Third Time's the Charm

by K. Evan Coles

  “Because you moved here from another city.” Paul scoffed. “C’mon, Finn. You’re thirty-five years old and talk like you don’t have a decent job saving people’s lives, a hot ass and student loans in the triple digits.”

  Finn laughed and snorted beer up his nose.

  “Okay, right now you don’t look like much of a catch,” Paul said, his voice dry. “But you know you are, right?”

  “Sure.” Finn wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I just don’t want to rush into anything then fuck it all up, you know?”

  “You like him, huh?”

  “Yeah, I do.” Finn smiled.

  “Did you tell your mom about him?”

  “Yep.”

  Paul smiled back. “And?”

  “She was excited, of course, like she always is when I’m interested in someone.” Finn sipped his beer. “Luke and I have only been out a handful of times, but he’s really great.”

  “You’re too fucking cute, Finn. Watching you float around in a good mood for the last couple of weeks has been a pleasure. For what it’s worth, trust your gut,” Paul said. “If you think this situation with the kid needs care, then give it care. Just don’t forget to take care of yourself, too, okay?”

  Finn ran a hand over his chin. “What does that mean?”

  “You were always super-focused on me being happy while we were dating.” Paul’s expression turned droll. “Which was great for me. I’d never turn down extra pampering, especially from someone as delicious as yourself.”

  “Dude, come on.”

  Paul continued as if Finn hadn’t spoken. “I think I got too comfortable with the paradigm, though, and that sabotaged the whole thing. You gave me what I wanted but didn’t speak up for yourself when you were unhappy or wanted more from me. So I had no idea you weren’t getting what you needed and you resented me for that. By the time we got around to talking about my move back to Boston, you were already halfway out of the door.”

  Finn nodded. “I never thought about it that way.”

  “You put your partners first, even when you shouldn’t. We both know something similar happened with Adam’s cheating ass.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me.” Finn’s ex had pushed for an open relationship, something that just didn’t work for Finn. Adam had eventually promised to be monogamous, but Finn then discovered he’d been picking up men all over Chicago. Things had gone downhill from there despite both their efforts to make the relationship work.

  “You need to pay attention to what you need, Finn,” Paul said. “So don’t let this guy and the kid eat up your whole life outside work. You deserve happiness for yourself, and it’s on Luke to make sure he’s giving that to you. Remember that, okay?”

  Finn held Paul’s gaze. For all his bitchery and teasing, Paul knew Finn better than almost anyone, and he was right. Finn needed to make himself a priority, too.

  “I will,” Finn said. He gestured at the table and the remains of their meal. “Now, c’mon and help me get this stuff inside. It’s ten o’clock and those guys have been unsupervised in my apartment for long enough.”

  Chapter Nine

  On Saturday evening, Luke met Finn at the tall iron gate that led to Primus Avenue, and Finn’s bright smile sent a thrill through him.

  “Hey, Doc. I expected another sidewalk awning,” he joked as Finn gestured him in. “This is about a hundred times cooler, though.”

  “It’s definitely more dramatic,” Finn said. He surprised Luke with a hug after the gate clanged shut behind them. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “I missed you at lunch.” Luke pulled back and laughed as he noticed Finn’s choice of clothing. His white T-shirt and well-worn jeans were so similar to Luke’s that they might have been purchased from the same store. “Nice outfit.”

  Finn chuckled. “Whoa. I’m not sure if this is cool or weird, but I’m being sincere when I say you look great.”

  “So do you.” On impulse, Luke leaned in to kiss him and, mmm, Finn’s lips were deliciously soft.

  Finn rested his hands on Luke’s waist. He gripped tighter when Luke slid his arms around Finn’s shoulders, and he nipped at Luke’s upper lip, the coarse hairs of his stubble rasping Luke’s skin. Warmth flooded Luke’s body in a dizzying rush. He slipped the fingers of one hand beneath Finn’s shirt collar and cupped the side of his neck.

  “Damn,” Finn said after they broke apart. He smiled. “You should warn a man before you scramble his brain with a kiss like that.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been thinking about doing that since the first time we had coffee.” Luke stole another quick kiss and made Finn laugh.

  “C’mon, let me show you around.”

  He led Luke along the avenue, which was really a long, terraced alley with no outlet. They climbed a series of short concrete staircases and moved deeper among the buildings, Finn’s arm around Luke’s waist. A pretty garden courtyard sat outside Finn’s door, lined with ivy and shaded by tall trees.

  “This is beautiful,” Luke said, his eyes wide.

  Finn smiled. “Hopefully, the interior gets a positive reaction, too.”

  Inside the ground floor unit, Finn put the wine Luke had brought on the kitchen counter, then gave him a tour of the two-bedroom space, which he’d decorated in blond wood and shades of gray and blue. The furnishings made excellent use of the apartment’s limited square footage, and everything was streamlined and organized in a way that appealed to Luke’s need for order.

  “Okay, yes, great interior,” Luke confirmed after they’d moved back to the kitchen. “I can’t believe how much you got done in less than two weeks!”

  Finn picked up the wine bottle. “I had a lot of help, believe me.”

  Luke remembered Gillian’s talk of magical house elves and grinned. “What kind of help?” He squatted down to pet the calico cat who’d trailed in behind them. “This is Daisy, I take it?”

  “The one and only.” Finn smiled. He grabbed two glasses from a cabinet and set them down. “Paul’s husband gave me the most help. Mick is an interior designer and he took stock of my stuff and added a few things to pull the rooms together. He and Paul brought some friends over the other night to paint, too, and without them, I’d still be living out of cardboard boxes.”

  “Well, thanks for having me.” Luke accepted a glass from Finn. “I’m still boggled that you worked an overnight shift and yet you’re somehow coherent.”

  Finn waved him off. “I slept in and ordered takeout. I remembered you saying you like sushi and picked some up at a place in the neighborhood.”

  “Fantastic. I don’t get to eat it for dinner much.”

  “Why is that?” Finn put his glass on the counter and moved toward the refrigerator.

  “Ella. She prefers fish in stick form.” Luke stepped forward as Finn set several plastic containers on the counter. “Here, let me help you. Anyway, she’s not super-fussy, but she tends to pick certain things and stick with them. Like macaroni and cheese or breakfast as dinner.”

  “I love breakfast as dinner, too.” Finn pulled a cutting board from one of the cabinets. “You guys ate breakfast the night you and I met, right?”

  “Yes! Well, I did—I had eggs and Cheddar grits that night, but Ella had the aforementioned mac ’n’ cheese with a side of bacon.”

  “Mmm.” Finn bit his lip. “That all sounds insanely good. I’d need a nap afterward, though.”

  Finn was animated as they chatted and arranged the sushi rolls and salads on the board. He brushed his fingers along Luke’s forearm and pressed his hand against the small of Luke’s back while they maneuvered around the small kitchen, and Luke looked forward to each touch. He craved them, really, and made sure he returned every one.

  They carried the meal out to the courtyard and a mellow warmth settled over Luke as they sat on a sectional with their food and wine. He rarely had quiet moments like this, just him and a man he desired, and he savored the peaceful mood as much as the heat of Finn’s body beside him. />
  After they’d finished eating, Finn set down his chopsticks and took Luke’s hand, threading their fingers together. That simple touch made Luke’s nerves sing, and his insides tightened at the shine in Finn’s eyes.

  “I’d like to kiss you again,” Finn said, his voice quiet.

  “I’d like it if you did,” Luke replied, and anything else either of them might have said got lost when Finn leaned in and pressed their lips together.

  Heat swept through Luke. Finn deepened the kiss slowly, and Luke tasted wine and soy and ginger. A hum rumbled through Finn and the slide of his tongue made Luke shiver. Finn pulled back and stared at Luke, his expression intense.

  “I know you have to get back home at some point, but will you stay a while with me?” he asked.

  Goosebumps rose along Luke’s skin. “Yes. I’d like that.”

  They left their dishes in the sink and Finn led Luke to the bedroom where he lit the bedside lamp. He stepped into Luke’s embrace and slid his hands over Luke’s chest, pressing heat through Luke’s shirt and into his skin.

  They eyed one another in silence, and the tension between them made Luke’s heart race and his cock harden. He gathered Finn up and kissed him some more, going deeper until Finn groaned. Luke’s breath caught at that low sound.

  The kisses continued as they undressed as though neither could bear to let go for more than a few seconds. Desire stormed through Luke as Finn’s long, lean limbs emerged, and it made his gut clench. Something in his face must have conveyed his dazed state because Finn smiled and stepped toward the bed.

  “Come here,” he murmured and held out a hand.

  Threading their fingers together, he pulled Luke closer and held him tight. Their mouths met again and they fell onto the bed in a tangle of limbs, and Luke thought he’d die at the feeling of all that hot skin against his.

  “Jesus, Luke,” Finn whispered against his lips. His rough voice set a fire in Luke’s belly.

  Finn pushed at Luke until he lay flat, then settled between Luke’s legs. Luke rocked his hips up. The motion brushed their erections together, and the naked lust in Finn’s face made Luke ache. He bit his lip when Finn grabbed his ass.

  “Oh, my God, you feel good,” Luke ground out.

  They shared a breathless laugh, and Finn kissed him again, hot and dirty, his hands moving and his touch like a trail of fire along Luke’s body.

  “I want you,” Finn said and bent to lick the skin on Luke’s chest.

  He worked his way lower, tonguing Luke’s ribs and turning his bones liquid. Luke brought a hand up to Finn’s head and slid his fingers into Finn’s hair. He let out a hoarse grunt when Finn palmed Luke’s cock with one hand and watched, mesmerized, as Finn took him in his mouth.

  “Finn. Oh, fuck.”

  Finn sucked. A hum rolled through him, and he snaked a hand between the mattress and his own body. His eyelids fluttered as he touched himself, and he let out a low groan. The vibrations in his throat curled Luke’s toes and made sweat break out over his skin. Luke pushed his head back against the pillows, losing himself in sensation.

  He gasped when Finn pulled off, but Finn crawled up over Luke and met his lips in a blistering kiss that had Luke rutting helplessly to find friction.

  “Uhh, oh, God.”

  Finn reached down and fondled Luke’s balls. “What do you want?”

  “You in me,” Luke said through his panting breaths.

  Finn smiled and pulled away. Luke rolled onto his belly, drawing a pillow under his chest, and his cock throbbed against the sheets. He heard the drawer scrape open, then a click, and he closed his eyes. His heart thudded in his ears as Finn tore open a condom package, and he spread Luke’s thighs wide. A slick finger slid along the cleft of Luke’s ass with a teasing touch.

  Finn settled over him and moved his free arm under Luke’s chest, holding him in a loose embrace. “So gorgeous,” he said, his voice gruff against the back of Luke’s neck.

  He slid a finger inside Luke, and Luke grasped Finn’s arm. The burn increased as Finn slowly stretched him open, forcing a needy gasp out of Luke. God, he needed this—he’d gone too long without being touched.

  Finn took his time. He kissed Luke’s face and murmured dirty things in his ear, working another finger in beside the first, and each motion drove Luke to distraction. Finn chuckled darkly when Luke bucked against the mattress and whined.

  “Finn, please.”

  Finn slid his fingers away and shifted his weight, and the loss of sensation hit Luke hard. He buried his face in the pillow. He held on as Finn nudged his cock between Luke’s ass cheeks and pushed his hips up and back to spread himself wide. Finn pressed forward, breaching Luke’s body in a long, slow drive and Luke clenched his teeth through the stretch. He shivered when Finn bottomed out.

  “God,” Finn whispered, his breath ragged. He dropped a kiss on Luke’s shoulder.

  He rocked back and forward, and the pain in Luke’s body became a sweet ache. Luke moaned. He pushed back to meet Finn, desperate to get closer, and shuddered at Finn’s gasp. Blindly, he craned his head over his shoulder for a kiss.

  Finn moaned against Luke’s lips. “Fuck!”

  He drove into Luke, the thrusts coming faster, and Luke sank into pleasure. All he knew was need and heat and the man wrapped around him. Finn thrust deep, the move scraping at Luke’s prostate and jangling every nerve in his body. Luke tore his mouth free with a grunt. Finn thrust harder, punching that spot inside Luke until he thought he’d scream. His heart squeezed when Finn’s voice broke.

  Finn pinned Luke against the mattress when he came. His movements slowed and turned lazy as he rode out his high, and his breaths gusted over the damp skin of Luke’s shoulders and neck. Luke reveled in the weight of the body on top of him. He ground against the bed, his face pressed into the pillow again, and the ache inside him sharpened unbearably after Finn pulled out. Luke’s throat went tight.

  Finn urged Luke onto his back, Luke’s limbs trembling with the need to come. He shook more under the weight of Finn’s gaze and the desire he saw there.

  “Come on, Luke.”

  Finn slipped his fingers back inside Luke, and Luke arched into the touch. His body jolted again as Finn took him in hand, and he gasped, his head spinning at the dual sensations of being filled and pulled apart.

  “It’s too much,” Luke whispered. His chest constricted to the point of pain.

  “I’ve got you, baby.”

  Finn’s husky voice was all it took for Luke to unravel with a long, shuddering moan. He clutched at Finn and broke apart, his world narrowing to his heart thundering in his ears and the bliss that pierced him clean through.

  Luke lay spent and stupid when Finn pulled his fingers free. Finn swiped at the cum on Luke’s torso with the sheet and pushed it aside, then gathered him close. They lay quiet, exchanging lazy touches and kisses as the sweat cooled on their skin, and Luke coasted on easy pleasure.

  He’d started dozing when Finn roused. He peeled his eyelids open and watched unabashed as Finn moved toward the bathroom, his lean body toned and strong. The play of light over Finn’s bare skin made Luke long to touch him.

  Finn caught Luke’s eye on his way back to the bed with a washcloth in hand, and he grinned. “What’s that look for?”

  “Just taking in the view.”

  “You like it?”

  “You know I do.”

  Finn chuckled. He sat beside Luke on the bed and wiped him down, then laid a hand on Luke’s chest. “It’s getting late,” he said. “Got time for another glass of wine?”

  Luke smiled. “I do, and I’d love one.”

  “Great.”

  Finn stood and helped Luke to his feet. Pulling the quilt loose from the bed, he wrapped it around Luke’s waist, then tickled Luke’s belly with his fingertips and made him squawk. They talked about the next time they could see each other while Finn staggered back into his boxer briefs, then headed for the kitchen together.

  �
�Ella asked me about you,” Luke said as they stood at the narrow granite counter, sipping wine and sharing pints of mango and coconut ice cream.

  Finn raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

  “She’s curious about the man who keeps buying me lunch.”

  “That’s fair.” Finn chuckled. “What’s her take on tonight’s dinner?”

  Luke stared down at his glass. “I’m not sure. She says she’s okay with my dating, but I can’t tell if she’s just humoring me.”

  Finn sipped his wine. “That’s not bad, right? It’s not like she threw a tantrum when you left the house.”

  “Oh, God, no.” Luke grimaced. “She was a little moody but nothing too unusual. She advised me to be cool if at all possible, by the way.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Very seriously,” Luke replied, his voice dry. “Ella’s tolerant of my geek quotient but it’s clear she didn’t trust me not to embarrass myself.”

  “It’s sweet she’s looking out for you.”

  “Mmm, I don’t know. I think she’s looking out for you, Finn.”

  “I doubt that.” Finn swirled his wine. “I’m sure Ella wants to make sure the guys in your life treat you right, that’s all.”

  Luke slid a hand along Finn’s ribs. “Maybe. I don’t date much, though, so it’s hard to say.”

  Finn cast him a dubious glance. “How do you not date much?”

  “Haven’t met anyone who’s okay with all of the baggage that comes along with taking care of a kid. Finding free time to go out is where the problems start and things go downhill from there.”

  Finn pursed his lips. “Okay. I get what you’re saying, but it’s difficult to believe that’d put someone off entirely. I mean, scheduling problems aside, there’s you.”

  Delight spiked through Luke. “You’re good for my ego. I don’t blame guys for not wanting to deal with the whole caretaking thing. There’s a ton involved. A lot of the time, I’m right in the middle of it, too. Ella’s not difficult, but she needs time and attention like any child. Sometimes, she needs more from us because of the stuff she went through with her mom leaving. Mother’s Day, for instance? Not a welcome holiday for Ella. Father’s Day wasn’t exactly a picnic this year, either.”