Page 75 of Mercury Rising

“Yes as in we. Don’t be weird.”

“Sounds couply.”

Mercury grinned. “More or less couply than you riding me to an earth-shattering orgasm? I’m not sure.”

The wisecracks might be flying but the look he and Nick shared melted Mercury right down to his very core.

They were very much a we.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Mercury rifled through the House’s DVD collection. It had been pouring down all day and the kids were fractious to say the least.

“I want something with action in,” Eddie said. “Nothing soppy.”

“Ugh,” Brooke replied. “No superheroes. They’re so tired.”

“Yeah, that’s why they’re the number-one films all the time,” Eddie fired back.

Mercury stood, holding a DVD. “Enough squabbling. How about this?”

Eddie and Brooke looked at him.

“Titanic? That’s ancient,” Brooke said.

“Anything from this century?” Eddie added.

“Fine,” Mercury said, putting it down. “You choose. I surrender.”

Hassan came in. “Can we watchJurassic Park?”

Eddie and Brooke both cheered.

“You set it up,” Mercury said. “Give me five minutes.”

Nick was grinning in the doorway. Mercury followed him through into the office.

“You don’t mind me watching a movie with the kids, do you?” Mercury asked. “I’ve done two logbooks today.”

“Course not,” Nick replied. “You’re amazing with them, you know. Have you ever thought about making it a career? You know, when you’re done with the old community service?”

Mercury hadn’t. He had been planning how to relaunch his channels now that he had lost the hideous ankle jewellery.

What if he didn’t have to resume things exactly as he’d left them? It was food for thought.

“I hadn’t,” he replied. “Do you think they’d let me? I have a criminal record.”

“Hey, when I got out of prison, I never expected I’d find myself here. It took a lot of hoop jumping, but I made it.”

Mercury let the office door shut behind him. “I’d love to kiss you right now,” he said. “I know I can’t. Fucking hell, it’s hard to fight it sometimes.”

Nick laughed. “You’re only human.”

“Funny guy.”

“How about coming to mine after work?” Nick asked. “Stay over. You can kiss me as many times as you like then.”

Mercury leant against his desk. “Now that’s way too much temptation for me to refuse. I’ll need to go home after work to get some things.”