Текст книги "The Finn Factor"

Автор книги: Rachel Bailey

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Chapter Thirteen

Finn

My birthday party was in full swing. My sisters, Scarlett, her parents, and I were all under the trees in the backyard, drinking Amelia’s homemade lemonade and passing around platefuls of something John and Jane had made that was completely inedible. Harvey—wearing a party hat—was doing a great business in gobbling food passed to him under the chairs.

I’d done well on the present front—Billie had tracked down a handmade miniature lyre, Amelia had bought me some aftershave and arm-knitted a dark red scarf, and John and Jane had given me a velvet pouch filled with rocks and gemstones from the area that was once Mesopotamia. All in all, besides the hunger from having to pass my lunch to Harvey, I was having a good day.

“Give him your present now,” Amelia said to Scarlett.

“Okay, hang on,” she said, and disappeared into the house.

Billie grinned. “I wonder what it will be?”

The whole group spent the next three minutes discussing more and more outrageous options, when they all knew full well Scarlett would be giving me a teddy bear painting because Scarlett always gave me a teddy bear painting for birthdays and Christmases. Strangely, I was looking forward to it this year, even though I still thought it was cheesy. The whole concept had finally grown on me.

When she reemerged, she was carrying a canvas, draped with a sheet, that she handed to me. I took it, and she kissed my cheek.

“Happy birthday, Finn.”

She didn’t linger, which was a shame, but I’d claim a proper birthday kiss later, once we were alone. Even so, the barely-there kiss woke my entire body up so, for self-preservation, I focused on the painting. “Thanks.”

Holding the canvas high so everyone could see, I pulled the sheet away to reveal my teddy bear. Except it wasn’t a teddy. It was Harvey, his black and white body depicted in strong brushstrokes, though his face was rendered softly, in exquisite detail.

“Harvey!” Amelia said and the dog himself rushed to her side. “You’re in a painting. You’re famous!”

Billie and Scarlett’s parents were making other comments that included his name, so Harvey was running from one to the other, thrilled to be the center of attention.

In the commotion, I turned to Scarlett. “Thank you. It’s incredibly beautiful. But…no teddy bear?”

“You said you didn’t even like teddy bears,” she said, smiling too sweetly.

“I say that every time, and you still give them to me. You say I need them.”

She shrugged. “I found something you needed more.”

I needed a picture of someone else’s dog in my bedroom? Only in the mind of Scarlett could that make sense. Besides, I’d seen my real birthday painting. Amelia reached for the canvas and I passed it to her, then crossed my arms over my chest. “I saw you painting a teddy bear in your art attic.”

“I changed my mind a couple of nights ago and stayed up late,” she said, as if it was no big deal to create a new painting from scratch over a couple of nights and still make it amazing. “I think I’ll give the teddy to Amelia instead.”

Harvey sat down at my feet, grinning up at me, clearly pleased with how his day was progressing. I rubbed the top of his head. “Apparently I need to see your face in my bedroom each day.”

Harvey did his slow, satisfied pant, seeming to agree.

Jane came to stand next to me. “Finn, we’ve been talking,” she said, exchanging a smile with her husband, “and we’d be overjoyed if you wanted to keep Harvey. He seems to have grown quite attached to you.”

Amelia jumped out of her seat. “Yes!”

My stomach fell as I looked around the expectant faces. I’d had an idea they might suggest this, but still, it was an awkward thing, especially in front of everyone.

I conjured a smile. “Thank you for the offer, but I think Harvey is better off with you. He likes us, but he’s your dog.”

“What?” Amelia cried, but I didn’t glance over. I couldn’t. Disappointing her or Billie made my chest hurt, but I knew this was the best move for us all.

Jane met my eyes for a moment then nodded. “Okay. We’d love to have him on the road with us.”

Amelia rounded on me, hands planted firmly on her hips, her expression disbelieving.

“You know,” Scarlett announced before Amelia could say anything, “I think we might need more food. How about Finn and I duck out and grab a couple of pizzas?”

Her mother shook her head in amazement. “If I’d known how popular that dish would be, I’d have made double. Actually, if you can wait half an hour, I can whip up another batch—”

“No need,” I said, taking a step for the door. “You’ve already done so much.” I turned to Scarlett before the new plan could be derailed. “I’ll drive.”

We were out the door before anything else could be said.

As soon as I reversed out onto the street, Scarlett said, “You really don’t think it’s a good idea to keep Harvey?”

“Nope,” I said, taking a corner and merging with traffic.

“Why?” She turned in her seat to face me. “Really and truly, the proper reason why you’ve never let a dog move in.”

I sighed. Truth? “I guess I haven’t wanted another living being to be responsible for. Billie and Amelia pretty much took up all the space in that part of my life.”

“Makes total sense,” she said gently. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”

How did she always see through me? Were there clues that appeared on my forehead or something?

“Nope,” I lied.

“Finn, you don’t have to tell me, but this isn’t just about a dog.”

I changed lanes then kept my eyes on the road. “You tell me what you think this is about, then.”

“Okay. Other than me, you haven’t let anyone get too close since your parents died. It’s like you’re scared to let them in.”

I tried not to flinch. That was a bit close to home, but I really didn’t want to be talking about my feelings so I shrugged as if this was no big deal.

“As you pointed out, there’s you. So if your theory was true, why would there be such a glaring exception? You’re not only my best friend, but you’ve been very close lately.” I shot her a grin.

“I’m not sure,” she said, totally ignoring my attempt to derail the conversation with sex talk. “Maybe because of the way we met? You kinda lost it when you found your roommate with me.”

My entire body tensed at the memory. That asshole standing over a girl, like he had every right to hit her if he wanted to. I had to take a couple of deep breaths before I could focus again on what Scarlett was saying.

She kept talking, covering my lapse. “Our introduction was basically you protecting me, so you added me to the list of people you were responsible for.”

I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. “That supports my theory, not yours.”

“I don’t think your theory is wrong,” she persisted, “it’s just not the whole picture.”

We pulled into the pizza place’s parking lot and I cut the engine. “How about we leave it at that?” I said, my hand on the door handle.

“I think this is important, Finn.” She made no move to get out; it seemed she was digging in for the long haul.

I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face. “Scarlett, what do you want me to say here?”

“Tell me why you don’t let people close anymore. Before us, you’d date, but you never let them close enough to see the real you. You’d barely remember their names, let alone what night you were supposed to be meeting them.”

“You really want to talk about my past dates?” Given what was going on between us, this was dangerous territory.

“Not your dates specifically, no. More about your interactions with people in general. You want to know something I noticed today?” It was a question, but she barreled on before I could answer. “Your sisters both told you they love you when they gave you their presents, but you didn’t say it back to either one of them. And that got me thinking. I’ve never heard you say it to anyone. Ever.”

“I say it.”

“Who to?”

“My parents,” I said without thinking.

There was quiet stillness in the cab of the car for several heartbeats. “Have you said it to anyone since they died?”

My throat thickened. I shook my head once.

Scarlett waited. She was good at that—giving me some space. But the silence was weighted with expectation, as if she was confident I’d tell her everything if she had a little patience. I hated that, but was resigned to the fact that it was true—I’d tell her what she wanted to know eventually.

My gaze firmly locked on the view through the windshield, I started talking, slowly at first. “My parents were mildly superstitious. Not like your parents with their hippie ideas, more just the ‘knock on wood’ type. If you spill some salt, throw some over your left shoulder. Never open an umbrella inside the house. Don’t walk under a ladder—though, that one is common sense. They always said words have power, like, don’t say, ‘I’ve never broken a bone’ because it’s tempting fate, and if you accidentally do, then knock on wood.”

“But you’re not superstitious,” she said.

“Not in general, no. But the morning of the day they died, they’d given me a car. I was a typical eighteen-year-old guy and would hardly ever…” Even now I couldn’t say it. I swallowed. “…say the L word to them. But that morning I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I told them, straight out. They died about three hours later.”

“Finn—”

I held up a hand. “I know I didn’t cause their accident, and I know intellectually that my words had no impact, and that even if I had knocked on wood or whatever I needed to do to counteract it, they still would have died. And yet, there’s a tiny little thing in my chest that just refuses to say it again.”

“Or feel it, if you can help it,” she said softly.

“Yeah, I guess so.” I stretched my neck back. “I know it makes no sense at all, but Billie and Amelia are so important, I can’t risk even a stupid superstition where they’re concerned.”

Not taking her eyes off me, she tucked her feet up underneath her. “You also don’t want to risk loving and losing again. Which is why you’ve never dated seriously and why you’ve never let your sisters have a dog.”

“Maybe. I don’t know.” I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, every cell in my body restless, telling me to get out of this conversation.

“Yes, I think you do,” she persisted.

“Okay,” I said, annoyed and exasperated in equal measures. “I don’t like getting too attached.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw her tuck her hair behind her ears. “It’s like you’ve subconsciously decided love leads to pain.”

I shrugged. Who knew what was going on in a person’s subconscious? It was possible. Hell, anything was possible. “I thought you were studying accounting, not psychology.”

She ignored the barb. “Except your four-year friendship with me.”

“Yeah, except with you,” I admitted. “Which is why I was reluctant for so long to make it more. You’re…” How did I put into words the panic that engulfed me when I thought too much about us together? “Let’s say you’re dangerous to me.”

“Dangerous?” she repeated, her head cocked to the side.

I shifted in my seat. Rolled my shoulders. She deserved to hear this, but, man, I hated having to talk about this stuff.

I steeled myself and looked down at my hands on the wheel as I spoke. “I kept other people I date at arm’s length, but you, you’re already under my guard. If we ruin our friendship by this dating…experiment, then it’s going to be…hard to take.”

“We won’t ruin it.” Her voice was gentle but determined.

“Yeah,” I said, not sure how much I believed it.

She leaned toward me, only a couple of inches, but enough to make me turn and look at her before she spoke. “You know, Finn, you can’t live your whole life this way, never forming an attachment.”

I rubbed my thumb over my forehead where I could feel a frown forming. I didn’t like to look too far into the future. Since my parents died, it had been all about getting Billie and Amelia to adulthood. Just survive that first, then work the rest out.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Prove it to me,” she said, crossing her arms under her breasts, which momentarily distracted me from her words.

I dragged my gaze back to her face. “What do you mean, prove it to you?”

“You know how much Billie and Amelia would love to have a dog. Especially Amelia. She lost her parents as well, and now she’s left boarding school and is home again—she’s been unsettled.” She paused, fidgeting with her seat belt. “You know she really wants you and me to be together?”

“What?” I knew she liked Scarlett, but still, it seemed pretty random for her to have hopes about my dating life.

Scarlett bit her lip, as if not entirely sure she should be saying what she was. “She’s mentioned it a couple of times now. Before we were together.”

“Why would she want that?” I put a lot of time into thinking about what my sisters wanted and needed, trying to ensure they didn’t miss out on things just because they had a guardian who didn’t know what he was doing. Not once had it occurred to me this would be on the list.

“I think it’s like a child of divorced parents wishing their parents would get back together.” She said the words casually, but I could see in her eyes she’d given it a lot of thought. “Children and teenagers like stability. Amelia wants a family unit.”

The one thing I couldn’t give back to her. She’d had a family unit, and life had ripped it away. But I’d make damn sure she had everything else she needed. “She’ll be okay.”

“Yep, I think she will. But she’ll be even better if you let her have a dog.” She leaned the side of her face against the headrest, gaze still on me. “It would just be that one extra support for her.”

I scrubbed my hands through my hair. She was right. I hadn’t thought of it like that before. In fact, I hadn’t thought about it much at all before—and if I had, I’d probably been thinking that I was saving Amelia from the heartache of losing someone again, too. But I couldn’t wrap her in cotton wool for the rest of her life.

“Having Harvey would do more good for her than the bad that will come from eventually losing him, won’t it?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Already deciding to keep the damn dog.

“I think so.” She reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. When she tried to withdraw, I gripped her tighter.

“Thank you,” I said without meeting her gaze. “I have no idea what I’m doing with my sisters half the time. Mostly I’m making it up as I go along and hoping for the best.”

Scarlett unbuckled her seat belt and shifted so she could give me a hug in the room we had. “You’re doing great. Really.”

I tipped up her chin, searching her eyes to see if she honestly meant that or was saying it to make me feel better, but as soon as our gazes met, all thought fled. Scarlett filled my mind. Need for her filled my body. She had me on all levels. Inch by inch, I leaned down, closing the distance, and she stretched up, meeting me halfway.

When our lips met, tongues sliding against each other, the kiss wasn’t hungry or demanding. This one was softer, slower, yet it seemed deeper somehow, deep enough to touch my soul. I released the buckle on my seat belt, giving myself more movement, and pulled her into my lap. She came willingly and wound her arms around my neck, holding me in place, which was totally unnecessary since I was going nowhere.

She wiggled in my lap, creating friction over the hard-on I always seemed to have around her lately, and I groaned. I never wanted to let her go. Kissing Scarlett was my touchstone—the world made sense when we did this. It was only afterward, when I started thinking too much about how we were playing with fire, that I panicked. But for now, there in the pizza place parking lot, I pushed that thought away, blocked out the world, and kissed her.

Finn

We finally made it out of the car and, despite being in a lust-fog, ordered the pizzas and delivered them back to my birthday party. The group had moved inside, and Billie had made a playlist of songs she thought I’d like, which was now assaulting my eardrums as everyone ate.

I’d announced Harvey could stay, and Amelia set straight to work teaching him tricks, garnering rounds of applause from Scarlett’s parents each time Harvey picked up something new, which seemed to be every couple of minutes. Smart dog, that one.

And with all the action and commotion and music, part of me was still back in the car at the pizza place, kissing Scarlett. Wanting Scarlett. It was as if I was in a Scarlett-induced haze. Not much else registered.

Even when I was looking somewhere else, I could feel her across the room. Feel her looking at me. And I kept drifting over close to her without meaning to. Through the haze, I did notice Jane watching us. Seemed we weren’t being as stealthy as we’d intended. And it wasn’t just the fact I might have betrayed our secret that didn’t quite sit comfortably. They’d always been happy we were friends, but how would they react if they knew I was having sex with their daughter?

Scarlett’s parents moved to the corner of the room and put their heads together. It looked like they were cooking up a plan, and knowing them, they probably were. The last time they’d done that, I’d ended up with a dog.

Then Jane appeared at my side. “We have another birthday present for you,” she whispered.

“Seriously, I don’t need anything else.”

“I think you’ll like this one.” She winked. Then she called out, “Billie, Amelia, how would you feel about a stargazing trip? We know this great spot not too far away.”

They were taking my sisters out for my birthday? Was this about giving me a break, or did the fact they’d left Scarlett out of the invitation too mean they were scheming…?

Billie and Amelia looked at each other and nodded. “That sounds fun,” Amelia said. “But shouldn’t Finn get to come since it’s his birthday?”

All eyes turned to me. Whatever the invitation had actually been about, I was desperate for some alone time with Scarlett so we could finish what we’d started in the car.

I dug my hands into my pockets. “Even on my birthday, I need to prepare for class on Monday. You wouldn’t want the students to miss out on getting enough homework just because it was my birthday over the weekend, would you?”

Billie chuckled. “Honestly, if that happened with one of my tutors, I’d probably buy them a drink.”

“What about you, Scarlett?” Amelia said.

She shook her head. “I want to do a bit of painting tonight, but you all go and have a great time.”

Jane clapped her hands together, her entire body practically buzzing with energy. “You two get blankets, hot chocolate in thermoses, and snacks. We’ll get the telescopes and other supplies and meet you at the car in ten minutes.”

There was ten minutes of flurry and movement, during which Jane managed to whisper to Scarlett and me, “We can give you about four hours,” and then they were all gone.

I stood beside Scarlett, blinking at the front door, the house unnaturally quiet. “Is it too weird your parents just arranged time for us to be alone?”

Though it did answer my question about how they’d feel if they knew we were sleeping together. They were okay with it. More than okay with it.

“Finn, this is one of the least weird things about my parents.” She chuckled. “You know what’s interesting? A few months ago, this was what it was like for us every night. Before my parents landed on the doorstep or Amelia came home.”

“Or Billie arrived on holidays and Harvey moved in. And it seemed natural then.”

Impossibly large hazel eyes looked up at me. “How does it seem now?”

“Like an opportunity.” I took a step closer, close enough I could feel the heat emanating from her skin. “You know, we don’t just have the house to ourselves. It’s more than that.”

“We also have the leftover licorice ice cream to ourselves.” She spoke without hesitating, so clearly she’d already been giving the ice cream situation some thought.

“Sure,” I said, my mind suddenly going in all sorts of erotic directions, despite knowing that wasn’t what she’d been thinking. “But what I meant was, every time we’ve slept together, we’ve had to sneak around.”

A pulse at the base of her throat fluttered. “That’s true. We ducked into your office at uni when we were supposed to be somewhere else.”

“I sneak into your room at night.”

“Stolen kisses in the car.”

“But now,” I said, and left it hanging.

“Now…” Her voice trembled on the single word.

Needing to feel a connection, I wrapped an arm around her waist, not pulling her against me, just letting it sit. “We have four hours free of interruptions.”

“We can be as slow as we want.” Her gaze locked on my mouth.

My pulse spiked. Scarlett being unable to look away from my mouth was one of my very favorite things in the world.

I had to clear my throat before I could talk. “As loud as we want.”

“You’ll never last four hours.” Her voice was teasing as she slid her hands up my arms, leaving them to rest on my biceps. I shuddered at how good that felt.

I swayed against her. “I’ll bet you cooking duties for a night that I can last longer than you.”

One corner of her mouth hitched up. “Well, it is your birthday. I’ll probably let you win.”

“And all I want for my birthday is to be inside you. To feel you around me, as desperate for me as you were in my office.”

“Without the destruction of furniture.” Her eyes filled with that same lust-fog I’d been feeling since the parking lot.

“Preferably. Though to be honest, right now I wouldn’t care.” I laced my fingers through hers and tugged. “We have an entire houseful of locations to choose from. Where do you want to be?”

She touched the tip of her tongue to her top lip and glanced from me to the hall and back again. “You know what? I’d really like your bed. You’ve been sneaking into my room because it’s further from your sisters’ rooms, and I’ve been dreaming about your bed.”

“If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get. But fair warning, I’m going to take advantage of the empty house and make you scream.”

She smiled, and I watched the heat in her eyes flare to bonfire proportions. When she leaned in, her breasts rubbing against my arm, until her lips touched my ear and whispered, “Happy birthday, Finn,” I nearly came in my pants.

“Let’s go,” I said, and dragged her down the hall.

Scarlett

We reached Finn’s bedroom in record time and, as I spared a glance at his bed before jumping on it, I saw a thick, red book. Practically skidding to a halt, I grabbed the hardback to toss it aside, but the title caught my attention.

“The Kama Sutra?” I held it up for him, grinning. “A little bedtime reading?”

He frowned and reached for the book. “That’s not mine. I’ve never seen it before.”

“Aw, Finn,” I teased. “Don’t be scared to tell me if you want to try something a bit different.”

But his face remained deadpan. “I don’t own a copy of the Kama Sutra.”

“Then where did it come from?”

“It wouldn’t be my sisters, so it can only be your parents.”

A cold chill raced across my skin. My parents? The last people I wanted involved in my sex life—even via leaving a book filled with suggested positions—was my parents.

Dropping the book like a hot potato, I stepped back. All traces of need fled. “I’m out. Game over.”

Finn grabbed my arm at the bedroom door. “Don’t leave.”

“It’s too weird, Finn,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Why can’t they be normal parents?”

“They’re not normal, it’s part of their charm.” He glanced over at the book, his hand on my arm beginning to absently caress instead of hold. “Even though I admit this is a bit much, let’s not let them ruin something between us.”

“I don’t want to be thinking about my parents while we’re having sex.”

His eyes flashed with challenge. “I promise, you won’t have room in your mind for anything but me. Give me one second.”

He released my arm, grabbed the book, and headed out of the room. Within moments he was back, empty-handed.

“Now where were we?” He laced his fingers with mine.

I shrugged. “Planning other ways to spend four hours. Painting, perhaps.”

He brushed the hair off my shoulder and placed a delicate kiss on the exposed skin. “What if I do this?” he murmured near my ear. “Will you still want to find another way to fill the time?”

His voice lured me, but still, the mood had been well and truly broken. “Finn—”

He spoke over my objection. “What if I do this?” From behind, his lips skimmed over the nape of my neck and delicious heat began to unfurl down deep in my belly.

“That’s nice,” I said, my eyes drifting closed. “How about we make a date for later?”

“Nice? That’s all?” He pulled me back against him, then gently bit down on my shoulder. A gasp escaped my throat at the surprise and the decadence of it.

“Hmm…how about pleasant?” Luckily he couldn’t see me grin. I was beginning to get back into the mood, but I was enjoying myself too much to let him know. As he’d pointed out, our sex life had so far consisted of sneaking around and desperate attempts to make the most of the time we had. Being seduced was far too fun to cut short.

He grabbed my hips and pulled my ass firmly against his erection. I’d never get used to knowing it was me who made Finn hard—and that it was all for me.

“Pleasant?” He practically growled before sucking my earlobe into his mouth. My breath hitched and I felt him smile. “Perhaps a little more than pleasant?”

“Let me think.” My pulse had picked up speed, but I managed to keep my voice calm. “Perhaps a little more. Do you have any other moves that might help?”

Without warning, he grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and had it over my head, then my bra off and on the floor. He pulled me back against him, into the position I’d been in before the flurry of action, though this time he cupped my bare breasts. Those hands were made of magic, sending tingles right through my body.

“Okay,” I conceded, my voice decidedly breathy, “that was a pretty good move.”

He chuckled as he gently pinched the peak of each breast. “You’re hard to impress. But I have a couple of other moves up my sleeve.”

His hands left their spot, and I almost whimpered before realizing they were snaking down my body and undoing the button and zipper on my jeans. He pushed them, and my underwear, down over my hips, and I wriggled until they hit the floor, welcoming the cool air as it feathered over my body.

I leaned my head back on his shoulder to steady myself as he stroked up and down my sides, over my abdomen, everywhere he could reach. Slowly. Softly. It was possible I was going to melt right there on the spot.

“How am I doing so far?” he murmured.

I had to moisten my lips before I could get my mouth to cooperate and reply. “Not bad. Perhaps with a little practice, you’d be quite good at this.”

His chest rumbled at my back with his laugh. “I can see I’m going to have to step this up a notch or two.”

Suddenly I was maneuvered around and down onto the bed, Finn looming over me, fully dressed, with a self-satisfied grin stretched across his face.

“You have clothes on,” I said, wriggling to get comfortable on his sheets. “All over your body.”

He climbed onto the bed, prowling until he knelt over me on all fours. “Is that a problem?”

“I like you naked.” He was close, so close, but not touching. Every cell in my body yearned to arch up and make contact with him, but I waited. He obviously had a plan, and I was curious what it was. Even if it was already driving me out of my mind.

“Nothing makes me happier than to hear you say that, but my nakedness is unnecessary right now.”

Unable to wait any longer, I reached up with arms and legs and brought him down on top of me. His mouth captured mine as soon as it was close enough, and I moaned at the glory of kissing Finn. His tongue glided along mine, and it was playful and urgent and wild and everything a great kiss could be. I was burning for him.

When we broke apart for air, I didn’t let him go, still gripping him against me.

“You know,” I said, when I’d caught my breath, “we seem to have different definitions of necessary. I think your nakedness is very necessary right about now.”

He gave me a leisurely smile and broke free of my hold. “Not yet.”

He disappeared from my field of vision. I lifted myself onto my elbows and found him kneeling on the floor at the end of the bed, between my feet.

“What are we waiting for?”

“This,” he said, gripping my ankles and tugging me down the sheets until my butt reached the end.

“Okay,” I said. “That was a pretty smooth move, I’ll admit it.”

He lifted my legs and draped a knee over each of his shoulders, then met my gaze with an arched eyebrow. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Then he leaned forward and put his mouth on me, and my entire body convulsed with the intensity of the touch. He simply held me in place and stroked his tongue over every electric nerve ending I had.

I’d known from that first kissing lesson his mouth was amazing, but its true calling was much further south. My hands grabbed as much of the sheets as they could, trying to anchor myself, because the sensation was almost too much to bear. I was alive, too alive to be still, restless with wanting more, needing everything.

“Finn,” I moaned.

He paused and said, “Louder.”

I opened my mouth to comply, but at that moment his tongue stroked up in an arc so majestic I lost the power of thought. My muscles quivered; my heart beat so hard I could feel it reverberating through my body.

“Louder,” he repeated.

“Finn.” The word felt like it was ripped from my throat—calling, begging, praising all at the same time.

A finger slipped inside me, then another, and I gripped hard as his mouth sucked, taking me outside of time and space, into a world where there was only Finn and me, only pleasure, only this.

My hips bucked and I couldn’t have stopped them if I’d wanted to. My body wasn’t following my commands anymore—it was completely under Finn’s control.

“Again,” he said. “Louder.”

Then his hands and mouth all moved in unison. The world contracted and was tightly bound around me for a suspended moment before exploding out in cascading fireworks while I screamed his name.

When everything came back into focus, I managed to whisper, “Okay, now your nakedness is necessary.”

“Already taken care of,” he said and slid onto the sheets with me. Sure enough, I could feel his warm skin along the length of my body and I rolled into him, wanting to increase the contact.