by Lisa Worrall
“A million and one, huh?” Aiden couldn’t resist the tease, although he knew exactly what Finn was trying to say.
“Well, maybe not a million and one.” Finn smiled, raising high on his knees. “But I’m willing to get used to ‘em if you are.”
“I don’t suppose it’ll hurt to give it a try.” Leaning into Finn’s embrace, Aiden wrapped his arms around Finn’s neck and kissed him. A soft peck that quickly became more. Aiden teased at the seam of Finn’s lips demanding entrance, swallowing the moan that rumbled in Finn’s throat as he mapped out every familiar ridge and curve of the dark, wet cavern of his mouth.
“Aiden,” Finn whimpered soft and low when Aiden shifted his attention to Finn’s throat, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses, pulling the bronzed skin between his lips and scraping his teeth against the sensitive flesh.
Aiden dropped onto the floor in front of Finn, bringing their bodies together, rolling his hips into Finn’s half-hard shaft. His fingers found the hem of Finn’s T-shirt and he pushed it up and out of the way, latching his lips to Finn’s nipple and sucking it into his mouth, lapping at the flat disc until it hardened.
“So good,” Finn moaned, his breath already falling in harsh gasps onto Aiden’s hair, ruffling the strands and sending shivers of excitement down Aiden’s spine. “You make me so hot… so hard, don’t stop.”
“Oh sweet Jesus yes stop! Please stop! My eyes, my eyes!”
Aiden and Finn broke apart at the sound of Chris’ voice from the kitchen doorway.
“How did you get in?” Finn spluttered, scrambling to his feet and then holding out his hand to Aiden and helping him up.
“I found two gorgeous girls getting into a car outside,” Chris replied, sauntering into the room, his battered flip-flops slapping loudly on the tiled floor. “The short one with the green eyes let me in.”
“Well that explains the how,” Finn growled. “What about the why?”
Chris shrugged nonchalantly. “You asked me to help you move, doofus. Katie’s is closer to here than the apartment, so I thought I’d come here first.” He held up his hands. “But if you don’t want my help, I can go—don’t bother me none.”
“Don’t even think about leaving.” Finn’s voice held a note of warning and Aiden couldn’t help his lips twitching at the huge, cheesy grin on Chris’ face. “Unless you want that six-pack on the back seat of my car to stay there.”
“Hey, I said I’d help didn’t I?” Chris said, mock-affronted. “But if you don’t do something about that… thing, you’ll have to throw in a pizza too, for emotional trauma.”
Aiden followed the line of Chris’ vision and bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from smiling when Finn tried to cover the obvious tenting of his shorts. He couldn’t contain his laughter, however, at Finn’s dramatic huff as he stormed from the kitchen and delivered a resounding slap to the back of Chris’ head as he passed, resulting in Chris chasing him from the house.
Shaking his head, Aiden grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and followed them. At the open front door, he paused and leaned against the door jamb with his arms crossed, watching the two overgrown boys wrestling on the front lawn. He grinned when Finn got Chris in a headlock, chuckled when he heard Chris squeal, “I can feel your boner on my leg! Get off me ya big mo!” Then full on cackled as Finn snapped back, “Takes a dick to know one!”
He had no idea what living under the same roof with Finn Thomas was going to bring—but it was going to be fun finding out.
II
Looking around his room, Finn placed his hands on his hips. It looked pretty bare, but then it would, considering all of his stuff was neatly packed in the boxes sitting in the living-room. This was the room where he and Chris had laughed and played guitar hero for hours. Where Finn had thrown up in the corner after one too many jello shots last New Year’s Eve, and where he and Aiden had spent a lazy Sunday in bed, only crawling out for food and the occasional clean-up shower. He started when two warm hands came around his waist and a chin nuzzled against his shoulder. Sighing heavily, he murmured, “Do you remember that day we spent in here, snuggled under the covers, just the two of us? Making love over and over again?”
“Was this a wet dream you had, Thomas? Is there something you want to tell me?”
Finn spun in the arms wrapped around him and glared into Chris’ laughing blue eyes. “Why are you touching me? Did you lift my wallet?” Finn clapped a hand to the back pocket of his shorts. “Where’s Aiden?”
Chris shrugged, not releasing his hold on Finn, merely nestling closer and rubbing his face against Finn’s chest. “He took a box down to the car.”
“Chris?” Finn cleared his throat loudly. “Um… what are you doing?” He stared down at the top of Chris’ blond head, strands of hair tickling his chin as his friend snuggled against him.
“Nothing.” Chris lifted his head and gazed up at him with an adoring look in his eyes, fluttering his eyelashes. “I’m gonna miss you, that’s all. I guess I didn’t realize how much.” He licked his lips. “How about you leave me a little something to keep me warm in the cold winter nights. Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it. You and me—together. I know I have.”
Finn had no idea how he managed to hold back the snort of laughter bubbling in his chest. Really? The germ of an idea skittered across the surface of his mind and he had to bite the inside of his lip to gain some composure. He wants to play, we’ll play. He followed Chris’ lead, and slowly ran his tongue over his own lips in a wickedly suggestive motion, his grip on Chris tightening when his friend tried to pull away, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
“Really?” Finn was impressed with the little squeak in his voice, those acting lessons were obviously paying off. “Don’t play with me, man. I thought you’d never notice me. When did you find out…?” he trailed off and made a show of glancing over Chris’ shoulder to make sure they were alone, then began to walk Chris backward toward the bed. He didn’t stop until Chris’ knees hit the edge of the mattress and leaned on him, using his weight to propel Chris down onto the bed, and then stretched out on top of him. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am you feel the same way. I’ve waited so long for you to realize.” He began to plant little, biting kisses along Chris’ jaw. “I know you have Katie and I’m with Aiden now, but this could be our only chance.” He sucked on Chris’ Adam’s apple and soothed. “It’s okay, it’s not cheating if they don’t find out.”
Chris convulsed beneath him and Finn buried his face in his friend’s neck, partly in a play of seduction and partly so Chris wouldn’t see how hard he was trying to contain his mirth. The moment Chris started to backtrack, babbling hysterically about why they couldn’t and shouldn’t do this, Finn knew he was done for.
“Come on, man. I was just kidding. You love Aiden, you don’t want me.” Chris actually squealed when Finn’s fingers pulled at his T-shirt and slid his fingertips over Chris’ stomach. Then practically sobbed, “Dude, get off me. We can’t, I love you too much, man. Think of our friendship! Aiden!”
Chris’ desperate calling of Aiden’s name was the last straw and Finn burst out laughing against Chris’ throat, finally allowing Chris to escape. He rolled over onto his side and laughed. Great guffaws that made his ribs ache and his face hurt, so much so that he curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around his midriff.
Realizing he’d been had, Chris exploded.
“You butt-fucker!” Chris dove on top of Finn and got him in a headlock. “How could you do that? What if I’d been high? I nearly shat my pants!” He noogied Finn violently until Finn managed to swing his legs around and hook his calf over Chris’ throat, holding him down.
“Serves you right, idiot. Never offer a gay man sex—we will never say no! You know they say the average man thinks about sex every three point two seconds? Well the average gay man thinks about sex every two point three seconds. Don’t wave your dick at me unless you intend to use it!” Finn cackled loudly and
grabbed Chris’ wrist when he made to jab a clenched fist into his crotch, just as there was a pronounced cough from the doorway.
“Ahem, would you like me to leave you two alone?”
“Get this goddamn Queen off me!” Chris choked out the request as Finn’s leg was still on his throat.
“Finn,” Aiden said firmly. “What have I told you about playing with your food?”
“But he waved his dick at me,” Finn replied, pouting.
“He did what?” Aiden shook his head in amazement and threw Chris a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, buddy, you only have yourself to blame. Never wave your dick at a gay man, stone-head.”
“See!” Finn laughed, releasing his hold on Chris and pushing him with his foot until Chris landed in a heap on the floor. “Two point three seconds, butt-munch!”
“You ungrateful cock-hole.” Chris ran a hand through his hair and scrambled to his feet, huffing and puffing like an old man trying to get his breath. “That’s all the thanks I get, after all this time? I was thinking of telling you how much I’m gonna miss your ugly ass, but you can fuck off, the sooner you’re gone the better!” When he added an extra harrumph, Finn cracked up again, and watched his friend storm from the room through tears of laughter.
“I love you too!” Finn yelled after him, throwing his forearm over his eyes and breathing deeply in an effort to bring himself under control. God he was going to miss that asshole. That stupid, pot-smoking, pizza-eating, asshole.
“Your delight in torturing that man disturbs me,” Aiden said, crossing the room to flop down on the mattress beside Finn. “Maybe I was right to freak out about moving in together.”
Finn rolled over on top of Aiden and pinned him down in one swift move, delighting in the surprised squawk Aiden gave. Clasping Aiden’s wrists in one hand, Finn held them above Aiden’s head. “Nuh-uh,” Finn said, dipping his head to suck a bruise into the soft skin of Aiden’s throat. “Too late, I’ve packed and given notice to my hop-head landlord. You have to keep me now.” Aiden whimpered low in his throat when Finn slowly ground his hips against Aiden’s and Finn smiled wickedly. Leaning down, his whispered low and dirty in Aiden’s ear. “Mmm, I can feel you getting hard. Is that all for me? Do you want me to suck it down? Feel the weight of it on my tongue, make you beg me to let you come?” He smiled when the only response he received was a sharp hiss from Aiden through obviously gritted teeth. “Is that what you want? You want me to make you beg?”
“God, Finn.”
“Yeah, God Finn is fucking right.” Chris grumbled. “Are you moving out or not?”
“And I think that’s our cue to leave,” Finn said, as Chris stomped down the hall with the box he was carrying. He kissed Aiden quickly then rolled off of him and pushed himself to his feet. Taking one final look around the room he looped his arm around Aiden’s shoulders and guided him toward the door. “Okay, beautiful, let’s go home.”
*
Finn tightened the last screw on the chest of drawers it had taken him thirty-eight minutes to assemble and tried not to laugh at Aiden’s muttered expletive as he stormed from his bedroom. Pushing the drawer closed, Finn paused and corrected himself. It wasn’t Aiden’s room anymore. “Our room.” He tried it out loud, liking the sound of it, and the way it rolled off his tongue. Loving Aiden was the easiest thing he’d ever done and there was no doubt in his mind that he was it for him—forever. Obviously he’d have to overlook Aiden’s inability to put together flat-pack furniture, but he could manage that.
Standing up, he moved the chest of drawers against the wall where Aiden wanted it and brushed off the remnants of squashed packing peanuts that clung to the hairs on his bare calves. Finn then turned his attention to the three boxes on his bed and grumbled good-naturedly to himself. Unpacking was definitely the more tedious part of moving. Opening the first box he took out a pile of T-shirts and put them away with a fond smile curving his lips. He smoothed his hand over the fabric of the T-shirt on the top of the pile, knowing that no matter how neat he thought they were, Aiden would undoubtedly rearrange them later.
“Finn?”
Turning on his heel, Finn grinned at Kaylee staring at him from the doorway. “Hey, Squirt.” A slight frown creased his forehead as he noted the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Why was she nervous? His frown deepened. If he thought about it, she’d been unusually quiet since her return from her day out with Patti. “What’s up?”
“Can I help? Daddy’s making dinner.”
“I would love that,” Finn said brightly, beckoning her into the room and quickly thinking of a task. “Do you think you could pass me the socks out of this box?” He pulled the box off the bed onto the floor, much lighter now that he’d taken the T-shirts out. “They’re clean—honest.” He tipped her a wink and was pleased to see her smile, albeit fleetingly.
Kaylee sat down on the carpet beside Finn and began to hand him the balled up socks, which he tossed into the top drawer. After a few moments spent in silence, he couldn’t take it anymore and had to find out why the usually vivacious little girl was so solemn. A knot suddenly tightened in his gut. What if she’d changed her mind? What if she didn’t want him here? Shit! Clearing his throat and casually juggling two pairs of socks, Finn dove into the unknown waters of parenting.
“Can I ask you something, Squirt?” He kept his tone conversational.
“What?” Kaylee took out another ball of socks and stared at him, waiting.
“You seem a little sad today. Is there something bothering you?”
“Kind of.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Finn ventured, sitting cross-legged in front of her and taking her tiny hands in his. Her shrug tore at his heart and the big green eyes that looked up at him from beneath her bangs were filled with tears. “Kayles? What is it?”
“Daddy’s gonna be sad.”
Finn frowned. “Why would Daddy be sad?”
“When you go away.”
Now he was really confused. “I’m not going away, honey. This is where I live now, remember? We all talked about it last week.”
“I know, but Bobby says you’ll leave.” Kaylee hiccupped, the tears in her eyes spilling over her lashes and rolling down her cheeks. “He said that’s what happens.”
Finn was beginning to really dislike this Bobby kid. “I don’t understand, Squirt. What did Bobby say to make you think I’d leave Daddy?” He heard footfalls on the stairs and glanced up as Aiden made to enter the room, giving a quick shake of his head to stop him from coming in.
“Bobby said that’s what his mommy and his daddy’s girlfriend did. It’s what grown-ups do when,” Kaylee paused, searching for the words. “I forget the next bit, but it was about tough things. But he’s right because my mommy left daddy.”
Finn swallowed hard, knowing exactly what the little boy had meant—that grown-ups leave when the going gets tough—and although the kid wasn’t at the top of his Christmas card list, his heart ached to think he thought that was the natural order of things. “Kaylee—” Before he could finish the sentence, Kaylee threw herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging so tightly he was concerned oxygen may quickly become an issue.
“Please don’t go, Finn!” Her tears fell onto his neck and her sobs shook her tiny frame. “I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll eat all my greens an’ I’ll pick up my toys an’ brush my teeth an’ I’ll be real quiet. Please don’t leave us. Daddy loves you and so do I.” Her arms tightened even more and all Finn could do was hold onto her, trying not to cry at her heartbreak. He’d like to kick the shit out of Bobby’s dad for giving his son such a clouded view of the world. “An’ if you go I’ll have nothing for Show and Tell!”
“I want you to listen to me, Squirt, okay?” Finn said, his voice filled with emotion but firm as he pulled her arms from around his neck and sat her on his lap so he could look into her eyes. “I’m not going away. I’m not leaving Daddy and I’m definitely not leaving you. Someti
mes when you’re a grown-up things don’t work out the way we want them to, which I think is what probably happened at Bobby’s house, but that doesn’t mean it happens everywhere. And it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen with Daddy and me. But,” Finn swallowed, not wanting to add to her despair, but not wanting to lie to her either, “if it did, you and me would still be together, do you know why?” Kaylee shook her head. “Because we’re in here now.” He placed one of his hands on her heart and then took one of hers and put it on his. “So that means we’re gonna be together always. Do you understand? Always.” His voice cracked on the last and Kaylee nodded, her arms winding around his neck again and he held her, rocking her gently in his arms until her sobs subsided.
When she’d regained her composure, Finn thumbed the dampness from her cheeks and kissed her forehead. “You know what I like to have after something makes me cry?”
“No.”
“A cookie.” Finn smiled at the light that re-entered her eyes. “Why don’t you go downstairs and sneak one from the cookie jar. I won’t tell Daddy if you don’t.”
“But Daddy can hear us,” Kaylee whispered. “He’s standing by the door.”
“If you run real fast he won’t be able to see you,” Finn replied with a conspiratorial wink. “And I’ll distract him. Daddy, can you help me with these socks?”
“Sure,” Aiden said, wandering into the room and not batting an eye when Kaylee ran past him.
Finn had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing as she popped her head back round the door jamb and hissed, “It worked!” then she was gone in a flurry of dark hair and pink fabric.
“Wow,” Aiden sat on the edge of the mattress and ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I had no idea she felt that way. What the hell have I done?”
Finn pushed himself to his knees and closed the gap between him and Aiden. He grabbed Aiden’s chin and kissed him soundly, tasting the salt of Aiden’s tears. “No… you do not get to do that to yourself… you understanding me, Reid?” Aiden nodded, albeit not very convincingly. “You haven’t done anything to her but give her everything she has ever needed or wanted, and loved her more than some kids ever get the chance to be loved. When she’s older she’ll know that.”