Lured In

by Laura Drewry

  “What!”

  “Beg all you like—I encourage that, actually—but it won’t help.” His eyes teased her mercilessly, yet somehow he never cracked a smile. “Sure, my balls are gonna be about fifty shades of blue all night, but just because you can knock me to my ass with a kiss or two doesn’t mean you’re gonna get lucky tonight. I don’t put out that easily.”

  “You don’t—” Still gaping, Jessie gave up trying to form words and laughed as she wiped up the bar.

  “I know it’ll be hard for you,” he went on, not even trying to hide his grin anymore, “since we’re all alone here tonight, and I mean…you obviously want me—”

  “I—”

  “—but you’re going to have to respect my wishes on this.”

  “Trust me,” she snorted. “I think your virtue will be plenty safe tonight.”

  “Is that right?” He was around the bar in a flash, trapping her between two stools. “You sure about that?”

  “Positive,” she lied.

  Oh God, he was looking at her like…like it was the first time he’d ever seen her or…Jessie swallowed hard and licked her lips…or like he was going to do that thing where he traced the edge of her mouth with his tongue.

  Yes, that. Please do that again.

  Without her shot glass to hold on to, Jessie’s hands felt useless, restless, but the only thing she could reach without contorting herself was Finn’s chest, and that was such a perfectly bad idea on so many levels.

  She pressed her palms flat against her stomach, one on top of the other, and when that didn’t help, crossed her arms over her chest, and then finally wrapped them around the ends of her towel, which dangled around her neck. Finn inched closer, his mouth curled up into a slow, taunting smile, and wrapped his hands around the edge of the bar, one on either side of her.

  Her fingers tingled, itching to wrap around his arms for support, but she didn’t do it. Not when he brushed his nose, feather-light, against hers, not when the feel of his breath against her earlobe made her tip her head a little in the hopes he’d kiss her there. And not even when he nudged her knees apart (oh boy!), wedged his thigh between hers (mercy!), and pressed his still wet, hard body against hers, on the ruse that he needed to reach around her to snag his glass again.

  What the hell was happening? Was she really standing here like this with Finn?

  After taking a couple of steps back, he held his glass up and waited for her fill it again. He downed his shot, banged the glass down on the bar next to her half-full one, then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

  “I think we better put that shit away before…”

  “Before what?” Twisting sideways, Jessie set the bottle next to the glasses. “Before we do something else stupid?”

  “No,” he said. “I was going to say we should put it away before we drink it all and have none left for the rest of the week.”

  “Oh.” Cringing, she turned back and lifted her face to his. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like…”

  She tried to smile her way out of it, but Finn wasn’t biting.

  “Like what?” he asked, faking a hurt tone. “Like you don’t want to kiss me again?”

  “No, no,” she said. “That’s not what I meant at all.”

  “No?”

  “Mm-mm.”

  “So you’re saying you do want to kiss me again.” He inched a little closer and took the rolled ends of her towel in his hands.

  “Well…it probably wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” Jessie couldn’t believe these things were coming out of her mouth, the mouth that could barely form sentences around other guys, especially when they tried to kiss her. “If you think we have to, I mean.”

  “I think we have to.” He wrapped his left arm around her lower back, pulled her up against him, and kissed her like…ho-lee shit…not like the first few times at all.

  Those had been slow, warm kisses that made her feel like everything inside was melting in the most delicious way, but this kiss, strong, hot, and hungry, sent heat pooling in places she’d almost forgotten about.

  His big, callused hand wound through her hair and held her, so sure, so steady; at the same time, every muscle in his chest and arms vibrated when she danced her tongue along the edge of his.

  He moved his left hand lower, splayed his fingers over her butt, and pressed her tight against him, hard, then let out a low guttural curse when she dug her fingers into his waist, dropped her forehead to his chest, and grunted a harsh, tortured laugh.

  “Ho…boy,” she muttered. “Your virtue is going to be in serious trouble here pretty quick.”

  She’d only meant to stop kissing him for a second, just long enough to shut down the voice in her head, the one warning her that this was going way too far way too fast, but Finn was already pulling away from her.

  He staggered back a few steps, interlocked his fingers behind his head, and blew out a harsh breath.

  “Shit,” he groaned, his eyes wide. “That was…shit…I shouldn’t have done that, Jess. I’m…sorry.”

  “What are you—” Jessie took a step toward him, then stopped when he flinched. “Oh my God, Finn, do you think that freaked me out?”

  A wobbly little squeak vibrated out of his throat.

  “Trust me,” she said. “If you’d done anything that bothered me even slightly, I’d have kneed you so hard you’d be seeing stars from now until the second coming.”

  She was serious, but for some reason that made Finn smile, which, again, made her smile.

  “Yeah, you would, too, wouldn’t you?” he said.

  “Damn right.”

  And then, because she needed a moment to actually get her own raging hormones under control again, she downed the rest of her shot and nodded.

  “Okay,” she said. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to go have a shower and try to wrap my head around this bizarro world we’re suddenly in, and you—”

  Finn’s eyebrows shot up so fast she thought they might fly right off his forehead.

  “—are going to stay up here and find us something for supper.”

  His shoulders slumped but he was still smiling, so that was a good sign.

  Forcing strength into her muscles, she started for the door, calling back over her shoulder as she walked.

  “And ramen noodles don’t count as supper.”

  “But—”

  “Nope. I want to see at least one vegetable and some protein on my plate. Got it?”

  He needed to shower and change, too, but if there was one thing Jessie was sure neither one of them could handle right then, it was both of them being downstairs at the same time, both in the shower, both naked, both…

  “Oh for God’s sake,” she muttered. “You’re a grown woman; get a grip.”

  She tried, she really did. But even after she got out of the near-frigid shower, her lips still tingled and her body still ached to know what it would feel like to be pressed up against him without layers of clothes between them.

  —

  Finn set their plates down just as Jess came through the kitchen door, her long, still-damp hair hanging in soft waves over her shoulders and her shorts and T-shirt swapped out for her flannel One Fish Two Fish pajama set.

  They had to be the oldest and ugliest things she owned; faded yellow bottoms and a red top with all those weird Dr. Seuss fish on them, so why the hell did she look so good?

  “Why does it smell like—” Jess stopped just inside the room, pursed her lips, then laughed. “Seriously?”

  “Hey,” he said. “Have I or have I not given you everything you wanted?”

  Jess blinked up at him, shaking her head the whole time.

  “You cut up hot dogs into Kraft Dinner—that doesn’t even count as a meal, never mind the fact hot dogs don’t count as protein.”

  “What if they’re all-beef hot dogs?”

  “And where’s the vegetables?”

  Finn pulled the bottle of ketchup
out of the fridge and squirted a big pile on her plate.

  “Tomatoes.”

  He loved it when she looked at him like that, her eyes soft and crinkled around the edges, like she didn’t want to think he was funny but couldn’t help it.

  “I’m pretty sure Health Canada might take issue with that,” she said.

  Finn would’ve been the first one to sing Olivia’s praises, because that woman worked absolute miracles in their small kitchen. But no matter how much he loved everything she put out, every once in a while a guy just needed a big bowl of macaroni and cheese, and going by the way Jess was wolfing hers down, too, she must’ve agreed.

  “I’ll wash up,” she said when they’d finished. “If you want to go change.”

  “That’d be nice,” he laughed. “It’s not that I mind walking in cold wet clothes, but…”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” This time her smile was a little sheepish. “Just go.”

  “There better be lots of hot water left.”

  “Trust me,” she muttered. “There’s plenty.”

  And there still was when Finn was done.

  Since he didn’t actually own pajamas, he tugged on a pair of jeans and an old cotton button-down before heading back upstairs. Jess had cleaned up, made tea, and was already curled up in her chair in the great room with a book, a couple of cushions, and an old blue crocheted blanket.

  Somewhere in Finn’s room or on his boat were copies of Capote’s In Cold Blood and an older Baldacci, both of which he’d already started reading, but he couldn’t be bothered to go find either of them, so he grabbed one of the Robert Jordans off the shelf and flopped down on the couch.

  He’d read a couple of the other books in the series and really liked them, but for the life of him, he couldn’t get past the first page of this one. And, nope, it had nothing to do with the writing and everything to do with the fact that he couldn’t stop watching Jess over the top of his book.

  The longer he watched her, the more he grinned, because she hadn’t turned a page, either.

  “Finn?”

  “Hmm?” Clearing his throat, he turned his attention to the open book in front of him, even turned the page to make it look good.

  “I’m sorry I said I hated you.”

  “I’m sorry you said it, too.”

  “I didn’t mean it.”

  “Yeah,” he snorted. “I kinda gathered that.”

  Whap! The flying cushion caught the edge of his book for a second before they both crashed into his face.

  “Hey!”

  She didn’t say anything else, just lifted her book up higher to hide her face, and that’s how she stayed for a long while. With the cushion now tucked behind his head, Finn gave up trying to read and lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

  In all the times they’d sat in the room together, it had never been as quiet as it was tonight. Somehow, through the silence and without even looking at her, he knew there were things she wanted to say and there were things she wanted him to say. But one of them needed to start.

  “We need to—”

  “What are we—”

  They both stopped, laughed hesitantly.

  “Come on.” Finn swung himself up to a sit, then patted the cushion beside him.

  With her remaining cushion and blanket in tow, Jess plunked down beside him, leaving just enough space between them that no part of her touched any part of him.

  Smart girl.

  She tucked her knees up to her chest and then pulled the blanket over her, tugging it high enough to hold it against her mouth.

  When Finn tried to ease it away, she held on tighter.

  “Okay, look,” he said. “There’s nothing you can say that I haven’t already thought myself, so whatever it is—”

  “Sam’ll be here in a few weeks.”

  Everything inside Finn dropped.

  “Well, shit,” he muttered. “Apparently there is one thing I haven’t already thought of.”

  How the hell had he forgotten about Sam?

  Shit.

  He couldn’t not ask, but before he did, Finn lowered his chin to his chest and inhaled slowly.

  “Is he…Are you and he—”

  “No.” The relief that whooshed out of him immediately filled right back up when Jess added a quiet “But—”

  “There’s a ‘but’?” Finn pushed off the couch and paced with his fingers interlocked behind his head. It always seemed easier to breathe like that. “I don’t mean to be nitpicky here, Jess, but you either are or you aren’t, and if you are, then we—”

  The blanket fell away, giving him a full view of her face and the disbelief splashed across it.

  “You think I’d do anything with you if he and I had something going on?”

  “Well, I didn’t, no, but anytime a ‘but’ gets thrown into a sentence, it tends to change things.”

  Huffing out a sigh, Jess let her head drop against the couch and closed her eyes for a couple of painfully long seconds. “You know we went out for a while.”

  “Sure,” he said, clamping his mind shut against the idea of her kissing Sam. Or doing anything else with him.

  “And then before I moved back here,” she said, now a little hesitant, “we both agreed it was probably best to just let it go, because, really, how often would we ever see each other? Yeah, he’s called a few times, but…”

  “But what?”

  “God,” she sighed. “Do you really want to hear this? Honestly?”

  Gone was the hesitant Jess, and in her place was ticked-off Jess, who didn’t wait for Finn to answer.

  “Fine. Sam Ross is probably the cutest and sweetest guy I’ve ever met, and if I hadn’t moved back here, yeah, it’s possible we might have had something. Maybe. But I did move back here, and even though we ended it, he’s reached out a few times to say hi or whatever.”

  He should have left it alone, but he didn’t.

  “Kate thinks there’s still something between you.”

  “That’s because Kate wants there to be something between Sam and me. If it was up to her, I’d jump his bones the second he set foot on the dock.”

  “I knew she’d be trouble. Liam should’ve turned her ass around and sent her packing the minute she got here.” His forced smile felt sad and pathetic as he worked up a little more nerve. “What do you want?”

  Jess tipped her head and looked at him with dismay, as if he was letting her down, but Finn couldn’t stop himself.

  “I’m not imagining it, Jess. Just an email from the guy makes you blush.”

  “Yeah, because I know the mere mention of an email from him gets everyone speculating on details of my personal life they have no business speculating about.”

  “Maybe, but I was standing right there when you were talking to him on the phone a couple weeks ago, remember? You tried to hide it, but I saw how red you got just talking to him.”

  “Oh my God, Finn.” She was off the couch in a flash, but she didn’t go near him; instead, she stomped over behind the big recliner, gripped the back of it with both hands, and tried to shake it. “Do you really want to know what made me blush like that? Do you?”

  “No.”

  Sure, he did a second ago, but not now, when her temper had turned her usually soft brown eyes almost black. But it didn’t matter what he wanted, because she was already telling him, and she was making damn good and sure he heard her, too.

  “You!” She lifted her hands up and opened her eyes wide enough to give him a “so there” kind of look. “Yes, dumbass, you! There I was, listening to Sam remind me of the good times we had together—”

  Fuck.

  “—and saying that he had something important he wanted to talk to me about when he got up here so he’s hoping we can spend some time alone. Isn’t that nice? Of course it is, because he’s a nice guy! And yet the whole time he was talking, the only thing I could think about was how much better my stupid name sounds when you say it!”

  Don�
�t smile don’t smile don’t smile.

  Screw that—Finn didn’t care if smiling at that made her yell louder. He took a step toward her, but she waved him away with the point of her finger.

  “Do I want to like him? Hell yes, I want to like him, because in case you missed the memo, he’s a nice guy and he doesn’t make me yell at him and…and everything around here would be infinitely easier if I liked him!”

  “But you don’t.”

  “But I don’t.” She snapped it back so fast he wasn’t even sure she realized she’d said it.

  “Because you like me.”

  “Because I like—” Jess stopped and clamped her mouth shut even after Finn kept pushing.

  “And you like the way I say your name.” He took another step closer. “Jess.”

  Her nostrils flared a little, but the warning still blazed in her eyes.

  “I could have made myself like him,” she said. “I could have. And everything would have been just fine. But then you…if you hadn’t…”

  “If I hadn’t what? Kissed you?” Finn chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart, you kissed me first, remember?”

  He had her there, but that didn’t mean he liked watching her lose her bluster.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s sit down and you can explain why you think everything would be so much easier if you could only bring yourself to like the cutest and sweetest guy you ever met. And don’t worry, I’ll try not to let any of this bruise my ego too much.”

  There: That made her smile again, small as it was. And eventually she even gave in and flopped down on the couch next to him.

  “What’s there to explain?” she asked. “Sam and his show are coming here, and with their endorsement we’ll finally be back on the map again. But if we do anything to piss them off, we lose that.”

  “So let’s not piss them off.”

  “Ha!” she barked, so loud Finn actually jumped. “Little late on that one, don’t you think? He told me flat out that if things work out, Hooked might make us an annual stop.”

  “Yeah? So?”

  “So?” she cried. “So them coming up regularly means more bookings, and more bookings means more income, and more income means we can give Olivia the raise she so very much deserves, which means she might actually come back next season, which means we won’t have to serve our guests…Kraft Dinner…which means they might come back, which again means more income, which means we might not have to sweat our way through every goddamn bill that comes through here!”