by E. L. Todd
And I somehow felt closer to him.
The taxi dropped us off in front of the house.
I found it ironic that Jax lived just down the street. Finn would drive right past his house every day on his way to the city. It was a nice neighborhood, the ideal place to raise a family away from the bustling sounds of the cars, pedestrians, and canneries. Finn wasn’t the family kind of guy, so maybe he was looking for the peace and quiet.
The house itself was gorgeous. Two stories with a manicured lawn, it had three large trees, a two-car garage, and a nice porch out front. The house was settled back away from the road, so the plants and trees kept it somewhat secluded. And if you were quiet enough, you could actually hear the waves from the bay. “Finn…this place is beautiful.”
“Thanks.” He walked past the SOLD sign and headed to the front door. He greeted his real estate agent and introduced me before we were allowed inside.
The double doors opened into a nice foyer, a staircase that led to the second floor. To the left was the living room, surrounded by a solid wall of glass that showed the large backyard. It must have been remodeled because it had a sleek and modern look to it. The kitchen had a space big enough for a dining table, and the kitchen itself was huge, having an island and lots of counter space. Not to mention, there were two ovens. “Uh…I’m in love with your house.”
Finn took me upstairs and showed me the bedrooms. There was the master, an office space, and two bedrooms.
This house must have been insanely expensive. I wasn’t sure how he could have afforded it, even as a physician. He must have been given a big bonus from the military…or he had another trick up his sleeve.
Finn followed behind me as he watched me take it all in. “Have any ideas?”
“Well, for starters, it’s so beautiful that you could probably get any furniture you wanted and it won’t matter.” I examined the freshly painted walls and the hardwood floors. “And anything will go with these floors. You found a really great place, Finn. I might have to move in.”
He came to my side and flashed me a half smile. “Not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
I headed back downstairs and into the living room. “You can fit a lot of couches in here. Perfect for having a ton of people over for the game.” I turned back to him, watching him stand near the fireplace with his arms crossed over his chest. With those jeans that hung low on his hips, he looked like a man who belonged on a billboard more than in a uniform.
“Where should we start? Don’t say IKEA.”
I chuckled. “No. This place needs something more elegant than that.”
“Not Pottery Barn either,” he said. “More masculine than that.”
“We can make that work.” When we were finished looking around, we walked out and the real estate agent locked the door behind us.
“When will the place be yours?” I asked as he waited for the Uber to pick us up on the sidewalk.
“Not for another two weeks. I’m waiting for a few more inspections, like mold and the integrity of the trees surrounding the property.”
“You must be anxious. That place is so beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Has Colton seen it?”
“Not yet.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he looked down the road. “I was planning on having him over when the furniture is ready, my parents too.” It had been a sunny day in Seattle, but the lack of clouds made it even colder. Finn didn’t seem bothered by the weather, even in his light t-shirt and jeans.
I wore a thick sweater, but I was still cold. “Excited to see your parents?”
He kept his gaze focused down the street even though our Uber was still two minutes away. “Yes. My mother will be really happy when I tell her I’m settling down here. She’s been worried about me since the day I left for the military. Now she’ll sleep better at night.”
“Yeah…I can’t even imagine.”
“My dad has been more supportive about it, but he’ll be happy too.”
“Having your whole family within a twenty-mile radius is exciting. I know Colton loves having you home.”
“Really?” He turned his head toward me, his complexion even more beautiful under the direct sunlight. “I assumed he was getting tired of me.”
“Not at all. He hates that he really doesn’t know you that well, that for the last ten years he’s only seen you three times.”
Finn kept staring at me, his gaze impossible to read but his intensity clear. His words indicated how detached he was, but when he looked at me like that, it had to mean he cared—at least a little bit. “It’s crazy how quickly time passes. I was always so busy, so it passed even quicker for me. I grew apart from the people I used to know. Marriages, kids, birthday parties…I missed everything.” Instead of looking away once he admitted his vulnerability, he continued to look at me, not the least bit ashamed of everything he’d just said.
My heart ached for him. “Why did you decide to join the military?”
“It’s what I was meant to do.” He kept it vague, only sharing a very small part of himself. “It was where I belonged.”
“Then why did you leave?”
He showed a sign of hesitance, like he didn’t want to answer. “It was time.”
“What does that mean?” I had no right to press him on his answer. I’d only known him for a week, but I treated him like he’d been friends much longer. As if I had some kind of special leverage over him, I used it to my advantage, just the way a girlfriend would pester me about my mood until she finally got her answer.
He gave a slight shrug of his massive shoulders. “I’ve seen a lot of things. When you’re exposed to that world for so long, it starts to mess with your head. Dreams turn into nightmares, and innocent gestures somehow seem hostile. Some men are too ashamed to admit when they’ve had enough, but they pay the price later. I thought it was best to step down…when I was still sane.” He turned his gaze to the sidewalk beneath his large feet. Now he wore his heart on his sleeve, but he didn’t seem to be uncomfortable doing that with me. We hardly knew each other, but we were standing outside his new house talking about something extremely personal.
I wished I could tell him I understood how he felt, but that would be an insult to his experiences. Someone like me, who sold lingerie out of a boutique store, had no grasp of warfare, death, and terror. “You made the right decision, Finn. You served your country for a long time, and we’re all grateful for it.”
He lifted his gaze again and looked at me, those blue eyes so pretty, it was amazing how intense they could appear. “Thanks, baby.” Again, he used that endearment, a nickname spoken between lovers. A man had never called me that before; it was always sweetheart or babe. It rolled off his tongue so easily, like he couldn’t imagine calling me by anything else.
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
His strong physique didn’t cower at the question. He pivoted slightly toward me, his body facing mine head on. With one step, he was closer to me, directly in front of me so a whisper would be audible on my ears. He kept his hands in his pockets, but his proximity was so intense, it seemed like his arms were wrapped tightly around me. He was nearly half a foot taller than me, so he had to bend his head down to share his whisper. “Feels right.”
11
Colton
Zach and I were playing a video game while Finn was at work.
“Take that, bitch.” Zach stomped his fingers against the controller, making his character slam his fists into my face.
I used my special boost power to throw him off me. “You’ll have to do better than that, bitch.”
We didn’t take our eyes off the TV until the match was won.
Zach raised his controller into the air then dropped it like a mic. “That’s how it’s done.”
“Hey, don’t drop those. They’re like sixty bucks.” I picked it up off the floor and set it on the table.
“Oh, sorry. So, how’s it go
ing with Aaron?”
“It’s going.” We texted back and forth, but nothing serious had happened.
“Sex?” he asked.
No. I still hadn’t gotten laid. “Not yet.”
“Does he know this would be your first time?”
I nodded. “I mentioned it.”
“Well, hopefully, you get laid soon. You must be going crazy.”
We did other things when Aaron came over the other night, and that would definitely hold me over until the time was right. “Stella made a move on Finn, but he turned her down. She was pretty ticked about it.”
Zach looked so shocked, he couldn’t even speak. His mouth hung open like a dog waiting for a bone. “Finn is gay?”
“Wait…what? That’s not what I said.”
“A man would only turn down Stella if he was gay. Come on, she’s gorgeous. Those curves and that smile…”
“You’re forgetting all the other women he brings back to the apartment.”
“Oh yeah…” He finally shut his mouth and rubbed his chin. “That’s a good point. Then he must just be stupid.”
I shrugged. “I was surprised too.”
“If Stella wanted to fuck me, no way in hell would I say no.”
“I don’t get it either.”
“Have you asked him about it?”
I shook my head. “He’s been working a lot, so I haven’t seen him.”
“Well, you should ask him because maybe he’s in the middle of a serious breakdown or something. The only reason a man would say no to Stella is if he were in the middle of something really tragic.”
Zach had always told me how hot Stella was. They’d been friends for a long time and Stella wasn’t immune to his attraction, but nothing ever happened. They were either too good of friends, or she wasn’t attracted to him—even though other women thought he was hot. “I’ll ask him when he gets home.”
“You should do that. I kinda want to punch him in the face for being so stupid…but I’m also glad he didn’t sleep with her.”
“Why don’t you just ask her out?”
He laughed loudly, as if the suggestion were ridiculous. “Like she’d say yes to me.”
“You don’t know until you try.”
He finished off the rest of his beer before he stood up. “I guess I’ll get going. Do you know if Finn plays basketball, by any chance?”
“No. Why?”
“Was thinking of getting people together for some friendly games. You know, since the weather has been so nice.”
“I could ask him.”
“Cool.” He gave me a high five then left.
About an hour later, Finn walked in the door. Wearing blue scrubs, he stepped inside and removed his shoes by the door. He removed his stethoscope and placed it in his satchel before he hung it by the door. “How’s it going?” He pulled his shirt off right away and let it hang over his shoulder.
“You hate wearing clothes, don’t you?”
He chuckled as he opened the fridge and scoured for leftovers. “Is this spaghetti taken?”
“All yours.” I left the couch and joined him at the counter.
He put it in the microwave then moved to his stash of scotch in one of the cabinets. He added a single large ice cube to the glass then filled it with liquor.
“I’ve never met anyone who drinks that much hard liquor.”
He brought the glass to his lips and took a drink as he stared at me. He finished, licked his lips, then released a satisfied sigh. “You should join the military, then. People would call you a pussy if you drank anything else.”
“I think they would call me a pussy for another reason.”
He smiled slightly then took the spaghetti out of the microwave. He dug for a fork in the drawer then stood at the counter and ate it. My apartment had been a lot cleaner since Finn started to live with me. Not only did he clean up after himself, but he did all the household chores. There were never dishes in the sink, dust on the tables, and the laundry was always done.
“Just because you’re staying with me doesn’t mean you need to clean the apartment all the time. You’re my guest. Let me clean up after you.”
He finished chewing his bite before he released a quiet chuckle. “That’s not why I do it, Colt.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“Habit. I was trained to be clean all the time. When I see a dirty apartment, I have to tidy up. It’ll nag at me if I don’t.”
“Then you should live with me forever.”
Finn chuckled again. “Not enough money in the world, man.”
“I don’t know…you get free food.”
“I know how to cook.” He kept eating as he stood beside me, his physique so fit that it seemed like he hadn’t eaten pasta in his entire life.
“I have yet to see it.”
“I’ve been working a lot.”
“You have time to clean but not to cook?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He set his fork down and looked at me. “You got me. I’ll make something tomorrow night. Invite Pepper over. We’ll make it a family affair.”
“She’s my best friend, not my wife.”
“She still has our last name, right?” He dug into his spaghetti again.
“Yeah, but that’s because she’s too lazy to change it.”
“Or maybe she doesn’t want to change it. It’s a good last name.” He finished his plate of spaghetti then started washing the dishes in the sink. “I know I’m not gonna change mine.”
I watched him put everything in the dishwasher before he wiped down the counter, his shirt still hanging over his shoulder. “So, you turned down Stella?”
He grabbed his glass and took another sip as he faced me. “Another round of girl talk, huh?”
“Or just two brothers talking.”
He shook the ice cube in his glass. “She’s not my type, man.”
I laughed because it was ridiculous. “I’m a gay man, and even I know she’s a hot lady. How can she not be your type when you don’t have a type? You’ll bring any woman back to the apartment who hits on you.”
“Not any,” he corrected. “Stella is a perfect example of that.”
“I’m just shocked. You know I don’t care if you sleep with her. She’s a big girl and can make her own decisions.”
He drummed his fingers against the counter. “Look, I just wasn’t into her, okay? Let it go.” He finished his scotch then dumped the ice cube into the sink. After he rinsed out the glass, he added that to the dishwasher.
“I just find it strange.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him suspiciously. “Unless you have a girlfriend?”
He grinned as if the suggestion were absurd. “No girlfriend.”
“Then—”
“This conversation is over.” He walked around me, his muscular shoulders shifting back and forth as he moved. He wasn’t venomously angry, but his aggression shut down the conversation. “I’m gonna take a shower. You need to get in there first?”
“I’m good.”
He disappeared down the hallway.
A moment later, Pepper walked inside. She glanced at the floor and noticed Finn’s shoes and satchel before she came farther into the apartment. “Hey, how’d that big case go?”
“It went well.” My boss usually picked me last for assignments because he didn’t like me. Since we billed clients based on the number of hours we put in, when I didn’t get work every day, it affected my paycheck. I really should just leave and find another job.
Pepper’s eyebrow was slightly raised, like she didn’t believe me but she wasn’t going to harass me about it. She joined me in the kitchen then opened the fridge. “Ooh…spaghetti.”
“Yes, you can have some,” I said in a bored voice.
“I didn’t ask.” She piled it onto a plate and popped it in the microwave just as Finn had a few minutes ago. “Finn asked me to help him decorate his new house.”
He asked Pepper? “He did?”
/>
“Yep.” She grabbed a fork from the drawer then watched the plate spin in the microwave. She looked like an impatient child, too anxious to wait the final thirty seconds before she could eat.
When did that happen? “That’s random.”
“He said he doesn’t have any girlfriends.”
“But he can hire a decorator.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But I suspect he’s looking for human interaction. Made it sound like that’s something he’s been missing.”
My brother hardly said a few words to me, but he confided all of that to her? “I’m good with decorating…and I’m easy to talk to.”
She gave me a sad look before she rubbed my arm. “He thinks the world of you, Colton.”
“He said that?”
She squeezed me before she let go. “Pretty much.”
“I’m just surprised that the two of you kinda have your own relationship now.”
The microwave went off, so she retrieved her food and started to eat it with a fork. “It just happened. Maybe he’s trying to get to know me because he didn’t have a chance when we were married. We’re divorced now, but since we’re so close, maybe he sees me as still part of the family.”
“You are part of the family, Pepper. Always.” Regardless of what happened with our love lives, we would always be together. We would always spend the holidays together, take vacations together, and even have our kids play together. I would have a husband and so would she, but we would be as united as ever.
“I know.” She smiled before she took another bite.
Finn came back into the room wearing his sweatpants, while drops of water still sprinkled his chest from the shower. His hair was damp, and he ran his fingers through it.
Pepper stopped eating for a second, her eyes moving to his wet body.
“So you want Pepper to help decorate your house but not me?” I demanded.
