Finn (22 page)

“We’ll get to that in a minute. There are other things we need to discuss. First of all, I’m sorry Raven made you feel unwelcome. I’m even more sorry her words hurt you to the point of questioning our time together. No one’s more surprised at her actions than me. She’s never been this way before.”

“Are you defending her?”

“Hell no, I’m telling you the absolute truth. But I took care of it. She knows where I stand.”

“Where is that?”

The hand holding my chin moves around my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair. “Wherever you are is where I’m going to be. She pushes you away, she pushes me away. When I heard what she said, the way she said it, and the way she insulted you, I went ballistic. The thought of losing you was like a scorching knife slicing through my heart. For the last three days, I’ve been drowning in a pool of misery. Knowing you believed her was the worst part, because you don’t know the whole story—a story I never wanted to tell you. But she’s forced my hand. So, while I wallowed in misery, I’ve watched you come and go, trying to figure out how to explain things. I couldn’t sleep at night without knowing you were either here or with Reese, safe.

“Then last night it hit me, exactly what to say. That’s why I was here this morning.”

“What are you going to say?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“It flew out of my head when I heard you say
‘you cried, you screamed, and doubted every minute with me’.
The scorching in my chest exploded in rage that she’d had that kind of influence.”

“Do you love her?”

“Yes, but you already know that. What you need to understand is the way I love her.”

“I don’t think I need to know. It stings.”

“You’ve got an idea in your head, and it’s the wrong idea.”

“You had a life before me. I get that, but I’m not strong enough to be second choice around her and your friends. You loved her, she chose Declan, you moved on. But I’ll always know I was second choice.”

His eyes narrow, and his mouth forms a thin line. He searches my face with a guilty expression. “Raven and I have been friends forever, and we’ve always been close. A few years ago, after she had gotten together with Declan, she was kidnapped. It scared the shit out of me, and something changed. I felt the need to protect her from anything and anyone that could hurt her. Declan made some ill-informed decisions while trying to launch Sayge into the national music scene. Those decisions drove Raven away to Paris. I got on that plane fully convinced I was in love with her and I had eight weeks to show her.”

I flinch as my gut twists. His free hand moves to mine, lacing our fingers together. He lifts them to his mouth, kissing each knuckle. The tender touch and the look of regret brings tears to my eyes.

“I’m not going to lie. We had a wonderful trip, but she was hopelessly in love with Declan. I knew where she belonged, so I put her on a plane and stayed behind to work. Hell, I even called him to tell him she was coming back and not to fuck up again. Within a few days, they were back together. Not long after, they were re-engaged, then a few weeks later, I was asked to be in the wedding.”

“That’s ballsy,” I mutter.

“No, it wasn’t, because we realized I loved her, but in a different way. Not once after she boarded the plane back to Nashville did I regret my decision. I never thought about it again until a few days ago when you drove away. I had a nagging feeling all day that something wasn’t right. Then when your parting words replayed in my head, I felt like the ground had been snatched out from under me. Once I knew what happened, anger and disappointment blinded me.

“Never in my life have I experienced the range of emotions I’ve felt the last few days without you. Not even when Robbie was hurt and we lost our friends. The thought of losing you had me in knots. When I heard you today, playing that song, it crushed me. It was then I knew what it felt like to be completely and utterly in love.”

The air swoops out of my lungs, and I tremble in his lap. Did I hear him correctly? Does he love me? There’s scorching in my chest as my vision starts to blur.

“Presley, take a breath,” he says softly, leaning in to rub his lips across mine.

I inhale sharply, still stunned.

“Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

I can’t move.

“Baby, I love you. I’m in love with you. I understand if it’s too soon for you.”

I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzziness and formulate words. My hands fly to his face, and I press my mouth against his, kissing everywhere.

“I lost my mom when I was fifteen years old. One of the last things she told me was to never settle for anything but true, heart-pounding, earth-shaking, devotional love. She used to say my dad was her soul mate. He never recovered from her death. Even through the years when dating, he’s never gotten serious. She told Simon and Johnny the same thing, and they thought she was crazy, but not me. I knew it was out there, and I felt it the night you kissed me at the symphony event. I told Reese the next day you had the ability to destroy me.

“That’s why I reacted like I did to Raven’s declaration. I couldn’t take falling madly in love with you to be second choice. It crushed me.”

“Presley, you’ll never be my second choice. I promise you that.”

My heart leaps for joy, and my stomach starts flipping. I launch myself toward him, taking us both back on the sofa, my body covering his. He grunts in surprise as I slam my mouth to his, kissing him hard and deep. His fingers thread through my hair, gripping tightly as I grind against him. Our tongues dance together, and I moan in appreciation when he moves his hands to cup my ass.

“Your choice, bed or couch, but in about five seconds, I’m going to be inside you. I’m going to fuck the memory of the last few days out of your head,” he rumbles against my mouth, bucking into me.

“Here, now.” I force myself back and yank my shirt over my head. His eyes land on my hot pink demi-cup bra, and there’s a growl from his throat.

He jackknifes up and switches our position, his body now over mine. We move frantically against each other. Our hands, arms, and legs tangle as the remaining clothes and shoes end up thrown in every direction of my living room. My fingers loop at the edge of my panties to slide them down when he stops me.

“Don’t move.”

I freeze as he rakes his eyes up and down, licking his lips in appreciation. A full body shiver rocks through me. The air thickens with sexual tension as I remain still, my own eyes appreciating his hard, sculpted body. It seems like Thursday night, on his bike, was a lifetime ago. His dick rubs lightly against the lace of my panties, teasing me as my stomach clenches with need.

“Finn—”

“Shhh,” he hushes me while gliding his hands up my torso. “This isn’t going to work.”

I yelp when he leaps up, bringing me with him, then throws me over his shoulder, stalking to my room.

He flips me back, and I bounce on my mattress with another shriek. “What are you doing?”

There’s no answer but the sound of my panties ripping through the room. Without a word, Finn positions himself between my legs and gives me a cocky grin before swiping his tongue against my center. I squirm on his mouth, my hands flying to his head.

“Oh my God.”

His tongue delves deeper into me as he presses down on my thighs, holding me in place. He licks up and down, slowly moving back every few strokes to kiss a path around my swollen and aching lips. The stubble on his cheeks rubs roughly in contrast to his gentle nips and kisses. A hand slides around my thigh, and he easily slips a finger into me.

I moan in ecstasy and arch up, already on edge.

“Come for me.” He flicks my clit, and I scream his name over and over as the orgasm washes through me.

I fall back to the bed and barely feel him shift until he slowly eases inside as his mouth moves against the skin on my neck. He licks, nibbles, and pecks a path to my shoulder and back again, until he reaches my earlobe.

“I love you, Presley Chambers. You and only you. Anyone and anything that came before you is non-existent as of this moment. You are mine and I am yours.”

“I love you too.” My legs clasp around his waist. “I am yours.”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but fuck if I’m not starting to understand.” He lifts his forehead against mine.

“Understand what?” I’m confused.

“The disease… the damn, fucking disease.”

“Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure we’ve got it bad.”

He gives a moan of approval, capturing my mouth with his. Our bodies move together as he makes love to me slowly. He drives in deep and stops, lifting his head to look me in the eye.

I swallow the lump in my throat at the raw emotion pouring from his expression. His eyes grow misty, a light sheen shining as he moves an arm under my back and drops his head to my shoulder. I hold him close, both of us lost in the moment.

He loves me…

I love him…

This is it. I’ve finally found what my mom wanted me to have. This man holds my heart.

I sniff, fighting back the overwhelming emotions that threaten to erupt and turn me into a sniveling mess.

Finn senses the change and starts to glide in and out slowly, whispering his love in my ear. His strokes become faster with each moan that escapes my lips. The coiling in my stomach starts to intensify, and I suck in a deep breath to stop it. Without warning, I unwrap my legs and twist with all my strength, forcing him to his back and staying connected as I brace on his chest.

His eyes widen in surprise, then turn molten as he lets me take the lead. I move back and forth, igniting a friction between our bodies and feel his cock start to thicken. His hands skim up my sides and cup my breasts, massaging roughly as the pads of his thumbs rub over my nipples.

“Presley…” He thrusts into me from below. “Babe…”

I lean down and balance on his chest, lifting up my hips and slamming down until he starts to growl. My head falls forward, my hair shielding my face until he tangles a hand through it, forcing me to look at him.

I scream his name and explode as he hisses and comes at the same time. He keeps moving slowly, sending aftershocks through my body, until my vision goes spotty and I fall on him. Our sweaty bodies heave as we hold tight.

“Holy shit,” I whisper.

“Fucking perfect.” He kisses the top of my head.

When I come down from my high and my breathing returns to normal, Finn’s hold on me loosens. I snuggle into his warm body, not wanting to let go.

“Babe, we need to talk about something.” His hand stops mid-stroke on my back. “Promise me you’ll never run from me again like you did on Saturday. I can’t take it.”

I lift up, bracing on his chest, and my heart crumbles at the look of hurt on his face. “I’m sorry, Finn. It was knee-jerk. My reaction was imbecilic.”

He starts to chuckle and presses my face to his. “I told you I’d need a thesaurus.”

My cheeks burn as he continues to laugh. My phone rings in the other room, and I hesitantly roll away. “I have to get that. It’s my dad’s ringtone. We’re supposed to meet for dinner tonight.” I roll off the bed and toss on a t-shirt from the floor.

“Perfect. Tell him I’m coming. It’s time we had the chat.”

I stop, waiting for the panic, but it never comes. “You’re right. It’s time.”

Finn’s face breaks out in huge grin as his eyes dance with happiness. Suddenly, telling my dad and brother about my boyfriend staying the night isn’t so scary. Because less than an hour ago, he became so much more.

Finn

A
 hushed whisper, a tiny giggle, the slight squeak of the door.

Rustle…

Rustle…

Rustle…

“Roooaaarrrrr,” Winnie screams right before her little body lands on me, arms and legs flailing. Presley follows, both of them trying to hold me down as I pretend to squirm. I twist strategically, pinning them both and roaring as I tickle them. Winnie screams through her giggles as Presley begs for mercy. I let them go, kissing Presley’s cheek and rolling away.

Little does Winnie know that Presley woke me up almost an hour ago, spilling Winnie’s plans to ambush me.

“Better luck next time, girls. Remember, I was trained to be alert.” I give them a wink and go to the bathroom to get ready for work.

I move around comfortably, making myself at home. The minute we drove away from the restaurant on Tuesday night with Jeff’s blessing, Presley insisted we stop at Target and buy a second set of all my toiletries to keep here. Then we went to my condo and packed a bag.

Tripp, not missing his chance to give me shit, sat on my bed with Presley and harassed me endlessly. When he figured out I wasn’t taking his bait, he started in on her, trying to convince her he was a much better choice.

That got my attention.

On our way out, I let him know he’d be joining me at the gym this weekend. Tripp’s a fit guy, built lean and muscular, but he’s no match for Robbie and me on weights. Last time we put him through our routine, he limped for a week.

I smile at the thought as I get dressed and join the girls in the kitchen. Presley hands me a cup of coffee and sits down across the table from a very pouty little girl.

“Why the sad face?”

“Aunt Presley said she’s taking down our fort today. It’s the best fort ever made, and she’s going to destroy it!” Her little lips start to tremble as tears fall down her cheeks.

A part of me surges with pride at her apparent pride in our creation, and another part of me starts to panic at her impending emotional outburst. I look at Presley for help, but she’s biting her lip, trying to hide her grin, giving me no help at all. When she finally looks at me, her eyes are dancing with humor.

“My little drama queen doesn’t understand that today is cleaning day, and in order to properly vacuum and dust the living room, all the mess has to be cleaned up.”

“It’s not a mess. It’s a masterpiece!” Winnie argues, her voice cracking.

“Hey, hey, hey… no need for tears. We’ll make another one.”

She swings her head to me with a look of surprise. “We will?”