15. Finn
FIFTEEN
Finn
PRESENT
As I wake up, I feel several things all at once.
I feel warm, relaxed, and well-rested. I can’t remember the last time I woke up without feeling like I tossed and turned for hours.
I’m also horny. My cock is painfully hard and wedged between…
My eyes fly open, and I blink several times, trying to adjust to the light, but all I see is Aisling. Our attempt to stay on opposite sides of the bed clearly hasn’t worked because right now, we’re practically spooning. I have one arm around her waist. My hand is dangerously close to the waistband of her yoga pants, and now that I know it’s there, all I can think about is how easy it would be to slip underneath and sink my fingers inside.
My cock twitches in approval.
Now that I’m awake, I know that I should shift and move away from her. Cuddling while asleep is one thing. Continuing to do so when you’re conscious is another.
But, Christ, this feels good.
Her body fits against mine like it was meant to—like we were made for each other. I knew this then, and feeling her body against mine now only confirms it. My eyes squeeze shut as I try to savor this feeling. I feel my fingers grip her shirt before I slowly drag my hand over her hip, willing myself to let go.
I hear a soft gasp. I freeze.
Is she awake?
It shouldn’t matter. I should just roll over and get up like I planned. But I feel pinned in place, stuck in this single moment, and nothing else exists outside this room.
I slide my hand under her shirt, letting my fingers skim the edge of her bra. If I’ve somehow horribly misread this situation and she isn’t awake, I don’t want to be that guy who fondles the girl while she’s sleeping.
But, if she is…
I feel her heartbeat quicken and her breath catch beneath my hand resting on her chest. A moment passes, then another. She rolls her hips.
Fuck, yes.
I know this is a bad idea. I know I should stop, but I can’t bring myself to make good decisions right now. Not when Aisling is in my bed, with her body pressed against me like this.
I’ve wanted this too damn long, and if she thinks we’re going to keep this charade up of pretending to be asleep, she’s got another thing coming. If this moment is all I ever get of her, then I’m making it count.
I lean forward, pressing kisses to her soft skin as I slowly push her shirt up. Her eyes are open now, watching me as I crawl up her body. When I reach her bra, a thin, lacy thing, I drag my thumb over one hardened nipple. Her chest expands; she sucks in a breath and lets out a little moan.
So sensitive. So responsive.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear that sound.” I peel the lace down. Her tits are fucking perfect. Full and round, I can’t stop myself from reaching down and swirling my tongue over her hardened nipple. “How many fantasies I’ve had about touching you.” I kiss her collarbone and her neck until I’m so close that I can feel her hot breath on mine. “Tasting you.”
I choose to abandon her perfect breasts only because the thought of going another minute without kissing her feels impossible. Before Ash, I never thought a single kiss could change you. But with a single kiss in an ancient garden, Aisling shot that theory straight to hell.
I thought I could forget.
The moment our lips touch, I know I’m screwed. This isn’t exactly how I remembered it. No. God, no . It’s so much better.
Fisting my hand in her hair, she gasps as I tilt her head and kiss her the way I’ve wanted to since I saw her sitting in that conference room. With passion. Reverence. Love. I slip my tongue into her mouth as my heart tries to beat its way out of my chest. Her fingers dig into the fabric of my shirt like she’s barely holding on.
That makes two of us.
“I want this off,” she says against my lips, tugging at my shirt.
“Okay,” I say with a playful smile. “But, tit for tat, Ash. I should also get to choose a piece of clothing for you to take off.”
She looks down between us. Her shirt is still shoved up to her collarbone; her bra is askew. I laugh. “That doesn’t count. They’re still technically on you.”
“All right. What will it be?” She arches a brow and then gradually slides her hands beneath my shirt. The sensation of her fingers against my skin is almost enough to distract me.
But we’re talking about getting Ash partially naked, so not quite.
I help her with her task by grabbing the back of my collar and yanking the T-shirt over my head. She watches, her eyes hooded, as her nails rake over my chest.
I shudder.
Trailing my fingers down between her breasts and over her bare stomach, I stop when I get to the waistband of her leggings. Her breath hitches as she watches me slowly start to tug them down over her hips.
My eyes narrow in on her knickers, and then I look up at the pink bra. Matching set.
“You better not have been wearing this for any of those daft eejits you work with.”
“You know, sometimes women wear pretty things just for themselves, not because of some ‘daft eejit.’” Her imitation of my accent is atrocious and adorable.
“Does that mean you wear shit like this all the time? Like when you’re passing me in the hall at work or sitting over there alone in your flat at night?” I pull the leggings off the rest of the way and toss them to the floor.
“Maybe,” she taunts me as her knees fall open, giving me the tiniest glimpse of the scrap of lace between her legs.
“Fuck.”
“Now, remember—” She snaps her legs back together as she braces herself on her elbows and grins. “The deal was one article of clothing. You already got yours, and these panties were expensive. So, be a good boy and behave.”
Behave? Is she taunting me? If I knew she was this feisty in bed, I probably wouldn’t have made such an effort to be a good boy when we first met. “Is that a challenge, Ash?”
She shrugs. “Just making sure you know your boundaries. You’re the one who set the rules. I’m just ensuring you follow them.”
My mouth gapes open. I’m fairly certain I never stated just one piece of clothing, and she knows it. But, sure, I’ll play along.
“The thing is, darlin’.” I run my hand up her inner thigh, spreading her legs as I nestle myself between them. “I don’t actually need to remove any of your clothes to make you come.”
I bend down and kiss her knee, her inner thigh, working my way up. “I could slip my hand between your legs and get you off while we sat at a pub or one of those meetings you ignore me in. No one would know all the dirty things I was doing to you right under their noses.” I hear her breath hitch. Oh, she likes that idea.
“Finn ,” she pleads, her voice breathy and full of desire.
My patience snaps, and I wrap my hands around her hips and haul her toward me. She lets out a little yelp of surprise as her ass hits the edge of the bed. I push the lace of those pesky knickers she demanded to stay on, keeping to the side, and catch my first sight of her. Fucking divine. I dive in like a man starved.
I haven’t been with a woman in a long time. I kept telling myself it was simply because I didn’t have the time. But deep down, I knew it was all just a lie. I just didn’t want anyone else but her.
“Hell, Ash,” I pant, spreading her hips as I bury myself between her lush thighs. “You taste like a fucking dream.”
She pulls my hair, rolling her hips as she wantonly rides my face. “Oh my god,” she groans, completely lost in the pleasure I’m giving her. It makes me feel cocky as fuck. I taste every inch of her, savor every moan, and completely lose myself in this moment.
She’s so wet. Her panties are soaked, her arousal dripping down my chin. It’s fucking sublime. I slip a finger inside her slick pussy and practically weep from the feel of it.
Jesus, fuck. So damn tight.
I add another; her body grips me like a vise. My cock is so fucking hard. I don’t think I’ve ever been so envious of my own damn hand before. I curl my fingers, hitting that sweet spot inside her. She bows off the bed. I suck down on her clit again.
“Finn—” she cries out. “I’m gonna?—”
She lets go, her body convulsing as she writhes and moans my name again. It’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. I crawl up her body and place a tender kiss on her lips, letting her taste herself on me.
“Ash,” I say softly. I want to call her something else, something that has meaning to us—to both of us. Something I was only able to say once, but it meant everything.
But I can’t. I’ve already made enough stupid decisions today.
“That was?—”
Whatever she is about to say is lost, interrupted by the buzzing of a cell phone. I glance over at my side table and then at the other (because what single guy doesn’t need two side tables?) and see hers glowing.
I reach for it to grab it for her but freeze as soon as I see the caller ID.
“Ash,” I say, my voice revealing a sudden surge of emotions. “Why is Theo calling you?”
Her face pales, and then she glances down at her watch. “Shit, what time is it?”
“What time is it? What does that have to do with anything?”
She doesn’t respond and instead answers the call. “Hello?” There’s a pause, and she takes the opportunity to fix her bra and pull down her shirt. I add this travesty to my already long list of reasons why I hate Theo Vasquez. I have a feeling that by the end of this phone call, I’ll have a few more. “Oh? How early?” she asks, her eyes widening. She practically leaps off the bed. “Now?” Another pause. “No, no. It’s fine. Of course, I’m not mad, just surprised. I already put you on the list with the front lobby. They’ll let you up. Yep, you too. I’ll see you in a minute.”
She hangs up and begins searching for her pants.
“I have to go.”
I fold my arms across my chest as I sit on the edge of the bed, watching her intently. “That’s it? You have to go?”
She exhales sharply, and her eyes finally connect with mine. “What do you want me to say, Finn?”
“I want you to explain why it sounds like you’re fleeing my bed to go meet your ex-fiancé.”
Her jaw drops. “It’s not—” She runs a hand through her hair and then angrily snatches her leggings from the floor. “We’re just friends. And also, it’s none of your business.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I can still taste you on my tongue, darlin’. How is that none of my business, exactly?”
She grips the leggings between her hands and takes a purposeful step forward. Her bare legs brush my inner thighs as she looks down at me with ire. “So, what then? You want to date? Be my boyfriend? Stake your claim?”
I think back to that fateful moment just outside her hotel when my whole life changed. And then all the days that followed.
I swallow down a swell of emotion and look away.
“That’s what I thought.”
She puts on her leggings while I grab my shirt. I don’t say anything more about it, but just as we’re about to leave the bedroom, she turns back around. “Theo was there for me when my mom died,” she says, and I suddenly feel sick. I always knew I’d become a villain in Ailsing’s life story; I never expected Theo to step back into the hero role.
“I don’t—” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t have a lot of people in my life, and while we may not have worked out romantically, he’s been a good friend. He knows we’re over. We’ve both moved on. I’m pretty sure the only type of dating he does these days is the casual kind, anyway.”
“And he came all the way from Madrid to visit?” I try to keep my voice neutral, but it’s challenging. Ever since she told me about her cheating fiancé, I’ve hated the guy. I don’t care who he is or what he does for a living. He treated her like shit. There should be no coming back from that.
“He was just transferred to the UK.”
“The UK? I thought his dream was to play for Spain.” Damn, the UK was a hell of a lot closer than Spain. No wonder the arsehole could just pop over for a visit.
She shrugs and starts to walk back down the hallway. “I think Arsenal offered him a nice deal to play for them. He wasn’t really specific about the details when we talked.”
That’s odd. The guy was kind of a bragger.
We reach the living room, and she slows her steps until she comes to a stop. She turns hesitantly in my direction. “Um, thanks for—” My mouth twitches as her words falter and her cheeks flush red. “—putting up with me last night. I know showing up drunk at your front door probably wasn’t what you had planned for the evening.”
“No,” I agree. “But, I’m glad you did.”
We gaze at each other, aware that a hundred things remain unsaid between us. I want to ask her to stay while simultaneously urging her to leave for my own sanity’s sake.
“I should go,” she says, instantly breaking the spell. She reaches for the door, but I stop her, remembering I actually armed the security system last night. For once, I had something I wanted to protect.
“Hold on,” I say to her, bridging the gap between us as I punch in the code.
Once disarmed, I pull the door open for her, just in time to see Theo walking down the hall toward her flat. Every time I see his smug face in a magazine ad or on TV, I think of Ash. I think of what he did to her, and then I consider what I would do if I ever met him.
I guess the day had finally arrived.
His eyes dart from Ash to me, noticing my bare feet and wrinkled T-shirt. No doubt he sees the mess Ash made of my hair when I was feasting on her pussy. He turns back to her, and honestly, she doesn’t look much better. Her clothes are still a little askew; her hair is a disaster, and oops, did she forget her shoes?
I lean against the doorframe, cross my arms over my chest, and grin. The look he sends me is pure malice.
This guy does not want to be her friend.
Well, game on, mate, ’cause that makes two of us.