Heartbeat — Alex Jace

When Rich wakes one morning to find his beloved Parker missing from their bed, he panics. Because he knows Parker's murderous ex has finally pushed him too far. After years of abuse, his ex's threat to hurt Rich has finally driven Parker to take desperate action. Rich is about to discover just how far Parker will go to protect him…

4500-word MM erotic romance. Last in series.

Excerpt:

Parker was trudging by the side of the road, head down, hands in pockets. Parker looked up at the sound of the engine. The wind raked its fingers through his ruffled fair hair; he shielded his eyes with one hand, the dark blue of his eyes matching his scarf. The bruise had darkened on his face where Sinclair had hit him yesterday. He seemed very calm.

Rich burst out the second he got out of the car. “I'm coming with you.” All the words he wanted to say piled up and tripped over each other. “You shouldn't have sneaked out in the night. You should have woken me. I would have come with you.”

“I didn't sneak out in the night,” said Parker. “It was dawn. And I didn't want to upset you.”

“Upset me!” Rich laughed and it sounded bleak. “I thought you were gone and I'd never see you again. I thought Sinclair murdered you and dumped your body!”

“He didn't.” Parker said that as if it should have been obvious.

Rich raised his voice for emphasis. “I'm coming with you.”

That seemed to alarm Parker. “No! No, you can't. I don't want you to see this.”

“You don't want me to come with you?” Rich was stricken.

“I want you to stay where it's safe!”

“I don't care about that!” Rich nearly shouted. “I'm in love with you!”

The silence iced over. They stared at each other across the expanse of frozen ground.

Rich had never dared say it before, but it was so true he could barely get it out. “Parker, I love you. I think you're amazing. I think you're so brave, you're so strong. Everything Sinclair told you was a lie. He said it just to hurt you. Because he's scared of you. He's scared that you're ten times the man he ever was -- a hundred, a thousand. I'd never hurt you like he did. I'd keep you forever, I'd never let you go. And I'm coming with you.”