“Yeah.” Joe stepped back, even though what he really wanted was to kiss Finn, again, and delay the difficult discussion they were going to have. “Let’s go outside.”
“Lead the way.” Finn gestured toward the exit.
Joe nodded, taking Finn’s hand and heading toward the exit. They had to walk past the stranger in the corner. As they got closer, Joe glanced at the man and remembered where he’d seen this guy before. He was in pictures Hunter had shown Joe of his old unit in Lawson & Greer. This, then, was Joker, Hunter’s old XO who was now employed by Hercules Security. The other man Finn loved.
For the moment, Joe decided to ignore his existence. It was probably juvenile, but he wanted Finn to himself for just a few minutes, to revel in the knowledge that Finn loved him. The other guy could just wait.
Once they were outside, Joe pulled Finn toward one of the paths through the trees. Herc had put his headquarters in the midst of a park-like setting, one that provided the mercs a little privacy and room to get out and run if they needed to. It also helped to have a peaceful place to take refuge when the job got stressful.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Joe kept his hold on Finn’s hand. Finally, however, he knew he had to speak. “I never suspected, you know. That you loved me as anything more than a friend.”
“You weren’t supposed to know.” Finn slanted a wry smile at him and squeezed his hand.
“Neither were you.” Joe sighed and shook his head. “Everyone else knew, though.”
“I guess the only ones we were good at hiding from was each other.” Finn laughed, his eyes sparkling with humor over the situation.
“I guess so.” Joe sighed. “You wanted to know what Herc was worried about. I guess I can tell you now that I was in something of a state, worried that you might not want to be my partner anymore. It caught me in the middle of the debrief, and I must have blocked Herc out completely. I don’t panic under fire, but I almost did at the thought of you not wanting to be with me any longer.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Finn shouldered him playfully. “You aren’t going to get rid of me that easily.”
“Well, I didn’t know,” Joe pointed out. “I was afraid I was going to lose all of you. I wasn’t thinking rationally. The idea of it was so painful that I knew I’d have to leave the company.”
Finn’s expression grew somber. “I’m sorry you were so worried. I should’ve told you how I felt sooner. Maybe you wouldn’t have had so much doubt about us. About me.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t forthcoming about my feelings, either.” Joe shook his head. “I guess we need to figure out where to go from here, though.”
“Well, you know what I want.” Finn cocked his head as he regarded Joe with a questioning look. “Why don’t you tell me whatyouwant, and we’ll see about working out a compromise that works for both of us?”
Joe nodded before frowning in thought. “If you really want him, I’m not going to stop you from having him. I do want you to be happy, but I don’t know this guy. Part of me really doesn’t want to know him. I suppose if we just go back to the way we were, it’s no different than before. You’re just seeing the same guy, instead of different ones.”
“Right, and I’d be seeing him more often,” Finn said. “But I’ll try to balance my time between the two of you. I don’t want you to feel like he’s taking up more than his fair share. The important thing is communication. We’ve put all our cards on the table, so no more secrets, right?” He fixed Joe with a pointed look. “No suffering in silence. If something’s bothering you, tell me. We’ll figure out how to fix it. Okay?”
Joe stopped, and turned to look at Finn. “No more secrets. I’ll do my best not to be jealous, but I can’t promise I won’t be. To me, he’s an interloper. I don’t know him, and I have no reason to trust him. I don’twantto know him, okay? Maybe it’s petty of me, but that’s how I feel.”
“Then you don’t have to.” Finn cupped Joe’s cheek in his palm and stroked it with his thumb. “I’m not going to force you to interact with him if you don’t want to. All I ask is that if you do start feeling jealous, tell me so we can figure out why and what might help.”
“Okay.” Joe closed his eyes and sighed, leaning into the caress. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all either of us can do.” Finn pressed a kiss to Joe’s lips, light but lingering.
Joe returned the kiss, but after a few moments he pulled back reluctantly. “I guess so.”
“Are you ready to get started on the job Herc gave us?” Finn raised one eyebrow, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. “Or would you rather make up for our ill-fated reunion?”
Joe smiled slightly. “You don’t have any other surprises for me, do you?”
“I’m fresh out.” Finn spread his hands wide.
“In that case, my house happens to be right on the way to NC State,” Joe said. “Maybe we need a premeeting meeting. For strategizing.”
“So let’s adjourn to your place and start strategizing,” Finn said with a playful leer.
Joe smiled, taking Finn’s hand and starting toward where he’d left his SUV in the parking lot. Maybe things weren’t exactly the way he wanted them to be, but now he knew Finn loved him, and he’d put up with a lot just to hear Finn say those words again.
