Chapter Seventeen
Kieran woke up hungry and horny the next morning.
He also woke up alone. Had he dreamed about holding Finley in his arms all night?
What about the rest of it? Seeing Finley in town having lunch with a handsome man, finding the stolen camera equipment in Cash’s office, and reconnecting with Finley afterward.
Was it real? Kieran heard hushed whispers and tiny meows coming from the bathroom.
He looked around the living space but didn’t see Finley or the box with Little Mama and her babies.
Kieran smiled when he realized Finley had moved the family into the bathroom so he could fuss over the babies without waking him.
It would’ve worked if his stomach and dick didn’t ache so bad.
They’d apparently slept through the night without waking up to eat or fuck.
Kieran knew he should be upset about one more than the other, but damned if he could decide right then.
One kitten let out a lusty cry, pulling Kieran’s thoughts back to the congregation in the bathroom, and he wanted to see what was going on.
He eased the covers back and padded toward the small room, stopping in the doorway because there wasn’t enough room for him too.
His heart lurched then leaped at the sight.
Finley sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, cradling each of the kittens against his bare chest. He’d borrowed a pair of Kieran’s lounge pants and rolled the waistband a few times since they were too long.
Finley’s skin was flushed, his hair tussled from sleep.
One kitten tried to latch onto his nipple, and he gently pulled the baby back.
“That will not give you what you want, sweetheart,” Finley whispered.
Kieran had never seen something so precious in his life. The same kitten repeated its lusty cry, and Finley returned the babies to the box where Little Mama lay watching their interaction.
“Let greedy Gus go first,” Finley said as he moved the vocal kitten closest to mama. “He’s the smallest and needs more milk.”
“Gus, huh?” Kieran said.
Finley jolted and twisted at the waist to see him. “How in the world do you move so silently?”
Kieran shrugged. “Sometimes it’s necessary to survive.
” He regretted the words when all the joy faded from Finley’s expression and the color leached from his face.
Fuck. He didn’t want to be the sad sack, mood-sucking vampire any longer.
“Simply surviving isn’t enough. My new goal is to thrive, and step one is getting you naked and under me.
” Kieran crooked his finger as he eased back toward his bed as the sweetest pink blush tinged Finley’s pale cheeks.
The lounge pants were still too big and fell to the floor when he stood up. “That’s convenient,” Finley said. “Do you have a parlor trick to do the same for my underwear?”
Kieran hooked his thumbs in his own waistband and shoved his briefs down his legs. His cock sprang forward, hard and eager.
Finley moaned, then said, “Yeah, that’ll do it.
” He removed his boxers and left them in the bathroom before trailing after Kieran.
“I cannot wait to choke that down.” But his cell phone rang on the nightstand just as he reached for Kieran’s dick.
“No, no, no. It’s too early for my phone to ring.
” They both realized it meant the call was urgent.
Finley flipped the phone over and revealed Cash’s name on the screen.
He accepted the call on speaker and growled, “This better be good,” instead of his usually cheerful, “What’s up, boss? ”
Cash chuckled. “You’re the one who demanded answers. I drove home at three in the morning so I could give them to you. How about we get this over with before breakfast? Anticipation will just give us all indigestion, and I have it on excellent authority that Harry is making Belgian waffles.”
“With fresh fruit and real whipped cream?” Finley asked. He seemed to forget all about Kieran’s dick. Finley started separating his clothes from Kieran’s on the floor before he got an answer.
“Is there any other way?” Cash asked.
Finley snatched his clothes and headed toward the bathroom. “See you in ten or less.”
Kieran shook his head but couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
He leaned against the bed and pulled his jeans up to his thighs while Finley searched the cabinet drawers until he came up with an extra toothbrush.
He set it on the counter then turned to get dressed, spotting Kieran as he did. His mouth fell open on a small gasp.
“So this is how you’re going to leave me?” Kieran asked, stroking a hand over his thick cock. “Aching, hard, and lonely?”
Finley swallowed audibly and blinked. “Aren’t you going to put on underwear before we go?”
Kieran stopped stroking and pulled his jeans up the rest of the way. He stuffed his erection inside, then slowly did up the buttons. “No.”
Finley narrowed his eyes. “Am I being punished?”
Kieran slid his arms into a long-sleeved tee and pulled it over his head.
“No.” He stalked forward, pinning Finley between his body and the bathroom vanity.
“Just want you to remember what’s waiting for you after we finish our conversation with Cash and eat breakfast.” He reached around Finley and grabbed his toothbrush from the holder, then squirted a generous glob of toothpaste on both their brushes.
“Because nothing Cash says will come between us.”
Finley dropped his clothes to the floor, slid both arms around Kieran’s waist, and pressed a kiss to his chest. Hope and happiness turned his irises into jade pools again. “Promise.”
Kieran cupped Finley’s face. “We may not agree on what Cash says or the actions that should follow, but whatever happened was set in motion before we met. I’ve let bitterness and suspicion affect my instincts and cause me to question my judgment.
I was wrong about Ritchie, yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong about everyone.
And since I’m being honest, I stopped giving people the opportunity to prove their worth to me.
That’s walking through life, not living it.
” Surviving, not thriving. “I want a second chance to do things right. Cash, regardless of his motivation, gave me that opportunity, and I won’t squander it. ”
Finley rose to his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to Kieran’s lips. “I have so many questions and a tiny favor to ask once we can break away.”
“I’ll answer them all, and I’ll grant your favor,” Kieran said.
“You don’t even—”
He stopped Finley with a kiss. “Doesn’t matter.”
Finley sighed and shook his head. “You can’t give me that kind of power.”
Kieran trailed a finger across his jawline and over his lips. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. You make me want to believe, and someday I will.”
Finley took a shaky breath and smiled. “Believe in what?” he pressed.
Kieran’s heart raced as he decided how honest to be.
“Myself for starters. I want to see the version of me that you see. But that’s not all,” he said, using an infomercial voice to inject humor into the conversation to ease the tightness gathering in his chest. Would expressing his thoughts and feelings ever come easy?
Easier at least? He sure hoped like hell it would because Finley deserved the best version of him.
Kieran deserved the best version of himself.
“You make me want to believe that faith, hope, and joy really exist and that they’re not just pretty words embroidered on bathroom towels.
You make me want to believe the universe not only has room for someone like me but wants me too.
” As Kieran spoke, the knot in his chest loosened in places his humor hadn’t reached.
“You make me want to believe that anything is possible, and it’s the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received.
” Finley’s eyes shimmered with gathering moisture, and Kieran acted quickly before those tears became his undoing.
“And if you call within the next thirty minutes—”
Finley cut him off with a hard, quick kiss. Then he shook his head and sighed. “Still have so many questions, but that gorgeous declaration will more than do for now.”
After another kiss, Finley dressed and they brushed their teeth. Kieran replenished Little Mama’s food and water, then they headed to the big ranch house to meet with Cash.
Harry looked up from the kitchen island and volleyed her gaze between them. She offered a tenuous smile and said, “Cash is waiting for you both in his office.” Her gaze landed on Finley and held. “Perhaps you can keep me company afterward and help me prepare breakfast.”
Kieran’s heart sped up as he recalled Harry’s attempt to fix Finley up with Michael.
“I don’t need my big sister to—”
Harry held up a hand. “I owe you both an apology.”
Kieran smiled while Finley bristled. “I would love to learn how you make the Belgian waffles he hasn’t stopped talking about since Cash called.
Served golden brown. Crispy on the outside but light and airy on the inside.
Pretty sure I know how everyone on the ranch tops theirs too.
” Finley nudged him with his elbow and Kieran smiled at him. “It’s cute.”
“Ugh,” Finley growled. He headed toward Cash’s office without waiting to see if Kieran would follow.
“Be back soon.” Kieran darted after him. He slid his arm around Finley’s waist and whispered, “Don’t be mad.”
Finley looked up at him with a smirk. “Not mad, but keep it up, and I know what kind of topping you won’t be doing.”
Kieran leaned closer and whispered, “More than happy to receive.”
“Let’s get this meeting out of the way. I might even consider skipping breakfast—” His words died when multiple voices filtered from Cash’s office. “What the hell?”