CHAPTER ONE
A SHADOW FROM THE PAST
It was cool and sunny at David’s cabin, a beautiful, mid summer day. Joshua sat cross-legged on the grass, watching as his husband attempted a game of catch with Nate, David’s husband.
“Come on, Natey-baby!” Colin encouraged, trying to smother his smile. “Catch the damned thing!”
“Colin, I told you, I’m a crappy ballplayer! Why did you insist on doing this? You know Ihatebaseball!”
Colin bowed his head and snickered, then went into an elaborate windup. “Get ready, Nate! Here it comes! My two-hundred-mile-an-hour fastball!”
“Colin,no!” Nate screamed, throwing up his hands in terror, then he huffed in indignation as Colin bent and nudged the baseball into a slow roll across the grass.
“Some jock you are,” Colin muttered. He trotted forward and grabbed the ball as it edged towards Nate, then lobbed it into the air and watched as Nate ran around in blind circles, trying to catch the gentle toss.
Colin bent over laughing, then walked back to his improvised pitcher’s mound. “C’mon, Nate! I threw it so slow I could have caught it myself!”
David fell onto the grass next to Joshua and offered him a can of beer. “I see the baseball game is in full swing.”
“Yeah,” Joshua chuckled, taking the beer from David's hand. “And it’s a real nail-biter, I can tell you.” He turned back to watch his husband and drew in a deep breath. Colin wore a pair of cutoff jeans and a skimpy tank top. A baseball cap emblazoned with the logo for the Charlottesville Cougars, the baseball team that represented the University of Virginia Campus Police Force, was perched backward on his head. He was sweaty, tousled, and breathless with laughter, and the sight of his muscular thighs, sculpted chest, and broad, powerful shoulders took Joshua’s breath away. Colin was utterly gorgeous and more than a little tempting.
Joshua lowered his head, his sigh a husky rasp in his throat. “My god, you’d think after six years I’d be over it.”
David laughed out loud and sat up to sip his beer. “Thinking that your husband is a five-star hottie?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” David said with a shrug. “Heissort of flaunting it today.” He nudged Joshua’s shoulder and winked. “You think there’s a reason for that?”
“You think he’s trying to seduce me from twenty feet away?”
“I think he likes it that hecanseduce you from twenty feet away,” David replied, grinning as he got to his feet and moved toward the cabin. “We need more beer.”
Joshua snickered, watching as Nate finally caught a gentle underhand throw from Colin. “I did it!” Nate crowed, waving the ball in the air. “I caught one!”
Colin flopped to the ground beside his husband and grabbed Joshua’s beer. He tilted it to his lips until the can was empty, then crushed it in his fist with a phony growl before blotting his sweaty forehead against Joshua’s T-shirt.
“Gee, thanks!” Joshua said, staring down at the now-damp spot.
Colin nudged him and grinned. “You love it, and you know it.” He hugged his knees, watching Nate as he tossed the baseball into the air and then ran in mad circles trying to catch it.
As Joshua turned to face him, Colin peered at him over a sweaty forearm and winked. Unable to resist, Joshua leaned forward and dragged his tongue across his husband’s damp shoulder. “Mm.”
“See?” Colin murmured, leaning closer. “Toldyou.”
“Conceitedbastard,” Joshua muttered, then grinned as Colin burst into laughter.
“You’ve been calling me that for years, but you keep coming back for more. What’s up with that?”
“Can’t help lovin’ those tasty male pheromones,” Joshua teased, then nuzzled against Colin’s shoulder, once again caressing his skin with a damp tongue.
“Oh, stop licking him!” Nate burst out, flopping to the ground beside them. “And where did David go?”
“He went after more beer.”
Colin sprawled flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky. He drew in a deep breath, took several long seconds to blow it out, then closed his eyes. Joshua stretched out beside him, leaning on an elbow. He slid his hand up and down Colin’s muscular arm. “Babe? You OK?
“Just work frazzled.”
