Chapter Twenty-Four

Waking up Monday morning with Colson naked and warm next to him made the start of the week a pleasure. It also wasn't an impetus to get him out of bed. It was only a few minutes after five.

"Plenty of time," he murmured, and when Colson sighed and snuggled in closer, Harper kissed his neck.

"What time is it?" Colson muttered.

"Time for me to make you feel good before I have to leave." He swept his hand along the curve of Colson's back and cupped a cheek. "I like this."

Colson chuckled. "What? My butt? I know."

Harper nibbled at his ear and throat while his fingers played along the cleft of Colson's ass. "That's a given." He continued to trail kisses over Colson's neck. "I meant waking up with you. Next to me." He gripped Colson's hard cock, and his fingers played up and down the hot shaft. "And this. I like this a lot. I'd like it in my mouth."

"Oh Jesus," Colson choked out as Harper followed his words with action. "Yeah, I think we like the same things."

With his lips wrapped around Colson's rigid length, Harper slid lower until his nose touched Colson's wiry pubic hair. He rose up, his tongue working the smooth crown, lapping up the precome and tickling into the slit. Colson writhed under him, fingers clutching at the bedsheets.

"God, I love seeing you like this." Harper sucked him to the root. Colson's hips bucked, and Harper increased his pace, feeling Colson's dick swell between his lips. Saliva dripped from his mouth, and his heart thundered. "You're gorgeous in my bed."

"Fuck, Harper," Colson groaned and thrust up. "I need you."

Harper released him with a juicy plop. "Yeah? You want this?" He rubbed his aching dick and reached for the condoms and lube on the bedside table. He slicked himself up, Colson watching him with avid, hungry eyes.

"Yeah, come on." Colson widened his legs, but Harper grabbed them and pushed them to his shoulders.

"Don't rush me." He rubbed the sheathed head of his dick over Colson's hole and around the rim. Colson's moans filled the air, and a flush rose over his body. "This has to last us the whole day."

Harper eased inside Colson, inch by inch, the tight walls sucking him in. "Fuck, every time is like the first with you." Teeth bared, he rolled his hips, and Colson hissed.

"God."

"Not even close." Harper thrust hard and pulled out, then drove in, Colson catching his rhythm. Harder and faster, his push to Colson's pull, the clutch of muscle on his dick sending jolts of electricity to his balls every time he moved. "What you do to me." Harper leaned in, increasing his pace.

"Harper, Harper ." Colson's head thrashed side to side, his hand fast and furious on his dick. "Oh God," he gasped, his body growing stiff as his dick pumped out a stream of come, landing between them. The sweat from their bodies mixed with the sticky release, and Colson's hair lay plastered to his brow.

Seeing Colson fall apart under him drove Harper to the brink, and though he wanted this to last longer—fucking hell, he wanted to feel like this forever—his orgasm smashed through him, splitting him into a thousand flaming pieces that burned to fiery ash. His blood beat hot and his dick throbbed as Colson's ass squeezed him. Harper's head spun, and he lost his breath. The next thing he knew, he was facedown on top of Colson, lips buried in his damp curls.

"Are you alive?" Colson murmured, and Harper caught the edge of laughter in his voice.

"Barely. Maybe I should call in sick. Have you play my nurse." Even though he lay in a puddle of bliss, he wanted Colson, and he trailed his fingers over Colson's face. "Tend to my every need."

Colson snorted. "You wish. And I'm the one who needs help. You wrecked me." He rubbed their scruffy cheeks together. "And I loved every moment of it."

"I know." Harper's smile was smug, and he slowly withdrew and got rid of the condom. "And I love you. And every delicious inch of your beautiful skin with all that ink. What're your plans for the day?"

"Your ego is only surpassed by how much I love you. It's why I let you get away with saying that."

Colson stretched, and Harper eyed his sinuous body. How could he want him again even as his body thrummed with pleasure? He should be satisfied, but Harper knew the more of Colson he had, the more he'd want him.

"As to plans," Colson said, "I'm in the home stretch of this book. I have to start wrapping up the detective solving the murder and figuring out how he and his love interest are going to handle being together."

"Like us?" Harper left the bed and took out his clothes for the day.

Colson's brow furrowed. "I thought we had that settled."

On his way to the bathroom, Harper paused. "We do. I'm not having second thoughts. But there are some odds and ends to think about."

"Such as?" Colson swung his legs over the edge of the bed and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"We live in two very different houses. I couldn't possibly get David into your place, and I know you love your home, so I'm not asking you to leave it." Seeing Colson's face fall, Harper came to sit by his side. "Hey. It's not anything we have to worry about. We'll work it all out."

"It's true, I love my house." Colson's cheek pressed to his, and Harper drew in his scent and felt the brush of those long lashes against his skin. "But I love you more."

"And I'm not going anywhere, so there's no problem. Now, how about you come shower with me?"

Colson slung an arm around his neck. "I don't know. I kind of like smelling like you all day."

Groaning as desire flooded him again, Harper pulled him down for a kiss. "Maybe I need to get a little dirtier first."

***

He walked into the precinct and saw Nolan already at his desk. "Good morning. How was the weekend?"

Nolan eyed him, and a tiny smile played on his lips as he drank his coffee. "Fine, but I'm thinking yours was better."

Harper clicked on his computer and signed in. "Yeah? And why's that?" He took out his coffee from the brown paper bag and took a long, satisfying drink. Round two with Colson had cost him the opportunity for breakfast, but would he rather have had Colson sucking his brains through his dick or a bowl of cereal? Not exactly a choice.

"Well…" Nolan stretched out those long legs and laced his fingers over his flat stomach. "Number one, I'm in the office first. Number two, you walked in happy. On a Monday."

Harper pulled out a bagel and took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. "Yeah? That's not such a big deal. It happens."

"In all our years of being partners I can count on one finger the day you came in after me, and it was because David wasn't feeling well. Since you're smiling, it's not that. But number three, and most importantly…" Nolan's grin broadened to shit-eating status. "I spy with my little eye a bunch of red marks on your neck that weren't there on Friday."

"I knew I should've stopped at CVS for some cover-up," he grumbled, but he couldn't pretend to be too pissed when he felt so damn good.

"So…" Nolan crossed his arms. "You and Colson Delacourt had a good weekend."

"You could say that." As much as he disliked talking about his personal life, he was too happy to hold it inside. "We're…together."

True happiness shone from Nolan's face. "I am so glad you took my advice."

Laughter bubbled up. "You? You're going to take credit for my relationship?"

"Why not? I saw it right away at the old lady's house. You couldn't keep your eyes off him." Nolan smirked. "Lie all you want to yourself, but you can't hide from me."

"Apparently not." Harper chuckled. "My luck, to get partnered with the best detective on the force." He paused. "And a best friend. You were right. I was pushing Colson away because of what happened with Ronnie, but they're nothing alike. Ronnie ran away from responsibility and family—Colson runs toward us. We spent the entire weekend together, and there wasn't a single second I felt like Colson wasn't totally in the moment with us. And David loves him."

Nolan leaned in close. "So you say. As do you."

"Are you finished with the Dear Abby schtick now, you two?" Poole's growl from behind had them jumping. Red-faced and annoyed at getting called out, Harper directed a death glare at Nolan before answering.

"Sorry, Cap. What's up?"

"What's up is I need you to review the weekend reports of break-ins and robberies to see if any of them match our guys."

"Break-ins?" Harper frowned. "Didn't we get that crew?"

Captain Poole's smile was thin. "Surprise, surprise, Rose. Bad boys like to copy each other. We have another. Except this time it's a little different."

Poole now had their undivided attention. "How?"

"It's not a group of men this time. It's women."

He and Nolan exchanged shocked glances. "That's unusual. But not unheard of. We once collared a group of women running a neat little shoplifting ring."

"Yeah, I remember. Both of you, go through the reports and start the process. You know the drill."

"You got it," Nolan said. "And unfortunately, we do."

They set up interviews all morning and afternoon and received the same story from each victim. They would ring the bell or knock, and when the person opened, they would push in the door and punch the owner in the stomach or the face. Once they were down, their hands were tied, and they were left on the floor while the house was ransacked.

At a coffee shop near the precinct, they went over their notes. Harper chewed on some fries. "So here's what we've got so far. Apparently, they hang out at the grocery store or outside banks and follow their vics home. They target the elderly and sometimes young girls walking home alone after school."

"I swear." Nolan sighed. "If these people would only use their powers for good and not evil, the world would be a better place."

"But no matter that, they choose violence. And we need to deal with them." Harper thought for a moment. "We should go to the supermarkets in the area and do some scouting. Show them the sketches and see if any of the cashiers or regulars noticed anything."

Nolan shoved the last bite of burger into his mouth. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Harper picked up the check. "I got this one."

Nolan grinned. "Having a boyfriend makes you generous. I like it."

Harper put some bills on the table. "You're an idiot."

They struck out at the first supermarket—they showed the police artist sketches but no one recognized the suspects—then struck gold at the bank with a door-holder, a Mr. Alvin Lewis.

"Yeah, I seen these two. They hang around, cramp my style."

"Cramp your style?" Nolan inquired.

"I hold the door for people, and most just ignore me. Sometimes they give me a smile and a thank-you. But a few of the regulars, they give me a little something—a dollar or two, but it helps with the disability check, you know? At Christmas one of the ladies even baked me cookies and gave me a scarf and gloves." His expression became tender. "She's a sweetheart that Ms. Johnson. Always a kind word."

"Millie Johnson? About five two and ninety pounds? White hair?" Harper knew it had to be Millie, but if this was her bank, he was concerned.

"Yeah. That's her. Anyway, I always make sure to hold the door for her and watch when she walks down the block. She's such a bitty thing."

Harper pressed him. "So these two, you've seen them today?"

"Yeah. They been hanging here for hours. I noticed 'cause they're young and I was surprised they ain't in school. Don't they check up on them?"

"We'll alert the truancy division," Nolan said. "Did you see if they paid particular attention to anybody?"

"Nah, I wasn't lookin'." He rushed to open the door for a young woman with a stroller on her way out.

"Thank you." She hesitated, then reached into her purse, which was slung over the back of the stroller, and fished out a dollar.

"Thank you, miss. And if I was you, I wouldn't keep my bag like that. They can just come and rip it right off, ain't that right, Officers?"

Harper nodded. "He is correct, ma'am. It's best to wear it crossbody."

"I usually do. I just threw it there after the bank, but I guess that's not smart." Her brow wrinkled. "Is something wrong? Are you here because there was a problem?"

"We're investigating a string of push-in burglaries. If any young women come to your door, saying they need help or that they need to use your phone, don't let them in."

"I live in a co-op with a doorman, so that's not an issue, but I'll tell my friends who don't." She glanced at her baby. "That's scary. I hope you catch them."

"We do too, ma'am. And if you do hear or see anything suspicious while you're in the neighborhood, here's our card. Please call us. I'm Detective Rose, and this is my partner, Detective Martinez."

"I will." She walked away.

They thanked the man for his help and strolled down the street to the supermarket. School had started earlier in the month, and Harper already mourned the loss of the less crowded streets, as they dodged a large group of kids clogging the sidewalk.

"I'm looking forward to the next holiday. I don't remember there being so many kids around," he grumbled.

"You don't like kids?" Nolan asked.

"I like them fine." Harper became serious. "I remember when David was little—like two. He used to only want me to read him a bedtime story. I knew it gave my parents a break, so I did it for a little while, but then I stopped because it was annoying to sit and read the same stuff over and over every night." He sighed. "I'd give anything for a redo. I could've been a better brother."

"You're an incredible brother." Nolan paused. "And what about being an honorary uncle?"

For a moment he didn't understand, until Nolan's smile grew broad. "What? You and Gina? Seriously?"

"Yeah. We've been trying since we first got married, but nothing happened. Doctors couldn't explain it, so we gave up, figuring it wasn't in the cards. Three months ago she said she wasn't feeling well and felt nauseated. When it didn't go away, she went to the doctor and boom . Pregnant."

Harper hugged him. "That's amazing news. You'll be terrific parents. How's she feeling now?"

"Good, but since she's in her forties, she's high risk. Doctor wants her to be real careful."

"Yeah, I bet. Tell her I'm happy for her."

"I will."

They reached the supermarket, and when they showed the sketches to the cashiers, one of them recognized the girls.

"Yeah, they was just here. Like, ten minutes ago."

He and Nolan exchanged glances. "Thanks. Let's go."

For over an hour they searched the streets but found nothing out of the ordinary. They spoke to women on the street, warning them to be vigilant and handed out their cards, asking them to call if they saw anything.

By six o'clock, his feet hurt, and they'd covered every block of Brooklyn Heights from Atlantic Avenue down to Front Street. At the A train station, he and Nolan stopped. "I'm calling it a night. Tomorrow we'll go out earlier. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Yeah. I'm ready for a foot massage and a hot shower." Nolan rolled his neck.

"Sorry, but it's time for you to go pamper your wife. Be a good husband, Daddy."

His phone buzzed, and it was Colson.

I'm here with David and Luis. We're waiting for dinner.

An automatic smile tipped up his lips, and Nolan jumped all over that. "Yeah, well, you go home and be a good boyfriend. See you ma?ana ." He cackled and ran down the subway steps.

"I intend to. Very good."

Laughing to himself, he began the walk home.