Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
SHELLY
I wipe my brow under the straw hat. As I look up from excavating the turtle nest, Finn’s silhouette walks towards me. The heat rising from the sand makes him hazy, as if I’m dreaming.
Tingles fire off in my body and my stomach buzzes with a frenzy of fish darting in all directions. Our date was incredible, by far the best date I’ve ever had. Despite the few I’ve had, nothing can surpass this.
“What are you smiling at?” Tasha says.
“Nothing.” I can’t hide my happiness, even when I go back to my task, scooping out the sand in the nest.
“Oh, I see. Your date went well, then?”
“It was okay.”
“You got laid, didn’t you?” Tasha chuckles. “I wondered why you were in such a dreamy mood this week. You’ve been in a sex-induced haze since your date.”
“I have not. ”
“Need a hand?” His shadow covers the nest and my heart skips a beat.
“Sure. We’re excavating the nest to check for any unhatched eggs.”
He rolls up his sleeves, showing his arm porn that makes me weak.
“I can see that. I watched David Attenborough remember.” He winks and my stomach flips.
Tasha stands and lifts the bucket. “I’m going to take the unhatched eggs to the lab.”
“The lab?” Finn looks up with confusion on his face.
“It’s at the nature reserve. They have a biotech lab to study why eggs aren’t hatching.” I find another broken shell and pop it in the bucket.
Finn pulls out more shell and drops it in the bucket. Our hands touch, shooting an electrical current up my arm, jolting my heart. I suck in a breath. He leans over the nest and claims my mouth. Any air I had in my lungs is sucked right out, leaving me breathless.
“I’ve thought about nothing else but these lips since our date,” he mumbles against my mouth, nibbling on my bottom lip.
I smile against his mouth, my stomach now a school of dolphins performing tricks. “I’ve missed you these last few days.”
“If I didn’t have to go out of town on business, I would’ve been here with you.” He kisses me again. “I wish we hadn’t arranged to go to dinner tonight. I just want to be alone with you.”
I giggle against his mouth. “I don’t want to make a bad impression with your family and bail, but you can have me for the rest of the night.”
That seems to satisfy him and he goes back to excavating the nest, picking out more broken shell. “What’s this?” He pulls out a baby turtle covered in sand.
“Oh wow. We have a baby straggler.” My heart swells at how carefully he cradles the turtle in his palms.
“Hey, little guy.” He looks at me with a wide smile on his face. “What do we do with him?”
“We can let him start his journey into the ocean.”
Finn looks down the runway we made for the turtles. The tide is out, and the sea seems like an awfully long way away. “I’ll hang on to him and take him down to the ocean myself.”
My heart soars. I misjudged him as another rich frat boy, but once I dived deeper, I discovered he’s so much more than that. I want to know everything about him and uncover all his layers.
Finn scoops up some sand into an empty bucket, then gently places the turtle inside. I have the urge to kiss him again, so I lean over and kiss his cheek, the stubble on his jaw scratching my skin, reminding me of our first kiss. “You’re so cute.”
He chuckles, but kisses my lips. “You’re the cute one.” His fingers graze the bare skin on my exposed stomach where my t-shirt ties in a knot. “Especially when you wear your top like this.” His hand slips around my waist and grabs my ass, covered in my denim cut-offs. “Do you know what you do to me in this little outfit you wear?”
“Oh look, we have another live one.”
Finn helps the little guy out of the sand with the gentlest of touches. Lifting the turtle into the palm of his hand, he strokes the tiny head as if he’s petting a kitten.
Not only can the man melt panties, but he’s melted my heart. My dad always says you can tell a man’s character by how they treat animals, and how Finn is with this turtle shows he’s a good egg .
My tummy flutters as my mind gets carried away with thoughts of settling down with this man and building our own nest. The better I know him, the more beautiful qualities I discover.
“Don’t be nervous.” Finn takes my hand in his, preventing me from wiping my clammy palms down my crochet lace white boho dress. Tassels and shells clink together at my bust when I walk, along with my white heeled sandals clicking against the tiled floor.
“I feel like I should’ve worn the linen trousers. Is this too much?” With my other hand clutching my shell purse, I lift the floaty maxi dress at the hem as we step into the country club.
“You look beautiful. Don’t worry.” His lips press to my temple. “It’s very you and I wouldn’t have you dress any other way.” His lips lift in the corner. “Apart from that wet lace you were sporting on our date.”
My shoulders relax a little. I grip his hand as he leads me through the foyer of the club. The restaurant is all white linen and silver cutlery with crystal glassware.
A man stands, looking very much like an older version of Finn with a salt-and-pepper beard. The woman by his side looks not much older than me.
Finn raises his hand, his dusky-blue blazer rising to reveal a silver cufflink. He looks every part of the rich upper class that goes here, and I’m like a fish out of water.
“Just be yourself.” Finn’s smile warms my heart. He guides me to the table. “Shelly, this is my father, Alex, and this is his girlfriend, Cordelia.”
His father steps forward and kisses me on the cheek. “Nice to meet you, Miss Myrtle.”
“Thank you, and same to you, sir.” I shake the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Cordelia.”
She waves a hand in the air. “Call me Delia, hon.”
We sit down. The waiter brings a menu and there isn’t much choice for me except the avocado caprese salad.
Finn places his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking soothing circles over the material of my dress.
After ordering, his father speaks. “What is it exactly that you do, Shelly?”
“I work on the beach near the marina, making sure the turtle nests are undisturbed, and I organise the volunteers.” I fiddle with the napkin in my hand.
“Awe, what a cute little job,” Delia says.
Finn clears his throat. “Shelly works really hard. She runs all the fundraising and manages the volunteers as well as the funds. She also keeps the beach clean.”
“Does it pay well?” Alex asks, with a hint of Britishness like Finn’s, but mixed with a Southern accent.
I scrunch my nose and squirm in my seat. “I take a small salary to live. We’re a charity, so it’s not about profit.”
“I see. Isn’t that private land?”
“Dad.” Finn gives his father a pained look with a clenched jaw.
I squeeze his hand where it rests on my thigh. “The state owns the beach from the sea to the high water mark, but the area where the sand dunes start is owned by a private developer in Charleston. But I’m confident we can put a stop to any development plans.”
Alex smiles and huffs out a small laugh, which I find odd.
“Honey, the Kilmores are here,” Delia says, tapping Alex’s shoulder .
“Janice, lovely to see you.” Alex stands to great Chad’s mother, while Chad and Bentley follow behind.
Finn’s back straightens, he snarls at Bentley as if he gave him a bad filling or something.
Alex shakes Chad’s hand. “Is your father joining you for dinner?”
“He’ll be along shortly. We’re celebrating Bentley here winning a dentistry award,” he says with a smile, blinding us all in the process, though his smile fades when he scans the dinner table and does a double-take when he gets to me.
I sip the white wine, needing something to take the edge off, but not too much. I need my wits about me. It’s like I’m trapped in shark-infested waters.
“Congratulations, Bentley.” Alex shakes his hand. “You must join us for dinner.”
“Dad. I’m sure the Kilmores want to have a private dinner,” Finn says through gritted teeth.
Alex sits down. “Yes, of course. I’ll come and say hello to your father after dinner and we can grab a drink. How’s that?”
“Sure, I’ll let him know.” The family disappears to the other side of the restaurant and I relax a little.
Our starters arrive. The aroma from my spicy mango ginger soup fills the air and I tuck the napkin I’ve been fiddling with on my lap.
“Nice chaps,” Alex says when Chad and Bentley are out of earshot, and I almost choke on my soup.
Finn’s knuckles graze up and down my spine while glaring at his father, who pinches his eyebrows in confusion. “They’re tossers.”
“Finnegan.” Alex scolds, as though he’s telling off a teenager .
“Lets not talk about the dentist or the Kilmores,” Delia says. “How long have you two been together?”
“We met a few weeks ago, but we’ve officially been together since last weekend.” Finn’s lips lift in the corner as if remembering our date, making my cheeks heat.
“So you’re the reason he wasn’t around last weekend. I thought he was holed up painting with his head in the clouds.” Finn’s father huffs.
“His paintings are very good.” Excitement bubbles in my tummy. I turn to Finn. “I forgot to tell you I sold the painting of the marina.”
Finn’s smile widens. “That’s great.”
“I have the receipt in my purse.” Opening the shell purse, I pull out the till receipt. “I’ll transfer the money if you give me the bank details.”
“I told you to donate the money to the cause.” His eyes widen when he sees the figure. “Four thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine dollars?”
My smile fades. “Is it not enough? I’m sorry, I thought that was a good price. I tried to keep it under five, like it sounds better at four nine nine nine.”
Finn takes my face in his palms and presses his lips to mine. When he pulls back, he says, “It’s more than I ever imagined I could sell it for.”
My chest is about ready to burst wide open. “Really?”
Delia claps. “Finnegan, this is wonderful.”
His dad leans over and picks up the receipt, almost in disbelief. “You sold a painting for five thousand dollars?”
I nod. “If it was framed, the customer would’ve paid more. I’m thinking you could do limited edition prints as well. So you can cater for every budget. Postcards would also be good and greetings cards.”
His father stares at the receipt but doesn’t look impressed. My heart aches for Finn, but when I look up at him, he’s smiling at me in awe. As if he’s staring at the eighth wonder of the world.
I hate that is father won’t show any praise when my parents would gush over my stick figures that I used to draw in the sand. “Isn’t it amazing that Finn can sell his art?”
His dad hands the receipt back. “It makes the hobby worthwhile, I guess.”
“It’s more than a hobby. Have you seen his work?” I scrunch the napkin on my lap in frustration.
Finn leans close and whispers in my ear, “Meet me near the restroom.” Then he stands. “Excuse me.” He leaves the table still smiling, as if he hasn’t even heard his father dismiss his art.
I wanted so much to give Alex the benefit of the doubt, but Finn was right. I see now why he’s never pursued his dream. “Would you excuse me? I just need to use the restroom.”
I spin around with anticipation bubbling in my belly as I search for the restroom. I step through a door into a small foyer. My arm’s yanked backwards.
Finn’s hot breath on my neck. “Shh. It’s only me.”
“What’s going on?” I scan the small space, wondering where the exit is, as if we’re gonna make a run for it and ditch his father and this fancy dinner. I’m game if he is. “Why did you want me to meet you here?”
“Because I needed to do things I can’t do in front of my father.” His rough hands cup my face and he tilts my head as he claims my mouth. He’s all tongue, licking and sucking, teeth nipping at my lips.
With my back against the wall, he presses his chest against me.
Between kisses, he says, “Nobody has ever stood up for me like that, turtle girl.” Large hands fondle my breasts on their journey south. They reach my ass and he squeezes, grinding his pelvis into me. “Nobody has ever believed in me, the way you have.”
I’m panting against his mouth. He’s ruined another pair of my panties with one kiss. If he were to dip his finger down there, he’d find me soaked. “Finn. We need to stop this. I can’t go back to the dinner table with your family like this.”
“Like what?” He says against my skin, his fingers rubbing between my thighs over my dress. “Tell me how wet you are,” he whispers against my neck while he pushes deeper between my thighs.
My cheeks burn, conscious that anyone could walk into the small space at any minute. “I need to change my panties. That’s how wet I am. I can’t go back out there like this.”
“You think I can go back out there like this?” He grinds into me again.
A shadow appears through the frosted glass door.
“Finn, someone’s coming.”
“I’ll be coming in a minute. Take my cock out.”
I squirm against the wall with a giggle. “Seriously, someone’s coming.”