Chapter Four
T he watcher sat in the darkened car, parked in the shadows of the empty lot across from Trevor’s apartment.
He burned with rage as the man in the expensive black car drove off.
He’d been worried when Trevor hadn’t come home at his usual time.
Ugly things could happen in the city at night.
But apparently Trevor had not been lying in a gutter somewhere, only disobeying the rules they’d clearly set.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
He wanted to charge up to Trevor’s apartment and demand to know what was going on.
How dare Trevor step out on him with some sleazy sugar daddy?
What he and Trevor shared was special. It was pure. Trevor belonged to him!
Maybe Trevor was just trying to get a rise out of him?
Maybe Trevor was trying to incite jealousy, so the watcher would once again take control.
He’d been far too lax of late, allowing Trevor some freedom from the structure they’d established at the beginning of their relationship.
He couldn't see through the tinted windows of the car, but when Trevor climbed out of the car he'd touched his lips and smiled. Trevor had kissed that man! Despite his boiling blood, the watcher would not allow Trevor’s petty games to make him lose control, even if the little man was begging for punishment.
Control was paramount. Control was everything.
He would not tolerate such behavior, and soon he would remind Trevor to whom he belonged.
Matt pulled into the visitor spot at Niall’s building.
Matt had to see Niall, even though coming here unannounced was a risk.
Needed to tell him the news. Needed to feel Niall in his arms again, to share Trevor’s taste that still lingered on his lips.
Matt opened the door and entered the lobby.
Adam, the doorman Matt remembered from the other night, glanced up from his desk with a look of surprise on his face.
“Welcome back, Dr. Lincoln. Would you like me to buzz Mr. Roberge to announce your arrival?”
Matt stopped in his tracks. “You remember me?”
“Well sure. You were here only two nights ago, and Mr. Roberge gave notice to all of us doormen that you were to be admitted without question anytime.”
“How will the other doormen recognize me?”
Adam held up a high-quality glossy photo of Matt’s face, obviously taken from the security cameras on the first night Matt came to see Niall.
“Wow. That’s both comforting and slightly disturbing at the same time. I took a chance coming by unannounced this late. Do you know whether Niall is home?”
“I came on shift at ten p.m., and haven’t seen him. Would you like me to call him on the com unit?”
Matt debated. He could go up to Niall’s door and start knocking or have Adam call Niall’s condo.
Matt looked at his watch. It was quarter after eleven at night.
Niall may be asleep, or he may not want to be disturbed.
Matt didn’t worry about Niall seeing someone else.
That type of behavior didn’t fit Niall’s personality that Matt had seen so far.
However, not many people appreciated late-night unexpected guests. He’d take his chances.
“No thank you, Adam. I’ll go on up and surprise him.”
“Very good, Dr. Lincoln. Have a good evening.” Adam finished with a smile.
“I will. And Adam?” The young man’s face changed to one of anticipation. “Please call me Matt. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of me, and the whole doctor title is a mouthful.”
Matt heard a soft giggle behind him as he stepped into the elevator.
Adam seemed like a sweet kid. Obviously a college student, by the multitude of books spread out and the laptop glowing behind the concierge desk.
Matt idly wondered what university Adam was attending.
He sure hoped the kid had afternoon classes; otherwise he was going to collapse from exhaustion.
The elevator dinged, and Matt stepped off.
He turned toward the door of Niall’s condo.
There was only one other on the floor, so Matt wasn’t too worried about disturbing anyone by knocking this late.
He was about to raise his hand when he noticed a white box with what appeared to be a camera lens and a small round button installed beside the door.
Matt pressed the button and waited. A few seconds later he heard Niall’s eager voice echo from the small box.
“Matt!”
Matt waved. “Can I come in? I know it’s late.”
“Of course.” A soft click emitted from the door. “I’m in the darkroom, but please come in and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Matt opened the door, and the enormity of Niall’s place struck him once again.
Matt’s condo was a brownstone in Back Bay.
He’d paid a pretty penny for the small place, but it was close to his office and had lovely ornate details, crown molding, and a black iron spiral staircase—and the claw-foot tub Matt didn’t dare tell anyone he loved to sink into at the end of a long day.
Matt wondered just how many rooms Niall had down that hallway.
Obviously, there was more than one bedroom if Niall had set up a darkroom for his private use.
Despite the size, Niall’s place was homey.
Matt relaxed on the chaise part of the sectional and closed his eyes while waiting for Niall to appear.
A pair of soft lips touched his, and Matt blinked his eyes open. Niall sat next to him with a smile on his face.
“Hey gorgeous,” Niall whispered.
“Hi.” He looked at his watch and realized thirty minutes had passed.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but you’ll get stiff if you sleep sitting up like that.”
“Sorry, I only meant to close my eyes while you were finishing up.”
Niall’s thumb traced over Matt's cheekbone. “I don’t mind. You looked like you needed the rest. Don’t get me wrong, I love that you’re here, but why the late-night visit?”
Matt’s brain finished waking up, and he swung around to face Niall better with a huge grin. “I think I found him, Niall.”
Niall said nothing, but Matt didn’t see any anger on his face, so he continued, “His name is Trevor, and he’s just like you described.
Shaggy blond hair, huge blue eyes, lean body, and his head tops out around my shoulders.
I met him today when one of my friends and patients went into crisis down at police headquarters.
That’s where Trevor works— in the crime lab as the forensic audio/video analyst. While we were waiting at the hospital for my patient’s partner to come out of surgery—he’s a detective and got shot on the job—I couldn’t help but be drawn to Trevor sitting by himself.
It sounds odd, but it was the same feeling that swept over me when I first saw you.
That’s why I thought I could trust it. I—”
Niall placed his hand on Matt’s shoulder.
“Matt, slow down. Let me make sure I understand everything. You think you found our other soul mate at police headquarters, after learning that your friend’s partner was shot, and have spent the last several hours pacing sterile hallways and getting to know this man, Trevor? ”
“Well, Trevor and I went to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee after we learned Clay would be alright, and I made sure Logan was stable for the evening. That’s where we talked and got to know each other a little better.”
“And where is Trevor now?”
“I took him home. He lives in Dorchester.” Matt grimaced. “Still steams me up to think that he was going to find his way home by public transportation this late without a coat.” Niall made a face as if he didn’t like that any better than Matt.
“And you came here after dropping him off?”
Matt nodded. “I wanted to talk to you. At first I thought you might be mad that I’d taken the initiative with Trevor without consulting you, but then when I kissed him goodnight…”
“You kissed him?” Niall asked softly.
Matt nodded and tried to read Niall’s dark eyes.
“What did you feel? What did you taste?”
Matt thought for a moment. He didn’t think Niall meant literally taste. Niall was probably trying to find out if all this babble was being spurred by Matt’s hormones or something deeper.
“Peace. I felt and tasted peace.”
“Then your and Trevor’s meeting is how we were destined to be brought together. I found you, and you found him. Now all we need to do is have me meet him.” Niall said with a grin.
“Um, I sort of set up a date with him for tomorrow night. I … well, I was hoping you would be there.”
“Of course I’ll be there.”
“There’s only one problem.” Niall raised his eyebrow.
“Trevor doesn’t know about you.”
Trevor stood in the locker room at headquarters and checked himself out in the mirror.
He’d brought a change of clothes to work for his date with Matt.
A pair of dark gray wool flat-front pants, a V-neck navy blue cashmere sweater and black Cole Haan oxfords.
The whole look had cost him the equivalent of half his weekly paycheck, but it was so worth it.
Trevor added a dollop of sculpting cream to his hand, then finger-combed the textured layers of his hair so they fell in a perfect messy look.
“Got a hot date?”
Trevor spun around to find Logan leaning against the row of lockers on the far side of the room.
“What are you doing here?”
“Came to turn in my vacation time for when Clay comes home. I’ll be taking off a couple of weeks.”
“What about until then?”
“I’ll be in and out. There’s not much I can do for Clay while he’s in the hospital, and I would drive the man insane if I sat beside his bed twenty-four hours a day.”
“If he can complain, that must mean he’s doing better.”
Logan nodded. “It’ll be several weeks before he’s at full strength, but he’s slowly mending. So what’s with the fancy duds?”
“As you correctly deduced, I’ve got a date.” Trevor held out his arms and turned around. He looked over his shoulder at Logan. “How fuckable is my ass in these pants?”