Curious (The Finn Factor 1)

He waited for the hum of arousal and excitement that usually came with a potential new conquest, but there was nothing. Jeremy sighed, knowing it wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight. Not for a while. “I appreciate it, but I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”

“Are you sure?” The stranger lowered his voice and leaned closer. “I am arrogant, but from the look of you I think you’d know exactly how to put me in my place.”

Jeremy chuckled and started to refuse again, but before he had a chance, Owen arrived beside them and beat him to the punch.

“He passed. Weren’t you paying attention?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly and he turned around to see Owen towering over him, his blond hair mussed from the wind, his blue eyes icy and threatening. “You should leave now.”

“I didn’t know this seat was taken,” the man mumbled, throwing money on the bar and walking out of the pub without another word. Jeremy watched Owen glare at his back until he disappeared, more than a little surprised at his reaction.

“Bad day?”

Owen turned back to him and Jeremy actually felt a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach. He did not look happy.

“We need to talk.”

“Hey, big brother.” Jen walked over and leaned forward on the bar in front of them. “You look like hell. You didn’t fire Scott, did you? It was my idea to get you that stripper, in case you were mad.”

“I could have gone all year without knowing that.” Owen rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and nodded. “But it has been a tough day. In fact, that’s why I asked Jeremy to drop by. A friend of ours is making some bad decisions and I need his help getting it sorted out. Beers and darts later?”

Jen frowned in concern but nodded. “You’re on.”

Owen gripped Jeremy’s arm. “Let me fill you in out back.”

Shit. He thought they’d come here so they wouldn’t be alone, but it was clear Owen had something to say that he didn’t want anyone else to hear. Was he going to tell him to stay away from his family? From him? Was he going to say he was drunk that night and he didn’t remember how it started or why? “Sure.”

They walked past the dartboards and the bathrooms, into the small kitchen that was only open for lunch and out the back door. The back alley of Finn’s was narrow without a lot of places for privacy. Owen kept walking until he’d moved past the large trash bin and into the shadows.

Jeremy followed at a slower pace. Owen was definitely upset. “What’s up?”

Owen took him by surprise when he grabbed him by his shirt and flung him against the brick wall a little harder than necessary. The air left his lungs in a whoosh.

“What’s up?” Owen sounded incredulous. “Are you seriously asking that?”

Jeremy frowned, holding up his hands. “Owen, calm down. You said you wanted to talk.”

“Oh, I’ve wanted to talk for two days, Jeremy. You haven’t answered my calls. Then I came over after work yesterday and you weren’t there. Where the hell were you?”

Jeremy swallowed hard. “Dinner. I must have been picking up dinner. And I was going to answer your messages. I was busy.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? That I haven’t known you for two decades? Seen you in action? You were avoiding me like I was one of your one-night stands. One of your little third boys. Me.”

“I was giving you space,” Jeremy shot back. Owen had avoided him for three weeks, and he hadn’t gone off like this. “And it was a one-night stand, wasn’t it? We agreed it was only going to be one night. What the hell, man?”

“I didn’t agree to you acting like I didn’t exist. I wanted to make sure you were okay, and you didn’t let me because you were too busy running from what we did.” Owen stepped closer and reached out to grip his wrist, guiding his hand toward his cock. “You were avoiding this. Giving me space I didn’t ask for and pissing me off. Then I walk into the bar and you’re already working on lining up someone else for the night.”

Jeremy pushed Owen away roughly, trying to ignore the fact that his knuckles had brushed against one hell of an erection. “He wanted to buy me a drink, that’s all. Jesus, Owen, stop it. Someone could walk by.”

“Do you think I care?” He gasped as he found himself pinned between Owen’s body and the wall. “I don’t give a damn. You’re not going anywhere until we deal with this. And he didn’t want a drink. He wanted to fuck you and you were thinking about it.”

“This is your family’s place. Let’s at least talk about this somewhere else.”

“We’re talking about it now. Was it because I tied you up? Did liking it scare you?”