Page 15 of Before They Were Lovers

Day loved catching his partner off guard. There was nothing in the world better than hearing God’s laugh.

Captain Murphy, a no-nonsense man with keen eyes and a sharp mouth, stepped out of his office just as he and God were headed into the locker room.

He curled his lip up, a deep V lowering on his forehead as he scowled and thumbed over his shoulder. “You two, my office, now.”

“Fuck,” God gritted. “We followed the book on this one, didn’t we?”

“Yes,” Day said out the side of his mouth.

They usually talked shit to assholes being a nuisance on the streets and added a couple of curse words when reading a perp their Miranda rights.Oh yeah. And God had been especially passionate when he’d taken down offenders who’d made innocent elderly women or children a target of their crimes. But today, the car chase had been textbook.

The captain motioned for them to sit in the only two chairs across from his desk. Day sat, but God stood beside him with his arms crossed over his large chest.

“Tonight could’ve gone to hell real fast, but you didn’t hesitate, and you neutralized the threat quickly.”

Day nodded.

“And you saved a kid. That’s the kind of guts and action I expect from my officers.” Their superior narrowed his eyes at God. “And you didn’t flinch at the sight of that gun.”

God stood tall and bold with a steady glare. The captain returned a sharp nod as if he understood God’s silence for what it was.

“If you guys keep performing like you’ve been, it won’t go unnoticed by the higher-ups… I’ll make sure it doesn’t.”

He let his words hang in the air for a moment before he muttered, “All right, you two, get out, go to a bar, and get a couple of shots in you.”

Without another word, God and Day left out the office.

Day caught the glances of the other officers and the murmurs of their whispers. He felt the weight of the respect…and overheard the scoffs of jealousy.

It was expected. They were becoming infamous, and soon,allon the streets would know their names.

Day preceded God toward the locker room. After he closed the door, the two exchanged a long look, silent but telling. Sharing another moment between them, the kind that spoke without them needing to utter a single word.

Day

Four months later, Valentine’s Day…

The city had been buzzing all week with the lovey-dovey energy of couples and friends preparing for Cupid’s holiday. Some walked down the streets carrying bouquets of flowers, dozens of balloons, and roses in every color, from rainbow to black. Nearly every darn restaurant—except fast-food joints and dive bars—was booked for the entire weekend.

Day fell into one of those categories this year. He’d been seeing a guy off and on since college, but they’d never been intimate, and he was hoping that changed tonight.

Prescott Vaughan was a gorgeous chef who’d made it all the way to the big screen after graduating from college and then a prestigious culinary school. He had cookbooks, a huge online presence, and hundreds of thousands of fans. Day had been surprised when Prescott reached out to him and said he’d be in Atlanta recording an episode at a high-end restaurant downtown and wanted to get together on the fourteenth.

Day stood in front of his mirror in his small bathroom, changing his shirt for the fourth time, debating whether to stay home tonight.

Fuck, but I don’t want to.

This was a moment with his longtime friend that he’d been waiting for since their freshman year. They were finally going to stop dancing around what they both wanted andhave one amazing night in each other’s arms before his friend returned home to Virginia.

But as he glanced over his shoulder toward the living room, where God was reclined on his couch with his big boots propped up on his coffee table, scrolling on his phone, he continued to second-guess his decision.

God’s belt was undone, the top button of his jeans was open, and the zipper was down, appearing as if he had no intention of leaving.

Day wondered if it was fucked-up to leave his partner alone in Day’s apartment on the one day of the year he loathed, especially since Day wasn’t returning until morning.

“Man, you sure you wanna go out tonight?” God’s voice was rough.

He seemed to be going for nonchalant as he kept his eyes trained on the large binder, but Day had noticed he hadn’t turned the page in over an hour.

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