Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
LOU
Who is this man?
Finn Heart.
That’s what he said his full name is.
Not only is he absolutely fine with introducing me to his brothers on what appears to be our first date, but he wants to take me to a concert and to a hockey game on said date .
Those are public spaces where other people will see us and maybe realize we’re on a date.
“So, does that plan sound okay to you? We still have to figure everything out for tomorrow morning and early evening since the game starts at seven, and I know this is all weird, spending two days with a guy who you met when he knocked on your door by mistake while he was drunk out of his mind and then puked in your bathroom before passing out in your bed, again, so sorry about that.”
His rambles are so adorable. It does not compute with how freaking good looking he is. I’d always assumed people this good looking were always sure of themselves.
“But I like you,” he continues. “And I know you might want to kick me to the curb after you meet my brothers, but?—”
“I don’t think I will. If they’re anything like you, I’ll like them.” I surprise myself with how straightforward I am, but I don’t regret it. It seems that I’m safe letting the adorably handsome Finn Heart know that I like him even before our first date.
That has never happened before.
Just like wanting to actually take me out on dates. No other man has done that either.
No, I was hidden away in my two previous relationships. And I’ve never been the type of guy for hookups. My exes lied to their families about their friend Lou. They made me feel like the most worthless piece of trash, and I let them. Until I didn’t.
And now it seems I might actually have found a guy who isn’t like that.
Could this be real?
“So, you’re still up for our super-long date?” Again, there’s so much hope in his eyes. “Please go out on a date with me even if it’s chaperoned by my brother.” He opens those dark, dark eyes wider and brings his hands together in front of him as if begging.
That’s also new.
No man has ever begged me for anything before.
I mean, he’ll probably ditch me when he finds out how boring I am...
So I better enjoy it while it lasts, I decide.
“I’m happy to hang out with your brother too, and yes, go on a chaperoned date.” I stop holding back and let the smile I’ve been controlling unfurl on my face.
God, please don’t let this be just another date I regret going on.
“Awesome.” He jumps a little. “I need to go let my brother know, just wait here for a few minutes.”
I nod and watch him run back down the hallway then take a turn to the left.
He’s gone less than a minute, but when he comes back with his brother in tow, I lose all brain function.
Twins.
They’re twins.
Identical, perfect, Italian god twins .
I mean sure, Finn’s brother is buffer than he is, but they’re both exactly the same height and their faces really are copies.
“Lou, this is my brother, Beau,” Finn says.
“Hi,” I say lamely and wave a hand. Not my brightest moment but seriously ... twins!
“Hi,” he says back, glumly. He barely looks up at me but quickly turns to look at Finn. “I don’t have to be here, really. You two?—”
“Yes, you do have to be here because you’re supposed to spend time out of your room, bro. Come on.” Finn grabs him by the arm and drags him the few steps to the elevator banks where he presses the button to go down.
“Twins,” I say out loud and regret it instantly when four equally alert and beautiful black eyes look straight at me. Though Beau’s look sad. Man, the guy is clearly having a really rough time and you can tell right away. Get a hold of yourself . I shake my head to clear it. “Sorry, I was just surprised. You didn’t mention your brother was your twin,” I say, looking at Finn, maybe a bit accusingly.
“Yeah, I never think to mention it, sorry.” He winces and I just... sigh. He looks all apologetic, and again that word— adorable . I can’t do anything but let it go.
“It’s a good thing you’re wearing different clothes. That way I can tell you apart.” I make a mental note, though, just in case. Finn is wearing blue and Beau is wearing black—to fit his mood or happenstance? Who knows, maybe I’ll find out during brunch.
The elevator dings its arrival and we all get in.
“You have no idea the stories we have of times Mom dressed us up in the same clothes,” Finn says, and smiles just at the thought of it.
Beau smiles a little, and seeing the stark difference of how he looks just from that tiny smile makes me realize I’m actually glad that Finn is dragging him with us.
Not only will it probably help him, but it will also maybe make this an easier date for me. If at any point I don’t know what to say, I can always ask Beau something.
“So, Finn, you told me you’re an accountant?” I ask once our food is ordered and we have coffee in front of us. Beau looks to his brother sitting next to him in the booth, and I tell myself it’s fine. It’s normal and nothing to worry about that the twin of the man I’m on a first date with is going to be able to dissect every single thing I say.
“Yeah,” Finn says with a smile and reaches for his cup of coffee. “What do you do?”
“I work for Clarice We?—”
“Clarice Wells!” he shouts suddenly.
“Yeah? You know it?”
“Do I know it?” he asks like it’s preposterous. “I literally had my office designed around every single Clarice Wells item I own.”
“Oh,” I whisper. Oh boy. Lou you cannot get an erection in this crowded restaurant. “Really?” I ask in the breathy tone I always get when I’m…impressed. Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.
“Yes, really.” Finn nods excitedly. “What do you do there?” He leans his elbows on the table and cups his cheeks with his hands, then just stares at me with an expression I’ve dreamed about seeing in a man my whole damn life.
“I’m the VP of design,” I say slowly, trying to control my emotions.
“You design for Clarice Wells ?” he asks in an awed whisper. “I want to know everything !”
I can’t help but smile at his reaction. It seems so genuine, I can’t help but lean in too. But then I’m reminded of our chaperone when he speaks.
“Wow,” Beau says, looking at us with wide, frightened eyes. “This is about to get super nerdy, isn’t it?” I can tell he’s teasing his brother.
“Shut up, meathead,” Finn grumbles good-naturedly.
“It’s okay. We can talk about CW at another time,” I say as I lean back. Finn’s eyebrows shoot up and his smile stretches slowly this time as he looks at me. I don’t know why until I run back what I just said.
Another time.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure there will be a second date. Or that we’ll have a few minutes to ourselves before I leave on Monday to talk about my work if Finn is really that interested.
I’m interested—beyond interested—in a second date. Because his reaction to my work? Better than I could ever have dreamed of.
“So, what do you do?” I make myself look aways from Finn’s gorgeous eyes and turn to see Beau.
“I’m a firefighter.”
“Oh, wow.” I wasn’t expecting that, but I’m not sure why. Maybe because it’s so insanely different from Finn’s profession.
“Yeah, but now I might never go back to work.”
“Why?” I demand.
Beau lets out a big sigh and takes a moment. My guess is to think whether he should say what he’s thinking or not. I feel something inside my chest just give in when Finn stays silent too, but reaches over his brother’s shoulders and gives him a sympathetic half hug.
Eventually, Beau tells me the whole sordid story of his break-up, and his reluctance to ever go back to work—the fact that his ex-best friend works alongside him.
We focus more on him while we brunch, and strangely, I don’t mind one bit. I learn a lot about who Finn is while we both try to console Beau.
He’s compassionate, he loves his brother an insane amount—proved by the threats he makes against the ex-girlfriend and the ex-best friend—but he’s also thoughtful. He gives Beau the best advice there is in my opinion, which is to let himself feel all his feelings and go back to work, then feel everything again, and that only then can he truly decide whether he wants to transfer to another firehouse in another town.
After that, we go wandering through all the attractions of the resort. We check out the pools—one full of drunk people, the other one full of kids. We go to the casino, where Beau decides he wants to play for a while, so Finn teaches me how to play blackjack while a very patient dealer lets us be without taking anything too seriously.
At one point, Finn tells Beau we’ll be back in half an hour, then takes my hand and drags me out of the casino. I’m still getting my breath back from how his hand fits so nicely against mine, how our fingers fit perfectly interlocked, when we finally stop walking and I see where we are.
The one attraction in Vegas that I wanted to see before I left—and I didn’t even tell Finn about it, so how he knew to bring me here, I’ll never know.
It’s the Bellagio fountains. They’re amazing, and the show starts only a minute after we get there.
Finn doesn’t let go of my hand as we stare at the spurts of water dancing magically. I don’t let go either, and in fact, I squeeze his hand once.
He turns to look at me and I can’t help but smile up at him—for the experience he’s giving me, for the company, for all the possibilities.
“Lou,” he murmurs as he shifts closer, so we’re almost chest to chest.
“Yeah?” I ask, already breathless.
He lifts his free hand and cups my cheek.
“I’m going to kiss you now unless you tell me not to.” The seriousness I see in his face, the earnest look that tells me he really won’t kiss me if I don’t allow it, and the barely contained want I see in the dark pool of his eyes all together make my heartbeat quicken, my palms dampen.
“I won’t stop you,” I whisper before I can think twice about it.
He leans down and seals his mouth to mine. Even the potent embarrassment I was starting to feel—because he can feel my sweaty palms—disappears as I close my eyes, and he commands the kiss, so I get lost in it.
My free hand lifts to his hip and that’s the right thing to do it seems, because he shifts his own hand to the back of my head, and steps closer until our bodies are completely flush against each other. My head tilts all the way back to accommodate the height difference, and I gasp when I feel a definite bulge against my belly.
Finn takes advantage, plunging his tongue into my mouth and stroking mine expertly.
I don’t know how long the kiss goes on for, and in all honesty, I couldn’t give one single fuck about the show we put on in front of all the people who came to see the fountains. All I care about is Finn’s lips, his hands, and when he pulls back and stares down at me, I care a lot about the surprised smile on his face, and the twinkle of excitement in his eyes.
We finish watching the show in silence, but this time we hold each other. I’m wrapped up in his arms with my head resting against his shoulder and his head lightly resting on the top of mine.
I don’t even care about the obviously drunk frat boys standing right next to us making a ruckus.
Vegas isn’t too bad next to Finn Heart.
It’s not even dark out, but this is already the best date I’ve ever been on. I don’t think anything could ruin it, and I also don’t know how it could ever get better.