Page 38 of Persuaded

Once everyone was settled, squeezed onto sofas and chairs, or cross-legged on the floor, Sean stood up and raised his glass. “I’ll keep it short,” he promised. “Just wanted to thank you all.First, for coming along today and helping us celebrate our first Christmas in our new home, but also for welcoming us into New Milton so fully. I’m sure”—he gestured to Finn—“it has nothing to do with my doofus actor brother.”

Joshua laughed at that. He liked Sean’s self-effacing honesty. It wasn’tentirelytrue, but Sean’s welcome had certainly been made easier by Finn’s celebrity dazzle.

“Hey,” Don said, “we like youdespitehim, son.” And Finn lifted his glass in salute, smiling.

“So, Merry Christmas!” Sean said. “And a very happy New Year to you all!”

Joshua dutifully lifted his bottle of beer and nudged Matt to do the same with his Coke when he saw Liz looking.

Happy New Year?

It would be the ninth, since Finn. Usually, Joshua hated New Years, but today he felt... He felt like maybe the coming year could be different. He’d seen Finn again, he’d seen him moving on, and knew he wasn’t coming back. So maybe this year he could do the same. Maybe he could move away at last. Maybe he coulddosomething with his life.

He smiled. He would. He would do it. He lifted his bottle to drink again, a solitary toast to new beginnings.

When he lowered his bottle, he caught Finn’s gaze slipping away from him, as always.

* * *

“Secret Santa!”

Finn felt a ridiculous hum under his skin while Matt and Dee dished out the presents from beneath the tree. He distracted himself by giving Liz the present he’d bought her: Jean Patou perfume. It had always been successful with his other girlfriends, and Liz seemed delighted.

“Wow,Joy? Finn, you shouldn’t have.”

“I wanted to,” he said, with the same conviction he imbued every well-rehearsed line.

Beaming, she reached up to kiss him. Her lips tasted like punch, her smile a little sloppy. “You’re the best.”

He wasn’t, and he knew it for sure when his gaze slid toward Josh. Again. He sat on an ottoman near Sean’s oversized tree, wearing that heavy sweater with its frayed cuffs that Finn could imagine—

He deliberately didn’t imagine.

It was so hot in the room, with the fire and all the people, it was amazing Josh wasn’t melting. But Josh loved the heat—Finn remembered how he’d revel in it even when the sweat was glistening on his chest, in the hollow of his throat. Finn licked his lips, almost surprised he couldn’t taste salt.

“Here’s yours,” Matt said, startling him back to the present. He held out a neatly wrapped package. “Don’t open it until Sean says ‘Go.’”

He took it with a smile, feeling his stomach pitch as he glanced again at Josh. Thinking about it now, he’d been stupid to buy him something so expensive. Josh would guess.Everyonewould guess...

Dee handed Josh his gift and he turned the package over in his hands—his long-fingered, musician’s hands. He was a fucking artist with those hands. And that mouth. Finn’s pulse kicked and he shifted where he perched on the arm of the chair, his cock stirring uncomfortably.

Damn it.

And damn Josh for standing up and pulling his sweater over his head. His shirt rode up with it, revealing a slice of tanned stomach and—God help him—a crest of sharp hipbone where his jeans hung low. He’d kissed that hipbone, run his tongue along it, down onto the concave plane of his stomach.

Finn swallowed the rest of his punch in one go and crossed his legs. In retrospect, the punch might have been a bad idea. His head swum, but Sean was already on his feet and there was nowhere for Finn to go so he gritted his teeth.

“Everyone got a gift? Okay...and...go!”

Amid rustling paper and laughter, everyone opened their present—some were probably funny, some sweet, some boring. Finn barely noticed. He barely noticed his own gift, because his attention was riveted on Josh.

Watching from the corner of his eye, he could see him past Tejana’s shoulder and Don’s knee. Josh opened his gift with care—no ripping paper, each piece of tape sliced with a fingernail. So very him. He unfolded the paper and Finn’s heart crawled up into his throat as Josh widened his eyes. The gloves were leather, soft and lined with sheepskin, more than five bucks by a multiple of ten.

Josh’s head shot up and Finn fixed his eyes on his own gift: a chocolate vampire and a pointy stick. Because he played a vampire hunter on TV—ha-ha. In the periphery of his awareness he heard laughter, but ignored it as he snuck another look at Josh who was trying on one of his gloves, flexing his fingers into the leather. Looked like they fitted just right.

He felt a silly glow inside; no more freezing hands for Josh, no more fingers tucked up into the cuffs of his scruffy sweater. Those talented hands deserved more care.

Not that Finn cared; he was just being a good guy. Josh was broke and Finn was buying him a decent pair of gloves. What did fifty bucks mean to him? Nothing. It might as well have been five for all the difference the price made. It didn’tmeananything.

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