Chapter EIGHTEEN
SOMETHING HADdefinitely changed, and it was more than the sex. It was as if peeling off that layer, that shield they’d both been using to hide their sexuality, gave Mitch permission to feel the way he did. No longer did he fantasize about an unattainable straight guy; he was lusting after someone who reciprocated his feelings. The sex meant the glances were no longerfurtive. They were open and admiring. Mitch filled with warmth as Finn’s hand lingered on his shoulder as he passed Mitch a mug of coffee before sitting on the other end of the couch.
The problem was the smile Finn directed his way tightened Mitch’s chest in a way Mitch hadn’t felt for a long time, not since the early days with Pete. That warmth, that glow, was something he didn’t think he’dfeel again. He basked in the feeling for a moment, returning Finn’s smile and watching him over the rim of his coffee mug.
The color had returned to Finn’s cheeks, and his eyes were clear, no longer shadowed by the pain that haunted him over the last couple of days. The rest—all those hours of sleep—had done him a world of good, and Mitch was glad he told Rocky Finn was out of action, no matterhow hard Rocky pushed for Finn to get his arse into CMC.
Thoughts of Rocky quickly dowsed the happiness. The cold, hard truth was Finn was wrapped up in the whole goddamned business and was just as much part of the investigation as Rocky.
Oh Jesus, what the hell was I thinking?
The urge to stand, to leave the room and go outside, was strong. What he should be doing was putting some distancebetween the two of them, not enjoying a morning coffee after a night spent wrapped in each other’s arms. Mitch itched to have a cigarette, a hit of nicotine to calm him down, but he pushed aside the knowledge there was a pack in the car.
Finn’s brow crinkled as he studied Mitch, and the emotions were overwhelming. Guilt, regret, longing—Mitch was sure they were written all over his face. He duckedhis head and gulped at his coffee, hoping Finn hadn’t seen the change in his expression. Maybe if he just shoved away the knowledge of who Finn was, made the most of this last day away from the investigation, and allowed himself to dream. Tomorrow he could worry about motorcycle clubs and drugs and violence. Today he wanted to pretend none of that existed.
“Are you okay?”
Mitch flicked his gazeto Finn. “What? Yeah, sure. Just thinking.”
“Penny for them.”
“Just work. Nothing I want to talk about now.”
Finn groaned. “Work. Don’t remind me.” He sat up straighter. “Fuck!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Rocky. I haven’t checked in since we got back from the pub on Monday night. He’ll be going off his rocker. I’m surprised he hasn’t been here bashing down the door.”
Mitch chuckled. “That wasa highly likely scenario, but luckily I got in contact with him before it came to that. I called him on Tuesday morning and let him know you were sick.”
“Thanks.” Finn furrowed his brow. “And he was happy for me to take all this time off?”
Mitch snorted. “Not exactly.”
“So am I in for it when I get back, then? Or is Rocky going to be appearing at any minute?”
“I explained it was a migraineand you’d need a few days to recover, that you wouldn’t be any use to anyone, not while you were in pain, and that it’d take a day or two to regain your strength.”
Finn leaned back against the couch cushions, frown disappearing and his features smoothing. “I guess I owe you one.”
“I’ll add it to your tab.” Mitch winked.
“Seriously, though, thanks for sticking up for me with Rocky. I shouldn’thave put you in that position. He can be a complete arsehole. I’m surprised he didn’t make you go in without me.”
“I wasn’t leaving you here alone, so it wouldn’t have mattered what he said, anyway.”
Fuck, where did that come from?The last thing Mitch could afford to do was jeopardize the operation. If Rocky said “jump,” then Mitch should be asking how high, not showing the guy the virtualfinger. “Lucky it didn’t come to that. Maybe he cares about you more than you think?”
Finn rolled his eyes. “That’ll be the day. Rocky—” He then seemed to catch himself and stopped whatever he was going to say. “Enough about Rocky. Tell me, are you a migraine sufferer too?”
“Huh?” Mitch raised a brow.
“I assumed you must get migraines. You know a lot about them, the recovery and so on.”
“Oh,no. Thank Christ I’ve never experienced one of those fuckers. I wouldn’t wish one on my worst enemy.”
“So how did you know how to deal with it?”
