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“Please don’t call Cash yet,” Kieran said. He didn’t reach out and physically restrain Finley, but the desperation in his gaze stopped him short.
Finley put his phone back in his pocket. “Don’t think you’re going to distract me with kittens or sex,” he said crankily.
Kieran’s mouth twitched at the corners, and Finley was suddenly desperate to see one of his smiles. He chided himself as Kieran restored order in the closet, shut the door, and showed Patsy some affection. Gaining favor with the man who’d shut him out should’ve been the last thing on his mind. Finley took a fortifying breath and forced himself to remember why Kieran had done it, which brought him right back to the stolen equipment.
“The only people with interest in the memory card are Ritchie or one of the other guys in the photos,” Finley said softly during the walk to Kieran’s cabin.
“Or the person pulling the strings. If any of those men go down, they could lead the authorities to him to get a bigger deal.”
Finley tripped and stumbled. Kieran steadied him with a hand on his bicep but didn’t let go when Finley righted himself. The warmth of Kieran’s touch threatened to hijack his thoughts again, but Finley gave himself a mental shake. “You can’t mean—”
“Shh,” Kieran warned. “Wait.”
Once inside the small cabin, Finley couldn’t resist following the tiniest meows coming from a box by Kieran’s bed. He eased over, careful not to scare Little Mama, and cooed to her as he sat crossed-legged on the floor. “Look what you did. Such a good mommy already.”
Kieran sat down close enough for their knees to touch. Was it a distraction ploy, or had Kieran missed him just as much? Finley couldn’t allow his thoughts to go there, so he focused on the kittens who were climbing over one another while their mama rested. He wanted to reach inside, scoop the babies up, and cuddle them, but it would distress Little Mama too much.
“They’re so precious.” Kieran sounded awed and smitten with the family, and Finley couldn’t help being a little jealous. “She was exhausted and struggled to clean off their faces. I remembered what you told me to do, even though I was nervous as hell.”
That was the most Kieran had spoken in his presence since leaving Dexter’s. Call him stupid, but it seemed natural to reach over and hold his hand, so Finley gave in to his urge. “You did good.”
Kieran shocked him by rotating his wrist and sliding his fingers through Finley’s. Warmth surged into him from both the connection and the naked longing in Kieran’s obsidian gaze. It was as if the theft hadn’t occurred, and they hadn’t lost a week together. Or maybe the separation was the reason his heart was threatening to gallop out of his chest. It felt so right being back in Kieran’s cabin that Finley didn’t question it. The chemistry they’d shared at Dexter’s was still there, maybe stronger, as if the week of tension had been mere foreplay. But this wasn’t the reunion Finley had allowed himself to imagine during weaker moments.
“I owe you an explanation.” Both Kieran’s voice and expression were filled with dread, and the food Finley had consumed at the café turned to a brick in his stomach.
“Not in front of the children,” Finley whispered, hoping to lighten the mood.
Kieran’s mouth curved up slightly on the right side. Ah, progress. Finley reminded himself he shouldn’t want to make inroads with Kieran until he understood better why he’d searched Cash’s office for the stolen equipment. No way in hell it was an unhappy coincidence, but he also refused to believe Kieran was up to no good. Did that mean Cash was? He just couldn’t go there because there was few people he respected more than Cash.
They moved over to the loveseat, both migrating toward the middle rather than choosing separate cushions. The impulse to touch Kieran again surged through Finley and he gave in. As before, Kieran rotated his wrist and laced their fingers together.
“I didn’t come to Redemption Ridge for a clean start or to learn a new set of skills,” Kieran said softly. “Well, maybe I did, but it wasn’t the only reason. I came here because I suspected Cash Sweeney was the puppet master pulling Ritchie’s strings.”
Finley heard the words, but they didn’t compute. “I don’t understand how any of this happened. Will you tell me?” Kieran nodded, and Finley squeezed his hand. “From the beginning?”
Kieran exhaled slowly and said, “I didn’t plan to stay in Colorado, but I fell in love with the mountains during a layover at the Greyhound station. They just called to me in a way I still can’t understand. When it was time to board the bus to California, I didn’t. I stayed at a homeless shelter that first night, and a volunteer gave me the number of a contractor who was always looking for help. It was hard work, but the guy was honest and always paid. His brother owned a bar and would always say a looker like me could pull in big tips.” Kieran shrugged. “So I decided to give it a go.”
Finley nearly wrenched his neck. “You were a bartender? The guy who doesn’t do idle chitchat?”
“I talked to you a lot.”
“You wanted to see me naked,” Finley countered. “You weren’t about to dole out relationship advice to patrons, and I don’t see you flirting to get big tips.” He narrowed his eyes and studied Kieran. “But you didn’t need either of those things, did you? People fell for your brooding looks and aloof demeanor. There’s just something about it people can’t resist. I bet you raked in the money.”
A soft blush bloomed on Kieran’s cheeks. “I did pretty good. But you’re right about the aloof bit. That’s been a part of me since I went into foster care when I was ten.” Finley’s heart broke for the innocent boy he’d been. He started to ask, but Kieran stopped him with a gentle kiss. “I promise to tell you everything, but let’s focus on the most pressing issue right now.” Finley pointed to his mouth, signaling he’d cooperate for another kiss. Kieran complied with a smirk, lingering longer this time. “I missed you so much.”
Finley sighed and briefly closed his eyes. “We’ll address that later too, preferably while naked. For now, you were an unattainable bartender who the patrons couldn’t resist. I suppose that’s how you met Ritchie?”
“Yeah,” Kieran replied. “He was determined to get my attention, to make me smile, and to get in my pants.”
“I hate that I have a single thing in common with that asshole, and it turns out we shared at least three goals.”
Kieran snorted and shook his head. “Do I need to get a muzzle for you, or will you let me finish the story?” Finley mimed zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. Kieran briefly nuzzled his neck before pressing his lips to Finley’s ear. “I hope you have a spare key. I’m fond of that mouth and there are places on my body it hasn’t been yet.”
Finley didn’t bother trying to hide the arousal thrumming through him. He could feel his focus shifting to his nether regions, which wasn’t his fault. It also wasn’t where his mind needed to be. He lassoed his lust and tethered it to a fence post for the time being.
“Ritchie’s tactics were different,” Kieran said. “His approach was consistent and deliberate. He showed up regularly and made it obvious he wanted to get to know me, not just take me home for the night. Sure, Ritchie flirted with words and actions—a wink or a glancing touch when I set his drink down on the bar, but what grabbed and held my attention were the notes he left behind on the napkins. Sometimes he complimented me, other times he poked fun at my choice of shirt or how I’d handled a situation. He occasionally quoted lines from a book, movie, or song. I threw the first napkin away with barely a glance because it wasn’t an original approach. People often left their phone numbers along with the things they wanted to do to or for me.”
Jealousy churned in Finley’s gut as he imagined greedy eyes and hands all over his—no, not his man. An internal voice whisperednot yet, but Finley was afraid to let that kernel of hope blossom. He clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together to keep from interrupting Kieran again.
