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wreaked havoc on his untenable feelings for Grant. He should be out looking for answers. Instead he sat downstairs in his car, wondering what Grant and his friend were doing upstairs. Jealousy crept into his veins.
    He felt like a stalker as he looked up at the second-story window. He couldn’t see anyone, but a dim light lit up the living room.
    Were they sitting on the couch just watching a ball game, or were they already in the bedroom? Parker squeezed his eyes and recalled the way Grant’s lips felt when they touched his for the first time. Their kiss had been perfect. Their mouths fit like they were meant to be. It surprised Parker because he thought for sure they wouldn’t mesh. In fact, he’d prayed they wouldn’t. He couldn’t believe he acted so recklessly by kissing Grant. What had he been thinking? He knew what he’d been thinking. He’d shown up at Grant’s place hoping to see if there was something there, and he’d found out.
    Now there was someone else upstairs standing in his place.
    Parker tried to block the images of Grant and his friend going at it. Instead he replaced them with his own images of Grant bent over the bed and Parker pumping his hard dick into Grant’s ass. He longed to run his hand over Grant’s cock and massage his balls in his palms.
    The strain against his jeans became unbearable. Parker fought the urge to pull his penis out and relieve himself. The last thing he needed was being caught jerking off in front of his gay partner’s home. “Hey, can I help you?” There was a hurried knock on the car window.
    Parker dropped the card and whipped out his badge, smashed it against the window, and yelled.
    “Get the fuck out of here before I arrest your ass.”
    The guy standing outside his car looked truly panicked. “Sorry.” He dashed away before Parker changed his mind.
    The interruption was more proof he needed to go home. If he were caught outside Grant’s home, there’d be no hiding it from the department, and soon Parker would be a pariah like Grant. No, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d get himself off in the car. He’d wait until he was home in the safety of his apartment where he could be alone, away from prying eyes. Then and only then would he find the relief he sought.

Chapter Four
    “We need to talk,” Parker whispered into the receiver.
    “Ya think?”
    Parker sighed. The aggravation in Grant’s voice was evident. He was pissed at Parker for showing up at his place and leaving abruptly. Parker had no intentions of sticking around when he had company. It was obvious to see they were a couple, though why Grant had lied earlier in the day when he said he was single was beyond him.
    “Look, we need to go somewhere private. Somewhere safe.”
    The line went quiet, and for a moment Parker wondered if Grant had hung up on him.
    “Meet me at the park over on Jefferson in an hour.”
    Parker racked his brain trying to picture the place Grant was talking about, but came up empty.
    “It’s a dog park,” Grant added.
    “Fine. I’ll be there.” Parker pressed the Off button on his cell and paced his living room. Empty beer bottles covered his coffee table. Last night when he’d returned home, he’d drowned his anxiety in a few too many. Luckily for him he hadn’t drunk dialed anyone.
    He picked up the empties and took them to the recycling bin under the sink in his kitchen. He might as well clean to kill some of the time before he met Grant. Parker knew he had to tell his partner what he’d found and the implications behind the card. He just needed to make sure they were safe. He couldn’t tell if his phone was bugged, and he didn’t know if he could trust anyone in the department.
    Once the remnants of the leftover pizza box and empty bottles were cleared away, Parker straightened the couch cushions, folded the throw blanket, and placed it neatly on the back of the couch. He considered running the vacuum to pick up a few crumbs from the chips but