Duty and Devotion (18 page)

He got another elbow.

They did leave the bedroom a few times. A shower, dinner downstairs. They walked around in their boxers, and Matt was worried he was going to have a permanent erection as Evan loaded the dishwasher in his underwear.

“You're crazy,” Evan commented as he set the controls.

“What?”

“You're watching me like I'm doing something sexy. When what I'm actually doing is housework.”

“I'm sorry I find you stupidly hot.” Matt rubbed his chin. “Do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Just stand there and show me your arm—so I can see your tat…”

Evan rolled his eyes. “Like this?” He turned his arm so Matt could see the inside of it, traced the USMC lines with two fingers.

Matt shifted in his shorts.

“Can I ask you to do something else?”

“I think I already told you bare-assed in the kitchen was not my thing,” Evan said. He shut off the light over the sink and walked past Matt to the staircase.

“Can we do bare-assed in the bedroom again?”

Evan paused. “You know, I—I enjoyed it, okay? But I'm a little sore.”

Matt almost swooned. “You should have said something—I'll kiss it and make it feel better.”

This time Evan was the one who had to shift in his shorts.

* * *

Sunday night came and found them sleeping on the couch—clothes on, for the first time since yesterday. Matt was tucked against the back of the couch, Evan lying next to him. It was warm and cozy, and thank God Matt couldn't get it up one more time—he was fucking exhausted.

“Should we talk about anything before the kids come home?” Evan asked drowsily.

“We need milk?”

“Not what I meant.”

“Fortunately for you I'm middle-aged and I can't get it up all the time, so you will have some breaks,”

“Closer.” Evan opened his eyes, those baby blues that got Matt into so much trouble in the first place. “I needed this to happen on my terms.”

“And it did—right?” Matt shifted slightly, his hand on Evan's chest.

“Yeah, it did.” Evan smiled. “I was just explaining—I'm glad I didn't force the issue before.”

Matt nodded. “It wasn't a deal breaker; it never was. This doesn't complete our relationship or elevate things. It's just fucking awesome.”

Evan snorted. “God, you're a walking erection.”

“For your ass's sake, be glad that isn't true. You'd have to quit work.”

“Have I created a monster?”

Matt mock growled.

They heard the doors of a car open and shut outside, the noise of the kids coming up the walkway and to the front door.

“Quiet naked time over.” Matt sighed as Evan disentangled and sat up.

“Hiiiii, we're home,” Elizabeth slammed into the house and ran over to jump into Evan's lap. “We had a great time. Did you miss us?”

“Were you gone?” Matt threw a throw pillow playfully at her head.

Ellie and Walt brought in the rear as Katie and Danny were bickering over something; there were questions about food and did anyone want coffee. Evan stood up and went into the kitchen.

Matt lay on the couch with a dopey smile on his face. He just couldn't help himself.

Chapter Eighteen

Bennet poured Matt a drink at the bar and handed him the heavy cut glass filled with amber liquid. It wasn't like Matt was expecting Bennet to crack open some brewskis, but still—he sniffed before he took a sip.

“So I'm curious what you decided, Matt.” Bennet didn't waste time getting to the point. He sat in an elegant chair, legs crossed and black eyes narrowed in the other man's direction. “Will you take the job with me?”

“This is going to sound crazy, because frankly you're offering me a shitload of money, but—I'm needed at home.” Matt sank into the creamy white cushions of the sofa. “The kids aren't ready to be alone, you know?”

“No, actually I don't.” Bennet said with a laugh. “But one day I hope to. I suppose I can appreciate your devotion to family. If you won't do the everyday detail, I was wondering if I could impose on you some consulting work. We could work our meetings into a schedule that wouldn't conflict with your other obligations.”

There was no irony or derision in the man's tone and that sealed the deal for Matt.

“Consulting, I can do. I'm guessing you mean security and not…” Matt gestured at the opulent space Bennet referred to as his “office.”

“Decorating.”

“I don't know, I'm thinking of going suburban man cave next season,” Bennet said drily. “But yes, security consulting. I'm building a new place out on the island, and I'd like it to be as safe and secure as humanly possible.”

“You don't mind me saying, I think you're going a tad overboard with the security thing. I know what happened to Daisy was scary, but…”

“I know I seem overcautious, but Daisy means the world to me, and second only to that is my privacy. I've long since existed mostly under the radar, but now—well, now the spotlight seems to be shining in my direction.”

“Good for your career.”

“Bad for peace of mind.” Bennet sipped his drink. “Will you help me, Matt? I promise to make it worth your while.”

“Done. And don't worry—we'll find someone to watch Daisy twenty-four seven if need be. She'll be fine.”

They finished up a bit more business, and though Matt tried his best to demur, Bennet pushed a check into his hand for their “meeting.” Matt resisted the urge to choke when he saw the tightly scripted numbers written out on the pale blue paper.

He dialed Evan's cell phone as he waited for the valet guy to bring his car around.

“Hey, wanna have dinner tonight?” he asked before Evan could get out anything but a hello.

“We have dinner every night,” Evan said, and Matt eye-rolled the wall of the garage.

“I mean, you and me, out alone for dinner.”

“The kids…”

“Can order Chinese and watch television without our presence. Come on—it's Friday night. Date night.”

“I…” Evan seemed to hesitate, then sighed. Matt held his breath just a little bit. He knew things weren't entirely settled, but they had to start somewhere. Dinner on a Friday night—sans children and with a big check—would be a good place to start.

“Okay,” Evan said finally. “I should be home around seven.”

“Perfect.”

* * *

Matt gave the kids fifty bucks and made them sign blood oaths to behave like little angels and not call unless someone was unconscious. Their eyes wide at the wad of tens, they all three nodded and swore.

“I think I'm almost ready to buy a car,” Katie announced as she pocketed her share.

“I still want a pony,” Elizabeth said.

Danny mumbled something about his own place.

He took a shower and changed into a respectable outfit, a date outfit frankly, dark jeans that fit well, and a long-sleeved button down with a leather jacket.

He even used aftershave.

Katie whistled when he came downstairs, and Matt tried not to blush.

“Dad just pulled up,” Elizabeth announced from the deep recesses of the easy chair.

Matt checked his reflection in the toaster.

“Hey,” Evan called from the front door. He greeted the kids and fielded questions and comments before making it to the kitchen where Matt was waiting awkwardly.

“Hey,” he repeated, blinking as he looked over Matt's outfit. “You got a date tonight or something?”

The smile was small but there, and Matt returned it. “Yeah, he's kind of the jealous type too, so if you don't mind going upstairs before he arrives…”

Evan had the good grace to blush.

“Give me fifteen minutes and we'll be out the door.”

“Deal.”

Evan started to turn, but he crossed the kitchen to lay a kiss on Matt's mouth, lingering and promising at once.

Half hour later they were cruising down the boulevard, their hands resting against each other on the console.

“You didn't say where we were going.” Evan finally broke the silence.

“Dinner.”

“But where?”

Matt rolled to a stop at a red light. “You sound like one of the kids,” he said affectionately, stroking his fingers over Evan's wrist.

Evan humphed at that, but he leaned closer to Matt, his body language speaking to a yearning that made Matt want to forget about dinner entirely.

“It's nice, I promise.”

Actually Matt had been thinking a fancy place on the Upper West Side, but he made a change of plans in his head as they pulled into traffic. It was probably the most romantic idea he'd had in a damn long time.

The traffic into the city was light, and the music on the radio filled the companionable silence. Evan seemed relaxed—but clearly curious as he tried to gauge where they were going.

“Hey, this is…”

“Yeah.”

Evan and Matt parked on the street; there was a familiar site on the corner.

O'Malley's.

“First date memories,” Matt teased as he opened the door. The stale smell of peanuts and beer hit him, an old familiar friend. Evan shook his head but stepped inside.

“God, how much money did we spend here?” Evan murmured as they walked automatically to the back to see if their table was free. It was.

“Bad beer and wings are not cheap, my friend.” Matt took off his jacket and sat down. “And I have a pocket full of cash. We're gold tonight—go ahead and order mozzarella sticks.”

“Big spender.”

Matt rested his elbows on the table and looked around. It seemed a hundred years ago he and Evan would come here a few times a week to commiserate over their lives, literally crying in their beer over the sad state of affairs.

Tonight it was a lark, a memory revisited before they went home together.

Crazy.

“Never thought those two guys would end up being us,” Evan said, smiling through the dim light.

“Quite a shocker,” Matt agreed. He felt Evan's leg press against his under the table.

“Not sorry.”

“Me either.”

Matt's hand snuck under the table, brushing over Evan's knee.

“I might miss that apartment you had—with the mattress on the floor,” Evan said shyly, leaning into the touch.

“Very sexy,” Matt nodded. His fingers played with the seam of Evan's trousers.

“We didn't have any idea what we were doing.”

“I'm still not entirely sure of what I'm doing,” Matt said as Evan's hand encircled his wrist.

“We're doing okay, I think.”

They drank a pitcher of beer for old time's sake and ate their weight in wings. It didn't take as long as the old days—they both had somewhere they'd rather be.

Chapter Nineteen

“Evan Cerelli, good to meet you.” The two people in Vic's semi-packed-up office rose to meet Evan as he stepped inside, the woman of the twosome clearly the senior person in charge as she spoke first. He could feel the eyes of the entire squad room watching the meeting through the half-glass wall; he could also feel his heart pulsing through his jacket.

“This is Aida Corzine and Richard Karz,” Vic said, breaking the ice as best he could. He maneuvered between the pair and Evan.

Evan shook hands, then waited until the guests had taken their seats on the plaid sofa in the captain's office. He'd slept on that couch a few too many times. He'd sat there and wondered bleakly if his life and his career were over.

And now, the two people sitting on it wanted to make him an offer.

Vic sat in one of the visitors' chairs at his side.

“We've heard good things about you, Cerelli.” Richard Karz had reportedly been a beat cop about a hundred and ten years ago, but no one had any real proof of that. He'd gone into politics and paperwork pretty soon after the academy. “Vic here hasn't stopped singing your praises.”

Vic shrugged and snapped one of his suspenders. “Just because I haven't complained about him—doesn't mean I'm saying nice stuff all the time.”

“I think that's exactly what it means.” Aida had gone a more traditional route, if one could call being one of the first female Hispanic officers in the city's history traditional. She was looking at Evan like she could read his mind. He found it disconcerting, so he checked for lint on his pants to avoid her stare.

“Evan, I'm sure you have an inkling of what this is about,” Vic said, taking the reins once again.

“I think so.” Evan ventured a look at Aida and Richard, who were expectant and interested in the next part of the conversation. Clearly.

“With my retirement, everyone takes a step up. Spots open, things get shifted around…”

“He knows how it works,” Richard smiled. “We're looking at you, Evan. May I call you Evan? We'd like you to take the captain's exam.”

The gossip mills had been working overtime on this one for a while. To hear the actual words was a little overwhelming. A lot overwhelming. Moving from the practical hands-on to the political and managerial; it was something he had in mind over the years, he couldn't lie. It was good money, less danger.

That was a good combination.

It was also a huge commitment of his time.

“Thank you.” Evan found his voice as quickly as he could, even as his thoughts tumbled and broke through his brain. “Thank you for considering me.”

Aida looked at Richard, her perfect eyebrows meeting his in a raised pitch.

“Is that a yes?”

“I'd like to consider it for at least a day, speak to my…” And then Evan was full-stop stumped. They had to know his wife was dead; they had to know most everything about him. Hell, he couldn't imagine they didn't know about Matt.

Richard saved him from having to come up with a word. His slightly smarmy smile confirmed that they did indeed know about Matt. “You should definitely take some time to speak to your…family…about this. It's a big decision, of course. We wouldn't want you to make it lightly.”

Evan cast a sidelong glance toward Vic.

“Can I ask a question?” He directed it back to the pair on the couch.

“Of course.” That was Aida.

“Why me?”

There was the briefest of pauses that spoke volumes to Evan. Vic looked at his desk, coughed into his hand.

“You have an exemplary record, Detective. Commendations, letters of merit. High arrest rate.”

“No different than my partner or half the detectives I know,” Evan said, a calm coming over him.