20. Finn
Chapter 20
Finn
R une is a trooper. A beautiful, determined little trooper.
I’ve lost count of the number of times she’s fallen today. That she hasn’t given up is impressive, especially considering the terrifying moose encounter this morning. She seems to have recovered and has made several questionable jokes about it. I'm still seriously shaken and it’s triggered a wave of extreme protectiveness. I'm afraid to let her out of my sight. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to let her out of my sight. I thought that I’d be able to shake my fixation on Rune by talking to her at the party last night. Or by spending time with her this morning.
I was wrong.
It turns out she’s like a drug. An addictive one.
Here I am, inviting people into my home—my sanctuary—because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to her.
“I’ll ride with Sam,” Ella announces once our gear is loaded back into my truck. “We’ll stop by Mom’s and grab some swimsuits. Rune, you want to come with us?”
“Rune rides with me,” I say firmly. There's no way I'm letting her in the car with Sam. He isn't the best of drivers on a good day, let alone when the roads are icy. Rune climbs into my truck without complaint, albeit a bit stiffly. She’s going to be sore as hell.
It’s easy to work up a sweat when skiing, but the chill hits hard the moment you stop. My truck takes about nine minutes to heat up when the temperatures are this cold, so it’s only just starting to blow warm air by the time we turn into my driveway. Rune, bless her heart, doesn’t complain once.
“You want hot chocolate or coffee?” I ask once we’ve peeled off our snow gear and left it to dry in the entryway.
“Hot chocolate for sure,” Rune says. “Please.”
“Better drink this while I make your hot chocolate.” I hand her a tall glass of water. I noticed she didn’t drink anything since the coffee I brought for her this morning. “You need to rehydrate.”
“Okay, daddy ,” Rune rolls her eyes but accepts the glass anyway. She freezes, hand outstretched, then winces as her own words register. “That came out very wrong.”
“You have a dirty mind.” I smirk when she snatches the water out of my hand. She very intentionally makes eye contact as she drinks it down. I never thought I’d live to see the day that drinking water would be considered sexy, but here we are.
“Happy?” Rune demands.
“Immensely. Now go change into something dry. Your shirt is soaked.”
“I didn't bring anything else. It's fine, I'll survive.”
It is not fine. I locate the same sweatpants and t-shirt that she wore last week and offer them to Rune. “You know the drill. We’ll put your clothes in the dryer. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour for them to be wearable again.”
It shouldn’t make me feel this pleased when she complies—or when I see her emerge from the bathroom dressed in my clothes once again. Rune deposits herself on one of the kitchen bar stools, leaning her elbows on the island counter and watching me move around the kitchen.
“Enjoying the show?” I tease.
“It’s giving me hibachi vibes. Only…hot chocolate.”
I slide the steaming mug towards her, complete with marshmallows and some crushed peppermint candy pieces. It looks pretty damn professional. She hums her appreciation.
The sound goes straight to my groin.
“Do you need any help with anything?” she asks, absolutely unaware of the growing discomfort in my pants.
“You could put these out on the table.” I take the two large pastry boxes out of the refrigerator, filled with last night’s hors d'oeuvres. Anything to get her out of the kitchen while I calm the fuck down.
Her eyes light up at the sight of them. “I was so nervous at the party last night that I didn’t eat any of it. Which is very unlike me, I might add.”
“You didn’t eat at all?” I mentally kick myself. I was so eager to get her away from the party, I didn’t realize that she was hungry. “Dig in.”
She barely needs the encouragement and dives into the array of delicacies with unabashed enjoyment.
“This is absurdly good,” she says around a mouthful of bite-sized caramel cheesecake.
“Believe me, I know. Why do you think I snuck the leftovers home with me?”
“Smart and good-looking. You’re such a winner, Finn.” Rune munches happily on her food.
“Good looking, huh?”
She gives me the side eye. “Are you playing coy with me?”
I snort. “Coy? Who even uses that word?”
“That’s what they say in the books. It means, like, you’re pretending to be shy and unaware.”
“I know what coy means.”
Her brows rise at my indignation and she rests her chin on her hand. “You can’t honestly claim to be oblivious to the way girls—women, I mean—look at you. I’ve only been around you for like two days and I can see it. Like the front desk lady at the ski resort this morning, for example.”
“I thought I caught a glimmer of approval.”
Now it’s her turn to scoff. “Please. She was basically drooling.”
“What about you?”
She is suddenly very interested in the mini pies. “What about me?”
“What do you think about me?” I press.
“I already told you: smart and good looking,” she says curtly. “Did you want me to go on?”
“If you don’t mind. I’d love to hear what else you think of me.” I smile, leaning towards her. I thought that shy and proper Rune was adorable. This half-flustered side of her is even better. I’m taken with the urge to push all of her buttons, to see what other facets she’ll reveal.
“You order a very nice brandy on the rocks and really know how to make a killer cup of dairy-free hot chocolate.” She pauses for a breath, then adds in a softer voice, “You’re also thoughtful, kind, and far too generous.”
My mouth feels a bit dry. I was not expecting the sincerity, the slight edge of vulnerability in her tone. “Basically an all around nice guy, huh?”
Her mouth tilts up. “Basically.”
We share a quiet smile for all of three seconds before the back door opens with a slam as Sam and Ella let themselves in.
“I’ll take a mocha latte,” says Ella right away, eyeing Rune’s cup of hot chocolate. When I level a deadpan look at her, she shrugs. “Don’t pretend like you can’t do it. I see the espresso maker on the counter.”
Of course she does.
The girl is a force of nature, but you have to admire the way she has Sam twisted around her little finger. Sam and I hit it off immediately when we met last year. I like his laid back approach to life. He’s the kind of guy who’s up for anything, even if we’ve gone weeks or months without hanging out. An invaluable friend, especially with my schedule and its long, self-imposed bouts of solitude. I have him to thank for keeping Ella occupied today so I can monopolize Rune’s attention. And fuck, if I don’t want to maintain that monopoly a little longer.
“I can’t believe you started eating without us.” Ella looks miffed.
“We needed a head start.” Rune grins at her cousin’s scowl.
I’m impressed at the amount of hors d’oeuvres we’re able to consume in the span of twenty minutes, followed by a frozen pizza baked in the oven. Afterwards, Rune throws herself down onto the couch with a groan.
“I don’t know if I’m happy full or too full. I’m such a pig when I’m hungry,” she says.
I nudge her leg aside to make enough space for me on the couch next to her. Sam and Ella have gone upstairs to change into their swimwear. I hope that’s all they do up there.
“I think I said this already, but this is an amazing couch.” Rune curls up into a little ball with a sigh of contentment. “I’m going to have a hard time not falling asleep. My muscles are like jelly.”
“Take a nap if you want. I don’t mind.”
“That’s being bad company.”
I smile at that. I don’t think she could be bad company if she tried. “It’s a napping kind of day.”
“Hurry up and change, you two,” Ella calls to us as she and Sam make a beeline for the hot tub outside on the heated stone patio. I ignore the demand and put my feet up on the ottoman. I still have half a cup of coffee to drink and zero intention of letting Ella boss me around. The couch is facing away from the hot tub, but I can see everything if I turn my head. I shoot Sam a text, telling him to keep his hands to himself.
His phone must ping from where he’s set it near the edge of the hot tub, because he picks it up almost immediately. He lifts one hand and shoots me a rude gesture.
“I want to go in the hot tub, but I also don’t want to go in there with them,” Rune’s wry voice sounds beside me.
“Same.” I lift my arm and she accepts the invitation immediately, snuggling into my side. I breathe in her scent, the faint coconut smell of her hair and the wood smoke and pine of my sweatshirt. I like knowing that she’ll walk away from here smelling like me. “We can wait until they get out. The hot water might be nice on ”
“How much longer do you want us to stick around?”
“You have somewhere else you need to be?”
“I just don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“You won’t.”
“You say that now, but if our visit goes downhill later, you have only yourself to blame. I was willing to quit while we’re ahead.”
As if. “Rune, you could move in and still not overstay your welcome.”
She stills a little, taking in my words. Then she turns so that her eyes meet mine. The sleepy softness is gone, replaced with wariness. “Finn, I’m not very good at reading between the lines. I wasn’t aware that my last boyfriend wasn’t actually dating me anymore until I found out he was sleeping with someone else.”
I know she’s hinting at something else, but this truly pisses me off. “That’s called cheating, Rune.”
She blushes and looks away. “It’s on me. I should have been more aware. Asked him what he thought about us. If I’d put more effort into communicating, I wouldn’t have been so blindsided. But it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over.”
“No, Rune, it actually does matter. That’s on him and he’s the biggest fuckwit for trying to pull one over on you.”
Rune winces. “He didn’t exactly try to pull one over. He answered the phone when he was in bed with her. It doesn’t even bother me that much that he wanted out. I would have understood. But…” Her words trail off. It's the way she says it, with the shock and hurt still evident in her voice, that makes me feel the need to comfort her. I pull her across my lap, wrapping both arms securely around her. I’m a generally nonviolent person, but I could beat the shit out of that dickhead.
“You don’t deserve that, Rune.”
She gives a small smile. “Thanks.”
“I’m fucking serious.” I want to say more, but I have a feeling that words are just words to Rune. So instead, I kiss her. A gentle, nipping kiss on her lower lip. The lower lip that I can’t stop staring at. Her soft intake of breath has me hard in an instant. I grasp her hip and pull her tighter against me. She feels incredible; all soft curves and warmth.
“You taste amazing,” I murmur. I’m only talking about her mouth, but—fuck, I bet she tastes incredible elsewhere, too.
I can feel her smile against my lips and she slides her hand from my chest to my stomach and lower. She will be the death of me. Even with her clothes on, she feels better than any woman I’ve ever had naked. The curve of her breasts, the arch of her back—absolute perfection.
Desperate to feel skin, I slide my hand under her sweatshirt, feeling the swerve of her hip. I stop there and make her look at me. “Rune, tell me what you want.” The words are harsh, desperate. I could consume this woman whole and never look back. But I need to know what she wants. What she expects.
“I want you to keep going,” she says breathlessly.
That’s not good enough. I pull back. “Is that you talking or the oxytocin?”
“What kind of a question is that?”
A stupid one, probably. “Just answer it. Please.”
Her eyes narrow as she drags her gaze from my face, downwards and back up. It’s a challenge. A dare. “I want you to kiss me. And grope the shit out of me.”
“Thank fuck.” I reach to pull her face back to mine, flipping us so that she’s lying beneath me on the couch. My hand slides up her side, pushing the sweatshirt up so that I see everything. Including the fact that she’s not wearing a bra. “You came prepared.”
“My bra was drenched with sweat.” She sounds apologetic.
“I really don’t mind.” I gently cup one breast then the other, with a feeling that can only be described as reverence. Then I lean in and pay homage to them with my mouth. She writhes in response, grinding up against me. It’s too much and not enough, all at once. I’m all too aware of the fact that we aren’t alone. That it’s impossible to pull her clothes off the way I want. So instead, I reach down and trail my finger up her thigh, up the seam of her leggings.
She lets out a soft, breathy moan.
“Like that, huh?”
I do it again, slipping my hand beneath her waistband. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“Do not fucking stop.”
I tease her, running my fingers back and forth, never quite touching where we both want them to be. But then I do.
And then the sliding door opens.
Ella and Sam troop in, laughing loudly. Just like that, our moment is over. Rune scrambles to extricate herself from me, nearly falling off the couch as she untangles her legs from mine. I pull the throw over my lap with a silent, vehement curse.
“Nap time’s over. Wake up, Rune,” Ella says in a singsong voice.
“I’m awake, you idiot,” Rune snaps, struggling with her ponytail.
Ella’s smile turns catlike. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”
“You aren't,” Rune says, but she glances at my lap and her already flushed face gets a little more pink. I wish I'd thought to take it upstairs. Or lock Ella and Sam outside until we were finished.
“Good. I just got a text that there's a party in the ice fishing village in the Perch Bay ice village this afternoon. Some of my old friends from high school are going to be there. Sounds like there’s brats, beer, and chips for everyone. Think you'd want to go? With Mom and Courtney are gone, we're on our own for food.” Ella's voice is hopeful. She has the boundless energy of a golden retriever, which is both amusing and incredibly exhausting for an introvert like myself.
Rune shakes her head. “Go without me. I'm so tired from skiing.”
“I'm not going to abandon you,” Ella objects. “You only have two days left with us.”
“I won’t be bored. I can read or work on my art. Besides, we still have all day tomorrow, which is more than we were planning on in the first place, before you extended my trip.”
“Well, maybe Sam and I will just swing by there for a bit. Just to say hi to everyone. We can drop you off at home on our way.”
“That's the opposite direction for you. I'll bring Rune back,” I offer quickly. There's no way in hell that I'm willing to watch her just walk out of my life at this point. Not before finishing what we started on the couch. And even then…well, we'll have to see where the rest of the day goes. To find out whether the thoughts behind those brown eyes match the ones currently wreaking havoc deep within me.