Falling for Finn by Jackie Ashenden Page A

good.”
    “You don’t sound—”
    “Hey, I really have to go. Sorry, Anna. I’ve got a meeting. We’ll talk later.” Finn disconnected the call, then stood there a minute, leaning against the wall, staring at the traffic in the street.
    Crazy. He had to get himself together. She was right. Putting it behind them was the only way. Both for her and all the crap she was dealing with right now. And definitely he didn’t want to make it harder for her. If only he could just stop obsessing about how good it had been. How right she’d felt in his arms.
    “Hey, Finn.”
    He turned to see Jo peering around the side of the building.
    “You still want to go for a drink?” She gave him a half smile that had more than a little suggestion in it. “’Cause, you know, I’m still into it.”
    Well, why not? It wasn’t like he had anything better to do with anyone else, right?
    Finn pushed himself away from the wall, grinning at her. “Yeah, sure. Lead the way.”
    Jo proved to be good company. She was funny, sexy, everything he normally liked in a woman. Plus she not only skated but was into snowboarding too. What was there not to like?
    But as the day went on, Finn couldn’t shake the restlessness that ran through his veins. The feeling he shouldn’t be here. He tried to ignore it, tried to enjoy being with someone who was his ideal woman in many respects, but for some reason he couldn’t seem to concentrate.
    “Hey,” Jo said as they exited the bar later that afternoon, “I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind going somewhere quieter.” She wound an arm around his waist, leaning into him, her other hand lingering on his thigh. “What do you think?”
    The whole afternoon she’d made her interest known, and he hadn’t discouraged her. Why would he? Any man with half a brain would be into her.
    Finn looked down into her brown eyes. Yeah, he could take her back to his place, and they’d have sex. And it would probably be pretty good sex too. There would be fun and a few laughs and then they’d say goodbye.
    Easy. Uncomplicated.
    And it wasn’t what he wanted.
    The realization shocked him. Because for most of his adult life, that had been exactly what he’d wanted. Fun and easy sex. No strings. No ties. So what was holding him back now? Because the more he thought about taking Jo home, the more he didn’t want to do it.
    Shit, what the hell was going on with him?
    She frowned, clearly aware of his hesitation. The hand on his thigh slid up his body to curl around his neck. “What’s up? I thought you were into this?”
    Yeah, so had he.
    He looked down into her face and then, briefly, bent to kiss her.
    Nothing. There was nothing there. Nothing at all. No desire, no anticipation. No heat.
    Finn…don’t stop…
    Anna’s voice in his head. Breathless. Desperate. Oh God, why the bloody hell was he thinking of her now? Hadn’t he decided she was right? That they had to pretend nothing had happened between them?
    He lifted his head, trying to ignore the thoughts. Dismiss the memories of heat and intensity and smooth, slick skin beneath his hands.
    “What’s the problem, Finn?”
    No, he couldn’t do it. And it wouldn’t be fair to her to pretend. “Jo, I’m sorry. I’m not up for this after all.”
    Her frown deepened, genuine hurt crossing her face. She released him, stepped away. “You seemed pretty into it ten minutes ago. What changed?”
    “Nothing. It’s not you—”
    “Oh great, the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech. Gee, Finn, real smooth.”
    Shit, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. “Jo, look, I’m sorry. You’re gorgeous, you’re great company and I really enjoyed this afternoon. I thought I was into it but…”
    She thrust her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “But what?”
    “There’s someone else.” He hadn’t meant to say it, but it came out all the same.
    “Someone else? Please don’t tell me you have a girlfriend, ’cause that’s just-”
    “No. No