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stone. If I don t fight back, maybe she ll stop.
Tao of Love 1: Danny s Dragon 91
Danny was quoting Lao Tzu again. But Lao Tzu wasn t here to defend him, either. Dave
gritted his teeth, determined not to back down.  Danny, a guy pulled a knife on you and you
didn t defend yourself. He could have killed you.
 But he didn t.
Somehow, Danny s words caused an image of John lying dead, the bottle of pills empty
on the nightstand. Dave hadn t actually been there to see it, but he knew in his heart what
his lover s death scene must have looked like. Suddenly, in his mind, John turned into
Danny, lying on the ground, bleeding from a knife in the chest. The image shook him to the
very roots of his soul. He took a step toward Danny.  What if he d had a gun? What if your
tactic hadn t worked and he d shot you? What then? If you can t even tell your mother to
shut up, what are you going to do in a real life-threatening situation?
To his frustration, Danny just stared at him, his large almond eyes misty and strangely
distant, as if he were trying to figure out who Dave was.
 Answer me, dammit! What would you do?
Thankfully, he didn t see fear in Danny s eyes, but he did see frustration and pain flash
through them. Pain Dave was causing him. He wanted to stop and couldn t. The wave of
emotion had taken him up, helpless, gushing from a deep hidden source within him that was
filled with pain and panic.  Defend yourself, goddammit, Danny. He reached out with both
hands, intending to shove him. In a flash, Danny s hands came out, accepting the force of
impact from Dave s hands. At the same time he stepped back with one foot, balancing
himself.
Danny s gaze never left his as his hands floated back, absorbing the weight of Dave s
offense until Dave lost his balance and stumbled forward.
Dave righted himself before falling down and stood, staring again into Danny s eyes.
He thought he d find anger in them, but saw only a flicker of defiance, quickly replaced by
the same frustrated pain as before.
Suddenly, the horror of what Dave had just done sank in. He d done the one thing he
swore he d never do. He came at Danny with physical force. Granted, he d not tried to punch
him or deliberately hurt him, but if he was capable of even this much, it could get worse. He
was the same monster he d worked so hard to protect himself, John, Danny, and every other
victim in the world from. Didn t the lawsuit prove it?
He looked down, icy chills threading up his spine. If he could have cut his own hands
off right then, he would have, for Danny s safety. From him. There was only one thing he
could do.  I have to leave.
He heard Danny s soft intake of breath.  What do you mean, leave?
Dave s gaze snapped up. Now he saw fear in Danny s eyes. Christ, this was turning out
to be one of the worst days of his life.  Leave, as in not be here.
 Why?
92 Sedonia Guillone
 Because I m not safe for you.
Before Danny could respond, Dave turned and strode for the second bedroom. The
private special space Danny had given him. He heard Danny on his heels.
 That s not true. You are safe for me.
Dave ignored him and once in the room, snapped up his duffel and started throwing
the few things he had into it.  No, Danny, I m not safe for you, he said finally when he d
finished packing the bag. He glanced at his books on social work. He was supposed to start
school in the fall. How the hell would he do that now with this fucking lawsuit hanging over
him? How would he go to school now, without Danny s love and support? Too late now. He
began to dress.  Verbal abuse is bad enough. Physical abuse is a crime.
 What are you talking about? You didn t abuse me. Danny stood in the doorway,
staring at him.  Please ... don t do this.
 I have to, Danny. It s for your own good.
 There you go again, deciding I m too young to know how I feel. I hate when you do
that.
Dave yanked on his long underwear.  Too bad. Sometimes other people do know
better. Before I came along, you had a nice quiet life with your friend, Meg. Your mom
didn t yell at you like that because she didn t know. He paused and looked at Danny.  If you
were smart, you d marry Meg and let her cover for you. I bet she d do it. She s crazy about
you, and who knows? In time, you might want the jade cave or whatever her pussy is called.
She s got a great set of tits, the kind you can just bury your face between. He lowered his
head and tugged on a sock.
 That was mean.
Dave remained silent and continued dressing. If he hadn t already felt enough like shit,
he would have baited Danny some more. He really just wanted to say he was sorry, to go
down on his knees and press his face into Danny s stomach, to feel his gentle touch. But he d
blown that. He was soaring quickly past the point of no return.
He threw on his undershirt and a sweatshirt and picked up his duffel. His shoes and
coat were all by the front door. However, when he went to leave the bedroom, Danny
wouldn t move aside.
 Don t leave. I won t let you.
Dave sighed and raked his free hand through his hair, mostly from disbelief. Just like
on that first night when Danny had astonished him, he was doing it now. How could this
guy possibly not want him to leave after what he d done?  It s not up to you, Danny.
 It should be. You re leaving because you think you abused me. It s a lie. I don t want
you to leave because of a lie.
 Danny, I ve punched my own father.
 He was hurting you.
Tao of Love 1: Danny s Dragon 93
 Maybe he wouldn t have been if ... He looked down, unable to finish the sentence.
 If what?
If I didn t deserve it. He looked back up at Danny, feeling the air draining from his
lungs. He had to get out of there before he suffocated. Having Danny be so loving and
forgiving with him was like the most undeserved gift. He d tried it, and it had been so sweet
and delicious, but it was a dream.  Let me go. I m not kidding.
 Please, don t.
 Danny. He pressed his hand gently to Danny s shoulder, pressuring him to stand
aside.
Danny stood firm. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]