Title: Fire and Agate
Series: Carlisle Deputies #4
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance/Law Enforcement
Release Date: May 7 2019
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Can a couple be more opposite than a thief and a cop? Or do they have more in common than they think?
Mattias stole to survive. He was damn good at it. But there’s no such thing as a victimless crime, and when he saw how his theft hurt people, he resolved to change. Now he works as a consultant, and while helping to investigate a rash of burglaries, he crosses paths with James.
Police Officer James Levinson doesn’t trust thieves, and that includes Mattias. James’s father stole to support himself, and James knows firsthand how that can destroy lives—it inspired him to go into law enforcement. Mattias is no different, from what he can tell… at first.
As they work together, Mattias and James realize there’s something deeper between them than just the physical attraction neither can deny. Given time, they might even grow to trust each other—unless the case they’re working on dredges up pasts both would rather forget.
Excerpt:
“No hotel?” James asked. “I understand one of the main electric lines is out.”
“Yeah. I got my things in case it doesn’t come on, but every room for miles is booked up. We had work to do, so I put it off, and now… it looks like Old Stinky and I are going to make a night of it.” He wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Come on. I had some paperwork I needed to finish for my captain. It’s done and he has it, so why don’t you head out with me? I have a guest room, and you can stay there until you can get a hotel room.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Mattias said. He wasn’t looking for pity. Mattias had learned how to take care of himself a long time ago.
“Solly said we were to be a team, and if that’s true, then we need to help each other.” James grabbed Mattias’s bag off the floor. “Besides, I think after a night on that thing, you’d be in no shape to help anyone.” He pulled open the changing area door.
Mattias was desperate enough that he followed quietly behind. His back eased in utter relief, and his nose was eternally grateful to be away from that smell.
It was nearly dark as they stepped outside. “Do you want me to follow you?”
“No need. Ride with me. We’re coming to the same place in the morning,” James said, and Mattias was too tired to argue or snark at him. He just got into the car and buckled himself in, relieved he was going to have a bed for the evening. James put his bag in the trunk.
“Thanks for doing this,” Mattias said as James got in the car.
“The ride is going to take a little while. I live close to the first witness that we spoke to.” He pulled out and made the turn, heading to the main road.
Mattias wasn’t familiar with the area and had used GPS to get to the station, so he sat back and let James do the driving. Silence lingered between them, and Mattias tried to think of something to bring up, anything to fill the quiet in the car. Normally he was a huge fan of quiet, but being with James only made him wonder what he was thinking.
“Have you been to this area before?”
“Once, some time ago,” Mattias said.
James looked over at him, his eyes flashing with reflected light. Mattias could almost feel his curiosity bubbling up. “Was this in your previous profession?”
Mattias should have expected that. “No. I was a kid, and my grandparents brought me up here one week. We went camping at Kings Gap. Poppy and Nana rented an RV, and we spent the week. I went swimming, and I remember nothing but happiness. Those were the good times before the foster homes and such.” Mattias kept the welling sadness out of his voice.
“I see,” James said with an odd tone that Mattias couldn’t read. Mattias knew there was no way that James could possibly understand, and he figured it was better to leave it at the simple explanation rather than the one that could take some time.
He shook his head. “I had a childhood. I didn’t come out of my mother’s womb and decide to steal the buttons off her shirt. All that came later, out of necessity.” Mattias shook his head. “Is this self-righteousness an attitude, or do you bathe in it?”
“I didn’t say anything,” James said, but it was clear enough to Mattias that the attitude was there.
He needed to let go of chip he carried, but James got him all stirred up. “I appreciate you letting me stay at your house. And for the record, you don’t need to worry about me stealing your silver or pinching your mother’s jewelry. I don’t steal for a living any longer. With me it isn’t a compulsion. It was a means to make a living… nothing more.”
James nodded. “I know. You made a living out of the misery of others.”
“For your information, I had plenty of misery in my life. Heaps of it. I didn’t have a way to make a living, so I learned. It was survival, and I found out I was good at it.” Mattias paused a second. “I’m no Robin Hood, but neither am I the man who robs their neighbor who had less than they do in order to buy drugs. It was a profession, and I made a living at it for a number of years. I’m up-front about it, and in a way, I’m working with departments like Solly’s to help make up for the things I did.” He glared at James, meeting his gaze with as much fire as he could muster. “I won’t apologize for what I had to do. I can’t…. I survived and came out the other side.” He heaved for breath as piles of vitriol came out. Mattias had no idea where all of this was coming from. He was normally a relatively quiet, thoughtful guy who helped police departments understand thieves and catch them. His job was generally to stay in the background, support the police officers, and help them do their jobs better. With James, it was completely different. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
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