owning that much marijuana is very, very illegal.”
“I mean, that’s the point, isn’t it?”
“No.”
But Finch was still smiling, so Hugh laughed. “Finch, I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”
“It’s probably for the best, sir.” He cleared his throat and looked at the remaining gift, which
had tumbled off his lap and landed beside his thigh during the commotion. “Before I open this,
should I brace myself to find something unlawful inside?”
“Not at all.” Hugh smiled. “Go ahead.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Finch scooped up the gift and opened it. When he removed the
lid, he gasped. “Sir…”
“I thought you might wear it for the party today,” Hugh explained, lifting the gemstone brooch
from its velvet padding. It was a small but masterfully crafted piece done in white gold, gray
diamond, onyx, and ruby and resembled a wild finch perched on a branch. “I had it made just
for you. May I pin it to your lapel?”
Finch nodded, and so Hugh did. Not only did the pop of color from the brooch draw the eye to
Finch’s typically understated but stylish suit, but its gemstones glimmered in the sunlight.
Hugh was enthralled.
“It looks just as amazing as I thought it would.” Hugh smoothed Finch’s lapel, then met Finch’s
eyes. They were every bit as exquisite as the jewels on his chest. “Thank you again for
agreeing to come out with me today. When you’re around, I never feel like I have to shoulder
the world on my own.”
“And you will never have to,” Finch promised.
Mine,Hugh’s dragon insisted, but Hugh paid it no heed. It would be rude to take the brooch
back now, no matter how beautiful it was. Besides, the jewels looked better on Finch than they
would in his hoard.
The rest of the trip to Sebastian’s estate was uneventful, but with Finch there to share it with
him, Hugh still enjoyed it more than words could say.
Finch
Even if Finch hadn’t known he was at the home of a dragon, it wouldn’t have been hard to
guess. Sebastian Drake’s lair wasn’t a mansion—it was an obscenely large manor tucked into