Alex Read online

  “Yup,” Finn concurred, looking similarly full.

  The artist had abstained from having more than one glass of champagne with his food. Alex had also noticed that the bottles of whiskey previously housed in the liquor cabinet had ended up in the recycling when he’d thrown an empty carton of milk in there that morning.

  He had to admit to having mixed feelings on the subject.

  On the one hand, it was a good move on Finn’s part to stop drinking. Alex suspected the artist had indulged in more than his fair share of that particular activity since his wife’s death. On the other hand, it seemed to him that Finn was determined for there not to be a repeat of that night in his studio.

  “See you two studs soon!” Izzy called out as she headed out of the house.

  The door thudded closed behind her.

  “Shall we?” Alex said after a short silence. He rose and started clearing the table. Finn followed suit.

  Alex headed into the kitchen and began stacking the dishwasher. Finn came up behind him. Alex turned to take the next set of dirty dishes off him and stiffened.

  Finn was standing very close to him.

  “Hmm,” Alex mumbled, startled by the artist’s sudden proximity.

  “I want to do it again,” Finn said in a low voice.

  Alex blinked at him, mystified. “Do what again?”

  A muscle twitched in Finn’s jawline. Alex realized Finn was clutching the plates in his hands as if they were a lifeline. Finn’s gaze dropped to Alex’s mouth. Alex’s pulse jumped.

  “Kiss you,” Finn admitted between clenched teeth.

  “What?” Alex breathed.

  Finn met Alex’s shocked stare.

  Alex swallowed. He could tell an inner battle was raging inside Finn from the way the artist’s eyes had darkened. Finn put the plates on the countertop, his movements slow and deliberate.

  “I said I want to kiss you again. To see if you were right about that night.”

  Taut silence filled the kitchen.

  “Okay,” Alex said quietly. He stared at Finn, heart thumping and palms sweaty with sudden nervous anticipation.

  Finn hesitated, as if unsure what to do next.

  Alex licked his dry lips. “Why don’t I get us started?”

  He raised his fingers to Finn’s face.

  A shudder shook Finn at Alex’s touch; he closed his eyes, his expression almost pained. Alex’s stomach clenched, certain it was disgust Finn was experiencing. He was about to lower his hands and call it a night when Finn opened his eyes once more.

  Alex’s breath caught in his throat.

  He could see it now. Finn’s desire to kiss him. Though Finn seemed to be fighting his instincts and looked both angry and conflicted, the expression blazing out of his dark gaze told Alex he wanted this badly.

  Alex threw caution to the wind, tugged Finn’s head down, and pressed their mouths together.

  Soft. That was Finn’s first impression of Alex’s lips. And hot. So hot, they threatened to scorch him.

  Alex’s eyes shone a bright blue as he angled his head and carefully molded their mouths together. Finn stilled, absorbing it all. The way Alex felt against him. The hint of color staining his cheekbones. His smell and his body heat.

  Something told Finn he needed to burn the details of this kiss in his memory.

  He stiffened when he felt Alex’s tongue probing his lips. He parted them and let Alex in, curious as to how it would feel to have another man inside his mouth.

  Alex’s eyes fluttered closed. A bewildering sense of loss swept over Finn when he could no longer peer into the heated blue gaze beneath him.

  Alex deepened their kiss.

  Finn blinked. Damn. He’s good.

  He froze when their tongues finally met, Alex’s wrapping softly around his, as if he was scared Finn would bolt. Goosebumps exploded across Finn’s skin. He shuddered, his body temperature shooting up so fast his head spun.

  Alex made a low hungry sound and sucked on Finn’s tongue.

  Finn grabbed Alex’s wrists and wrenched their mouths apart.

  They stared at each other in the fraught silence, their breaths coming hard and fast. Alex’s pulse raced under Finn’s fingertips. Finn swallowed.

  It matched his own pounding heart.

  Something that looked very much like hurt washed across Alex’s face.

  “Looks like you can only do this when you’re drunk, huh?” he mumbled, the corners of his mouth twisting in a self-deprecating half-smile.

  Finn shook his head, too overcome with emotion to speak.

  “You’re wrong,” he whispered, more to himself than to Alex.

  Confusion replaced the disappointment in Alex’s eyes.

  “You’re wrong,” Finn repeated firmly, finally acknowledging what his mind and body were telling him.

  He lowered his head and kissed Alex.

  Alex went deathly still. Finn licked the lawyer’s lower lip, bit down gently on the plump, wet flesh, and tugged it between his teeth. Alex inhaled sharply. Finn slowly sucked and laved the soft wound he’d just made. Alex’s eyes turned indigo with desire. Finn’s pulse spiked.

  Shit.

  He crowded Alex against the counter and delved hungrily past Alex’s lips.

  Alex’s soft sigh of surrender fluttered across Finn’s tongue as he started exploring the heated depths of the lawyer’s mouth. He entwined his arms around Finn’s neck and clung on to him for dear life, as if his legs could no longer support his own weight.

  Finn groaned when his tongue met Alex’s. Alex tasted of coffee and champagne and more. He wrapped their flesh together over and over again, dizzy at how incredible it all felt. Alex’s lips. His mouth. His trembling, hot, eager tongue. His strong, hard body pressed intimately against Finn’s frame.

  By the time he lifted his mouth from Alex’s and ended their blistering kiss, Finn knew his life would never be the same again. Because he could no longer deny what was happening. What was between them. What had been there, simmering in the background, probably since the very first day they met.

  Desire. Passion. Lust.

  Finn could see all of it in Alex’s own heated gaze as the lawyer blinked his glazed eyes open.

  Alex bit his swollen lower lip, his cheeks dark with color. “Well, I think we can safely conclude that you’re not impotent.”

  A shaky chuckle escaped Finn. He touched his forehead to Alex’s, his erection pressing uncomfortably against the zipper of his jeans.

  “You can say that again,” he mumbled.

  Chapter 10

  Alex stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked at the daylight streaming inside the room. Disappointment pierced him when he saw the empty bed next to him. It faded at the sound of running water coming from the adjacent bathroom.

  Alex pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and groaned, his blood heating up as a vision of Finn naked in the shower blazed across his mind.

  It had been late when they’d retired to their bedroom last night. Nothing more had happened following their kiss in the kitchen. Finn’s realization that he was not impotent and that his body had responded to a man’s touch and kiss was such a staggering, life changing event for the artist that both men had consciously made the decision not to pursue where it could lead.

  “I need some time to process this,” Finn had admitted, his expression a gut-wrenching mix of confusion and doubt.

  “I know,” Alex had murmured in return. “It’s not every day you realize you might be gay.”

  Something had shifted in Finn’s eyes at Alex’s words. “Do you really think that? That I’m gay?”

  Alex had given this question the just consideration it deserved. “The fact that you loved your wife means you might be bisexual.”

  Finn had gone quiet for a moment. “Thank you,” he’d mumbled finally.

  Alex had gazed at him, puzzled. “For what?”

  Finn’s lips had lifted in a sad smile. “For not denying that what I felt for Catheri
ne—for my wife, was real.”

  Alex had wanted to touch Finn then. He’d wanted to take him in his arms and hold him. To kiss him and allay his fears. To tell him that what he was feeling was not wrong. That it was okay for him to be attracted to another man. Instead, he’d smiled at Finn and told him that it was nothing.

  Falling asleep after everything that had happened between them had proven an almost impossible task. Though they’d resolved not to go beyond a kiss, being so close to Finn and not being able to touch him had been an exercise in sheer torture for Alex. He’d gotten used to Finn’s body heat and physical presence in the two weeks they’d been sharing a bed, but last night had been different.

  Alex had been conscious of every breath, every move, every soft sound Finn had made as he lay next to him. Knowing that all he had to do was reach across the bed and touch Finn had gotten Alex so hard he’d spent a good part of the night in considerable discomfort.

  The bathroom door opened. Alex lowered his hands from his face in time to see Finn emerge in a cloud of steam. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

  Finn was naked but for a towel wrapped around his hips. Water gleamed in his hair and formed a sheen on his chest and strong, toned legs.

  Alex watched, mesmerized, as a stray droplet fell from Finn’s temple and ran down his six-pack before disappearing behind the towel. He dug his nails into his palms and resisted the urge to climb out of bed, go over to Finn, and lick the path it had taken.

  “Stop that,” Finn admonished.

  Alex blinked. “Stop what?”

  “Stop looking at me like you want to eat me,” Finn said, his ears reddening.

  “I was thinking of licking you all over first, actually,” Alex confessed unashamedly.

  Finn’s eyes widened. “Shit.”

  Alex’s gaze dropped to Finn’s towel. There was definite tenting going on. He grinned. “Someone’s happy to see me.”

  Finn groaned and stormed back into the bathroom.

  Alex laughed.

  He’s going to be the death of me.

  Finn stared at Alex where he sat opposite him.

  Three days had passed since their kiss.

  They were having breakfast on the veranda next to the kitchen. Alex was buttering his toast and eating it with every ounce of enjoyment.

  This innocent activity would normally not have bothered Finn.

  Except Alex was savoring his food as if it were the most sinfully delicious thing that had ever passed his lips. And the sight was slowly driving Finn out of his mind with desire.

  A trail of warm butter oozed onto Alex’s hand. Alex ducked his head and licked the golden mess. Finn bit back a curse when Alex slowly sucked his fingers into his mouth one at a time, giving them a thorough cleaning with his clever tongue.

  Alex let go of his hand, his lips glistening wetly. “Is something wrong?”

  Finn knew better than to trust the lawyer’s innocent voice. “Are you deliberately trying to seduce me?”

  Alex raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know what you mean.” His blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Besides, if I were truly trying to seduce you, I would have chosen something more exciting than bread and butter.”

  Finn stifled a sigh at the filthy thoughts still filling his mind.

  Bread and butter are working just fine.

  “Like, say, strawberries and cream.” Alex leaned back in his chair, leveled a steady stare at Finn, and brought his cup to his lips.

  Finn’s dirty musings reached new heights as he watched Alex’s Adam’s apple bob up and down with a sip of coffee.

  Shit. Is that what he’d look like if he swallowed my—

  Finn clenched his jaw and suppressed the torrid image blazing across his vision. Considering he’d told Alex he needed time to sort out his feelings about their kiss, he could hardly tell him that he’d been busy fantasizing about what else they could do for the last three days.

  “Strawberries and cream, huh?” he mumbled to mask his chagrin.

  “Yup.” Alex smiled faintly. “First, I’d take a strawberry in my fingers and dip it in cream until it was completely coated.”

  Finn felt a stirring in his groin at the sinful image Alex was painting.

  “Then I would eat it,” Alex continued, his voice dropping an octave. “Real slow. I would pop it between my lips, sink my teeth into that pink, juicy flesh, and lick all that delicious, thick, cream with my tongue until—”

  Finn made a strangled sound, the stirring now a painful, throbbing ache between his thighs. An ache he very much wanted the man opposite him to assuage with those filthy lips of his.

  “Are you okay?” Alex drawled.

  Finn wasn’t fooled by Alex’s casual tone. He could tell from Alex’s slightly flushed cheeks and the way his breathing had sped up that he was as aroused as Finn was right now.

  “No, I’m not okay,” Finn said between gritted teeth. “I’m hard and I want to come over there and get you to do something about it.”

  “Like what?”

  Finn hesitated at Alex’s question.

  “What do you want me to do, Finn?” Alex’s expression turned serious.

  Though Finn knew exactly what he yearned for Alex to do to him, saying the words loud meant entering unknown territory. And he wasn’t sure he was ready to take that leap yet.

  Alex observed Finn with an enigmatic expression.

  “Why don’t you think about it some more?” The lawyer rose to his feet. “I’m going out for the day.”

  “When will you be back?” Finn said before he could stop himself. He bit his lip, aware of how needy he’d sounded.

  Alex’s soft smile told Finn he’d guessed his thoughts. “I’ll be back in the afternoon. We can talk then.”

  Chapter 11

  Alex pulled into a bay reserved for motorcycles, switched his engine off, and removed his helmet. He ran a hand through his hair before nervously eyeing the pretty, rambling, two-story building perched on a gentle slope overlooking Twilight Falls River.

  With its red shingle roof, pale walls, and a split-level wrap around terrace dotted with comfortable deck chairs and flowerpots, the Sunrise Care Home was as picturesque as its stunning surroundings. Which made the butterflies churning Alex’s stomach all the more out of place. He clenched his jaw.

  This is way overdue. Just get your shit together and do this, Hancock.

  The rumble of a powerful engine reached Alex’s ears, distracting him. He looked around. A black Harley flitted into view between the trees to the north. Alex’s heart sank when it came around the corner.

  Great. Just great.

  The Harley stormed up the drive and curved around Alex’s Triumph before stopping a few feet away. Alex watched grimly as the last man he wanted to see right now shut down the engine and took off his helmet.

  Drake Jackson shook out his long, brown hair and pinned Alex with an intense blue stare. “Hi.”

  Alex’s pulse fluttered as he gazed at the man he’d given his virginity to fourteen years ago. Drake was one of Twilight Falls’ “Terrible Seven,” along with Wyatt, Tristan, Hunter, and Carter.

  It wasn’t until they’d reached their teens that Alex had started to become conscious of Drake as more than just a childhood friend. Drake was the first one of them whose body had matured with puberty, shooting up to over six feet in one summer and developing a lean, muscled physique that had all the girls in high school fawning over him.

  In truth, Alex had had a crush on Drake long before that.

  It happened on the night of his sixteenth birthday. After consuming one too many of the beers Tristan and Carter had sneaked from their old men’s stash, Alex had finally worked up the courage to tell Drake that he liked him, after the others had fallen asleep in his living room. He’d known it was a stupid thing to do, what with the rest of their friends within earshot and the rumors that Drake had slept with several girls in their class and even an older woman at the forefront of his mind.

  To
his utter shock, Drake had not only accepted his feelings but had taken Alex up to his bedroom in the attic and had sex with him. Though their first time together had been more painful than gratifying for Alex, he’d gone back to Drake time and time again after that night, eager to explore his burgeoning sexuality and those tantalizing bolts of pleasure he’d experienced while Drake was inside him.

  Sex between them had gotten hot pretty fast and it wasn’t long before Alex was drowning in the ecstasy he found in Drake’s arms. They’d made love whenever and wherever they could, often stealing short, intense moments in Drake’s parents’ garage or in the woods behind Alex’s house. Being taken by Drake from behind while kneeling on all fours on the forest floor, his fingers curling into crisp woodland grass and his head thrown back to a boundless blue sky as he moaned and grunted and shouted in pleasure while Drake thrust hard and fast and deep inside him was still one of the lasting memories of Alex’s sixteenth summer.

  But it became rapidly clear to Alex that Drake wanted a physical relationship rather an emotional one. Drake came from an even more broken family than Alex’s and had protected his heart jealously ever since Alex had known him. Though Alex knew Drake loved him as a childhood friend, having Drake fall in love with him was a whole other matter.

  They’d broken up the next summer, eight months before the accident happened.

  “So, you’re going in or what?” Drake arched an eyebrow and cocked his head at the care home.

  Alex hesitated. “To be honest, I’m scared shitless to walk in there,” he admitted bluntly.

  Drake watched him for a moment. “It wasn’t your fault, Alex,” he finally said, his voice softer than Alex recalled it being. “You know that, right? Miles would never blame you for what happened that night. Neither does Elaine.” He paused. “None of us do.”

  Alex swallowed, the guilt that had plagued him for the last twelve years washing over him all over again and bringing with it a sharp pang of pain and regret.

  “I was the one driving,” he said bitterly.

  Drake sighed. “And the other guy was twice over the drink driving limit.”