by Claire Adams
I parked and walked in, slowing my stride and putting my facade in place. There was no reason to let anyone see me upset. It would just cause talk amongst the locals and leave me looking like an idiot.
"Hey." Brian lifted his hand in the air.
"Hey." I sat down and nodded to his beer as Pauly walked up. "I'll have a Budweiser, too."
"You bet, Finn. Good to see you, son." He stuck out his hand, and I shook it.
"You too, Pauly." I turned to Brian. "Chloe said she doesn't have a boyfriend, Brian."
"And, you're surprised by this?" He chuckled and lifted his beer to his lips.
"Yeah, actually, I am. Did she seem like the kind of woman that would have two men?"
"No, not at all, but it's usually women like her that you have to watch out for." He shrugged.
"What? Why?"
"She's classy, beautiful, brilliant, and has the world waiting for her next move. Girls like her know how to lie, how to look the part, and it leaves us guessing. I don't like it, Finn."
"I don't care what you think she is or isn't. What I care about is whether she really told you that she's dating someone."
"Yeah, Finn. I've known you my whole fucking life. I wouldn't lie to you." He turned away from me and took another drink of his beer.
"What exactly did she say? Lay it on me." I'd forced myself to calm down, not wanting to upset him. He was my best friend, and there was no way he wouldn't shoot straight with me over a girl. We'd been friends for far too long and been through a ton of shit together.
"She said that she was glad she got to go out dancing. Her boyfriend back in California is the jealous type and never lets her get out and have a little bit of harmless fun." He rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh. "It was something to that tune. She said she had a man, and I was just warning you. She's lying to you or she was lying to me."
She might have lied to Brian to save him from asking her out. She was that type of girl to save a poor guy from looking too much liked an idiot. Her character just screamed goodness. The memory of her bringing the cup of hot chocolate to me a few days back rose behind my eyelids, and my heart contracted painfully. Sitting in her kitchen and talking about nothing had been so damn nice. So right.
"What are you thinking?" Brian asked.
"That I need to get her back. I fucked things up tonight because her brother validated what you just said, and I was angry with her." I shrugged. "I should have been a man and just asked her about it, but I didn't. I acted like a brat and treated her like she didn't matter, which honestly, couldn't be farther from the truth."
"You just met her, Finn. Don't you think you're being a little irrational about this?"
"Not at all." I glanced over at him and took a swig of my beer. "But then again, I believe in love. I've tried to pretend like I don't so I don't have to hurt so much, but the honest to God truth is that I believe in it."
"And, you should," Pauly butted in, leaning toward us and staring me in the face. "I met my wife on the dance floor one night thirty years ago. It was an old country hoedown in Kentucky, and the minute I saw her, I knew. Sounds silly, but that's because it doesn't happen to everyone. Those of us who are struck with its overwhelming power know the truth of it, though. If you've felt it, you better not let it go, Finn. It don't come around but once in a life, and sometimes not even once."
"That sounds great, Pauly, but I've never felt like that. Not once." Brian sat back and lifted his eyebrow at the old barkeep.
"Just because you've never tangibly seen gravity, you can't deny that it exists, Brian. It's a force, just like love is. Stop being ignorant and open yourself up to the possibility that somewhere in the world there a woman just for you. When you see her, time stands still and you find yourself willing to-”
I cut him off as I stared at the liquor bottles behind him. "To do anything for her. You'll give up your own dreams, cut family ties, or move across the country for her. Anything to have her as yours."
"That's it. Don't let that go, Finn. The world will pull it away from you. Fix it and hold tight to that girl. She's the one." He winked and moved back, his words leaving me breathless.
"I don't know if I believe that, but I wish I did." Brian turned to me. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. You're like a brother to me. When she said she was dating someone, I told you. No way was I keeping that from you. You'd have done the same."
I finished the beer and shook my head. "I know, buddy. I'm sorry I blew up."
"It's all good. What can I do to help?"
"I'm not sure yet, but if I think of something, I'll call."
"You heading out?"
"Yeah. I need to see if she'll see me. I doubt it, but I'm going to try."
"Just be careful. Her old man is a financial mogul. He's a dick, too. I had a run in with him a few years back. It took me a day to put two and two together after her friend said her last name the other night."
"Her father owns a clothing line, right?" I glanced over at him, praying I wasn't about to uncover another lie.
"Yeah, he does, but he owns a chuck of this city and has massive stock investments, too. When we say wealthy, that's a big understatement."
"She just doesn't come off as someone with loads of money."
"I agree." Brian shrugged and finished his beer. "Come on. I'll walk you out."
I lifted my hand in the air and waved. "Night, Pauly. Thanks for the advice."
"Don't leave it here. Take it with ya and do something with it." He winked and went back to wiping down the bar.
"I will." I walked out into the freezing cold and turned, feeling better about everything. It was going to be a bitch to get Chloe to listen to me, but the resolve to not give up felt good—like I had purpose.
"What are you going to do if she won't see you?" Brian asked, moving to his car and pausing.
"Keep trying, I guess." I shrugged and stopped by the back of my truck.
"Isn't she going home back to California soon?"
"That's what she said." I brushed my fingers by my chin and tried to work through how I could get her to talk to me. She most likely went home, and no one was supposed to be there. I could just go out there and knock on the door. It seemed logical.
"So, I guess you're on a short time span then, dude. You better get after it." He smiled and shook his head. "If anyone can do it, you can."
"Thanks, buddy. I'll call you later." I walked around my truck. I wasn't on a timetable, at all. If she didn't come around while she was here, I would simply go there. Only when she made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested in anything ever happening between us, I'd be done.
I got in the car and hooked my phone up as a call from my dad rang through.
"Hey, Pops. What's up?" I closed the door and buckled up.
"You. That's what's up." He was angry.
Great. More shit to deal with.
"What did I do now? It's been a fucked up night, so I'm sure I had this coming."
"You did what I told you not to do, which has been the story of your life. Do you think I give you advice because I enjoy listening to the sound of my own voice? No. I give it to you because otherwise, you're going to suffer the consequences for your fucked up actions."
"Dad. Really. I'm not in the mood for this shit. Tell me what I did, and I'll fix it. I don't need you berating me. I'm a piece of shit. I get it," I barked into the console of the truck and turned out of the lot, headed out to Chloe's place.
"I didn't say you were a piece of shit. I said you didn't listen."
"I'm hanging up." I let out an exasperated sigh. I would call him tomorrow. I was too broken for whatever he was up to.
"I told you to leave Chloe alone, and you didn't."
How the hell did my father know I'd hurt her? Did she run home and tell her dad? Had he called mine? We were adults, for shit’s sake. Why the hell was our fathers involved in any of this?
"What?" I had no other word to throw out.
"Her father
caught me in town tonight and chewed my ass out for sending you over there to do the yard. He said you were after his girl, and I couldn't deny it. Do me a favor, Finn. Please. Just one small, tiny thing. Just this once, keep your dick in your pants and keep away from the Burke girl. Those people are rich, hateful, and headed straight to hell."
"Yep." I dropped the call and turned into her driveway, turning off my lights. I would have to figure out how to deal with my old man once I figured out if there were anything to really deal with. Chloe could turn me down cold, and the problem would be solved. I prayed that wouldn't be the case, but the chances of a different outcome seemed slim.
Maybe her dad wasn't out of town. I texted her, half expecting no response, but I made my message too compelling to ignore.
Me: I'm sitting in your driveway. Come out for two minutes, and then I'll leave you alone after that.
Chloe: Finn?
Me: Yes. Get out here.
Chloe: How did you get my number?
Me: During our shopping trip. Two minutes.
Chloe: No. Go away. My dad's here.
Me: I'm coming up to ring the doorbell. I want two minutes with you.
Chloe: Fine. Come to the second window at the back of the house, and I'll let you in. Two minutes and then you're out. I don't have anything to say to you.
I turned the truck off and got out, jogging to the back and finding her window open. I felt all of sixteen again. It was humorous and nerve-wracking all the same.
"Hurry up and get in here." She helped me in and moved back, putting her hands on her hips. She had on a tiny tank top and a pair of boy shorts.
"Fuck," I whispered and let my eyes drag down her. Now wasn't the time, and yet she was the hottest thing I'd ever laid eyes on.
I moved toward her before I realized what I was doing.
"Finn. No." She put her hands out, but I moved past them, wrapping my arms around her and pressing her against the wall behind her roughly. She groaned, but it wasn't a scared sound. She still wanted me. I could sense it all over her.
"I'm sorry." I leaned in and drug my lips up her neck, breathing her in. "I was told you had a man, Chloe. By my best friend and your brother."
"I know," she whispered roughly as her hand ran up the back of my hair.
"I was hurt and so far beyond pissed. You can't have another man." I licked at her ear and pressed my lips to it as I ground against her. "That leaves no room for me."
She cried out again and whimpered. "I need time. I can't do this right now."
I shifted my upper body back and brushed her hair off her face before pressing my forehead to hers. "Time is all yours. Take as much as you need, but I don't want a friendship. I want you. All of you."
She whimpered again and closed her eyes, rolling her hips and stroking my body with hers.
I clenched my teeth, respecting the fact that her father was down the hall. If we'd have been alone that night, I would have already had her stretched out on her bed, my face between her taut thighs.
She opened her beautiful, green eyes and nodded as she bit her lip.
"Tell me we're okay, and I'll go." I brushed my lips by hers and slid my hand down her side, over the curve of her breast, and around her hip, my fingers tracing the outside of her panties.
"We're okay. I'm sorry for overreacting, but you hurt me today." I could smell the liquor on her breath.
"I'm sorry for that. I hurt you out of my own pain. It won't ever happen again. I promise." I pressed my lips to her and snaked my fingers into her panties, rubbing over the curve of her ass as I kissed her long and passionately. She had my heart. I didn't know how, but she did.
She pushed at me, and I moved back, panting just as she was. "I need time to think through this."
"I understand. I'll wait as long as I can for you to come find me. If you don't...I'll come find you. Be ready to accept me or not, but know that I want you. More than I've ever wanted anyone, Chloe."
I moved back and she clung to me, her fingers wrapped in my t-shirt bunched at my shoulders. "Tell me to stay, and I will," I said. I licked at my lips and took one more look at her, which left me overwhelmed.
"Soon." She released me and backed up, hugging herself and watching me intently.
I stood there a minute longer, needing her to change her mind, but wanting to give her time to want me the way I wanted her. The sound of her father coming down the hall almost caused my heart to stop, and I moved through the window and chuckled at the sound of her laughing softly out of her window.
Things weren't perfect, but maybe they were at least getting back on track.
Chapter Nineteen
Chloe
It had been three days since I'd spoke to Finn, since the night he came through my bedroom window. I hadn't thought of too much other than him, but I wanted to make sure I was ready for a relationship before approaching him. He was as fragile as I was. There was no reason to start something that I couldn't finish.
The meeting with my dad a few days back went relatively well. He liked my designs and even allowed me access to one of his manufacturers to start working on a prototype for the women's windbreaker I designed. It wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, but it was a first step in helping him see me for the professional I was becoming.
With only ten days until Christmas, I had a list of gifts I needed to get, mostly for my brother, but I was running out of time. I had a piece of toast and then headed out for the morning and made sure Parker was still planning on taking me snowboarding for the afternoon. I'd decided over the last three days that I wanted to learn how to do it. I would have asked Finn, but we had some damage repair to get through.
After talking about everything with Parker, he confessed to lying about me still being with Seth simply because it seemed to be in my best interest to steer clear of Finn. I was pissed, but I understood where he was coming from. He was all for me calling Finn, but I needed to make sure I was completely for it, too.
I picked up my purse and paused by the door as my brother called for me.
"Chloe. Wait. I wanna go."
"Shopping? Have you lost your mind? You're the worst shopper in the universe."
"Come on. I don't want to stay cooped up here. Let's go shop, eat lunch, and then we'll go hit the slopes, and I'll teach you some tricks."
"Yeah, let's start with the one where I stay vertical on the board."
We laughed, and I moved out into the garage. I got into the Cherokee and buckled up as he got into the other side.
"I invited a friend to go boarding with us. Hope that's okay." He turned toward me.
"Yeah, sure. Just show me the ropes and then you and your friend can go get lost." I winked and pulled the car out. "I'm glad the roads haven't been too bad this Christmas. I remember as a kid having to help Dad put those track thingies on the wheels."
"Chains?" he snorted.
I slapped his arm. "Hush, or I'll take you into every pantie store I see."
"Please?" he growled, and I rolled my eyes.
I'd forgotten I was dealing with a sixteen-year-old boy. He wasn't a kid anymore, oddly enough. Neither was I, and I needed to stop acting like it in several areas of my life.
"I think I'm going to call Finn today." I turned on the heater and waited for my brother's reaction.
"I think that's a great idea, actually. He's the only thing that can keep you here, so I'm all for him."
I glanced over at my brother. "Keep me here?"
"Yeah. I don't want you to go back to Cali. Neither does Dad. We were talking about it last night when you conked out on the movie." He smiled and leaned back in his seat. "It's fantastic having a woman around the house. We get to eat, have clean clothes...and feel loved."
"Awe, you feel loved by me?" I teased him, reaching over to pinch at his chest and ears.
"Alright. Never mind. Get your ass back on a plane." He pulled away from me and laughed. "Stop. I'm ticklish."
"Finn's not the only one that could ke
ep me here, Parker. I would consider it for you and Dad."
"Right, but he'd be enough to sway the vote." Parker shrugged. "And honestly, after thinking about everything, I think maybe I misjudged him. He didn't seem like a playboy asshole the other day. He seemed like a normal guy to me."
"He is. I think we've all done a lot of misjudging each other." I turned into the large shopping mall and parked. "You ready for this fun day?"
"Just get me a hot chocolate and a nudie mag and leave me in the food court."
I laughed and snorted at my brother and his antics. "I am not getting you a hot chocolate. You'll be jumping everywhere."
He slipped his arm into mine and chuckled at my response. "Where are we eating lunch?"
"It's ten in the morning. I seriously have to get a few gifts today. That's my focus."
"Okay, but that still begs the question. Where are we eating lunch?"
"The Chinese place on the top floor? You like their soup and egg rolls, right?"
"I do. I'll meet you there. I'm going to go look at the game stores. Like, an hour?"
"Two." I pulled from him and walked toward a large department store as the lights and Christmas music beckoned me to come.
"Two? Come on, sis."
"One and a half." I called over my shoulder and walked in, stopping by the fragrance counter and smelling three different types of men's cologne. The last one smelled like Finn.
"Yum," I mumbled and found the largest box of it.
"Chloe?" The feminine voice beside me caused me to freeze. I didn't know any girls in Aspen.
"I'm Kari, Finn's friend from school." She moved up beside me and extended her hand. The nasty snarl she wore a few nights before was gone, and her expression was almost kind.
I shook her hand and nodded. "And what can I do for you, Kari?"
"Nothing. I just saw you and thought I recognized you. I'm glad I did. I needed to apologize."
"For what?"
"For being a bitch the other night." She pursed her lips and let out a long breath through her nose. "Finn's such a great guy, and I think all of us around here have beaten him up and taken him for granted for far too long. The other night when he got upset was the first time I'd seen him show emotion about anything since we were kids. Like a part of him died when he lost his mother, and then slowly over time, it kept getting worse. I know he gets around, but I understand why."