Page 41 of On Thin Ice

“Ramsey,” Finn warned.

“I mean it, are you fucking him? ’Cause you probably could. He thinks he’s sly about it, probably, but the way he looks at you a little too long? And all those years of painful repression? He’s ripe for the picking, Reynolds.”

Don’t remind me.

“We’re not fucking,” was all Finn actually said.

“But you could be.”

“Ramsey,” Finn repeated. “Don’t.”

“I’m just saying, he’s hot. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“I noticed,” Finn said dryly. “But this is about way more than getting off. He’shelpingme, and I fucking need it, okay? Way more than a few orgasms.”

Ramsey grinned. “Would it be just a few though?”

Finn punched him in the arm. “You’re actually the worst.”

“So I hear. But seriously, why can’t you do both?”

“I don’t know, because some of us aren’t controlled by our dicks?” But even though Ramsey absolutely gave that impression, loud and clear and front and center, Finn had realized long ago how hard he worked to keep the playboy front up. It was more misdirection from the king of it.

“I’m hurt. Really hurt,” Ramsey teased.

“Truly suffering. I can tell.” Finn reached out to grab his bag. Winced a little as a muscle he hadn’t even known he had pulled. Jacob had worked him over good.

And he’d work you over some more, if you asked real nice.

Great. Now his subconscious sounded exactly like Ramsey.

“Maybe I am.”

The seriousness in Ramsey’s voice caught Finn’s attention. He turned back to the other guy. “You are not.” But suddenly Finn wasn’t sure.

“I just can’t believe you figured out the solution to your problems before I did. I knew Braun lived here, but I never considered it.” Ramsey looked earnest and also impressed, which was kind of terrifying. “Maybe because it was so fucking messy, I didn’t think it would be a good idea.”

“I’m definitely not telling my dad. Which meansyou’renot telling my dad.”

Not that he’d actually thought Ramsey would. In fact, whenever Morgan came into town, Finn could always count on Ramsey playing interference. He’d been hurt by it and more than a little embarrassed, the first time he’d realized whatRamsey was doing, but those feelings had long since faded into gratitude.

But then, by relying on Ramsey to keep Morgan out of his hair, all Finn had really been doing was avoiding the problem.

Not embracing it. Not like Jacob wanted him to do.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Ramsey said. “And next time he shows up—”

“I’ll handle him,” Finn said resolutely. Would it suck? Without a doubt. But if he didn’t grasp the problem and learn to live with the sting, learn toacceptthe sting, he’d never be able to move past it.

Jacob was right about that.

“What? Why?” Ramsey looked annoyed, probably because he’d surprised him twice now.

And nobody ever surprised Ramsey.

“It’s time I man up, deal with him on my own.”

“But—”

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