Page 33 of Before They Were Lovers

“For fuck’s sake,” God growled. “Let’s go, Day.”

Day sighed with a breath of relief. Finally, his partner decided to speak up. It was about damn time he came to his rescue.

“I can see you have places to be, but be sure I’ll catch you later.”

“Not if I run fast enough.” Day smiled sarcastically.

Johnson chuckled and spread his arms wide, glancing down at his expensive shoes and designer suit as if admiring himself.

“You really gonna make me chase you, Day?”

“All the way to the depths of hell if I have to,” Day quipped.

God barked a sudden laugh that Johnson ignored.

Day squeezed from around his potential stalker—who’d had him pinned against the wall and took a breath of fresh air.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Officer Day,” Johnson called out.

Day waved over his shoulder. “Sure thing, and thank you for making me super uncomfortable.”

“Oh, and feisty too.” Johnson’s cringy laugh was the last thing Day heard before the locker room doors closed.

Day

February…

Day sat at his desk, buried in mounds of incident reports. He had such laser focus he could’ve burned holes through the pages. God was across from him, silent as always. It was a welcome quiet. However, the sound of polished shoes clicking across the floor echoed the threat of unwanted disturbance. It grew louder every second.

Day ground his teeth.

“God. Can you send me the link to a YouTube tutorial on what to do when you have a stalker?”

Johnson’s cologne reached him before he did. He stared down at him with that insufferable grin, leaning heavily against Day’s desk.

“Good evening, Day.” Johnson’s voice dripped down on him like battery acid. “I was hoping I could steal a minute of your time.” Johnson shot a quick glance at God. “Alone.”

“I’m real busy, Johnson,” Day said. “Besides, save your breath. I’m not interested in a ride in your sixty-thousand-dollar car.”

“Seventy-five. It’s fully loaded.” Johnson smiled. “Then how about riding something else?”

Day glared. “Fuck, man, you’re a cop. You don’t recognize sexual harassment even when it’s coming out of your own mouth?”

“It’s only harassment if you don’t like it.”

Day rolled his eyes. “Like I said the last twenty times, I’m not interested. You and me together would just end badly.”

“How you figure that?”

“Because I’d fuckin’ kill you, and you’d end up dead, that’s why,” Day gritted. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m swamped in paperwork.”

“Ah, come on, Day.” Johnson leaned closer. “You’ve been turning me down for weeks, and it’s only making me more intrigued.”

Day shot a quick glance at his partner. God’s shoulders were tense, and his brow furrowed as he seemed to shoot daggers at the file he was holding.

“Johnson.” Day sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not playing at anything. Damn, man, you’re like fuckin’ genital herpes. No matter how much ointment you use, it just keeps fuckin’ coming back.”

God had just taken a drink of his water that was now sprayed all over his computer screen as he struggled through a hacking fit.

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