Zero at the Bone (63 page)

He hugged Jack a little closer. Jack stirred and resettled his head in the crook of D’s shoulder, then relaxed back into sleep.

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He’d almost said it tonight. He’d wondered if now was the right time, and it had almost popped out.
Marry me, Jack. Lemme put a ring on yer finger so the world’ll see
that yer spoken for. Tell me it’ll be ’til death. Promise me.

There’d be time for that. All this was still so new.

But he had plans. Plans and intentions. First on the list was to protect this man who slept in his arms so trusting, so open. Nobody would ever hurt Jack, ever… and nobody would ever take Jack away from him.

Not ever.

Jack and D's adventures aren't over. Visit www.janesevillebooks.com
for exclusive Web-only short stories, news, and Jane's blog.

294 | Jane Seville

Zero at the Bone | 295

JANE SEVILLE owns a bookstore in Columbus, Ohio, and can't believe she's actually written one of these book things she's been selling to others for years. Her coworkers are a little surprised that her first effort is about a gay relationship, but she isn't. She grew up in Syracuse, New York, where her mother directed the local gay men's chorus, and she attended a women's college. Sometimes it's the straight lifestyle that seems alternative to her.

Jane lives in a house too big for her that she got in her divorce. She shares it with a Newfoundland and a pack of unruly friends who come around every few days to be fed.

She's a pathological reader and collects cookbooks, of which she has over five hundred.

She frequently visits the Columbus neighborhood where Jack and D live, and she's even picked out a house for them. She's waiting to be invited over for dinner.

Visit Jane’s website at
www.janesevillebooks.com
.

296 | Jane Seville