14. Finn
Finn
I hadn’t been sure what reaction to expect from Chester.
It hadn’t been this. His lips against mine, hands resting gently on my chest.
Thankfully, my body caught up before my brain did. The instant it registered how Chester’s hands were trembling, I snapped into action. My hands wound around his back, pulling him close to me. I angled my mouth to deepen the kiss, swiping my tongue over Chester’s lips until he opened them.
My tongue touched his and I felt it all the way down to my toes. My wolf howled as Chester melted against me, his fingers curling into my shirt. He gave a small whimper as I explored his mouth.
Given how strongly I’d responded to his scent, I’d known his taste would be potent. But this…this kiss was shocking me to my core. It was changing everything.
My purpose had always been to lead the clan. To keep those around me safe. Now, it was expanding to include Chester. To make this man in my arms happy.
My wolf wouldn’t settle for anything less .
This is what I’ve been missing.
Not the kiss itself, or the intimacy. It was Chester. Chester was what had been lacking from my life. Him being in my arms cemented that for me.
Now I just needed to find a way to keep him there.
All too soon, Chester pulled back. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his pupils blown. And his lips…fuck, his lips. They were deliciously swollen, with a light sheen of moisture.
My already hard cock twitched as I wondered how they’d look after he’d sucked me off. After swallowing my cum. Then another image hit me. Chester’s head thrown back on a pillow. His eyes closed. Those pretty lips parted on a moan.
Fuck. What I wouldn’t give to see that.
“That was some kiss,” I rasped. I was desperate to rearrange my aching cock, but I didn’t want to scare him off.
Apparently, I didn’t need to worry as Chester reached down and pushed his palm against his own bulge. “You’re telling me. Umm…is it okay that I did that?”
“Fuck yes.” I reached down to rearrange myself. The way my cock was pushing against the tight denim was almost obscene. Chester’s gaze followed the movement, his eyes widening slightly. “I told ye, Chester, I want ye. Very, very, badly.”
A small smile played on his lips as he ducked his head. “Technically, you didn’t tell me. The flowers did.”
I grinned widely. I knew he had this cheeky humour from spending time with Chester as Buddy. Seeing it as Finn though? It meant everything. I couldn’t wait to see what else I could tease out of him over time .
Time being the key word there. I wasn’t going to rush this.
I was right. Chester was special. I thought so. My wolf agreed.
If this man was my endgame, I was going to savour this journey. I wanted us to create a beautiful story that we could look back on and smile.
Starting with tonight.
“They are very chatty flowers.” I winked. “Asking lots of questions. Well, just one, I suppose. So, do you have an answer for them?”
He bit his lip and turned to the flowers. His trembling hands began to fuss with the display. I didn’t speak, didn’t move, just let Chester work through whatever thought process he was considering.
“Just one night? No strings?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.
“If that’s what ye want,” I said gently. I didn’t want to scare him off, but I also didn’t want to lie to him. “I’ll admit, I want more from you. But if one night is all yer prepared to give me, I’ll take it and be damned grateful.”
“You won’t push me if I say I can’t give you any more?”
“No.” I reached out to lightly touch his arm. I needed him to look at me, to know how seriously I was taking this. “You might not trust me yet, Chester, but you will. I’m a man of my word.”
Chester chewed on his lip a bit more. “So you’re saying that if I say that’s it, please never contact me again, you’ll do that?”
“Yes.” It’d kill me, but I’d do it. I’d probably still watch over Chester from afar, just to keep him safe, but I wouldn’t ignore his boundaries. I’d survived unrequited love once before; I could do it again. Right ?
From how my wolf howled at the thought, I wasn’t so certain. But the one thing my wolf and I agreed on was Chester’s happiness.
If that meant loving him from a distance, we could do it. We would do it.
“Just to be clear,” I said slowly. “If you don’t tell me to stay away, does that mean you’re comfortable with me pursuing you?
” He froze, and I hurried to continue. “At your pace, obviously, Chester. I’d never ever rush or push you into anything.
I just want to know where the boundaries are to make sure I don’t step over them. ”
He cleared his throat and ducked his head lower and I could’ve sworn I saw a glimmer of silver lining his eyes. “You’re a thoughtful man, Finn.”
I didn’t speak, waiting for him to say more. Silently demonstrating with my actions that I meant what I’d said.
“I…I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Chester admitted eventually. “I’m sorry, Finn. You probably think I’m messing you around.”
“I don’t,” I said fiercely. “I think you’re scared, Chester. I think you might have been hurt in the past?”
He sucked in a quick breath and I immediately panicked. Was that the wrong thing to say?
But then he nodded. Just once.
Relief flooded me. “I’m sorry that happened, Chester.
More than you can ever know.” He didn’t speak, but that was okay.
I thought he needed to hear from me more than I needed to hear from him.
“I need ye to know that I’d never hurt you in any way.
I don’t want anything from you except your happiness. ”
A tear tracked down Chester’s cheek, but he didn’t wipe it away. It was almost as though he didn’t even realise. He was staring at the bouquet, but I knew he was listening .
“I don’t expect you to trust me or even believe what I’m telling you. I’m not asking anything from you, Chester, except a chance.”
“You barely know me,” he whispered. “Why do you want this so badly?”
In that moment, I fucking hated that he didn’t know that I was Buddy. That we’d spent countless hours together. That I knew more about him than he’d ever intended to let on.
“I might not know much,” I said finally, “but what I do know, I like. A lot. I won’t lie to you, Chester, you’re the first person in a very long time to make me look twice. To make me want to pursue something. That’s not something I can ignore. I don’t want to.”
Chester was silent for a long time, his hands trembling at his sides. I didn’t rush him. I waited him out. Waiting until he was ready.
“I’ll give you tonight.” His voice was hoarse. He finally looked at me, a mixture of trepidation and excitement in his eyes. “Tonight, Finn. I can’t promise anything more.”
I bowed my head. “Then I’ll be grateful for that.”
He touched my chin and I lifted my gaze to see something new on his face.Determination. “I can’t promise more after tonight, but I’m not promising just tonight. Does that make sense?”
I turned my head to press a kiss to his palm. “Yes. One step at a time, Chester. That’s enough for me.”
W hen Chester gave me his address, I didn’t think he considered my morning swims in the loch. The swims he believed I didn’t know about.
From how he was pacing up and down in his house, he’d since remembered. He was wringing his hands and muttering under his breath. Either he was freaking out about how I’d react, or his anxiety about tonight was getting the best of him.
Fuck, I hoped it was the first one.
I watched him through the window for a few moments longer, wondering how best to address this. With confidence and communication, I decided.Chester seemed to feel most comfortable when things were addressed upfront and clearly.
Which made sense, given how much his ex had gaslit him. If he ever told me his full name, I’d be tracking the fucker down and teaching him a lesson.
One he wouldn’t walk away from.
Decision made, I strode up to the front door. It felt so odd to be approaching the house from this direction. And to be in my human form.
I knocked briskly before stepping back a bit. I didn’t want to overwhelm Chester the instant he opened it.
Through the walls, my supe hearing picked up on the pep talk he gave himself.“Just act normal. You don’t need to make this weird. You didn’t ask him to do his nude swims right outside your house.”
I bit back my smirk. No, he certainly had not. At least I knew exactly what was stressing him out now.
As soon as the door opened, I gave him a sheepish smile and thumbed over my shoulder. “Guess I might’ve been giving ye an accidental show? ”
Chester flushed and started to stammer. “I didn’t—I mean, I wouldn’t?—”
Shit. I risked a step closer, holding my hands up. “Chester, it’s fine. I was the one parading around with my cock and balls out. If anyone should apologise, it’s me. I’m sorry if I’ve made ye uncomfortable.”
There was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he fought a grin. “Uncomfortable isn’t the right word.”
I took another step closer. “Good. Because thinking about ye watching me out there? That doesn’t make me uncomfortable either.”
Heat flashed in Chester’s eyes as his tongue darted out over his bottom lip. A lip I very much wanted to get reacquainted with.
Spreading my arms wide, I braced myself on his doorframe as I eyed him hungrily. “Are ye going to invite me in, Chester?”
“Yes,” he rasped. His eyes wandered down my arm and settled on my chest. “Please, come in.”
One hot night, I reminded myself as I stepped over the threshold. That was what Chester wanted. I was familiar with his space thanks to my time spent in it as ‘Buddy,’ but what I really wanted to do was have a conversation with Chester here where I could speak back.
Now wasn’t the time for that. That wasn’t what tonight was about. It was about what Chester wanted.
And I’d be damned if I didn’t make every single one of his deepest desires come true.
I stepped close to him, not bothering to hide my hunger. “Bedroom? Or did you have somewhere else in mind?”
Politeness warred with desire on Chester’s face for a few seconds before the former won out. “Can I offer you a drink first? Water? Beer? Tea?”
I closed the distance between us, my lips hovering just above his. Ghosting my fingers along the curve of his neck, I tutted. “Do ye want us to have a drink first?”
“No, I don’t,” he moaned as I traced my hand down his chest, flirting with his waistband.
God, the things I wanted to do to this man. He was just so fucking tempting. I wanted to devour him. Fuck it. Just a little taste. I lowered my mouth to his ear, tugging the lobe gently with my teeth.
“Good.” I moved from his ear to his throat. “Bedroom or down here, Chester. That’s all ye have to decide on.”
Chester whimpered. Oh, he liked that idea. “Bedroom.”
I stood back and gestured for him to lead the way.
I knew where it was, of course, but Chester didn’t know that.
Besides, him going first meant I got to ogle his arse.
A part of him I was hoping to end up on very good terms with.
My eyes didn’t leave it as I followed him up the stairs.
It had the most delicious jiggle. I wondered if I could sweet talk Chester into sitting on my face.
On letting me bury myself between those tempting cheeks of his.
Fuck. I hoped Chester was caffeinated. If this was only going to be one night, I was going to keep him awake for most of it.
He opened his door. “Um, do you want the lights on or…?”
I was on him in a second, pressing the front of my body to the back of his. “What do you want,m’eudail?”
I wrapped my arms around his middle, finding the bottom of his shirt and tugging. Chester groaned, his head falling back against my shoulder before he seemed to remember I’d asked him a question. “On. I want to see you. ”
“Good,” I growled before twisting him in my arms. “Because I’m going to do so many things to ye, Chester. Every fucking thing I can think of to make ye moan. Scream. And I want ye to see my face for all of them. To know it’s me making ye feel this way.”
His pretty lips were in a perfect O. I was dying to kiss them, but first I wanted his consent.
“If we’ve only got tonight, I’m going to make the most of it.
I’m going to do everything to ye that I’ve dreamed about for the past few weeks.
Until you’re begging me to stop and let ye sleep. How does that sound to ye, Chester?”