Chapter 3
Finn
“Do you want to come back to my place—”
“Ya.” Shit. That sounds really eager. Like the eagerest of eager beavers. I don’t think I’ve come across an eagerer beaver, and I’ve known a few in my time.
Son of a monkey. I didn’t even let her finish her sentence. Thank God, we’re standing outside the bar now and no one witnessed me practically throwing myself at her. Begging her to take me home. Even though I’m pretty sure that her invitation isn’t what I want it to be.
Also, that little half smirk on her face is cute.
Worth it. Ya. The embarrassed eager beaver has been rewarded.
“Um…ya,” she loops her hair behind her ear, “I was going to say, do you want to come over and finish talking about this event? I’d like to write down some notes and figure out some first steps for us to do. We don’t have long if they want the event this fall.”
Eager beaver meet eager beaver.
“Ya. I’m in.” I stuff my hands in my pockets so I don’t grab her, throw her over my shoulder and run back to her house firefighter style. You can’t blame me. It’s in my job description. Okay. I’m not going to do that. We would obviously drive back to her place. Fast.
Which we do. And fifteen minutes later we’re in her kitchen.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure.”
“Oh. Um…” she laughs. “I don’t really have much. So…water?”
“Perfect.”
She pours me a glass before saying that she’s just going to go change quickly.
While she dashes down the hall to her room, I just stand awkwardly in the kitchen trying to calm myself down. Nothing’s going to happen here. She just wants to talk. We’re friends. And in a fake relationship. Temporarily. So I can make another woman (who I’m seriously over by this point) jealous.
But then she calls out from her room and I can’t quite hear her, so I pop my head into the hallway where I see her door open. Okay. Halfway open. She must know that she did that, mustn’t she? I’m so beside myself I’m saying things like, mustn’t she. Shake my head.
“What did you say?” I ask, trying to clear my foggy thoughts. It’s like a damn tropical rainforest in here with all that mist in my mind.
“What did you think about tonight? Did it work?”
Did it work? I don’t know if it worked. Something worked. Something is working. Hard. Because right now as I’m trying to be a respectful gentleman, I can see her slipping off her dress, and her ass is wrapped in black lace.
I can handle this—
Shit. She’s bending over and pulling shorts on now.
I drag my hand over my face and reenter the kitchen. Must retreat to safety. No goofing around. I can prove myself to be a competent person in life and in work. My new position demands competence and responsibility. So I know I can be a professional. Yes, I can. Shout it with me.
“It was good!” I shout back to her, probably way too loudly.
And then she’s bounding back toward me. Bounding! The woman is bounding. I can see her tits jiggling under her tshirt where she’s ostensibly not wearing a bra.
Fuck.
Me.
“That’s better,” she says in a loose tshirt and shorts that are way too short. I can’t see them actually because her tshirt is so long.
Ya. So much better. Not sure if she’s trying to kill me or what.
“Do you think we made Summer jealous?” she asks hopefully with those big brown eyes.
“Uh…” I scratch my jaw. “Maybe?”
“Maybe? What more could we have done? I was sitting on your lap all night.”
And this is where I should laugh and say, ya you’re right, we did all we could, let’s hope it works . But I don’t want Plan A to work anymore. I want plan Kenzie. Because the fucking truth, Kenzie was my original Plan A from the moment I met her. Summer was Plan B. So no. I don’t say the honorable thing.
Instead, I go with, “We could have kissed.”
“Um…I guess.” She looks away.
“You asked.” Good line, Finn. Way to put her at ease, buddy. Couldn’t have just laughed it off. Nope.
“Oh, ya. I just meant that we don’t need to be all over each other to catch her attention.”
I disagree. On so many levels. But all I say is, “Maybe we should practice. Just in case.”
“What are you talking about?” Her cheeks are flushed and I can see arousal in her eyes. This isn’t what I intended when I asked her to be my fake girlfriend, but then again, maybe subconsciously it is. She’s been my dream girl since I met her. For so long I just had to resist her. But now…I’m thinking I should shoot my shot.
“We should practice a kiss. You know…just in case next time we’re together in front of her.”
“Ya that makes sense.”
It does?
I’m baffled but not gallant enough to not follow through.
I step close to her and plant my hands on her waist. My heart is hammering as I gaze down into her warm eyes. She’s so perfect. It’s all of those little things rolled up into one big thing. Every time she asks the team if we’re okay after a call. Every time she brings us coffee, knowing our orders without having to ask. She’s even left encouraging notes around the firehall to improve morale when the team has had tension. And she’s always looking out for us, making sure we’re safe. In a freaking firehall.
She’s considerate. Loyal. Kind. Beautiful. Even if I just get this one kiss, I’ll take it.
I dip my head and bring my mouth an inch from hers. We’re breathing the same air right now, and my body is on high alert. I’m aware of her in every way. Something passes between us, I can feel it. If we kiss…there’s no telling how that might change things between us.
But before I can rethink this any further, she places a soft kiss on my lips. And fuck, if my heart doesn’t explode.
I moan as I reply to her kiss with one of my own. Her hands are open-palmed on my chest, and my fingers are digging into her waist. Restrained.
I don’t want to devour her, but then all hell breaks loose when she slips her tongue in my mouth.
Fuck.
I pull her body against mine and deepen the kiss. Her hands are fisting my shirt. There’s raw, primal need surging between us. I need this woman. And I can feel how she needs me.
Sweeping my tongue into her mouth, I explore her. Desperate to know her better. To know her in a way no one else can know her.
But I owe her the truth, so I pull away from the kiss that’s rocking my whole fucking world right now. This could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I almost had her.