‘An UnmannerlyAffair?In Love With His Mistress’s Master? You readromances?’
‘Aye.’ Finlay raised his jaw. ‘And what of it?’
‘Well, nothing really. It’s just surprising, that’s all.’ Murray’s eyes had a wicked gleam. ‘What’s this one?Catch and Release?’
‘That’s about a pair of fishermen who… look, what does it matter? I enjoy them, OK?’ Finlay snapped, snatching the book from his hand and shoving it back into the tote.
‘You are nothing like I thought you’d be.’ Murray grinned, observing him. ‘I mean that in the nicest possible way.’
Finlay let the mocking wash over him. Insult or compliment, it didn’t really matter because they’d shared these last twenty-four hours of solitude and it had been wonderful.
‘Where’s your library card?’ Murray was asking.
‘You don’t need it to return books,’ Finlay snapped. ‘And Judy can issue the new ones to me on her computer.’
Murray’s eyes gleamed at this. ‘Is there something you don’t want me to see?’
‘Och!’ Finlay reached for his wallet by the door and, struggling with only one working arm, freed the card and handed it over. ‘Satisfied?’
Murray’s laugh made the air crackle. ‘FinlayWaywardMorlich? You’re joking! Your parents named you Finlay Wayward?’
Finlay snatched the card back. ‘Aye, well, naebody needs to know.’
Murray straightened his face. ‘Right enough, let’s keep it between us and Highland library services.’
‘The name was supposed to be a reminder,’ Finlay went on, smiling in spite of the smarting embarrassment.
‘Of what?’
‘To be good, I suppose.’ Finlay forgot his injury and tried to shrug, flinching when the pain shot like a thunderbolt through him. ‘Jeez-o!’ He sucked air sharply through his teeth, and Murray stopped his teasing to steady him, two warm hands clasping his arms.
‘Careful, careful,’ he warned. ‘Your shoulder.’
The two stayed like this for a beat, adjusting to the closeness. No one felt much like laughing all of a sudden.
‘Well,’ Murray said, bringing his forehead down to rest on Finlay’s, which felt as miraculous as it did natural. ‘I’ll stick to calling you Finlay, if you don’t mind? There’s nothing that seems wayward or even the tiniest bit bad about you, to me.’
Finlay heard Murray swallow through the thrum of tension between them.
‘Will you visit again soon?’ Finlay said, his eyelids growing heavy, wanting to close them.
‘I will. How about next week? By the time I sort out these contracts, and my travel and accommodation arrangements, visas, maybe? And there’s the pups to look after. I’ve really left Mum and Dad to deal with them, and there’s the adoptions to sort out, and there’ll be repair Saturday to endure, and the garden project on Sunday, I suppose?’
‘Lots to do,’ Finlay said.
‘Lots.’
Finlay nodded, letting his forehead rub against Murray’s, still neither of them wanting to pull apart.
He risked moving his arm to Murray’s waist, before spreading his palm flat against the shallow of his spine.
Murray’s breathing faltered.
Finlay pressed all the firmer and Murray closed the gap between their bodies.
‘I’ll bring you back some sweets,’ Murray promised on an outward breath.
Finlay summoned all his courage to look into Murray’s eyes, finding them heavy-lidded and soft. ‘You don’t need to. I’m feeling sweet enough,’ he replied, barely thinking what he was saying, and with one shared breath between them, their lips met in the softest way possible.
