AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The full truth of what happened last night lies written between us, and Finn is aware of it every bit as much as I am.
“You heard,” he says superfluously. His expression turns stubborn when I don’t respond. “I heard you, too.” Color burns high along his cheekbones.
I just stare him down in stony silence.
“I’m not going away, Nic.”
“This is pointless,” I say, my teeth gritting. “Natalie will be here any moment.”
“That’s right,” he says, pointing a finger at me, poking me in the chest lightly. “And if you embarrass her any more?—”
“Are you seriously warning me about my behavior toward my employee?”
“That’s the kicker, though, isn’t it, Nic?” he says, still poking me. “She’s not just an employee.”
Goddamn it. Goddamn it all to hell and back.
“Whatever you’re insinuating, I expect you to keep it to yourself.”
“I’m not insinuating anything,” says Finn. “If you’d told me you had feelings?—”
“Stop right there.” He’s bigger than me, but most people will go out of their way to avoid confrontation. That goes double for straight men when you invade their space.
Sure, Finn works for me too, and under normal circumstances, I’d never dream of speaking to an employee this way, nor a neighbor, probably not even to an acquaintance. But right now, I need him to get the hell out of here before he looks down and sees how worked up I really am over this whole mess.
I step forward, leaning into his space. He’s only slightly taller than me, so tipping up my chin has me breathing the same air. I expect him to crowd back against the door, to back off as fast as he can, to reclaim his personal space.
Instead, his lips part, his eyes dilate, and his breath quickens. He smells like soap and shaving cream and that damned leather, either from my car or the holster beneath his coat, I can’t tell. I want to sink my teeth into him, and for just that instant, I don’t bother to hide that I want him.
The main office door opens and closes firmly.
“Nic? Finn? Are you here?” calls Natalie.
And there it is—panic. All over his face. Finn’s head snaps up, and I step back, letting him go, grabbing the door before he can slam it shut in his escape.
“Morning, Natalie. I’ve got some calls to make,” I say casually, waving as I close the door quietly behind his rapid retreat to the common area.
I make it to the en suite and lock the door before doing the unthinkable, jerking my zipper down and taking my cock in hand.
13
NATALIE
At the end of the longest work week of my life, Finn leans over my shoulder.
“Still on for dinner tonight?” he asks, keeping his voice quiet.
I glance at Nic’s closed office door, smiling and nodding. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I’ve barely seen Nic at all, and I know he’s busy with his volunteering thing tonight. Which means we won’t be getting caught if we end up back at Finn’s apartment.
“You’re blushing,” says Finn, still hovering over my shoulder.
“For a man who only takes contract work, you’re very persistent.” I shoo him back over to his side of our little foyer, a whole ten feet away.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks. It’s a curious question, not an offended one, which is something I’ve learned about Finn this week. He doesn’t really get upset. My ex tended to be dramatic. It’s a refreshing change to spend time with a man for whom every moment doesn’t need to be a major production. Finn’s about as even-keeled as they come.
He settles onto the client sofa, something he doesn’t often do during office hours. Usually, he’s up and moving between my office and Nic’s. Nic is not a fan of all the activity, but I suppose the point of having security in the office is that Finn can keep an eye on us both. The sheer nothingness of this week—it was slow, even by our minimal-client-meeting standards—just about drove me crazy, and it had to be worse for Finn. He’s obviously not used to sitting still.
“I’d think the lack of commitment to one job meant you didn’t really have to buckle down and stick to anything,” I answer. This week, we covered every subject under the sun. Politics, religion, current events; Finn Hale is conversationally dauntless. I don’t have to weigh my every word with him. He’ll listen long enough for me to explain what I mean, another change from Jeff the jerk. I have so little experience with other men; it feels like I’ve unlocked a whole new side of myself just by being able to talk freely, knowing my words were taken in good faith.
