Chapter 25
Finn
I’ve always been good at watching.
The city hums outside my window, the neon glow of New York burning against the night sky. But I’m not watching the streets below.
I’m watching her.
Across the way, through the large open windows of her apartment, Willow moves through the space, her hair damp from a shower, bodyguards shadowing her every step with the devotion of trained dogs.
Pathetic.
She doesn’t need them. She needs me.
I rented this apartment just for this. When they kept her from me. Locked her away.
The view is perfect. I can see everything. I should have done it sooner.
She doesn’t close the blinds, doesn’t shield herself from prying eyes. From me.
It’s almost as though she wants me to see her. To crave her.
And I do. God, I do.
But tonight I’m watching more than just Willow. My gaze flicks to him.
Carson.
He’s stiff, pacing near the couch, tension radiating from every muscle in his body. Still unraveling. Still thinking about what happened in the locker room.
About me.
A slow, satisfied grin spreads across my face as I recline back in my chair, fingers drumming lightly against my knee. That kiss wasn’t just lust. It wasn’t just curiosity.
It was proof.
Proof that Carson wants something he refuses to admit.
Proof that I can break him. That he is the weak link. My way in. The thought sends a slow ripple of pleasure through me.
Carson wants to pretend he’s above this, that he’s some big, bad alpha who follows the rules, does the right thing.
But I saw it in his eyes. Felt it in the way he kissed me.
He’s just as fucked up as me.
And now I get to play. I lean forward, bracing my forearms against my knees as I watch them interact. All four of them. The subtle touches, the stolen glances, the way Carson refuses to sit still.
He’s already thinking about me. I just need to push him further.
As for Willow? Getting her alone won’t be easy.
They guard her like she’s precious and some delicate, breakable thing. They don’t understand what I do.
She’s not fragile. She’s fire.
And fire only gets hotter when you feed it. It gets stronger.
A plan starts to take shape in my mind. A game. I’ve always liked games. Maybe because I didn’t get to play them as a child. Who knows.
I’ll get Willow alone again. Make her crave me the way I crave her. She’s almost there.
Then I will push Carson until he snaps. Make him hate how much he wants this. Toy with him.
By the time I’m finished with them, they won’t know where I end and they begin. I’m going to have all of them.
A slow exhale leaves my lips, my pulse steady, my resolve unshaken.