Colby.... Conflicted (Studs & Steel #9)

By Heather Mar-Gerrison

Colby is fed up of being on his own. His partner in crime-fighting, Harrison, is on paternity leave; he and his wife having just had their second child. Colby's missing their easy banter, not to mention the fact that it was a damn sight easier working with someone else than going it alone...
When Parker comes crashing into his life, quite unexpectedly, he's delighted - even if Parker is a glass-half-empty kind of a guy with almost zero interest in starting something special with him. Colby isn't put off by that; there's something about his stand-offish manner that Colby finds absolutely irresistible.
Parker has issues. He's a struggling actor, trying to get his name out there, but he's been abused in the past by the very guy who is standing right between stardom and failure.
When he confides in Colby about it, Colby wants to help him but Parker thinks it's a futile venture. No one is ever going to believe him over a big named producer... But when another would-be actor tweets that he's been the victim of assault by the same guy and a trend starts up with loads of other young men coming out and saying the same, Parker realises that, with Colby's help, maybe they really can take the guy down...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather Mar-Gerrison
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005058920

Heather Mar-Gerrison

I love to write M/M romance and as a sucker for a HEA, you're guaranteed one in my books. #happyheatherafters

Book preview

Colby… Conflicted

(Studs & Steel #9)

Heather Mar-Gerrison

Smashwords Edition

Heather Mar-Gerrison Copyright 2020

Beautiful front cover courtesy of Shutterstock designs

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work.

Prologue

Colby

It was the most fitting end to the most awful day I’d had in a long time. For starters, I didn’t have my partner in crime-fighting, Harrison to bounce off and I was getting heartily sick of doing things alone.

Resources being what they were, meant that I rarely had another officer to attend calls with. Most of the time that wasn’t an issue but today had been an absolute nightmare – and it wasn’t over yet. Great…

I was just heading home and had just managed to get off the M25, which was, as always, packed solid. Not that it really mattered. It wasn’t like I had a wife and child waiting for me at home like my partner, Harrison had.

I tried hard not to be jealous of his wonderful life. It wouldn’t work for me anyway, since I’d never fancied girls in all of my life, as hard as I’d tried in my teens to fit in with the rest of my completely heterosexual mates.

The sad truth was, that, as masculine as I appeared to be, I was as gay as gay got. I just didn’t look it. I know – unfair, since it never got me noticed by any of the guys I ever fancied. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t looking for love. Been there, done that, got my heart broken...

Anyway, I digress. I was passing an industrial estate when I spotted someone sitting on the edge of one of the buildings. It wasn’t particularly high-rise – but high enough if you were of the mind to do damage to yourself.

For one fleeting second, I contemplated just driving by and going home but then my inner-Superman kicked in and with a massive sigh, I pulled off the main road and into the car park.

It took me a good ten minutes to find my way into the fucking building and another five or so to get up to the roof but finally, I managed it.

I walked across the roof and calmly made my way towards the person who was sitting on the far edge. I could now tell that the person was a guy – and not a particularly old guy at that. Not that that made any difference – he was clearly in some kind of trouble and I was, allegedly, paid to help.

I stepped over the railing that would normally stop people from going over the edge and went to sit by his side. Not too close – I wasn’t wishing to freak him out – but close enough to have a conversation.

Nice evening. I commented. It wasn’t actually true. The summer so far had been absolutely magnificent with the temperatures soaring above the twenties every day but today had been as muggy as hell and the sky was definitely threatening a storm. I felt a drop even as I said it.

He looked at me suspiciously, If you say so. He finally responded, clearly beginning to think I was a total saddo.

I shrugged, It’s not pissing it down with rain, yet. We haven’t been struck by lightning. I might make it home in time to watch the end of Love Island – what’s there to complain about?

He frowned, "Who the fuck are you? he asked, And what the hell are you doing up here, bothering me?"

I shrugged, I could ask you the same question.

He snorted, I was here first, dude, he said, scowling at me pretty impressively. If I was made of less stern stuff, I might have been put off, "therefore you’re invading my space."

I nodded, True. I admitted without a hint of shame whatsoever. He could try making me feel guilty all he liked. I wasn’t the one up here contemplating ending my wonderful life, The name’s Colby. I’m a police officer and I thought you could do with a hand getting back down off the roof. So, how about it? Shall we go down? Come on, mate. It’s raining. I’m getting cold and call me a total saddo if you like but I just want to go home and watch Love Island…

He didn’t seem to have heard that last bit, though, since he answered the previous question – and he didn’t give me his name. I’m a nobody. A wannabe actor with no fucking chance. He muttered.

I grinned, And I’m a wannabe Chief Inspector with no fucking chance, too but what are you gonna do, huh?

He eyed me curiously, What are you on, dude? he asked, Because I could really do with some of the same.

I grinned, Nothing but eternal optimism for a better future. I said, But between you and me, I leaned my shoulder in to his and nudged it, I could really do with a beer and a bag of crisps or something in a nice, warm beer garden – how about it?

He sighed and shook his head, Nah. He said, Drinking gets me into trouble. He muttered, I need to keep a clear head from now on.

I frowned. Something was definitely up with this guy, What’s happened? I asked.

He shook his head, I had an audition today. He said, I thought a drink would loosen me up – so one became two.

And you bombed because you were pissed? Hell, that was tough, but not tough enough to consider ending it all…

He shook his head and eyed me with something close to contempt, I only had two beers, dude. He said, But I wish I’d not had those, because they took my edge off – know what I mean?

I nodded, Sure.

He shook his head, I didn’t even know who the guy was or I sure as fuck wouldn’t have gone in…

I was confused, What guy?

The new producer. He said, his voice full of contempt, Until I went for the interview, I’d got no idea who he was but as soon as I saw him again, I recognised him as the same guy…

The same guy? I was confused. The same guy as what?

He nodded, sighing He was the same guy who felt me up at a party when I was at drama school. I was only fourteen and he was about thirty or something. I didn’t even realise what he was doing… he swallowed, visibly shuddering.

Fuck. He’d been sexually assaulted? That was awful…

So, what’s the problem? I asked, You can still report him, even if time has passed from the incident – we can totally get him put on the sex offenders register. Happy days.

"Happy days?" he asked incredulously making me want to cringe.

Bad choice of words when he was possibly suicidal. Well, you know... I hedged.

He rolled his eyes and took a deep drag of his roll-up cigarette, Yeah, he agreed, I know.

That’s bad for your health. I commented, nodding to his cigarette.

He nodded, Yeah, he agreed on a sigh, I know. I keep giving them up and going onto the e-cigarette things but they taste like shit.

I grinned, I thought they were fruit flavoured – and cookie dough and ice-cream and shit like that.

He nodded, Exactly. He said. If I’m getting a kick from nicotine through smoking, I prefer the disgusting taste of tobacco, thanks.

I chuckled, I was really beginning to enjoy this guy’s company – as miserable as he was currently being. You really are a glass-half-empty kind of guy, aren’t you?

He looked at me sideways, What sort of a suicide counsellor cop are you?

I shook my head, I’m not trained in counselling. I admitted, I’m on my way home after the shittiest day in months actually – and then I spotted you up there on the roof. I thought you were Spiderman – and so here I am. I took a deep breath, trying my best not to breathe in his cigarette smoke, So, are you going to really fuck my day up and jump? Or are you going to take my hand, come downstairs with me and we’ll go and get a pint?

*

The next morning, I woke up and looked at the clock on the bedside table. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes I looked again. Eight o’clock? I mumbled to myself incredulously, Fuck me.

I never overslept. What the fuck?

I rolled onto my back and