Chapter 9
Vee
Together we entered the first floor of the Vine.
My nerves kicked into overdrive as I scanned the lobby for reporters.
Most people were headed toward the Vine Bar or waiting for a table at the restaurant.
Without thinking, I let out a relieved breath.
Fin squeezed my hand. Despite the lack of obvious reporters, there was still a man monitoring the elevator.
“Good evening, Ms. Hubbard, Mr. Graham.”
“Good evening,” I managed to say.
Fin and I were silent as we rode up the elevator to the seventh floor.
Each floor we passed increased the growing temperature within me.
It wasn’t from the evening air—no, that was chillier than it had been all day.
The sparks catching fire were from Fin’s promise of seduction.
The possibilities were swirling through my mind with each step from Tony’s to our location.
Earlier, once we were alone upstairs at Tony’s, our first date in nearly a decade and a half was perfect.
From the mussels to the wine. My bucatini primavera pasta was delicious.
While the food and drinks were exquisite, it was the man whose blue eyes stayed focused on me throughout the evening who had my core painfully twisted.
At the door to my condo, Fin’s keycard magically appeared and he placed it over the sensor.
The green light showed and the locking mechanism whirled.
He pushed open the door. “Wining and dining complete,” he said, his deep baritone timbre ricocheted through me.
“Now we move on to the extracurricular portion of our date.”
I stepped inside the dark condo and entered the security code, ceasing the humming.
Once the door was shut and locked, I reentered the code.
Before I could step away, Fin spun me toward him, lifted my chin, and brought his strong lips to mine.
The kinetic energy that propelled us to this place exploded, setting off detonations throughout my nervous system.
His bruising kiss stole my breath as Fin seized my wrists, pinning them to the wall above me. Memories of our first kiss on this second journey came back. Only this time, I wasn’t unsure about the man in control. I was most certain that I trusted him, with my body and probably my heart.
I gasped for breath as Fin’s kiss continued, his tongue unapologetically seeking entrance as he pressed his hard body against mine.
With his other hand, he tugged the side zipper on my dress, creating an opening for his fingers to splay over my ribs, holding me against him. His erection probed my stomach.
Moisture bathed my core as I longed to touch him as he was touching me. The ironclad grip of my wrists was too strong to fight. I was effectively trapped by his ministrations.
My lips tingled as his kisses wandered, trailing down my neck to the sensitive skin behind my ear.
Farther down, his lips kissed and sucked until they made their way down the V of my neckline.
Lifting his head, his laser stare focused on me as he trailed his forefinger over the route his lips had just explored.
Goose bumps materialized and my core clenched at the emptiness.
“That dress needs to go.”
I nodded in agreement, my ability to speak was in question.
Fin released my wrists long enough for me to pull the sleeves over my shoulders. He took over, tugging the material downward, exposing my breasts, my stomach, and the trimmed small triangle of hair. My maxi dress pooled around my shoes.
At Fin’s audible gasp, my lips curled.
He stood tall, dwarfing me as his eyes shimmered with desire. “You accepted my challenge.”
“Not at first,” I explained as heat no doubt filled my cheeks with crimson. “I took my panties off when I went to the restroom before we left Tony’s. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission fucking accomplished.” He tilted his handsome face. “And the walk home?”
My cheeks were already warm. “Stimulating.”
Fin’s laugh filled the air. He offered me his hand. My fingers appeared dainty in his palm as his long fingers encased mine, and I stepped away from my dress, wearing nothing except my black high-heeled sandals.
“You’re fucking gorgeous, Vee.” He removed his jacket and placed it around my shoulders.
The soft lining was warm against my skin as my senses filled with the aroma of sandalwood.
“Almost like New Year’s Eve,” he said, his warm breath on my neck. “I want to do something we’ve never done.”
I pressed my lips together, unsure of his plan. “What have we never done?”
“Living room sex. I remembered a conversation with your roommate.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Emma. We never did have living room sex.”
Fin retook my hand. “We’re not in college anymore.” He led me through the condo, past the kitchen island and into the living room. The only illumination came through the windows from the lights seven stories below.
He flipped the switch, bringing the fire within the brick fireplace to life, and the room filled with an orange glow. I turned in time to watch Fin lay one of the blankets from the sofa over the soft rug.
“We have a nice king-sized bed down the hall.”
“After living room sex, we can move on to bedroom sex.”
“That’s a lot of sex,” I said with a giggle.
“Mussels, baby. I’m only getting started.”
Taking a step closer, I reached for the hem of Fin’s cashmere sweater.
He complied by lifting his arms as I pulled the sweater over his head.
Next to go was a white t-shirt. In the firelight, I marveled at the muscles in his chest and torso, running the tips of my fingers over each bulge and indentation.
I slowed as I ran my touch over the still-visible bruise on his chest.
“Is your rib…? It’s okay if we—”
Fin scooped his fingers behind my neck and stopped my question with a forceful kiss. When he pulled away, our noses were close enough to touch. “If I don’t get my cock inside your wet pussy soon, my erection will be more painful than my rib.”
“How do you know I’m wet?”
He dipped his chin near my ear. “I can smell you, Vee. Your sweet aroma is calling me.” After a gentler kiss, he motioned to the blanket. “On the blanket. Lie down.”
Obediently, I complied. My reward was the view from the floor as Fin unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and lowered the zipper. The erection I felt against my stomach was impossible to hide beneath his silk boxer briefs. His leather loafers and socks were the next to go.
In the glow of the fire, Fin was even more handsome than he was in college. The boy who had stolen my heart had matured into a confident, dominant, caring man. Time had defined his body into the envy of Greek sculptors over the centuries.
I was practically drooling by the time his boxer briefs were removed, and Fin was crawling toward me. My nipples tightened as he came closer, fist, knee, fist, knee. “Lift your arms over your head. Pretend I’m holding them there.”
I did as he said, exposing myself even more.
The position made my back arch, lifting my breasts.
With Fin’s intense stare on me, I felt his hand on my wrists, even though it wasn’t there.
The fire’s flames reflected in his mostly dark orbs as inch by inch, his sizzling gaze scanned my nakedness, lingering so long that my nipples drew impossibly harder, becoming diamonds without a word or a touch.
Fin knelt by my side.
I squirmed as he lifted one of my feet, bending my knee. Next, he did the same with the other foot. Despite the warmth of the nearby flames, I wanted the heat that would only come by the man analyzing every inch of my body.
“Your pussy is crying, it wants me so much.”
“Fin.”
He laid his finger over my lips. “You’re stunning, laid out for me.” He sat between my legs, his penis rubbing my pussy. The next thing I knew, Fin told me to sit up onto my knees.
My arms fell to his wide shoulders as he helped me move. Straddling his lap, I closed my eyes as he pulled me down, sheathing his ridged cock. The sensation of fullness was overwhelming. Relief that he was in me and desire for more created a dangerous concoction.
My back arched and unrecognizable sounds filled the air as my legs flexed, lifting me.
With his long fingers splayed over my hips, Fin pulled me down.
Each time felt as if he were impossibly deeper within me.
His lips, tongue, and teeth found my breasts as I continued to move in the way he directed.
Fin was the choreographer of this dance, the puppet master pulling the strings.
I was the willing participant whose job was to trust that I was in the hands of a master.
Fin taught me trust fourteen years ago; however, as the orgasm began to build within me, I knew that his skill set had also matured.
My fingernails carved half-moons into his shoulders as my body tightened from within. The earlier sparks were a mounting volcanic eruption as I moved faster, pulling up just for him to slam my hips back down.
All at once, my world tilted.
No longer was I on top, Fin was now over me. His thrusts sped frantically.
The explosion was imminent.
Above me, Fin’s expression was mesmerizing, the way his neck strained and how the muscles and tendons pulled tight.
It was a beautiful sight of masculine bliss.
I was so enthralled with watching, the cataclysmic explosion caught me by surprise, causing me to scream out his name.
Within me his cock pulsated as my pussy clenched tighter and tighter.
Like rolling thunder, the orgasm continued, wringing me out from my head to my toes.
Finally, the warmth and weight of Fin’s body curled over mine.
His words came out in a deep-baritone winded whisper. “I love you, Vee. No one will hurt you. I won’t let them.” He arched his back, staring into my eyes with the sincerity of a promise made.
I lifted my palm to his cheek. “No one will hurt me, Fin.”
The sapphire blue of his eyes swirled with emotions. “We missed too much of each other’s life.”
“We did, but maybe it was for the best.” I strained my neck and brushed my lips over his. “What matters is we’re together now.”
His stare was filled with raw intensity. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you.”
“We have forever to learn everything about one another.”
“I’d fucking kill for you.”
A strange memory made me smirk. “That might affect your scholarship.”
Fin’s cheeks rose with a grin. “I signed a contract with the Coopers. When I did, I didn’t realize I signed over my heart, but I did. You own it, Vee. I want a life with you—a long one.”
I nodded. “I love you, too.”