Free Gregory's Rebellion by Lavinia Lewis Page A

up. They said you’d been arrested twice for solicitation.”
    Hayden’s gaze fell to his lap and his cheeks filled with colour. “And you still want me?”
    Gregory sighed. “Hayden, you did what you had to do to survive. I don’t blame you for that. But it’s in the past. It’s not who you are today.”
    A tear escaped Hayden’s eye and trickled down the line of his scar. Gregory wiped it away with his thumb then leaned over and pressed his lips gently to the spot. Hayden gasped and tried to move his head but Gregory wouldn’t let him. He grabbed it firmly and trailed his lips from the top of the scar, just below his eye, to the bottom, above his lips.
    A low moan tore from Hayden’s chest and he turned his head so that their mouths pressed together lightly.
    “I don’t deserve you,” Hayden said against his lips.
    “You deserve far more than I can ever give you,” Gregory replied. “But I promise I’ll try to give you everything you could ever want.”
    Hayden started crying in earnest then, great heaving sobs that wouldn’t seem to abate. Gregory wrapped Hayden in his arms and held him, rocking him gently until he’d cried the last of his tears and finally grew quiet. Gregory pulled back to take a look at his mate’s face and the pain and guilt all present brought a lump to his throat. When Hayden next met his gaze he looked resigned.
    “I need to tell you,” he whispered. His voice, though quiet, was rough and raw with emotion. “I can’t hide it any more. I have to tell you the truth. I’ll understand if you never want anything to do with me again.”
    Gregory held the back of Hayden’s head and looked him square in the eyes. “You can tell me—I promise I won’t judge you. There’s nothing you could say that would make me want to give you up.”
    Hayden opened his mouth several times before he finally found the courage to speak. “I’m a murderer,” he said at last. “I’ve killed people.”
     
     

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Taking in a steadying breath, Hayden kept his eyes on Gregory’s face even though he was terrified of the reproach and rejection he might see there. He should have known better. Gregory didn’t flinch. His hand stroked the back of Hayden’s head gently, sending shivers down his spine. There was no accusation in Gregory’s eyes, only curiosity.
    “I might not have known you for very long, but I don’t believe you would have done something like that except in self-defence. Is that what happened? Did someone try to hurt you?”
    Hayden’s voice sounded distant when he next spoke. “Yes.”
    Gregory sighed and kept up the soothing strokes to the back of his head. “Is that what you’ve been keeping inside for so long? The reason you won’t shift. Is it out of guilt?”
    Hayden’s first instinct was to protest but he’d come this far and knew he had to go on. “Yes, in part.”
    “Tell me what happened?”
    Hayden nodded. Gregory knew what he’d done now—all that remained were the details. Hayden had never told his secret to another living soul, and although it had been difficult to say the words, it was a relief to finally get them off his chest. He didn’t want Gregory’s pity, he didn’t want absolution. He just needed to be able to share the burden of his secret, which had become too heavy for him to carry alone.
    “About three years ago, I was drifting, moving around from place to place. I never spent longer than a week or so in each town or city back then. I always preferred cities because, with a larger amount of people, it was easier to get lost in the crowd.
    “I’d spent some time out east, but I didn’t like it there so I was making my way back to California when I got a lift to Des Moines with a trucker.”
    “What was his name?”
    “Ramon,” Hayden managed to say. “Ramon Lopez.”
    Gregory stroked Hayden’s face with a whisper-light caress and, for the first time, Hayden didn’t flinch when Gregory’s fingers ghosted over