The hand Robbie was rubbing up and down Sawyer’s back froze. “Uh.”
Finn’s heart skipped a beat. Jesus, why had he stayed in the kitchen? Maybe if he’d left…. Sawyer was the very reason they were keeping things on the down-low, and Finn had just stood here in borrowed underwear like it was no big deal for Sawyer to catch him.
“Right now? He’s making coffee.”
“Robbie.” Sawyer peeked up at Robbie from under his bangs, clearly laughing at him.
“Sawyer.”
“I can think of one reason, Robbie—”
“Okay, yes, fine, Finn and I were celebrating last night’s win in private and you don’t need to hear any more details about our friendship, kid.”
Friendship. The word slipped between Finn’s ribs, cut right to the heart.
“Gross.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Yes, yes, you’re so smart. Go wash your face, get cleaned up, and then come down for some breakfast. Pancakes?”
“Yes.” Sawyer gave Robbie one last squeeze, sent a cheeky wave at Finn, and headed out of the room. “Maybe you should also get dressed while I’m at it,” he called back and then was out of sight.
Robbie rubbed his face and laughed into his hands. “Shit. Not how I wanted to start our day.”
“Right?” Finn managed to get out through wobbly lips.
“Thank you, for—shit, for everything you did and didn’t do that made this morning suck a little bit less.” He stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Finn’s cheek. “God, that coffee smells heavenly and I need it.”
He retrieved the milk and turned back to Finn, who still stood rooted to the floor.
“Finn?”
“I should—” He paused, cleared his throat. “I should go.”
Robbie frowned. “You’re not sticking around for breakfast? I’m making pancakes.”
That got a smile out of him; he couldn’t help it. “So I hear. But I better get going. I’d be in the way—”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“—and I’ve got things that need doing.” Like hiding under his duvet and freaking out about being caught by his friend-with-benefits’ kid the morning after said casual encounter blewhis mind with the sort of sex Finn would usually only ever call lovemaking. Yeah. Busy day, all right.
“Oh, well, if you have to…”
“Yup. I’m just going to go change.” He scuttled up the stairs and wriggled back into last night’s clothes, a step he considered skipping except he couldn’t get far without his wallet or phone or keys. Once attired, he made a break for the front door. Sawyer had already caught him and that was bad enough; he didn’t need to see the actual walk of shame on top of the morning after. Finn could text a goodbye to Robbie from the car.
Once he was far away from here.
Chapter Thirteen
The Dildo Returns
Finn openedthe door to his house, furiously glad that Holly’s car wasn’t in its spot. He needed half an hour to dissociate on the floor of his shower before he could pretend to be a human being again.
He unlocked the front door, kicked off his shoes, hung up his keys. Scrubbed his hands over his face, because he was supposed to be a person who learned from his mistakes. Or was this just inventing a whole new category of mistake?
Okay. Shower. Dissociating. Then breakfast. He could have a crisis after he had food in his stomach.
Except when he looked down at his feet again, he saw that his shoes were not alone. There was a pair of pink-and-purple Reeboks shoved haphazardly into the corner of the mat, one half on top of the other and upside-down.
