Page 13 of Mimosa (Murphy's Pub #2)

Chapter Thirteen

Mims was a little buzzed from the four beers he’d had, but Sonny very carefully took care of him, making him eat a second hamburger.

They sat together, and here and there, people would come to small talk with them. One thing Mims did notice was that he was no longer stared at. In fact, all of them seemed to be having a good time, and mostly forgot he was there.

Mims thought, yeah, his acting must have worked.

Sonny said the same. “You did really great,” he assured as they left just before ten thirty that evening.

“Really? You don’t think they were just pretending, to, I don’t know, make us think that?”

“They’re not that good at pretending when they’re all together. They save that for the enemies, and as far as they know, for now, you’re not. Neither is the pub. I’ll find out more next meeting without you, but…I think we’re clear. You did well.”

He was still buzzed enough to speak his mind. “Does that mean you don’t need me anymore?”

Sonny didn’t answer for a long time, but Mims did see him clenching his jaw. “Mims, I wasn’t pretending or lying when I said I liked you. Yeah, I don’t have to pretend anymore, I don’t need you for that reason, but I want you for an entirely different reason.”

He relaxed a little and whispered, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’ve been tossed aside before. I get it. I just…well, this is going to be sticky now that you’ve asked that.”

“What?”

Sonny let out a long breath and took in another before he said, “I…you have my head all screwed up right now, and that is bad timing. I need to work, but I am not giving you up. I’m not.”

Mims felt he was telling the truth, but it still hurt. “So…what?”

“I’ll call you every single day and we’ll meet once a week, if that’s okay. Maybe more, if I can get away, but we’re doing…some things with the BBC. Things that will fuck up my head. I don’t want you to see me like that. I’ll take a day to decompress from that, then I’ll be better for you.”

“How bad?”

Sonny shook his head. “So bad I’d never tell you. For me, having to not only watch but take part in some of this shit…Mims, it’s hell. It’s like living in a hell that you can’t get away from. And here you come, this…this bright, sweet light into my life. As much as I need your light to kill that darkness, well, I am terrified that the darkness will extinguish your light.”

Mims didn’t even try to hold back the tears in that moment. He looked over to Sonny and was surprised to see tears rolling down his cheeks too. “What about tonight?”

“Oh, well, tonight…I think something can be arranged.”

They drove to Sonny’s apartment and once inside, Sonny tenderly took Mims’s hand and led him to the bedroom, glancing back with an almost shy smile.

Mims was the light in his life. That intimidated him some, trying to live up to that. He was a criminal, for one thing. For another, he wasn’t sure how he lit Sonny’s eyes, but maybe that was the point. He wasn’t trying. It was simply happening.

Inside the bedroom, Sonny held Mims’s face in both hands, then slid them back into Mims’s hair, while never looking away from his eyes. “You’re beautiful. You…make me feel so good just being around you. I guess I know why all those people at the pub love you so much that they want to kill me.”

“They don’t.”

“Well…maybe not, but I wouldn’t blame them. At all.”

“I would. You are a light in my eyes too, ya know? I…I will miss you when you can’t have me around.”

“Shh. Don’t talk about that now,” he said as he closed the distance between them and kissed him softly. “Just us, that’s all there is in this whole world right now. Us.”

That was exactly how it felt. The world washed away and the only place still standing was that building, that bedroom, that spot where they stood. The other people were floating in space, wishing they could land back on the ground, but there was only that little piece. And it was all for them.

For Mims and Sonny.

Sonny’s hands moved slowly, getting the “straight” clothes off him. Mims felt the cool air of the room on his flesh as he was naked before Sonny, then he was pushed onto the bed as Sonny moved over him.

Kissing him like he couldn’t get enough. As he kissed Mims, Sonny got his own clothes off, clumsily. Making Mims laugh twice as he had to get off the bed to take off his shoes and again to get off his briefs.

“Thought I could be sexier than I was, I guess.”

“Even stumbling, you’re sexy.”

“I knew I liked you,” he said as he crawled over him again, laughing. “You’re smiling.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You’re even more beautiful when you smile, babe. I think…I think you’re better for me than I first thought.”

Mims pulled him down to kiss him, being afraid to let more words fall between them. Words hurt a lot of the time, much more than fists. He didn’t want pretty words from the man. What Mims wanted from Sonny was his heart.

When Sonny was sheathed and pushing inside him, it was much slower than the last time. That time had been a first, all new, in a hurry to get to the good parts.

That time, neither was in a hurry. Arching his neck, Mims let out a long, pleading groan as Sonny pushed in nice and slow and took advantage of his neck being exposed. Mims felt teeth skimming over his flesh, lips curling there before they kissed him, suckling.

With his hands on Sonny’s firm biceps, Mims righted his head and took Sonny’s mouth into a deep kiss as he felt Sonny sliding in and out of him, slowly, deliberately. The man was making love to him, and instead of saying the words, he was expressing them.

With his eyes soft and warm as they stared into Mims’s, he kissed the tip of his nose. “Pretty baby. Such a sweet, beautiful baby.”

Mims moved under him, fucking him back and their bodies rocked together as each of their mouths sought to devour the other’s. Oh, it was the most blissful time, their bodies in sync, their sounds like a melody being played in some amphitheater and sent out to all those people just floating around them in space.

Sonny didn’t grunt like the first time. He moaned, low and deep from his diaphragm, and Mims were hums, higher, pleased and pleasing.

After, they lay together, and Mims felt him breathing deeply, his warm breath on Mims’s neck, Sonny’s heart thumping on Mims’s shoulder. “You’re incredible.”

Mims turned to his side and kissed the corner of Sonny’s beautiful mouth. “I really am.”

“Conceited.”

“So?”

Sonny kissed him back, then kissed him more. “I am going to lose my shit not seeing you more than once a week. I really want to bust these guys like fast.”

“You better. Then…then what? Will you go undercover again?”

He flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I thought I would forever, but now? I just don’t know.”

“Why?”

“It hurts. It hurts to have to do the things they do.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”

“You did. You showed them I was on board with watching out for competition. They think I’m with you just for that.”

“You’re not, right?”

He laughed and that laugh made Mims want to laugh along with him. “Shut up. You know that’s not true.”

“Just making sure. Don’t make me fall for you and…” When he realized what he said, he wanted to bite off his own tongue. He shyly looked at Sonny, blinking wildly.

“Yeah, I’m falling for you too, goofy.”

Mims did laugh then. “Goofy?”

“Yeah. I thought it was pretty obvious I’m falling for you. We’re so new, it’s stupid, but…it’s true.”

“Hold me while I fall asleep. I want to know that you’re right here, close.”

“That’s not a tough ask,” Sonny whispered as he pulled Mims into a tight embrace, brushing his lips on Mims’s forehead. “Sleep, my sweet little thief.”

“I’m not technically a thief.”

“You actually are.”

He giggled and snuggled in. “Okay. I am.”

When Mims was taken home the following morning, after a long kiss goodbye in the cab of the truck, he floated up to his room, then remembered the heist from the day before and he rushed to Haze’s room, knocking quickly.

“Come in, Mimsy,” Haze called.

Mims opened the door to see the painting they’d stolen on a board on Haze’s big easel. Haze was just staring at it and Mims moved over to him, wrapping one arm around his thin waist. “It’s pretty. But so was yours.”

“You knew exactly what I was thinking. Again.”

“We’re brothers, right?”

Haze nodded and said, “Damn right, we are.”

“Isn’t it…not cool to have this here?”

“I couldn’t help it. I wanted to…”

Mims nodded. “I get it. It’s really beautiful.”

“It is. I know I say this after every piece we’ve ever stolen, but this may be my favorite.”

It was surreal, the colors, the two people who were looking into each other’s eyes, one lying on the ground, the other bent over them.

The mountains in the background, the colors of the sky…it was magic. It was how Mims felt.

“It’s,” Mims started, then in unison, they finished it together, “magic.”

Goldie came in after, and joined them in looking at the painting. “It’s too damn bad we have to give this up, man.”

“I wish we just could keep them all. Giving them to the fence, knowing just another rich asshole is gonna have this hanging on his wall, without true appreciation of things. It hurts.”

Mims kissed his cheek and said, “Well, you could always paint another one and give that one to the fence.”

Haze laughed and hugged Mims tightly for that. “I love your confidence in me.”

Goldie’s big hand came down on Haze’s shoulder. “He’s not the only one, buddy.”

“Let’s get this done. I…If I keep this one minute longer, I’m not giving it up.”

Cosmo was in the basement, working out, but he stopped when he saw the group and stopped his pushups, getting right to his feet. “What’s up? We doing this?”

“Yeah,” Mims told him. “But Haze is…not thrilled.”

“Hey, man, I get it,” Cosmo said.

They all went into the secret rooms, and Cosmo went to Haze, grabbing his upper arms. “When I had to give up that Bentley, and know it was going to be pieced out, it hurt. Some cars are a work of art too. Some cars, you feel the love the designers put into them. The lines, the curves, all of it.”

“I guess you’re right. At least mine will stay intact.”

“One of these days, maybe we can get the stuff for ourselves, you know?”

Mims loved Cosmo more in that moment than any before it. Haze was smiling, a real smile and not the sad one from before.

Mims got on his computer and contacted the art fence for Haze, who had taken a picture with a digital camera of certain parts of the painting that could assure its authenticity. It didn’t take long for the fence to find a buyer, and the offer was in quickly.

Six point five million dollars was on the way to Murphy’s private account.

“Who was the buyer? Do we know?”

Mims smiled and said, “No, but with how quickly it was scooped up, that means someone was looking for it. Someone wanted it that badly that no questions were asked.”

Cosmo squeezed Haze’s shoulder. “That’s a good thing.”

“I guess so. Well, do we celebrate now?”

“We do,” Cosmo said.

Murphy was called to the bar, and then he closed it down, allowing a few people to stay that were the regulars. Music was played and the men danced. Champagne was flowing and the kids had their Shirley Temples as they danced on the bar with Mick’s supervision.

Mick, of course, didn’t know why they were celebrating, but Murphy told him that someone had agreed to sponsor the family that had lost their home to the fire. That made Mick start to celebrate.

Tally came an hour later to join the festivities and went into the kitchen to cook everyone philly cheese steaks and home fries.

Mims loved being with his family, but he did miss Sonny. Abs sat with him after dancing with Goldie and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“I just saw him, and I already miss him.”

“Must be love.”

“Stop. It’s way too soon.”

Abs laughed and grabbed his hand, holding it softly as he said, “In this life, things take years and years, or they are quick. If love is quick, that’s better than the pain being quick, I figure.”

“Me too, but…what if he figures out that it was too fast and he has to, I don’t know, reevaluate and figures out he doesn’t really like me all that much?”

“I’ve known you for years now, and I loved you quick. I still love you. You’re very loveable.”

Mims kissed him and said, “Thanks, but you’re really easy.”

“Mims! Are you saying I’m a slut?”

“And you would argue you’re not?”

Goldie was passing by on his way to the bar and commented, “Slut. Big slut.”

“Goldie! We are not supposed to slut shame!”

“Who’s shaming?” Mims asked. “We’re all kinda proud of you for being a slut.”