by Carol Lynne
Moody rolled his eyes. “Does that surprise you? Or were you afraid they’d try to pick you up?”
Jake held up his hands. “Chill. I was just making an observation.”
Moody gripped the wheel. It hadn’t been the first time Jake had made comments like that. As he drove towards the station, he tried to let Jake’s remarks go. It wasn’t worth getting pissed at the guy. If Moody thought punching the homophobe’s lights out would help, he would’ve done it long ago.
He needed to focus his attention on catching Carl Blakely. “After we meet up with the captain, I’m going to check out a lead.”
“Okay. I’ll come with you.”
“Not this time.”
Jake turned in his seat to face Moody. “Are you holding out on me?”
“No. Let’s just say the guy I’m gonna talk to, won’t, if I bring a white boy with me.” Even though Jake being white had nothing to do with it, Moody knew he’d get nothing out of his cousin if he brought another cop along.
Jake turned back around in the seat. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the passenger window. “If I said shit like that, you’d be all up in my ass.”
Moody sighed. He knew Jake was right. “Look, I’m just trying to do whatever’s necessary to get something on this guy.”
“I know. I have a feeling Blakely’s not going to stick with this petty bullshit for much longer. I still don’t know what he has to gain in the first place.”
“Me either,” Moody acknowledged.
They rode the remainder of the trip in silence, both of them trying to puzzle out the case. As soon as they got to the station, Moody excused himself to the restroom. He went into one of the stalls and called Angelo.
“Hello?”
“Hey, baby. Sorry I couldn’t call before now. Jake’s been my shadow all morning.”
“Was there enough evidence at Trey’s house to point to Blakely?”
“No. Although we know who did it, there wasn’t shit in the way of evidence.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Listen, I’ve gotta meet with the captain, but I’ll call back as soon as I can. You doing okay?”
“Yeah, except I can’t even walk around the house without your sweats I borrowed falling down.”
“Mmmm, I’d like to see that.”
Angelo laughed. “I’m sure you would.”
“Just because I like you so much, I’ll let you in on a little secret. If you look in my bottom drawer, you’ll find a pair of black sweats that my baby brother left last time he came to town.”
“You’re a prince,” Angelo said.
“More of a king, but you can be my queen if you want.”
The noise of disgust Angelo made had Moody’s laughter echoing through the empty restroom. “Okay, I get it. You can be my co-ruler. How’s that?”
“Better,” Angelo said. A cute pout in his voice.
“I promise to make it up to you.”
“Are you coming or not?” Jake gruffed, sticking his head into the room.
“Gotta go catch the bad guys, babe.”
“You do that. I’m going to look for those sweats.”
Moody hung up and stuffed his phone into his pocket. When he opened the door, Jake was leaning against the opposite wall. Moody walked by his partner without saying a word. He refused to apologise for talking to his boyfriend. The guys he worked with called their girlfriends or wives all the damn time.
He knocked on Captain Platt’s door. The next twenty minutes were going to be pure hell. Moody could feel it in his bones.
* * * *
Moody parked the car on the street and got out. He righted his leather jacket and climbed the few front steps of his sister Toni’s house and knocked.
The front door opened and Rico stood staring at him. “Mom’s not here.”
“I know. I came to see you,” Moody informed his twenty-three year old nephew.
Rico crossed his arms and leant against the doorframe. “I’m kinda busy.”
With a hand to Rico’s chest, Moody pushed his nephew into the house and shut the door. “I’ve got a few questions. Now, we can either discuss them here, or I can take you downtown. Which do you think would be a better move for your career? Hmmm?”
Rico grabbed his open beer from the coffee table and slouched down on the couch. “So talk.”
“What do you have to do with Carl Blakely? And don’t you fucking dare lie to me!”
Rico took his time answering. Just when Moody was about to put the little fucker into a headlock, his nephew started talking. “Seen him speak a couple times. Liked some of the things he had to say.”
The news cut Moody to the bone. He never expected his Catholic family to embrace his lifestyle, but he didn’t think they’d side with someone like Blakely, either. Because he’d watched Rico grow up, he knew the punk thought he was tougher than he really was. He wondered if a good scare would do anything to loosen his nephew’s tongue.
“You don’t want to get mixed up with Blakely. He’s losing it, making mistakes. When we finally have enough to convict, we will.”
Rico laughed. “Do you know how long the queer groups have been trying to pin something on Reverend Blakely?” Rico waved his hand. “They got nowhere and neither will you.”
Moody was across the room before Rico finished his statement. He grabbed his nephew by the front of his shirt and jerked him off the couch. “Listen, you little piece of shit. I don’t know how deep you’re into the crap that’s been going down, but if I find you had anything to do with it, I won’t hesitate to bust your ass.”
Rico’s nostrils flared. Moody’s chest tightened at the pure look of hatred in his nephew’s big brown eyes.
“What happened to you, Rico? There was a time when you looked up to me. Tell me, who was it that made sure you had shoes to wear to school? Who took you to the ballgame?”
Rico pulled himself out of Moody’s grasp. “That was before I knew what you really are. Do you know what it’s like to be compared to a fucking faggot every day? I’ve busted my ass on the job, and all I ever get is comments about the big, bad Moody Torrence. Well, fuck you!”
Moody stepped back, shocked at his nephew’s hateful words. “You’d better hope you had nothing to do with William Overton’s stabbing. Because as much as I love my sister, I’ll take none of it into consideration if it comes down to hauling you in.”
Moody turned and walked out of the house, knowing full well it may be for the last time. Toni lived for her kids, and although it hurt, he wouldn’t blame her for circling the wagons around her son.
By the time he exchanged the car for his bike and reached his building, Moody’s mood was as black as it had ever been. The day had started with a promise of better things, but after the meeting with Rico, he once again questioned emotional involvement.
Instead of immediately going in, he sat on the floor outside of his apartment. Despite his current frame of mind, Moody knew Angelo didn’t deserve his wrath. Fuck! He pulled out his phone, deciding to test the waters before jumping in.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Moody greeted.
“Something wrong?” Angelo asked, genuine concern lacing the question.
“Bad day.”
“Because of me?”
Moody closed his eyes and leant his head against the wall behind him. “Actually, you’ve been the only good thing about it,” he admitted.
“Any idea when you’re coming home?”
“Actually, I’m sitting in the hallway.” Moody grinned as he heard the locks on the door disengaging. “You feel like putting up with a grumbly bear?”
The door opened and Angelo held out his hand. “Is there a reason you didn’t want to come inside?”
Moody grabbed Angelo’s hand and got to his feet, snapping his phone shut. “I didn’t want to growl at you.”
Angelo led Moody into the living room. “Have a seat, and I’ll get you a beer.”
Before Angelo relea
sed his hand, Moody pulled his lover into a hug. He wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about his meeting with his captain or his nephew, but he did want to hold the man in his arms.
Angelo nestled against him, giving Moody the silent support he needed. Moody inhaled the clean scent of a man who hadn’t been out in the grime of the world. Angelo smelled like home, and the thought of getting attached didn’t bother him at that particular moment.
Moody didn’t know how long they held each other before he bent and placed a gentle kiss on Angelo’s forehead. “A beer sounds good, babe.”
Angelo eventually stepped back and cupped Moody’s cheek. “I know whatever you went through was because of me. I’m sorry.”
Moody reached up and trapped Angelo’s hand under his. “No. The worst of it wasn’t because of you.” It was because I believed in the love of family.
Angelo nodded and slipped his hand free. “I’ll get us both a beer.”
Moody sat on the couch and took off his boots, setting them under the coffee table. “What do you feel like for dinner?”
Angelo came back into the room with two cans of beer. He knew from the teasing he’d overheard Angelo usually only drank expensive beer, so the fact the man was joining him in a cheap domestic was telling.
“I have a buy one, get one free coupon for Manzetti’s. Interested?”
Moody popped the top on his beer and took a big swallow. “I can afford two meals.”
Angelo’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t say you couldn’t. But why do you assume you’d be buying my meal in the first place? Just because I got fired doesn’t mean I’m destitute.”
As sexy as Moody thought that particular expression was, he knew he’d hurt Angelo’s feelings. “I didn’t mean any offence. If you feel like going to Manzetti’s, we’ll go.”
Angelo sighed and leant against Moody’s side. “I guess you haven’t heard. I don’t go anywhere unless I have a coupon. Why would anyone pay more for something when they can get a perfectly nice meal cheaper?”
“You’re right.” He never saw Angelo as a man concerned with the cost of a meal, but knowing how he grew up, he didn’t blame him.
“We’ll need to run by my place so I can change. I doubt Mr. Manzetti will appreciate the sweats and oversized T-shirt.”
Moody wrapped his arm around his lover and nodded. “Give me a few to unwind first?”
Angelo’s cheek settled against Moody’s chest. “Take all the time you need.”
The next thing Moody knew, he woke to the sound of his phone ringing. His arm was numb where it was trapped under Angelo, so he fished his phone out with the opposite hand.
“Moody,” he answered.
“You have something to tell me?” Toni, Moody’s sister asked.
Moody pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hang on a minute, sis.”
He extracted his arm from behind a still-sleeping Angelo, and slipped into the bedroom. “Okay, sorry about that.”
“Rico said you stopped by. He told me you were going to try and pin that Overton guy’s murder on him.”
Moody couldn’t say he was surprised by the call, but he wasn’t prepared to tell his sister his true beliefs of his nephew’s involvement. “You know me better than that. I’m afraid he’s in with Carl Blakely and his group. I told him if I find out he had anything to do with the harassment to Angelo or the death of Overton, I wouldn’t cut him any slack.”
“Who’s Angelo?”
“A man Carl Blakely doesn’t like. He also happens to be special to me.” Moody took a deep breath. Although he’d come out to his family years earlier, he’d never introduced them to a lover, but then he’d never had anyone he thought was special. His mind flicked to the man on the sofa. “I’d like to introduce the two of you someday.”
“Enough about your boyfriend. Why would you accuse Rico of hanging out with this Blakely guy? I’ve read about him in the paper, and Rico’s not like that.”
Moody bit his bottom lip. Rico’s hurtful words were still too close to the surface. “I love you, Toni, but I can’t discuss this with you right now. If you want to know why I think what I do, ask Rico.”
“I guess I always thought family was supposed to stick together.”
“Yeah, sis, so did I. I’ll talk to you later.” Moody hung up. He knew he’d need to go see his mom.
A soft knock sounded and Moody turned towards the door as Angelo stuck his head in the room. “Everything okay?”
Moody grinned. His lover’s hair stuck up at odd angles from their impromptu nap on the couch. For some reason, a slightly mussed Angelo was even sexier than the carefully styled businessman he’d met a month earlier. “Yeah.”
“I’m making dinner. Nothing fancy, grilled cheese and tomato soup.”
Moody stuck the phone into his pocket and wrapped his arms around Angelo. “That’s one of my favourite meals.”
Angelo kissed him, pushing his tongue deep into Moody’s mouth before withdrawing. “It was an easy guess. I opened the cabinet and found about ten cans of tomato soup and four cans of SpaghettiO’s.”
Moody felt himself blush. He’d loved SpaghettiO’s since he was a kid. Back then, getting a can to himself had been unheard of, but now he didn’t have to share with anyone. He gazed at the man in his arms. Well, he could probably be talked into sharing them with Angelo.
* * * *
Although hiding away in Moody’s house for the last four days had been good for his romantic life, it wasn’t going to get him where he needed to be. Moody had been kind enough to run by Angelo’s house to grab him a change of clothes, but that had been days ago. “I’m going home in the morning.”
Moody, still breathing heavy from their recent lovemaking, shook his head. “I don’t think it’s safe.”
“Maybe, but so far all Blakely’s managed to do is harass me.” Angelo turned onto his side and draped an arm over Moody’s sweaty chest. “I need to find another job. Who knows how long this is going to go on. I can’t put my life on hold just because Carl Blakely might do something else.”
Moody wrapped his arms around Angelo, bringing him snug against the big man’s body. “I’m sorry I’m not getting anywhere on the investigation. It seems like I spend most of my time putting out fires instead of figuring out why they’re being started in the first place.”
“It’s not your fault. Besides, I’m used to standing on my own two feet. I’ve stared down scarier men than Carl Blakely before.” Angelo playfully bit Moody’s nipple before soothing the sting with a swipe of his tongue. “Plus I have a big bad cop a phone call away, right?”
Moody scooted down in bed until they were nose to nose. “I’ll sleep on your fucking porch if it helps keep you safe.”
Angelo leant in for a kiss, while his hand wandered Moody’s incredible body. The thick, flaccid cock he was beginning to crave felt soft, yet powerful, in his palm as he continued the kiss.
For four days he’d thought of moving away. If he wanted to work in radio, it’s what had to be done. Things with Moody were fantastic, but too new to use as a basis for staying and working a job he hated. Maybe he’d get lucky and find a job only a few hours away. He could still see Moody and his friends on the weekend.
Moody’s cock started to respond to Angelo’s touch. Breaking the kiss, Angelo stared into his lover’s dark brown eyes. With Moody’s hair splayed out on the pillow and his heavily muscled body still glistening with sweat, Angelo wanted him again.
His lover must’ve felt the same, because without saying anything, Moody reached for another condom. Angelo took the shiny foil packet and ripped it open. “Lube?”
Moody handed Angelo the bottle. “I figured you still had plenty in that pretty hole of yours.”
Angelo chuckled. “If you were a normal-sized man, I’d say you were right, but you aren’t.”
Moody seemed to puff up a bit at the compliment. Angelo was about to straddle Moody’s lap, when the big man surprised him and rolled on top. Angelo was amazed at how
good it felt being trapped by Moody. Rarely did he allow himself to indulge in the missionary position. It was too intimate for the occasional fuck, and too restricting for his peace of mind.
With Moody, Angelo knew he didn’t need to be afraid. There was no power struggle between the two of them. Even though they both knew Moody could easily take him in a fight, in bed, his lover had been nothing but gentle. That wasn’t to say they hadn’t fucked long and hard over the last few days, but Angelo knew everything Moody did was to bring them both pleasure.
He wrapped his legs around Moody’s waist and sighed as his lover pushed in. Angelo still couldn’t believe what a bottom boy he was becoming. He knew without asking that Moody would let him top if he asked, but for some odd reason, Angelo didn’t feel the need.
As Moody moved in and out of Angelo’s body, they maintained eye contact. It was yet another first for Angelo. Had he ever been with a lover who gazed at him the way Moody did? He wondered if the strong feelings he was beginning to develop had anything to do with the situation with Blakely. Would he feel as strongly about Moody if Carl wasn’t an issue?
Moody brushed his cheek against Angelo’s. They were both men with heavy five-o’clock shadow, and the slight burn seemed to add to the intimacy of the gesture.
“I’m glad I found you,” Moody whispered in Angelo’s ear.
Every detail about the moment felt surreal to Angelo. Dreams from his past about the perfect man would never have included someone like Juan Torrence, but here they were, and it actually did feel perfect between them. When would the other shoe drop? When would Moody wake up and realise he could have any man he wanted?
Angelo threaded his fingers through Moody’s hair, keeping it out of his face. A face that was beautiful without being feminine. Words that he’d never uttered were on the tip of his tongue, but Angelo couldn’t bring himself to lay his cards on the table so early in the game.
“Fuck me,” he whispered before his facial expression could give away his thoughts.
Moody blinked several times before giving Angelo a brief smile. The pace and intensity of Moody’s strokes increased, and Angelo tried to push his sappy thoughts away and feel the moment.