Finn was pleasedhe’d been able to get that much out because, despite the headache from hell, his body was responding to Mitch’s closeness and the memory of how it felt to have Mitch pin him to the ground. The waft of Mitch’s aftershave didn’t help either, the scent making the memories clearer. His attraction fought with his embarrassment. He closed his eyes for a moment.
“So long as you’re sure.”
Mitch puthis hand on Finn’s thigh as he spoke, and Finn immediately opened his eyes at the contact. He swallowed heavily as Mitch studied him. For what? To make sure he really was okay? To reassure him? The weight of Mitch’s hand was all Finn could think about, solid and strong. Their gazes connected, and Finn couldn’t look away. He was conscious of his rapid breathing and the tension in his muscles, and wonderedif Mitch felt them bunching under his hand. This was exactly what Finn was afraid of. He opened his mouth to speak—
“Huh-hmm.”
His and Mitch’s eyes shot up as Peter cleared his throat, and Mitch snatched his hand away as if he’d been burnt.Fuck!How did Peter even get that close without me or Mitch noticing?
A quick glance around the table showed no one else was paying them any attention,most of the focus on other conversations and fawning over Rocky. Finn looked back up at Pete and saw fire in his eyes. If looks could kill….
“Oh, hi, Pete.” Mitch was the one to break the silence, but although he was smiling at Pete, he looked wary. Like a kid whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar? What reason did Mitch have for feeling nervous? He was only checking on Finn’s well-being,something he was paid handsomely to do.
Pete took a chair from a nearby table and swung it round, slipping it in between Finn and Mitch, forcing them both to scoot their chairs back to give him room. “Things are working out between you two, I see.”
Mitch shrugged. “We’re getting along fine.”
“Yeah, so I gathered.” Pete snorted. “I should have known. Youdohave a lot in common after all.”
Mitch’s gaze hardened, and Finn couldn’t work out what the expression meant. He looked between the two men, who seemed to have entered into a staring contest. “You’ve known Mitch for a while, right?” he said to Pete. “So I guess you’d know more about him than I would. But we’re getting to know each other due to all the time we spend together, especially during the car trip. It’s a good thing we havethings in common, or we’d drive each other mental. Maybe you can let me know some of Mitch’s secrets.”
Mitch stood abruptly. “Come on, Pete. I need to talk to you.”
Pete shrugged. “So what’s stopping you?”
“In private.” Mitch’s tone brooked no argument. He turned and stalked toward the bar.
Pete looked at Finn and lifted his shoulders again. He winked before standing on slightly wobbly kneesand taking off after Mitch.
What the hell? The whole exchange was odd. But then again, Pete behaved strangely at times, so Finn didn’t worry too much. He was intrigued as to what Mitch needed to talk to Pete about, though. Maybe Rocky was sending them off to do something together.
Finn thought back to when he’d first met Peter. Rocky had sent Pete to Melbourne at the end of the previous yearto help him pack up his apartment. Rocky had Pete doing some other things beforehand, so he stayed in town for a couple of weeks before they finally packed up and cleared out of the apartment. Finn had given Pete use of his spare bedroom. It was during that visit they’d somewhat bonded, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Pete was relatively easygoing, and Finn enjoyed his company, but as the dayspassed, Finn cottoned on that Pete was taking some kind of drugs. His eyes were sometimes too bright, he’d get restless, and then he’d have moments of darkness where he’d get snappy or morose. At first Finn thought maybe he was depressed, but knowing Rocky’s business, his guess was most likely cocaine or something even stronger.
For some reason, Pete liked Finn and seemed to trust him and eventuallyadmitted his problem. He started to speak more about his issues and his unhappiness that he’d never kicked his addiction and let it take over his life. Pete spoke of all that he’d lost—his family, his friends, his job, and eventually his partner—but it wasn’t hard to understand why. Drugs had the power to turn people into a shell of themselves, making them say and do things they otherwisewouldn’t. In Pete’s case, the addiction became all-consuming, and he admitted to Finn he’d done some terrible things, which led to a life of regret.
Pete and Mitch talked, their heads bent close together as they discussed something in earnest. Pete was gesturing back toward the table, and Finn thought he was pointing at him. But Mitch wrenched Pete’s arm down and forced Pete to focus on him.Whatever the job, Pete must have been unhappy with the direction from Rocky, judging from his expression. And it was no wonder because Finn knew how much Pete was trying to turn things around and make amends.
Whatever Mitch said must have worked. Pete nodded silently. Mitch reached out and placed a hand on Pete’s shoulder, an oddly tender gesture that stirred something deep in Finn’s gut. Ifhe didn’t know better, he’d think the fluttering in his belly was something akin to jealousy. But that was ridiculous. Why would he be jealous over Pete and Mitch? And why be jealous of anything at all? It wasn’t as if he, or any other man, had a chance with Mitch, anyway.
Now Pete was a different story. The fact that Pete was gay was the second reason they bonded in Melbourne, the first reasonbeing Finn’s respect for Pete’s mission to try to fix his mistakes of the past. But the whole gay thing was definitely the glue.
One night about a week into Pete’s stay, Pete came back to the apartment unexpectedly. He was supposed to spend the entire night away, and Finn used the opportunity to have James around for a farewell dinner. They’d broken up a while back but maintained some level offriendship. The after-dinner discussion with James turned into a wine-fueled reminiscence of the good times, and one thing led to another. Pete walked in to the sight of James on his knees in front of the couch with Finn’s cock lodged deep in his throat. Finn’s gaze locked with Pete’s as his orgasm rushed through him. Pete didn’t so much as flinch, just turned tail and headed down the hall to hisbedroom.
When he found Pete enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the kitchen the next morning, he was shocked. He fully expected outrage and for Pete to hightail it back to Rocky with the news of what he’d seen. Instead he found out Pete shared his secret, and he suddenly had an ally within the club.
The increasing throb of his escalating headache distracted Finn from his thoughts and brought himback to the present, a present that was most likely the reason for his oncoming migraine.
