Chapter 22
MADDISON
It’s been about twenty minutes since Aiden slipped me that piece of paper. I want to read it, but I can’t figure out how to do that without being seen on the camera. The best bet is to go into the shower, but even there is risky. I need a distraction.
I have an idea, but I’m nervous about doing it because it means getting naked in front of Finn and doing a lot of kissing and touching while we’re in the shower.
It’s my best chance, though, at not being caught, since not only can I hide behind Finn, but the nakedness will be a distraction for the people watching us on camera.
Mr. Averson may say he isn’t a pervert, but I’ve known enough men like him that I can read pervy vibes all over his little sneers and dirty comments.
I’m sitting with my legs crisscrossed in the middle of the bed, amongst the blankets and pillows that probably need to be washed at this point. My arm that the blood was drawn from is resting on my knee, and I’m staring off into empty space.
“Where’s your head at, sweetheart?” Finn asks me as he pulls the fridge open with his good hand.
I slide my attention to him as he grabs a soda and hands it to me. “I’m just thinking about some stuff.” I pop the tab on the soda can and take a sip. How am I going to make this look as natural as possible?
Rubbing my lips together, I place the soda down on the nightstand before standing up. Finn watches me with his brows furrowed as I walk toward him.
“You have a strange look on your face,” he tells me as he closes the fridge door.
“That’s because I have to tell you something.” I stop in front of him.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“It’s… I just…” Summoning up as much courage as I can, I settle my hands on his shoulder and push up on my tiptoes, kissing him.
He goes stiff, his body frozen. He needs to chill, or this won’t work.
“Just go along with me,” I whisper against his lips as I slide my fingers to the back of his neck and play with his hair.
He groans, his forehead touching mine. “Okay…”
“I think I might like you a lot,” I tell him as I press my chest against his. “I know this is terrible timing, but I have this awful feeling something bad is going to happen. And I just… I want one moment between us that’s real.” I hold my breath, hoping he plays along.
And he does.
In fact, he plays the part well as he kisses me. It’s not really a brutal kiss, but it’s intense enough that I feel it all the way through my body, like warm chocolate on a winter night. But then he bites on my bottom lip, and I gasp, sparks erupting across my flesh.
“What do you need from me?” he whispers breathlessly, his eyes searching mine, his lips swollen from the kiss.
“Kiss me again.” I inch my mouth closer to him. “And take us into the shower.”
He nods, then glides his hand around to my back, pushes me flush against him, and crashes his lips into mine.
This kiss isn’t as chaste. In fact, he’s devouring me as he steers us toward the bathroom. I kiss him back, struggling to hold onto the reality that this is all for show.
It feels so good, though. Like if we were anywhere else besides here, I’d probably enjoy it.
He continues to kiss me until we reach the shower door. Then he pulls away to turn the water on. While he does, I discreetly remove the note from my pocket and clutch in my hand before removing my shirt and shorts, so when he turns around, I’m standing in nothing but my bra and panties.
His nostrils flare at the sight of me, his eyes blazing with something that makes my stomach flutter.
Again, I remind myself that this is all for show, that it’s a distraction so I can read the note.
Once I’ve steadied that thought in my head, I reach around and fumble with the clasp of my bra, undoing it before removing it.
His gaze goes straight to my pebbled nipples, and he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip with so much force I’m sure he tastes blood. His hand is clenched at his sides as I remove my panties.
I resist the urge to cross my arms and cover myself. “Now you go.”
His gaze collides with mine, and then he reaches back, grabs the collar of his shirt, and pulls it off. I’ve seen Finn without a shirt on before, but the sight of him never gets old, all lean muscles and deliciousness.
I watch as his fingers trail to the waistband of his sweatpants, and then he tugs them off along with his boxer briefs.
I’m way in over my head now, and my tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth as my brain stalls out.
Thankfully, Finn senses my lock-up and takes over.
He steps toward me, fixes his finger under my chin, angles my head up, then, carrying my gaze, he moves his lips toward mine.
He kisses me with so much passion that the heat of it overpowers the warmth of the shower as he backs us inside it.
Then he presses me against the wall and lets his mouth travel downward to my neck.
My heart is beating like a hummingbird as my nipples touch his chest. It’s unexpected how good it feels, and it’s making me lose focus.
But Finn keeps his head in the game as he trails kisses up to my ear, where he drags his teeth along the shell of it before whispering, “What’s going on, Maddy? ”
My eyelids flutter shut as the warmth of his breath cascades across my cheek. “What?”
He dips his lips closer to my ear while clutching my hips. “You said to go along with you, so what’s up?”
I drag myself through the lust haze fogging up my brain, and tilt my head toward his ear. “Aiden gave me a piece of paper while the doctor was looking at your hand. It’s in my hand right now. I needed to find a way to read it. Do you think it’s safe?”
He pauses for a split second, his fingertips delving into my hips.
“I’m going to turn you around for a bit and kiss your neck.
Why I’m doing it, read it. You’ll be angled toward the shower wall, so the cameras shouldn’t have a good view of you.
Once you’ve read it, act like you’re having second thoughts and freak out a bit, okay? ”
“Okay,” I agree nervously.
He kisses me again before spinning me around and pressing his chest against my back.
It’s an intimate position that I should be freaking out about, but I trust him.
What’s complicated is when he kisses and sucks on my neck, my body burns with the need for him to touch me more.
It makes it difficult to focus on the note, but I manage.
We’re getting you out tomorrow night. Be ready. It won’t be easy.
Hope swells in my chest, but a hint of confusion also resides there.
Who’s the we he’s referring to—
My brain spazzes out as Finn sucks on the arch of my neck while his palm splay across my stomach that’s dewy with the spitz from the showerhead.
A moan fumbles from my lips, and I push against him, causing my ass to brush against his cock.
He groans and then his teeth sink into my neck, not rough enough to break skin, but with enough pressure that I realize I like my neck getting bitten.
But it is also a reminder that I’m learning my sexual likes and dislikes in the worst sort of situation.
I don’t want to explore myself this way.
I want to do it of my own free will. So, even though my body achingly protests, I spin around, loop my arms around his neck, and kiss him for a while.
I make sure the water seeps through my hand where the note is balled up, so no one can find it.
After kissing for long enough that my lips are numb, we break apart and exit the shower. Finn kisses me a few times as we’re drying off, probably in an attempt to make us appear less suspicious. Although I’m sure we already did.
Finn exits the room with a towel around his waist, and I stay back to use the bathroom, dropping the wet piece of paper in the toilet as I do. Then I flush the evidence away, get dressed, and climb into bed. My adrenaline rush is wearing off, and exhaustion is tugging at me.
Finn is worn out too, and dark circles reside under his eyes. We cuddle with each other, face to face, with our foreheads touching. Warmth seeps through my body as his body heat blankets around me.
“It said they’re getting us out tomorrow night,” I tell him in a hushed whisper, then inhale his scent, seeking comfort in it.
His fingers had been stroking my side, but they stop moving. He wants to ask questions, but it’s too risky, and he knows that.
“Goodnight, Maddy,” he says instead.
“Goodnight, Finn,” I say through a yawn, already plunging into my nightmares.