Chapter 2 Finn
FINN
Hello, beautiful. My smile widened to the point of pinching my cheeks as the woman sitting at the bar eyed me.
All the noise from my fellows faded into nothingness.
She was the only thing that mattered. With her bright eyes and delicious curves, I had about as much chance of ignoring her as a bee could stop making honey.
I walked right up into her space. Who the hell cared that we were the only ones in the pub. I needed to be close to her.
She smelled soft and fragrant, like sunshine on a fresh, snowy day. “Hello there. When did you roll into town?” I took the seat beside her, making sure my knee brushed hers to test her openness.
She didn’t pull away but also didn’t lean in or return the pressure.
Not my warmest welcome but also not a rejection. I could work with that.
She turned the mug in her palms, gaze flicking from me to Declan and then to the door off to my right. “Just now.”
“Oh?” I wiggled my fingers at Declan. He knew my order by now. Didn’t take much to please my burned out palette.
Only thing I’d ever been picky about was women, and this one checked all my boxes.
“How long you staying? Hope it’s a good long while.
” I put a bit of emphasis on the words, just enough to make them sexual but not enough to be predatory.
The age difference bothered some women, and I didn’t want her to think I was that kind of man.
A blush colored her cheeks and holy shit did it go straight to my groin. I hadn’t thought she could get more beautiful, but that proved me wrong and gave me all sorts of naughty ideas.
Declan leaned across the bar, handing over my Guinness. “Finn, this Bree Sullivan.” I arched a brow, sure he was trying to tell me something. He proved me right when he sighed. “You know, Shayla’s little girl.”
Well fuck. I’d never been hit with a ton of bricks before, but I imagined this was what it felt like. My entire body crumpled inside. This bombshell was the daughter of my late childhood friend. “Not so little anymore.”
Bree tensed and shifted her body away from me. Her hands fell off her drink and into her lap, her face turning crimson.
Declan backhanded my shoulder.
“Ow. What?” I met Declan’s furious gaze. He smacked me again and jerked his chin toward Bree. What did I do?
She fiddled with her fingers in her lap, turning her body at an angle and then tugging on the dress where it revealed a delicious swath of skin above her boobs.
Oh shit! No. Fuck. “That’s not what I meant.” I weighed the risk of touching her, decided it couldn’t hurt, and used one finger beneath her chin to lift her head. “I only meant you’re a woman now, not the little girl I remember. You’re even more beautiful than your mother.”
The stiff lines of her shoulders eased.
Her lips parted, and it an inordinate amount of control not to slide my thumb along the soft contours.
She had perfect lips.
Full and lush, with a cupid’s bow that begged to be touched.
Only if that was what she wanted.
“Sorry I don’t remember you.” Bree picked up her drink and took a hearty sip.
“Wouldn’t worry too much about that.” I clinked my mug against hers. “What have you been up to since you wandered off into the wilds of America?”
“Oh, you know. Little this. Little that.” She lifted one shoulder in an adorable shrug.
“That so? Any chance you’d let me in on your most favorite thing to do over there?” I ignored everything around us.
The boys turned on the TV in the back corner, flicking through the channels till they found a game.
The noise level rose, which I didn’t mind too much since it gave me an excuse to lean in closer to Bree.
She tapped cute green nails on the rim of her mug. “Not sure I have a favorite thing. All I really do is work.”
“Well then, what kind of work do you do?” Course I’d heard a good bit about her work through Maeve, but I’d rather hear it from Bree.
A light brightened in her eyes.
It took a few minutes to get her warmed up, but with the right questions, once she started in about her job, she blossomed.
Instead of sitting bunched up over the bar, she leaned one elbow on it and crossed her legs with her heel on the bottom rung of the stool.
I moved around by degrees until her knees nestled between my open thighs. If she noticed, she didn’t care.
She glanced down once, gaze landing exactly where I planned with my open-legged stance, and her throat dipped in a hard swallow. All right then. Definitely noticed.
And interested.
Declan refilled out Guinness, that warning still cold in his eyes.
I ignored that too. Been doing it all my life and didn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “Not to bring down the mood, but I suppose you’re here for the pub?” I’d waited until she relaxed a bit to ease into trickier conversations.
Bree did that shoulder shrug thing again. Something about it twisted my stomach in a good sort of way.
I wanted to lean over and nip at the soft skin on the side of her neck, then rain kisses down her shoulder until she sighed and let go of all her worries.
Her voice came out soft, the scent of hops and lemon sweetening the air between us.
“Nana put a condition on her will. I have three months to give this place a facelift. Whatever that means. If I’m unsuccessful, I get nothing.
” She flapped a hand toward the door. “The last time we did any kind of improvement on this place, I was barely old enough to hold a paintbrush steady.”
“That’s one hell of a stipulation.” I rested a hand on her knee. “I’d need another shot if I was you.” I’d seen her toss back the lemon drop as I passed the window. “You’re not driving tonight, are you?”
“Nope.” She popped her lips around the p sound and pointed at the ceiling. “Perks of owning the place. I’ll be living upstairs.”
Excellent. “In that case, I’m getting you properly smashed. You can worry about next steps tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate.”
A wide smile dimpled her cheeks. “Hell yes. Let’s do it.”
I motioned Declan over and told him what I wanted. He started to shake his head but stopped when I gave him a look. “Come on, Declan. We’ll do it all right and proper. She needs to have one night to let loose.”
He grunted but fixed the shots, passing one to each of us.
“Together.” I lifted my drink and waited for her to do the same. A dozen or so people walked in as we gulped our shots and slammed our glasses on the bar.
Bree giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
I hooked my finger around hers and pulled her hand to her lap. “Don’t hide it. You’ve a beautiful smile.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “I’d forgotten what it sounds like.”
“What?” I traced the outline of her knuckles, then the expanse of her wrist.
A voice I’d rather forget cut in from behind me. “What’s up with Finn? He found him a new young thing to mess around with?”
I prayed to all things holy that Bree couldn’t hear my ex hissing her vitriol. I’d hoped she’d have the decency to find a new place to drink after we broke up, but I’d never been quite that lucky when it came to exes.
It hadn’t ever mattered what people had to say about me, and no one truly cared about me having a bit of fun.
“That man can charm anyone.” This came from a man off to the side, and he said it with a hint of laughter that brought out a matching smile from me.
“Aye, but that one doesn’t have a prayer. Look at her. Stranger to town and all. She ought to be warned.”
Yep, time to tune out the haters and live my life my way…the same as always. I focused on Bree. “What did you forget, love?”
“That.” Her eyes closed and she drifted closer to me. “Being talked to like a person. No one talks like that in Boston.”
Ah. Now that was a shame. “You deserve to be spoken to like that every second of every day.”
Three hours later, we’d talked about a dozen topics, had a few more shots, and were properly drunk.
Bree wavered on her stool, her giggles more loose and every shred of tightness gone from her body. “I should head upstairs.” Her gaze drifted longingly over me.
“I can walk you up.” I slid off my stool and offered her my arm.
She took it with a grin. “Probably a good idea. I’m not exactly steady on my feet.”
I caught her at the first wobble, our arms linked together and steps moving in sync as we crossed the room.
Declan popped a towel in my direction, the pointed look telling me to back the fuck off.
I saluted him with a tap of my finger to my forehead, simultaneously flipping him off as I smirked.
The hell with what he thought.
I helped Bree up the steps one at a time, stopping when she swayed and letting her regain her balance.
For all my snark at Declan, I fully intended on leaving Bree once she made it safely inside.
I might be a player and a flirt, but I didn’t take advantage of drunk women.
She was Shayla’s daughter. That by itself made her off limits.
Bree twisted the knob and pushed the door open, stepping through when I released her arm.
“Good night, Bree.”
She spun around, her eyes going wide “What?”
“Good night.” I said it slowly, reaching for the door so I could close it for her.
“Wait. I thought…” she chewed her bottom lip. “Aren’t you going to come in?” Her chin dipped, and she looked up at me through those long lashes of hers. “You promised to get me properly smashed. I’m pretty sure that involves making a few decisions we’ll regret tomorrow.”
When she put it like that…I wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her flush against my chest.
Our lips crashed together an instant later.
She was everything warm and sweet.
Heat spread through me.
Gods this woman.
I’d never felt anything quite so volatile before.