“Other than this silly scar on my forehead, I seem to have survived my first, and hopefully last, home invasion with flying colors.”
“Are you planning on writing a book about this? If you do, would you mind putting the Chicago PD in a better light? We’ve had some pretty bad press lately, and I don’t want you to add to the myth.”
“What are you talking about?” Seth asked. “You guys did a great job rescuing me.”
“We should have anticipated Owen’s moves.”
“You’re cops, not fortune tellers,” Seth said succinctly.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Adam said. “Wish all our citizens felt like you.”
“If you need me to sing your praises to the press, I will,” Seth offered. “Just say the word.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“I’m hanging up now,” Bryce said. “We’ve had a long-ass day, and I’d like to enjoy a quiet evening with my partner. Check in if there’s anything new to report.”
“You do the same,” Adam said. “Don’t hesitate to call us.”
“We won’t,” Bryce replied.
Bryce thumbed off the connection and turned to Seth.
“Are you ready for some dinner?”
Seth stared at Bryce. Did he actually say partner and not boyfriend? When did that change, and why didn’t he get the memo?
“What’s the matter?” Bryce asked. “You’ve got a funny look on your face.”
Seth dropped the shirt he was about to put on a hanger and moved closer. “Did I hear right?”
“What?” Bryce asked. “Did I say anything wrong?”
“You called me your partner.”
Bryce grinned, then got serious when he realized Seth was genuinely puzzled. “I guess I jumped the gun.”
“So… what are you telling me?”
Embarrassed, Bryce ducked his head and began picking at his pant seam.
“Look at me, sweetheart.”
When he gazed at Seth, his expression was unreadable.
“Bryce?”
“If you look out the window right now, you’ll probably see pigs flying by,” Bryce joked, “or if you dig a little deeper, snowflakes might be falling in Lucifer’s backyard.”
“Is that right?” Seth smiled. “You’re rather adorable when you say things you can’t take back.”
“I’m pretty good at deflecting,” Bryce admitted. “But in this case, I have no desire to take anything back.”
“Tell me what’s on your mind?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m crazy in love with you and want you to be my partner. We’re way past the boyfriend phase.”
Seth beamed. “I didn’t think it would happen so soon. You warned me over and over that you and romance were as compatible as hotdogs and catsup.”
“People can change,” Bryce admitted.
Laughing, Seth asked, “Should I start adding miracle worker to my bio?”
“Shut up and kiss me unless you aren’t on board with this.”
“I’m definitely on board, sweetheart. It would have been nice to get the formal proposal.”
“We can still do that. There’s a fancy restaurant downstairs, and now that we’ve got a closetful of new duds, we can change into something decent and have a candlelit dinner. Do you have the energy?”
“Hell to the yeah.”
“Now you’re talking like me,” Bryce teased.
“We’re breaking all kinds of rules,” Seth admitted.
“First things first,” Bryce said. “Show me what’s underneath those pants. I didn’t get a chance to indulge my kink at Nordstrom.”
“Okay, but you have to promise not to touch,” Seth said. “I don’t want to waste your boner on a quickie.”
“Oh ye of little faith.”
“You’re quoting scripture now?” Seth asked in surprise. “You really have morphed into someone else.”
“No morphing, babe. Just a lot more comfortable being myself.”
“I love you, Bryce.”
Nodding, Bryce hooked his fingers into Seth’s waistband and drew him closer. “I love you too, babe. Now, stop teasing me and take off those pants.”
Seth shimmied out of his jeans and watched Bryce transform as he soaked up the sight of his partner in a pink thong. “You like?” Seth asked.
“Very much,” Bryce replied, running his hands up and down Seth’s long thighs. “May I please touch?”
“As if I could stop you….”
IT WAS easy to pretend they were back on the cruise ship, since the voyage hadn’t been that long ago. The table was draped in the same white linen, and once again, Bryce had requested three red roses in a bud vase, infusing Seth with a glow of happiness from the inside out. By mutual agreement, they’d held off on full-blown sex, confining themselves to touching and tasting but saving the orgasms for after dinner when they’d have more time. As such, Seth was tingling with anticipation, and every brush of Bryce’s hand or heated glance sent signals straight to his groin. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation. Bryce’s eyes had turned a darker shade of blue, always a sign that he was on the verge of dragging Seth to bed. He was thoughtful during dinner, pouring the wine when it needed refilling, sharing bites of his appetizer, telling Seth over and over how much he cared and how glad he was for having him in his life. Seth could honestly admit that he’d never loved the man more than he did this night.
Dinner started with an appetizer of baked brie and warm bread, followed by acorn squash salad, and a main entrée of Alaskan halibut with onion puree and seasoned mushrooms on the side. They shared a bottle of Chardonnay, and dessert was pistachio sponge cake with compressed pears and lemon ice cream on top. They both agreed the meal was outstanding, and as fine as, if not better than, anything they’d had in recent memory. Their opinion was certainly influenced by their newly formed partnership. Seth had thought it would take months, if not a full year, for Bryce to entertain the idea of moving to the next level, and he’d proved him wrong in every way.
“Do you want to hang around for coffee, or shall we stop pretending we’re not dying to go upstairs and tear our clothes off?” Bryce asked in a husky voice.
“No coffee for me,” Seth said. “Let’s move on to the main event.”
Bryce signaled for the check, and as soon as the bill was paid, they were out the door and in the elevator. They turned the lock once they entered the darkened room and began to strip, coming together without saying another word. Close in height, they stood chest to chest and hip to hip. The sensation of Bryce’s erect cock against him caused an instant reaction, and Seth clutched at his lover’s lightly furred asscheeks and jerked him forward, sandwiching their oozing cocks between jutting hips that were suddenly grinding and humping in a frantic need to be taken. Foreplay had begun before dinner and had lasted throughout the meal. Now it was time to get down and dirty.
“Fuck me,” Seth begged in a steady voice that brooked no argument. “And don’t you dare be gentle. When I come, you’ll do it again, and again after that, until we both pass out.”
Bryce didn’t have to be told a second time. He steered Seth toward the bed, and when they got to the edge of the mattress, he pushed, and Seth fell on his back, crab-walking toward the headboard to make room. When Bryce pounced on him, Seth was ready. Propping himself on his elbows, Bryce crushed his mouth with a sloppy kiss, murmuring all the filthy things he planned on doing while he positioned both of Seth’s legs over his shoulders.
“Where’s the lube?” he said frantically. “Tell me you have some handy.”
Seth passed him the travel-size tube he’d tucked under the pillow before they’d gone down to dinner, and Bryce took it out of his hand, whispering “yes” gratefully. After he slicked up and smeared a generous amount around Seth’s asshole, he got up on his knees, lifted Seth’s ass, and shoved into him forcefully. Seth had been waiting all night for this, and when Bryce grazed his prostate on the first try, Seth yelled out his name and clutched at
his shoulders, wanting more. The room was spinning like crazy, and Seth was sure it was the wine and not a stroke, but he was loving every second, as Bryce used him like a sex toy.
Although they’d made love often enough since they first hooked up, things were different tonight. Seth wasn’t sure if his near-death experience had anything to do with it or Bryce’s surprising willingness to commit, but Bryce had the stamina of a porn star and Seth was matching his every move. Eventually, though, their bodies conked out, and Bryce collapsed on him after his second orgasm, and they fell asleep.
SETH WAS deep into REM sleep when he heard the first buzz. Bryce twitched and murmured an incoherent cuss word, before throwing an arm and leg across Seth, using him like a body pillow. Seth tried ignoring the sound, but the buzzing was keeping him awake and he finally opened his eyes and realized it was Bryce’s phone. Whoever was on the other line was persistent because each time it went to voice mail, the caller would call right back, hoping someone would wake up and answer the phone.
Extricating himself from their tangled limbs, he staggered toward the table and picked up the phone. It was Adam, and the time was three in the fucking morning. Knowing Bryce’s password, he unlocked it and answered.
“What is so goddamn important?” Seth asked groggily.
“Where’s Bryce?” Adam asked brusquely.
“Fast asleep.”
“Wake him up,” Adam demanded.
He was all business, and suddenly Seth was terrified. What could have possibly happened now? He began to shiver uncontrollably, and he reached for the terry cloth robe he’d casually thrown on one of the two side chairs by the table. Wrapping it around his naked body, he was still cold, but he felt less vulnerable.
“Adam, what’s wrong?”
“I guess there’s no easy way to tell you this, but your house in Lincoln Park is on fire.”
“Wait—what?”
“You heard right.”
“That’s impossible,” Seth protested. He knew it had to be a mistake. No one lived there, for one thing, and all the utilities had been shut off for another. How could a house catch on fire without gas or electricity?
“Dispatch had a shout out for anyone in the vicinity of Lincoln Park. I knew you had property out there, and I had a bad feeling about it, so I looked up your address. It’s a match, Seth. You guys need to get down there right now.”
“All right,” Seth said dubiously. “I still think you’re wrong, but I’ll wake up Bryce and we’ll take a cab. It’s too much trouble to walk to the apartment and get his truck.”
“Don’t worry about that. Our surveillance team will gladly give you a ride out there. Just do it soon.”
“That’s kind of you, thanks.”
Seth felt like he was sleepwalking. His words were coming out at proper intervals and he was aware of everything Adam was telling him, but his brain wasn’t processing anything.
“I’d better wake up Bryce,” he said before hanging up. Maybe he could make some sense of this, Seth thought to himself as he was shaking Bryce awake.
“What’s the matter?” Bryce slurred. “Can’t sleep?”
“We have a problem,” Seth said.
He must have sounded off because Bryce’s eyelids fluttered open and he stared up at Seth in concern. “What is it, babe?”
“Adam just called to tell me my house is on fire.”
Bryce sat up and scrubbed his face with both hands. Seth could hear the rasp of his five o’clock shadow and would have given anything to feel the rough scrape against his neck as Bryce rubbed against him, but it would have to wait until later. Right then, he had to drag him out of bed.
“Was he sure it was your place?” Bryce asked in the same incredulous tone Seth had used a minute ago.
“I’m afraid so. His guys are standing by downstairs to give us a ride,” Seth informed him.
“In that case, let’s hustle.”
They were dressed and in the car in under ten minutes. By then it was close to four o’clock. Dawn hadn’t broken yet, and the streets were empty except for delivery trucks and a few private vehicles, but the cops felt it necessary to turn on the lights and siren. It added a sense of urgency to the situation, and Seth’s heart rate spiked again. He reached for Bryce’s hand and felt immediately comforted when their fingers joined in companionable solidarity.
“It’ll be okay, babe,” Bryce said quietly. “No matter what happens, we have each other.”
Seth nodded.
Several blocks from their destination, Seth could see sparks shooting up into the sky, a macabre display of fireworks, which could only mean one thing. It was true. The house he and Mark had shared was going up in flames, and with it, all the memorabilia he had not bothered to pack yet. When the car turned down his street, they could only go so far due to the wooden barriers blocking each way. The quiet upscale neighborhood Seth had lived in most of his adult life was unrecognizable with the crush of emergency vehicles and first responders. He jumped out of the car before it came to a dead stop and was running toward his home, screaming Mark’s name as if his dead partner were inside. Bryce was guarding his flank as usual and begging him to slow down, but Seth was intent on saving what he could.
Bryce tackled him on the lawn, just before Seth could make a hopeless dash into the house, which would have surely killed him, as the structure was already crumbling inward. The house was a lost cause, but the neighboring homes needed saving, and the firefighters were doing their best to get the blaze under control. Seth howled in grief and frustration as he struggled to get inside, but Bryce led him as far away as he could, and with their arms wrapped around each other, they stood with the rest of the onlookers on the opposite side of the street and watched his home burn to the ground.
Chapter 25
THEY STAYED until the end, long after the curious and first responders had departed. The sun was high in the sky, but Seth refused to leave despite Bryce’s gentle pleas. It was killing him to see the look of despair on his partner’s face, and his inability to do anything about it was driving him crazy. Adam and Jack had shown up around eight o’clock to offer support and extra-large coffees from Dunkin’, along with a bag full of assorted donut holes. Seth ignored the sweets but reached for the coffee gratefully.
Taking Bryce aside, Adam bent his ear while Jack kept a watchful eye on Seth. He looked poised to dig through the ruins of his home the moment he got clearance from the remaining firefighters, but that wasn’t forthcoming. There were a lot of hot spots that needed attending before it was safe to walk through the rubble. The odds of finding anything worth keeping were slim to none, but Seth refused to give up hope. He was convinced he’d find something Mark would have wanted him to have. Eventually, they stopped asking him to go home but watched him in case he broke down and attempted to circumvent the rules.
“Have you heard anything from Owen?” Adam asked.
“Huh?” Bryce looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Why in fuck would he call or text me?”
“To crow.”
“Do you think he had something to do with this?” Bryce asked.
“We’re pretty sure he did.”
“Well, hell. I left my phone at the hotel,” Bryce confessed. “Even if he called, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Do you mind if I send someone to fetch it?”
“Sure,” Bryce said. “You really think there’s going to be a message for me?”
“Part of the fun in destroying property and wreaking havoc is bragging rights. It’s a rare criminal who doesn’t enjoy taking credit for his bad deeds.”
“What could have possibly motivated Owen to do this?” Bryce asked. “There was no monetary gain, and he must have known we weren’t in the house if hurting us was the ultimate goal. All this did was add one more thing to his list of bookable offenses.”
“True dat,” Adam agreed. “But he’s a thug, and striking back is part of that mindset. We blocked him at every turn, and by now he’s probably fig
ured out that he no longer has a job, his house and neighborhood are under surveillance, and the guys who were after him for money are beyond pissed. Paying off his debt won’t satisfy them anymore. Now they’ll want blood.”
Bryce raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
Adam nodded. “Wait here while I go find someone to get your phone. Can I have your key card?”
Bryce dug in his back pants pocket and came up with the card. Handing it to Adam, he asked if he could borrow his phone to call his office and give them the bad news that he wouldn’t be in again. Thankfully, he had good people to pick up the slack, or he’d be in trouble. After returning Adam’s phone, he went to join Seth, who was sitting on the curb with his legs stretched out on the street, one foot crossed over the other.
Bryce sank down beside him and sighed. “How’re you doing, babe?”
“Not sure yet,” Seth said. “The good news is I’ve stopped crying.”
Bryce snaked an arm around Seth’s neck and drew him in for a kiss. “We’ll get through this.”
Seth nodded. “What did Adam want?”
“My phone.”
Seth sounded confused. “Your phone?”
“He thinks Owen might have left me a nasty message.”
“Why on earth—?”
“Because he’s convinced that bastard started the fire,” Bryce said, cutting him off.
Seth’s face turned murderous. “If that’s true, I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”
“You can join the club. First, we have to catch him.”
Seth bit his lip so hard he drew blood. “I refuse to shed another tear over that stinking piece of shit.”
“He’s not worth it,” Bryce agreed. “I know there’s nothing I can say to make this easier for you. Aside from death, fire is the single most devastating thing that can possibly happen to anyone, and you’ve had your fair share of both in less than three months. It’s a lot to deal with.”
Seth took a deep, shuddering breath. “My only consolation is I have you.”
“We have each other, which is all that matters. Most of this stuff can be replaced,” Bryce reminded Seth.
Open House Page 19
