With an audible gasp Matt felt deep in hisown nuts, Vic arched his back, presenting more of himself to Matt’shungry tongue. As Matt rimmed trembling skin, Vic fisted his handsin the hood of Matt’s car and the metal crumpled like paper beneathhis strength. Once again the car alarm began to sound, bleating atfirst. After a few moments, the alarm kicked into its second cycle,a long, drawn-out whooooop that repeated again and again.Whooooop! Whooooop! Whooo—
Blearily Matt woke, the sound following him.He rubbed a hand over his face and blinked, unsure if his eyes wereeven open in the darkness. The clock beside his bed read2:10. Though he knew the sound wasn’t that alarm, hehit the snooze button just to make sure.
The sound continued. Matt shook his head,trying to chase away the dream he’d been having. Something aboutVic, and a car. His car. An alarm was going off. Probably someonecoming in late who set it off accidentally. Weren’t they going toturn it off?
The alarm fell into its final phase, aconstant eh eh eh like an agitated animal. Matt glanced atthe clock again—two in the morning. Then it hit him. Was thathis car?
Like a splash of cold water, the questionspurred him into action. Matt reached across the bed to find hislover’s warm shoulder beneath the cover. Giving it a shake, hewhispered, “Hey, Vic. Vic. I think that’s my car.”
Beside him, Vic groaned. But Matt’s bodysurged with adrenaline at the thought of his car alarm going off,and the urgency he felt raced through the telepathic bond theyshared to catch fire in Vic’s mind. When Matt called his nameagain, Vic sat up, fully awake. “What?”
“That’s my car.” Convinced, Matt clicked onthe nearby lamp and slipped out of bed. The dog slept at the footof the bed, defiantly ignoring her own fuzzy pad on the floor. WhenMatt stood, Sadie’s head jerked up, ears pert, all senses alert.Matt paid her no mind as he stepped into the briefs he’d wornearlier. “Where are my keys?”
With a leonine roar, Vic yawned in response.Matt squatted to root through the clothes mingling together on thefloor—his own shirt, Vic’s jeans, the T-shirt Vic had worn earlier.A keychain jingled when Matt moved the jeans and he extracted hiskeys from one of Vic’s pockets. >From his spot on the bed, Vicfell back against the pillow. “Matty,” he sighed. “I don’tthink—”
The alarm fell silent when Matt pressed thebutton on his key fob. Shit. That meant… “It wasmine.” Standing, he pulled on his rumpled jeans and ran an unsteadyhand through his hair in an effort to tame his wild curls. “Whatthe hell? I’m going to take a look.”
Vic groaned. “Do you know what time itis?”
“Vic,” Matt started. “My car.”
Exasperated, Vic pushed himself up into asitting position. “I’ll come with you. Give me a minute.”
Matt was already shrugging into his shirt.“You don’t have to. It’s just outside.”
“Hold up,” Vic told him. “I don’t want yougoing alone.”
“I’ll take Sadie.” At the sound of her name,the dog jumped off the bed and ran for the bedroom door.
But Vic shook his head as he rubbed his facein an effort to wake up. “I’m coming, too.”
So Matt waited while Vic dressed in what he’dworn earlier, the T-shirt and jeans, tugging them up over bare skinand leaving his underwear on the floor. Matt hugged himself, keysin one hand, and shifted from foot to foot, anxious. Here it was,the middle of the night, and he had to get up for work in less thanfour hours. He was going to hate himself in the morning, he justknew it, but there was no way he’d get back to sleep nowwithout having a look at his car first. Had someone brushed againstit, setting off the alarm? Had something fallen on it? What couldhave possibly…
“Ready.” Vic clapped Matt on the back, hishand smoothing down Matt’s shirt to rest on his hip. “I can runout, if you want. Take a quick look—”
“I’m coming, too.” Matt shook the keys,resolute. “It’s my car.”
He followed Sadie through their darkenedapartment and out into the hall. Vic paused to attach the dog’slead to her collar, then hurried after Matt, pulling the door totheir apartment shut but not locking it. As they headed down thestairs to the first floor, Matt craned his neck to try and see outthe windows in the front door, but all he saw was a swatch of curband the tail end of Vic’s car. His heart skipped in his chest andhe hurried down the last few steps to hit the front door at a run.Pushing it open, he stepped out onto the stoop and stopped.
Vic bumped into his back as Sadie headed forthe bushes to relieve herself. “Matty—”
“God damn it,” Matt cursed.
The passenger side window of his Jaguar hadbeen shattered. Shards of broken glass stuck up like jagged teethfrom the car door and littered the sidewalk. The side view mirrorhung at an awkward angle, and the hood was bumpy and pocked as ifsomething hard had struck it. Matt’s breath caught in his throat atthe sight of the damage, and he glanced around, sure someone waswatching his reaction. Who’d done this? And why?
Lost for words, Matt swore again. “Theyfucked up my car.” Beneath his bare feet, the concrete steps werecold as bone. He came a little farther out and held the door forVic. Waving a hand at his vehicle, he asked no one in particular,“Who the hell did this? That’s my car, Vic. They fucked upmy car.”
A comforting hand dropped to Matt’s shoulder,silencing him. Vic’s strength was a pillar of support beside him,and Matt choked back a sob. His car…before his mind couldrun away with that, Vic’s fingers gripped his shoulder and hislover’s presence eased into Matt’s thoughts, soothing him. Still.His car.
He glanced at his lover and frowned to seeVic’s eyes shut, face scrunched in concentration. “Vic?” Mattventured. “Do
