Dirty Games
Page 25
Justin decided he liked Gaige already. “I’m wondering if your big brother will give me another shovel talk.”
“I’ll punch him if he does.”
“You won’t because he gave me the push to try to set this right.” Sort of. Justin tried to put the best spin on it. Alec was Finn’s brother, after all.
“I credit Oliver with that.”
Justin had no idea how to thank Oliver. But he did know what to say to Finn, the great love of his life.
“Thanks to you, I’m less broken. That desperation that used to claw away inside me has eased.” Justin rubbed his nose against Finn’s cheek. “So I’ll put up with your brothers, your friends and a cousin or two if it means I get you.”
“We get each other. We help and love each other.”
Justin lifted his head. “We fight.”
“That’s going to happen.” The smile on Finn’s face could light up a room. “But I’m not going away. I know you don’t fully believe that, but one day you will.”
“I believe in you.” And for now, that was enough. Justin hoped the rest of the doubts would fall away with Finn’s help.
Finn pushed against Justin’s chest, easing his back against the mattress as he kissed down his throat. “We have a half hour before we have to leave.”
“I only need ten minutes.”
Finn laughed. “Don’t go for speed.”
Whatever Finn wanted, he could have. Except the towel. Justin took that off him. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll call my brother and tell him we’ll be late.”
“Even better.”
Author’s Note
Often, authors use fictional settings in books. Often, I’m asked what’s real and what’s not. Ceuta is very real. So is the political strife that surrounds it and the suffering and despair of those who are desperate to gain access to much needed assistance and find a gateway to Europe. I did not focus on those issues directly for this book, but that does not make them any less significant.
Morocco is a beautiful country with a breathtaking mix of old and new. While the border fence between Morocco and Ceuta exists, as do the land dispute and the refugee issues, Drummond Charities and this camp are pure fiction. There are real charities at work on the ground in and around the area, and specifically in Morocco, and I hope you’ll investigate them if you want to know more.
More than the politics, I wanted this story to focus on the intense romance between two very different men in a place that made their relationship difficult. Thank you to my editor, Shauna Summers, for supporting me in writing about the region and helping me navigate the story in a way that I hope is respectful.
To the brave people on the ground who really do fight this fight.
BY HELENKAY DIMON
The Dirty Series:
Dirty Games
Dirty Deeds
Tough Love Series:
Guarding Mr. Fine
The Talented Mr. Rivers
Mr. and Mr. Smith
About the Author
HELENKAY DIMON spent the years before becoming a romance author as a divorce attorney—not the usual career transition. Now she writes full-time and she’s much happier. The author of more than forty novels, novellas, and short stories that have twice been named Red-Hot Reads and excerpted in Cosmopolitan, she’s on the board of directors of the Romance Writers of America and teaches fiction writing at the University of California, San Diego, and MiraCosta College.
helenkaydimon.com
Facebook.com/HelenKayDimon
Twitter: @helenkaydimon
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