“I guess not many people could make millions off avocados.” Fynn’s voice came out strangled.
“Not many people are as kind, or as interesting, or as honest, or as funny as you are.”
“I’m mostly funny when I don’t mean to be, and I’m not sure I’m all that kind.” He didn’t want to chase Nolan off, but he didn’t want the guy staying on false pretenses.
Nolan reached out again and this time he touched Fynn’s cheek. “You care that the product you make your money from isn’t priced too high for people to afford. You care that all your bodyguards, not just me, get a full night’s sleep and days off. You tried to get your driver to take a paid vacation for his safety, even though you hate changing your routines.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to Joe.” Fynn ached to lean into that warm palm.
“Exactly.” Nolan moved closer, sliding his hand down Fynn’s cheek and under his chin. He tilted Fynn’s face up. Fynn felt those strong fingers trembling. “I’ve guarded plenty of attractive and rich and successful folk. You’re the first one I’ve wanted to get close to.”
“How close?” Fynn pushed higher onto his toes, feeling reckless and powerful.I made Nolan Stone’s hand shake.
Nolan’s lips parted as if he was about to reply, then he simply bent his head and took Fynn’s mouth with his. The kiss wasn’t gentle. Nolan claimed Fynn’s lips hungrily. His beard was perfectly rough against Fynn’s face and he tasted of coffee. He cupped the back of Fynn’s head and held him still to plunder his mouth.
Fynn was more than willing to be held. He kissed back as well as he could, his breath coming short. The brief kisses he’d exchanged with Leo had been nothing like this. Nolan nipped Fynn’s lower lip till it smarted, then soothed the spot with his tongue tip, before groaning and jamming their open mouths together.
When they broke apart, Fynn was panting. He thumped his heels back on the floor. “Now you can’t leave, because showing me what that feels like and then going away would be mean, and you’re not mean.” He squeezed his eyes shut, becauseway to go with the inane babble.
But Nolan chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere. I do need to talk to my team, though. Give Charlie a heads-up that I’m deviating from our planned schedule for personal reasons.”
“Before you take me back to bed?” Fynn had never been the desperately eager one before. Sex was fun, but so were many other things and his brain was often running on too many tracks to focus on seduction, even when he was the one being seduced. Having Nolan’s mouth on his and Nolan’s muscular body pressed up against him turned out to be excellent for focus, though. His dick was totally onboard withright now.“I haven’t showered yet. I mean, we can shower afterward. Instead of twice.”
Fynn’s phone chose that moment to ring. He flinched, glaring at where it lay on the counter.Ignore, ignore.Except that was Micah’s ring, and if Fynn didn’t answer, his brother would keep trying. “Hold that thought,” he told Nolan, and scooped up the phone. “Yeah, what?”
“Good morning to you too.”
Fynn hadn’t had coffee and he hadn’t had sex. Micah couldn’t expect manners. “What do you want?”
“I’m on my way over there. I’ll be downstairs in about fifteen minutes.”
“What? Why?”
“I have an investor who’s interested in floating a big chunk of the portable-tester development costs, in exchange for a quantity of shares we can afford to part with, but he wants to speak with you.”
“With me?” The last thing Fynn wanted was to be paraded like a prize pony for someone who should only care about results. “Why not show him the lab? If he signs the NDA, he can have a demo.”
“Fynn, come on, you know that’s not the way these things work. We have to establish a rapport. Convince him we’re a stable and growing organization. That means some socializing.”
“I hate schmoozing. I’m not good at it. You do it.”
“I’ve already met with him. Don’t be a child. It’s just brunch at the yacht club. The food’s good, and we can go out on the water afterward.”
Going out on the water was Micah’s thing, not Fynn’s. When Micah bought the boat, Fynn had told him to have fun while Fynn kept his feet on dry land. Although he didn’t hate cruising— in the actual boat sense. Maybe Nolan would enjoy it.
Fynn hadn’t spent much time with Micah lately. That was Micah’s fault for treating him like a child, but some little bit inside him murmuredhe’s all the family I haveandI want him to meet Nolan properly.At the very least, they’d have some time on the water when no kidnapper could possibly be sneaking up on them, and they could relax and talk.
“Okay, I’ll do the brunch thing, but this’d better be worth it.”
“Fifteen million dollars?”
“I guess.” The number seemed ridiculous. Millions of dollars didn’t feel real to him, even though he now owned as much. “Do I have to dress up?”
“Slacks and a good polo are fine. There’s no dress code for brunch. I’ll be there soon.”
Micah hung up before Fynn could change his mind. The words “dress code” stuck in his throat. He’d done the dinners with investors, back when they were courting venture capital. If he never saw another dinner jacket it’d be too soon. “Why is this still my life?”
“Why is what?” Nolan looked sympathetic but puzzled.
