by Lisa Worrall
“Brush your teeth?” Finn raised an eyebrow. “To play volleyball?”
“No, doofus,” Aiden chuckled. “I’ve got strawberry seeds in my teeth from that fantastic fruit salad we had for dessert.”
Ducking into the en suite, Aiden opened his wash bag and took out his toothbrush and toothpaste. He squeezed some extra minty onto the brush and turned on the faucet before putting the brush in his mouth.
To say Aiden had been surprised to see Zach had to be the understatement of the year. Their relationship had ended amicably enough, he supposed; certainly a lot better than some for sure. When they split up they’d been together for just over two years and it had been good—mostly. Zach had been seconded to the Seattle office and had accepted the post before he’d even spoken to Aiden about it.
If he was honest, Aiden had felt for a while they were simply coasting, and the ease with which Zach took the job and the matter of fact way Aiden accepted the situation had merely confirmed it. He had, of course, noted Finn’s jealousy by the pool, and if he said it hadn’t given him a little thrill, he’d be lying. Not that Finn had any reason to feel threatened. Zach Armstrong was firmly in the past where he belonged. When he thought about his future, the only man he saw beside him was Finn.
Does he know that?
Aiden frowned at his reflection. Did Finn know? They hadn’t really discussed how they felt. After all, they’d not been together that long, wasn’t it too soon to be throwing the ‘L’ word around? Not that he wasn’t head over heels, he was. He was so far gone it wasn’t even funny. Aiden smiled to himself and spat toothpaste into the sink. Zach wasn’t even a member of the league next door to Finn’s. Hell, he was in the league at the end of the street, around the corner in a cardboard box in the alley a hundred times removed from Finn’s league. He huffed out a laugh. Zach couldn’t exactly be described as anything other than a nice guy, to say otherwise would be unfair, and he did come wrapped in a beautifully coiffed package. Unfortunately, once you started scratching away at the highly polished surface, all you found was pretty much more surface.
But Finn—his smile widened—Finn Thomas had invented a whole new league where he was everything from the president to the lady who made the coffee and biscuits. All Aiden could do was hope, if he was lucky enough, he could convince Finn to sign him up for a lifetime membership.
“Come on, princess!” Finn called from the bedroom. “I’m sure Mary Poppins will take you with or without bad breath.”
Aiden rinsed his mouth and washed his toothbrush before stowing the items back in his wash bag, then stepped back into the room. “Mary Poppins?”
Finn shrugged, a little flush high on his cheekbones. “Mr Practically Perfect in Every Way,” he mumbled.
“Huh?” Aiden was confused.
“What?” Finn picked at a loose thread on his shorts. “When you described him to me that’s the impression I got.”
Aiden shook his head. “Seriously?” He put his sunglasses on and then shoved his feet into his own flip-flops ready for the beach. “That was not my intention. Believe me.” He curled his fingers around the back of Finn’s neck and kissed him soundly. “Zach Armstrong is far from perfect.”
“He obviously thinks you are,” Finn huffed.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Aiden replied opening the door to their room after making sure he had the key card securely buttoned in his back pocket. “That’s just Zach being Zach. I told you before, we were already on the way to being over when he took the Seattle job. The move just hurried it along. Believe me, the last thing Zach wants is to be tied down with a kid. He loves his freedom too much.” He held the door open for Finn and waited for him to walk out into the hall way before he let it close behind them. “Besides, if he’s Mary Poppins, you must be Superman.” Chuckling at the shove Finn gave him, his expression half pleasure and half embarrassment, they headed toward the beach, their fingers entangled and thighs brushing as they walked.
Aiden could seriously get used to this. The sun beat down on his shoulders, the sea and sky so clear you didn’t know where one ended and the other began, and the sand soft and fine stretching before them like a golden blanket. He grinned excitedly at Finn and quickly kicked off his flip-flops, curling his feet into the sand, reveling in the grains slipping through his toes, chuckling as Finn followed suit. Glancing around the beach, Aiden saw Zach standing with a group of men by the volleyball net set up in the sand, and he pulled a reluctant Finn along with him as Zach waved to them.
“Come on,” Aiden murmured. “If you try to have fun, when we get back to the room I’ll rim you ‘til you scream.”
“Jesus, Aiden!” Finn gasped. “Shut up, unless you want me knocking the ball over the net with my dick.”
“Now that I’d like to see,” Aiden laughed.
“Hey guys, glad you made it,” Martin clapped Finn on the shoulder and then steered him away from Aiden. “You’re in our group, Finn, this is David and Max. Aiden’s with Zach, Oscar and Henry.”
Zach draped his arm around Aiden’s shoulder and pulled him in close. “I hope you packed your bags, guys, ‘cause you’re outta here!”
Frowning at the darkening of Finn’s expression, Aiden shrugged off Zach and introduced himself to the other men in the group, quickly beckoning Finn over to include him. He slipped his arm around Finn’s waist and pointedly put his lover between him and Zach, glaring at his ex for attempting to bait Finn. Aiden knew there was nothing to Zach’s teasing, but Finn didn’t and the last thing he wanted was for Finn to feel uncomfortable.
After the rules were discussed and good-natured jibes tossed around, Aiden smiled at Finn and pulled him in for a quick kiss, uncaring of who was watching. “Bring your best game, baby. You’re going down,” he teased, slapping Finn on the butt as he turned to join his team.
“I thought it was your turn,” Finn snapped back.
“Hey, you know what you gotta do,” Aiden replied, dropping him a wink. He laughed loudly as Finn pasted on a huge grin that could only be described as a mixture of happy, excited and serial killer in response.
“Game on!”
Hindsight was a wonderful thing. If he’d had any, Aiden would never have agreed to the game. He held the washcloth under the flow of warm water and then squeezed out the excess before returning to the bedroom. Guilt tightened its shaming fingers around his gut as he padded in his bare feet to where Finn lay on the bed, still holding an ice pack to his eye.
Aiden sat down next to him and gently took the pack from Finn’s hands, wincing at the bruising already coloring his flesh. He dabbed as softly as he could at the skin Zach’s ring had broken to clean away the trail of blood on Finn’s cheek. Zach had been mortified, apologizing over and over. He’d gone for the ball at the same time as Finn and brought his fist down onto Finn’s face, knocking him to the sand. An unfortunate accident? Finn hadn’t been altogether convinced. Aiden had reassured him that physical confrontation wasn’t Zach’s style. His ex preferred to air his grievances with verbal barbs instead.
“Jesus, what is that, sandpaper?”
Aiden’s lips twitched but he managed to contain himself. It probably wasn’t the best time to point out that Finn made more fuss than Kaylee. “Sorry,” he murmured, giving the wound one more wipe to satisfy himself Finn was dirt and sand free. Rummaging around in the first aid box he’d been given by reception he found some sterile strips and took two from the packet. He unsealed them and pressed the strips onto the wound, bringing the skin together. “That should do it.” Aiden snapped the first aid box shut and put it on the nightstand. “How does it feel now?”
“Still like I’ve been punched in the face,” Finn deadpanned. “Subtlety’s not his strong point, is it.”
It wasn’t a question.
“He said sorry,” Aiden said lamely.
“Wow, I feel all better now.”
Aiden sighed and leaned down to press soft nibbling kisses to Finn’s lips. “Didn’t I promise you a reward if y
ou had fun? And you were having fun until… well, you know.”
“Until I accidentally hit Zach’s fist with my face?” Aiden brushed Finn’s hair back from his forehead as Finn shook his head. “As tempting as your offer is, I’d like to give your tongue my undivided attention, and I’m not sure I can do that while my eyeball still feels like it’s on the verge of exploding, and my head hurts. Can I take a rain check, and some Tylenol?”
Aiden immediately felt that squeeze of guilt again. He hadn’t even thought to offer Finn any painkillers. “Of course,” he replied, scrambling off the bed. “I’ve got some in my bag.” He retrieved the pills and took a bottle of water out of the mini-fridge in the corner. “Here.” Aiden waited until Finn had sat up and dropped the medication into Finn’s upturned palm, then put the water bottle on the nightstand after Finn had swallowed them.
“Listen,” Finn reached out for Aiden’s hand and pulled him down beside him. “Would you be pissed if I closed my eyes for a while? Sleep off this headache?”
“Of course I’m not going to be pissed,” Aiden said reassuringly. “I’ll lie down with you.”
“Babe, there’s no sense in you missing out,” Finn insisted. “Why don’t you see if they can fit you in for one of those hot stone things you liked the sound of? Stewie arranged for us to have a couple of treatments while we’re here, so you should take advantage of some Aiden time.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone on our romantic weekend,” Aiden complained. “I feel bad enough as it is for not saying no to Zach’s stupid suggestion in the first place.”
“Well, you lying here listening to me snore will only make me feel worse,” Finn replied, picking up the phone and holding it out to him. “Call reception.”
Aiden rolled his eyes at Finn’s fluttering lashes and took the handset. “Okay, but you can’t use this against me to make me do your bidding.”
“You’re no fun.”
“Unless it’s bidding of the nasty variety, of course.”
Finn grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
VI
Finn opened his eyes, well, the left one as much as the swelling would allow. He sighed heavily, grateful he spent most of his time under a giant Meerkat head. Looking at the clock he sighed again, a deep sorry for himself sigh that started in his toes and gained crescendo as it traveled to his lips.
Aiden had been gone over an hour and his whirring brain still hadn’t allowed him the relief of sleep. Thankfully the headache had dissipated, but it hadn’t helped his self-pity levels. Accident? Seriously? Finn would have needed a hell of a lot more than a spoonful of sugar to help that crap go down. He couldn’t believe Aiden had actually bought that shit.
For crying out loud, shut your yap will ya? There’s only so much a subconscious can stand. If I have to hear that sentence one more time I’m gonna yak inside your head!
Finn pushed himself up and planted his feet on the floor, curling his toes into the plush carpeting. His inner voice was a pain in the ass, but it had a point. Lying here wallowing wasn’t doing him, or it, any good. Deciding some fresh air might clear his head, he shoved his feet back into his flip-flops and padded across the room to his suitcase to pull out a T-shirt. He slipped the fabric over his head and smoothed it down over his hips. The sun would be going down in a couple of hours and the breeze from the sea had already begun to lift the curtains hanging at the patio doors with more intent. In fact…
Finn slipped out the patio doors, but didn’t bother closing them behind him. Their wallets were in the room safe and they both had their phones with them, so he didn’t think he needed to worry about burglars. He’d been right about the breeze. It was definitely cooler, but felt wonderful on his swollen skin and his next sigh was one of pleasure. Glancing around he saw a sign for the gardens pointing toward a narrow path between two high bushes and headed down it. Sitting on a bench watching the world go by was just the distraction he needed.
Dear God, get a grip, dude. They broke up. Aiden already told you it was over before it even ended. It’s like you said; you’re Monty the fucking Meerkat, man. Come on—it’s a no brainer!
Finn’s lips twitched as the path curved and opened up onto quite possibly the most beautiful garden he’d ever seen. Except it wasn’t the colorful array of flowers and shrubs that held his attention; that was reserved for the sight of Aiden in Zach’s arms, their mouths locked in a heated kiss under the ivy covered gazebo. He tried to back away, but was unable to convince his feet to cooperate. This wasn’t happening—was it? Couldn’t be happening—could it?
I’m asleep and this is just some fucked up dream. Please tell me this is just some fucked up dream. Finn waited for inner Finn to respond, but he was met with a deafening silence. Fuck. The two men broke apart and Zach latched his lips to Aiden’s throat, which was just the dash of cold water Finn needed. Spinning on his heel, still unseen by Aiden and Zach, he ran.
By the time Finn returned to the room, the sun had gone down and the cooling breeze had dropped a few more degrees, leaving him shivering in his T-shirt. After he’d made his quick exit from the garden, he ran until his feet hit sand and kept running until the hotel was a mere shape in the distance and he could hardly breathe.
He’d known Zach was on the prowl, but it never occurred to him Aiden would take the bait. They were doing okay, weren’t they? It was still early stages, sure, he knew that, but he’d thought Aiden was it—the one—and that Aiden felt the same. How could he have got it so wrong? When he’d imagined their weekend together, sitting on the cold sand watching the sun go down alone hadn’t been part of the scenario for their first night, but that’s exactly what he did.
On his trek back to the room he’d turned on his cell and his gaze widened at the thirty-two missed calls from Aiden. Of course he wanted to know where you were, he wanted to know how much time he had with Zach before you got back. Finn had ignored that irritating voice in his ear, shoved his cell back into his pocket and trudged on—afraid it might be right.
Now here he was, standing outside the now closed patio doors, watching Aiden pace up and down inside the lamp-lit room. He took a deep breath and reached out to open the door. It flew open before he had a chance to touch the handle, and he was yanked into the room and Aiden’s arms.
“Thank God, thank God,” Aiden mumbled into his hair, pulling back to look at him and then holding him close again, his chest heaving against Finn’s. Once his breathing had calmed, Aiden literally shoved Finn out of his arms and yelled at him. “Where the fuck have you been? Where did you go? Are you okay? Why didn’t you answer the phone? What the fuck is going on?”
The questions were quick fire and the decibel level made his ears hum, but Finn wasn’t exactly in the mood to be informative. Confronting Aiden would, of course, be the mature thing to do, but maturity wasn’t something Finn had ever been accused of. Avoiding the issue and running he was good at, and like the saying said, stick to what you do best. Ignoring Aiden completely, he walked to the wardrobe and pulled his suitcase down from on top of it. He tossed it onto the bed and unzipped it, avoiding Aiden’s gaze the whole time.
“What are you doing?” Aiden sounded confused. Of course he is, he doesn’t know he’s been busted. Finn began opening the drawers of the large dresser and throwing his clothes into the case. “Finn, what are you doing?”
Just pack your case and leave. Once you’re out of here you can think with a clear head.
“Finn!” Aiden pushed his way between Finn and the bed, blocking his path to the suitcase. “You’re scaring the shit out of me! Please talk to me, I don’t understand. Is it Zach?” Finn cursed the flicker of emotion Aiden must have seen in his eyes as his boyfriend—yeah, right—grabbed the clothes from his hands and dropped them on the floor. “It is Zach, isn’t it? Jesus, Finn, it was an accident.”
Don’t say anything; just get out.
The voice snapped instructions and Finn did his best to follow them, he did, but in spite of his resolv
e, the plea in Aiden’s green eyes broke him. “An accident, huh?”
Idiot!
“Okay, let me get this straight. He accidentally hit me in the face?” Aiden nodded and Finn had to swallow past the lump in his throat to stop the next sentence from choking him. “So, did his tongue accidentally fall in your mouth?”
“Shit.”
Finn huffed out a joyless laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I said, too.”
“Finn, I can explain.”
“Don’t bother.” Finn bent down to pick up the clothes Aiden had dropped. “The room’s paid for ‘til Sunday.”
“That’s it?” Aiden stared at him with an incredulous expression on his face. “You don’t want to hear me out?”
“I can’t imagine I’d be that interested in anything you have to say.”
“Wow. I thought we meant more to you than that.”
“Are you kidding me?” Finn winced, mentally noting that yelling hurt his face. “Do you think I’d look like this, be doing this if we didn’t mean everything?”
“Then listen to me.” Aiden put his hands on his hips and glared at him. “If you’re so convinced what I have to say doesn’t matter, what have you got to lose?”
“I don’t have anything left.” Finn cursed the crack in his voice.
“So sit.”
What have you got to lose?
I thought you were on my side. It was Finn’s turn to be incredulous.
I’m fickle, sit down and listen to the guy.
Heaving a disgruntled sigh, Finn sat down on the bed, crossed his legs and waited.
“Obviously you saw Zach kiss me,” Aiden began.
“Well, duh.”
“If you’re going to keep interrupting you might as well finish packing,” Aiden admonished, waiting until Finn acquiesced. “You saw Zach kiss me and given your actions, it’s also pretty obvious you didn’t see what happened next.”
“What was that? Your dick in his mouth?”
“No, his ass hitting the floor.”
“What?” Finn’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped open.