Sought ♥ 3

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Chapter Three2

Jace stared down at the unmoving heap in his hallway, completely shocked. He had no idea what to do and couldn’t bring himself to move into action. It was then that he realized he was still in nothing more than a towel and that his hair was dripping water everywhere. That shouldn’t really matter at the moment, but his brain was doing summersaults at the moment. 3

The most logical thing to do would be to call the police and let them take care of the man. But then again, the plea for help, the near begging…it was hitting him pretty hard and making it difficult for him to make a clear decision. 4

He got to his feet and tightened the towel, thinking over his options. He had always been sharp at decision making, but something about this situation was making things far more difficult. He could figure out computer virus’, trace hackers and monitor websites, but couldn’t figure out what to do with a burglar who was obviously hurt. He had never done well with physical interaction and enjoyed being secluded, which was why he worked behind a computer all day instead of dealing with the public. 5

And it was strange, but something about this man sparked something deep inside of him. A kind of excitement that had been missing for so long. The moment he had seen his face, Jace knew something was different. This man wasn’t a simple burglar, and he doubted very highly he was here to hurt him either. 6

Jace looked down at the man’s hand, which was draped down his leg and handing limply behind him. A very beautiful hand, despite several scratches and some bruising at his knuckles. This man had definitely been through something huge tonight and Jace couldn’t bring himself to call the police. His soft and gentle nature kicked in, and he knelt down next to the man to look him over. 7

He gently pulled back the leather coat that was bunched at his shoulders and for some reason noticed it was an expensive coat. Perhaps this man was a drug dealer or a pimp? He didn’t look like either, but Jace was a very poor judge of character, again, the reason for the computer job. The man moaned softly when Jace tugged at the jacket, wanting to get a better look at his throat and upper arms. The sound of the moan shot straight through Jace, reminding him of the one and only lover he had had in his life. The sound that the man had just made was oddly intimate, but also strangely comforting. 8

“I’m just getting a better look, ok?” he asked leaning down close to the man’s ear. He caught the smell of incense on the man and again thought drug-dealer. Didn’t they burn that stuff to cover smells and stuff? Really, he had to get out more. “It might hurt you some, but I’ll try my best, ok?” 9

Another moan vibrated from the man’s chest, making Jace tilt his head. It was just such a beautiful sound, and this time, the gorgeously shaped lips parted further, giving Jace a glance at perfect white teeth. Really, without all the bang up, the man would have been perfect. 10

Jace pushed his blonde hair back from his eyes and again went to work on the coat. The hallway was hot, a fact not made better by the steam from the bathroom, and Jace dropped what he was doing to turn on the air. He hated being hot, whether there was a burglar on his floor or not. He set the dial and walked toward the kitchen, breathing deeply and trying to calm himself down. 11

He clutched at the towel and crossed the living room to grab the black jeans he had tossed on the back of his leather sofa. He dropped the towel and stepped into them, hoping that being covered better would help him with figuring out what to do. No luck. His stomach still flopped and he moved to the kitchen to begin filling a bucket to wash some of the cuts on the guys face and hands. 12

As the water warmed, he again wondered just what the hell he was doing. He shouldn’t be letting this happen. There should be a swarm of cops in his home at this very moment, hauling the guy off to either jail or hospital. But he couldn’t stop. Couldn’t forget the touch the guy had offered up. What had that been about anyway? Just a light, grazing touch, but it had shocked him to the core of him, sending something warm through his entire system. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. 13

The bucket filled and Jace pulled it free from the sink and walked back down the hallway, pushing doubt aside. He looked up and froze. The floor where the man had been was empty…..14