Page 47 of Catching Flynn

Flynn started to set the stack down, but felt the man’s gaze settle on his throat.

A tiny prickle ran over Flynn’s skin.

Usually, the guy chatted and moved on. Weather, local gossip, some random joke about junk mail. Normal interactions. Today he stood there staring, making Flynn very uncomfortable.

When Flynn glanced up, the guy was still looking at the mark on his neck.

The shop suddenly felt warmer, the space shrinking a little.

Flynn cleared his throat. “So. Busy route today?”

The man’s eyes lifted to his face. “You let him touch you.”

The hell? A chill slid through Flynn.

The words had barely registered, but Flynn had caught them, and the way he grounded his teeth.

Flynn forced a laugh that came out sounding too high-pitched. “Okay. Weird customer service note.”

The mailman stepped closer to the counter. “I saw it right away.”

Flynn’s fingers tightened around the edge of the wood. Through the front window, Zavier still stood outside with the phone to his ear, too far to hear anything. The back of the store stayed silent. Adele was still in the restroom. The old air conditioner kicked on overhead with a tired groan, stirring warm dust and the faint smell of sun on glass.

Play it cool. Breathe like nothing’s wrong.

Slowly, carefully, Flynn said, “I’m going to assume you mean the hickey and we’re all going to agree this is already too much.”

Not to Flynn. He loved being marked by Zavier, and was proud of it. Everyone else needed to mind their own business.

A smile touched the man’s mouth, but nothing about it felt friendly. “You weren’t supposed to move on that fast.”

Holy shit.

No. No way. The mailman was nice. He brought Flynn’s personal mail, laughed at his dumb jokes, and come on. He wore sensible shoes.

The carrier had also known exactly where to leave things.

The thought struck so cleanly it made Flynn’s stomach dip.

He looked at the guy’s face and suddenly everything clicked. They’d been members at the same gym, though they’d never worked out together. He had access to delivery packages inside the building. Delivered the notice when the library book Flynn had requested come in.

Access. Timing. Familiarity. A person who came and went without notice. A person Flynn had trusted because uniforms and routine made people look safer than they were.

His mouth went dry.

Oh god. Over a month ago he’d said his key to access the building kept jamming. Without a second thought Flynn had loaned his, knowing he would see the next day. Not just the one fir building but the entire ring.

The guy had made a copy before returning them.

Flynn was going to be sick.

“You,” he said, barely above a whisper.

The man’s smile sharpened. “There you go.”

A pulse thudded hard in Flynn’s ears.

For one stupid moment, he wanted to be wrong. He wanted this to be some bizarre misunderstanding, a joke taken too far, maybe a concussion Flynn had somehow acquired between orgasms and opening the store.