Page 5 of Something Unforgettable

“Um. H-hey,” he mumbled, soft enough that Xavier had to strain to hear. Fuck. Xavier wanted to reach out and tip his chin up, to slide his thumb over that pink cheek and feel the heat of Finn’s blush. He was so goddamn sweet.

“Bottoms up,” Archer announced, handing Finn a shot glass filled to the brim with amber liquid.

Finn took it eagerly and knocked it back, wincing a little at the burn. Archer laughed and handed him a second one.

Finn was just downing the second shot when Xavier saw a blur of movement from the corner of his eye.

“Finn!” Micah shouted, just before crashing into him in an exuberant hug.

Finn yelped and Xavier somehow managed to snag the shot glass before it could fall.

Micah hugged the younger man, the drink in his free hand sloshing dangerously. Micah was a couple of inches taller than Finn, but he was broader through the shoulders and more muscular. It made Finn, who was already slender, look tiny in comparison. Xavier couldn’t help but imagine the way his own frame would be able to wrap around the boy. The thought was enough to make his palms itch with the urge to find out what it felt like.

“You made it!” Micah exclaimed. “Did you see the bull? You have to sign up.”

Finn looked overwhelmed. “Sign up?” he parroted.

“For the contest.” Micah had Finn by the upper arms and gave him an excited shake. “Hunter rented us a mechanical bull, so we can finally settle on who’s the bestrider.” He waggled his eyebrows on the last word, making Finn laugh.

Xavier’s chest squeezed at the sound.

“No way,” Finn said, a smile curving his pretty lips. “I’m hopeless at that kind of stuff.”

Micah wasn’t going to be dissuaded that easily. “So what you’re saying is I need to get you drunk and then convince you.”

Xavier had a warm buzz going. He’d left his original spot at the bar in favor of where Ryan and Keegan, the vet, were watching the younger crowd take on the mechanical bull. Micah had been by twice to beg Ryan to take a turn, but Ryan just smirked and told him, “Soon.” Xavier wasn’t sure what he was waiting for. That thing only looked more dangerous as time went on. He winced when another young man was flung from its back by the operator and landed on the dark blue padding with an “oof.”

A cheer went up and he glanced toward the score board. The young man’s time had replaced the previous high score. Micah put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

He glanced past Micah and couldn’t help but smirk. He was being observed. Finn’s eyes widened and he ducked back so he was hidden. Then, a moment later, he peeked out again and smiled at Xavier, quick and nervous. Xavier laughed quietly. God, he was cute.

“Fucking shame he’s taken,” he murmured.

Ryan glanced over, his brow furrowed. “Who?”

“Finn,” Xavier said, angling his body away so he wasn’t tempted to tease Finn further.

Keegan laughed. “Your husband owes me twenty bucks, Ryan.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Micah needs to stop taking bets he knows he’s going to lose.” He took a pull from his beer then gestured in Finn’s direction. “What the hell makes you think he’s seeing someone?”

Xavier’s eyebrows went up. “Because he told me that?” It had been over a year, though. Possibly they’d broken up? Fuck. It didn’t matter. Finn barely spoke to him. If he was interested, he would have given Xavier some clue by now. Instead, he kept as far from him as possible.

Keegan looked amused. “He lied to you.”

That shifted Xavier’s mood from wistfulness to confusion.

“That boy’s been single ever since he came back to town. His grandfather keeps asking if I know anyone I can set him up with.”

Ryan leaned in and raised his voice over the cheer as another person hit the mats. “What? You’re not good enough for Mac’s grandson?”

It was Keegan’s turn to roll his eyes. Xavier wondered if this conversation would be happening without the alcohol. “He tried. Poor Finn was mortified. He’s more interested in my animals than he is in me.”

None of this helped Xavier. So Finn had lied to him a year ago. Had Xavier come on too strong? Or was he just not interested and that was the fastest way to get Xavier to back off?

“Jesus, who got caught by the paparazzi this time?” Nick said as he appeared next to them, hair damp and cheeks flushed from the dance floor. He wrapped an arm around Ryan’s waist and got a kiss to his sweaty cheek in reply.

Ryan murmured something in his ear and Nick laughed outright. Xavier narrowed his eyes at his best friend, knowing the next thing out of his mouth was going to be either obnoxious or mocking.

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