STORY EXCERPT

There was nothing on TV. Greg shifted impatiently in his hospital bed. He couldn’t wait until he was discharged and back in his own home. His shoulder ached, reminding him why he was in hospital. He resisted the urge to rub it.

“Bored, Laren?” a familiar voice teased. Greg’s gaze shot to the hospital room door. He grinned as he recognized Victor and his partner, Frank.

“Hey,” he said, brightening. They went to his bed, Victor patting his uninjured arm.

“What brings you boys here?” Greg asked.

Frank pulled one chair close. “Maybe we just came to visit.”

“I appreciate that.” Greg looked longingly at the stack of magazines Victor was putting on his nightstand. “But you have your official face on.”

“I’m that easy to read?” Frank wanted to know.

“You always have your official face on,” Victor said to his partner.

“Any leads?”

“They going to spring you out soon?” Frank answered, avoiding the question.

“Tomorrow, actually,” Greg answered. “It’s not that bad, really.” He frowned.

“Remembered anything else?” Frank inquired.

Greg shook his head. He’d expected the question, Frank repeating it every chance he got, probably hoping to jar his memory. “No. Sorry. I told you, I was just getting out of the car when the bullet hit me. I didn’t see who it was. I didn’t even expect it, and whoever it was didn’t stick around.”

“An ambush.”

“Well, yeah.” Greg always knew he might get injured while on the job. What bothered him was that this time he had no clue who or why.

“Could be. But if they wanted me dead that badly, why not finish the job? And why not find a better marksman?”

“It was dark,” Frank offered blandly.

“The parking lot was empty. And I’m a pretty big target,” Greg reminded his friends.

“That you are. And yes, from the distance the shot was fired you would have thought any decent shooter would’ve hit his target.” He saw Victor and Frank exchange looks.

“What is it?” Greg demanded.

“We talked with an old flame of yours today,” Frank said.

Greg snorted. “Which one?”

“Jay Madison.”

Greg’s body went taut. They talked to Jay?

“You remember him?”

Greg nodded, warily. “Why?”

How did Frank even know about Jay? Was Jay the one who found Frank?

“Because days after your shooting he was asking questions about it.”

“He was?” Greg was surprised. When he was admitted to the hospital he’d wanted Jay to be there. Bitterly he remembered that Jay probably didn’t even know he was shot. He gave Frank a searching glance. What did Jay say? Was he worried about him? On their last meeting Greg didn’t get that impression. Jay was still pissed off at him, not that Greg blamed him. On the other hand, he also knew Jay was still interested, even if it was against his will. Greg was ready to exploit anything that could work to his advantage. He wanted Jay. He’d wanted him ten years ago, too, but this time he was ready to fight for it. Whatever Jay did, Greg wasn’t going to back down that easily.

“We went to talk to him,” Frank continued, seemingly unaware of Greg’s inner turmoil.

“Why?”

“Because you and he didn’t part on the best terms, Laren.” Frank looked at him like he was an idiot.

Oh. That.

“Jay wouldn’t have shot at me,” Greg said. Something in his tone must have set Frank’s alarms off.

“You sound very sure of that.”

“I’m sure. This is Jay we are talking about.”

“You know him that well? You haven’t seen the man for ten years.”

“Jay wouldn’t have shot at me,” Greg repeated, disliking Frank’s shrewd expression.

“He said something similar,” Victor commented from his position at Greg’s left side.

“Oh?”

“Yes. He said he wouldn’t have missed.”

That sounded like Jay, all right.

“When we were rookies, Jay never let me forget he shot better than me,” Greg said. He remembered him and Jay standing at the gun range, Jay’s hands on his arm, helping him direct his gun. Jay was talking, but Greg wasn’t listening, too focused on the close proximity of Jay’s body to his. Desire hummed in his body. He was half-hard and thinking hungrily of the moment when they would be off duty and alone.

Greg took a deep breath, focusing again on Frank.

“You broke up your partnership, outing him in the process,” Frank reminded him. “I can’t imagine it was easy for him.”

 Adult Excerpt

“What are you doing?”

“You are practically vibrating with tension,” Greg answered, advancing on him. “I think I'd better do something about that.”

Unnerved by the glint in his lover’s eyes, Jay took a step back. And another. Until the backs of his knees hit the bed, and with a yelp, he landed on his back.

He sat up almost immediately, only to see Greg dropping to his knees in front of him. Breath left his lungs as Greg leaned close. Greg’s lips gently touched his. Jay threw his head back, opening himself up for the kiss. His hand clenched on Greg’s shoulder. His blood heated.

“That’s better,” Greg said, laughing as he broke the kiss. “But not good enough.”

“What?” Jay started then cut himself off as Greg unzipped his pants, fishing his cock out.

“Greg!” Jay hissed warningly, grabbing the other man’s hand.

Greg rested his head on Jay’s shoulder. His mouth teased Jay’s neck, where the collar of his shirt left it bare. “Yes, darling?”

“What do you think you are doing?” Pleasure swirled inside him as Greg slowly pumped him, the circle of his fingers sliding down to the base of Jay’s cock then tightening as he moved up. Despite himself, he could feel his cock hardening, pushing eagerly into Greg’s grip.

“What does it feel like?”

“We are not alone! Vic and Dan—”

“Should know better than to come in here,” Greg answered. “You looked ready to bite someone’s head off just now.”

“I do not...oh God, don’t stop.”

He could have sworn he heard Greg laugh.

“Lie back,” Greg ordered softly, and Jay complied, raising his hips obediently to make it easier for Greg to pull his jeans and underwear all the way down. He threw a hand over his eyes as Greg’s hand returned to pumping. Need rose sharply inside him, pulsing in rhythm with the movements of Greg’s hand. He was completely hard now. He heard Greg make a noise of approval then withdrew his hand. Jay raised his head to see what happened, only to slam it back into the mattress as his cock was engulfed in Greg’s warm mouth.