I’m not afraid of anyone . But it wasn’t the truth.
“I’m terrified.”
Finn dropped to the couch next to me. He gripped my hand. “I’ll take care it.”
“No, wait. Finn. I moved. I got away from him.”
“Then what was this morning at the gym about?”
“A…mistake. I thought I saw something–or heard something. But, I’m sensitive still.” I was still prepared to see him around every corner, but in reality I hadn’t seen him in months. He hadn’t been bothering me like before.
“It won’t hurt to look into things,” Finn said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want that. I did what I had to do. I’m here now and I’m ready to let it all go. It’ll help if you do, too.”
Finn’s jaw shifted. “I can’t promise that.”
“Try for me,” I said, my voice hard. “You’re asking a lot of me to be here, and to consider giving us another try. The least you can do is let me handle Mark, and my past, on my own.”
“That’s a lot to ask of me, too,” Finn growled, running his hand through his hair again. “To forget that he put his fucking hands on you and–”
He broke off at the look on my face. “I’m sorry,” he hissed. “Just–okay, don’t go. We’ll drop it for now, okay?” When I didn’t answer, he brushed his thumb across my knuckles. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good.” It took another moment, but I saw the tension drain from his face and his shoulders. He smiled at me. “There’s a chance here. A second chance–and a new beginning. I want that with you.”
He leaned in, his breath touching my lips. I was held there, suspended in a long moment of anticipation and hesitation. In a moment of want and need and simultaneous worry.
Then he swooped in and all my fears vanished. Finn’s lips touched mine, just a brush and taste, before he shifted and wrapped his arms around me. I pressed against him, dropping my inhibitions long enough to simply feel.
He still had expert hands, tracing my shoulders and running down my spine until I shivered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gasped when he hauled me on his lap.
Straddling him, I ran my fingers across his shoulders and down to his chest, where I bumped into buttons. I bypassed those. I couldn’t–not yet.
This was a test, a taste. I couldn’t let it go beyond that.
So I returned my hands to his face, brushing the slightest bit of stubble on his cheeks and jaw.
Finn groaned like the touch of my hands almost hurt. “Charlotte,” he murmured. “It’s been too long.”
I buried my face in his neck. “I missed you.”
“Really?”
He stopped kissing me, and I chanced a glance up to his eyes.
“You missed me?” Finn asked.
“I did.”
“I thought it was just me,” he said.
“We were friends,” I said, almost offended.
“More than friends. We were everything. Even though I ruined it, we were everything, Charlotte.”
He was right. Finn was my whole world. Day and night, good and bad, everything. Our worlds collided and then stayed together. For an entire year, we were everything to each other.
“You know it’s true,” Finn said, eyes dark.
He captured both wrists in one hand and leaned me back on the couch, kneeling over me. With my hands bound in his grip over my head, a thrill of excitement rolled through me. Finn took a kiss, and then another, his tongue gliding along my lip before he traveled lower. His kisses rained down my throat. I arched back, saying his name once, and then again.
His free hand slid up my thigh, my dress rising higher and higher.
“Finn,” I whispered once more.
“Yes,” he breathed, lips poised at the neckline to my dress.
My heart raced out of control, my whole body bowing against his in an effort to get more. But my mind slammed on the breaks.
“Not yet. It’s too soon,” I said.
He lifted his head, eyes cloudy, and stared at me like I’d spoken a foreign language. I could feel him straining against his pants, pressing into my hip. His hands
“I’m terrified.”
Finn dropped to the couch next to me. He gripped my hand. “I’ll take care it.”
“No, wait. Finn. I moved. I got away from him.”
“Then what was this morning at the gym about?”
“A…mistake. I thought I saw something–or heard something. But, I’m sensitive still.” I was still prepared to see him around every corner, but in reality I hadn’t seen him in months. He hadn’t been bothering me like before.
“It won’t hurt to look into things,” Finn said.
I shook my head. “I don’t want that. I did what I had to do. I’m here now and I’m ready to let it all go. It’ll help if you do, too.”
Finn’s jaw shifted. “I can’t promise that.”
“Try for me,” I said, my voice hard. “You’re asking a lot of me to be here, and to consider giving us another try. The least you can do is let me handle Mark, and my past, on my own.”
“That’s a lot to ask of me, too,” Finn growled, running his hand through his hair again. “To forget that he put his fucking hands on you and–”
He broke off at the look on my face. “I’m sorry,” he hissed. “Just–okay, don’t go. We’ll drop it for now, okay?” When I didn’t answer, he brushed his thumb across my knuckles. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good.” It took another moment, but I saw the tension drain from his face and his shoulders. He smiled at me. “There’s a chance here. A second chance–and a new beginning. I want that with you.”
He leaned in, his breath touching my lips. I was held there, suspended in a long moment of anticipation and hesitation. In a moment of want and need and simultaneous worry.
Then he swooped in and all my fears vanished. Finn’s lips touched mine, just a brush and taste, before he shifted and wrapped his arms around me. I pressed against him, dropping my inhibitions long enough to simply feel.
He still had expert hands, tracing my shoulders and running down my spine until I shivered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gasped when he hauled me on his lap.
Straddling him, I ran my fingers across his shoulders and down to his chest, where I bumped into buttons. I bypassed those. I couldn’t–not yet.
This was a test, a taste. I couldn’t let it go beyond that.
So I returned my hands to his face, brushing the slightest bit of stubble on his cheeks and jaw.
Finn groaned like the touch of my hands almost hurt. “Charlotte,” he murmured. “It’s been too long.”
I buried my face in his neck. “I missed you.”
“Really?”
He stopped kissing me, and I chanced a glance up to his eyes.
“You missed me?” Finn asked.
“I did.”
“I thought it was just me,” he said.
“We were friends,” I said, almost offended.
“More than friends. We were everything. Even though I ruined it, we were everything, Charlotte.”
He was right. Finn was my whole world. Day and night, good and bad, everything. Our worlds collided and then stayed together. For an entire year, we were everything to each other.
“You know it’s true,” Finn said, eyes dark.
He captured both wrists in one hand and leaned me back on the couch, kneeling over me. With my hands bound in his grip over my head, a thrill of excitement rolled through me. Finn took a kiss, and then another, his tongue gliding along my lip before he traveled lower. His kisses rained down my throat. I arched back, saying his name once, and then again.
His free hand slid up my thigh, my dress rising higher and higher.
“Finn,” I whispered once more.
“Yes,” he breathed, lips poised at the neckline to my dress.
My heart raced out of control, my whole body bowing against his in an effort to get more. But my mind slammed on the breaks.
“Not yet. It’s too soon,” I said.
He lifted his head, eyes cloudy, and stared at me like I’d spoken a foreign language. I could feel him straining against his pants, pressing into my hip. His hands
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