Ulysses’s Ultimatum (Love in Mission City #7)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Ulysses

Ididn’t expect the next time I’d run into Finn O’Sullivan would be in a gay bar.

I should have.

But I hadn’t.

The man was the same cool drink of iced tea on a hot day that he’d been months ago when I’d snuck out of his bed in the middle of the night and ridden away on my motorcycle.

Now, I sat at the bar and he stood in the doorway.

Our gazes locked.

I refused to admit that my breath caught and my heart sped up. This wasn’t a cheesy romance movie.

He arched an eyebrow.

I gestured with my beer bottle to the seat beside me. As a rule, I didn’t drink alcohol. Today, though, I was already making an exception.

With the grace of a cat, he slid onto the stool next to me.

“Hey, sugar.” The server appeared out of nowhere. “How’s it going, Finn?”

“Doing well, Marc, thanks. Just a root beer. I’m driving tonight.”

“Fair enough. Coming right up.”

Marc was one handsome man and, for just a moment, I wondered if he and Finn had ever slid between the sheets together.

None of your fucking business.

Nope, it truly wasn’t.

My gaze cut to Finn. Same spiky red hair.

Same trim figure with just the right amount of muscles under that jacket—very necessary for hauling around all that firefighter gear.

Same solid thighs he’d wrapped around my waist as I’d fucked him into the mattress.

Same stunning dark-blue eyes that assessed me thoroughly.

What does he see?

A man who felt washed up at forty—especially sitting across from the spry guy who was twenty-six. Or twenty-seven now? We’d parted ways nearly four months ago. A guy could pass a milestone in that time.

Did he see the horny, shaven-headed Black man who’d fucked him into the mattress with a great deal of pleasure?”

Or did he see the man who was likely to betray him? To cost him his job? To perhaps even get him arrested and thrown in prison?

I just didn’t know.

“Fancy meeting you here.” His voice was as light and melodic as I remembered—so different from my own deep baritone.

“Well, there’s only one gay bar in Cedar Valley. We’re both gay—” I gestured between the two of us.

His smile didn’t dazzle, as it had in the summer. This time, he appeared more reserved.

I didn’t blame him.

He shrugged. “I tend to go down to Davie Street in Vancouver.”

“One root beer.” Marc placed the glass before Finn.

Finn offered the dazzling smile from my memories. “You’re awesome.”

Marc fluttered his eyelashes. “Enough for a repeat?”

After a moment, Finn cut a furtive glance at me.

I shrugged. I don’t have a claim on you.

I was the one who abandoned you. I was the one who chose to walk away rather than risk discovery.

I wouldn’t have cared if someone had revealed I was gay—I didn’t hide that fact.

Being found in the bed of a potential suspect?

That I couldn’t keep doing. I wasn’t a cop, but I still had ethical standards in my profession that I took seriously.

Finn turned his attention back to Marc. “I’ve got an early start.”

Marc pouted.

“Maybe—” Another glance my way. “—some other time.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Marc sashayed away.

I’d only just met the man—but I wasn’t predisposed to like him.

Jealousy doesn’t suit you—especially when you don’t have a claim on the man next to you. “You’re on duty tomorrow?”

Finn arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. As elegant as a woman’s—except he was all man. “Yes. I’m going in early because Albert has to take his kid to school.”

“His wife can’t?” Not that shuttling kids to school had to be a woman’s job—

“Bed rest. The pregnancy isn’t going well, and you did not hear that from me. Off the record. Oh, am I supposed to say that before we talk? Or before we fuck?”

My eyes widened. Well, you’d wondered if he was going to go there—now you know. “Will there be fucking?”

He sipped his root beer. “Never say never, right?” He feathered his fingers through his hair. “You were a good lay.”

“High praise from a guy who runs down to Davie Street on a regular basis.”

“You don’t spend much time there?” His stare pinned me to the wall like a specimen of butterfly being examined.

“I didn’t say that. But, discretion—”

Finn barked a laugh. “What do you know about discretion?”

“I never told anyone about you.”

He stilled. “Not even Spring Dixon?”

This time, my eyebrows shot up. Spring had a good nose for a story. I wouldn’t have employed her at my newspaper otherwise. But she had nothing to do with Finn and the mess last summer. “My reporter?”

“Your best reporter.”

“She’s still young.”

“But not na?ve. One doesn’t have seven sisters and a cop for an ex-brother-in-law and get to claim na?veté.” His blue eyes penetrated. Dared me to speak.

“I’m not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole.”

“So you’ve met Corporal Colton Pritchard? The venerable RCMP Officer?”

“Is there a right way to answer that question?”

“Truthfully.” He sipped again. “Because if you’re half as sneaky with the RCMP as you were with me, then I suspect you’re in for a world of hurt.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and I only ever crossed paths when a story came up and I needed to get the scoop on any investigations or arrests. Generally, I kept my nose clean and avoided cops whenever possible. “I won’t step out of line—I promise.”

He chuckled. “You took off. You never contacted me.”

I winced. “Yeah, about that—” And yet words wouldn’t come. As a man who relied on them for everything, these words wouldn’t come. I took a breath and tried again. “Yeah.” Nope. That was all I was good for.

“So, you gonna contact me now? Gonna ask me for a date?”

Easy one. “No. Just...not a good time.”

“Too bad.” He sipped his soda.

“Yeah?”

“Well, I only fuck after the first date.” He gestured to his body. “You’re missing out on this.”

I swallowed. Yes, I know exactly what I’m missing. Still not enough to agree… “You brought me home that night.” Yeah, like bringing up that night is somehow going to get you back in his good graces. Except…why did I feel the need to be in his good books? We were nothing to each other.

Or so you tell yourself.

“Well, exceptions can be made when the guy I invite into my house has just had a near-miss. That’s a life-altering experience, right? Your life flashing before your eyes as you contemplate death?”

“I wouldn’t put it quite so dramatically.” My tone was as dry as the Sahara. “My only thought in that moment was not getting hit by the minivan running the red light.”

“Huh. I always figured you would have a fraction of a second to reflect on your life. What you regret. What you rejoice. That’s how I envision it for me.” Another sip.

“You must see people who barely escape death all the time. Do you ever ask them?”

He shook his head. “That would be inappropriate. And I don’t ask the kids on the cancer ward either.”

Oh God, help me now. “You visit kids on the cancer ward? In the hospital?”

“Yep. Every other week or so. My schedule’s erratic, but I’m always welcome because there are always kids with cancer.

Super sad. My friend Quinton, who’s a nurse, suggested I go.

I wear my fire helmet, department T-shirt, and I tell them exciting stories.

A couple of them want to grow up to be firefighters. I hope to fuck they have that chance.”

“Sounds brutal.” Jesus.

He shrugged. “My mom’s been a nurse for like, thirty years.”

The woman who’d given him the cabin he lived in. For whom he kept a room decorated. Someone he was clearly dedicated to. As a good son should be—for a deserving mother.

Something I knew nothing about. “You’re a fine man, Finnegan O’Sullivan.”

He cocked his head. “And how exactly do you know my last name? I damn sure didn’t give it to you—Ulysses MacDonald.”

Since my name was in the weekly newspaper, I hardly needed to question how he knew. “Touché.”

“I went to school with Spring Dixon.”

Oh shit. “I didn’t realize that. She’s…a very good reporter.”

“You mean she’s nosy, a pain in the ass, and a skilled investigator.” He smiled. “I’m certain you know she’s the one who uncovered RD Watts’s true identity.”

The fantasy writer of the incredibly successful and renowned Zaragoza trilogy. Also known as Professor Raven Duhamel. Serious academic identified as one of Mission City’s most famous authors.

I pointed out, “I don’t think the professor wanted the world to know who she was.

” Spring’s reveal of the woman made me very wary of my cub reporter.

She might be new—but she was also aggressive and of the take no prisoners and revealing secrets is just fine variety.

One day that ethos was likely to bite her in the ass.

Sadly, she wasn’t taking advice from me.

Finn shrugged. “Linguistic analysis by AI wasn’t as big a few years ago. Matching the name to the books was impressive work on Spring’s part.”

“Yes, Spring had to beg for time on the university computer. Today, she could do the comparison in the comfort of her living room.”

“Right. So we all need to be careful.” His blue eyes sparkled.

Oh shit. Does he know? He can’t possibly know. No one knows. Absolutely no one. If they did, it would’ve come out during the clusterfuck.

The clusterfuck I categorically didn’t want to be thinking about right now.

I took a long pull of my beer. I was only drinking the one, so I wasn’t worried about driving home.

Finn waved to someone who’d just entered, and I pivoted my gaze that way.

Two couples had just stepped inside. The men, holding hands, were a study in contrasts. One was blond with blue eyes. His boyish grin was just adorable. The brunet who stood next to him appeared a little…leery.

The blonde woman who stood next to the blond guy, resembled him in many ways—including those stunning blue eyes.

Siblings?

A shorter woman with fiery red hair and green eyes clung to the blonde. She smiled, although more tentatively. And her facial features resembled the dark-haired guy’s.

More siblings?

Kind of took me a moment.

Finn beckoned the group over as he leaned into me. “Yes, two sets of siblings paired up. Roll with it.”

Okay. I wasn’t certain how this affected me, but I was willing to play along—if only to get the backstory of these interesting couples.

The blonde woman was the first to greet Finn. And greet she did—she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips.

Finn held her tight to him and, as the kiss ended, he wrapped her in his embrace.

An embrace I was well-familiar with.

“Hey, Stephanie. Oh God, your smile…” He gently touched her nose. “Married life suits you.”

Stephanie stepped back and into the arms of the redhead. Her wife? Which made her greeting to Finn just…friendly.

Finn held out his hand. “Great to see you, Taryn”

“Oh, I do hugs now—all Steph’s doing.” The redhead stepped into Finn’s arms. She was shorter than her wife by a few inches and way shorter than Finn. Still, they held on tight.

“Hey! What about my turn?” The blond man ran his hand through his hair. “After all, I’m the one who has a history with Finn.”

The brunet, who I took to be the man’s boyfriend or husband, scowled.

“Oh God, Lachlan, your face.” The blond guy kissed Lachlan on the mouth. Then gently eased Taryn from Finn’s embrace and stepped into it. He was mere inches shorter than Finn, so when he grasped the back of Finn’s neck and dragged him into a kiss, Finn didn’t have far to go.

And what a kiss. At least with Stephanie, there hadn’t been any tongues involved.

Not so between this guy and Finn. This was full-on French-tongue, ass-grabbing grinding.

Stephanie looped her arm through Lachlan’s. “Just a fling. They weren’t…compatible.”

Ah. Does that mean the blond is a bottom?

Like that really mattered.

Like I had any claim on Finn.

Like I had a right to be jealous.

The man finally untangled himself from Finn’s embrace. “Great to see you!”

Finn chuckled. “Hello, Cooper. How’s it going?”

Lachlan nudged Cooper—none too gently—out of the way. He held out his hand. “Great to see you, Finn.”

The firefighter yanked him in for a hug.

The clearly stunned Lachlan caught my gaze. He quirked an eyebrow even as Finn gripped him.

Ah. So he sees what I’m seeing…Finn trying to make me jealous. Or at least to catch my attention. Well-done, Finn. Because I’m jealous as hell…

Finn gestured to an empty booth. “May I join you? Oh, I meant we.” He pivoted to me. “This is Ulysses. Ulysses, this is—”

I waved him off. “I think I’ve got it figured out.”

Marc sidled up to the group. “For six?”

Finn nodded enthusiastically. “That booth. Thanks!” Then he shepherded everyone in.

I snagged his arm and whispered, “What if they didn’t want you to join them? How do I know they want me to—”

“Finn, get over here.” Cooper patted the bench next to him. “And Ulysses as well. Cool name. I want to hear all about it.”

“Yes, Finn. Please join us. And your friend.” Taryn’s green eyes sparkled with pure joy.

Like I was going to turn down this offer. More people to meet—possibly from Mission City. Catnip for the editor of the local paper. And if they knew Finn, they might know some of his secrets.