Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WILLOW
A couple days after the kiss that’d rocked my world, I was still doing my best to forget about it. Okay, I was doing my best to try to forget. So far, it wasn’t going well. Or at all, really.
I’d done little but think about what it’d felt like to have Finn’s lips on mine again, to have every inch of his body pressed against mine, all that heat directed solely at me.
There was no denying it anymore. Over the years, I hadn’t inflated our chemistry in my mind. It was there, and it was real, and it was every bit as potent as it’d been when we’d been only teenagers. Maybe even more so. Which meant I was well and truly screwed.
“Will.” Rory stood in the paint section of the local hardware store, holding up two white samples. “Which one do you like better?”
Normally, I could debate paint colors with the best of them, but I could barely focus on my own name let alone the varying shades of dove and moonlight.
“Um…that one.” I pointed to the one in her left hand.
She scrunched her nose, her lips pursing as she considered it. “You don’t think it’s too yellow?”
“What room is this goin’ in again?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Have you been listening to anythin’ I’ve been sayin’?”
Well, actually…no. No, I hadn’t been.
As if I didn’t have enough to think about after that kiss with Finn, I also had to contend with the fact that my daddy was coming home from his conference at the end of the week. I wasn’t sure how I’d managed it, but as far as I knew, he was none the wiser about the new Havenbrook residents. And if he’d gotten wind of it, I had no doubt he would’ve called me immediately, demanding answers. Since I hadn’t received any five a.m. wake-up calls, I figured all was good. Which was nice in the present, but it only postponed the inevitable blowup when he came back and found out what had been happening in his precious Havenbrook during his absence.
“Sorry, Rory. Tell me again?”
With a huff and an eye roll, she held out the white and white paint samples in front of my face. “I’m repaintin’ the study.”
“Didn’t you just do that a couple months ago?”
She lifted a single, perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Yes, I did. But I don’t like it. It’s too dark for the space, closes it in. I want to go light this time, with pops of color in the accent pieces instead. I’m thinkin’ crimson and teal.” She waved the paint sample I’d suggested in my face. “So, do you think this one is too yellow for that?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised at Rory’s whim when it came to redecorating her house. Sean, her husband, worked as an attorney at his daddy’s firm, which meant long hours for him and even longer hours for her at home taking care of their two daughters all by herself.
I didn’t know the ins and outs of their marriage—she wasn’t one to discuss that kind of thing, so I didn’t push—but it seemed to me Sean didn’t put up a fuss at the constant changes Rory made because she didn’t put up a fuss when he had to work late for the sixth night in a row.
“No, I don’t think it’s too yellow,” I said, though I still hadn’t more than glanced at the samples.
“Hmm…” She turned around, moving to the different light sources the hardware store offered to see the variances in color. “I’m just not sure.”
I plucked a deep blue sample from the display. The shade would be perfect if I painted an ocean scene at sunset. “So Sean’s workin’ late again?”
“Mhmm.”
“He seems to be doin’ that a lot lately. He workin’ on a new case?”
“You know his daddy trusts him the most, Will. Doesn’t like any of the other attorneys to help him with his cases, which means long hours for Sean.” Her response came out sharper than usual, an undercurrent in her tone that had me glancing up.
But before I could question her on it, her smile was back in place.
“Did you hear about what happened to Brenda Nokes?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Can’t say I have.” I replaced the blue sample and grabbed something in a light orange—perfect for the glow of the sun.
“It’s a shame, just a shame. She caught Bill with Susanna Jenkins! Can you believe that? Poor thing, her husband and her best friend.” Rory tutted, shaking her head. “According to Edna, she’s not leavin’ him either. They’re gonna try to work it out.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“ Good ?” She laughed without humor. “I wouldn’t say there’s anything good about the situation. Can you imagine havin’ to decide between divorcing or sticking it out with a man who wants someone else? Bless her heart, I just feel so bad for her.”
Despite being a gossipmonger, my sister’s sympathy was genuine. Without letting me get a word in, she continued, “At least they don’t need to worry about people talkin’ for long. All the commotion around it’ll die down in a bit. Honestly, all anyone can talk about is the Thomas boys anyway.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “Did you get my voice mail about them moving in to that little apartment over their building? No one’s been able to figure out if it’s permanent or temporary. But heavens, can you imagine the Thomas boys living here again?”
She laughed, shaking her head as if the idea were preposterous. As if I hadn’t been imagining that very thing since I’d been swept off my feet by a kiss that definitely shouldn’t have happened. “I haven’t had a chance to swing by yet, but I’m plannin’ to. Just to check in on them, of course. See how they’re doin’ and welcome them back into town. Maybe bring ’em some muffins.”
Uh-huh. A welcome that came with a side of spying and information mining. I saw right through Rory’s bullshit story, but I didn’t call her on it. What was the use? Besides, if her attention was snagged on something else, maybe she’d stay off my case for more than a day.
“Before I can do that, though, I need to figure out which of these I like better…” She continued comparing the stark-white and slightly less stark samples, so I slipped over to the unoccupied paint counter, leaned against it, and prepared for a long night.
The last time I’d agreed to come with her, we’d spent three hours in this damn store, most of which had been spent looking at door hooks. Door hooks . Only Rory would put that much effort into perfection.
After that unforgettable experience, I had sworn to myself I’d never come again. And then tonight had happened. Mac and I were supposed to watch our nieces while Rory and Sean went out to dinner. Instead, he’d had to work late, which meant Rory was slated for a night of seclusion. But when she’d dropped the girls off, she’d looked a bit frustrated at her husband’s disappearing act—a crack in a perfect facade. It was so unlike her, I had taken pity on her and asked if I could come with.
And now I was bored out of my ever-loving mind, debating the merits of painting a room dove or moonlight. That was what I got for trying to be the nice one. Mac had only waved with glee as Rory and I had left. Never mind the fact that she was on the hook as solo caretaker for our seven- and nine-year-old nieces. Apparently, that was far superior to being stuck with our eldest sister for any amount of time.
Rory was mumbling about cyan versus cerulean throw pillows and which would look better with moonlight when a laugh drew my attention down the aisle toward a small display of lighting fixtures. Two people stood below an array of ceiling fans, and it took me only half a second to realize it was Finn and Nola. The same time the realization hit me, an invisible fist clenched around my stomach and squeezed.
I hadn’t seen him since our kiss—had done all I could to avoid him, to be honest. If any of them had needed help with something at the building or had questions about a regulation, I’d had Avery run interference. Maybe not my most professional move, but I hadn’t been able to face him just yet. Not when the kiss still had me all jumbled up inside.
Rory’s nonstop stream of conversation faded into the background while I watched Finn and Nola laugh, Finn’s head tossed back and a huge smile on his face. And, yeah, I could say the fist squeezing harder around my insides was just the shock at seeing him when it wasn’t part of my plan. But I’d done an awful lot of lying to myself since he’d come back to town, and I was tired of it.
As much as I’d tried to avoid it, as much as I’d done whatever I could to believe something else, there was no getting around it. I was attracted to Finn. Desperately. My mouth tingled as I remembered how he’d pressed me up against the wall, had slipped his tongue between my lips and feasted on me like I was the best thing he’d tasted in years.
And now? Seeing him laughing and so comfortable with another girl kicked me straight in the heart, jealousy seeping out of my pores. Which didn’t make any sense. I’d never been jealous a day in my life, so why the hell would it start now when I wasn’t even with Finn?
“All right, I think I decided on moonlight,” Rory said, stepping up next to me. “What’s got your attention?”
Before I could straighten and look in the opposite direction of where Finn and Nola stood, my sister turned and glanced down the aisle. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who stood there, and she hummed low in her throat. Her gaze was calculating, which meant I had about three seconds to get my sister out of the store before she did something that would no doubt humiliate me.
“Are you about ready?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet as I pushed away from the counter.
“Not quite.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me down the aisle, closer to Finn and Nola. “Need to get some new paintbrushes too. What do you think of these, Will?” she asked, far louder than she needed to.
At the sound of my name, Finn’s head snapped up, his laughter cutting off. He looked in our direction, a slow smile spreading across his lips when he caught sight of me. Lord , why did that make my stomach flip?
And, damn, now he was coming toward us, Nola at his side, and the single tumble of my stomach turned into a series of somersaults with no end in sight.
“Rory,” Finn said with a nod. “Good to see you. How’re things?”
Finn might’ve asked the question of Rory, but his eyes strayed almost immediately to me. And then he did a slow sweep of me from head to toe while my sister went on about everything amazing that was going on in her life—two kids on the honor roll, heading up the PTA, the multitude of fundraisers she’d done for Havenbrook residents in need, her husband being promoted to partner in the firm.
It all blurred into background noise as my body heated up simply from Finn’s gaze. The way he allowed his eyes to trace over every curve of me was as good as a caress on my naked body. Everything tightened, my nipples going stiff and the warmth in my lower belly spreading until it was all I could focus on.
“But enough about me,” Rory said, placing a hand on his forearm. “I heard y’all bought the old soda fountain. Gettin’ it all fixed up?”
Finn finally dragged his eyes away from me and glanced at my sister. “We’re tryin’. Between the three of us, we’ll be lucky if it doesn’t look like a flea market in there, though.”
“Oh? What’re y’all thinkin’?”
Nola shrugged. “We’re still a little fuzzy on the details. We just know we don’t want a typical honky-tonk vibe. Maybe something with an industrial flair instead?” She pulled out her phone and turned it to face Rory and me, showcasing a few pictures she had stored. “We were thinkin’ something like this.”
“ Together ?” Rory asked, her voice laced with horror. “Oh no, honey. No.” She shook her head as she plucked the phone from Nola’s fingers and swiped through the images. “Now I know this is y’all’s baby, but I just wouldn’t be a good neighbor if I didn’t offer a few suggestions, now would I?” Her eyes were alight with excitement, no doubt over telling someone—anyone—what to do. She grabbed Nola’s wrist and led her down the aisle back toward the lighting. “What I’d suggest is?—”
I stopped listening then, because Finn stepped closer to me, choosing to stay with me rather than listen to Rory give a play-by-play of what they needed in the bar. He leaned a shoulder against the shelves at my back, curving his body toward me and bringing him far closer than was a good idea.
“Fancy meetin’ you here,” he said.
I slid him a look out of the corner of my eye, trying not to be affected by the warmth swirling in his gaze. Trying and failing. “If you’re not careful, I’m gonna start thinkin’ you’re following me.”
He smiled then, the sight nearly knocking me on my ass. “If I were following you, we’d run into each other a helluva lot more than we have been.” He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Why did that tiny, innocent touch have my body lighting up? “I guess I’ve just been lucky these past few days.”
I swallowed, attempting to maintain the facade of calm, when inside, I felt like I was on fire. “Is that what you’d call it?”
Once again, he let his eyes drop to take in every inch of me. And those eyes? They heated until there was no doubt in my mind he was mentally undressing me, imagining what every inch of me would look like bare.
“Yeah, Willowtree,” he said, his voice deep and rough, just a whisper in the space between us. “I call it damn lucky.”
I swallowed. Tried to get my breathing under control. Failed miserably. “Quit lookin’ at me like that.”
“Like what?” he asked with a smile.
“Like that .”
He leaned closer, dropped his voice even more. “Like I’m picturing what would’ve happened if I hadn’t walked away the other night? If I’d been able to get you out of your shirt? See what you’ve got hiding under all these layers? Can’t say I’ve stopped thinkin’ about it. This is just the first time you’ve been present for it.”
“Finn…” I tried to make it come out as an admonishment, scold him for being inappropriate, but instead, it came out breathless. Like a plea for more.
My entire body warmed, my cheeks growing hot, and there was no doubt in my mind everything was written all over my face.
I finally let myself meet his eyes, only to find his even more heated than before. Like it was taking all his strength not to grab me by the ass and hoist me up so I’d be wrapped around his hips—to hell if we were in a public place or not.
“It’s nice to see your cheeks get red for somethin’ other than you being pissed at me,” he said, running the back of a finger down my warm skin. “Though I don’t mind that either. As long as you’re talkin’ to me, I’ll take what I can get.”
His acknowledgment of my arousal only made the heat bloom more. I darted my eyes around him to where Rory and Nola stood, their attention focused on the lighting offered, paying Finn and me no mind. But all it would take was one glance in our direction, and Rory would see everything. And she would never, ever let me live it down.
Finn looked over his shoulder to where my eyes were fixed, then he circled my wrist with two fingers and tugged me around the corner into an empty aisle. And, dammit, but that was both better and worse. I wanted to be in a crowded store, surrounded by people, as much as I wanted it to be just the two of us, hidden and tucked away where we could do anything we wanted.
And, Lord , did I want. No more lying to myself. Which meant I didn’t trust myself around him. It was that simple.
I’d proven time and time again I couldn’t be trusted in his company, and the longer I was in it, the higher the probability I’d do something totally out of character for me. Something my sister—the sister who stood only an aisle over—would have a conniption over. Something she’d hold over my head for eternity, right after sharing it with our daddy.
But I forgot about all that when Finn tugged me to him, sliding an arm around me to press against the small of my back. He didn’t stop until our fronts were flush, an intimate touch that was absolutely inappropriate for the middle of the hardware store…and for two people who weren’t a couple.
And yet I didn’t push him away.
With hands resting against his chest, I stood stock-still and stared up at him. His lips curved into the tiniest smile before he leaned down, bringing his face closer to mine. I panted—there was no other word for it. My breaths came shallow and fast, my fingers curling into the material of the T-shirt covering all that muscled goodness he hid under his clothes.
He was going to kiss me again. And…I was going to let him.
I wanted that kiss more than my next breath, wanted to feel those warm lips of his against mine, wanted the sinful slide of his tongue along my own. He was so close, I could nearly taste the sweet tang of his tongue. But instead of pressing his mouth to mine, he brushed his lips across my cheek before nuzzling my neck as he inhaled deeply. I went boneless, certain the only thing holding me up was his arm around me, solid and sure.
Against my ear, he whispered, “You ready to stop ignorin’ what’s between us?” He pressed a light kiss on that heavenly place behind my ear—the one he’d learned at eighteen was my weakness. “Because I am. I’m here and ready whenever you are. I’ve thought about that kiss every damn second since it happened. Played it out a hundred different ways, and they all end the same, Willowtree. With me inside you.”
The floor might as well have vanished beneath me, the aisle of decorative hardware surrounding me fading into nothing as I did the only thing I could. I clung to him. I gripped his shirt in my fingers, and he tightened his arm around me in response, holding me up and against him. We were as close as we could be in public, every hard inch of him pressing against me, and yet it wasn’t enough. I wanted more . Despite knowing better, despite everything that’d happened between us, I wanted more.
“Will?” Rory called out from the other aisle, making me jump, the trance broken.
After another kiss behind my ear and a deep inhale, Finn stepped back. His eyes were heavy, his lips parted, and I couldn’t stop myself from dropping my gaze to the front of his jeans where his arousal was clear as day as it strained against the denim. For me.
“I have to go.”
He nodded once, just a slow dip of his chin, his eyes never leaving mine. Reaching up, he ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Anytime, Willowtree,” he said, his voice low and gritty as he dropped his hand and stepped back from me. “Remember that. Anytime.”
And then he turned and walked away, down the aisle and around the corner before Rory and Nola could find us together. All I could do was stare at his retreating form.
Stare and daydream about what it’d be like if I actually gave in.