by Stormy Glenn
I huffed as I flipped the folder closed and tossed it on Sal's desk. "So, he's Mother Freaking Teresa. He isn't Lyn."
"Look, Clarke, this isn't up to us. Lyn put his resignation in through proper channels. He served out his notice, and now he's moving on. The only thing we can do is attend his going-away party and wish him well."
"You're just going to let him leave?" I knew I sounded outraged, but that was only because I was. Lyn couldn't leave. It was that simple.
"It's out of my hands."
I narrowed my eyes. "We'll see about that."
Sal shot me an inquisitive look that I couldn't quite decipher. "Why do you even care, Clarke? Joe isn't as good as Lyn when it comes to computers, but he's damn close. If Lyn wants to leave, you need to let him."
I growled as I turned and slammed out of Sal's office. The man didn't understand. Lyn was too young and too innocent to be out there on his own. Being part of the SWAT unit kept him safe. No one fucked with a member of our team, not even our computer tech.
I had to stop this. I knew Lyn would be upset, but he'd get over it. There was more at stake here than his delicate sensibilities.
I grabbed my jacket and my keys then headed out the door. David had said the going-away party was being held at the bar. There was only one bar we all hung out at. It was the same place where Sal had met Lany all those years ago.
I walked.
I needed the outlet to let off some of my anger. The brisk walk did me some good. By the time I pulled the front door open and stepped into the bar, I was no longer breathing fire. My ire was still raised, but I wasn't going to take someone's head off.
Maybe.
It didn't take more than a few minutes to reach my destination. That was probably one of the reasons we hung out there. It was just a few blocks from work.
"Hey, Clarke," Lany said. "You made it."
I nodded because there was no way I could smile. "I did. Where's Lyn?"
"Oh." Lany glanced over his shoulder toward the rest of the bar. "He's here somewhere. Last I saw him, he was talking to Angelo."
"Sal's brother?"
Lany smiled as he nodded. "Yeah, Angelo wanted to drop by and wish Lyn well in his new job."
My eyes narrowed. "What new job?"
Lany's eyebrows lifted. "Lyn's going to work for the FBI's cyber crimes division. I thought you knew that."
"No." I tried not to snarl. "This is the first I've heard of it."
"Oh, well, yeah, Burke helped him get a job at the FBI.
"The FBI, huh?" I was going to strangle Burke the next time I saw him. "He must be excited."
"He still has a few courses he has to take before he'll be a full-fledged FBI agent, but he seems to be looking forward to it."
That wasn't what I wanted to hear.
"I'm going to grab a beer."
There was something in Lany's smile as he nodded, but damned if I knew what it was. I brushed past the man and headed directly to the bar. Once I got there, I ordered a scotch. I needed something stronger than a beer.
"Hey, man, you made it."
Grabbing my drink after the bartender set it down in front of me, I turned to face David. "I did."
Obviously.
"That's good." David's smile was friendly, so apparently he didn't get that I was three seconds away from snapping. "Lyn will be happy to see you."
I doubted that.
"Where is he?" I asked before taking a sip of my scotch. "I haven't seen him yet."
"I think he went to the bathroom."
Perfect.
I tossed back the remains of my drink more to settle my nerves than anything else. Lyn wasn't going to be happy when I set down the law to him. He would fight me, but I knew I was persuasive enough to make him see reason.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Lyn."
David's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll catch you later."
I set my empty glass down on the bar then started walking toward the back where the bathrooms were located. I was hoping to catch Lyn before he came out of the hallway that led to the bathrooms.
I didn't really want to have this conversation in front of everyone, but I would if I had to. There had to be other members of our unit that were thinking the same thing I was. I just couldn't figure out why they hadn't said anything to Lyn yet.
I reached the hallway just as the bathroom door opened and Lyn stepped out. He stumbled when he saw me, his face turning a little pale before it flushed red.
"Clarke."
"When were you going to tell me, Lyn?" I asked, refusing to beat around the bush and make small talk. I only had one reason for coming to this ridiculous party after all, and that was to tell Lyn he wasn't leaving the team. "You didn't think I had a right to know?"
Lyn's chin jutted out. "No, actually, I didn't."
"You can't leave."
Lyn's lips parted and his eyebrows rose. "I can't?"
"I forbid it." I knew that was the wrong thing to say the second the words were out of my mouth.
Lyn's eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his glasses. "You forbid it?"
Oh yeah, he was pissed.
"Look, Lyn—"
"No, you look." Lyn jabbed his finger into my chest. "I've been waiting for you to get your shit together for nearly ten years. I'm done. I refuse to wait for you one second more. I have decided what I want in my life, and I am going to go out and get it and there is nothing in this world you can do to stop me, so get the fuck out of my way."
I stood there in the hallway after Lyn pushed past me, my jaw hanging down to my chest. Lyn had never spoken to me like that. I doubted he'd ever spoken to anyone like that.
It was actually kind of hot, but it also made me seethe with anger. I was second-in-command of one of the most elite SWAT units in the city. Not many had balls big enough to talk to me the way Lyn just had. Even fewer were brave enough to stab a finger into my chest while doing it then walk away.
I was going to enjoy paddling Lyn's ass.
One of these days.
God, had it been ten years already? It felt like just yesterday the young twenty-four-year-old police officer, fresh out of the academy and still wet behind the ears, had hung around the division so much, we'd hired him just to keep him from underfoot.
Now look at him.
I was impressed.
I still wanted to paddle his ass.
Desperately.
I walked out into the main room, having every intention of getting back into things with Lyn. When I saw the man standing with Sal, Lany, the others in our unit, and the police commissioner, I curled my upper lip back then detoured toward the bar to get another drink.
I didn't have a problem confronting Lyn in front of the others, but I wouldn't do it in front of the police commissioner, even if he was Lany's uncle. There were just some things that needed to stay in the unit, and this was one of them. We didn't need any outsiders sticking their noses in.
Kind of like Burke had done when he got Lyn a job at the FBI.
Swear to god, I was going to lay his ass out the next time I saw him. Burke had no business getting Lyn a job at the FBI.
The fucking FBI.
Lyn was going to get killed. I didn't care if he was safely behind the walls of the FBI office doing computer work in their cyber crimes division. Just working for that stupid alphabet agency placed him in danger.
What part of that didn't people understand?
Chapter Four
Clarke
Lyn wouldn't listen to me. No one would listen to me. I'd talked to Sal until I was blue in the face, and he kept telling me to let it alone. I couldn't. Lyn needed to stay with the team, where I could keep an eye on him.
I hadn't interfered when Lyn started dating other men or got into relationships, no matter how angry that made me. So, Sal's insistence that I was protesting Lyn's leaving the team because I was jealous was just ridiculous.
I was doing this for Lyn's ow
n good.
I was huffing a little bit by the time I got up the stairs to Lyn's third-floor apartment. I stumbled over to his front door and pounded on it. It was late, and I might wake the neighbors, but I'd sure as shit wake Lyn, too.
"Jesus, what?" Lyn snapped as he swung the door open. He stared for a moment then started to slam the door closed.
I stuck my foot in the doorway. "I need to talk to you."
"No." Lyn pushed harder on the door. "Damn it, Clarke, what the hell do you want? It's after three o'clock in the morning. Some people need their beauty sleep."
"Oh please. Like you need any help in the beauty department. You could spend the next sixty years wide awake, and you'd still be beautiful."
Lyn's cheeks flushed. "You think I'm beautiful?"
"You know I do, so stop playing dumb." I gave a push on the door. "Let me in."
Surprisingly, Lyn stepped back and allowed me in. I took several steps into the room before turning to face the man. I'd given a lot of thought to what I wanted to say to Lyn, and every damn reason I'd come up with for him to stay slid right out of my head when I realized he was standing there in nothing but a pair of boxers and a tank top.
"Go put some clothes on." I realized I'd nearly shouted those words when Lyn's face turned pale, but a man only had so much strength before he gave in.
"But you said—"
"Now!"
Lyn jerked, but turned and hurried down the hallway to his bedroom. I don't think I took a breath until I heard the bedroom door slam. My hand was shaking when I thrust it through my hair. It only seemed fair. The rest of me was shaking as well.
Officer Lyn Philips was quite possibly the most stunning man I'd ever seen in my life, and I'd seen a lot. I had flirted with him when he first joined the team until I realized he was taking it all way too seriously. I had quickly backed off and made sure we were never alone together again.
There were almost ten years between us, way too many years for us to ever work. No matter how much I might dream about it. Lyn was sweet and caring and so innocent he made me ache. That right there meant we had no business together.
Lyn was too innocent.
He hadn't seen the world. I had, and truthfully, the world disgusted me. There were way too many idiots out there. Lyn hadn't tried many of the things I'd stopped doing long ago. He hadn't experienced enough in his young life to become cynical.
Like me.
I walked over to stare out the window facing the street below. I was surprised at how quiet it was. This wasn't the worst neighborhood in the city, but it wasn't the best either. I wish Lyn would move somewhere safer.
Maybe I'd mention that as well.
I turned when I heard the bedroom door open. Lyn walked out covered from head to toe in jogging pants and a long-sleeve shirt. He even had socks covering his feet. I hated to see all that glorious skin covered up, but I was glad he had.
He stopped once he reached the living room and crossed his arms, keeping a good amount of space between us. "What did you need to speak to me about?"
This was so not going to go well.
I could feel it.
"Lyn, you…" I frowned as I glanced around, suddenly noticing what was off about the room. "What are all these boxes for?" There were a crap ton of them littering the floor and even more stacked in the corner of the living room.
"I'm pa—"
"You know what? Never mind. It's not important." I waved a hand at Lyn then settled it on my hip. "Look, you can't leave the team. It's as simple as that. We need you there."
Lyn's eyes rolled. "Anyone can do the computer work I do, Clarke. It's not rocket science."
"That's not true and you know it."
The man was a whiz with a laptop and an internet connection.
Lyn's shoulders slumped. "Look, Clarke, I appreciate that you think I'm a marvel with a computer, but I'm still leaving. Joe is well trained, and once he fully grasps how you guys do things, he'll do a good job. You don't need me."
"That's not true."
Seriously, it wasn't.
"I'm leaving the team, Clarke. There's nothing for me there, not anymore."
I refused to acknowledge the stab of pain those words brought me. I was here to make sure Lyn stayed in the unit for his own safety, not because I ached with despair even thinking about not seeing his sweet face every day.
I growled as I grabbed Lyn and slammed him into the wall behind him. "You're not leaving."
Lyn's eyes flickered up to mine before he licked his lips and asked, "Why not?"
I forgot.
I knew I had a good reason. I just…I glanced down at Lyn's lips, swallowing hard when he licked them again. I suddenly became aware of the tight little body pressed between me and the wall. Tight and soft and hard in all the right places.
Why was I here again?
"Lyn."
Lyn's legs lifted and wrapped around my waist. I gasped when I felt his hard cock press against my abdomen. There was no hiding the fact that the man wanted me. The proof was leaking right through his jogging pants.
"Kiss me, Victor."
Oh, he had to go and use my first name. No one used my first name. Ever. I was always Clarke or Sergeant or hey you. I was never just Victor.
I wanted to be just Victor.
So, I kissed Lyn.
His lips were as soft as I thought they'd be. Soft and plush and begging to be licked. I trailed my tongue along Lyn's lower lip before giving him a little bite. When Lyn gasped, I pushed inside, exploring, conquering, sending my arousal through the ceiling.
I wrapped my hands around Lyn's ass and lifted the man closer then turned and carried him down the hallway toward the back of the apartment. I'd been here once before, but only once. I had a general idea where the bedroom was located.
Got it on the first try.
I pushed the door open and carried Lyn inside, not stopping until I reached the bed. I dropped Lyn down on the mattress. Before he stopped bouncing, I was pulling his shirt off over his head. His jogging pants went next.
"Sweet hell," I whispered when I got my first good look at the bounty before me. Lyn was the stuff gay dreams were made of, at least my dreams.
Lightly tanned skin from top to bottom with a smattering of auburn hair over his abdomen. Twin brown-hued nipples graced his svelte chest. There was a good amount of definition to his muscles, telling me Lyn kept in good shape, but not overly so. He wasn't hugely muscular like I was, which made sense. I went out into the field. I needed to be in great shape.
I slid my jacket off my shoulders and dropped it on the floor then reached for the hem of my shirt. There was no mistaking the fire that flared to life in Lyn's eyes as he watched me pull my shirt off over my head.
I dropped it to the floor then toed off my boots and reached for the buttons on my jeans. I didn't do zippers. There was no way I was going to accidently zip up my junk. I was a button-fly guy all the way.
Once I was naked, I climbed onto the bed. I grabbed Lyn's ankle and pulled him partway down the mattress then settled myself between his legs. The gasp that left my mouth when our naked bodies finally pressed together was met by one from Lyn.
I had no business doing what I was doing, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. I'd wanted Lyn Philips almost from the very moment I'd met him, back when he was simply an annoying beat cop who was constantly underfoot. The man he'd grown into over the years had held my interest just as long.
I leaned in and captured Lyn's lips again. I gloried in the feel of them pressed against mine. How plush they were, how they parted to let me in.
Lyn clearly wanted this as much as I did. His hands clutched at my shoulders, pulling me closer. If I got any closer, I'd be inside of him, which was exactly where I planned to be.
I tore my lips away. "Do you have supplies?" For a brief moment, I marveled that I did not, and then I realized it had been ages since I'd even carried a condom around. It had been even longer since I'd needed one.
&nb
sp; And then I realized it didn't matter when Lyn pointed to his nightstand.
I stretched out until I could open the drawer then searched around inside until I found what I was looking for. Something settled inside of me when I realized I had grabbed an unopened box of condoms.
I wasn't about to bring up Lyn's boyfriend, but if I was so inclined, I'd ask why the two of them weren't sleeping together. If Lyn was mine, the man would barely be able to take a step without me being all over him.
He wasn't mine.
Maybe he was, but just for tonight.
I tore off one of the condoms and tossed it down on the bed. I kept the lube gripped in my hand. I had plans for both, but I'd need one before the other. But first, I needed to taste just about every inch of Lyn's luscious body.
I started with his mouth. Kissing Lyn was a luxury, but I needed it more than I needed my next breath. I nibbled at his lips until he opened his mouth then swept inside to stroke my tongue over Lyn's, licking him, tasting him.
Dominating him.
A growl rumbled through my chest as I licked lower, sucking up a mark on Lyn's throat. Lyn tilted his head back, giving me his submission. It was a heady feeling and made my cock harder than steel.
I'd always been a dominant man, which was one of the reasons I'd been so resistant to giving into my desire for Lyn. He was young and innocent. I was hardened and dominant. I was afraid I'd consume him if given the chance. Lyn was giving me that chance, and I was helpless to resist him.
I didn't want to resist him.
I found a nipple with my mouth and swirled my tongue around it before sucking the little nub into my mouth. Lyn hissed and fisted his hands in my hair and pulled me closer.
This was such a colossally bad idea.
I didn't care.
I paid homage to Lyn's nipple with my lips and tongue and teeth before moving to its twin and doing the same. By the time I was done, they were stiff little peaks, red and no doubt tender.
Perfect.
I licked and kissed and nibbled my way down Lyn's chest until I reached the hard leaking cock sticking up from his groin. And it was a very beautiful cock. Not too thick, not too long. Just big enough to give me hours of pleasure.
