercy on me and give
me your phone number."

Somehow Justice's hands ended up on

Ashton's shoulders. His mind began to spin from

all the emotions colliding inside him, the two
biggest being arousal and shock. Arousal
because--Hello!--Ashton was sex bundled up in a
college T-shirt, and shock because Justice never
moved this fast before. His dates were few and
far between and never before had he touched, let
alone kissed, until at least one or two weeks of
knowing the other guy. Yet, as he found himself
pressing his body closer to Ashton, Justice knew
with a certainty that they'd be kissing within
seconds. Justice closed his eyes and began to
inch even closer.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Craig snarled.

Before Justice could react, his brother

grabbed him by the arm and jerked him away.
Justice opened his eyes and gasped as he
readied himself for yet another one of Craig's
verbal assaults. Instead, much to his surprise,
Craig shoved Justice behind him before turning
his fury onto Ashton.

"I don't know what kind of game you think

you're playing, but keep my brother out of it,"
Craig snapped, his face red with anger.

"Craig?" Justice wondered what in the hell

was going on. It's not like he already didn't know
that Justice was gay, so it couldn't be the fact that
he'd been getting up close and personal with
another man. So, he had no idea what had pissed
Craig off so much.

Ashton held his hands up in a peaceful

gesture. "We were just talking."

Craig snorted. "I'll bet. It's more likely that your

dad sent you out to screw with our family because
of our father."

"I'm sorry, I still don't understand," Ashton

replied calmly.

"You don't think I wouldn't recognize you as

Carter Garner's son?" Craig challenged.

Justice stomach dropped at the name. Carter

Garner ran the biggest illegal drug ring in the
state. The name was so sickeningly familiar
because he heard it every night at the dinner table
as his own father, a DA, railed about how he
couldn't wait to finally hang a conviction on the
criminal. To make matters even worse, the two
men had been involved in a very public battle of
words.

"What does that have to do with me talking to

Justice?" Ashton slowly shook his head.

Craig gave a bitter laugh. "As if you didn't

know that Justice is Lloyd Knowl's son."

Ashton blinked a few times, understanding

spreading over his face. "As in DA Knowl?"

His shocked tone seemed too real to be

faked and Justice found himself believing him.
That still didn't mean Justice felt any relief, not
with all the tension in the air. Given his brother's
volatile temper, he knew it was only a matter of
seconds before fists started flying. Justice felt
genuine fear that for once Craig's temper wasn't
aimed in his own direction. He realized he had to
somehow get Craig as far away from Ashton as
possible.

"Craig, let's just leave," Justice suggested

softly as he put a gentle hand on his brother's
arm.

That proved to be a huge mistake. Craig

hissed a curse, turned, and shoved Justice. Pain
shot through Justice's body as his back slammed
into the unforgiving wall.

To say all hell broke loose after that would

have been a tragic understatement. Several of the
partygoers "oohed"

while Ashton let out a few

choice curses of his own. "Don't you fucking treat
him that way."

Ashton lunged at Craig. At the last minute a

dark-haired guy reached out and held Ashton
back. Several frat brothers stepped forward. A
pair of them grabbed Craig by the arms, while
another took hold of Justice's wrist.

As they were being shown the front door,

Justice dared to shoot a glance back at Ashton.
The other man was still holding him, but all his
attention was directed at Justice. The look of hurt
and sadness stamped on Ashton's face cut into
Justice like a blade.

I'm sorry,

Justice mouthed right before he was

led out the door.

Chapter 2

Ashton had never felt so helpless as he

watched Justice walk away. He was torn between
wanting to run after him so they could continue
their conversation, and wanting to run after Craig
so he could punch the jerk.

"You can let me go now," he grumbled to his

cousin Bryce.

"Are you sure about that? If you get into a fight

and get arrested it's me your dad's going to
blame. Call me a coward, but I don't ever want to
get on Uncle Carter's bad side," Bryce replied
with his usual smooth, even tones.

Of course Bryce would be cool and unaffected

by all this. It took a lot to get the guy worked up, so
even nearly getting into it with the DA's oldest son
wouldn't be a bother.

Ashton shrugged off Bryce's hold and turned

to glare at the man. "I'm positive. Now let's get out
of here."

They left via the back door, lessening any

chance of him running into Craig and his buddies
on the way out. Ashton tried to tell himself not to
get too upset by the events of the past couple
minutes. After all, now that he had Justice's full
name, it shouldn't be too difficult to track down the
man.

Even then a warm feeling went over him as he

thought about Justice. How his dark brown hair
had looked just messy enough that it seemed to
be begging to be tamed. The way his face had
tipped up so trusting as his full lips pursed for a
kiss that never came. The man also had a hint of
vulnerability that called to Ashton--his soft gray
eyes were so full of innocence yet hinted of
weariness, too. Almost as if he expected
somebody to start yelling at him at any moment.

He climbed behind the wheel of his Jeep and

started the engine, barely waiting for Bryce to get
the passenger door shut. That finally managed to
ruffled Mr. Everything Is Always Okay's pants a
bit. He shot Ashton a disgruntled look.

"You're not going to stay pissy because you

almost got into a fight with Craig Knowl are you?"

"That's not what upsets me."
Ashton pulled out onto the road. He gripped

the steering wheel as he fought the urge to
release his anger with some good old-fashioned
speed. He restrained his reaction by reminding
himself that would almost certainly lead to him
getting a ticket. It seemed as if the entire police
force was on a lookout for his car and they were
just itching for an excuse to pull him over.

All because his last name was Garner. His

chest grew tight as he thought about the
unfairness of it all. He was nothing like his father.
Ashton had never so much as swiped a hotel
towel, yet the world still labeled him a thief, a
loser, a blight on the nice upstanding community.

"You want to talk about it?" Bryce urged in a

soothing voice.

"It doesn't matter what I do, they still hate me,"

Ashton spat. "I work two jobs to pay my way
through college, volunteer at the GLBT center,
and I've never once been in trouble with the
police. Yet, every time somebody finds out my last
name they instantly hate and fear me."

Ashton wanted to laugh at the sheer irony of it

all. He was the kind of guy that couldn't even stand
to kill a spider, even though they creeped the hell
out of him. Instead he'd put a glass over it until
Bryce came home and released it outside

"I don't know. Justice didn't seem to mind so

much. Even after he found out who your father
was, he kept giving you the eye," Bryce said.

"

The eye?"

Ashton echoed.

"You know, the

I want to get to know you a

whole lot better

eye."

Ashton shook his head in disgust, but a smile

threatened to break free. "I need you to talk to
Larry for me."

That got a second ruffled feather reaction from

Bryce. He cocked a brow and let out a low
whistle. "Why would you need the services of your
Dad's best hacker?"

"I want Justice's number and something tells

me DA Knowl wouldn't let that be public
information."

"You probably have a point there, but I have a

better idea."

"What?"
"Well, I've noticed Justice on campus before

tonight and he seemed pretty friendly with Paula
Chase."

"Who's Paula and how in the hell can she help

me get Justice's number?"

Bryce gave a knowing smile. "Paula just

happens to be close friends with Kiki."

Now it was Ashton who smiled. "Is this the

same Kiki who has a massive crush on you?"

"Yeah, and she'd do anything for me, including

asking Paula for a certain somebody's number."

For the first time since Craig's massive

cockblock, Ashton felt a thrill of excitement. "The
best part of all will be that we won't have to involve
any of my dad's employees."

"Yes, we both know how much you hate

asking him for anything."

"Well, wouldn't you? Thanks to him, my mother

is constantly trailed by police, my older brother is
in prison, and the entire town treats us like we're
trash," Ashton seethed.

"He does love you. Which is a whole hell of a

lot more than my dad ever did."

Ashton's heart went out to his cousin. "I'm sure

your dad cares about you, too. When's the last

time you saw him?"

"The day they sentenced him to life for killing

my mother. I've never gone to visit the bastard
and I never will. He can rot away for all I care."

Okay, so much for Bryce not being

unflappable because he was just throwing the
emotions around. It made Ashton feel a bit guilty
for whining over his own problems. If he and
Bryce were the huggy types, Ashton would have
pulled the car over to give his cousin a comforting
embrace. But one trait they'd both picked up from
their fathers had been an aversion to physical
affection

"Have you ever written him?" Ashton asked.
Bryce stared straight ahead, his jaw set hard.

"Nope. He's sent me a few letters, but I never
bothered to read them."

They rode in silence for a moment before

Bryce changed the subject. "Give me an hour,
tops, and I'll have Justice's phone number for you.
Just don't go to Larry. You don't need to be
indebted to that piece of slime. Even if you are
Carter's son, he'll make you pay some kind of
disgusting price."

Ashton glanced back over at his cousin,

touched that Bryce still worried over him. Then
again that'd been the way it'd always gone down.
While the rest of the world looked down and
sneered at them, the two of them stood together.

"Thanks, I owe you," Ashton replied simply.

Better than going all sappy and spewing what he
was really thinking. That would only lead to an
awkward,

getting in touch with our feelings

moment.

In their family that would just be tragic.

* * * *

When Justice opened the door to his

apartment, it didn't come as a surprise to find his
father waiting for him. That still didn't stop him
from freezing, hand on the handle, his mouth
opened like some cartoon character expressing
shock.

"Get in here and close the door," Lloyd

ordered in an overly cool tone.

The DA seemed so out of place in Justice's

run-down apartment. Dressed in an expensive
charcoal suit to match his carefully clipped gray
hair, he appeared almost uncomfortable to be

surrounded by piles of books and papers. To add
to the whole surreal feelings was that Lloyd sat in
the battered, recliner that Justice had rescued
from the curb two trash days ago.

When Justice still didn't move, Craig gave him

a not-so-gentle shove from behind. Once they
were inside, Craig shut the door behind him and
blocked it with his massive body. Okay, so it
looked as if this wasn't going to be a social visit.
Justice swallowed hard against the ball of fear
clogging his throat.

Lloyd stood, smoothing the wrinkles from his

suit in short jerky movements. Justice waited in
silence, knowing his father wouldn't speak until
he'd decided Justice had squirmed enough. True
to form, three excruciating minutes slowly ticked
by before Lloyd broke the silence.

"I just received a very disturbing phone call

from Craig."

Yeah, jackass, I was sitting right next to your

head prick when he made it

, Justice snarked

inside his head. Outwardly he lowered his eyes in
the show of perfect obedience. While he would
have loved nothing more than to fire a few choice

comments back, he knew that would only worsen
his punishment.

"Yes, sir," he mumbled, his heart pounding

with fear.

"I had to leave a meeting and come all the way

over here to deal with you. Do you think I have
time for these kinds of games?"

Wow, and you still managed to beat us here?

Damn, you must have been flying. I guess
there's nothing like having the threat of a gay
son scandal to get you moving.

"Sorry, sir," Justice replied, a cold sweat

breaking out over his body.

"Now what is this I hear about you talking to

Carter Garner's brat?"

"I didn't know that's who he was, I swear. He

seemed really nice," the words burst from
Justice's trap before he could censor them.

He flinched, but it was already too late. Lloyd

swung, the back of his hand connecting with
Justice's mouth with a loud smack. Justice
staggered, but managed to stay on his feet as
pain exploded over his face. He quickly
straightened, knowing that if he didn't Lloyd would

see it as a sign of weakness and strike out again.

He could feel a warm trickle of blood going

down his chin, the sensation sadly not unfamiliar.
Lloyd always loved to go for the face first. Unless
it was election time and then he kept his blows to
areas that could be covered up during photo
opportunities.

Justice longed to wipe it away, but he knew

that also was a no go. Years of experience had
told him how Lloyd expected this to play out and
any veering from the plan would not be tolerated.
So he kept his hands to his side as the blood ran
unchecked. It would probably end up getting on
his shirt, but he'd become a pro at getting
bloodstains out of clothes.

His father moved closer, his minty breath

fanning against Justice's cheek. It became too
much, with Craig behind. Justice began to feel
boxed in. While he fought it, panic clawed at his
chest. His breaths grew shallow and rapid, his
pulse quickening so much that he could hear it
thumping in ears.

"Please," Justice whispered.
He tried to take that single word back, but

once again he was too late. He earned two more
slaps, each one harder than the last. He tried to
back up, only to have Craig deliver a sharp punch
to his kidney.

Justice let out a cry of pain, this time

powerless to stop himself from falling to the
ground. More agony shot through his legs when
his knees slammed onto the cheap carpet.
Despite the additional hurt, he still tried to stagger
to his feet, but didn't move fast enough to avoid
Craig's foot. Just his luck, Craig loved to wear
steel-toed boots, a fact Justice's gut didn't
appreciate.

The kick knocked the wind from Justice. He

fell forward onto his elbows as he sucked in to no
avail. Tears filled his eyes and he hated himself
for showing that weakness on top of everything
else.

Lloyd reached down and grabbed Justice by

the hair, tugging hard so Justice had no choice
but to go back up on his knees. Lloyd continued
to pull, until Justice's head was tilted back and
they were locking gazes. A shiver went through
Justice as he saw the angry glint in Lloyd's

normally cool, blue eyes.

They remained that way for a moment, the only

sounds in the room Justice's wheezing breaths
and Craig's snickers. Finally Lloyd grunted in
disgust before he threw Justice away from him.

"If it weren't for the fact that you help me get

the liberal vote, I would have disowned you years
ago," Lloyd spat.

Justice sat up, his hand going to his stomach

in a protective gesture. He tried to apologize but
all that came out was another wheezing sound.

"If it weren't so close to another election year,

I'd toss you away now. Otherwise what use would I
have for a faggot son?" Lloyd continued.

The slur hurt ten times worse than any of the

blows. Justice closed his eyes and willed himself
to let it not affect him so much. How could it not,
though? Whatever happened to parents loving
their kids no matter what?

A dash of bitterness went through Justice.

Yeah, right. His dad had never cared for him. Not
even when he'd been little. So when Justice came
out of the closet, he'd all but nailed the coffin on
that relationship shut.

Lloyd smoothed out his suit once more before

threatening, "Don't let me hear about you talking
to that piece of trash again. If I do, you're not
going to like what happens."

Lloyd nodded to Craig to open the door and

they both left. Neither one of them bothering to
toss out a goodbye. Justice listened tensely to the
sounds of their departing footsteps. It wasn't until
he'd been certain they weren't coming back that
he allowed himself to sag in despair.

He brought his fingers to his lips, wincing as

he came into contact with the tender flesh. Damn,
looked as if he'd be sporting another split lip.
Going by the way his jaw ached, he'd have at
least one bruise to go along with it.

No sense sitting around and feeling sorry for

himself. Justice pushed himself to his feet and
staggered to the bathroom. He started a hot bath,
adding plenty of bubbles. Since he was feeling
down, he even allowed himself to use his most
expensive kind, so the room soon smelled like an
orange field.

While he waited for the bath to fill, he stripped

off his clothes, setting his cell phone on the sink

top. Then, even though he knew he wouldn't like
what he found, he forced himself to look into the
mirror.

Justice let out a soft groan as he tilted his face

side to side. It wasn't the worst his face had ever
looked, but he wouldn't be winning any modeling
contracts any time soon, either. One side of his
face was red, but he could still see a purple
bruise blossoming on his right cheekbone. As
expected, his bottom lip had grown nice and fat,
too. The blood had mostly dried on his face
making him look like an extra in a boxing movie.

God, how he wished he had the courage to

stand up to Craig and their father. Here Justice
was in college and living on his own, yet he
remained under his dad's rule more than ever.
Justice would do anything just to be able to go
somewhere where nobody knew him. Where he
wasn't

Craig's Queer Brother

o r

Lloyd Knowl's

Gay Son.

More than that, Justice just wanted to

be free from the beatings and verbal slurs from
his own damn family.

He let out a weary sigh. He may as well have

been wishing for rainbow tooting unicorns,

because he was never, ever going to be free of
his father. Lloyd would see to that. Justice made a
face of disgust at his own reflection before he
turned away and shut off the water.

As he stepped into the bath he hissed, both

from the pain from his injuries and because of the
hot temperature. He gingerly eased himself in,
knowing in the end the heat would soothe his
back and stomach. Sure enough as soon as he
eased in, some of the pain melted away.

A satisfied moan slipped past his battered

lips as he sat back and closed his eyes. While he
tried to keep his mind on other subjects, such as
classes and midterms, his brain had other ideas.
Despite the beating and his father's warning, all
Justice could think about was Ashton.

Justice couldn't help but wonder how things

would have gone differently if Craig hadn't
interrupted. If not for that, Justice felt quite certain
they would have at least kissed or, better yet,
gone home together. It'd been so long since
Justice had been with anyone, let alone someone
as hot as Ashton.

His cell phone chirped, alerting him that he

had a text message. Justice was tempted to
ignore it, but decided he better check to make
sure it wasn't from Craig. Picking it up, Justice
cocked his head to the side in confusion when he
didn't recognize the number. Opening the
message so he could read it all the way, Justice
stomach flipped in shock.

I hope you didn't get into too much trouble for

talking to me tonight.

Justice frowned as he debated what to do. His

father's warning echoed in his ears, yet all Justice
had at this point to identify the messenger was a
number. There was no name attached to the text.
So it wasn't like he was totally disobeying, he
reasoned. After all, he should make sure that the
texter even had the right number.

With trembling fingers he replied,

Who is this?

The answer came seconds later,

Ashton.

Fear strummed through Justice as he stared

at that name. At the same time a small dash of
excitement filled him. Wow, who would have
thought that an attractive guy like Ashton would
ever take the time to track down little ol' him?

Justice darted a look at the bathroom door,

almost as if he expected to see his father or
Craig standing there, ready to dish out some
punishment. When all he saw was his darkened
living room, Justice chided himself. He was being
crazy. There was no way that even somebody as
connected as his father could find out about a
simple text exchange.

So, did you get in trouble?

Ashton pressed.

Justice smiled as much as his swollen lip would
allow. It felt nice to have someone worry over him,
even if it were only via cell phone.

Don't worry, it wasn't anything I couldn't

handle,

Justice typed back.

Good, your brother seemed pretty angry.
He's always angry.

Justice should know, too,

since his stomach probably had a permanent
imprint of Craig's boot.

LOL. It sounds like some of my family

members.

Justice just bet it did. He knew from his father

that most of Ashton's family tree didn't exactly live
a tame life. He knew it would be rude to respond
that way so instead he typed,

How did you get my

number?

I have my ways :-P

Laughter burst from Justice at the funny face

at the end of Ashton sentence. So much for him
being an evil, criminal mastermind. Somehow
Justice didn't think most mobsters would finish a
message that way.

Oh, mysterious. I like that in a guy.

Justice

only hesitated a second before he shot back the
flirtatious reply.

So does that mean I get to see you again?

Justice let out a gasp of surprise. He couldn't

believe that even after the show Craig put on that
Ashton would ever want to speak to him, let alone
ask him out. Justice hesitated, torn. Part of him
wanted to see Ashton so bad that his body
hummed in anticipation. Yet another part of him
was terrified to go against his father's wishes.

Are you worried about what our fathers will

say?

Ashton asked, almost as if he could read

Justice's mind.

Aren't you?

Justice challenged. Somehow he

didn't think Ashton's father would be thrilled to find
out his kid was dating the son of his biggest
enemy.

Sure, but I still want to see you again. I think

you're worth the risk.

"Oh, my God," Justice whispered. Could

Ashton get any better?

At that moment he knew he had to see Ashton

again.

I think you're worth it, too,

Justice confessed.

So when will I get to see you again?

Justice only hesitated a second.

I'll be at the

library tomorrow around seven at night. Can you
meet me there?

Yes, I can hardly wait.

He hesitated, his eyes darting to the doorway

again. Even though his father didn't stand there,
his presence still loomed. If he were found out, the
ramifications would be huge. Then the small
flicker of defiance that'd always existed bloomed
to life.

Fuck Lloyd. Fuck Craig. Most of all, fuck their

demands. For the first time in his life, Justice was
going to go after something, consequences be
damned. He typed one final message into the
phone.

I can't wait, either.

Chapter 3

Ashton had to resist the urge to run as he

entered the library the next evening. All day he'd
been able to think of nothing else but being able
to see Justice again. Ashton didn't know how this
guy managed to get under his skin so quickly, but
for some reason, getting closer to Justice had
become number one on his to-do list.

The library was frigging huge. Not only that,

but there were three levels, so he had a lot of
ground to cover. Ashton rushed through, his gaze
scanning all the tables and down the rows of
bookshelves. He'd just about given up on the first
floor until he spotted Justice leaning over the
second story railing.

"Justice," Ashton called, his voice a little too

loud for the surroundings.

Several people jerked their heads in his

direction, but Ashton disregarded them. The only
one who mattered was Justice. There were even

a couple of shushes

tossed Ashton's way, but he

still didn't care. Not when he had Justice in his
sights.

Ashton grinned in excitement. Yes! He hadn't

lost his chance after all. Thanks to Bryce's
connections and that text conversation last night,
he had Justice within his grasp once again. This
time nobody, not even a million Craigs, were
going to get in his way.

Justice leaned over the railing and flashed a

smile before putting his finger to his lips. The
cutest blush spread out over his cheeks as he
darted timid glances at the other occupants. As
he had at the party, he wore casual clothes. A pair
of worn jeans molded his legs perfectly and he
had on a Columbus Blue Jackets sweatshirt.

"I was worried you wouldn't come," Ashton

said still not moving.

Some small part of him didn't want to let

Justice out of his sight, even long enough to go to
the stairs leading to the next level. It was irrational
and a bit crazy, but Ashton couldn't help it. It
seemed that ever since he'd first seen Justice his
mind remained locked on irrational, so why keep

fighting it?

"Well, I'm here so you can stop yelling,"

Justice replied in a loud stage whisper. He darted
another couple of glances side to side before
jerking his head to the stairs.

When Ashton still didn't move, Justice gave

another one of his heart-pounding grins. He then
slowly walked to the side, leading Ashton into the
right direction. The entire time he kept his gaze
locked on Ashton. Now that Justice guided the
way, Ashton couldn't stop his yap, however.

"You don't need to worry. Craig isn't here this

time."

"Yes, but there are plenty of others who could

tell," Justice hissed, although the smile remained
in place.

"They won't tell on us," Ashton replied. After

all, who could think of breaking up such a perfect
reunion?

They continued to move toward the stairs,

Ashton doing a somewhat awkward sideways
walk, while Justice ran a hand over the railing.
Several more people stopped to watch them, but
if Ashton wasn't mistaken, a few of them

appeared to be enjoying the show.

"How can you be so sure?" Justice cocked a

brow.

"Because nobody else cares about who our

families are. To them we're just another pair of
college kids who want to get to know each other
better."

"You mean a rose by any other name?"

Justice quipped, his lips twitching with repressed
laughter.

"Something like that, but this story is not going

to end in tragedy like that one did."

At least Ashton hoped it didn't, be that

physical or emotional. He already knew that
Justice had the power to break his heart. That
was a position Ashton had never allowed himself
to be in before.

"How can you be so sure?" Justice

challenged.

Yes, Ashton how could you be so certain?

An

inner voice chimed in.

Ashton reached the bottom of the stairs and

started to make his way up them. He had to go a
little slower than he would have liked, since he

couldn't tear his gaze from Justice, but it was a
small price to pay. Especially since Justice stood
there and waited for him, all the while looking at
Ashton as if he were the best thing ever.

"Because all good stories have a happy

ending," he replied, simply.

"And you think ours is going to be a good

story?"

"Of course I do. It's going to be the best one

ever."

All of Ashton's good humor faded once he

stood in front of Justice. Up close he could now
make out that Justice had a fat bottom lip and a
good-sized bruise on one cheek. Ashton grabbed
Justice by the hand and led him between a row
bookshelves. Since that particular one dealt with
heavy Russian literature, he felt pretty certain they
wouldn't be disturbed for at least a few minutes.

"Did Craig do this to you?" Ashton demanded

as he lightly ran the pad of his thumb over the
bruise.

"No, my father did."
"Because we were talking to each other?"
Justice nodded, another blush coming over

his face. "Yeah, he's pretty strict about who I hang
out with."

Guilt slammed into Ashton at the thought of

Justice being in any amount of pain on account of
him. Even though Ashton had always had a
protective streak, never before had it been this
strong. At that moment he wanted to pound on the
DA and Craig for harming Justice. Which just
shocked Ashton because he wasn't the violent
type at all.

"Let me guess, the son of Carter Garner is not

on his approved list."

"No." Justice gave a rueful smile as the flush

deepened over his cheeks, almost as if he was
shamed by his father's biased behavior.

"Yet, you still came today," Ashton's voice

hitched in shock.

Most of the guys he met usually shied away as

soon as they found out who Ashton was. The
knowledge that Justice not only didn't care about
that, but risked another beating to meet him
tugged at Ashton's chest. Why Justice obviously
saw so much in him when the rest of the world
found him lacking was a mystery to Ashton.

Damned if that would stop Ashton from grabbing
onto the opportunity and holding on tight, though.

"Yeah, I figured you were worth the risk,"

Justice said as he cast his gaze down shyly.

If Ashton hadn't already had it bad for Justice,

that admission would have done it for sure.
Ashton continued to rub his thumb over the injury,
furious that somebody would raise their hand to
such a sweet guy. Being as gentle as possible,
he nudged Justice's chin until he lifted his gaze.

"Does he hit you often?" Ashton asked,

getting lost in the other man's gray eyes.

Justice shrugged. "Only when I disappoint him

or make him mad."

Ashton would be willing to bet that happened

a lot. Yet, the press painted the DA as the good
guy, while demonizing Carter. That just took the
irony gold medal. While his dad may be many
things, he'd never once struck Ashton.

"I could kill him for hurting you," Ashton

whispered before he leaned forward and brushed
the softest of kisses against Justice's cheek.

"But you could never do that, because that's

not who you are," Justice whispered back.

Ashton jerked back, shock coursing through

his body. "You're so certain of that, even though
you know who my father is?"

Justice gave him a tender smile. "You're

nothing like him."

"How can you know that? We've just met each

other."

"I don't know. I just do," Justice said with a

sheepish shrug.

The blind faith coming from Justice floored

Ashton. He bent forward and delivered another
kiss, this time to Justice's battered lip. All the
while, he took extreme care to be as gentle as
possible. While Ashton yearned to really lay one
on Justice, he didn't want to hurt the man any
more.

"Let's get out of here," Ashton suggested.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Justice

hedged. "What if Craig spots us? The only reason
I suggested us meeting here is because I know
the last place he and any of his friends will be is
the library."

"I've already thought of that. Bryce is waiting

out back for us in his SUV. Its windows are tinted,

so nobody will be able to see us inside."

"Where will we be going?"
The way Justice's eyes softened, told Ashton

the guy was warming up to the idea. Good, now
he just had to make sure that their plan went
smoothly. That way Justice would continue to trust
him on future dates.

"There's this small restaurant my uncle owns a

few miles from here. He promised to let me use
the back dining room, so we'll have complete
privacy."

Justice hesitated for only a moment longer

before nodding his head. "Sure, it sounds like fun
and I missed dinner anyway."

"Great, let's get going," Ashton said.
He grabbed Justice's hand and led the way

down the stairs and to the back door. When
Justice simply accepted, even going so far as to
thread their fingers together, a heady thrill went
through Ashton.

They pushed through the door and walked

outside. As anticipated, Bryce sat behind the
wheel of his SUV. While the driver and front
passenger windows were clear, the ones in the

backseat were tinted. They were so dark there
was no way Craig or anybody else would be able
to spot Justice in the backseat. Ashton opened
the door and ushered Justice inside.

Ashton slid in after him, a thrill going through

him as their bodies briefly brushed against each
other. In the closed confines of the car he could
detect the crisp scent of the Justice's cologne.
While Ashton recognized it as a knockoff brand, it
didn't take away from its appeal. If anything, it
made him want to bury his nose in Justice's neck
so he could get a really good whiff. Since Ashton
didn't think that would be good first-date behavior,
he held back.

He caught Bryce's gaze in the rear-view

mirror, the snarky expression unmistakable even
in the glass. Ashton thought back to all the ribbing
he'd given over the years whenever his cousin
would "fall in love" with yet another top-heavy
blonde. He realized then that Bryce would be
giving him some payback.

"This is my cousin, Bryce," Ashton said, as he

shot Bryce a

be good or I will strangle you

glare.

When Bryce gave him a wicked smile in return

Ashton knew he was screwed.

Bryce turned and waved. "Hello, Justice, we

only met briefly last night, but Ashton has talked
about you so much I feel as if I've known you for
years."

Note to self: kill Bryce.

Ashton flashed Bryce a fake smile. "Can you

drive us to Uncle Terry's, please?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to

Mike's? It's a lot more fun."

"No, Terry's place will be just fine," Ashton

replied tightly.

"But Mike's has the best burgers in town and

the entertainment is so...well, entertaining."

Second note to self: kill Bryce in the most

painful way possible.

"I don't think his place is exactly date worthy,"

Ashton replied as he curled his hands against the
leather seat. The urge to wrap his fingers around
Bryce's neck grew strong. While he usually didn't
mind his cousin's teasing and smartass
comments, Ashton really wanted to impress
Justice.

"What kind of business does your Uncle Mike

own?" Justice asked, falling right into Bryce's
verbal trap.

Ashton groaned as he flashed an

I will get you

back for this

look at Bryce.

"A girly strip club," Bryce informed with a huge

grin.

Justice opened and closed his mouth a few

times. "Yeah, I think Ashton may have a point.
That really isn't my kind of place. Besides I don't
have any singles and the last time I went the girls
got cranky when I tried to shove quarters down
their G-strings."

Bryce blinked, for once stunned silent, no

doubt shocked to have his own medicine shoved
down his throat while Ashton howled with laughter.
Just when he thought it couldn't be possible,
Justice somehow had managed to surprise him
yet again.

Ashton once more met Bryce's gaze in the

rear-view mirror and wasn't surprised to see the
admiration flashing in his cousin's gaze.

"I think I see his appeal," Bryce admitted.
Ashton reached out to reclaim Justice's hand.

"Yeah, he's pretty great."

The adorable flush came over Justice's face

again. It was pretty obvious Justice hadn't been
on the receiving end of too many compliments.
"You keep talking like that and I'm going to get a
big head."

Bryce opened his mouth to fire off another

comment, but after exchanging looks with Ashton,
clamped his lips together. While Bryce may come
off as a bit slow sometimes, in fact he saw more
than most gave him credit for. So Ashton knew
that after taking in Justice's bruises and timid
nature that Bryce put two and two together and
came up with DA Knowl is an abusive ass.

Bryce turned the vehicle on, then pulled out

onto the road. The drive was short, so they made
mostly small talk the entire way. Justice
confessed to being an avid fan of the Blue
Jackets, so they bantered back and forth over
various NHL teams and their chances in the
upcoming season. The time passed quickly and
Ashton was surprised to see the familiar outline of
the restaurant. Bryce parked in the back, then got
out to make sure nobody was watching before he
came back over and opened the back door.

Justice cocked a brow. "With all this sneaking

around I'm beginning to feel like I'm a secret
agent man or something," he said as they
climbed out from the backseat. "Maybe I should
get some fancy clothes and change my name to
Austin."

"I promise no evil men are trying to feed us to

sharks with lasers on their heads. Although, they
may try to cryogenically freeze us," Ashton
quipped.

"Darn, that kind of adventure was on my

bucket list, too."

"Funny, all that's on mine is bungee jumping

and finally going on that Alaskan cruise."

Bryce kept his mouth shut, but he did roll his

eyes at their banter. He opened the door for them,
and as they entered the restaurant, Ashton
allowed himself to take comfort in the familiar
surroundings.

The restaurant had been in the family for

years, and even after his uncle had taken over,
nothing changed. Simple, yet classy with its wood
walls and plank flooring, the inside was always
dark no matter the time of day. Every table had

drippy, wax candles as a centerpiece and they
were always lit. Several photos taken over the
years dotted the walls and there was even a
picture of his uncle shaking hands with the last
Michigan governor.

Uncle Terry approached, his arms already

stretched out for a hug. Ashton returned the
embrace, his arms struggling to reach across
Terry's girth. His uncle liked to call himself a

bit

fluffy around the middle.

Most others would say

he was overweight. To Ashton, he was just simply
his favorite uncle.

As his father's youngest brother, Terry shared

a lot of the same traits. He had the trademark
Garner dark hair and eyes. Unlike Carter, Terry
possessed a gentle heart. He always had a kind
word and good advice. It was no wonder Ashton
felt closer to Terry than his own father.

Justice lingered behind, almost as if he

wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. His
shoved his hands into his pockets, shoulders
hunched as he studied his shoes. Ashton pulled
out of his uncle's embrace and took Justice's
hand.

"This is--"
Terry cut him off, "DA Knowl's youngest son,

Justice. I remember from all the newspaper
articles."

Ashton smiled, while Justice stiffened. The

reaction didn't come as a surprise. While Ashton
knew his uncle would never betray their trust,
Justice had never met the man before. Also,
Ashton had a sneaking suspicion that Justice
never had the luxury of being able to confide in
any family members.

"Don't worry. My uncle won't say anything,"

Ashton assured, giving Justice's hand a squeeze.

Gone was the Justice who'd been throwing

around teasing comments just moments before.
Instead, Ashton found himself confronted by
someone who looked two seconds away from
diving under the closest table and curling into a
fetal position. Ashton grinned, hoping to ease
some of the tension away, but failed miserably.
Justice gave a weak smile in return as he plucked
at the drawstrings of his sweatshirt. His eyes
were slightly wide and his fingers trembled just a
bit. His tongue darted out to lick his lip, only to

retreat when it passed over the injured area.
Ashton didn't know whether to hug the guy or offer
him some ice, since the wound looked like it still
smarted. Meanwhile he continued to dart glances
to both the front and rear door, almost as if he
expected a monster to pop through at any
moment, so he needed to measure the quickest
exit.

Damn, did Justice always have this lost,

kicked-too-many-times look about him? How
often did he walk around with fat lips and bruises?
Did he live every second of his life in fear of being
attacked? The thought that Justice might have to
constantly exist under a shield of hate made
Ashton want to hold the other guy in a tight
embrace, just so he could know that not the whole
world was so hard and cruel.

Ashton vowed at that moment that no matter

how long it took, he'd show Justice that life didn't
have to be about fear, degradation and cruelty.
Justice would come to learn that real families
cared about each other and didn't seek to harm
one another. Most of all, Ashton became
determined to make it so the smiling, joking

Justice who'd been out in the car, would become
a permanent fixture.

Chapter 4

All in all, Justice thought he was doing a great

job of not showing his nerves. While his heart
pounded like mad and a heavy dose of panic
screamed through his body, he maintained a
smile.

Ashton studied him closely for several

moments before giving his hand another
squeeze. "It's okay, Justice. You're safe here."

Shame flooded Justice as he realized that

maybe he hadn't been fooling anyone. Even
Ashton's uncle had a sympathetic look on his
face. The older man cleared his throat before
saying, "Come on, let me show you to your table."

Justice trailed after Ashton, but they continued

to hold hands. Despite the flurry of emotions
battling inside him, Justice found a bit of comfort
from that touch. Silly really, that something so
simple from somebody he just met should feel so
right, but it did. So much so, that when they

reached their table, Justice found himself
reluctant to let go.

He did though, sliding into the chair opposite

of Ashton. True to Ashton's promise, they were
the only ones in this area of the restaurant. If it
weren't for the dim sounds of conversation, doors
opening and silverware clinking against dishes,
Justice would think they had the whole place to
themselves.

He took the menu with a murmured thanks and

opened it, not really seeing the words inside.
Terry disappeared, so it left just Ashton and
Justice in the room. Justice tried to concentrate
on the menu, but failed miserably. Instead his
gaze kept drifting to Ashton.

Justice still couldn't understand what the guy

saw in some dorky loser like him. Ashton had
everything going for him. He was hot, rich and had
a great personality. The high-end blue sweater
and designer jeans probably cost more than
Justice's entire wardrobe combined. Plus, he
exuded confidence while Justice bumbled his way
through life. Moreover it looked as if Ashton's
family could actually stand to be around him.

Something Justice never experienced.

"Get whatever you want," Ashton urged.
"Huh?" Justice started, embarrassed at being

caught ogling.

"I said for you to order whatever you want,"

Ashton replied, a sexy, lopsided smile coming
over his handsome face.

Justice tilted his face downward, both to hide

the bruises and the heat coming over his cheeks.
God, what in the hell had ever possessed him to
agree to go out on an actual date? It would
probably take Ashton ten minutes tops to realize
what a lost cause he had on his hands. Justice
would be lucky if he didn't find himself taking a
taxi home. He nervously licked his lips, wincing in
pain as he was once again reminded of his split
lip.

"What's good here?" he asked.
"A lot of people love the steak, but my

personal favorite is the lasagna."

"Okay, then I'll go with that."
"Are you sure?"
"I trust you."
Ashton's smile faltered for moment as he

began to fiddle with his silverware. When the
silence stretched, Justice began to worry if he'd
said something wrong. An apology was forming
on his lips, when Ashton looked up and said,
"Nobody aside from Bryce has ever trusted me
with anything before, not even with something as
small as ordering a meal for them."

"Why not? Even though we've just met, I can

tell you're great."

Now it was Justice who glanced down as he

realized he'd come off as some kind of gushing
stalker.

"You're the only one who's ever thought that.

Most people turn their back on me once they hear
what my last name is."

Outraged, Justice looked back up. "Why the

hell would they do that? You're nothing like your
father."

A rueful smile twisted Ashton's lips. "How do

you know that?"

Justice paused as he fought for an answer. In

truth, he

really

couldn't, not since they'd just met

the night before. Yet, there was something inside
Justice that screamed he could trust Ashton, that

while he may share the same blood as his father,
they were cast from a different mold.

"Do you think I'm like Craig and my father?"

Justice challenged by way of answer.

Ashton slowly shook his head. "You're

everything they pretend to be."

A warm feeling pooled in Justice's gut at

those words. "And how do you know that?"

"Like you, I just have a feeling. Besides, I

asked around about you."

Justice cocked his head to the side. "Really?

Who did you ask?"

"Don't worry, I was very discreet about it. I

mostly talked to Paula Chase."

"Oh, no," Justice groaned. "I can only imagine

all the embarrassing stories she told you."

Best friends since junior high, Paula had seen

Justice at his best and worst. He had no doubt
she shared all of the stories from both categories.

A waiter came and took their order. Ashton

waited until he left before answering. "She said
that you were sweet, generous and too forgiving
for your own good."

"Don't let her fool you. She's only saying all

that stuff to get on my good side. She borrowed
my car last week and put a dent in it and she's
afraid that I'm still mad at her."

"Are you? Mad at her that is?"
The waiter came and delivered breadsticks

and salads, amazing Justice with the speed of
service. Must be one of the benefits of being the
nephew of the owner. Justice took a couple of
bites, being careful of his cut lip, before
answering, "No, she didn't mean it and I know
how bad she feels about the whole thing."

"So is your car at least drivable?"
"Yes and no. It's not severely damaged, but

my dad took if away from me for not taking better
care of it."

As soon as that admission slipped out,

Justice winced. The bruises already labeled him
a victim and he didn't want to add to it, by sharing
any more facts about his father's abuse. Justice
cleared his throat before abruptly changing the
subject, "This bread is awesome."

Ashton studied him for a few moments before

replying, "Thanks, it's the same recipe they've
been using for years."

"So are you going to go into the family

business after you graduate?" Justice's face
burned as he realized how that question could be
taken in the wrong way. "What I meant is, are you
going to work in the restaurant, not the other
thing."

"Don't worry. I have no aspirations of following

in my father's criminal footsteps," Ashton replied,
his voice strained.

Justice shocked himself by reaching across to

hold Ashton's hand. "I know. I'm sorry my question
came out so wrong. Whenever I get around
someone I get a bit clumsy at times."

Ashton curled their fingers together, his touch

warm and soft. Tingles of pleasure danced up
Justice's arm as he found his gaze transfixed on
the man's full lips. He wondered what it would be
like if they kissed. Not a light, barely there number
like in the library, but a real knock you on your ass
lip lock.

"So what are you majoring in?" Justice asked,

desperate to get his mind off his libido.

"Pre-med. How about you?"
"Law."

"Ah, I should have guessed. Just like your

father. He probably had that all planned out since
the day you were born and he named you
Justice."

Guilt swamped Justice. As always whenever

the topic of majors came up, he felt bad because
truth be told, his heart really wasn't in law. He just
forced himself to go through the motions to
please his father.

"Tell me, Justice, if you had your choice what

would you really want to major in?"

Shocked by how quickly Ashton saw through

him, Justice let out a small gasp. "I've always
wanted to get into social work."

Ashton gave a tiny smile as he rubbed the pad

of his thumb over Justice's knuckles. "Somehow
that doesn't surprise me. That line of work suits
you much better."

Justice gave a sad sigh. "It really doesn't

matter, since that option isn't open to me."

"It could be if you wanted."
A spark of anger went through Justice. "My

father doesn't like it when I argue with him. I'm
sure yours is the same way."

Ashton cocked a brow. "Why? Because he's a

criminal?"

"Kind of," Justice admitted before amending.

"With running an operation as big as his, I'm sure
he doesn't like to have to give an order more than
once."

"He may be that way with the people who work

under him, but never with me. He's always
encouraged me to make my own decisions and
has supported me throughout them."

God, how Justice would love to have that

freedom in his own life. "I wish I had a father like
that."

Ashton cocked a dark brow. "My father is the

suspect in no less than three murders and one of
my earliest memories is of him beating one of this
lackeys. Plus, I can't go anywhere without having
to worry about the local police harassing me, just
because I'm his son."

Justice

flushed,

horrified

over

his

thoughtlessness. "I'm sorry. There I go, putting my
size ten shoe in my mouth."

With a tender smile, Ashton reached over the

table and lightly ran his finger over Justice's

injured lip. "Don't worry about it. Even with all that,
something tells me that maybe I do have the
better of two evils."

"I just have a really bad habit of letting my own

down too much. It tends to make him angry,"
Justice replied.

Even with all the beatings and harsh

treatment, he still felt the need to come to his
father's defense. A habit he carried from
childhood, Justice felt hard pressed to break it.
Sure, the asshole may be a jerk, but wasn't family
supposed to stick together?

"Is your mother still in the picture?" Ashton

asked.

A pang of sadness stabbed Justice. "No, she

died when I was ten. It was a car accident. She
was coming home from work one night and a
drunk driver crossed over into her lane."

"I'm sorry to hear that."
"That's okay. It was a long time ago and they

say she went quick," Justice replied with forced
indifference.

The food arrived. Justice stared down at the

plate of hot, gooey lasagna as he gathered his

emotions together. Just thinking about his mother
set him on edge. Even after all the passing years,
he didn't know if he hated her for dying and
leaving him alone to face his father and Craig.
That left Justice with a heavy dose of self-hatred.
After all, what kind of jerk hates their mother for
being dead? That was just all kinds of twisted.

"I've seen pictures of your mother in the paper.

She looks really pretty," Justice said to change
the subject.

A fond grin crossed Ashton's lips. "She's

great. I wish you could meet her. She would really
love you."

"Given my last name, somehow I doubt that."
"She wouldn't judge you because of who your

family is."

Justice picked up his fork as he tried hard to

believe that. "How about your father? Would he
be so understanding?"

Ashton wrinkled his nose as he shook his

head. "Probably not. He really doesn't like the
DA."

"Yeah, my dad feels the same way about your

father," Justice admitted.

"Maybe they should try couples counseling or

something?"

Justice laughed, some of the tension leaving

his body as he pictured the image of his ultra-
conservative father lying on a red, leather couch
and pouring his heart out to some therapist.

"Somehow I don't think that would work for

them."

"You're probably right. My dad has never been

one of those

get in touch with your feelings

types.

He's more of a

do as I say or else

," Ashton

agreed.

Working purely on instinct, Justice's hand

came up to touch his lip. "Yeah, mine, too."

They ate, the silence broken up by small bouts

of unimportant conversation. When they finished
Ashton stood. When Justice did likewise, Ashton
reached out and pulled Justice into his arms.

Justice didn't fight it. If anything he melted into

the embrace, his head coming to rest on Ashton's
shoulder. For the first time in years, Justice felt
warm and protected. Most of all he felt totally at
ease, as nearly all his worries seemed to drift
away.

Justice finally confessed his biggest doubt. "I

don't get what you see in me."

Ashton put his arms down and pulled back

before he tucked a couple of fingers under
Justice's chin, nudging his head up, so their lips
were inches apart. "Funny, I was just about to say
the same thing to you."

Justice gaped at him, shocked to hear those

self-deprecating words coming from somebody
as near perfect as Ashton. "Just so you know, I'm
the one who's way out of his league here. In case
you haven't noticed, you're hot, nice and funny,
which makes you one hell of a catch."

"You really don't have any idea of your own

appeal." Ashton leaned forward, their mouths so
close together Justice could feel their breath
mingling.

"Are you going to kiss me?"

Duh, what do you think he's going to do?

Give you a demonstration on the new protocols
for the American Heart Association's CPR
Guidelines? Come on! For once get your act
together. Don't blow this before you even get on
first base.

"Stop thinking too hard," Ashton admonished

before adding, "And yes, I'm going to kiss you. I
just have to be gentle because I don't want to hurt
your injury."

"That's okay. I don't mind the hurt. That is, I'm

not a pain junkie or anything. I'm just used to it.
That is because of...well, you know," he
stammered, not wanting to voice aloud what his
bruises already screamed.

He cringed at his own verbal clumsiness, but

Ashton just smiled. "You're so cute when you don't
know what to say."

"Well, then I must be the poster child for

fucking

adorable

because

I'm

constantly

struggling to think of appropriate responses to
conversations," Justice shot back.

Ashton just gave a slight shake of his head,

like Justice's behavior was some new mystery to
be solved. He then closed the tiny bit of space left
between them and, ever so gently, pressed their
lips together.

Desire pounded through Justice as he felt the

warm glide of Ashton's tongue against his upper
lip. At the same moment he became vividly aware

of the hard press of Ashton's body as the man
snaked an arm out and hooked Justice by the
waist. The move made it so their chests slammed
together, but in a delicious way.

The kiss continued, soft little pecks that didn't

do nearly enough to tame the arousal flaring
inside Justice. He let out a whimper as his cock
filled, the urge to rock against Ashton's muscular
thigh just too much to resist. Ashton's free hand
slammed onto Justice's ass. At first Justice
thought it was to still his movements, but a gentle
squeeze soon let him know that Ashton only did it
to encourage his behavior.

Only when Justice tried to deepen the kiss did

Ashton pull back, tearing a sob of protest from
Justice. He flinched, wondering if his petulant
behavior would earn him Ashton's wrath. Or
worse yet, make it so Ashton didn't like him
anymore.

Much to his relief, Ashton merely smiled as he

gingerly caressed the bruises on Justice's face.
"We need to be careful or we'll rip the wound on
your lip open again."

"Sorry," Justice breathed as he reached up to

touch his mouth.

Ashton reached out and grabbed Justice's

hand, stilling the movement. "You have nothing to
be sorry for. If anybody should be apologizing, it's
me for losing control."

"I liked it when you lost control, though."
"Do you want me to take you back to the

library?" Ashton asked, his fingers shifting up to
lightly brush through the front of Justice's hair.

Justice silently shook his head, too afraid to

voice his true wishes.

"Would you rather Bryce and I drop you back

at your apartment?"

The air between them grew thick with sexual

tension. It felt as if an iron band were trying to
squeeze the crud out of him.

Breathe. Breathe.

Breathe. You can do this. It's not as if you're a
virgin or anything. So it shouldn't be so damn
difficult to ask him to have sex.

He licked his lips

and forced himself to take the risk.

"I want you to take me someplace more

private. A place where we can be alone. For the
whole night if you'd like," Justice rasped past his
dry throat.

Chapter 5

Ashton sucked in a breath of disbelief as a

fresh wave of desire shot through his body, before
centering on his cock. The thought that this
beautiful, gentle man was offering himself up so
freely when it was obviously something he didn't
do often, both humbled and turned Ashton on.

He cupped Justice's face. Ashton realized

he'd become touchy-feely as far as the other man
was concerned, but damned if he could stop
himself. All he had to do was look into Justice's
soft, gray eyes, smell that cologne, and Ashton
had the burning need to feel the warmth of
Justice's flesh. To know that if only for a brief time
he belonged to Ashton.

He leaned forward and pressed their lips

together in a soft kiss before pulling back and
saying, "My uncle owns a hotel that's just outside
of town."

"The same one who owns this place?'

"No."
Justice cocked his head to the side. "Not the

strip club owner?"

Ashton laughed. "No, my father comes from a

large family."

"They sound pretty close."
"Nah, they mostly can't stand the sight of each

other."

"Then why are you going to them for

anything?"

"Because, arguments or not, that's what family

is supposed to do for each other."

Going by the way Justice's brow creased

while his lips pressed together in a frown, that
comment confused him. It made Ashton want to
curse. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to
not have his family at his back.

He took Justice by the hand and led him to the

back door. On the way out he shouted a thanks to
his uncle, who returned it while shooting a
concerned glance in their direction. Ashton still
didn't worry about him exposing them to his
father. His uncle had always kept his confidence
in the past.

Bryce met them at the car and cocked a brow

questioningly. "Where to next?"

"Andy's," Ashton replied as he opened the

door for Justice.

He tensed, waiting for a glib response, but

Bryce merely nodded. Although the corners of his
lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile.

On the way to the hotel, Ashton had Bryce

stop at a drugstore so they could get some
supplies. While in the backseat they exchanged a
few kiss and caresses, they otherwise kept things
pretty PG. Once they arrived, Bryce parked in the
back lot.

"Wait right here and I'll get you a room key. I

called ahead so they should have everything
ready."

After he left, Justice stared at the large

building. His eyes were as wide as a Hummer's
hubcaps as he let out a low whistle. "You didn't tell
me he owned one of the fanciest hotels in
Michigan."

Ashton shrugged. Since he'd grown up going

to the place, he'd never thought of it that way. "Do
you want me to have Bryce take us somewhere

else?"

Justice shook his head. "I've always wanted to

come here, but my dad said no. He never gave us
a reason."

"Well, now you know. It's because of who

owns it. While most of my uncles run perfectly
legitimate businesses, they're still painted with the
same crap-coated brush."

Justice glanced at him. The expression of

tenderness and understanding was almost
Ashton's undoing. "That's not fair."

"No, it's not."
"I'm sorry they have to go through that. Just

like I hate that the same thing happens to you,"
Justice said as he grabbed Ashton's hand.

Bryce came back out and tapped on the

window. Ashton took a deep breath to collect his
nerves before he opened the door, then took the
key with a mumbled thanks. After saying
goodnight to Bryce, they went up to the second
floor and found their room.

As they entered, Justice walked slowly through

the suite, his gaze devouring the décor--high-end
wood furniture and fully stocked mini-bar. Ashton

smiled, pleased he was able to impress the other
man.

"I take it this is a little better than your

apartment?" Ashton teased lightly.

Justice tossed a grin over his shoulder. "Yeah,

that's a bit of an understatement. You're probably
used to all this."

"Actually my apartment probably isn't much

better than yours. I work two jobs so I can pay my
own way. I usually don't even ask my uncles for
favors like I did tonight."

"Where do you work?"
"At the campus bookstore, and I also pick up

some shifts at one of the pubs in the downtown
area."

"I can't believe we never ran into each other

before last night. I've been going to the campus
for nearly a year now."

"I guess I wasn't lucky until that party. I almost

didn't go to it, either," Ashton admitted as he slid
off his shoes.

Justice's gaze tracked the movement before a

grin came over his face as he did likewise. "I
work a couple of jobs, too."

"What do you do?"
Justice tugged off his sweatshirt, revealing a

plain, white tee underneath. "I wish I could say it
was something dramatic like I'm a rent boy or that
I'm selling myself for medical trials."

"And here I thought that's what every hungry

college student did. At least that's how it is in
books and movies."

Ashton moved in and ran one hand down

Justice's chest. A shiver went down his spine as
he felt, even through the material, the hardness
and warmth of Justice's flesh.

"I work at the movie theater and then I put

some hours in at a little mom-and-pop pet store."

"The one over on Main Street?"
They continued to strip while having the

mundane conversation. Ashton nearly swallowing
his tongue when Justice took off his tee and
revealed his chest. "I don't understand why you
would hide that hotness under all those layers."

Justice paused, fingers midway to his fly as

the most appealing blush covered his cheeks.
"I've been told I'm too thin."

"You're perfect. I'm just lucky nobody else has

noticed before I had the chance to meet you."

"Really?" Justice cocked his head to the side,

for the first time seeming to be ready to accept a
compliment.

"Really," Ashton replied as he took over the

job of unbuttoning Justice's jeans.

Ashton lowered both the pants and the

underwear before dropping to his knees before
Justice. He gave Justice's cock a few good, long
strokes before gazing up from under his lashes.
"Like I said, perfect."

Justice's breath hitched as his teeth worked

his bottom lip, a bit of blood welling from the
wound. The way his eyes darkened with passion
as a flush covered his cheeks, advertised he
wasn't feeling any pain, though.

There was so much Ashton wanted to do. So

many spots he wanted to lick, suck and bite. In the
end, Ashton decided to go for Justice's cock
since it was the most tempting of all. Giving
Justice one more heated look, Ashton dipped his
head forward and slowly ran his tongue over the
head of Justice's swollen dick. Justice jerked, a
sound somewhere between a sob and a whimper

coming from his parted lips. Ashton smiled to
himself. If one little lick got that big of a reaction,
he couldn't wait to hear some of the noises
Justice made when things got really good.

Ashton slowly ran one finger up the length of

Justice's cock, this time earning a low moan. A
pearl of pre-cum formed at the tip and the
temptation was too much to resist. Ashton licked
it clean, letting out a moan of his own at the brief,
salty taste.

Part of him wanted to suck Justice until he

came. His mouth watered for more than a drop.
He wanted Justice to fill his mouth. Ashton forced
himself back. He had many things he wanted to
do before Justice found his release. Most of all
Ashton wanted to drag the encounter out, so that
every moment counted.

He only allowed himself a few more licks

before he got to his feet. Moving in so their lips
were only inches apart, he deliberately paused.
Justice gave a soft whimper as he went in for a
kiss, but Ashton put a hand in the center on his
chest to stay him.

"Get the rest of your clothes off and get on the

bed," Ashton ordered.

Justice let out another frustrated sound, but he

obeyed, awkwardly hopping around as he lost his
shoes, socks, underwear and jeans. Ashton
smiled at the adorable picture Justice presented
before moving onto his own clothing.

"On your stomach," Ashton commanded when

Justice began to climb onto the bed.

Justice looked over his shoulder, his face

flushed with passion. Their gazes connected and
the sheer intensity of the emotions clashing
between them almost had Ashton coming on the
spot. Need, hunger, lust and maybe even a little
bit of confusion flickered through Justice's stormy
eyes. Ashton suspected he had the same
emotions playing in his.

Pausing to grab the bottle of lube and a

condom, Ashton climbed on the bed, straddling
Justice's hips. A frown came over Ashton's face
as he noted a dark bruise marring the lower right
side of Justice's back.

"Let me guess. Your father did this, too."
"No, that one came from Craig, although he

did it to impress my dad. For the past couple

years, they like to team up on me." Justice
glanced over his shoulder. "But I really don't want
to ruin this by talking about them right now."

Justice craned his head back for a kiss and

Ashton gladly complied, a long moan rumbling
from his chest at the taste of the other man. While
Ashton hadn't exactly been a slut in the past, he'd
still had his fair share of partners. None of them
could begin to compare to the sweet flavor of
Justice.

Ashton pressed up close, so his chest was

against Justice's back.

"Fuck, your skin feels so good pressed to

mine," Ashton breathed.

He fumbled with the bottle of lube, finally

managing to open it and squeeze the thick liquid
over his fingers. Giving the tip of Justice's ear a
kiss, Ashton said, "If any of this hurts make sure
to let me know."

Justice nodded, his breath hitching as

Ashton's fingers brushed against his opening.
While the need inside Ashton grew to almost
painful proportions, he forced himself to go slow.
This marked the first of what he hoped would be

many encounters, and he wanted to make it
perfect for Justice.

When Ashton finally slid one finger inside,

desire shot through him when he felt the tightness
of Justice's ass. It almost made him wonder if this
were Justice's first time. Given the bouts of
shyness, it wouldn't be a stretch of the
imagination to think that maybe Justice had never
been in any kind of relationship before, be it a
casual hook up or long-term.

"Justice, are you a virgin?" Ashton asked

gently, even as he continued to work his finger in.

That same cute blush covered Justice's

cheeks. "Kind of. I've never really had a chance to
get out much. Craig and Dad have always kept
me under a pretty tight rein."

The fact Justice was finally willing to risk

defying their order, mixed in with the fact that he
was choosing Ashton as his first, was both
humbling and a bit overwhelming.

Unable to voice the flurry of emotions swelling

in his chest, Ashton leaned down and kissed
Justice. At the same time, he slowly inched a
second finger inside Justice, all the while paying

close attention for any signs of discomfort from
the other man.

The blush remained, so Ashton sought out

some words to soothe away the embarrassment.
"That's okay, I like it that I'm going to be your first."

I'll be your last, too, if I have anything to say

about it.

He left that last part unspoken, not wanting to

spook Justice away. Instead he just licked a slow
lazy path down Justice's shoulder as he continued
to saw his fingers in and out. When Justice began
to let out low moans as he thrust back, Ashton
took that as permission to up the action a bit. He
curled his fingers so he could brush against
Justice's sweet spot.

"Holy cow on a cracker! What was that?"

Justice exclaimed, his eyes growing wide.

"Did you like it?" Ashton asked, doing it

again.

"Yeah!" Justice yelled, his back arching.
"Wait until it's my cock inside you doing that."
Justice let out a little whimper as one of his

hands shot out to fist the pillow. "I want it now."

"In a second. I want to make sure you're

stretched enough to take me."

"Oh God," Justice whimpered again.
Ashton added a third finger, once more curling

them to deliver a teasing pleasure. Justice yelled
out another cry of passion, this one tinged with an
edge of desperation.

"I really think I'm ready now."
When Ashton pulled his fingers out and moved

away, Justice let out a noise of dismay. Looking
over his shoulder, he demanded, "Where are you
going?"

With a smile, Ashton held up the condom. "I'm

just grabbing this."

Justice gave a weak chuckle. "Oh, right. Gotta

play it safe."

Ashton ripped it open and slid the condom

over his cock, making sure to add another layer of
lube. Going behind Justice again, Ashton put one
hand on the man's hip. "I'll go slow and easy."

Justice nodded, his teeth working his battered

bottom lip once more. A fine sheen of sweat built
up on his flank, making for a slippery grip. Ashton
tightened his hold while he used the other hand to
guide his dick to Justice's opening. Moving with

slow, deliberate movements, he pressed past the
tight ring of muscles.

Someone began chanting, "Oh God. Oh God.

Oh God. It's so good."

It took Ashton a few moments to work it out in

his lust hazed mind that it was him who was
babbling. He still couldn't stop himself. Justice felt
so hot, so tight, so damn right, that Ashton's mind
shut down to everything but the pleasure ripping
through his body.

The urge to thrust in fully became strong, but

Ashton held himself in check by reminding himself
yet again that he wanted this moment to be
perfect for Justice. So he stilled, giving Justice's
body time to get adjusted to the intrusion.

It wasn't until Justice let out a soft sight as his

body relaxed that Ashton began to slowly fuck
him. Justice let out a long groan, his head rolling
back onto Ashton's shoulder.

Ashton kept up the gentle pace, even after he

sensed that Justice could take more. He wanted
to savor every shiver of pleasure, every hitched
breath, every moan. Even when Ashton reached
around to begin stroking Justice's cock, he kept

the movements slow and measured.

That still didn't keep things from ending too

quickly. Justice let out a gasp as his cock jerked.
His erection pulsated, warm streams of semen
covering Ashton's hand. Before the last ripple of
pleasure had rolled over Justice, Ashton joined
him, an intense orgasm hitting him harder than a
blow from a MMA fighter.

An embarrassingly revealing shudder ripped

through Ashton as he buried his nose in the top of
Justice's head. As Ashton filled the condom, he
became lost in the slightly fruity scent of Justice's
hair.

Once they recovered, Justice pulled away.

Doubt and a bit of shyness flickered over his face
as he gazed down at the pillow. Ashton decided
that just wouldn't do. As long as Justice was in his
presence the man would only feel happiness and
acceptance. Reaching out, he trailed a finger up
and down Justice's shoulder.

"Stay with me tonight," Ashton suggested.
"You mean here at the hotel?"
"Yeah, we have the room until morning. Might

as well put it to good use."

Ashton could almost see the gears working in

Justice's head as he worked that offer over in his
mind. Finally he gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah, I think
I'd like that."

"Good, why don't we get a shower and then

we can have some more fun?"

This time there was no hesitation before

Justice nodded his agreement.

Chapter 6

Justice finished stocking the cat food, a smile

on his face despite the mundane task. He knew
he'd probably look goofy to anybody who entered
the store. After all, who frigging grins over a few
cans of Friskies? He couldn't help himself,
however. Ever since that first date with Ashton a
week ago, Justice hadn't been able to hold in his
happiness.

It wasn't as if anyone was around to see his

display of goofiness. Besides Justice, the store
was empty, the beautiful warm weather luring all
would-be shoppers away. So when the bell on the
front door dinged, it surprised him.

He rushed to the register to help, only to stop,

a wider smile spreading out over his face when
he found Ashton standing there, looking as hot as
ever. He wore a pair of faded jeans that hugged
his ass perfectly and short-sleeved, blue button up
shirt. He leaned to the side, his hip pressed

against the checkout counter, his hands in his
front pockets.

As always, Justice's breath hitched as he took

in the pure awesomeness of the other man. No
better yet,

his

man. Even though it'd only been a

week, Justice now fully accepted that Ashton's
feelings ran just as intense.

"What brings you here today? Did you

suddenly acquire a cat since I left you this
morning?" Justice teased.

They spent almost every night at the hotel,

always in the same room. During that short time,
they'd learned nearly everything about each other.
They'd also spent a good amount of time
exploring each other's bodies. As a result, Justice
now had every one of Ashton's erogenous zones
burned into his memory. A new skill he hoped to
put to use for a very long time.

Ashton's lips kicked up into such a lazy grin

that it made Justice glad he wore his ugly, green
work smock. Otherwise, the feeder rats in the
tank a few feet away would have known how
happy Justice felt at the moment.

"No cat, I promise you. I'm allergic," Ashton

replied in the same teasing tone.

Justice nodded over to another tank, this one

containing a gecko. "How about one of these little
guys, then? You can snuggle up with it every
night."

Ashton reached out and grabbed the front of

Justice's shirt, pulling him in close. "You're the
only one I want to snuggle."

Justice shot a glance through the large paned

window, worry slicing through him. While various
displays blocked most of the view, years of
paranoia still left him leery. Ashton brushed the
back of his knuckles against Justice's jawline.

"Easy, babe, it's just us, the rats, and the

gecko," Ashton soothed. "I even had my driver
park a couple of blocks away, so nobody passing
by will see my car out front."

The term of endearment set Justice's heart

pounding. Before he could worry himself out of it,
he leaned in and pressed their lips together. As
soon as the intoxicating taste of Ashton invaded
his sense, Justice's fears flew out the front door.
In fact, they became so caught up in the moment,
that Justice almost missed the sound of tires

crunching on the gravel of the parking lot.

Tearing himself away from the kiss, Justice

peered through the display items to peek outside.
His stomach seized in fear as he recognized his
brother's sports car.

"Shit, it's Craig. What is he doing here? He's

never shown up at my work before," Justice
hissed, his chest tightening in panic.

Ashton cupped Justice's cheek. "Calm down,

it'll be okay. I'll just hang out in the back of the
store until he leaves."

A full-on body tremble set in as Justice barely

repressed a whimper of fear. He hadn't been
exaggerating when he said his brother had never
visited the store before. In fact, Craig often made
condescending remarks about the place, calling it
dirty and disgusting. For him to show up now
spelled all kinds of bad news. Justice took
several deep breaths as he tried hard to calm his
racing heart. Even though he tried hard to hide it,
Justice knew his confusion and fear showed on
his face, which is not how he wanted Ashton to
see him. Ashton didn't appear to think less of him,
though. He just gave Justice a kiss, maybe to

reassure him, before he ducked out of sight.

Just as Ashton disappeared from view, the

front door opened. While earlier, the bell had
sounded so light and cheery, it now seemed to
have an ominous feel to it. Justice's heart sank
even farther when he spotted the angry glint in
Craig's eyes. Justice still forced himself to plaster
a smile on his face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Craig's answering smirk immediately let

Justice know he was in major trouble for
something. His chest constricted even tighter as
he fought to keep his breaths steady and even.
The last time he'd hyperventilated in his brother's
presence, it'd only made things worse.

"Dad called your apartment phone the past

two nights and you didn't answer," Craig
announced.

It took every bit of Justice's willpower to school

his features so they remained innocent. Damn, he
realized his dad would figure out that he'd been
going out a lot, but he hadn't imagined it'd be so
soon.

"It's the end of term. I've been putting in a ton

of extra hours at the library."

Craig leaned in closer, so his beer infused

breath brushed against Justice's cheek. Although
every instinct in Justice's body screamed for him
to back away and retreat, he forced himself to
stand still.

At the same moment, shame flooded him

because he knew there was no way Ashton
couldn't be hearing every word of the exchange. It
made Justice want to close his eyes and shrivel
up into a tiny ball.

"Do you honestly think I believe you?" Craig

asked, his voice so sharp Justice couldn't help
but jerk in reaction.

"Yes, I do," Justice whispered, a cold sweat

breaking out over his body.

"You've always been a piss-poor liar."
Crap, the situation had gone south fast. First

Craig showing up, when he'd obviously been
drinking, then him airing their family issues in
public. Both things he usually wouldn't dare do for
fear of infuriating their father. With each passing
second it became clearer that his brother was
getting out of control. Justice took in a steadying

breath as he willed Ashton to stay hidden. Justice
didn't even want to think about how ugly things
would get if his lover rushed to his aid.

"Please, don't do this." Justice didn't realize

he'd spoken aloud until his brother backhanded
him.

It was a quick strike, most likely because even

with the booze lowering his inhibitions, Craig
realized he was going too far. The blow still
managed to connect hard. Pain exploded in
Justice's head as his newly healed lip broke
open. As the blood trickled down his chin, a small
part of Justice yearned to rebel. He'd become
long weary of the same old game playing out,
especially since Craig seemed so intent on
upping the ante, and not in Justice's favor.

He then realized it would never end. No matter

how hard he tried, or how successful he became,
it'd never be enough for Craig or his father. So
why he continued to try so hard became a mystery
to Justice. He almost finally struck back, his hand
only being stayed because he didn't want things
to get that intense with Ashton so close.

Then Craig stepped forward. "It's times like

this I wish you'd been in that car with Mom the
night she died. That way I wouldn't have to deal
with you as an embarrassment."

Those hateful words made a wave of nausea

roll over Justice, but even then a huge part of his
thoughts remained focused on Ashton and the
fact that he could be discovered at any minute. If
he and Craig were to get into it, it wouldn't end
well for either side

* * * *

Ashton curled his fingers around the edge of

the shelf as he fought back a yell of anger. It
proved to be a near impossible task. With each
harshly spoken word directed at Justice, Ashton
felt his control slipping a bit more.

It didn't mark the first time Ashton had

witnessed violence or verbal abuse. While his
father tried to shield him from it, more than once
he'd seen the darker side of the family business.
No other incident had ever affected him this way,
though. It felt almost as if every slur and insult was
being delivered to him. No, worse, because it
was the man he cared about who was being hurt.

He wanted to rush forward and intervene and

deliver some pain of his own. He stayed back,
knowing it would only make things worse for
Justice. By the way the conversation had been
going,

Craig

only

suspected

Justice

of

something. Craig didn't know anything concrete.
So, the last thing Justice needed at that moment
was for Ashton to come to the rescue and
announce their forbidden relationship.

He still knew he had to do something. He just

couldn't sit there with his thumb up his nose while
his lover suffered. An idea sprang to his head and
he pulled his cell from his phone. Even though the
ramifications of his action would weigh heavily in
his own household, Ashton still didn't hesitate.

With shaking fingers he quickly typed out a

text to his driver, Baker, one of his father's newer
"employees."

I need your help. Come into the

store and just act like you need to buy
something. Whatever you do, don't mention my
name.

After he hit send, a tiny measure of hope

sparked in Justice. While Baker may be fresh, he
still seemed to have a pretty good brain in his
head. Hopefully he'd be able to pick up on the

situation once he walked in and figure out what
needed to be done.

The wait seemed to take forever. He became

so tense he jerked when Craig spoke, "Good
thing you're wearing a mask at the law
enforcement gala tonight. Otherwise, the papers
would have a field day about all the marks on your
face."

A low growl worked its way up Ashton's throat.

Here Justice was humiliated and probably
brokenhearted by some of the things that'd been
said and all Craig cared about was whether or not
a few journalists would see a bruise or two. It
made Ashton want to deal out a few blows of his
own to the bastard's smug face.

Thankfully the door opened, the bell tinkling,

reminding Ashton a bit of the sound that ended a
round of boxing. As hoped, Craig quickly took a
few steps back and plastered on a smile, acting
as if nothing more than a friendly exchange had
been going on.

"Is everything okay, here?" Baker asked, his

voice blessedly cool and even.

"Yes, I was just leaving," Craig replied.

Ashton could hear the sounds of footsteps

leaving before Craig added, "Justice, I'll see you
at the gala tonight. Your costume will be delivered
to your apartment later this afternoon."

The bell sounded again marking his

departure, but Ashton still waited a few moments.
Once he knew it was safe, he rushed out of
hiding. Justice leaned heavily against the counter,
one hand to his face. A thick trickle of blood ran
from his bottom lip, the trail going down his chin
and the front of his shirt.

"Shit," Ashton breathed.
He reached out with trembling fingers to touch

the wound, only to pull back when Justice let out a
hiss of pain. Baker studied the scene for a
moment, his flat gray-eyed gaze going back and
forth between Ashton and Justice.

Ashton knew the man was taking in everything

and pegging the situation. While Baker may look
the part of the thug, with his large muscles and
dark buzz cut, he also struck Ashton as damn
intelligent. In the end, all the man did was give a
slight nod.

"I'll go get the first aid kit from the car."

After he left, Justice stated, "You called him in

here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I couldn't figure out any other way to

make Craig stop hurting you."

"Aren't you worried about your dad finding out

about us?"

Ashton knew for a fact that Baker would be

giving a full report once he got back. While it
annoyed him, Ashton couldn't fault the man. He
had a job to do and one of them was to report any
threats against Ashton. Call him crazy, but he felt
pretty certain making nice with the enemy's son
would rank up high on the threat list.

"You let me worry about that," Ashton said as

he pulled Justice into a gentle embrace.

He just needed to hold the man. To know that,

if for at least that brief moment, he had Justice
under his protection. Justice tried to pull away, "I
don't want to get blood on your shirt."

Ashton cupped him by the back of the head

and brought him in for a proper hug. "Don't worry
about that, either."

It gave Ashton a small measure of relief when

Justice finally gave in and sagged into the

embrace. He even rested his cheek against
Ashton's shoulder as he let out a shuddering sigh.

"I so did not want you to have to witness that,"

Justice said.

"It's not your fault, so you have no reason to be

embarrassed. I just wished I'd been able to stop it
sooner."

"It's okay. I've had much worse."
That pissed Ashton off so much every muscle

in his body tensed. For the first time ever, he
understood the rages his father sometimes flew
into. At that moment, Ashton could have been
capable of just about any act due to his anger.

Justice shook his head. "I'm just shocked that

Craig did it here in public. One of the unspoken
rules in my dysfunctional functional family is that
we always keep our problems private. This is the
first time Craig ever hurt me outside of our house
or my apartment."

"He shoved you at the party," Ashton

reminded him.

Justice's face twisted up in a grimace of pain

and fear. "Yeah, I guess he did. He's been getting
worse lately."

"If I have anything to say about it, this will be

the last time you have to abused," he vowed
impulsively.

Justice gave him a crooked smile before he

used the back of his hand to wipe away some of
the blood. "I don't see how we can stop it. I've
been going through it ever since my mom was out
of the picture. I don't see it changing anytime
soon, either."

Ashton faltered as he realized Justice had a

point. The DA held an iron grip over his youngest
son's life and he wouldn't give up that control
without a fight. Unless they found a way to break
those chains, there was no way they could ever
have a life of their own.

Baker came back in with the first aid kit,

drawing Ashton from those troubling thoughts.
The bodyguard/driver came over and put the kit
down on the counter. As the man opened it,
Justice shot Ashton a questioning glance.

"Baker has his medic license," Ashton

explained with a shrug.

"So, how come he's with you today?" Justice

asked, the slightest hint of jealousy flavoring his

tone.

A thrill went through Ashton and, despite the

tense situation, he found himself biting back a
smile. It felt good to have somebody care about
him enough to get possessive.

"My dad had some issues with an old work

associate, so he decided to put a guard on me
for the next couple days," Ashton explained.

"And here I thought I was the only one with an

exciting life," Justice teased.

Baker took out a chemical ice pack and

shook it to activate it before placing it to Justice's
lip. "Here, this should help with the swelling."

"Yeah, wouldn't want my dad's cop buddies

seeing my face all bruised up," Justice drawled
as he took the ice pack.

"Given that you have that party tonight, I'm

surprised Craig hit you there at all," Ashton said.

"Me, too. Like he said, my mask should hide

most of it so long as I keep it on all night."

"I don't suppose there's any way you can get

out of going?"

Justice snorted. "I'd have a better chance of

growing pigtails and cat ears."

Baker laughed before he moved the ice pack

and gently palpated Justice's lip. When Justice
hissed in pain, the bodyguard shook his head. "I
don't think you need any stitches. You should still
have it looked at to make sure."

"I'll be okay. I've had--"
"Worse," Ashton finished dully.
His heart sank farther as he scrambled his

mind to find a way to protect his lover. All Ashton
came up with were more questions, none of which
he had the answers to.

* * * *

Later on that afternoon, Ashton sat in his

father's living room and pondered the numerous
problems rushing through his head. He lay back
on the leather couch and threw an arm over his
face, his gut clenching as he recalled the beating
and how helpless he felt to end Justice's suffering.

His father entered the room and took the chair

closest to the couch, but Ashton didn't say
anything. He understood that his father already
knew about the pet store incident, so it only made
sense that he'd come to talk about it.

"I'm not breaking things off with him, so you

can get that out of your head," Ashton declared,
still not moving his arm to uncover his face.

"What makes you think that I'd tell you to?" his

father countered.

Ashton finally moved and turned to look at his

dad. The older man wore his casual clothes,
which for him meant a pair of khakis and a dark
polo. Ashton couldn't recall a time where he'd
seen his father in jeans or a T-shirt. He even
styled

his

dark,

salt

and

pepper

hair

conservatively, looking more like a banker rather
than the head of the biggest drug operation in the
Midwest.

"Are you going to try and tell me that you're

happy I'm dating the DA's son?"

"I'm not going to lie and say I'm thrilled. If

Justice's father finds out, he'll come after you
hard."

Ashton rolled his eyes. "He already rides my

ass and not in a good way. I don't see how he can
make things worse for me."

"Trust me, son, he can and will once he finds

out about you two. Is that something you want to
risk?"

"Yes, I do," Ashton replied without a moment

of hesitation.

"How long have you known Justice?"
"A week."
"He must be pretty special for you to act this

impulsively."

Ashton waited for some sort of reprimand, or

perhaps some chiding over acting like some
dramatic drama king. Instead his father continued
to study Ashton as if seeing something new in his
son. Going by the wry smile on his face, his father
didn't find the fresh development lacking.

"What makes him so different from all the

other boys you've dated?"

"I care about him. More than anyone I've ever

dated before. In fact, in enough time I'm pretty
certain I could fall in love with him," Ashton replied
simply, surprising even himself by that admission.

His dad raised a brow, but didn't scoff at the

declaration. His stoic response once again
shocked Ashton. His conflict must have shown on
his face, because his father asked, "What were
you expecting, me to yell or maybe forbid you to
ever see him again?"

"Well...yeah, I was."
"Like I said earlier, I'm not happy about who

his father is, but if that's what you want, I'll do my
best to support you. Haven't I always encouraged
you to make your own decisions in life?"

Ashton paused as he thought that one over.

Perhaps it was due to a newfound maturity in
himself, or perhaps it came from watching the
way Justice suffered under his own father's
oppression. Whatever the reason, Ashton
realized for the first time just how much his dad
always supported him.

Ashton sat up and swung his legs over the

edge of the couch. Locking gazes with his father,
he said, "Thank you for once again being there for
me. I couldn't ask for a better father."

Dad's lips curled up into a smile that never

quite reached his eyes. His gaze grew troubled
and for the only time in Ashton's memory, he
noted a bit of regret in his father's expression.
Strangely, that tugged at Ashton's chest and
made him almost want to cry.

"There are a lot of people that would argue

with you about that one," Dad finally said, his

voice a bit gruff.

"That's because they don't know you as well

as I do."

"So, what are you going to do about Justice?"
Ashton rolled that over for a few minutes,

before the solution hit him. It would be the perfect
way for them to finally be together without the fear
of Justice being hurt again. The only catch was it
would require a huge sacrifice on both their parts,
plus it would be asking Justice to take a huge
leap of faith. Something that Ashton didn't know if
Justice would be ready for yet. While he now
realized his deep affection for Justice, there were
no guarantees that the other man would return the
feelings.

"I have an idea, but I'm going to need your

help," Ashton said.

"Anything, son, just name it."

Chapter 7

Justice let out a long-suffering sigh as he

adjusted the costume mask. It felt hot and itchy,
and, even worse, he knew he looked ridiculous in
the thing. He didn't dare say a word against the
monstrosity, though, since his father had been the
one to pick it out and send it to his apartment.

A bright yellow contraption, with a puffy shirt

and tight pants, he knew he looked more like Big
Bird, than sexy and mysterious. Which always had
been the image that came to him whenever he
thought of masquerade parties. The sexy part that
is, not the looking like a walking, living creature
from

Sesame Street.

He pulled at the itchy costume as he cast a

jaded glance over the crowded hotel ballroom.
While it was nice, it still didn't begin to compare to
the hotel where he and Ashton spent the night.
Then again, Justice didn't exactly see the local
law authorities holding any kind of party at a place

owned by any of Ashton's relations.

All of the people at the party were friends of

his father's, which meant they treated Justice as a
nuisance to be tolerated and nothing more. On
the other hand, they all treated Craig as if he were
some hometown hero or something. His brother
remained glued to their dad's side as they both
pandered to the group.

"God, have you ever seen a bigger collection

of suck-ups in your life?" an oddly familiar voice to
his right asked.

Justice turned and stared at a man in one of

the most outlandish costumes he'd ever seen.
Mostly gold, with some brief appearances of
white and black, the outfit looked like

Aladdin

m e e t s

Showgirls.

A white mask, with gold

accents completely obscured the man's face, and
a big feather-topped turban covered his head. It
still only took Justice a few moments to recognize
who it was.

"Oh, my God! Ashton, what are you doing

here?" Justice hissed, as he dodged a glance
from side to side.

"I had to see you."

"So, you decided to crash a police-sponsored

party. Are you crazy?"

Due to the mask, Justice couldn't see

Ashton's face, but a warm chuckle told him how
humorous the other man found the situation.
Justice put a hand over his own mostly clad face
as he let out a groan.

"You must be certifiably crazy. That can be the

only possible explanation."

"I've been accused of that more than once in

the past."

Justice peeked out from between his fingers.

"You do realize that you're going to be in a ton of
trouble if somebody discovers you're here?"

"After what happened to you earlier today, I

wanted to check up on you, plus we need to talk."

"You could have just texted me."
Despite himself, Justice couldn't help but feel

touched that Ashton willingly took such a big risk
just to see him. Justice darted a glance at his
father and brother, relief flowing through him when
he noted they were still hip deep in ass-kissing
mode. Then again, with the way things usually
went at these thing they wouldn't notice Justice for

the rest of the night period. So long as he kept to
the corner and didn't call attention to himself, he
may as well have been a lamp for all they cared.
So if he were to say...take off for some fun of his
own, they would never be the wiser.

He ran his tongue over his torn bottom lip as

he debated his next move. If Ashton could take a
risk, then the least Justice could do is return the
favor. Plus, hadn't he just that day realized that
he'd never get his father's approval? So why in
the hell should he keep trying so hard to please
the man?

No, more! At that moment, Justice realized he

needed to grow up and live life by his own terms
and rules. He didn't want to have to continue to
exist under a suffocating blanket of fear.

"Follow me," he whispered to Ashton.
Justice led him to an empty conference room.

After shutting the door behind them, Justice
carefully flipped the lock. Ashton slipped off his
mask and turban, then set them on the enormous
table, which occupied most of the room. While the
lights were off, the full moon shone through the
large widows. That made it so Justice could

make out each and every feature on the man he'd
grown to care for so deeply.

He only took his gaze off Ashton long enough

to take off his own mask and toss it to the side.
Ashton ran his tongue over his lips as he stared
back at Justice, the desire in the man's eyes was
unmistakable.

"You look so fucking hot right now," Ashton

finally said.

Justice laughed as he gestured to his outfit. "In

this? I look like a demented canary."

Ashton slowly walked forward until they were

only inches apart. "We really need to talk."

"Later. I want you to fuck me first."
It gave Justice some satisfaction to see the

look of pure shock crossing Ashton's face. "Right
here?"

"I would prefer if you bent me over the table,

but if you want to drop to the ground on this
specific spot, I won't argue. Just so long as I get
your cock in me."

Ashton blinked a few times. "Aren't you afraid

that we'll get caught? No offense, but before now
you were terrified for us to even be seen talking in

public. Now you want me to take you in the
conference room of a very busy hotel?"

Justice leaned forward for a wet, hot, open-

mouthed kiss that left them both breathless. It hurt
his lip a bit, but the pleasure was well worth it. Sill
keeping their mouths inches apart, Justice said,
"I'm done being afraid. Besides I care more about
you than I fear them."

One last brief flash of uncertainty passed

Ashton's gaze, so Justice decided to cheat a bit
so the other man saw things his way. Darting his
tongue out, he licked a lazy path along the outside
of Ashton's mouth. At the same time, Justice
reached down and rubbed Ashton's cock.

"At least part of you thinks this is a good

idea," Justice teased.

"Okay, but you have to promise that we'll talk

after."

Justice nodded as he continued to massage

Ashton's erection. "Anything. Just so long as you
fuck me first."

"Do you have any supplies on you?" Ashton

asked with a crooked smile.

Dismay shot through Justice as he froze.

"Crap. I didn't expect to run into you here, so I
don't have anything on me."

Ashton chuckled before he gave Justice's

nose a kiss. "Don't worry, I was only teasing you. I
have some stuff in my pockets."

Justice laughed, his hand fumbling with the

ties to Ashton's pants. "You had me scared there
for a minute."

The laces on Ashton's costume bottoms

proved difficult, but Justice managed to get them
undone. Once the flaps were open, Justice
dropped to his knees. Pulling out Ashton's cock,
Justice ran his tongue up the length, a low moan
coming from his throat.

"Damn, you taste so delicious," he crooned.
He paused a moment to swirl his tongue along

the crown, collecting a smear of pre-cum before
he parted his lips and slowly sucked all of
Ashton's length in. Ashton let out a shuddering
cry, his hands shooting out to fist into Justice's
hair.

"Shit, you're getting good at this," Ashton

praised as his hips snapped forward.

Justice anticipated the move, so he opened

his throat and fought his gag reflex. Ashton's
answering groan was his reward. Justice began
to bob his head up and down, alternating the
strength of his suction. He wanted this to be the
best blow job in Ashton's life. To wipe away the
memory of any other encounter he may have had
before they met.

All too soon Ashton gently pulled Justice

away. Justice let out a small whimper of distress
as Ashton's cock slipped from his lips.

"I was just getting started," Justice protested.
"If I don't get inside you soon, I'm going to

jump from my skin," Ashton explained.

"I guess I can give up your cock for that,"

Justice quipped as he stood and began to unzip
his pants.

As soon as he'd finished, Ashton grabbed him

by the shoulders, spun him around and bent him
over the table. All the air left Justice's lungs in one
surprised

o o m p h

as he felt his pants and

underwear being roughly lowered. Soon the
sensation of a warm tongue rimming him
followed.

"I thought you were going to fuck me?" Justice

protested, even as he thrust back against
Ashton's mouth.

"Soon, babe. I just want to make sure you're

ready to take me."

Since that sounded like a damn good plan to

Justice, he allowed himself to relax against the
table and give in to the pleasure Ashton insisted
on gifting him with. Soon, one finger, followed by
another joined the mix, filling his ass and
stretching him. Justice continued to gasp and
moan his way through it, even when the cool slick
of lube entered into the play.

Finally, the welcome sound of the condom

wrapper being opened filled his ears before
Ashton stood. He tensed, waiting for the press of
Ashton's cock, but it didn't come. After a moment,
Justice began to worry he'd done something
wrong.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, anxiety

creeping into his chest.

Ashton smoothed a hand down Justice's

back. "Yes, I was just thinking about how beautiful
you are and how much you mean to me."

Justice's heart stuttered at the raw emotion

layering Ashton's voice. Justice glanced over his
shoulder, his gaze immediately finding and
locking with Ashton. As crazy at it sounded,
Justice realized that he'd never be the same
again--that

they'd

never be the same.

"You mean a lot to me, too," Justice

confessed.

His chest tightened a bit at giving so much

power to somebody else. By confessing his
feelings to Ashton, Justice now gave the man a
powerful weapon should he ever want to hurt him.

"I hope you really mean that," Ashton said.
"Of course I do. I--"
Justice's reply was cut off with a gasp as

Ashton finally pressed inside him. Then Justice
forgot about all other worries aside from the
wonderful sensation of Ashton filling and
stretching him.

"That's it, just like that," Justice hissed as he

pressed back against Ashton.

Ashton bent over and nipped Justice's

earlobe. "I would do anything to protect you."

After making that declaration, Ashton began

to make love to Justice. They moved together in

fast, sharp snaps, the fear of discovery not
allowing any time for lingering. Ashton gripped
Justice's hips in a tight hold. Since Justice didn't
want to lose that bite of pain, he reached around
and began to stroke his own cock.

Even with the stress of being caught, Justice's

orgasm came too quick. He bit his bottom lip,
hoping the hurt would hold it back, but he lost the
fight. His cock jerked, right before warm fluid
covered his fingers.

Ashton's muffled whimper marked that he'd

come, too, his grip somehow managing to grow
even tighter. Justice knew he'd relish those sets
of bruises, just as he had the last.

Ashton gave the nape of Justice's neck a kiss,

before they pulled apart and cleaned up as best
they could in the small adjoining bathroom. Once
they were done they pulled out two chairs and sat
opposite of each other.

The seriousness of Ashton's expression set

Justice's body trembling, only this time the
reaction came from nerves. Justice ran a hand
nervously through his hair as he began to tap his
foot nervously.

"What's going on? You're scaring me," he

admitted.

Ashton reached out and took Justice's hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It's just that
what I want to ask you is big and I don't want to
blow things by flubbing it up."

"Just say it."
"My father knows about us," Ashton blurted.
Panicked, Justice let out a small gasp. "Is he

pissed?"

"No. I'm not going to lie and say he was

exactly thrilled about who your father is, but once
he realized you're the most important thing in my
life, my dad supported us."

Justice shook his head. "What did you just

say?"

"That he supported us."
"Not that. What you said right before that part."
Ashton gazed up from under his lashes. "That

you're the most important thing in my life."

A bubble of hysteria clogged Justice's chest.

"Just like that? After one week?"

"Well, we did say we were like that other

famous story. They fell in love at first sight, so why

can't we have strong feelings about each other,
too?"

"But our story won't end up the same way,"

Justice replied weakly, echoing their conversation
from the library.

"I know I'm probably moving too fast for you.

Hell, at times it feels like it's too fast for me, but I
can't deny my feelings."

"I care about you, too. Much more than I know I

should since this relationship is so new," Justice
replied, his voice full of wonder because he'd just
realized that fact for himself.

Ashton gave a relieved laugh before he

kissed Justice. Once they broke apart Ashton
delivered another bombshell. "I want you to run
away with me."

Justice jerked back in shock. "What? Are you

crazy?"

"I don't want to see your father hurt you

anymore. The only way we can make sure that
happens is for us to go someplace where he can
never find us."

"But, how could we manage that? I don't know

about you, but I only have fourteen bucks in my

bank account and even that's a wash since I have
a twenty-five dollar check pending."

"My dad has agreed to help us. He'll help us

find a new place, obtain new identities, and get us
started at a new school."

"Why would he agree to do that for me?"
"Because he knows how much you mean to

me." Ashton gave Justice's hand a tight squeeze.

"But, I thought you hated taking any handouts

from him. That's why you've been working two
jobs."

"Keeping you safe is more important than my

stubbornness."

Justice swallowed hard as his eyes filled with

tears. Damn it! He never cried. Not when his
father berated him. Not when Craig beat him. Yet,
here he was ready to break down. He couldn't
help the emotions raging through him, though.
Never before had he even dreamed that he'd find
anyone who cared for him, let alone someone as
wonderful as Ashton.

"What about your family? Won't you miss

them? I know how close you and Bryce are."
Justice felt compelled to point out.

"Sure, I'll miss them, but it's a price I'm willing

to pay." Ashton scooted closer until their knees
touched. His expression grew earnest and almost
pleading. "So, what do you say? Will you come
with me?"

Justice found himself shaking his head before

his mind even registered that he'd be turning
down the offer. "I can't."

Ashton's face fell. "Why not? I thought you said

you cared about me."

"And that's why I can't do it. I won't allow you to

give up everything just so I can run away. It'd
make me a coward and something tells me that in
the end you'd lose respect for me if I became that
way. Hell,

I

would lose respect for myself."

"I wouldn't think any less of you. All I care

about is you never being abused again. I can't
continue to stand by and watch them hurt you.
This is the only way I can think of to make it end."

Justice reached forward and cupped Ashton's

face. "It will end, because I'm going to do
something I should have done ages ago. I'm
going to stand up to them. I'm a grown man and
it's time they accepted that and let me make my

own choices in life."

"I don't see them just simply agreeing to that."
"Oh, I'm sure they'll fight it. It's going to be a

struggle, but for once I'm going to be more
determined than they are."

Ashton shook his head, his gaze troubled.

"What made you decide to do this now? This is a
huge risk you're taking."

"Yeah, but if it makes it so we can be happy in

the end, then it's worth it." Justice fanned the pad
of his thumb over Ashton's cheek.

Ashton still didn't look too certain, going by the

doubt lingering in his eyes. "So, how are you
going to start your great big quest for
independence?"

"First off, I'm done hiding our relationship.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to my dad and I'm
telling him about us."

"He's going to flip when he finds out."
Justice shrugged. "Probably, but I'm done

being afraid of him. I've been doing it for way too
long. That's no way to live."

"I'm going with you."
"I don't know if that would be such a good

idea," Justice hedged. Putting himself in danger
was one thing, but he didn't want to see his lover
harmed.

"I don't care. I'm not letting you go see that

bastard unless you have some backup. I'll see if
Bryce will come along, too."

Justice cocked a brow. "And what happens if

my dad sees that as a threat and has us all
arrested?"

"My dad will bail us out and get us one of the

best lawyers in the state." Ashton gave a wicked
grin.

Justice sighed, knowing he wouldn't win the

argument. Truth be told, had the situation been
reversed, he'd probably make the same demand.
"Okay, but only if you promise to get me out of
here. I can't stand one more second of watching
Dad and Craig's pandering."

"Deal. I should warn you about one thing,

though."

Ashton nibbled his bottom lip in an anxious

gesture. Since it was usually Justice who made
that kind of gesture, his gut gave a nervous jump.

"What?"

"My dad wants to meet you."
"Are you sure he'll still want to? Even though

we're not running away anymore?"

"Yeah." Ashton lowered his head. "Unless, of

course, you don't want to. I wouldn't blame you for
not wanting to associate with a known criminal."

Justice swallowed hard. Meeting the parents

of one's lover was never fun to begin with. Add in
the fact that said parent was a murder suspect,
with a known hair-trigger temper, and it made
things downright scary. Still, he knew he couldn't
let Ashton down.

"Sure we can go see him tonight. Just let me

dash home first and change. I refuse to be
dressed like a giant yellow bird the first time I
meet him."

He took in a deep breath. He only hoped he

made a good impression on the guy, because
Justice didn't even want to contemplate what
Ashton's father did to guys he didn't like.

Chapter 8

After Ashton and Justice left the party, they

separated briefly so they could change out of their
costumes. Once he'd gotten back to his
apartment and dressed in a pair of jeans and
sweatshirt, Ashton updated Bryce on the change
of plans. He then hurried to pick Justice up, so
they could go to Ashton's father's home. Bryce
insisted on driving Ashton to Justice's apartment
and Ashton didn't argue, knowing that if Craig or
the DA showed up, they could use the extra
muscle. Plus, he'd already ticked his dad off
earlier by ditching Baker. Maybe if Ashton took
some initiative by bringing his own protection, it
would soothe the situation some.

They pulled up to Justice's apartment, Bryce

pulling a face as his gaze cast over the run-down
building. "What in the hell is the son of the DA
doing living in this dump?"

"Justice's father didn't believe in giving his

youngest son any financial assistance," Ashton
said, even as a wave of anger hit him, too.

Damn, Justice probably lived amongst the

very criminals his father helped lock up. It was a
flagrant display of how little the DA cared about
Justice's safety and something Ashton's dad
would never consider doing.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but my dad

doesn't look half bad compared to the asshole
Justice got stuck with," Bryce snorted as he
parked.

They got out just as Justice came outside.

He'd changed into a pair of jeans and his favorite
Blue Jackets shirt. Even though he knew it was
sappy, a warm feeling went through Ashton as he
recalled how Justice had worn that outfit on their
first date. Anxious to get to his lover, Ashton
barely took time to put the car in park before he
rushed out and put his arms around Justice.

They shared a long, deep kiss that probably

went on way too long going by the number of
times Bryce pointedly cleared his throat. Justice
pulled back, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Hi, Bryce."

"Hey, Justice. I heard that your costume was

smoking. You should have left it on for when you
met my uncle. I'll bet he would have loved it."

Ashton knew Bryce's comments were an

attempt to calm Justice's nerves. It worked.
Justice let out a soft laugh as they started to walk
back to the car.

They were just opening the doors, when a

dark blue sports car pulled up with a screeching
halt. Justice grew pale and his eyes widened in
fear. "Shit, it's Craig. They must have noticed I left
the party."

Craig and one of his friends jumped from the

car and rushed toward them. Both still wore their
costumes, showing they had indeed left right from
the event.

"You stupid, little fuck. You just couldn't leave

well enough alone," Craig yelled at Justice.

Ashton shoved Justice behind him and faced

off against Craig. "I'm warning you now, Craig.
Leave him alone."

Craig and his buddy laughed. "Or what? You'll

do something about it?"

"I don't want to fight you, but I will if you try to

hurt Justice."

"Justice is leaving with me right now," Craig

declared.

"No, I'm not," Justice spoke up.
A stunned silence fell over the group as Craig

blinked a few times, his mouth dumbly hanging
open. Ashton bit back a smile at the jerk's
reaction. He was willing to bet Craig had never
dreamed that Justice would stand up to him. If the
situation hadn't already been so tense, Ashton
would have started to applaud.

Justice stepped around Ashton and locked

gazes with this brother. The fear that normally
lurked in Justice was absent, replaced with a grim
determination.

"I'm going to be with Ashton and I don't care

what you or dad say about it. While you may think
that you're so much better than Ashton and his
family, you couldn't be more wrong."

"What do you mean? They're nothing but a

family full of thugs," Craig seethed.

"At least they love each other, which is more

than I can say for you and Dad. The only ones you
love are yourselves. Well, you can have each

other, because I'm done being your punching
bag."

When Justice turned to go to the car, Craig

lunged forward. He pulled up short when both
Ashton and Bryce moved in closer. "You can't
leave. You need to get your ass back to that party
before you really get into trouble."

Justice paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Yes, I can leave. I don't answer to you anymore. If
you ever want to have a real relationship with me
that's free of your abuse, then call. Otherwise, I
never want to see you again. Goodbye."

Ashton tensed as he waited for Craig to

attack, but the coward kept his fists to himself for
once. No doubt because the odds weren't in his
favor. He had to know that if he got aggressive,
Ashton and Bryce would intervene and he'd come
out the loser.

Without another backward glance, Justice

climbed into Bryce's car. Ashton gave Craig a
mock wave, then got in beside Justice. No sooner
had Ashton closed the door than Justice launched
himself into Ashton's arms. Ashton held him tight
before placing a kiss on the top of his head.

"I'm so proud of you."
Justice craned his head up. "You are?"
"Yes, it took a lot of guts to do what you just

did."

"I should have done it a long time ago."
Ashton tapped him on the nose. "Don't waste

any more time on regrets. Just think of the happy
future we'll have together once this is all behind
us."

* * * *

Justice rested his cheek against Ashton's

chest and kept it there for the duration of the trip.
He knew he should at least make some attempt
at conversation, but his mind whirled with so many
emotions he could barely think straight.

He couldn't believe he'd finally stood up to

Craig. While the repercussions of that action
terrified Justice, it also sent a thrill of excitement
through him. For the first time, he felt hopeful
about his future. Sure he knew things would get
worse before they got better, but he now knew he
held the strength to take on the challenges.

"Are you nervous about meeting my father?"

Ashton asked.

"A little bit." Justice wasn't about to admit that

the prospect of soon being face-to-face with
Michigan's number one criminal scared the piss
out of him. Ashton already felt self-conscious
enough about his family. Justice was damned if
he'd let his own anxiety add to it.

They drove up to a set of gates. A man

standing off to one side of them nodded before
pressing a button to open them, allowing the car
to pull in. As they drove by the guard, Justice
couldn't help but notice the telltale bulge under his
coat that indicated he was armed.

Justice glanced up at the huge home, stunned

by the sheer size and wealth on display. White,
with long pillars and a circular drive, it looked like
someplace Paris Hilton or the Trumps should be
living in. There was even a large fountain that had
a spitting cherub in the center of it.

As they got out of the car, Justice still stared at

the home, trying to imagine Ashton growing up
there. Somehow, the opulence didn't seem to go
with the laid-back, humble guy.

Ashton grabbed Justice's hand and led him up

the marble steps to the front door. Along the way

they passed more armed men, all of which
nodded respectively to Ashton. Justice tried hard
not to stare at them, not wanting to come off as
some naive gawker.

The inside appeared much richer than the

outside. All the floors were highly polished marble
and a huge double staircase led upstairs. A large
chandelier added to the whole upper-class look.

Justice glanced down at his battered tennis

shoes, wondering if he should take them off
before he left scuff marks on the nice floor. Ashton
saved him from his inner dilemma by giving his
hand a tug.

"Come on, I'll show you to the living room, then

I'll go find my dad."

Ashton dragged Justice to a room that had

dark wood shelves lining three of the walls. All of
them were full of leather bound books that just
seemed to be begging to be read. A large black
couch sat in the center of the room. Justice sank
into it, his stomach a mess of fluttery nerves. He
still made himself smile at Ashton as he left.

Once alone, Justice found he couldn't stay

sitting, so he got up and began to study the titles

of the books. It came as a pleasant surprise to
see some of his favorite books there. When he
spotted

Romeo and Juliet

,

a genuine grin came

to his face. He made a mental note to reread that
story as soon as possible.

The door opened and Justice spun around.

He'd expected Ashton, so when he found a
conservatively dressed older man standing there,
Justice was hard pressed to hide his shock. His
heart pounded when he quickly recognized the
man as Carter Garner.

"Hi, Ashton just went to find you...what I mean

is I'm Justice...uh, Ashton said you wanted to
meet me."

Justice briefly closed his eyes, horrified at his

stammering introduction. That was so not how he
wanted their first conversation to go. Mr. Garner
would probably shoot him in order to save his son
from the bumbling idiot.

"Sit down," Mr. Garner said, his cool voice

revealing nothing about what he may be thinking.

Justice rushed to do as ordered, perching

himself on the edge of the couch. Mr. Garner took
a seat next to him. Justice smiled, trying hard to

act as if this were a normal meeting, instead of an
encounter with a murderer.

"Ashton told me you refused his offer to go

into hiding." Mr. Garner brushed a piece of lint off
his pants.

Fear rushed through Justice as he wondered

if Mr. Garner considered his refusal an insult. "I
didn't mean to offend or make light of your offer to
help. I just didn't want Ashton to have to make
such a huge sacrifice on my part."

Mr. Garner studied him for several long

seconds. Justice resisted the urge to squirm as
he found himself feeling like a bug under a
microscope. He just hoped he wasn't about to get
squished by a giant, Mr. Garner shaped shoe.

"Do you care for my son?"
The blunt question took Justice aback. He

blinked a few times before recovering. "Yes, I do.
Which is why I can't allow him to leave behind all
his friends and family."

Something flickered in Mr. Garner's eyes.

Justice could have sworn it was admiration, but it
was gone before he could get a good read on it.

"While I'm very proud of the man my son has

become, I sometimes worry that he's too
impulsive when it comes to certain matters of the
heart."

Justice swallowed a growing lump in his throat

as he wondered if this was where Mr. Garner said
he didn't want Justice to continue to see his son.
Just as he felt his hope begin to dim, Mr. Garner
smiled at him.

"I think you're a good fit for him. You seem to

be level-headed. Something he needs in his life."

Justice let out a sigh of relief. "He's just as

good for me. Before him I never had the courage
to stand up to my family."

"I hope things work out for you two. There are

tough times ahead for our family and he's going to
need somebody to lean on."

"What do you mean? Ashton never mentioned

any trouble to me."

Mr. Garner gave a rueful smile. "Your father

may be a lousy parent, but he's a damn good DA.
He's going to find a charge to nail on me and it's
going to stick. It's only a matter of time."

While Justice felt himself wanting to

apologize, he reminded himself that, nice or not,

Mr. Garner really had earned a place in prison.
He still worried about how that would affect
Ashton. Justice vowed to himself that when that
happened, he'd make sure to be there to support
his lover.

Chapter 9

Justice stared at his father's front door, his

heart hammering so hard it was a wonder they
didn't hear it three counties over. Ashton held his
hand and Justice clung to that support, it being
the only thing that kept away a full-blown panic
attack.

I can do this. I have to do this. After

everything that Ashton and I have gone through,
we deserve to have our own happy ending.

"You sure about this?" Ashton asked as he

gave Justice's fingers a squeeze.

Bryce and Baker came up and stood behind

them. Justice glanced at them, taking in their
determined expressions. He knew that no matter
what that none of them would let him down. So he
couldn't let them down, either. Justice steeled
himself and gave a nod.

"Yes, I'm positive. Let's get this over with."
He went up to the door and knocked. While it

may seem strange that he couldn't just let himself
in, Justice didn't have any other option. When he'd
moved out, his father had taken away the keys to
the doors, almost as if he feared his own son
would come in and rob him or something.

Just his luck, his father had to be the one who

opened the door. As soon as he spotted the
group on the porch, his dad's face twisted into a
scowl. Not exactly the reception Justice would
have liked, but he really hadn't expected anything
less. His father still stepped to the side and let
them in. No doubt because he didn't want the
neighbors to see the incident playing out.

"What do you want and why in the hell are you

bringing this trash to my house?" his father
demanded in a hard voice.

A wave of anger slammed into Justice. "Don't

you dare disrespect Ashton like that. You can call
me whatever you want, but I won't stand by and
listen to you insult my boyfriend."

"

Boyfriend?

" The DA smirked. "Craig told me

that you believed yourself to be in a relationship
with Carter Garner's son. I'd hoped your brother
had been wrong this time, but as usual you never

fail to disappoint me. Can't you see this boy is just
using you? That it's his father's attempt to get
back at me for going after him?"

Justice shook his head. "Why does it always

have to be about you? Is it so hard to believe that
maybe somebody could want me just because
they thought I was a good person?"

"Yes."
Ashton's grip tightened on Justice's hand in a

silent show of support, but he otherwise didn't say
anything. Justice returned the gesture as he
waited for the familiar feelings of hurt to hit him.
Instead he found nothing but the same burning
desire to be free.

"You're wrong. Ashton does care about me,

and I feel the same way about him. So, I'm going
to keep seeing him and you can't stop me."

His father's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are

you sure you want to cross me that way, son? Just
think of all you have to lose should I cut you off."

"What? I pay for my own college, apartment

and everything else. Sure, you may have bought
me a car, but you even took that away. Or if you're
referring to our relationship, we've never had one.

I've always been the son you wished you never
had--your disappointment. Well, fine, then you and
Craig can have each other. I'm done trying to
please you. I'm going to live my life how I see fit
and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

The DA nodded meaningfully to Ashton. "You

want to bet? It'll be hard to have your little love
affair if your boyfriend is in jail."

"Ashton has never done anything wrong, so

you better leave him alone," Justice snapped.

"Or else, what?"
"I'll make sure every one of your dirty secrets

gets out. How you were off with your mistress the
night Mom died. How you beat me. How you really
talk about gay people. All of it. I'll write a book
that's so explosive it'll make

Mommy Dearest

look like a comic."

Not that Justice would ever stoop that low, but

his father didn't know that. His threat worked,
though. The DA's face grew pale and for the first
time it was him who took a step back. He
swallowed hard several times before he made a
slicing motion with his hand.

"If that's the way you want it then get the hell off

my property. I never want to see you again."

Since that suited Justice fine, he turned and

walked out of the house. Never once did he even
have the temptation to look back. If anything he
had to stop himself from skipping on the way out,
he was so happy. Going to the car, he climbed
into the backseat. Ashton slid in after him. Once
they were settled Ashton took Justice into his
arms.

Justice sank into the embrace, his heart

soaring with relief. He'd done it! Now he was free.
Most of all, he and Ashton could finally, truly be
together. They didn't have to hide it anymore.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asked.
"I'm better than okay. I've never been happier

in my life. I can't ever thank you enough."

"Hey, you did it all by yourself."
"True, but I never had the strength to stand up

to them before I met you." Justice tilted his head
up to gaze at Ashton.

Ashton gave him a loving smile. "I think we

both give each other strength."

"Maybe. I do know one thing for certain."
"What's that?"

"You were right. Our story did end much, much

happier than that other one."

Stephani Hecht

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of

two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all
things about the state, from the frigid winters to
the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings!
You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop,
creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at
her favorite coffee shop.

For more information about Stephani and her

writing,

please

visit

her

website

at:

www.stephanihecht.com.

* * * *

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