5
By the time Joe stumbled off the plane at Raleigh-Durham International airport and into the car sent for him by Hercules Security, he’d been on the move for over forty-eight hours straight. He’d done worse trips in his life, but it had been a few years since he’d had anything quite as bad as the past month. Infiltrating a segment of the sex-trafficking ring that had become one of Cade Thornton’s personal missions had been difficult, but it was worth it to see the scumbags who dealt in the misery of women and children brought to justice. But however good Joe felt about what he’d helped accomplish, he felt dirty. Contact with such human filth was terrible, and he couldn’t wait to have a hot shower and see Finn. There had been times when the thought of coming back to Finn’s arms had been the only thing that kept him going.
“Here you go, Morrissey.” The driver of the big sedan was a young merc called Steel, and he looked at Joe with something akin to reverence, no doubt because of his age and longevity in the field. Joe glanced out of the window, surprised to see that they’d already arrived at his house on the outskirts of the city. “Do you need any help with your bags?”
“Nah, thanks. I’ve got it.” Joe unfurled himself from the back of the sedan, grabbing up the small travel bag that was all he’d brought back. It held only two things of real value, both of them gifts for Finn. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Any time!” Steel smiled warmly, a gleam in his dark eyes. “If you ever need a lift, I’m always available.”
Joe smiled back and waved Steel off without saying anything else. It was only when he was halfway up the walk that he realized Steel had probably been hinting at something beyond just transportation from the airport. He shrugged it off. The young merc was good looking, but Joe considered himself taken. Permanently.
His house was dark, and he wondered if Finn was still out on assignment. He hadn’t been able to keep in regular contact with Finn, but he’d gotten one message that Finn was training someone and had gone to DC. It was a disappointment, but Finn had his job to do, the same way Joe did—and Finn wasn’t the hearth-and-home type anyway.
The front door had an electronic lock, which opened to Joe’s code. The house alarm started beeping, and Joe moved to the wall, disarming it. He wished, right then, that he’d called his neighbors and asked them to drop Ezekiel back off, so that there would have been someone there to greet him. It was rather depressing to come home to a cold, empty house after so long an absence.
He climbed the stairs and walked down the hall to his bedroom. The door was open, and when he stepped inside he suddenly stopped short, arrested by the sight of Finn stretched out on his king-sized bed. Finn wore only a pair of gray sweatpants that left the rest of his sleek, toned body on display. He had a book in front of him, and Joe didn’t miss the fact that there were condoms and lube placed at the ready on the nightstand.
“You’re the best sight I’ve seen in my life,” he said softly. “God, I missed you.”
Finn’s face lit up, and he tossed his book aside. He bounded off the bed and over to Joe like an eager puppy, and he flung his arms around Joe’s shoulders. “I’ve missed you, too. Are you okay? Everything still in good working order?”
Joe wrapped his arms around Finn’s waist, pulling him close so that he could bury his face against the side of Finn’s neck. He breathed in deeply, immersing himself in Finn’s beloved scent. “Yeah, ’m okay,” he murmured, pressing his lips against Finn’s warm skin. He pushed his hips forward, letting Finn feel his growing arousal. “I hope things still work. Not that I had a chance to use them.” Or would have if even if he’d had the opportunity—not that he’d say that to Finn.
“Let me take care of you.” Finn’s breath was warm against Joe’s ear. “Whatever you want. I picked up a couple of steaks. I can fire up the grill while you relax, or I can scrub your back in the tub. Or, if you’re too tired for any of that, we can take a nap and have an X-rated celebration when we wake up.”
“I’m not sleepy. Or hungry.” Joe lifted his head and smiled at Finn, just happy to be in his presence. “How about a bath? I can wash off the travel grime, and we can see where it goes from there.”
“I thought that might be appealing, so I put a couple of towels on the warmer bar.” Finn slid one hand down and patted Joe’s ass before pulling away. “I’ve got those sandalwood candles you like in there, too. We can dim the lights and have some atmosphere going. Are you interested in any bath salts or bubbles? If you’re sore anywhere, the salts might help.”
Joe smiled. Finn was so thoughtful and always seemed to be taking care of him. “Sure, the salts sound good. And maybe I can talk you into giving me one of your incredible massages afterward? I think I’m starting to feel the approach of forty—sleeping on planes isn’t as easy to shrug off as it used to be.”
Grinning, Finn pointed out the cinnamon massage oil waiting on the nightstand. “Way ahead of you, buddy. You’re getting the royal treatment.”
“Sounds great.” Joe reached out to caress Finn’s cheek. “You really do take good care of me. I missed that. It was cold and lonely without you.”
“I missed you, too.” Finn drew Joe into a warm kiss and parted his lips, inviting Joe in. Unable to resist, Joe pulled Finn close once again, kissing him deeply, exploring his mouth and reacquainting himself with Finn’s taste. It seemed like a lifetime, rather than a month, since he’d felt this safe, and he held nothing back, moaning against Finn’s mouth.
Finn tightened his arms around Joe as he yielded to the exploration willingly, and he pressed against Joe as if he wanted to merge their bodies.
It was tempting to just tumble Finn onto the bed and ease the growing ache of arousal, but Joe didn’t want their reunion to just be a fast fuck. He wanted to take time and make sure he was pleasing Finn, to indulge them both in long, leisurely lovemaking. Not that he would ever admit as much to Finn, but he wanted every time they were together to be special, because to Joe, every time truly was. Even after more than eight years, being with Finn meant the world to him, and if he could never say how much he loved Finn with words, lest it scare Finn away, at least he could do it with his hands, his body, and his mouth.
After a few long moments Joe pulled back. “Well, once I get cleaned up, I’ll show you exactly how much I missed you,” he said softly. He patted Finn on the ass. “So… bath?”
“As you wish.” Finn’s smile was sultry as he drew back, and he clasped Joe’s hands and squeezed them before heading to the bathroom.
Joe watched as Finn turned, anticipating the sight of Finn’s ass outlined by the fabric of the sweatpants. But as Finn’s back came into view, Joe couldn’t help biting down hard on his tongue to hold back a gasp.
Finn had never, ever made a secret of the fact he had other lovers. Over the years he’d had a lot of hookups, and he’d always been honest with Joe when they happened. Which was considerate and made sense, given the way STDs could spread. Finn was always scrupulous about condoms and being tested, and Joe was, too—even though he hadn’t been with anyone except Finn since they’d first gotten together. But while Finn had occasionally shown up sporting a few marks here and there from rough encounters, he’d never once shown up with the array of bite and scratch marks Joe saw on his back. Either Finn had been to a really wild orgy, or he’d hooked up with someone for what looked like a hell of a lot more than a weekend fling.
While Joe had learned to simply accept that Finn only saw him as a friend with benefits and not allow himself to feel possessive or jealous over Finn’s need for more than just him, the sight of those marks sent a cold chill down Joe’s spine that ended up as a lump of ice in his gut. This was something different. Even though he’d been away for a month, Joe had the awful feeling that something had changed about their relationship while he was gone, but he had no idea what.
Finn glanced over his shoulder as if making certain Joe was following, but the playfulness in his expression faded, replaced by concern. “Is something wrong?” he asked as he faced Joe once more.
In all their years together, Joe had never directly lied to Finn. Not that he felt the need to confess everything he felt at any given time, but he’d never told an actual lie.
Until now.
“Of course not,” he said, turning away to grab his case. “I just remembered that I got you something in Pakistan. A bowl I saw in a marketplace in Karachi. It’s hand-painted and colorful, just like you like.”
