Sadie grabbed a palette of eye shadow and worked a smoky streak across Joselyn’s lids.
Before Joselyn fully appraised the makeover, she caught Sadie’s eyes, so keenly attuned to everything Joselyn was trying to hide.
In them, she saw Finn looking back at her. Her friend’s eyes were so like his they made her ache for him. Physically ache. As if she didn’t already grasp the full meaning of the term “love hurts” by now.
A somber smile tipped Sadie’s lips. “Of course we can do a girls’ night. But if you eat any more sugar I’m afraid you might slip into a diabetic coma. We’ll have to get some real food—and for Pete’s sake, some meat on your bones. I don’t know how you can eat candy all day and still fit in a size four. Never met anyone as addicted to chocolate and allergic to exercise as you. It’s not fair. How on earth are we friends?” Sadie’s playful sneer a valiant attempt to lighten the mood.
“Oh, puh-lease. You wear the same size as me.” Though Joselyn knew she was more of a shapeless stick figure and Sadie was enviably curvy and athletic.
“Yeah, right. I stretch a six until the seams are one wrong move away from rupture, and you’d could string both of my stunted legs end to end to match one of your runway gams. What I wouldn’t do for long legs. And as a bonus, I have to run my brownie-lovin’ bootie off every day to afford our weekly binges and still be able to pour into my pants.”
Joselyn could only roll her eyes.
Sadie withdrew a tube of lip gloss and slicked over Joselyn’s lips. “We’re getting real food for your skinny butt, and that’s final. Let me make a quick call. Be right back.” Smoothing some flyaway hairs, she arranged Joselyn’s locks over her shoulder and left the room.
Joselyn appreciated Sadie’s angle for flattery and distraction, but her mind was immediately elsewhere. “It’s for the best.” Studying her reflection, Joselyn recited the words she’d proclaimed about the “breakup” and begged them to take root in her heart.
She’d simply have to endure tonight, and the company Christmas banquet tomorrow night. Then, she could forget all about Finn and concentrate on staying safe until the authorities figured this whole mess out.
Okay, so forgetting all about him might not be such an easy task; ten years of practice and she was still hopeless. But, she might be able to manipulate that love into hate again. She’d done it before. She could do it again, right?
Just two more days.
“Ooo, how about this one?” Sadie held up a newly acquired piece Joselyn had picked up from her store. A fitted three-quarter-sleeved minidress. The sexy little number with a tight hem in smooth black cashmere was way too dressy for grabbing a pizza. But she heard Yia-Yia’s voice in her head, “In the words of Karl Lagerfeld, ‘One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.’”
Still. “I thought you said you wanted to go to JJ Twig’s. Isn’t that like a bar and grill kinda place?”
Sal and Archer were among the guard post on watch tonight. Sadie had called Archer to make sure they had an escort for girls’ night. The boys expressed some concern but were swayed with the promise of leftovers for their stake out. And though Joselyn had voiced her intention to stay in, Sadie persisted with the planning.
“But we’re all primped and made up. Might as well dress to match. You can dress it down with these plum-colored tights and those cute ankle boots.” Shoving the clothes at Joselyn, Sadie discarded another fail onto the growing pile of misses at her feet and plucked an off-the-shoulder top off a hanger. She slipped it over her head and gave a shrug, deciding that it paired with her skinny jeans and knee-high boots.
Joselyn issued her reluctance once more with a sigh and a blatant eye roll before she shucked off her zip hoodie and yoga pants and wormed her way into the snug dress and tights.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror and saw that her fingertips hung further down than her skirt. Though the top of the dress was perfectly modest. And the whole thing was a bit snug. According to Yia-Yia—and famed costume designer Edith Head—“Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady.” Man, she was full of those tonight. And this dress, well, it was all woman.
At least she had dark tights on—somehow tricking the eye into assuming there was more to the skirt than there actually was. But the four-inch heels made her legs look like stilts regardless.
Sadie whistled. “Wow, girl. I might have to borrow that dress sometime. Archer would lose his mind. Then again, perhaps I should wait until after the wedding. No need to fuel the fire.” She winked and draped Joselyn’s mother’s locket around her neck. “Okay, you ready?”
“Are you sure we can’t stay in tonight?” Joselyn felt like sulking around anyways, and if she pouted, Sadie might give in. Maybe.
“Come on. You have been miserable for forty-eight hours. You haven’t left the house. And to be honest, you are lucky to have me because if I hadn’t kicked your butt into the shower, you’d still have that two-day-old bedhead and smell like Oreos and peanut butter M&M’s. We need some sustenance and fresh air. Trust me.”
Huffing, Joselyn trudged to the door and slipped into her Burberry coat that hid essentially every ounce of her dress—scandalously alluding to nothing underneath but the deep burgundy tights encasing her legs.
She was usually more modest, but today she didn’t care. Might as well create a stir. Her father had been calling all afternoon. Probably to give her a list of dos and don’ts for dinner, but she couldn’t face him—didn’t want to deal with the backlash. He’d probably soil his kilt if he saw her dress. Even the thought tickled her rebellious side with satisfaction. “Let’s get outta here. I think you’re right. I could use some fresh air.”
A knock sounded on the door right when Joselyn pulled on the knob.
Everything stopped, including her heart.
Looking devastating in a charcoal suit and starchy white shirt open at the collar, she stared into the eyes that had hijacked her dreams. Finn.
Some malfunction in her brain made it impossible to form any semblance of speech at that moment. But she could scarcely breathe, so wordlessness wasn’t her only problem.
“Hi, Joss.” The rumbly timber of his voice caught on the cold winter air and shivered through her coat with inexplicable warmth. He didn’t smile, but the gleam in his eyes was enough to have her completely undone in two seconds flat.
Snap out of it!
Her brain kicked back in and scolded her pathetic swooning heart.
“What are you doing here?” She hiked her purse up onto her shoulder and managed to fold her arms around herself instead of launching into his.
He glanced at something beyond her, and following his line of sight she caught Sadie ducking around a corner.
Unbelievable. Sold out by her best friend. “I’ll get you, my pretty.” Joselyn called over her shoulder. No wonder Sadie had forced her to get all dressed up.
“Joss, I—”
“Listen, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, showing up like I’ve been pining for you, but I have plans, so if you’ll excuse me—”
“Oh, you have plans all right. With me.” His eyes hardened over. That cocky grin he loved so much fell back into place.
“I seem to remember you backing out. What makes you think you can just waltz on over here and pick up where you left off without so much as a—”
His hand covered her mouth—it was becoming a thing for them. “Zip those hot lips, and I’ll explain myself.”
It was insulting—and she seriously considered unleashing her teeth into his hand—but she bit her lip beneath and glared her impatience.
He pulled away, but not before his thumb traced her lips over and back. Why must he torment me?
“I wanted to come here and tell you I was wrong.” His eyes bore into hers. She searched them for his ever present sarcasm and yet not a hint of teasing could be found.
She felt her jaw dislocate. Had she hear
d him right?
“I—I guess I panicked. I don’t know what to say other than I was an idiot and I’m sorry. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Oh, how she wished she could believe that. Surrendering would be so easy. Easy, but stupid. And she’d already concluded that when it came to Finn, she was about as dumb as they come.
Come on, Joselyn. Stay strong.
“You were right to walk away. This is too dangerous. I know now what it cost you to run into that fire to save me. I won’t ask that of you again.”
“You’re not asking. I’m here. Whether you like it or not.”
She wished she could read his face. His words bespoke obligation. Like he’d been coerced. Even the strongest will could be swayed by Declan Whyte. She’d seen it time and again without fail. But this was about more than protecting her life and her father’s reputation.
There was something much more fragile at stake.
“Finn …” The word pleaded with a vulnerability she’d meant to disguise. “This isn’t a good idea. I know what it’s like to live in a nightmare. I don’t want to become another one for you. Let’s cut our losses and call it a day. I can’t keep doing this.” Retreating backward, she started to close the door, but the stubborn idiot couldn’t let it go.
His hand slapped against the door, something wild and rebellious blazing in his eyes. “I told you I wasn’t asking permission. I’m yours. And though I appreciate your concern, I’m a big boy, I can handle it.” Those eyes dared her to disagree, to deem him weak.
And though he wasn’t a violent man, that determined expression on his face scared her. Like this was about more than simply protecting her and putting on a show for her father’s campaign.
It had become a quest for Finn to prove himself.
A very bad feeling quivered to her core, alerting her senses to an approaching storm. If they failed—and the odds were definitely swaying that way—more than only her life would be destroyed.
Joselyn knew her life was a mess to begin with, and she had next to nothing to live for. But Finn was, in fact, a hero. His life meant something. He had faith and family and a purpose.
She wanted that too. All of it. A place to belong, here or beyond, where love was true and steadfast. Unconditional.
“Let’s go. We’ve got reservations at seven.” He tossed in an arrogant smile and a ridiculous shrug of his eyebrows, as if they hadn’t spent the last five minutes in a standoff.
Joselyn sighed again. It was all she could think to do at the moment. The man was stubborn as an ox. “Fine. One more night. Don’t forget to smile pretty for the cameras.” Tossing over a sassy sneer of her own, she stepped out onto the porch and locked up.
He extended his arm as if he were a perfect gentleman, she took it with another huff as they walked out into the frigid black wind—the stalking darkness a constant reminder of who might be plotting her death in the shadows. Her grip tightened, a prickling sensation raked over her skin.
“I, for one, plan on doing a whole lot more than smiling.”
“Huh?” She quit scanning for signs of trouble and looked up at Finn, searching for meaning in his eyes as he opened the passenger door. His large hands wrapped nearly all the way around her waist as he hefted her up into his truck like some helpless damsel in distress. Which she had to admit, she kind of was. The thought pinched, but something tingled in her belly that had nothing to do with shame or fear.
Finn winked, and before he closed the door he brought clarity to his comment. One that left little room for doubts.
“Though what I have in mind definitely requires lips and is bound to make me smile for a long, long time.”
Chapter 34
Finn Carson
Despite the arctic blast battering the old Ford and the flakes of frost kissing the windshield, it was smoking hot in Finn’s truck. Heat burned the tips of his ears. A slick of sweat dampened the steering wheel beneath his palm.
This was their first date.
Maybe contrived and manipulated, but still.
The pressure of the moment mounded on his chest, and his heart beat harder to combat the strain. He felt the yips nipping at his heels, and he could almost envision everything going wrong. The date had barely started, and already it wasn’t going so great.
The silence seemed to mock him.
And the heat! Good Lord, the heat!
He dialed down the air flow and redirected the vents, but right then Joselyn crossed one of her long, shapely legs. The heater might as well have been on full blast and one hundred degrees in the cab for the swell of fire suddenly breathed upon his neck.
It didn’t help matters that Finn couldn’t tell what Joselyn was wearing underneath that trench coat, so his mind ran wild with what might be revealed in the hour to come.
“Okay, you really need to loosen up. You’re making me nervous. Where’s all the sarcasm, even the innuendo. I’ll take anything at this point.”
Finn rolled to a stop to wait for the light to change and took the opportunity to look over at his date. Man, she was gorgeous. Undeniably and uniquely jaw-dropping.
In fact …
He clamped his mouth shut.
The stubborn jut of her chin and the glare in those hypnotic eyes told him he was blowing it.
“Sorry. I was lost in thought.” Thank God she can’t read my thoughts. “Oh, here, I got you something.” Steadying the jitter of his fingers against the hard case, he passed it over and studied her reaction.
The corners of her almond shaped eyes crinkled adorably from the full force of the megawatt smile that about stopped his heart. “Eli Young Band. You remembered my favorite song?” Dang. The way she was looking at him made Finn decide his life’s mission should be to make her smile like that every day.
His lips couldn’t help but curve to match hers, and he nodded. “Mmm-hmm. We lost yours; thought you might like a new car-warming present.”
“Wow. That was amazingly thoughtful. You’re making it difficult to stay mad at you.” Her eyes teased, and her smile held. And he may have lapsed into cardiac arrest. “Can we put it in?” She bounced in the seat.
“No can do, babe. This is a country-free zone.” He patted the dash of his trusty old truck and felt slightly self-conscious about the simple accommodations compared to what she was used to. It was well-maintained, clean, and rust-free, but it still seemed a little rudimentary.
Someone honked behind him. The light was green. Oops. He stepped on the gas and lit out under the soft, starry lamplight of the sleepy suburban streets. “I could be persuaded if you agree to sing along, crazy girl.” He peeked at her from the corner of his eye and tried his best to remember how to flirt.
“Nice try. I’ve sang enough for you, you little sneak. How about you sing something for me?”
Shaking his head, he refused to meet her gaze. “I don’t sing for other people.”
“I remember.”
The words were low, the memory an elephant sandwiched between them, and the heat in the cab spiked another couple degrees. Remembering that moment, all those years ago, when he’d almost kissed her for the first time made him want to pull over and take the liberty simply because he could. Was that what she was remembering too?
“I do too, Joss. I don’t think I could ever forget.”
Dinner was painfully unimpressive, and Finn found he kept closing his eyes to pray for a do over.
No such luck.
Ornate molded ceilings and an extravagant glittering chandelier canopied over their secluded booth. Everything was shiny and pristine, draped in sweeping textures of whites and creams. And scarcely a sip of his water would go down before someone came to replenish the loss.
But while the service was exceptional, if a bit overbearing, and the opulent aesthetic quite pleasant—especially with the most stunning woman he’d ever laid eyes on mere inches away—the date was … quiet. Boring.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. The pretentious five-star restaur
ant was crawling with leeches. Several of whom had wormed over to Finn and Joselyn’s private table and expressed their support for Joselyn’s father’s campaign.
Finn could barely restrain the urge to erupt on the bottom-dwelling swine that kept popping in and stilting their conversation.
The extent of the media frenzy had been unexpectedly overwhelming too. The stunning view of Joselyn’s face had been obstructed by an array of black spots for five minutes after their intensive photography session from the truck to the door of the restaurant. And even now, though the maître d’ had assured discretion, a shuttering sound would occasionally weave into Finn’s ear. Prying eyes were everywhere, and it only seemed to squelch the romance.
As the courses strung along, Finn concluded that this was the last place he would have picked to take Joselyn on their first date. Though it appeared he had no choice but to hang on for the—rather dull—ride.
When the time came for the sauntering meal to finally come to an end, Finn had been cut off at the knees, emasculated further by Declan Whyte’s preemptive payment for the absurdly overpriced food for mice.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
Joselyn smiled, a sigh of relief slipping from her pretty pink lips. “Yes. I thought you’d never ask.”
Helping her up from their c-shaped booth, Finn eased Joselyn’s coat over the little black dress that, as he’d suspected, induced a sweltering fever and about made him salivate all over the pristine table cloth.
Guiding her toward the rear exit, he pressed his hand at the small of her back and leaned into her ear. “You ready to give ’em an eyeful?”
From Winter's Ashes: Girl Next Door Crime Romance Series - Book Two Page 25