Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
Frankie
Finch draped her body over mine, pretending to collapse on top of me. Her mosaic of carefully placed seashells that she’d arranged down my torso toppled off as I laughed. The scent of sand and seaweed mixed with the salty breeze as Finch’s sun-kissed skin pressed against mine. Her lips trailed across my collarbone and kissed down to the cup of my bikini top.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I said with a chuckle as she dipped her fingers into my top, freeing my breast.
Her warm breath tickled my sensitive skin as she laved her tongue across my nipple.
“Private beach,” she said, sucking the budded peak into her mouth. I arched into her touch.
I chuckled, threading my fingers into her hair. “You really liked that lunch I made for us, huh?”
“I really, really did,” she murmured. “Now let me thank you properly.”
Her hand slid between my legs and cupped my sex. I shuddered, the warm sun baking the sand beneath us. Most people had left at the end of summer, but the September days were still warm. We’d even gone for a swim, jumping through the choppy waves. Swimming in the ocean was still so different than the pool, but I was starting to get more confident with it. A lot of things suddenly felt possible with Finch’s hand in mine.
My fingers trailed up Finch’s ribs to her newest tattoo, one that peeked right below her racerback top: two flamingos, their necks intertwined to make a heart. I lifted my head to kiss the spot, and Finch playfully pushed me back down on our beach towel.
“My turn,” she said, nipping at my bottom lip.
All thoughts of her heartfelt tattoo, a permanent commemoration of the two of us, swiftly left my mind as Finch’s hand dipped below my belly and into the waistband of my bikini briefs. I sucked in a breath as her fingers slid down my folds, finding my clit instantly. I moaned, arching as she kept sucking my nipple, working me into a frenzy.
“You have to do your afternoon rounds soon.” I moaned. “We should get back.”
Finch hummed against my skin. “Tim can handle it,” she said, naming the new vet intern. “There’s no critical patients right now, and it’ll be good practice for him.”
The new vet program so far had been a big success. Finch was still pedantic about her level of care of her animals, but I was also impressed by how natural she was as a teacher. She let her interns take the reins, make judgement calls, and practice their skills with the safety net of her expert guidance. I knew she would enjoy having more pairs of hands in the hospital, but her love of mentoring had been a surprise to us both.
It also meant more time for us to have actual days off. Now that the zoo was open in the off season to private events and school groups, I still had plenty to do too. The job of zoo chef had shifted from a seasonal job to a permanent, full-time one. My favorite was planning the holiday events. With Halloween coming up, we were turning the whole zoo into a haunted adults-only experience. I was having the best time with the spooky menus. But all thoughts of menu planning swiftly left my mind as Finch’s fingers started circling me again.
She dropped her mouth to my ear, her breath making my skin prickle. “Maybe we should go into town tonight, rent a hotel room, hm?”
“We both have work in the morning. I haven’t put in the leave.” My words ended on a moan as she worked me higher.
“Work isn’t everything,” she taunted.
I laughed, shaking my head. “Who are you and what have you done with Goldfinch Lachlan?”
She propped herself up on an elbow to study my face, my lips parted in lust as she continued to touch me.
“I am the person who is desperately in love with you and would stop the world spinning to have another minute with my lips on yours.” Her fingers dipped inside me as she dropped to claim my mouth again.
“I love you,” I murmured against her lips.
“I love you too,” she said, licking into my mouth. “You are my everything, Francesca Benedetti. The very best part of my life.”