Free Chaos by Timberlyn Scott

apartment, I allowed him to buy them for me. It seemed to make him happy. Why, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t question it.
    The fact that Sebastian wanted me to feel at home at his place warmed my heart in ways I never expected. Not that it didn’t feel a little overwhelming, but not any more than the feelings I had developed for him. For the last week, while I lay in bed at night alone, I would think about those particular feelings, trying to dissect them, understand what they were composed of. Did I really love Sebastian? Or was I trying to save him? And if the latter was in fact true, what was I trying to save him from? A legitimate evil? Or himself?
    Unfortunately, I could only come up with questions, no answers. I was afraid to talk to Aaron or Chloe about my feelings for fear that they would warn me away from Sebastian. Regardless of what my emotions were comprised of, I still loved Sebastian. That was a fact.
    And I considered myself strong enough to make the right decisions. I’d never been the type of girl to lean on a man or to try to find a sense of my own worth from the kindness bestowed upon me by the opposite sex. I didn’t need that to make me feel good about myself.
    It all boiled down to the fact that I had never been in love before. And what I felt for Sebastian was far stronger than anything I had ever expected to feel for anyone.
    Now, as I sat on the couch in Sebastian’s living room, watching people move about — Sean, Dale, and Sebastian unloading the trucks that contained Leif’s personal belongings, Chloe and Aaron making dinner after the guys had grumbled that they were going to be starving after the move, and Toby and Garrett getting Leif situated in the recliner in front of the television — I realized I was exactly where I wanted to be. In a weird way, Sebastian’s new place felt like home to me.
    Then again, that could’ve very well been because Sebastian was there. I’d noticed that I felt at home no matter where we were, as long as we were together.
    Pushing up off the couch, I approached Leif when Garrett and Toby finally gave him a breather. They’d been fussing over him from the minute they’d brought him in the house, asking him if he needed something to eat or drink, did he want to watch television, was he warm enough? They’d supplied an endless barrage of questions, and I could see the relief on Leif’s face now that they were walking away.
    “How are you doing?” I asked softly, glancing over at the two men as they made their way to the kitchen.
    “Kinda feel like someone’s getting ready to change my diaper or some shit.”
    I smiled at Leif. “That bad, huh?”
    Leif leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “Would you do me a favor?”
    I squatted down beside his chair, stabilizing myself by holding on to the arm. “What’s that?” I asked, just as quietly.
    “Could you maybe drop a few hints that my legs aren’t broken, I’ve got full use of my arms, and, if all else fails, my mouth still works, so I could always ask for something if I need it?”
    “I can do that,” I told Leif, loving that his sense of humor was still intact. “Give it a day or two. They’ll be giving you shit for not helping out around here. Then they’ll bitch about having to move all your furniture without your help.”
    Leif laughed, holding his ribs as he did. “Don’t make me laugh. It still hurts.”
    “Sorry,” I said, grinning. “But if it’s any consolation, we really are glad you’re home.”
    “Me, too. If I never see the inside of a hospital again, it’ll be too soon.”
    I stared at Leif for a moment. There’d been one thing on my mind for the last couple of weeks, but I had never managed to force out the question. Now that Leif was home and hopefully the horrors of the crash had abated somewhat, I found myself needing to ask.
    “Can I ask you something?”
    “As long as it doesn’t involve you getting me something, then sure,” Leif said, his dark eyes locking