Finn Read online

  “Umm…” She brushes her lips across my cheek until she reaches my ear. “I’m liking where this deal of yours leads to.”

  I groan and force myself to put her down, stepping back and running my hand through my hair.

  She takes my hand and tugs me behind her, leading us out of the apartment without a word.

  “Wait.” I stop her from locking the door. “Don’t you want to set the alarm?”

  “I never do.”

  “I noticed, but you have a security system for a reason.”

  “This place is completely secure.”

  “And this system is here for a reason. I’d like you to start using it. Is it even monitored?”

  “Yes.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re on the verge of sounding very bossy.”

  “Call it what you want. I’ll call it protective. Set the alarm.”

  “Finn, I’ve never had a problem—”

  “Set the alarm.”

  “Finn—”

  Her sass starts to come out, and I would give anything to carry her back inside and see how far she’ll go to argue with me. However, we’re already late, so I nudge past her and go back inside. After a few basic number sequences, I reset her password and alarm the system, then step out, take her keys, and lock the door.

  She stares at me with wide eyes, and her face starts to flare, red creeping up her cheeks.

  “What did you just do?”

  “You know what I did. Now, come on.” I pick up her stiff body, carry her to my truck, and set her down.

  “You can’t do that! Now, how will I get in?”

  “I’ll give you the code. Now, let’s go.”

  She huffs a few times in irritation, but to me, it’s completely adorable. “You may find yourself uninvited to dinner if you pull a stunt like that again.”

  Now, she’s not only adorable, she’s fucking hot. I cage her against the passenger door, press the growing bulge in my shorts against her hip, and lean into her ear. “If you keep handing out the sass, I’m going to pin you against the side of this truck, wrap your legs around my waist, and give your mouth something else to do. Then I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to stop with only a kiss.”

  She swallows hard as the annoyance drains from her face.

  “So now that we have that straight, hop in.”

  “We can’t.” She points over her shoulder. “What I mean is, we have to take my car… the booster seat.”

  “We’ll move it over.”

  “I can’t. It clips into the backseat safety clips. It’s a pain in the ass to transfer around.”

  “I’m six-foot four. You realize this, right?”

  She gives me a smug smile, and I groan in frustration, holding my hand out for her keys.

  “No fucking wonder Robbie bought Ember an SUV,” I mumble, trying to get comfortable in the death trap.

  “What’s that?”

  “Laugh all you want, babe, but this is the last time this happens.”

  When we get to Winnie’s summer camp, I turn around and get the model and make of the damn booster seat and order one on Amazon while Presley is inside. This is never happening again. Any sense of irritation melts as Winnie runs to the car, waving her arms and screaming my name. I open the door, and she jumps on my lap, never taking a breath. Her little arms wrap around my neck, and she rambles about some party this weekend.

  Presley buckles her in the backseat and gets in, rolling her eyes. “She’s quite excited about this weekend.”

  “What’s this weekend?”

  “My birthday, Finn! Weren’t you listening?”

  “I guess I missed it.”

  “Aunt Presley and Reese planned it at the Princess Boutique in Franklin. It’s going to be the best birthday ever.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “You should come!” she screeches from the backseat. “I wish we could have Chick-fil-A, but Aunt Presley says they’re closed on Sunday.”

  “Whitney! Calm down.” Presley gives her a backwards glance. “Finn’s a boy. This is for girls, and I’m ordering your favorite pizza.”

  “Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Johnny are coming!”

  “That’s because they’re family. They’d never miss your birthday. If you want to invite more boys, next year, we can do something not so girly.”

  “Next year, I’ll be six. We’ll have a grown-up party,” she says so seriously I can’t hold in my chuckle.

  We pull up at Chick-fil-A, and Winnie’s out of her seat and across my lap in less than three seconds, scampering to get out. My back cracks in two places when I fully stand.

  It doesn’t seem like only a week ago we did this same routine; Winnie kicking off her shoes and running into the play area with the other kids as Presley and I sat and talked. This time, I sit next to her in the booth and hold her hand openly.

  “I’m a bit offended that you tried to rescind my invitation to girls’ date night.”

  “You acted barbaric about my alarm. What is the new code, by the way?”

  “Zero-six-zero-two,” I lean in and whisper, running my tongue on the outer edge of her ear. “Unless you decide to change it.”

  “Is that a special number?” Goosebumps swell on her arm.

  “It’s the day I first laid eyes on you. So yes, I’d say it’s special.”

  She turns to face me with a glimmer in her eye. Her free hand slides gently down my face and stops at my cheek, the pad of her thumb rubbing across my lips. “I’m pretty sure that’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. I’m never changing it.”

  My heart leaps at her admission; obviously, my code means something to her, too.

  “Ember’s having a party next Saturday. It’s a welcome to the family and birthday combo. Will you come with me?”

  “She goes all out. I assume the welcome to the family is for Blade and the birthday for Robbie?”

  “Her childhood sucked. She carries few happy memories, so if she wants to have a party to celebrate her first dog, she will. Besides, we have strict instructions to have the fence done by Saturday morning.”

  “She mentioned it to me last Friday night when she called to invite me to ride with her.”

  “Will you come with me?”

  “Absolutely, but this is a big step, isn’t it? Aren’t all your friends going to be there?” She sucks in her bottom lip and drops her hands from my face.

  “Not sure what you consider a big step since you’ve met Robbie, Ember, and Max. Not to mention my parents. I’ve met your family, and we’ve now officially had two dates with your niece. I’m sure it’ll be a big party, with everyone invited; however, you’re the only one I care about.”

  “Who exactly is everyone?”

  “Ember’s family, Robbie’s family, our friends, and maybe some of the band.”

  “The band?”

  Warnings fire off in my mind, signaling for me to tread lightly. There’s a history there that needs to stay in the past. “I thought you knew about the band.”

  “I know nothing.”

  “Robbie’s little sister, who’s also a very good friend of mine, is married to Declan Collins.”

  She scoots back, breaking our connection, and looks at me with complete shock. “Declan Collins of Sayge? Robbie’s sister is Ravenel Hayes, the woman hated and loved throughout the music community a few years ago?”

  “Yeah, that’s her. But most of that was complete bullshit. She’s a normal girl. Grew up with all of us and has a crazy group of friends that all live here now. You’ll understand when you meet her. The fame hasn’t gone to her head at all.”

  “So when Jenna mentioned at the symphony event that her son-in-law was a musician, she was being modest?”

  “No, she was telling the truth. He’s a musician.”

  Her body language changes immediately, and I can tell by her expression she’s uncomfortable.

  “He’s more than a musician
,” she mutters, breaking our gaze and looking blankly at the play area.

  My phone dings with a text, and I curse when I read Robbie’s message.

  Robbie: We need you at the office. You out of class yet?

  Me: At Chick-fil-A. Bad time

  Robbie: EMOP.

  Fuck! Now is not the time for an Emergency Operation Plan. I have my own impending situation with Presley and the way she’s staring silently into space.

  Me: Not a good time. Don’t even have a car.

  Robbie: I’ll come get you. Trust me this is important. Text me location.

  “Shit!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to order, babe. I have to go into work. Robbie’s on his way to get me.”

  “Work tonight?”

  “EMOP— Emergency Operation Plan. We have a situation.”

  Her face pales, and I realize I’m going to have to have this talk with her sooner rather than later.

  “You do a lot more than security systems and corporate security, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  She swallows hard, and her eyes dart between me and Winnie, who’s on the slide, waving.

  This is a fucking disaster. I planned to explain my job in a little more private setting. Ideally, with her in my arms, so she had no choice but to listen.

  I know she’s delicate and has reservations about taking risks. This was obvious without her dad filling me in. My being included on her nights with Winnie after knowing me for such a short time is a big deal.

  So telling her the extent of my job with Hayes Security is going to take some finesse.

  “We’ll talk about it tonight. I’ll be over after we finish. You can ask me whatever you want.”

  “Tonight’s not good. I have that conference call early in the morning.”

  Damn! I vaguely remember her mentioning she was scheduled to talk to the Local Life & Styles magazine about a few pieces they needed her to edit.

  “Tomorrow night,” I counter.

  “You have a fence to install…” She gives me a weak smile and turns to Winnie, who is now beside the table.

  “We need to eat before I drop.” She fans her flushed face.

  Presley gives a soft giggle, covering her mouth and shaking her head at her niece. I get up and grab her hand to go order, when she starts to tug on my arm.

  “Hey, isn’t that your friend?” She points at the door, and I inwardly curse Robbie for his speedy arrival. I need a few more minutes with Presley before we take off.

  There’s no way I’m leaving her with all this doubt and confusion. Robbie gets to the table and bends down, eye level to Winnie, and puts out his hand. “How ya doing, little lady?”

  She takes it and leans in to give him a hug. “Great, but I’m famished.”

  Robbie looks between us with a sharp grin that dies when he sees Presley’s plastic smile.

  “Robbie, it’s so nice to see you.” Presley gets up and gives him a brief hug.

  “Hey, Presley, sorry to bust up your date.” He shoots me a ‘what the fuck’ look.

  “What do you mean bust up our date? Aren’t you staying for dinner?” Winnie looks at me with wide eyes that darken in confusion.

  The similarity to Presley’s eyes is unreal, and the ache in my chest deepens.

  I suck in a deep breath and shake my head. “I have to get to work. We have an unexpected emergency.”

  She moves back from us and latches onto Presley’s leg, looking at the ground.

  “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  At this point, Presley reaches for her purse and bends down, saying something in Winnie’s ear to make her look at us with a pathetic grin. Her disappointment is even more obvious than her aunt’s.

  “I’ll wait for you in the truck, man.” Robbie says goodbye to the girls and leaves.

  “I’m still going to call you tonight when I get done. If you’re up, I’ll stop by.”

  Presley gives me a small nod and starts to turn. Hurt and confusion fill her expression, and I move fast, pulling them both in for a hug. One hand goes to Winnie’s back and the other to Presley’s neck. I gently force her face to mine and give her a gentle kiss.

  “I’ll make it up to you. I promise. And I’ll explain everything.”

  Without another word, I kiss her again and let them go, stopping by the register on my way out and handing the guy a twenty to cover their dinner.

  I walk to Robbie’s truck with lead in my stomach and decide we need to find another place besides Chick-fil-A. Both times, it’s ended in disaster.

  Chapter 11

  Finn

  Motherfucking hell! I look at my phone for the fifth time and see no missed calls or responses to my texts. It’s been two days since I’ve talked to Presley, and it’s ripping at me. The last memory I have is her expression when I walked away. I keep telling myself we hadn’t had a chance to talk about my job and my life, but the way she backed away from me still stings. She didn’t have to say it; I knew what she was thinking. Why didn’t I share anything? Dropping the bomb about knowing Declan Collins was nothing compared to knowing my job was more in-depth than I’d described.

  Tripp walks in and surveys the mess on the table.

  “Big project?”

  “School shit.” I motion to my research on one side. “And work shit.” I point to the other stuff.

  “Is this why you were rustling around all night?”

  “Yeah,” I say half-heartedly.

  “Or could it be that you pissed off a certain girl who has you in knots?”

  “Whatever,” I mumble, not taking his bait.

  “We still on for tomorrow?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Picking up our bikes. They’re ready.”

  “Sure,” I answer with a shrug.

  “Damn, this girl must be the shit. You’ve been talking about this for months. Now, you look like I asked you to take out the trash.”

  “Shit!” I lean back, run my hands through my hair, and clasp my hands around my neck. “I think I fucked up.”

  “That’s a record. You’ve known her for three weeks.”

  “You’re not helping.”

  “So tell me how to help.” He sits across from me with a shit-eating grin. “My wisdom is at your disposal.”

  “I can’t believe I’m discussing this with you, but here goes. I’ve been pretty tight-lipped about my job because Presley’s got a thing about living safe. It isn’t like I’m hiding anything, but I haven’t shared. The other night, I got called into a meeting after hours for an EMOP. She looked at me like she didn’t even know me. Top it off, I had just mentioned our connection with Sayge, Raven, Declan, and the others, then I had to leave her and Winnie in the middle of dinner.”

  “So?”

  “So? That’s your help?”

  “Straighten it out. This doesn’t seem like a big deal. Tell her what she wants to know. I’m going out tonight. Invite her over here and make her dinner. Explain your life, your choices, your goals. It’s not like you’ve been hiding a secret life. You haven’t had time to tell her yet.

  “All else fails, charm the shit out of her.”

  His words sink in, and I sit back, thinking about how to come clean without scaring her off. An idea pops into my head. I grin to myself and start organizing my papers.

  “I see the Tripp Jones School of Thought has cut through your thick head. Thinking you owe me fifty dollars. The same amount I lost to Robbie when you contracted the damn disease.”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “Are you denying?”

  “Nope, but not confirming either.”

  “How the hell does this keep happening? Are you all crazy? I mean, seven weeks ago, you swore off all this shit. Now, I’m giving you relationship advice.”

  “Listen, man, because this is the only time I’m going to talk about this.” I get serious
and look him straight in the eye. “When you know, you know. Presley Chambers is special. She’s a fucking saint in my mind. It’s not just her beauty. It’s everything that makes her who she is. She lost her mom when she was fifteen and took on the responsibility of a household of men. Charity, volunteering, family… she surrounds herself with safe and secure. Hell, her dad told me she took off after graduation to move to North Carolina to help take care of her niece. I was trying to go slow and ease in, but to me, it’s a done deal.

  “I introduced her to my parents.”

  His eyes bulge so wide the vein in his forehead start to pulse. “You introduced her to Tim and Evelyn? Are you crazy?”

  “Nope, it was perfect timing.” I fill him in on the event last Saturday.

  “Jesus! I need a drink.” He gets us both a beer and sits back down. “So, Hero, what’s the plan?”

  “Don’t you start, too.” I roll my eyes at the name. “But as much as I hate to admit, I’m going to need your help… and Ember’s.”

  “Tell me what to do.”

  “I’ll need you to pick her up while I start cooking. I’m not taking no for an answer so be prepared for an attitude.”

  “Fucking great. Do I at least get to be best man this time?” he grumbles on his way back to his room.

  I dial Presley’s number and brace.

  “Hello.”

  “Presley.”

  “Hey, Finn.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “About to shower then work.”

  “That’s great, but there’s a slight change in your plans. Tripp’s picking you up in an hour.”

  “Finn, tonight’s not a good night.”

  “Either you come to me or I’m coming to you. Not taking no for an answer.”

  She’s quiet and I hear her faint breathing through the line. “I think we should talk. Maybe we—”

  “Give me tonight. Then the ball’s in your court. I realize you were taken off guard on Wednesday night. It wasn’t fair. Let me explain.”

  She hesitates then exhales into the phone. “Okay, but I can drive myself.”

  “Tripp will be there in an hour, babe. Be ready. And, Presley, I can’t wait to see you.” I disconnect before she can argue.

  “Tripp! Put me down!” Presley’s squeal sounds through the condo.