Page 52 of Guys Like Him

Finley looked up at him, and Kieran wiped his tears away. “But you didn’t follow them, Kieran. You’re better than they were.”

“Sometimes I don’t think I’m that different. I still hurt the one person in the world who cares the most about me.” Kieran rubbed the back of two fingers over Finley’s cheek. “You and the people on this ranch are the closest I’ve ever come to having a real family, and it scares me.”

“We won’t let you down.” Considering the heavy conversation with Cash that lay ahead, it was a bold claim.

Kieran held his gaze for a long time before his eyelashes fluttered and his eyelids closed. His breath evened out moments later, making Finley sleepier. He tucked up under his arm once more and whispered, “Please stay,” before giving in to sleep.

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—”

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