Chapter 10
TEN
FINN
Sami asked me to give her a day, maybe two, to work through everything that had happened at the cafe with her ex. That was three days ago, and I was just about ready to drive to her place and bang on her door to let me in when my cell chimed with her text asking to meet at our place in an hour.
That could mean only one location. Whispering Falls. I’d never been so nervous in my life. Not faced against the enemy, not when I’d retired and now even when I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do with my life when I’d only known the Army for my adult life.
When I arrived, I took note of a few other people around the falls, but Sami had claimed the bench. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took the opportunity to look my fill as I approached. Déjà vu hit me as I thought back to the first time I’d found her here. And just like then, she was so damn beautiful. My heart may have skipped a beat.
But she was also smart, funny and kind. I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it. And I was to beg if I had to. I knew we belonged together. Our connection was so much more than great sex.
When she finally noticed me, her face lit up, and damn if my heart didn’t do that old school cartoon thumping. I wouldn’t be surprised if my eyes had big fat hearts shooting from them, either. Relief washed over me as she held my gaze.
Scooting over to make room for me, she patted the wood. “Hey.” Her soft greeting welcomed me, reminding me of each time she sighed my name as I entered her body. And yeah, I had it so damn bad for her.
“Hey back.” Breaking eye contact was difficult, but I wanted to give her time and space to tell me what she needed to say without worry of me losing control and touching her.
“So.” Sami sighed.
“So.” I parroted, then chuckled.
She joined me, then let out another wistful sigh. “Sorry. I thought I knew what I wanted to say. How I wanted to say it, but….” Sami shrugged her shoulders, then started again. “The way you’re looking at me is not helping.”
“You told me you like the way I look at you. Many times. And I like looking at you—a lot. Especially when we’re both naked.” I was going to use everything in my arsenal, especially seduction. God, I hope it worked.
“I did. I do. But I need to get through this without it turning into a make-out session, okay?” Sami’s stern sounding words didn’t quite match the need in her eyes, and it gave me some hope she wasn’t going to end things.
“Okay. I promise to keep my hands and my lips to myself.”
“Thank you.”
“For now.” I added, grinning.
She rolled her eyes, then looked off toward the falls. The sun had begun to dip behind the ridge, and pink and purple splashes began painting the sky. “I love this spot.”
If she wanted to gaze at the sunset and the falls till dark, I was content to watch her do just that. No longer in a hurry, I’d wait until she was ready to talk.
“Do you think the falls got its name because of the sound it makes, or because it’s a good place for whispered secrets?” Sami asked, her soft voice wrapping around my heart. And I knew exactly why’d she’d phrased her question that way. She’d somehow found out about my pen name. I had no other secrets.
“Maybe a bit of both. I would say this place is also perfect for whispered confessions. In fact, I’ve got one to make.” Without breaking my promise, I leaned in, placed my mouth as close to her ear as I could without touching, and whispered, “I write the O’Sullivan series.” I blew into her ear for good measure.
Sami shivered. Her reaction filled me with male pride and triumph. Whether she was planning to walk away from me or not, there was no denying our chemistry. “But you already figured that out, right?”
Nodding, she licked her lips nervously. “The other day, before I left for work, I went looking for some paper to write you a note. I noticed your office door was ajar, which it never had been before, so I went in thinking if you didn’t want me in there, you would have made sure to close it, right?”
“Solid deduction.” I picked up her left hand and began rubbing slow circles on her palm. Okay, so I broke one little promise, but she didn’t protest my touch. Nothing short of a bomb was going to get me to stop, either.
“Um, so yeah, I found a notepad, and under it was a cover mock-up for the final book of the series. Which threw me, I’m not going to lie, and there was your name, your real name, on an attached piece of paper. Then I noticed the art on the walls, the other covers in the series, and it just fell into place. You wrote all those books. But I didn’t know what to do at the moment, so, I wrote the note, and put the pad back where I found it. I then left it on your kitchen counter and went to work.” Her chin went up, a dare in her eyes to get mad at her for going through my stuff.
Instead of answering, I cupped her chin and gave her a hard, quick kiss. Another shiver rocked her and this time, I groaned. I loved her responses to my touch. And oh, yeah, she wasn’t going anywhere.
“I know I could have told you when I saw you had my book the first time we were here. But I’d been keeping it a secret for so long, not just from everyone in town, but also from some of my closest friends. And I really wanted to see if you’d like me for me and not as someone who writes a book you like.” I can’t remember the last time I’d ever felt this vulnerable as I waited for her to take it all in.
“That makes total sense. But you should have told me after the first time we made love. Or maybe after you declared I was the one, or any day since then.” Hurt filled her voice. My secret may be different than the awful secret her ex had kept, but harmless secrets could still hurt.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry, Sami.” I could have said more, but even I knew less was more. It was the power and truth behind my words that counted.
“Thank you. As silly as it sounds, I was really upset at first. Here I am, falling in love with a man with a secret identity right after I kicked my ex to the curb for having a secret lover. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up.”
I gave her a beat to realize how that sounded. I was rewarded with a puzzled look right before she laughed. God, I loved that laugh.
“Okay. Mr. Writer, you obviously know all about making things up. But, if we’re going to be together, then?—”
My mind scrambled backward. I’d missed something very important. “Wait, you said, ‘falling in love with a man.’ Is that man me, and how long have you been keeping that secret from me?” My vow, the second one, to not touch her until our conversation was over, was broken again.
Gathering Sami in my arms, no, that wasn’t near close enough, so I lifted her onto my lap. She squealed, then settled in, wiggling her sweet bottom against my cock. I’d been hard for her since I sat down, but now it throbbed, threatening to bust from behind my zipper. Would my body ever get enough of her?
“Well, at first, I wasn’t sure how to tell you. After all, I made such a big deal about us just ‘enjoying’ each other, no strings, and….”
“So, say it Sami.”
“I love you.” She placed her hands on either side of my head, then pulled me just a hair's breadth away from her lips, still swollen from my last kiss. Softly, she whispered, “I love you, Finn. Take me home.”
“Best ending to a beginning—ever. I love you, Sami.” I kissed her until the sun had fully set. Until the breath had been robbed from both of us and kissed her again. Then I took her home and started our next chapter.