Fire and Granite

by Andrew Grey

  “Huh?” Andrew groaned as he sat up, holding his head.

  “Are you okay?” Clay helped Andrew to his feet. “You cried out in your sleep, and I thought that you might have been attacked.” God, he figured someone had gotten in the house. He let his heart rate slow back to normal. “Was it a dream?”

  “Yeah.” Andrew sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been having them for a while.”

  That sounded ominous, like something that had been happening for a lot longer than this threat from Harper Grange. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Andrew shook his head. “It’s embarrassing and… nothing.” He sighed. “I got left behind in the woods as a kid and was alone for a number of hours. My dad took me hiking and, well, I was a kid…. I wandered off because I saw a patch of flowers. Before I knew it, I couldn’t see him anymore, and when I called out, he couldn’t hear me.” Andrew raised his head, letting his hands fall to his side. “I was really scared that he wasn’t going to find me. At first I ran the way he’d gone, but I couldn’t find him, so I went back to where we were and stayed there because that’s what they said to do on TV.”

  Clay sat next to him, putting his arm around Andrew’s shoulders. “Your dad found you.”

  “Yeah. But not until a few hours later. I was scared and alone, and it was getting dark. Animals skittered through the leaves and stuff around my feet, and I kept getting more and more scared. Then Daddy came back and I ran to him, crying.”

  Clay could understand that. “I bet he was happy to have found you.”

  Andrew shook his head. “He got mad at me and said I should have stayed with him and that I’d been really bad, and now we weren’t going to get home in time for dinner, and….” Andrew shook next to him. “He was my dad. He was supposed to comfort me. Instead, he yelled and was mad the entire way home.” He sighed. “It’s stupid. I haven’t had the abandonment dreams in a long time.”

  “You know it’s okay. You aren’t alone.” Clay tilted Andrew’s head upward with a light touch of his finger, and Andrew closed the distance between him and those luscious lips that Clay had had a hard time taking his eyes off for two days now.

  Andrew tasted exactly like he’d imagined: warm, slightly spicy, sweet, and rich, everything all rolled together. Clay pressed closer as Andrew parted his lips, responding to him. Heat raced through Clay, sweat breaking out on his neck and forehead as he tried to temper his reaction to the kiss but failed. Heart racing faster, he pulled Andrew to him, holding him as he broke the kiss only to start once again, unable to get enough.

  “Clay,” Andrew whispered breathily, and the sound of his name on Andrew’s lips with such passion and need was nearly overwhelming. “We need to….”

  “What, Andrew? What is it you need?” Clay slid closer, holding Andrew tighter.

  “I don’t know,” Andrew said softly into his ear. “I never seem to know what I need when it comes to the heart.” He clung to him, and Clay stayed still, loving how strong and willing Andrew was to hold him and take comfort.

  Clay backed away slightly, looking into Andrew’s deep brown eyes. “I do.” Basically, he’d been enthralled with Andrew once he realized there was more to him than just his outer judicial shell. “Follow what you feel.”

  “I can’t.” Andrew sighed. “Every time I do that, it leads me down a path I can’t take.” Andrew stood, and Clay did his best not to ogle as Andrew’s boxers hung on his hips. He wanted to take hold of them, tug them off, and get his first look at all of Andrew, but this would have to do.

  “Yes, you can,” Clay countered. “This isn’t court, and you don’t have to follow the rules and be logical and reasonable all the time. Attraction and passion are the opposite of those. It’s what makes your heart race and your blood run.” He gently placed his hand in the center of Andrew’s chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No. But you have a job to do here, and I don’t want to complicate things.” Andrew backed away, Clay’s hand falling back to his side. “It’s bad enough that someone is after me. But….”

  “What? You’re afraid of putting me in danger? I already am. I have a gun beside my bed in case I need it. I don’t sleep deeply, so I wake at any strange noise. That’s what I do.” Clay waited as indecision warred on Andrew’s features. He remained still until Andrew closed the distance between them once again. “This—” He ran his hand along Andrew’s smooth shoulder and down his arm. “—this is a gift. It’s something I believe doesn’t come around very often, and we need to capture it when it does.” He drew Andrew to him, opening his legs and settling Andrew between them until his arms encircled Andrew’s waist, then slid his hands to cup his high, firm butt.

  Andrew moaned softly, and Clay held him. Andrew was jumpy and nervous; Clay could hear it in the racing of his heart and the rush of blood in his veins. “But what if I make the wrong decision?”

  Clay hummed, sucking lightly at Andrew’s belly, his tongue gliding over his smooth skin, sweet saltiness bursting on his tongue. “You make decisions all the time according to the law. This is a decision that you make according to your own heart.” Clay lifted his gaze, meeting Andrew’s, waiting for his answer. He got it in the form of a kiss that curled his toes. Clay held Andrew tightly, cradling him as he slowly rocked back and forth. He wanted so much more, but that was definitely going to have to wait. Andrew was vulnerable, scared, and had had his rug of security pulled out from under him with the break-in at his house. Now was most assuredly not the time for Clay to press for anything else. He was well aware of what he wanted, but Andrew deserved the chance to make his decision with a clear head, not one encumbered or influenced by his nightmares.

  He pulled back, moving his hand to cup Andrew’s cheek. “I’m going to go back to my room, and you should try to get some more sleep. I’ll be just down the hall if you need me.” He stood and got ready to leave.

  “Clay, I….” Andrew looked down at his feet.

  “There’s nothing to worry or be embarrassed about.” Clay lightly touched Andrew’s chin.

  Andrew nodded. “Would you stay?” he asked, and Clay almost didn’t hear him, his voice was so soft.

  Clay held out his hand, and Andrew took it. He tugged Andrew to him led him back to his room, where the bed was larger. He pulled back the covers, and Andrew slid between them. Clay nearly gasped at how right and beautiful Andrew looked in his bed. He’d imagined this more than once over the past two days. Clay went to the other side of the bed and got in. Andrew slid closer, and Clay turned out the light. He held Andrew, breathing in his amazing scent.

  Petey joined them on the bed, taking his place right near Clay’s feet, curling up, and within seconds he was snoring softly.

  “Sometimes I wish they’d make Breathe Right strips for dogs. He could sure use them.”

  Andrew chuckled. “I thought the same thing last night. That dog can snore sometimes.” He shifted even closer, and soon Clay didn’t hear any more doggie snores or much else, except Andrew’s soft breathing, and it wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 4

  ANDREW DIDN’T want to move. He was surrounded with warmth, and it was Saturday, so he didn’t have any reason to get up. Though Petey prancing over them was a little annoying.

  “Okay, I’ll get up and let you out,” Clay groaned. He got out of the bed, pulling the covers back into place, and soon Andrew drifted back to sleep.

  It had been restful, the first he’d had in a long time. Andrew hadn’t slept well in years. It wasn’t just the last few days either. He was always worried about something—usually stupid crap—that just ran through his head all night long, and he wasn’t able to stop it. So many nights he wished he could turn his brain off. Last night with Clay, he should have been up the entire time, wondering what he wanted and taking in the feel of the sexy police officer sleeping next to him—because, damn it all, that was a fantasy, and he should have committed every second to memory. Still, his head had stayed
quiet, and when he closed his eyes, even with Clay gone, he went right back to sleep.

  Andrew wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when he woke again, Petey was in bed with him, sleeping near his leg. Andrew stroked his head gently before going to his room to dress and get cleaned up. A half hour later, he joined Clay in the kitchen.

  “I didn’t want to wake you. I figure you needed the rest.” Clay set a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Go ahead and have breakfast. I have a few things I need to do.” He placed a glass of juice at his place. “I called the station, and the guys are done at your house. Red is off shift but said he and Terry would meet us at the house to give us a hand with the cleanup.”

  Andrew set down his fork. “I don’t even know them.”

  “They’re good friends of mine, and they’d do just about anything for anyone.” Clay got the dishes taken care of and went off with some Swiffers toward the living room, hurrying back just to lean over and kiss him quickly. “Enjoy your breakfast, and then we can go.” Clay rushed away, a bundle of energy this morning.

  Andrew doubted he could match him, but he finished his breakfast, loaded the dishwasher, and got it going as Clay finished up. Then they got ready to go. Andrew grew nervous when it was time to leave, but Clay made sure the coast was clear before letting him go out through the yard and into the garage.

  They drove to Andrew’s house and around the back. Andrew handed Clay the keys, and he unlocked and opened the garage, then pulled his car inside. They closed and locked the doors, went through the fenced-in backyard, and entered the house by the back door.

  Inside was the same, and Andrew didn’t want to look at the carnage, but he had to get it cleaned up and make a list of everything broken for the insurance company. Unfortunately, only he could catalog the things that were smashed.

  “It’s all right,” Clay said as Andrew stood in the hallway door. “Red and Terry are on their way. Why don’t you get a tablet and start listing everything that’s broken, while I get brooms and dustpans? We can clean things up one room at a time, and that way, we’ll get everything.”

  Andrew sighed without looking away from the broken pieces of his life. Yeah, they were only things, but some of them weren’t replaceable, and he needed to get used to the idea that they were gone.

  He got a tablet from the kitchen drawer and started noting things that were broken and damaged, using the images in his mind’s eye to place all the pictures and items in the room. “This is hard,” Andrew said softly. It had been a way for Grange to get to him, but why was the man so fixated on him? He knew their history and it didn’t seem so remarkable to him, but it obviously was to Harper because…. He surveyed the carnage one more time before stepping back.

  A knock on the back door pulled him out of his head, and Andrew was grateful.

  Clay checked outside before opening the door. “Red, Terry, thanks for coming,” Clay said, shaking hands with both of them.

  “Nice to meet you,” Andrew said. Redmond had appeared in his court a number of times, but Andrew didn’t know him personally. He was hard to forget, though, with the scars on his face.

  “This is my partner, Terry Baumgartner.”

  “The gold medalist?” Andrew asked, shaking hands as Terry nodded and blushed a little.

  “Yes, that’s me,” Terry said a little shyly.

  “I’ve seen some of your commercials. You’re doing great work with the antismoking campaign and helping the local animal shelter.” Andrew smiled. Terry was as captivatingly handsome in person as he was on television. There was also a light inside him that spread out, radiating warmth and happiness. When Terry looked at Red, that warmth increased.

  “Thanks, Judge. I’m glad you think so.”

  “Please call me Andrew,” he said quietly.

  Terry grinned and nodded. “They were Red’s idea.” He shifted closer. “My agent seems to be out for as much money as I could get, but Red suggested contacting the charitable organizations, and I’m really proud of who we’ve been able to support.” He held Red’s arm. “So, what can we do to help?”

  “Well….” Andrew cleared his throat.

  “We need to clean up the mess left by an unwelcome visitor. Andrew is making a list of the things that were broken. We’ll need to pick up the larger pieces and then sweep. The rugs will need to be taken out, vacuumed, even beaten so any small pieces of glass that might have gotten ground in come out. Then I thought we could get things put back as best we can. There’s a trash can out back. We can dump everything in there. I got trash bags and borough bags in the kitchen to put everything out by the street, so we should be good to go.”

  Wow, it seemed like Clay had developed quite a plan.

  “Where do you want us to start?” Red asked.

  “We’re almost finished in the hallway listing what was broken.”

  “Actually, I think I’m done,” Andrew interjected.

  “Great. Then Red and I will start cleaning up in here.” Terry went into the kitchen, and Clay escorted Andrew into the dining room, which was an even worse mess.

  “I’m not sure where to start,” Andrew said as he shook his head. This had been one of his favorite rooms. “The chandelier I found in an antique store—I can’t get another one like it.” The immensity of everything he was going to have to do hit him and his vision began to tunnel.

  Clay grabbed a chair and gently helped him sit down. “Just relax and breathe. It’s okay. Take all the time you need.” He gently massaged Andrew’s shoulders, sending little waves of relief through him. Slowly the knots in Andrew’s muscles released and he was able to breathe normally again, his vision returning to its usual perspective.

  Andrew took a deep breath and cleared his head. He took charge of things all the time, and something like this was not going to get him down. There was no fucking way he was going to let Harper Grange win.

  “Maybe it can be fixed,” Clay offered. “Go ahead and make your list of what’s been broken. I’ll slowly start cleaning up. It looks like a number of pieces were just knocked to the floor. We can see what’s salvageable and then talk to one of the antique dealers in town. They might be able to help you get it repaired.” Clay began picking up the larger pieces, and Andrew made his list.

  They must have worked for hours, cleaning up the broken bits and gathering every piece of the chandelier possible, laying them out on the kitchen counter. They moved the table and took up the rugs, sweeping and washing the floors to get everything up. It was a huge production, and though the walls were still bare of pictures and the tables empty, all signs of broken glass and splintered frames were gone. Bags sat by the curb, and thankfully Red made a call and the borough agreed to do a special pickup so everything would be gone.

  “Are you going to Kip’s?” Terry asked Clay as they surveyed the now-clean house.

  “Yes. I’m bringing Andrew with me. I think we both earned some fun, and he needs to get out of the house a little. We figured the safest place in town was going to be a party filled with police officers.”

  “Awesome.”

  Terry put the brooms and cleaning supplies in the closet while Andrew wound up the cord and put the vacuum cleaner away as well. He closed the door with a soft sigh. He’d expected to feel better, but didn’t really. The mess was gone, but the damage had been done.

  “Can I ask you something?” Terry asked, standing next to him while Clay and Red took the last bags to the curb.

  “Sure,” Andrew said hesitantly.

  “Is something going on with you and Clay?” Terry eyes glittered with mischief. “Because I hope so. He’s a great guy and he deserves someone nice.”

  Andrew shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’ve only known him a few days… on a more personal level.” His cheeks heated a little. “He’s so very different from the man I thought he was when I met him in court.”

  Terry grinned. “Yeah, but I bet you’re different in court too.” He tipped his head toward the dining room. “Profes
sionally, Clay is a top-notch guy. The other officers like him and have his back. That says a lot.”

  “Have you known him long?” Andrew asked.

  Terry hummed softly. “Maybe a year, I guess. We got to know Pierre, and he introduced us to some other deputies and their friends. It’s how things happen. Cops tend to hang out together. It’s a job that a lot of other people don’t really understand. I thought I did, but it really became clear when Red was hurt.” Terry leaned against the doorframe. “A couple years ago, Red was out on a call and there was a shooting. It comes with the territory of loving a man like that. I got a call from Carter in less than five minutes just to say that Red was injured but was going to be fine. It had been a graze and only added to his collection of scars.” Terry’s upper lip quivered for a few seconds and then stilled. “I was never alone, and Red healed quickly and went right back to work.”

  “Didn’t that scare you half to death?” Andrew turned as Clay came in through the back door: tall, broad, and everything he’d always imagined he’d find in a man to love him.

  “Of course it did. But Red is the man I fell in love with. His kind nature and huge heart were the parts of him that spoke to me.” Terry turned away for a few seconds. “I wasn’t the same person then. I was vain as all hell, and I insulted Red when I first saw him. But he helped me anyway, and I realized that things weren’t always as they appeared. First impressions can be very wrong.”

  Red came in as well and strode right over to Terry. “Is there anything else we can help with?” he asked, and Andrew shook his head, a little touched at their generosity with their time.

  “Thank you both. That was a big help. Now I just have to get the list to the insurance company and I can go from there.”

  “There haven’t been any further threats, or anyone watching the house as far as I can tell, but I suspect the police vehicle parked out front is a pretty decent deterrent,” Clay said as he joined them. “We should head out.” He hugged both Red and Terry. “Thank you for helping.”