He'd never have pulled a stranger into his problems if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
Drake nodded slowly, mulling over the other man's 16
words. They rang true. "Who are you? Are you a detective, too?"
The man smiled, his black eyes belying the warmth in his face. "I'm sorry. I'm Doctor Gordon Digby. I'm Grady's partner."
Partner? "I thought Doctor Carmichael said Lyle is Grady's partner?"
Gordon chuckled, sharing a smile with Grady. "Not that kind of partner, Drake."
"Oh." Well, that answered that question. The big men really were gay! To have the two men so openly confirm their relationship shocked and confused him. He wasn't in the closet by any means, not really, but no one really asked him what his preference was, and that's the way he liked it.
He wasn't sure he could keep his teaching position otherwise.
"Now," Grady said, rising smoothly from his chair. "You were saying that Lyle was in your car when you left the Fitzgerald building, and you started to drive. What else did he say? How did you know to call me?" the man asked as he put a hand on Drake's shoulder and steered him back to his chair.
He went willingly, mainly because he knew there was no way he could overpower the big detective. Closing his eyes, he brought up the scene in his mind. Due to years of scientific research, he'd trained his mind to remember even minute details. That skill paid off now. "Okay. Lyle said Drive. And when I sat there in terror, he said Just drive and you won't get hurt. I obeyed pretty quickly that time. After I pulled out of the parking lot, I stuttered out W-where would you like me to take you, sir? Thinking it'd be a good idea to be polite to the man with the gun. His answer confused me. He said Grady. "
Drake opened his eyes. "Now I know he meant he wanted 17
me to take him to you, but I didn't know that at the time. I asked him Is that your name? It took him a while to answer, but he finally replied, Need to get to Detective Grady Stryker. I thought that was weird, too. A hijacker wanting to be taken to a detective, and then the thought occurred to me that maybe you were a dirty cop. You aren't, are you?" He paused expectantly, praying the man wasn't.
Realizing he expected an answer, Grady lifted a brow and shook his head. "No."
Letting out a breath of relief, Drake nodded. "Oh, good." He paused. Where did I leave off? Oh yes. "Anyway, I noticed the bruises and blood on his face and arms and realized something bad had happened to him. So I confirmed your name, but when I asked Lyle if he knew your phone number, he didn't answer. He'd passed out by then, you see," he added.
He glanced between Grady and Gordon, trying to ascertain if they were following. He knew that once he got going with a lecture, he could sometimes lose his students.
He figured this couldn't be too much different. After both men nodded, and Grady waved a hand as if to say go on, he did. "I didn't know who you were, Detective, so I went home and … "
"You took him to your home?" Grady cut in.
Drake cocked his head. "Yeah. I didn't take him into the house. I just closed us into the garage. I needed a safe place to connect to the internet and find out who you were. That's where I called you from, my garage." He watched Grady and Gordon again exchange looks he couldn't decipher. Well, that's just frustrating. What is going on? He sighed, suddenly sure he didn't want to know. If it involved people hurting other people like they did to Detective Sullivan, then Drake didn't want anything to do with it. "After talking to you, I brought Lyle here." He 18
shrugged.
Grady nodded. "Okay. What happened to the gun? Is it still in your car?"
"Oh, no," he said, biting his lip. "I took it away and kicked it under the car. I didn't pick it back up, so it's still in the garage. Do you want to follow me home to get it?" Then he hoped he could go to sleep, but he still had research to do and an early class tomorrow. He fought back a sigh.
Bummer, he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.
The detective leaned against the bed. "I will need to do that, yes. I'd also like you to take me to where your car was parked when you picked Lyle up, but it needs to be in the daylight. Are you available tomorrow?" Rubbing his brow, he thought about everything he needed to do the next day. Slowly he nodded. "I have a break in classes between eleven-thirty and one. I can meet you at the corner of sixth and ninth at eleven-forty-five. That should give me enough time to show you were it is and be back for my next class."
"Will that give you enough time to eat?" Drake whirled at the growling voice, a flood of warmth he'd never felt before hit him when he saw Ailean in the doorway. Uh, oh. He shouldn't like the man this much this fast, especially since he didn't know anything about him. He chewed his bottom lip in consternation.
* * * *
Ailean couldn't believe he'd just said that, but the man obviously didn't take care of himself. The nibbling on his lip and abashed look just confirmed it. It also made him so fucking cute Ailean's teeth ached. And so did his shaft. He wanted to order everyone else out of the room and taste that plump bottom lip that Drake worried.
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Instead, he rolled the stretcher into the room and motioned for Grady to help him lift the still unconscious Lyle onto the bed. Once done, he moved the stretcher into the hall. He closed the door and crossed the room to stand in front of Drake.
The skinny human's mouth opened and closed like a fish, and Ailean couldn't stop the grin. "Now, does that leave you time for lunch, little mate?"
"Uh, no," he whispered.
"Then that won't work, will it?" He brushed Drake's jaw with the tips of his fingers to soften his words. "I don't work tomorrow until three in the afternoon. How about I pick you up at the campus with lunch? That way you can eat while I drive?" he offered.
He continued to stroke his little mate's soft skin, marveling at how right it felt to touch the human. How could Fate give me a human? He'd never had any good experiences with them. Fuck, he hoped this would be different. He frowned at the thought. Of course it would be different. This is my mate!
Drake gave a quick nod. "Okay. I'd like that," he murmured, ducking his head.
Ailean wondered if it was shyness or something else.
Inexperience? He'd have to see. "Good," Ailean replied.
"Now, give me your phone number, little mate," he ordered softly, handing the man a pen and his clipboard.
He watched Drake glance between him and the other two men in the room. From the corner of his eye, Ailean watched Gordon give his little mate a wink and an encouraging nod.
Drake gave a slight smile and scribbled an almost illegible string of figures across the page. He'd have to remember to find a way to thank the elephant shifter. Whatever had happened while he was gone, Drake seemed to value Gordon's opinion. He owed the man.
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"And people say a doctor's signature is bad," he teased, taking the clipboard back. Drake opened his mouth, starting to stutter something, but Ailean rested an index finger against the soft lips he so desperately wanted to taste properly. The little peck from earlier hadn't been nearly enough. "Relax," he assured. "I'm just teasing. Go with Grady, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay," Drake murmured, his eyes slightly dilated.
What a fucking sexy look. Ailean couldn't stop himself from pulling the shorter man to his feet, cupping his jaw, and claiming his lips. Surprise shot through Ailean when Drake froze in his arms for several seconds. But he patiently brushed the man's lips again and again and soon Drake melted into Ailean's embrace. Inexperience. Definitely inexperience. He flicked his tongue out, tracing Drake's lips, tasting lightly. When he didn't automatically open, he gently nipped his mate's full bottom lip.
A sharp inhalation had Drake opening slightly, allowing Ailean the access he wanted. He took advantage. As he slid his tongue into the narrow gap between Drake's teeth, he wrapped his arms around his mate's slender waist and pulled him flush to his body.
Holy shit! Ailean's dick shot rock hard and leaking. It jerked and pulsed against his mate's stomach. Moaning softly, he plundered Drake's mouth, mapping the man's teeth, gums, and tongue. Finally, needing air, Ailean lamented having to ease the kiss to an end.
Blinking, he took a deep breath, watching his mate's cheeks flame underneath his bronze coloring. Ailean looked from the corner of his eye and gave Gordon and Grady a slight smile at their attempt at giving them some sense of privacy in the small room. Both had their backs to the couple.