“You know what,” I said, taking half a step back. “This isn’t really working. Let’s forget it. I’ll call Cole Jericho in the morning and—”
Before I could finish the sentence, his hands were on either side of my face and his lips covered mine. Half from surprise and half in reaction to the kiss, I fell back against the wall behind me. He followed, not letting our mouths break contact, but true to his word, we weren’t touching below the neck.
He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, lightly biting down, and suddenly every part of me was alive. Alive and wanting. I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss, felt his tongue slide in, and I almost combusted there on the spot.
His tongue was confident yet gentle, inviting me into his mouth, and in that moment, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. He tasted of breath mints, and something deeper. Something decadent. Yet his familiar Finn scent surrounded me, and the combination of the two sensations was short-circuiting my brain.
His lips were soft. Demanding. Heaven. The feeling of his tongue moving against mine, the rhythm he created, sent my blood rushing through my veins. It was too much but not enough.
Finn.
He released me for a fraction of a second as he changed the angle, and this time I couldn’t help myself—I took control and was the one kissing him, sucking his bottom lip, pushing against his mouth. A shudder ran through his body, and then it was as if he’d hit the fast forward button. His lips were everywhere, dancing over the corner of my mouth, teeth nipping along my jawline, before he was back, kissing me again, his tongue sliding into home, firm against mine. My heart beat so hard against my ribs it felt in danger of bursting through.
This wasn’t kissing as I knew it. This was a whole other level.
My hands were itching to grip his waist, to pull him against me, but we’d agreed to no touching below the neck, so I threaded them into his hair, and the slide of the strands on the sensitive skin between my fingers gave me shivers down to my toes. I’d never been so turned on by just a kiss. And the weird thing was, it was Finn who was making me feel this way. Finn. I wasn’t sure if I’d said his name aloud or it was in my head, but it was the only word that made sense now that the world was upside down.
Suddenly, his body stiffened then jerked back. Head spinning, I stumbled but caught myself before I fell. It was over. Just like that. The lesson was over. His chest was rising and falling as if he’d been running, and I knew just how he felt.
“So, um, yeah,” he said. “That’s a basic kiss. You seemed quite good at it already. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
With his eyes studiously trained on the floor, he turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving me trying to catch my breath. And remember my name. And how to use my legs. I slid down the wall to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees. That was what he called a basic kiss?
What the hell had I been missing out on all these years?
Chapter Three
Scarlett
The next day, I was on the phone at work, listening to a man telling me how important it was he be put through to the senior partner right away, despite me telling him seven times already the senior partner was in court and couldn’t take calls. My mind drifted to that moment Finn had shuddered when I’d sucked on his bottom lip. My skin flushed even remembering it.
God, this was so not the time. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to also squeeze the memory out of my brain. Or at least my reaction to it—becoming turned on at work was not the way to fast track my career.
To distract myself, I took off my cobalt-blue glasses to wipe a smudge on the edge of my top. Some girls spent their disposable income on shoes, others spent way too much on clothes. Me? I couldn’t walk past an eyewear store without browsing the racks. I had contact lenses, but I liked the way glasses made me look. A good pair added three words to my description—serious, smart, and mysterious. Totally worth it.
The guy on the other end of the line finally accepted that I’d pass the message on as soon as possible, and hung up. And I started thinking about Finn’s mouth again…
I needed something new to distract me, fast. Luckily, fate seemed to be in a wish-granting mood, because right then Jake Maxwell walked through the door with an arm around my brother’s ex, Annalise Farley. Annalise and I had had a bit of an intense discussion last time I saw her—she’d misunderstood something I’d said to Thomas about their relationship—but once she explained what the problem was, I told her I’d only meant that Thomas felt a lot more for her than she did for him, and, luckily, things were good between us again. I jumped up and moved around the counter to greet her with a hug.
“Scarlett,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be on the desk so we could say hello.”
“I’m always here.” Much to my parents’ disappointment.
Jake pulled me into a hug when Annalise and I moved apart. “Good to see you.”
I stood back and smiled. “You, too. What brings you back to Sydney? I thought you’d moved to Queensland.”
“We have, but we were down visiting Kelly and the baby, and thought we’d get some legal paperwork for Annalise’s fashion label done while we were here.”
I turned back to Annalise. “You have your own label now? That’s fabulous.”
She bit down on a smile. “It’s only very small at the moment, but still, things are going much better than I’d ever dreamed.”
“You deserve it,” I said. Not only did Annalise have a big, sweet heart, she was a really good designer. I’d bought a couple of things she’d designed when Jake started stocking them in his surfwear stores. “You both look great. Happy. This being in love thing is really working out for you.”
They sneaked a glance at each other and shared a secret smile. They were so darn cute together that if I were given to displays of sentimentality, I’d probably shed a happy tear.
“Yeah,” Jake said, “it’s working out really well. You should try it sometime. You dating anyone?”
A nervous laugh escaped my throat. “Ah, no.”
Annalise rested a hand on my forearm, her green eyes searching mine. “This is probably out of line, but I always assumed you and Finn would end up together.”
Another nervous laugh, this time accompanied by a step backward. “No, no. Just friends. Nothing more. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. You just seemed to have a deeper connection than merely friends.” She turned to Jake. “When I was seeing Thomas, Scarlett would bring Finn to family gatherings for birthdays and things. He’s a great guy, and perfect for Scarlett—”
I stepped all the way back to the reception desk. “How about I see if they’re ready for you?”
Annalise arched an eyebrow and Jake gave me a knowing smile, but we said our good-byes and they headed off to see their lawyer.
After they’d gone, I was back where I’d started. Thinking about Finn’s mouth. And how it had made me melt. Jake and Annalise had been a good distraction for a few minutes…right up until they’d started talking about the person I was trying not to think about.
Sighing, I turned to Andrea, the other receptionist.
“I’m taking a ten minute coffee break. Are you okay here?”
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll take one after you.”
Puppy-dog mug in hand, I headed for the staff room. Caffeine would help me get through the day, especially since I’d lost about half the night’s sleep by laying in bed, replaying that kiss.
“Hey, Scarlett.” Cathy, a personal assistant to one of the lawyers, and my regular lunch partner, waved me over to the table by the window. I wasn’t sure if I was better off being alone, or if the distraction of conversation would help me. Distraction was worth a try.
After waving back, I made a coffee and sat down across from her. “How’s your day?”
Cathy shrugged. “Same same. Yours?”
Filled with memories of Finn’s tongue in my mouth, actually.
Something must have shown in my ex
pression because she put her mug down. “What’s going on?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, debating whether this was something I should share or not.
“Come on,” Cathy said. “Spill.”
Maybe distraction wasn’t the best plan—it hadn’t worked this morning. Talking it out and getting some perspective might be better.
“Okay, here’s the thing.” I looked down at my coffee. “I kissed my best friend last night, in what might have been a monumental mistake.”
Cathy’s eyes widened. “Hang on, isn’t your best friend your gorgeous roommate who sometimes picks you up after work?”
“Yep,” I said on a sigh, “that’s him. Finn.”
She frowned, then her forehead cleared as if she suddenly understood, and she nodded. “Was it awful?”
Memories of heat and mouths and teeth cascaded into my mind. “Nope. In fact, I had no idea kisses could be that good.”
“Then I’m missing something. You already think he’s a good guy, he’s super hot, and he kisses well. You’ll need to point the problem out to me.”
I glanced around the stark white room, searching for inspiration on how to explain this to an outsider. Finding none, I gave up and took another sip of my coffee before answering. “The thing you have to understand about Finn is that all his passion is dedicated to ancient Mesopotamia. He loses interest in relationships quickly. He dates girls fairly regularly, but he wouldn’t be a great boyfriend.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Not great in what way?”
“Well, he’s forgotten he’s had a date more times than I can remember. Being his roommate, I’ve had a front row seat to the drama of a girl calling from the restaurant they were supposed to be meeting at, or waiting for him to pick her up.” He always apologized for putting me in that position, but it was the other girls I felt sorry for.
“That’s pretty rough,” she said, wincing.
“Yeah, they usually forgive him the first few times—”
“First few times?”
“—but they always walk away in the end. And I swear sometimes Finn doesn’t even notice they’re gone.”
We were both silent for a few moments, absorbing the disaster that was Finn’s love life.
“But he’d notice you,” Cathy said finally. “Remember you.”
“He wouldn’t have much option since I have the bedroom next door. But it’s more than that. He’s…” How could I put it? “Emotionally distant with them, I guess.”
“But not with you.” She pointed a red-tipped finger at me. “So this could be perfect.”
“Not with me now. While I’m his friend. But if we started sleeping together, who knows what would happen.” If it all went pear-shaped, I could lose my best friend. Not to mention my home and my icemaker. “I’d rather be his friend than his girlfriend, no question. They come and go, but I have him all the time.” I had a permanent Scarlett-shaped place in his life.
She leaned back and lifted her feet onto another chair, as if the problem was so big, she had to get settled in. “Okay, if getting involved is off the cards, then kissing was a mistake.”
“A monumental mistake,” I corrected.
“Okay, a monumental mistake. So what will you do now?”
“First, I have to stop thinking about it.” Given that had proven impossible so far, my optimism wasn’t high.
“That good, huh?” she asked with a goofy grin.
“Hell, yes.” I folded my arms on the table and dropped my head down.
She patted my head, as if I was a puppy, and gently asked, “And if you manage to stop thinking about it, what then?”
“I have no clue.” Even after spending all night thinking about it. “Something to get us back into the friend zone.”
“Okay, here’s an idea.” She sat up straight in her chair, and I looked up to see her fix me with a sure gaze. “You need a date, and quickly.”
A date? When I was this messed up? I shook my head. “I’m not sure I’m in the headspace for that right now.”
“Your headspace is exactly the problem. You need a date, and you have to kiss him. Then your most recent kiss flashback will be that guy, not Finn.” She crossed her arms and sat back, looking altogether very pleased with herself.
“Supersede him.” It made sense. Supplant one memory with another. Then I could go back to thinking of Finn as my roommate and friend and everything would be normal again. “Okay, I’ll do it. How do I find someone quickly?”
“How about David? I could set you two up on a date.”
Her boss, David, was gorgeous and successful, but he worked here. “If I’m trying to fix something where I’ve crossed a few boundaries, then the solution probably shouldn’t be to cross more boundaries.”
“You’re right. Someone away from work.” She tapped her chin as she thought, and I tried not to feel too pathetic at her having to find me a mercy date.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been ten minutes already. “I have to get back to the front desk. But thanks for the chat.”
She grabbed my wrist. “I’ve got it. My boyfriend’s friend, Peter, just broke up with his girlfriend. I bet he’d love the chance to get out of the house and dip his toe back in the dating pool, so you’d be doing him a favor, too.”
“Sure, that would be great,” I said, pretending to be enthusiastic. “Thanks.”
“Just make sure you kiss him,” she called out as I reached the door. “Something that creates a new memory.”
I waved and hurried back to my desk with no conviction whatsoever that this plan would work. But it was the only plan I had, so it was at least worth a shot. Losing Finn from my life was not an option.
Finn
Turning my mountain bike into our street, I eased off on the speed. I usually biked to uni on weekdays because parking was difficult, but tonight it also served the purpose of exhausting my body. An exhausted body was a quiet body, and a quiet body would hopefully be unable to make suggestions about what it wanted to do to Scarlett when I got home.
Well, that was the theory. Once I’d dropped my bike off in the garage and found Scarlett up in her attic art room, painting, I realized exhaustion was going to be no help whatsoever.
She hadn’t seen me, which gave me a few moments to observe her in her element. She had purple paint smeared in her blond hair, and there was a glow coming from within as she painted—it was what she was meant to do with her life, I had no doubt. But other than the glow, her face was filled with the emotions she was infusing into the painting. That was the thing about Scarlett—she wore her heart on her sleeve, let everyone know what she was thinking. The complete opposite of me.
Girlfriends had accused me before of being aloof, and I supposed that was a fair call. I’d had a hard time letting anyone get close since my parents died. My sisters were different—I was halfway between a brother and a parent to them, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for either one of them. It had been a rocky road for all three of us, but we’d muddled through—Billie, with the tried and true teenager coping mechanism of locking herself in her room with her music up loud, and Amelia with her dancing.
And I’d had my history books.
Any spare moment my sisters hadn’t needed me had been spent with the people of ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, and Mesopotamia. Modern people—school principals, dance teachers, extended family wanting to help but not knowing how—were more problematic.
Things were different with Scarlett, probably because of the way we’d met—she was the only new person I’d really let past my guard since I was eighteen. She’d become family. An honorary little sister. Obviously she wasn’t a real sister, so it had been a little tricky at first. There are certain rules a guy needs to have in place to keep a friendship alive with someone he finds attractive. To keep the relationship firmly in the friend zone.
The walls around our relationship had worked out well for four years. They kept me seeing her as my friend Scarlett, not as
a gorgeous girl.
Until that kiss…
Now we had a problem.
I could have My Friend Scarlett, who I saw as a little sister, who was as important to me as the rest of my family.
Or I could kiss her again, maybe even sleep with her, and turn her into someone I could date. Potential Girlfriend Scarlett.
But I couldn’t have both.
Potential Girlfriend Scarlett would have an expiration date. Even if I wanted it differently, I knew myself. As soon as physical intimacy happened, I shut down the emotional connection. I’d tried to not do it a couple of times, but it was pretty much beyond my control. Some sort of self-defense thing kicked in within minutes of sex finishing.
So there was no other choice I could make. Scarlett had to go back into the Friends Only box. And I had to stop thinking about that kiss. Or thinking about taking it further. With her naked. In my bed.
As if she’d heard my thoughts, she suddenly looked up and our gazes collided. They held, for about three seconds too long, before she finally looked away.
“Hey, thanks for that lesson last night,” she said brightly over her shoulder. “I think I’ll be fine from here on.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay, good to hear.”
“My friend at work, Cathy—I think you’ve met her a couple of times?—she’s going to set me up on a date with her boyfriend’s friend. So I’ll get to try what you taught me out on him.”
“That’s, er…great,” I mumbled. Everything inside me screamed to stop Scarlett from trying out anything on some random guy, but that was me thinking about Potential Girlfriend Scarlett. Since she was My Friend Scarlett, I should be glad she was moving forward.
I smiled, knowing it was probably more of a grimace. Needing to change the subject, I glanced at her canvas. She followed my line of sight then jumped into action, turning the easel away. “You can’t see!”
This time I grinned properly. It was a teddy bear, and my birthday was coming up. Given that she’d painted me a teddy bear for all the birthdays and Christmases since we’d met, it was a reasonable assumption the painting was for me.
The Finn Factor Page 3