need him, and he wouldn't be able to say no. It wasn't in Finn's nature.
"It'll be fine," I said, willing myself to believe it.
I lifted up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, and he met me halfway in a soft kiss. I indulged in a moment of sorrow, a softening against Finn as his strong arms held me up, a sinking into the kiss and the feeling of Finn surrounding me, filling me. Suddenly desperate, I gripped his hair, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, grew hungry and pained— as if we both knew it would be our last.
Last for a while . I refused to believe anything else.
We broke apart, breath harsh against each other's lips. "We've got to go," Finn said, his voice low and graveled. He cursed, dipping his head until our foreheads touched. "I still have to find my wallet."
"We'll find it," I said as I pulled away to rifle through a stack of papers on the end table.
5:27 a.m.
"Why in the world would you put your wallet in the freezer, Finnegan?"
"Not my name. And we don't have time for ridiculous questions." He snatched the item in question out of my hand and jammed it into his back pocket. His lips twitched as he fought a smile, then he lurched forward to kiss me soundly. "Let's go."
He reached for his coffee cup, hitching his carry on onto his shoulder at the same time. Which proved to be a mistake, as he fumbled the cup, a trail of milky coffee splashing down the sleeve of his white shirt.
I covered my mouth to hide the laugh.
He saw it anyway. He grabbed a wad of paper towels off the kitchen counter and blotted the stain.
"You need to change?" I asked.
"No time. It's fine," he replied, giving the towels one last squeeze before tossing them in the kitchen garbage can. "Two points," he said with a grin, before he grabbed my hand to drag me out the front door.
5:29 AM
"Did you lock the door?"
"I thought you locked it."
"Damn it!"
6:03 AM
We dashed down the airport corridor, narrowly dodging a man pulling a suitcase. Finn glanced back, his sweaty hand slipping on mine as he dragged me around a corner.
I barely kept from tripping over my own feet. "Ticket?"
"Got it!" he shouted.
"Liquids?"
"Ready!" He fumbled with his free hand in the front pocket of his carryon to pull out the plastic bag.
"Line!"
"Wha—?" He looked back at me as if in slow motion, though his feet kept moving.
"Line!" I yanked my hand from his to point beyond him and he whirled, barely managing to avoid barreling into the back of the security line.
We stopped, breathing heavily.
"Thanks," he said between pants.
"No problem."
Usually, when you're in a hurry to go somewhere, you just . . . go there. Of course, the airport is the exception to that rule. We stood fidgeting as the line crawled forward, Finn checking his watch every two seconds.
"I'm not going to make it," he muttered.
"You'll make it." I straightened his collar, which didn't need straightening, simply to keep my hands moving— as if that could distract me. "You got everything?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." He reached for my hand and pressed it against his lips. "You okay?"
I nodded, swallowing down tears. The security line moved forward at a snail's pace– too fast.
"Call when you land, okay?" I asked. "Doesn't matter what time it is."
"I will." He kissed me. "Don't forget to call your mom tomorrow."
"Crap. Yeah, thanks." I added the reminder to my phone.
Another step forward...and another. Only a family of four and a little old man stood between us and the scanners. The mom at the front of the line was arguing with her son, who didn't want to take off his shoes.
Mom won. Well, the kid took off his shoes anyway. He also screamed bloody murder, so maybe it was a wash.
"I should go," I whispered, blinking rapidly.
Finn pulled me tight against him as he toed off his own shoes. "I'm sorry we don't have more time."
There would never be enough time.
"It's better this way. Quick, like a band-aid, right?" I clung to him for a
"It'll be fine," I said, willing myself to believe it.
I lifted up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, and he met me halfway in a soft kiss. I indulged in a moment of sorrow, a softening against Finn as his strong arms held me up, a sinking into the kiss and the feeling of Finn surrounding me, filling me. Suddenly desperate, I gripped his hair, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, grew hungry and pained— as if we both knew it would be our last.
Last for a while . I refused to believe anything else.
We broke apart, breath harsh against each other's lips. "We've got to go," Finn said, his voice low and graveled. He cursed, dipping his head until our foreheads touched. "I still have to find my wallet."
"We'll find it," I said as I pulled away to rifle through a stack of papers on the end table.
5:27 a.m.
"Why in the world would you put your wallet in the freezer, Finnegan?"
"Not my name. And we don't have time for ridiculous questions." He snatched the item in question out of my hand and jammed it into his back pocket. His lips twitched as he fought a smile, then he lurched forward to kiss me soundly. "Let's go."
He reached for his coffee cup, hitching his carry on onto his shoulder at the same time. Which proved to be a mistake, as he fumbled the cup, a trail of milky coffee splashing down the sleeve of his white shirt.
I covered my mouth to hide the laugh.
He saw it anyway. He grabbed a wad of paper towels off the kitchen counter and blotted the stain.
"You need to change?" I asked.
"No time. It's fine," he replied, giving the towels one last squeeze before tossing them in the kitchen garbage can. "Two points," he said with a grin, before he grabbed my hand to drag me out the front door.
5:29 AM
"Did you lock the door?"
"I thought you locked it."
"Damn it!"
6:03 AM
We dashed down the airport corridor, narrowly dodging a man pulling a suitcase. Finn glanced back, his sweaty hand slipping on mine as he dragged me around a corner.
I barely kept from tripping over my own feet. "Ticket?"
"Got it!" he shouted.
"Liquids?"
"Ready!" He fumbled with his free hand in the front pocket of his carryon to pull out the plastic bag.
"Line!"
"Wha—?" He looked back at me as if in slow motion, though his feet kept moving.
"Line!" I yanked my hand from his to point beyond him and he whirled, barely managing to avoid barreling into the back of the security line.
We stopped, breathing heavily.
"Thanks," he said between pants.
"No problem."
Usually, when you're in a hurry to go somewhere, you just . . . go there. Of course, the airport is the exception to that rule. We stood fidgeting as the line crawled forward, Finn checking his watch every two seconds.
"I'm not going to make it," he muttered.
"You'll make it." I straightened his collar, which didn't need straightening, simply to keep my hands moving— as if that could distract me. "You got everything?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." He reached for my hand and pressed it against his lips. "You okay?"
I nodded, swallowing down tears. The security line moved forward at a snail's pace– too fast.
"Call when you land, okay?" I asked. "Doesn't matter what time it is."
"I will." He kissed me. "Don't forget to call your mom tomorrow."
"Crap. Yeah, thanks." I added the reminder to my phone.
Another step forward...and another. Only a family of four and a little old man stood between us and the scanners. The mom at the front of the line was arguing with her son, who didn't want to take off his shoes.
Mom won. Well, the kid took off his shoes anyway. He also screamed bloody murder, so maybe it was a wash.
"I should go," I whispered, blinking rapidly.
Finn pulled me tight against him as he toed off his own shoes. "I'm sorry we don't have more time."
There would never be enough time.
"It's better this way. Quick, like a band-aid, right?" I clung to him for a
Similar Books
