Finding You: The Complete Box Set (a contemporary MM romance series)

by Ana Ashley

  His tongue left a wet trail as it moved up ever so slowly, and he planted a kiss on my Adam’s apple that made my breath catch. I closed my eyes, which only made every touch, kiss, and lick feel as though he was touching me all over.

  “What… what do I want?” I managed to say.

  “Me. Inside you.”

  “Yes,” I said, half whispering, half moaning. We’d had the results from our tests back and we were both negative, so I was dying to feel Max inside me without the barrier of the condom.

  “When we do, baby, I will take my time with you. It won’t be rushed because I’m going to wind you up so tight you’re going to beg to have me.”

  I jumped into Max’s arms with no warning and wrapped my legs around his waist. My towel came undone, but it was trapped between us. Max lost his step, managing somehow to get us to land on the bed as he fell backward with me on top of him.

  I attacked his mouth like a starved man pillaging for food.

  “Wait!” I said, lifting myself up and away from his sinful mouth. “You’re not gonna fuck me, are you?”

  Max had the decency to look embarrassed.

  “Baby,” he said, pulling me back down to him, “were you trying to seduce me so I’d tell you where we’re going?”

  Damn it.

  “Maybe.”

  “You’re so cute. Come here.” He kissed me more, but we kept it tame, despite my raging hard-on and the fact I’d lost my towel along the way.

  “Go get dressed before I cancel our plans, send Lucy away, and lock us both in the room until Monday.”

  I think I must have purred. “That’s not how you get me to put clothes on.”

  We met Diogo and Fernando at Battery Park. I was glad I had taken Max’s advice and wrapped up warm because without the shelter provided by the tall buildings of the city, the wind got all the way to my bones.

  “Can you even move inside all those clothes? You look like a yeti,” Diogo joked.

  “Yes, but I’ll be the warmest yeti around,” I replied.

  “And definitely the cutest,” Max said, pulling me closer and planting a kiss on my cheek.

  Lucy let out an over-the-top gagging noise and took a few steps so she was walking in front of us. Diogo joined her.

  “So, where are we going then?” Fernando asked.

  “Follow Diogo, he knows the way,” Max said before he turned to me. “It’s going to get a little cooler, so you better stay close.”

  I didn’t know how much cooler it could get, but I got my answer when we got on the ferry to Liberty Island.

  “I’m positive you stop feeling the cold after a bit because you must be dead,” Fernando said.

  “In that case, I’m totally dead. And I’m coming back to haunt Max.”

  “Aww, baby, I’m flattered.”

  We walked around the island and took lots of photos of the Statue of Liberty and the park. The statue was smaller than I’d imagined, but the view of Manhattan was postcard perfect with the skyscrapers all stacked up next to each other like Lego bricks.

  Diogo and Lucy had spent the day a few steps ahead of us in their own teenage bubble as we behaved like total tourists and took photos of everything, including a few group selfies.

  After Liberty Island, we had a short stop at Ellis Island before we went back to the city. The tall buildings gave us a break from the low temperatures, which both Fernando and I were thankful for.

  The kids wanted to see the 9/11 memorial, so we walked rather than take the subway so we could look at the store windows that were starting to get decorated for Christmas.

  “Thank you.” I squeezed Max’s hand. “I’m loving today.”

  “Me too. Lucy looks happy. She’s happy, right?” There was a hint of doubt in his voice.

  I knew he was afraid to screw things up with Lucy again, but he’d been doing a great job building trust with her. Somehow, she seemed to have built that trust with me before she’d allowed Max in as much. I wondered if it was because, like Max, Lucy knew how frail their relationship still was.

  “She’s happy, baby. Look at her.”

  Lucy was walking with her arm linked with Diogo’s. Their heads close together like they were sharing a secret. Every few steps she’d playfully punch Diogo or take her phone out to take a photo of the two of them.

  “Max,” Lucy called.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I go to the cinema with Diogo tonight? There’s this awesome movie out, and I really want to see it. Pleeeeeease…”

  Diogo’s face was beet red. I wondered if Lucy realized she’d just been asked out on a date.

  “What time will you be home?” Max asked.

  I didn’t think it was possible for Diogo to blush more than he already had. He quickly got his phone out and showed Max the screening times, giving far too much unnecessary information and stumbling over his words.

  “Fine, okay, just make sure your phones are fully charged so we can get hold of you,” Max said.

  We’d more or less stopped to have the conversation, and I could tell Max wanted to keep moving, but Diogo was still fidgety. He looked at me as if to find reassurance. I nodded to give him my support.

  “Er, Max, would it… would it be okay if we… me and Lucy got a milkshake after the movie?”

  “You can’t have a milkshake at the cinema?” Max was so blind to what was going on right in front of him.

  I interjected and hopefully brought poor Diogo’s racing heart down a few notches. “That’s fine, Diogo, just keep us updated by text.”

  Diogo and Lucy returned to their earlier position a few feet ahead of us.

  “Honestly, you two,” I said so only Max and Fernando could hear. “Can’t you see Diogo wants to take Lucy out on a date?”

  Fernando looked at the kids like a lightbulb had suddenly turned on inside his head and then punched the air. “You go, kid. My nephew has good taste.”

  “No! They’re too young for that. They’re not going on a date… it’s not a date. They’re only friends.”

  I chuckled at Max’s denial.

  “Babe, they’re old enough, and they’re both responsible. Besides, I think Diogo is shit scared of what you’ll do to him if he puts a foot wrong with Lucy.”

  “He is?”

  “You really haven’t noticed how you behave around her, have you.”

  “Fine, maybe I am a little overprotective. I just don’t want to screw things up.”

  I understood him more than he knew, so I gave him a quick peck and carried on walking toward the memorial.

  It was dark by the time we arrived at the 9/11 memorial. I’d seen documentaries on TV about 9/11, but nothing had prepared me for the overwhelming feeling I got looking at the space where once the two buildings of the World Trade Center had been.

  We stood by the South Pool, looking at the water that ran into the well in the center. The lights that illuminated the running water were enthralling. I wanted to visit the museum and spend longer there, but since the kids were going to the cinema, we thought we’d have the rest of the evening at home.

  Fernando got the subway home from the nearest station, and we left Diogo and Lucy exploring the memorial before going to the cinema.

  Max put his arm around me and said, “What do you say about us having a movie night of our own?”

  “Only if you promise we won’t watch it.” I winked.

  “Oh, I mean actually watch a movie.”

  I couldn’t hide my disappointment. We’d had a great day together, but I wanted to finish what we’d started in the morning.

  “Hey, I want what you want, okay? But I…” He blushed a little. “I want to be up when Lucy comes back.”

  “She’s safe with Diogo, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, I know,” he sighed, “but I don’t want her to know I’m cool with it.”

  “But you are, cool with it, I mean.”

  “Yeah, I guess I can get used to it. She’s old enough to have a boyfriend, a
nd if she’s going to figure things out, it may as well be with a good kid like Diogo.”

  I squeezed his arm, so proud of how he was handling all this change.

  We’d been on hold, waiting to hear from his lawyer friend, and the call had come a few days ago. Max was going to apply for custody of Lucy until she was eighteen and could decide for herself where she wanted to live.

  “How about I cook us a nice dinner tonight?” I suggested.

  “Sounds good. Do we need to go to the market?”

  “Yes, I can pop to that one close to the apartment.” We were nearly home, so I told Max to carry on home while I grabbed the stuff I needed for dinner.

  As I walked the aisles of the local supermarket, I tried to work out in my head what I was going to cook for Max. I was still adjusting to the size of American supermarkets and where everything was.

  The chocolate and caramel sauce at the end of an aisle caught my eye, and my mouth watered at how I could use them both tonight.

  I had all intention of doing my best to keep Max’s mind off Lucy’s date, and now I had a plan, too.

  When I arrived at the apartment, the door was wide open. I walked in and saw two police officers standing in the middle of the living room. Max still had his coat on and he looked shaken up.

  “Oh god, Lucy.” I tried to get to Max but the officer stopped me.

  “Please step away or we will have to arrest you, too.”

  “Arrest me, too? What… what do you mean? Max?”

  “Isaac,” Max said with a voice that was all too calm, “can you please call Peter? I’m being taken to the police station to answer questions about Lucy.”

  And with that, he was taken away. The officers gave me the details of the precinct he was going to be held in and left.

  I stood there in the middle of the living room, paralyzed, wondering how the day had started so well and was ending like this. How was I going to give Lucy the news?

  There was only one thing I wanted to do, and that was to call my brother for some comfort, but considering the situation, I called the lawyer, Peter, first, and then Joel.

  36

  Max

  I’d had my fair share of encounters with the police in the years since I’d worked at the hospital and volunteered at the center. Most of the time, I’d just carried on with my work and let them do theirs while I treated the patient. Both our professions carried a sense of duty to the community and that came with a shared respect for each other.

  I thought the officers that turned up at my apartment were joking when they told me they had to take me to the station. I even joked, asking them if I was being arrested for crimes against suitable movie picking.

  When they uttered the words kidnapping and minor, I nearly fell to my knees. Who would have made such an accusation? Who even knew Lucy was with me? There was only one possible answer to those questions: My parents.

  I knew better than to argue with two armed police officers, so I hoped that going of my own accord and without resistance would help my defense.

  When Isaac walked through the door and wrongly assumed something had happened to Lucy, I wanted to take him in my arms so badly and reassure him that Lucy was okay. The tension in one of the officers was unmistakable, so I had no choice but to tell him what was happening without the opportunity to soften the blow in any way.

  From then on, I was on autopilot. I made sure Isaac called Peter and was then taken to the police station. I tried not to think about Lucy and how she would feel when she found out what was happening. How had today gone so wrong?

  The officers didn’t read me my rights since I wasn’t actually being arrested, but they still advised me to not say anything until I was in the presence of my lawyer.

  When we arrived at the station, the officers made me fill in some forms and then asked me to wait in a room devoid of any furniture apart from a table and chairs that were bolted to the floor. Before they closed the door behind them, they informed me that a detective would come in to see me shortly.

  Two hours later there was no detective, and I was becoming more and more anxious because I didn‘t understand what was going on and had no idea what was happening beyond the walls of the station.

  Would Lucy be home already? Did she know there was a strong possibility that our dad was looking for her? I just wanted to wrap her in a safe bubble and give her the love and family she’d lost when she lost her mom. Lucy had smiled her way into my heart. There was no way I could consider a life where she wasn’t in it, and I was pretty sure Isaac felt the same.

  I paced the length of the room, focusing on how many steps it took to go from one wall to the other, and wondered how many times I’d have to follow the same steps back and forth before I could see the floor wearing out.

  How many people had already done the same? How many guilty people had sat in the room pleading innocence? How many innocent people had sat in the room and had to plead guilty so they could get the best deal?

  The constant worry and pacing were making me overheat. I’d long ago placed my coat on the chair and then taken off my warm sweater, but even in a T-shirt, I was sweating. Then I worried that if I was all sweaty, the detective would probably think I was lying or guilty.

  The turn of the lock on the door made me jump.

  The detective that joined me in the room was nothing like what I expected. He was a short, stocky, and old man. He walked like something had injured him at some point in his career.

  In any other situation, I would have considered the man non-threatening, but his gaze alone pinned me down as guilty of all charges even if I hadn’t been charged yet.

  “Mr. Moretti. Please take a seat.”

  My stomach dropped when he called me by my old name, and I knew this wasn’t going to go down well. I sat on the chair opposite his, wanting to correct my name but not daring to challenge the man.

  “Can you confirm your name and address?”

  My details were on the forms I’d filled in earlier. How did he know my old name?

  “Detective, shouldn’t I have my lawyer with me for this? I haven’t—” He cut me off with his hand.

  “Mr. Moretti, I only want to ask you a few questions. There is no need for a lawyer to be present until you are charged.”

  I balled my hands into fists under the table. I’d given him my legal name, and he still insisted on calling me by the wrong one.

  “Can I have some water, please?” I needed to calm down before I did something that would get me in more trouble.

  “In a moment. Mr. Moretti. Can you tell me the nature of your relationship with Mr. Isaac Pereira?”

  “What?”

  “What is the nature—?”

  “I heard the question, Detective. What does that have to do with me being here? What exactly am I about to be charged with? Surely I have rights.” My head was pounding, and I was losing my patience.

  “If you don’t answer the question, Mr. Moretti, you will be charged with obstructing an active investigation.”

  “Fine. Isaac is my boyfriend.”

  “Is it true that he works with minors?”

  “He runs a youth center that helps homeless kids. Some of them are minors, yes.”

  What was he getting at? Why did I have the feeling this was a trap?

  “Detective, with all due respect, sir, I was asked to come to the station to answer questions in relation to my sister, Lucia Lopez. I don’t see how my relationship with Isaac or what he does for a living has any relevance.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly at my challenge but after a pause, he carried on.

  “How long have you been conspiring to take Lucia from her parents’ home to live with you and your… boyfriend?”

  I hoped that at some point the good cop was going to come through the door and clarify that this was all a misunderstanding. We’d all laugh about it and become lifelong friends.

  Looking at the man in front of me, there was no way I’d ever want to be lifelong fr
iends with him, and I was sure the feeling was mutual.

  “Mr. Moretti.”

  Fuck me if I wasn’t going to punch the guy, police ranking be damned.

  “I met Lucia just a few weeks ago. I didn’t even know about her. She turned up on my doorstep and told me who she was. She ran away from home, and I didn’t want her to be out on the streets alone, so I let her stay with me until we figured things out.”

  That was the best summary I was willing to offer. Until I had my lawyer with me, he would not get any more.

  He got up and walked toward the door.

  “Am I being charged?” I asked.

  “There are still some checks that need to be done.”

  “Don’t I have the right to make a phone call? I want to call my lawyer.”

  I was hoping he’d see the request as a hint that I understood my rights. In reality, all my belongings, including my phone, had been taken away from me before I was put in the room.

  My watch told me it was almost seven in the morning, but I felt like I’d been at the station for days. I’d been moved to a room with a cot sometime between midnight and one and given a bottle of water and some snacks. As appreciative as I was of being a little more comfortable, it also worried me that I was more comfortable. How long could they keep me here for?

  I hadn’t been able to sleep, even though I was exhausted. All the walking and sightseeing of the day before seemed like a lifetime ago, as did the plans to watch a movie with Isaac on the comfort of the sofa and with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in my hand.

  To think the last thing I was worrying about before all this was whether Lucy was old enough to start dating.

  The officer that had escorted me to the holding room with the cot was a younger man, maybe in his mid-twenties. Hoping to appeal to his better nature, I’d asked if it was usual procedure to keep someone here if they weren’t formally charged with anything.

  He’d looked around to see if there was anyone within earshot before telling me to follow him. We didn’t exchange any words until we were in a room when he finally spoke.