Free Fireside Romance Book 1: First Flames by Drew Hunt Page B

was wondering where I could spend the night. Although it was July, it had turned cold. I had only a few minutes at home to pack a bag. I didn’t even bring a coat. Jake found me on that bench. He took me to a cafe and bought me something to eat and drink. I didn’t realise how hungry I was. He talked to me. He really seemed like a kind person.” Mark let out a humourless bark of laughter. “Was I ever taken in by him! He said I could stop at his place that night, and we’d talk about finding me somewhere to live and work the next day.
    “Well, to cut a long story short, Jake loaned me some money so I could get a room as a lodger, and said he would see about finding me work. I was walking down the street a couple of days later, I had the money Jake had given me in my pocket, and I was mugged. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I, I, I pissed my pants.” Mark was openly crying by this point.
    I hugged him, almost pulling him onto my lap. Stroking his hair, I whispered comforting noises to him, although inwardly I was seething. I bet it had been Jake’s thugs who had mugged Mark.
    “It’s okay, you’re safe now. It’s over.”
    Mark sniffed and slowly gathered himself together. “Because I had no money, I had to leave the lodgings. It was at this point Jake reverted to type. He wanted his money back, and told me I’d have to earn it as ‘one of his boys’. Of course I didn’t know what he was talking about…I soon found out. It was like being in a spider’s web. Once I was in the web, I couldn’t work out a way to get myself out. I don’t know, I suppose I could have left town and tried somewhere else, but by this point I’d lost all my self respect, and I imagined I’d be in pretty much the same boat wherever I went. So I stuck it out. At one point I thought I’d paid off my debt, but I didn’t realise Jake was charging me interest on the loan, and I had to pay for the room at his place, too.
    “Then you came along. At first I thought you were another weirdo like Simpkins, but all you ever did for me was treat me like a decent human being.”
    “Which is exactly what you are.” I kissed the top of his head.
    “Because of being able to see you, I managed to stick it out. Things weren’t all bad. Some of the other boys on the street were kind to me. A few of my customers were okay, too. I don’t know, maybe I’m just weak. Maybe I could have got out of it all if I’d have tried harder, but I didn’t know what to do. You offered to help me that once. That meant a lot. But I was afraid Jake would come after you, too. I couldn’t have stood it if that happened. So when Jake died, that meant I was free, but I had these bandages, and couldn’t do anything for myself. Then you came to the hospital. I hoped you’d be able to help me somehow. But I never thought you’d do as much as you have.”
    “You’ve helped me, too. After a day at the library, I’d lock my front door, and never see or speak to another soul until I unlocked it again the next day. Having you come to live with me, though I wish it wasn’t because of your hands, has…well, I’ve gotten a lot out of it.”
    “I guess we’ll just carry on muddling along, helping each other, then,” Mark said.
    I hoped we’d do much more than that, but it wasn’t the time to go into it then.
    “I don’t know about you,” I told Mark, “but I’m cold and hungry. Do you still want Chinese?”
    “Please.”
    We walked back to the house via the take away. Mark seemed so much brighter after unburdening himself. Although I could just about use a pair of chopsticks, I thought it would be easier—if unauthentic—to use a fork to feed Mark.
    “I’ve never understood why some people say they are hungry again half an hour after eating Chinese food,” I said to Mark as we lounged on the sofa after stuffing our faces.
    “Me neither, it seems to fill me up in just the same way as any other meal.” Mark snuggled up to me. This was rapidly