Sweet Little Lies: Heartbreaker Bay Book 1 (12 page)

It meant a lot. It also meant that she wasn’t entirely alone. She knew she had Jake, but he was like a brother at this point. An overprotective, obnoxious one.

You have Finn . . .

Even if she had no idea what to do with him. Although she’d had plenty of ideas the other night.

It turned out that dancing and singing karaoke in
front of a crowd with Finn’s eyes on her had been shockingly arousing.

Which apparently had been obvious. Haley had given her a knowing glance at the bar. “You look hungry,” she’d said.

“Oh, no,” Pru had told her. “I’m fine, I had a plate of chicken wings.”

Haley and Willa had laughed.

Even Elle had smiled.

“You’re not hungry for food,” Elle had informed her, with Curly and Mo nodding their heads in agreement. “You’re hungry for a good time. With our boy Finn.”

“Well that’s just . . . a bad idea,” she’d finished weakly. She looked at Willa and Haley for confirmation of that fact.

“Hey, sometimes bad ideas turn out to be the best ideas of all,” Willa had said. “Just do it. Have some magical sex. And whatever happens, happens.”

What would happen is that Pru would screw up one of the only good things she had going for her right now. “Just do it? That’s your big advice?”

“Or in this case, him. Just do him.”

Pru snorted.

Willa had turned to Elle and asked, “Think she’ll follow my sage advice?”

Elle studied Pru’s face carefully. “Hard to say. She’s cute and sharp, but she’s got some healthy survivor instincts. That might hold her up some.”

“Stupid survivor instincts,” Willa had said on a sigh.

And Pru agreed. She had some survivor instincts, and they often got in her own way.

“For days a cloud of glitter has been following you
around,” Jake said, startling Pru back into the here and now.

“I went to Karaoke the other night,” she said. “Rocked it too.”

“But you can’t sing,” Jake said.

“I can totally sing.”

He snorted. “And the glitter?”

“It was Nineties Night. This required copious amounts of glitter, which apparently is like the STD of the craft supplies. Once you use it without protection, you can’t get rid of it.” Pru looked down at herself. “Ever.”

“Even Thor’s wearing glitter,” he said. “You’re messing with his manhood.”

“Real men aren’t afraid of glitter,” she said.

“Real men are terrified of glitter.”

At the end of the day, Pru collected her dog from Jake’s office, where she found him asleep sprawled on top of the desk.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“He likes to see what’s going on,” Jake said.

And Jake liked the company. She’d almost feel bad about taking Thor away when she’d moved but oh yeah, it’d been Jake’s idea for her to go. “I hope he got glitter all over you.”

“Hell no,” Jake said. “Glitter doesn’t dare stick to me. But you’ve got some on your face.”

She couldn’t get rid of it. She’d already sent Elle an I-hate-you text. Twice.

“We’re going to have to forfeit tonight’s game,” Jake said. “We’re short a player. Trev’s out with mono.”

She and a group of Jake’s other friends and employees
played on a local rec center league softball team. Jake was their coach. Coach Tyrant. “Who gets mono at our age?” she asked.

Jake shrugged. “He’s a ship captain, he sees a lot of action.”

“I’m a ship captain,” she said. “I see
no
action.”

“And we both know why,” Jake said.

Not going there. “Don’t forfeit,” she said. “I’ll find us a player.”

Jake raised a brow. “Who?”

“Hey, I have other people in my life besides you, you know.”

“Since when?”

She rolled her eyes and ran out. Well, okay, she didn’t run exactly. Thor refused to run. But they walked fast because she had an idea, one that would further her plan to bring Finn more fun.

Of course she’d deviated from the plan a couple of times now, starting with allowing her lips to fall onto his—not once but a holy-cow twice—but she’d decided to give herself a break because he was so . . . well, kissable.

And hey, now she knew that his mouth was a danger zone, she’d just steer clear. Her inner voice laughed hysterically at this, but whatever. She could do it.

Probably.

Hopefully.

In the courtyard, she tied Thor’s leash to a bench, kissed him right between his adorable brown eyes and dashed through the open doors of the pub. Breathless, she scanned for Finn, but couldn’t find him.

Sean flashed her a smile. “Hey, Trouble.” He gestured to her face. “You’ve got some glitter—”

“I
know!”

His smile widened. “Okay then, what can I get you?”

“Finn,” she said, and then blushed when he just kept grinning. “I mean, I need to see him. Is he in his office?”

“Nope, boss man isn’t in.”

She’d never been here when Finn hadn’t. “But he’s always here.”

Sean laughed. “Almost always,” he agreed. “But right now, he’s . . . well, let’s just say he’s pissed off at me, so we decided he’d work from the house office so I could live to see another day.”

He didn’t seem all too worried by this. “I need a favor,” she said.

He leaned over the bar, eyes warm. “Name it.”

“I need his address.”

Sean went brows up. “His address.”

“Yes, please.”

“You going to show him a good time?” he asked. “Because darlin’, he sure could use it.”

“I’m on it,” she said and then realized what he’d meant, which was not what
she’d
meant. “Wait, that’s not—”

“Oh, it’s
way
too late,” Sean said, laughing his ass off.

“I just need to
talk
to him,” she said, trying to regain some dignity.

“Whatever you say.” Grabbing a cocktail napkin, he pulled a pen from behind his ear, scrawled an address down, and handed it over to her. “We share a house in Pacific Heights. Less than a mile from here. Go do your thing.”

“Which
is
talking
,” she said.

“If that’s what you kids are calling it these days,” he said. “Good luck, Trouble.”

Not sure why she’d need good luck, she grabbed Thor and headed back out.

Finn lived straight up Divisadero Street, a steep hill that had Thor sitting down and refusing to go another step about a hundred yards in.

Which was a hundred yards past when Pru had wanted to sit down as well. But she scooped the dog up and determinedly kept going, making a quick stop along the way for a spur-of-the-moment gag gift that she sincerely hoped Finn found funny.

By the time she arrived at his house near the top of the hill, she was huffing some serious air. She looked back at the view and was reminded of why she loved this city so much. She could see all of Cow Hollow and the marina, and beyond that, the gorgeous blue of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge as well.

Worth every second of the walk. Almost. Finn’s house was a Victorian-style, narrow row house. The garage was on the bottom floor, two stories above that, with steps leading up to the front door and down to a short driveway—on which sat a ’66 Chevelle.

The sexy muscle car’s hood was up and a very sexy jeans-covered tush was all Pru could see sticking out of it. She recognized the perfect glutes as Finn’s—clearly a sign she’d been ogling said perfect glutes too much. Not that she was repentant in the slightest about this, mind you. In any case, his long denim-covered legs were spread for balance, his T-shirt stretching taut over his flexing shoulder and back muscles and riding
up enough to expose a strip of navy boxers and a few inches of some skin.

She tried not to stare and failed. “Hi,” she said.

Nothing. He just kept doing whatever it was he was doing under the hood, which involved some serious straining of those biceps.

She moved a little closer. “Finn?”

More nothing, but now she could hear the tinny sound of music and caught sight of the cord from his earbuds.

He was listening to something. Loudly. Classic rock by the sounds of it.

She stared at him, at the streaks of grease on his jeans and over one arm, at the damp spot at the small of his back making his shirt cling to him . . . It was the kind of thing that in the movies would be accompanied by a montage of him moving in slow motion to music, the camera moving in and focusing on that lean, hard body.

Giving herself a mental shake, Pru set Thor down, and holding his leash, shifted even closer to Finn before reaching out to tap him. But at the last minute she hesitated because once again she couldn’t figure out where to touch him. Her first choice wasn’t exactly appropriate. Neither was her second.

So she settled for his shoulder.

If he’d done the same to her, she probably would’ve jumped and banged her head on the hood. But Finn had better reflexes, and certainly better control over them. Still cranking on something with a wrench, he simply turned only his head to give her a level stare.

“Hi,” she said again and bent over at the waist, hands
to her knees to try to catch her breath. “That’s quite a hill.”

He reached up and pulled out one earbud. “Hi yourself. Need an oxygen tank?”

“You kid, but I totally do.”

“You’re still wearing glitter,” he said with a smile.

“Five showers since that night,” she said, tossing up her hands. “I’ve taken five showers and it’s still everywhere. And Thor has been pooping glitter for days . . .”

Still smiling, he crouched and held out his hand for Thor. “You were quite the show the other night.”

She chewed on her lip, not sure if he was teasing or complimenting her or not.

“I could watch you do that every night,” he admitted.

“What, make a fool of myself?”

His smile turned into a full-fledged grin. “Sing and dance like no one’s watching.
Live
like no one’s watching.”

And just like that, she melted a little.

Thor was sniffing Finn’s hand carefully, cautiously, wanting to make sure this was his Finn, and finally he wagged his tail.

“Atta boy. It’s just me.” Finn opened his arms and Thor moved in for a hug.

Pru stared at the big, sexy guy so easily loving up on her silly dog and felt her throat go a little tight.

“I know Archer didn’t tell you where I live,” Finn said, eyes still on Thor. “Or Spence. I mean, Spence would if he thought it was funny but they’re both pretty hardcore about having my back.”

The hardcore part was undoubtedly true. She’d seen the three guys with each other. There were bonds there
that seemed stronger than any relationship she’d ever had, a fact that played into her deepest, most secret insecurity—that she might be unlovable.

“Elle values privacy above everything else,” Finn said, “which leaves the busybodies.” He was watching her now. “Willa or Haley?” he asked.

“Neither.” She hesitated, not wanting to get Sean in trouble.

“Shit.” Finn rose, Thor happily tucked under one arm like he was a football. “Eddie?”

“Eddie?” Pru asked, confused. “Who’s Eddie?”

“The old guy who enjoys dumpster diving, eating dope brownies, and not minding his own business.”

Pru gaped. “I’ve been feeding him for a month now and he’s never told me his name. And I’ve asked a million times!”

“He likes to be mysterious. And also his brain might be fried from all those brownies. You going to tell me how you found me or not?”

She blew out a breath. “Sean. But he didn’t tell me to mess with you or anything,” she said hurriedly. “He did it because I have a favor to ask of you and needed to see you in person to do it.”

“Sean was at the pub?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Working?”

“I think so . . .”

“Huh,” he said. “He must have fallen and bumped his head.”

“He seemed to have all his faculties about him,” she said. “Or at least as many as usual.”

Finn snorted and set Thor down. The dog turned in a
circle at Pru’s feet and then plopped over with an utter lack of grace.

“I brought you a present,” Pru said.

“What?” Finn lifted his gaze from Thor to her face. “Why?”

The question threw her. “Well, partly to butter you up for the favor,” she admitted. “I figured if I made you laugh, you’d—”

“I don’t need a present to do you a favor,” he said, his voice different now. Definitely wary, and something else she couldn’t place.

She cocked her head. “You know, presents are supposed to be a good thing.”

When he just looked at her, she wondered . . . didn’t anyone ever give him anything? And suddenly she wished it was a real present and not a gag gift. But it was too late now so she slipped her backpack off and pulled the bag from inside. Seriously second-guessing herself, not entirely certain of this, not even close, she hesitated.

He took the bag from her and peered inside, face inscrutable.

Nothing. No reaction.

“It’s a man’s athletic cup,” she finally said, stating the obvious.

“I can see that.”

“I figured if we’re going to hang out together, you might need it.”

He stilled and then a low laugh escaped him. “What I need with you, Pru, is full body armor.”

True statement.

He
lifted his head. “And who says we’re hanging out?” he asked, his gaze holding hers prisoner.

She hesitated briefly. “I do.”

His eyes never left hers which was how she saw them warm. “Well, then,” he said. “I guess it’s true.”

Their eyes stayed locked, holding for a long beat, and suddenly Pru had a hard time pulling in enough air for her lungs.

“So what’s the favor?” he asked.

“I play on a coed softball league. We’re short a player tonight and I was hoping—”

“No.”

She blinked. “But I didn’t even finish my sentence.”

“You’re short a player for tonight’s game and you want me to fill in,” he said.

“Well, yes, but—”

“Can’t.”

She took in his suddenly closed-off expression. “Because . . . you’re against fun?”

He didn’t react to her light teasing. He wasn’t going to play. He clearly had a good reason, maybe many, but he didn’t plan on sharing them.

“You should’ve called and saved yourself a trip,” he said.