Die For You (5 page)

Jensen laughed and held Gage close. “Aw. Don’t worry, we’ll fix your emotional damage yet. All you need is some TLC.”

“Oh, ew. Get your vampire girl cooties off me.” Gage withdrew from Jensen, pulled off the condom and wrapped it in its original pack before setting it on the nightstand for later disposal, then returned to snuggle up against Jen’s shoulder. “Nobody says TLC but people’s mothers.”

“Did you ever think you have issues with being vulnerable?”

Gage picked his head up only enough to give Jen a look. “Did you ever think you’re the weirdest vampire in the universe?”

“You know a lot of us, do you?”

“Touché. Well, if TLC means ‘many nights of hot sex,’ I’m there.”

“Deal,” Jensen agreed.

It was so easy, so natural now. They shifted without speaking until Jensen was stretched out full length on the side of the bed where Gage had been sleeping earlier, and Gage fit right into the nook under his left shoulder. The feeling of his new lover’s hand brushing slowly up and down his arm lulled him easily back into rest.

All in all? Considering the ultimate result, almost dying was definitely not the worst thing that ever happened to him. Yeah, maybe his vampire had turned out to be a giant squishball sub who wanted to play love psychiatrist, but… if he had to admit it, that might have been exactly what Gage was looking for all along. The polar opposite of what they did for a living. He slipped into dreamland feeling full and content, the vampire he loved wrapped around him like a blanket of promise for the future.

TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Glock, GLOCK, Inc.

Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Chrysler Group LLC.

Popsicle, Unilever

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The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386

On the Web: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

THE GAY MEN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT

Founded in 1994, The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, non-profit organization founded by a gay male survivor of domestic violence and developed through the strength, contributions and participation of the community. The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project supports victims and survivors through education, advocacy and direct services. Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.

GMDVP Helpline: 800.832.1901

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On the Web: http://www.glaad.org/

GLAAD en español: http://www.glaad.org/espanol/bienvenido.php

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The GLBT National Help Center is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and those questioning their sexual orientation and gender identity. It is an outgrowth of the Gay & Lesbian National Hotline, which began in 1996 and now is a primary program of The GLBT National Help Center. It offers several different programs including two national hotlines that help members of the GLBT community talk about the important issues that they are facing in their lives. It helps end the isolation that many people feel, by providing a safe environment on the phone or via the internet to discuss issues that people can’t talk about anywhere else. The GLBT National Help Center also helps other organizations build the infrastructure they need to provide strong support to our community at the local level.

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If you’re a GLBT and questioning student heading off to university, you should know that there are resources on campus for you. Here’s just a sample:

GLBT SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/tell-us-about-an-lgbt-scholarship

Syracuse University

http://lgbt.syr.edu/

Texas A&M

http://glbt.tamu.edu/

Tulane University

http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/oma/lgbt/index.cfm

University of Alaska http://www.uaf.edu/woodcenter/leadership/organizations/active/index.xml?id=61

University of California, Davis

http://lgbtrc.ucdavis.edu/

University of California, San Francisco

http://lgbt.ucsf.edu/

University of Colorado

http://www.colorado.edu/GLBTQRC/

University of Florida

http://www.multicultural.ufl.edu/lgbt/

University of Hawaii, Mānoa

http://manoa.hawaii.edu/lgbt/

University of Utah

http://www.sa.utah.edu/lgbt/

University of Virginia

http://www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/lgbt/

Vanderbilt University

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lgbtqi/