14. Millie
14
MILLIE
One day before we’re due to go back to London, we’re strolling down the beach, his massive paw enveloping mine. This week has begun to feel like an enforced honeymoon. He always shortens his stride to fit mine when we walk along the beach together. It’s romantic, if I’m honest.
I’ve been trying not to think that, and neither of us have talked about tomorrow. During one of my supervised email sessions I saw that someone has offered over the asking price for the cottage, so this really is it.
The cuffs are still off, on the condition that I hold Finn’s hand, even though my wrist is fine now. He was overreacting to slight marks made when he accidentally put the cuffs on too tight.
He hasn’t taken my virginity, but he takes the touching at all times rule very seriously.
This morning, he tied all four of my limbs to the bed and then licked me with such leisurely patience, bringing me to the brink over and over, that by the time he finally made me come I was a complete mess. He might not want sex, but maybe that’s because my mafia boss is as much of a control freak as I am, maybe even more.
Wait.
Mine?
When did that sneak in?
“What are you thinking, pet?” he rumbles, tucking me under his arm. He’s freaking huge.
That you’re mine. For one more day, and my heart doesn’t understand this will be over tomorrow.
“Just that you’ve been pretty nice.”
He barks with laughter.
“For a captor, you know,” I add.
“With all your experience of being a captive, that’s your judgement?” he teases me, running his thumb up and down my wrist.
“I don’t have to have been a captive before to know,” I protest.
“Sure, saw it on TV, right?”
“Woman’s intuition.” I think it’s a fair assumption that a mafia boss would be cruel.
He grunts sceptically, a deep noise from the back of his throat and I suddenly remember thinking my brother wasn’t talking to me in the car. I seriously thought that was Noah?
“Sometimes you just know,” I add. “It’s like…” Falling in love.
He’s cared for me, listened, and I don’t think I’ve ever had so many days in a row with hot food I didn’t cook myself. He’s been kinder than anyone I can remember.
Sometimes, you don’t have to have seen something before to be certain it’s true.
I think I love you .
It’s like the first time I came under his tongue. Exhilarating. Unexpected and not what I believed I wanted, but right . So right. I guess it’s Stockholm syndrome, but now I’ve found the label, “love”, I’m reluctant to give it up.
Love . This is a disaster. I bet a woman falls in love with him every time a butterfly flaps its wings, or whatever the saying is. Every time a mafia don has spaghetti for dinner.
I make an involuntary sound of distress. And of course Finn hears, because he’s observant as the big grey wolf he is.
“What is it, pet?” His green eyes sparkle in the warm pre-sunset sunshine as he scans my face, then he scowls and stops us from walking.
“Nothing.” Ugh, I’m no good at lying.
I focus on the dip between his collarbones that I want to lick and convince myself this can last forever. Also a lie.
“Sure, yeah,” he drawls. “You were fine, and suddenly you went all tense and made a noise like you’ve been banjaxed.”
“I don’t know what that means?—”
“It means broken,” he says urgently. “What is it?”
Should I tell him?
Maybe I should?—
Briiinnnnggg .
An obnoxiously loud ringtone shatters the peace of the early evening.
“Ah feck.” Finn pulls his phone from his pocket and stares at it.
Squeezing me closer, he mutters, “Sorry, I have to take this, or I suspect our little holiday will come to an abrupt end earlier than planned. Yes?”
“Kilburn, I thought you wanted to remain the London Mafia Syndicate?”
Finn rolls his eyes.
“Look, the first rule of Maths Club?—”
Maths Club? I must have misheard. I guess they said mafia club.
“Is that you don’t talk about how ridiculous the nickname is?” Finn interrupts.
“Is that you’re not supposed to kidnap people,” the man finishes without a beat.
A mafia club with no kidnapping. Huh. Rules me out then. That and not being a mafia boss.
Finn laughs. “Ah, yeah. About that.”
“I’m sorry if I got you into trouble,” I hiss.
“Is that the girl?” the man on the phone demands. “Is she okay?”
“Here, you can speak to her yourself.”
Finn holds out his phone to me, and I blink. I’m almost afraid to take it. But when I hold it to my ear, Finn’s green eyes are steady on me and the same sense of calm descends as when he has me tied up, in his power.
“Hi?”
“I’m Duncan Blackstone, Miss Harewood?” says male voice in a broad Scottish accent.
“For now,” Finn rumbles.
“That’s right.” Am I answering the man on the phone or the one in front of me?
“I understand you’ve been kidnapped,” says Duncan.
I flick my gaze to Finn’s.
He spreads his hands. “You did it first.”
“It’s complicated,” I reply.
“I had a fuck-buddy marriage to my daughter’s best friend who I was secretly in love with, and she secretly felt the same. Try me,” he says, Scottish accent bone dry.
Finn snorts with laughter.
“Okay, you know about complicated,” I acknowledge. “What happened was…” I think about telling Duncan that I accidentally kidnapped Finn, and then Finn captured me back, then we’ve spent six days together and I think I’ve fallen in love with him. “Basically, the same thing.”
My captor grins.
“You’ve got married?” the Scot asks sceptically.
“No,” I correct him. “Not exactly.” It’s just that I know about secret love now.
“I can propose, anytime you want, pet.” Finn winks and my heart gallops. He doesn’t mean it. We’re going back to London tomorrow, and this is his compensation for me kidnapping the playboy kingpin. A fun and sexy escapade.
“Look, I’ll cut to the chase. The London Mafia Syndicate aims to reduce kidnappings. For some reason,” he adds under his breath. “And we assume since he’s missing, and so are you, that he’s kidnapped you.”
Neither Finn nor I say anything. I’m certainly not telling this Blackstone character that Finn allowed me to kidnap him for funsies.
“Is Kilburn holding you against your will?”
I hold Finn’s gaze, and words clog in my throat.
A seagull squawks as it wheels around in the fading light as the sun sets.
“Miss?” Duncan asks when I don’t reply for long seconds. “Where are you?”
“At a cottage by the sea that won’t be mine in two days.” The despair catches me by the gut again, dragging me down even as Finn slowly shakes his head, and I can’t understand why.
“Look.” The Scot sighs impatiently. “Is this a kinky sex thing, or do you want to get away?”
“You can run, but I’ll catch you, pet.”
Duncan’s accent leaves me cold, but Finn’s Irish accent? The thrill that shoots through me rocks me back on my heels. It’s unreal. A smile plays around Finn’s mouth. He’s so, so big. Next to the sea, no one should feel like a mountain. But Finn does.
“Those two things aren’t necessarily different,” I point out to Duncan.
“Like that, is it?” he replies with amusement. “In that case?—”
The phone is plucked from my hand.
“Enough. We’ve got kinky chasing to do,” Finn states, then hangs up and shoves the phone in his pocket. He grabs my chin. “You kidnapped me, I kidnapped you. That’s even.”
I gaze up at him in disbelief.
“Now pet, this is the new compensation deal. You want your cottage?” He shifts his hand across my cheek, and down my neck before encircling my throat.
“Yes,” I breathe. With his fingers around my neck, I really do feel like his leashed pet.
“Reach the house before I catch you and it’s yours, no strings attached.”
“What, really?” Wasn’t that what I most wanted a lifetime ago when I was driving up here with a man I thought was Noah in the back of my car?
“I’ll give you ten seconds before I chase. Get into the cottage and you can drive back to London. I should probably say that you can have some boring little life without me, I’ll look after your brother, and let you go.”
I’m shaking my head, but there’s no need, because Finn gives me a roguish grin.
“But I won’t. All that will happen is we’ll play a longer game until you admit that you’re mine.”
My heart is fluttering like a caged bird.
His.
He lowers his voice to a rough growl and presses his fingers into the back of my neck, hard and possessive. “Whereas if I catch you, I’m going to hold you down, fuck you, and put a baby into you.”