Page 100 of The Finding Series: Vol. 1

Gray shifted his eyes to Jax and said, “I owe you an apology.”

Jax was caught off guard by the statement.

“I never meant to come between you and Dane,” he said softly.

“Gray-” Dane began to say but he saw Jax tighten his hold on Dane’s hand and Dane fell silent.

“We’re good, Gray. Jealousy wasn’t a great color on me.”

He knew Jax was letting him off easy considering how he’d goaded the man on more than one occasion so he just nodded.

“So Luke is still staying with you?” Jax ventured, his unasked question clear as day.

“Just till he gets back on his feet. He’s kind of starting over,” Gray hedged. It was as close to the truth as he was going to be able to get. “We’re not…we’re not what I made you believe we were a couple of weeks ago. We’re just friends.”

He saw Dane and Jax look at each other briefly. “Gray, what I saw the other day when he came here wasn’t just about friendship,” Dane said.

Gray’s heart seized up but he quickly dismissed the wayward emotion. “He’s straight, Dane. He’s just a really good guy, that’s all.”

Dane looked like he wanted to say something else but Gray didn’t have the emotional strength to deal with arguing over something that just wasn’t going to happen. Even if by some miracle Luke’s interest in him did straddle the line between friendship and something else, what the hell did Gray have to offer? He was a shell of a man with an uncertain future. And that didn’t even factor in the reality of Luke’s situation.

“I should probably head out,” Gray said as he climbed to his feet and handed Emma to Jax. Between the offers to drive him back to his place and the promises he had to make to keep them posted on his condition and call if he needed anything, it took Gray a good ten minutes to get on the road back to his place. While the visit had gone better than he’d expected, he still found himself wishing Luke had been at his side. His growing attraction to the man was becoming problematic but it was his heart that was really starting to take a beating because what it was feeling went beyond friendship or gratitude.

In the three weeks since they’d met, Gray hadn’t learned as much as he would have liked about the quiet man who’d become such a fixture in his life. But the things he did know were all things that tugged at something deep inside of him. Like how smart Luke was even though he didn’t seem to think so himself. Or how invested he got in things, whether it was the sci-fi movies he loved so much or the various projects he’d been working on around the cabin or the attention he gave Ripley. He was a stickler for details but also had no problem laughing at himself if something didn’t turn out the way he’d planned. But one of Gray’s favorite things to watch over the last few weeks was how relaxed Luke had become. He no longer carried his gun around on his person all the time and didn’t seem to be constantly scanning his surroundings like he had in the early days. There’d even been a couple of nights where Luke had actually fallen asleep on the couch while they were watching TV and Gray had been able to just sit and enjoy how at peace he looked.

But Gray wasn’t foolish enough to believe that whatever was happening would become his new normal, whatever the outcome might be in a couple weeks when his doctor would run the tests that would show if the chemo had done its job. At some point Gray would have to return to his obligations and Luke…well, he had no idea what Luke was going to do. It physically pained him to know how much trouble Luke was in. He’d only ever admitted to someone framing him for murder but it was clear Luke felt he had no one to turn to for help. Gray had approached the subject a few days earlier with another offer to help him get the best lawyer money could buy but Luke had casually brushed off the conversation with an excuse that he needed to finish up something in the shed. It had been frustrating to not give back to the man who’d given him so much.

The subject of his thoughts was just walking around the side of the cabin when Gray pulled into the driveway. Luke had offered to go with him to Dane and Jax’s but Gray had been too worried that Luke and Jax would have a run-in that would put Luke at risk, so he’d made the excuse that it was something he needed to do on his own. It was complete crap of course, but also a good decision because Gray knew he was becoming too reliant on Luke’s quiet strength.

“How did it go?” Luke asked as Gray got out of the car.

“About as well as can be expected, I guess,” Gray said as he tried to ignore the need to reach out and touch Luke. It would be so easy because Luke was only a half a foot away.

“I wish you’d let me come with you,” Luke said softly and to Gray’s surprise, he stepped closer and put his arm up on the side of the truck, essentially caging Gray in. Even though they were about the same size, Gray still felt slight as Luke’s big body brushed his briefly.

Despite the sudden dryness in his mouth, Gray managed to change the subject. “How’s the kitchen coming?” Luke didn’t answer him right away and a shudder went through Gray when Luke’s gaze dropped to his mouth. Dear God, was the man actually…

Ripley’s excited barking ripped Gray from his thoughts and he felt Luke tense up and then quickly step away from him. Luke’s hand reached behind his back and Gray knew he was instinctively looking for his gun – unfortunately, Gray had no idea if this was one of the times Luke had chosen to go without it.

A black Mercedes was pulling into the driveway behind Gray’s truck and Gray sucked in a sharp breath when he recognized the driver. Luke’s hand was still at his back so Gray quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s my brother.”

Luke flashed him a quick look of surprise. “I thought you guys didn’t talk.”

“We don’t,” Gray responded as an overwhelming sense of dread took hold of him.

“You didn’t want your family to know,” Luke observed.

Gray shook his head.

“Go inside,” Luke said. “I’ll tell him to go.”

Luke was already moving forward when Gray grabbed his wrist. “No,” he murmured. “I’d like to see him.” The truthful statement surprised even himself.

Gray closed the truck’s door and watched as his brother climbed out of what Gray could only assume was a rental since it had Montana plates. His brother hadn’t changed much since Gray had last seen him almost three years ago. His dark hair was short on the sides and just a little longer on top. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his blue eyes and he had a little bit of a five o’clock shadow going on. Even though he was nearly seven years younger than Gray, he was almost an inch taller and had a muscular build that his custom-made suit complemented.

As he approached, Gray saw the moment his brother noticed Gray’s appearance and while his sunglasses hid his reaction, his step faltered and his lips parted just a little bit.

“Roman,” Gray said quietly as he extended his hand.

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