The dark green blurred past the car window as they wound down the narrow lane and up another, cutting through an exclusive neighborhood called Indian Hills. The homes that he could spot set back from the road were sprawling mansions with lush green yards and large, mature trees. It was an older, established neighborhood, which made him think of old money. And to fit in, Justin was driving a sleek Mercedes that looked as if it was brand new. The man himself was also looking quite sleek in his pale tan suit and white shirt. The pastel bow tie was a surprise, but there was something about his cheeky grin and twinkling blue eyes that set it off just right.

And those eyes were something that Gabriel was desperate to avoid.

Last night never should have fucking happened. He still couldn’t figure out how it had happened. One moment he’s in the middle of a nightmare and he just had to get the fuck out…and then next, he’s on his back in the hall with Justin on top of him. And then the first time their cocks brushed against each other, he was lost. His damn eyes wanted to roll backward into his head just remembering it. After that, it had been a desperate race to the finish line. There had been no getting enough of Justin’s mouth, the feel of his skin, the pressure of his cock, the soft grunts as he thrust against him, chasing his own orgasm.

It would have been one thing if they’d just gotten off and walked away, but they kissed. And kissed again and again. There had been no stopping it. Gabriel hadn’t wanted to. It felt as necessary as breathing. Justin’s mouth was so damn perfect.

Except when it was open and words were spilling out.

But this morning, there were no teasing, mocking words. Or what Gabriel dreaded more…questions. He didn’t want this man asking questions. There was something about Justin’s gaze that he was sure that man would be able to tell he was lying when Gabriel answered, and he knew that any answer he gave Justin would be a lie.

So far, no questions. Over coffee, Justin had laid out what he knew about the garden party and its attendees as well as the expected dress code and time. After coffee and toast, Gabriel retreated to his laptop while Justin went to the basement to work for a few hours. While the man never said a word about the night before, he could see the amusement in his eyes. It was like he could feel Justin silently chuckling at him.

“We should get our story straight,” Gabriel suddenly said, breaking the extended silence. He nearly winced at how hard his tone sounded, but Justin simply grinned at him.

“What story?” Justin asked. His words sounded teasing and light.

“Our dating,” Gabriel snapped.

“Oh! That!” Justin said and then laughed. “I thought you might be talking about something else.”

“Don’t.”

Justin shook his head, relaxing in his seat. “Well, the people who will know me from this shindig think that I’m a software developer. I had a company, but sold it a few years ago, making me independently wealthy. Now I dabble in a variety of projects.”

“And to them you’re still Justin Mallory?”

“Yes. I would say that we’ve been dating only a few months, so we don’t have to remember a lot of details about each other. You travel a lot for work as…” Justin paused and he looked over at Gabriel, his eyes sweeping up and down his light gray suit. “As an accountant.”

“I don’t look like an accountant,” Gabriel said sharply.

“Fine. Lawyer.”

“That’s the best you can do?”

“Sure…okay…what’s your cover?”

Gabriel reached inside his suit jacket and pulled a black business card with sharp silver writing. He held it up so Justin could still see it while he was driving. “Gabriel Prescott, dealer of fine art and antiquities.” The card even had a London address and phone number.

Justin rolled his eyes. “So original,” he groaned and then continued before Gabriel could reply. “But that will work. It will explain why we don’t see each other often. But you’re currently in town for an extended visit.”

Gabriel slipped the business card back into his pocket. “How did we meet?”

“In Paris. Our eyes met across a crowded room. It was love at first sight,” he said breathlessly.

“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“No, but I can be,” he said. He glanced over at Gabriel and wagged his eyebrows. It was all he could do not to laugh. Justin slowed the car and pulled into a long driveway. There were several other cars lined up in front of them, waiting for their turn with the valet. “Are you going to be able to do this? You do have to pretend to like me in front of a lot of other people.”

Justin’s grim tone had Gabriel looking over at the driver. His expression was serious for the first time all day. He could almost bet that Justin would come up with an alternative cover for him right there on the spot if he couldn’t fake it, but he wasn’t going to back out now because a growing sense of panic was creeping up his spine and accelerating his heart. If the never serious Justin could pretend to enjoy Gabriel’s company for a few hours, then Gabriel could do the same.

“Of course I can do this.”

Justin’s grin returned and he winked at Gabriel. “I know.” Throwing the car into park, he smiled up at the valet opening the driver’s side door. Gabriel sucked in a steady breath and climbed out of the passenger side door.

For the first time, he looked up at the massive home they’d pulled up to. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d been so unaware of his surroundings. Justin had a way of distracting him from everything that he was supposed to be paying attention to. It would be stunning if he survived this job if he didn’t his head back in the game.

The two-story home was made of gray stone and had tall floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected back the early afternoon sunlight. He walked around to the front of the car, eyes skimming over the other people who were moving toward the entrance of the home.

Fingers grazed his and Gabriel nearly jerked his hand away but stopped himself at the last second. Justin smirked at him before threading his fingers slowly through Gabriel’s. Keeping his hand stiff, he stared down at their joined hands for a second in wonder. He’d never held a man’s hand, not even in private. But the thought of doing it in public, where anyone could see them…his heart raced and a weight settled on his chest, threatening to cut of his supply of air. A panicked voice was screaming in his brain to pull Justin close, to shield him from the reach of others.

His eyes jerked back to Justin’s face and there’s was no missing the concern there. Justin slowly reached up and placed his other hand against Gabriel’s cheek. “No one is paying attention to us,” he whispered. With his eyes locked on Gabriel’s, he slowly lifted their joined hands to his lips. He brushed a kiss across their knuckles. Just a light touch and Gabriel felt like he could suddenly breath again. “No one is going to hurt us here because of this.”

Gabriel gave a jerky nod. His heart thudded painfully, but for an entirely new reason. There was no escaping Justin’s eyes or the knowledge he saw there. The man could very easily guess some dark parts of his past and he didn’t want Justin to know anything from those horrible days.

“We should get inside,” Gabriel said, forcing the words past the lump in his throat.

“Definitely. I could use a drink.”

A drink didn’t begin to cover it. Justin forced himself to slowly sip the white wine spritzer he was holding when he really wanted a damn beer. A single drink wasn’t going to cover it, but he couldn’t get buzzed while in the middle of a job. There was no shaking the memory of the terror that streaked through Gabriel’s eyes when he’d taken the man’s hand. His skin had almost instantly taken on a cold, clammy feeling and his face had become frighteningly pale. It was as if he’d expected to be struck down that instant for holding a man’s hand. Justin hadn’t been sure if Gabriel would run or tuck Justin behind him while drawing the gun secreted on his body. By the tension humming through his lean frame, Justin had been willing to bet that it was more the latter than the former.

A part of him wanted to say fuck the damn garden party and take Gabriel straight home where he could demand some answers about what the hell had happened to him to create such a response. Not that Justin needed too many answers. Judging on what he could surmise about the man’s origins, Justin could make some damn good educated guesses.

But getting the truth out of Gabriel wouldn’t fix their current problem and he knew that talking was the last thing that Gabriel wanted. And then there was the other question of why the fuck was he feeling so protective of Gabriel? The man clearly didn’t like him and Justin wasn’t even sure if he liked the guy either. Why would he care what he’d suffered through in his past? They had to get through the present.

So, he stood there with a fake-ass smile while holding a drink in one hand and Gabriel’s hand in the other because there was no way in hell he was letting go just yet. And he wasn’t even sure which of them needed the contact more in that moment.

“Justin?” called a feminine voice.

Tightening his hand on Gabriel’s, Justin turned in the direction of the voice. He forced himself to relax his body and open up his smile when he caught sight of the young woman in the breezy white dress and wide brimmed straw hat. Lucy Kennedy was an absolute sweetheart. Since they’d first met, she’d made it her mission in life to take him under her wing and introduce him to all the illustrious monied of Cincinnati, as well as keep her eye out for a perfect match for him. She hadn’t even blinked an eye when he made it clear that the match would need to be a man rather than a woman.

She engulfed him in a tight hug, forcing him to release Gabriel. A delicate cloud of perfume wrapped around him. Lucy remined him of sunshine and kittens, but he had a feeling that she had a hidden side that was much sterner. The woman had four sons and they were all attending prestigious schools. There was no wrangling four boys like that if you weren’t made of stronger stuff that cotton and rose petals.

“I just knew you’d be here,” she announced with her soft southern drawl that only made her more endearing to him. She pulled back and smiled up at Gabriel.

“Lucy, I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Gabriel Prescott,” Justin said, motioning toward the stiff Gabriel.

Gabriel extended his hand to her, but she just batted it away.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sugar, but that’s just not going to work with me.” She stepped right into Gabriel and hugged him tightly, her head barely reaching his shoulder even in her tall heels. Gabriel sent a slightly panicked look over her head to Justin and he suppressed a laugh. Lucy was also a bit forward, but it was all in kindness so it was hard to fault her for it.

When she stepped back, she looked from Gabriel to Justin, her smile even bigger. “You don’t understand, but Justin is just so precious to me. Like my own brother. And I just know that anyone Justin would dare to date must be as sweet as he is.”

“I don’t know if I’m as sweet as he is, but I try,” Gabriel said.

“Oh, trust me, Luc, he’s just as sweet. He cooked me dinner last night and he is such a fantastic cook,” Justin gushed, bringing an answering blush to Gabriel’s cheeks. Though, Justin wasn’t quite sure if it was embarrassment or anger. Probably a little of both.

Lucy clucked her tongue at him. “You didn’t even tell me you were seeing anyone.”

Justin gave a coy little shrug. “We haven’t been seeing each other long. We met months ago while I was traveling, and we’ve talked here and there. Gabriel is based out of London, so we don’t see each other often.”

“Oh no,” Lucy said on a little gasp.

To Justin’s shock, Gabriel’s hand smoothed along his shoulders, pulling him closer. A wave of warmth spread through his body as he leaned ever so slightly against Gabriel’s taller frame. “But we are working on it. I’m staying in town for the next few weeks so that we can spend time together. Get to know each other better.”

“That’s just wonderful. We’ll have to do dinner while you’re in town. My husband, Patrick, couldn’t make it to the party today, but we’ll schedule something when he’s free. I’ll text Justin so we can arrange it.”

“Sounds fabulous.”

Lucy placed a kiss on Justin’s cheek and then Gabriel leaned down so she could do the same to him before she moved on to mingle with the rest of the attendees. She moved with the same breezy light and warm personality. Justin couldn’t help but marvel at her. He was sure that there were dark and disappointing things in her life, but whatever they were, she never let them show. She just appeared to be happy with life and to spend time with the people around her.

“She was interesting,” Gabriel said softly. “Is she a normal representation of your friends here?”

“Some are like her. Others are more reserved,” Justin said and then grinned up at Gabriel. “You seem to be fitting into this boyfriend role with little problem.

Gabriel reached down and grabbed Justin’s free hand, threading their fingers together again. “I said that I could do this.”

“And so you are.”

Justin led the way deeper into the party, mingling through one knot of people after another. There were drinks and light hors d'oeuvres. A few people made some brief speeches about the new season with a glimpse of the new ballets, operas, and art displays that would fill the new year. There was talk of fundraising efforts for various historic locations such as Krohn Conservatory and Taft Museum. Justin introduced Gabriel to every person he knew at the party, and the man handled it all with relative ease. At the very least, he didn’t flinch or stiffen when Justin referred to him as his boyfriend. Even a few times, Gabriel offered to get him a fresh drink or shared some food off his plate.

His actions reminded Justin of what it might be like to have a boyfriend, to have someone care about him. Not that he thought that Gabriel would fill that role in his life, but someone who happened to be tall and sexy with a wicked grin when he was stretched out on the hallway floor covered in…yeah, that line of thinking needed to stop immediately. The slacks he was wearing would hide nothing if he suddenly found himself with a hard-on.

After a couple of hours, they finally found themselves standing alone in the garden. Gabriel’s arms were wrapped around his waist, holding him close. It felt as if his hands was burning through his clothes straight to his hip and Justin was doing everything within his power to ignore his touch so that the blood would stop flowing to his goddamn cock. He really thought he had more self-control than this, but Gabriel was quickly proving him wrong.

“While I’ve enjoyed this little outing, we have yet to meet our target,” Gabriel said in a low voice. The words were at complete odds with the easygoing smile teasing his lips.

“That’s because I’m not closely acquainted with her. She arrived around thirty minutes ago and is talking to that group of people over by the rose arbor. Light blue dress with the pillbox hat.”

A low chuckle left Gabriel, drawing Justin’s gaze to his face. “I find myself surprised that you know what a pillbox hat is.”

“Fuck you. I loved Jackie O,” Justin said in a grumpy voice.

“Shhh…everyone does,” Gabriel consoled. His hand squeezed his hip and Justin found himself relaxing against the other man. What the fuck was happening to him? He was getting far too wrapped up in this little role playing. They needed to get the information they came for and get the fuck out of there.

As they watched Gretchen, she suddenly reached for her phone and looked at the screen. Frowning, she made motions to excuse herself and then disappeared into the house, likely to take the call. That looked like a perfect opportunity if he ever saw one.

“Shall we wander into the house? Get out of the sun for a little while?” Gabriel asked before Justin could.

“I think that’s a perfect idea.”

Sliding his hand from Justin’s back, Gabriel motioned for him to lead the way across the lawn and toward the house. They moved at a steady but leisurely pace. Justin was careful to nod at a few acquaintances but steered clear of anyone who looked like they may want to engage in longer conversation.

Once inside the house, he blinked several times to adjust his eyes to the relative darkness of the residence. It was richly decorated with dark woods and dark colors. Art hung on all the walls and the floor shined as if polished freshly that day. The interior was cooler thanks to the air conditioning and Justin sighed with relief. Sweat had started to trickle down his back and he had been fantasizing for the past hour about stripping down to just his briefs and standing in front of a fan. He might have also fantasized about stripping Gabriel down to birthday suit, but he forced his thought away from that bit of loveliness as quickly as possible. That was later…maybe…if he was lucky.

Servants in white attire rushed from place to place, carrying either full or empty trays. More alcohol was summoned from where it was being chilled. They skirted the servants and anyone else, trying to appear as if they were simply admiring the house and the art within, while cautiously listening at closed doors to try to track down where Ms. Lornamen had disappeared to. They were about to circle back to the main staircase to the second floor when they heard a woman’s voice behind a closed door. She sounded troubled but not in a panic. Justin looked over at Gabriel who motioned for them to hold. They needed for her to end her call before they walked inside.

Silence lengthened and then they finally heard the clomp of her heels as she approached the door to leave the room. Justin nodded and Gabriel pulled open the door. Gretchen Lornamen came to a sharp halt, her cellphone clutched tightly in her fist. She blinked in surprise at them for a moment and took an unsteady step backward as if to let them pass. A handsome woman, she looked to be in her late fifties with dark hair threaded with gray. She had the no-nonsense feel of a ruthless businesswoman to her eyes, but there was something more in her pale green eyes that had Justin hesitating.

“Excuse me,” she said with a brittle smile. “I was just taking a quick phone call.”

“That’s quite all right, Ms. Lornamen,” Justin said easily, smiling back at her in hopes of putting her more at ease, though he was sure it was unlikely. “We were just hoping to have a moment of your time to discuss a small matter.”

Behind him, Gabriel softly closed the door. He glanced back to find the tall man standing in front of the door. He was sure that it wasn’t so much to keep Gretchen trapped as it was to listen for anyone approaching the room. Not that she was pick up on that.

“What do you wish to discuss?” she said. Justin knew the warmth that she infused in those words were as fake as the smile she graced them with because her eyes would not leave Gabriel.

“Iaso Health.”

Gretchen’s eyes snapped back to Justin and flashed rage for only a second before she got her emotions back under control. “I’m no longer associated with Iaso. I can’t help you. Try contacting their investor relations or even their new Chairman Dane Hamilton if you wish to know more.”

“Well, my concern with Iaso is actually in regards to the death of Dr. Kevin Weiss and Dr. Kristen Jones.”

Gretchen grew pale and took several steps back. She rested her hand on the edge of the large oak desk in the center of the room for support. “Yes, Kevin and Kristen’s deaths were unfortunate and very untimely. They both did some amazing work for Iaso over the years. We were all sadden by the news.”

And Justin believed her. He wasn’t sure if she actually knew the two researchers personally, but she did take their deaths very personally. It made sense that she would be the one to take out the contract in an effort to get justice for them. But the contract had not stated that Dane Hamilton was a target, though he was willing to bet that Gretchen would love to see the man dead.

“It seems a strange coincidence that both doctors died so suddenly and they were both on the research team for Iaso’s new drug, Siltryptrose.”

“How do you know that?” Gretchen demanded sharply. She pushed away from the desk and took a couple steps closer to Justin. The hand holding her cellphone shook slightly. “No one but the executive team at Iaso and the FDA is aware of who is on the research team for that project. Are you reporters?”

“No.”

“Police?”

“Definitely not,” Gabriel said with a small smirk.

“Then I’m calling the police. You shouldn’t know what you do about the research team. If there’s a security breach, then it must be dealt with immediately.” She lifted her phone, using her fingerprint to unlock it, but she didn’t get any further.

“You can call them, but that could make things very awkward, since we might be the men you hired to find Kevin and Kristen’s killer.”

Gretchen’s cellphone fell from her limp hand and gave a muffled thump when it hit ornate Oriental rug just in front of the desk. Her face had turned ghostly white and she stepped back until she reached the desk for support again.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, her voice losing all of its earlier authority.

Justin sighed and closed the distance between them. “I would really prefer to skip this part since our time is limited.” Carefully, he took Gretchen’s arm and directed her into a chair in front of the desk while he sat in the one next to her. “We know that you took out the contract. You want the killer and the person who hired the hit eliminated. You also want the proof that Siltryptrose is deadly.”

“But…but you’re not supposed to know who put out the contract. I was told that my identity would be kept anonymous,” she argued.

“Yes, well…there are ways of accomplishing that, but your contact didn’t do that. Let’s hope that it teaches you either to not use this person again or to never put out another contract like this.”

“Hopefully, the latter,” Gabriel added, and Gretchen just nodded in dazed agreement.

Justin gently placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she was meeting his eyes. “We need more information. Kevin and Kristen didn’t deserve to die, and I’d like to see them and their families get justice.”

“I submitted all the information I have.”

Justin shook his head. “You have to have more. It’s going to take time to hack into Iaso and even when I’m in, I don’t have a degree in pharmacology or medicine. I won’t necessarily know what I’m looking for. And we now have someone who is trying to kill us to keep us from uncovering the truth. That definitely shortens our time table.”

“Oh dear,” she breathed softly.

“Why would Kevin and Kristen have been killed?”

“They came to me months ago and raised concerns about the drug. There had been a couple of deaths in the labs animals that they felt were being brushed aside too quickly. They wanted to do more thorough autopsies, but they said that management wasn’t taking their concerns seriously. I raised the concern at the board meeting and Dane, who had been the president at the time, said I was being overly cautious and slowing down progress. It wasn’t the first time I’d been accused of that. The last time had slowed down one of our new drugs, allowing our competitor to get to market first. It cost us nearly a billion dollars in lost sales. Dane used my worries to get me removed as chairwoman.”

“Shit,” Justin muttered. “Do you believe Kevin and Kristen were right?”

“Yes. They were brilliant researchers. I trusted their insights.”

“But the company obviously went ahead with the drug trials and moved on to human patients.”

Gretchen nodded, fisting her hands in her lap. “I might not have been running the company that my family started any longer, but I am still a shareholder. I get the company reports, which include updates on drug testing progress. Siltryptrose was passing everything with flying colors. I started to think that maybe Kristen and Kevin had been too cautious. Then I received a frantic phone call from Kristen. She was desperate to talk to me. I missed the call. I’d been out with friends at the theater. By the time I tried to call her back, the news was already running the story of her death in a hit and run.”

“Did Kevin Weiss try to contact you?” Gabriel asked.

Gretchen shook her head. “Not that I know of. When I heard of the break in and his death, I knew something with wrong with drug and it was being covered up.”

“Do you know who is covering this up?”

Again, she shook her head. “I would love to pin this on Dane, the weasely little asshole, but he could have just wanted my job, and sadly, that’s not a crime.” She paused and gave Justin a sad smile. “All submissions for the FDA have to be signed off by the head of the company as well as the heads of the project. That would have been Kristen, Kevin, and Dr. Saul Elba.”

“Is Dr. Elba still alive?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, as far as I know.”

“Do you have any idea what Kristen or Kevin might have seen to make them want to stop the drug trials?” Justin asked.

“No, but I got the impression that it would show in the autopsy. It wasn’t showing up in the usual tests that they run to monitor the patient. And there were four deaths during the human trials, but they were all marked as causes not related to the drug.”

“Is that common?”

“Unfortunately, yes. This is a cancer drug and these people are in various advance stages. Their bodies have suffered a great toll already. It is often possible that they will pass due to unrelated causes or complications. That’s why everyone is so excited about Siltryptrose. It can potentially be used at nearly any stage of advancement and the damage and wear was supposed to be far less than other treatments. Kristen’s sister died of cervical cancer and Kevin lost his father to lung cancer. They would have done anything to see this drug through all the phases to approval, but they wouldn’t allow something through that was just as dangerous as the cancer.”

“Thank you for your time, Gretchen,” Justin said, standing again. “This will help us greatly.”

“Wait!” She grabbed Justin’s hand, stopping him. “Who are you? How can I contact you if I learn something new?”

A tense smile pulled at his lips. “It’s better you don’t know who we are. It’s better than you forget what we look like and don’t ask anyone here what our names are. If you see either of us again, don’t speak to us unless we speak to you. Just forget.”

“But…”

Justin lifted the hand holding his to his lips and brush a gentle kiss across her knuckles. “It’s better to forget everything about today.”

He then turned on heel and quickly walked out of the room as Gabriel held the door open for him. His heart pounded in his chest. They had a new name and a couple of interesting leads. This could be a very good thing for them.

“You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Gabriel murmured behind them as they walked back down the hall.

“What do you mean?”

“The kiss to her hand. The suave gentlemen when you’re really just a ruthless killer.”

Justin snorted. “Jealous?”

He thought he heard Gabriel grumble something to under his breath. Grinning to himself, Justin wait until they passed a dark little nook that looked like it might hold some art. Justin spun on his heel and grabbed Gabriel, shoving him up against the wall within the nook. He pressed his body up against Gabriel’s and the other man sucked in a harsh breath. Tipping his head up, he brushed his lips against Gabriel’s neck before settling on the rapidly beating pulse just below his skin.

“What’s really bothering you, G? That it’s been hours since I last kissed you?”

“This isn’t the time, Mallory,” Gabriel growled, but he still didn’t push Justin off. He just stood painfully still, his body tense and pressed against the wall.

“I think it’s the perfect time to steal a kiss from my boyfriend.” As he turned his head, Justin moved his mouth up Gabriel’s neck to his jaw. He needed Gabriel to tilt his head a little bit lower. Just move a little to his left. “Kiss me, Gabriel.”

And to his surprise, Gabriel moved his head, seizing his mouth in a blistering kiss that curled his toes in his hard-soled shoes and filled his cock. Gabriel’s tongue plunged into his mouth, claiming him like he was a damn Spanish conquistador plundering a new land. Justin moaned into Gabriel’s mouth and pressed even closer, wanting nothing to separate them.

The sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor tore Gabriel’s mouth from his. He looked around for a second and then glared at Justin. “This is not the place for this.”

“Then let’s go home where we can get more comfortable.”

“You promised me coq au vin,” Gabriel said with a smirk.

Justin rolled his eyes and then rolled his hips, rubbing his hard cock against Gabriel, earning a pained hiss. “Then we’ll stop at the grocery for supplies. Lots of supplies. And then we’ll go home. You research. I cook. And then we have some fun.”

Gabriel stared at him for a second, his face expressionless. “Maybe.”

Justin stepped back and looked around for a second to make sure they were still alone before he adjusted himself. “Maybe? Really?”

A wide grin spread across Gabriel’s face, taking Justin’s breath away. The man was simply stunning. “Maybe.”

Justin groaned and led the way out of the house. This man’s “maybe” was going to fucking kill him.