Untold

by Shannon Richard

  The memory flashed through her brain, her holding on to him as he moved over her…moved inside her. Her hands on those shoulders, her nails digging into his skin.

  What was wrong with her? Sex with Finn was absolutely the last thing she needed to be thinking about. It was something she never needed to be thinking about again.

  Her hands went to her hips. She wasn’t sure if it was in an attempt to try to make herself seem bigger, or because she needed a place to put them to stop herself from doing something incredibly stupid.

  “Did I not make it clear that I don’t want your help?” she asked him. “And not only that, but I never asked for it.”

  “I know that. But my mother asked me to help you. And saying no to my mother has never really been an option for me.”

  He never said no to his mother. Why in God’s name did that fact do something weird to her equilibrium? Because everything about him did something weird to her equilibrium, that was why. It clearly didn’t matter that she didn’t want to be affected by him. Didn’t matter that she knew he was the biggest asshole on the face of the planet.

  Never in her life had she felt more confused by a single person. God, she needed him to leave her alone…needed him to just leave.

  The next words out of his mouth were as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Brie, the quicker I get this stuff, the sooner I can go. And you don’t even have to say thank you at the end of it, either.”

  Heat crept up her neck and to her face. Yet another memory from them sleeping together, that stupid freaking thank you. She’d said it because she’d been so grateful that he’d made her forget…now she wished she could just forget about him.

  Her eyes narrowed. “God, you’re a jerk.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  They stared at each other for a few seconds—that felt like an eternity—neither of them blinking or budging. She was capable of being pretty stubborn herself, but fighting his offer to haul off the stuff she wanted to get rid of felt like a waste of her energy and time.

  “Fine.” She grabbed the door and pulled it open wide, turning around and not waiting for him as she headed down the hallway.

  As she walked into the living room, there was a soft snap of the front door closing. Finn followed, his boots making a muffled thud on the carpets that covered the hardwood floors. Reaching the threshold of the living room, he came to a stop, his eyes darting around and taking in all of the pictures and paintings on the walls, the three china cabinets (bears and all), the covered floors, and the collection of furniture, before landing on the pile of things in the corner.

  He hesitated for just a second before moving his gaze to Brie. “Seriously? You were going to try to haul all of that over yourself?”

  “Do or do not. There is no try.” The Yoda quote fell from her lips automatically. Both of her parents were huge Star Wars fans, and lines from the movies were part of their daily dialogue.

  Finn’s eye widened, and if she didn’t know any better she’d say the corner of his mouth twitched. She couldn’t be sure, though, as he was turning away from her and moving to the pile of stuff.

  “Well, she clearly wasn’t a minimalist.”

  “You have no idea,” she muttered, shaking her head. The living room was barely even a glimpse of the reality of the situation. Not that he was going to get to see the entirety of it.

  Nope. Not a chance.

  Brie stood back, giving Finn space while he loaded his arms up with a massive box. It was filled with knitting supplies and wasn’t heavy so much as bulky. Once he’d moved away and headed out of the living room, she grabbed one of the black trash bags she’d stuffed with yarn—there were three—and followed behind him.

  Neither of them said anything else as they loaded the rest of the donations, keeping a safe distance from each other as they passed back and forth from the house to the truck. That was until the very end when Delores decided to make an appearance.

  There’d been two boxes left, one with sweaters that had never been worn (tags still on and everything), and another of a brand-new set of pots and pans. Brie went for the sweaters and the second she tried to heft the box up, she knew it was heavier than it should be.

  Nineteen and a half pounds too heavy to be exact.

  Delores sprung out and right into Brie’s face. There was no telling what was louder, the cat’s yowling or the woman’s scream.

  The box fell from Brie’s hands, flipping over and dumping all of the sweaters onto the floor. And the box wasn’t the only thing falling, either. Brie had jumped back when Delores had flown out at her, her feet getting caught in one of the rugs and making her lose her balance. She was going down and right into a glass-fronted grandfather clock.

  The crash never happened. Instead two rather steady, masculine hands caught her and changed the direction of the fall. But there was too much momentum to stay up straight and they both hit the floor. Actually, Finn hit the floor while Brie hit the solid wall that was his chest. She was sprawled across him, rather inelegantly, too. Her hands were captured between their bodies, their legs tangled together, and her face pressed into his neck.

  One small, unsteady breath and her lungs filled with that incredible soap and aftershave scent that was him. Though, today it was mixed with sun and sea.

  She wasn’t the only one breathing deep, either. Finn’s nose was in her hair and his chest was expanding under her, making her body slowly rise. One of his hands was cradling the back of her head, while the other was planted firmly in the middle of her spine.

  Neither of them pulled away, neither of them made a move to get up, and neither of them let go. In fact, she wanted to curl into him, open her mouth over his throat.

  “You OK?” His whispered words were strained. Not like he was hurt, but more like he was trying to get a hold of himself.

  “Yes, I-I’m fine.” Her lips brushed over his skin and he groaned, the vibration rumbling through her.

  Well, that was a blatant lie, she wasn’t even close to fine. If fine was anywhere on planet Earth, she was on Pluto. Except it wasn’t cold on Pluto, it was hot like the sun, setting every part of her on fire. And she wanted more.

  How was it possible for everything to change just that quickly? The air around them crackled, the angry tension from moments before gone. Well, the anger was gone, the tension had just transformed into something else. Something sexual and raw.

  They both moved at the same time, Brie looking up while Finn’s gaze came down. The second their eyes met, their mouths followed, his coming down hard on hers. And just that quickly, she found herself on her back.

  She gasped at the sudden change in position, and he took advantage of her open mouth, his tongue thrusting past her lips. The invasion was welcomed and so beyond reciprocated, Brie kissing him back with equal enthusiasm.

  Because she was no longer lying across him; her hands had been freed. She took the opportunity to move them to the back of his head, her fingers delving into his hair. Another one of his deep, masculine groans vibrated from his throat as she not so gently pulled, wanting him closer. He complied, giving her his weight and pushing her down into the floor.

  She moaned as her breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples hardening under the pressure. And her nipples weren’t the only thing that were hard, either. Finn was between her legs now, and his rather prominent erection had decided to make an appearance. She felt every single inch of him on her thigh.

  He reached down, grabbing a knee and pulling her leg up and around his waist. The new angle aligned his cock with the apex of her thighs. It was then that they started to really move against each other, picking up the rhythm that they’d discovered the other night.

  Nothing about how their bodies or mouths moved was gentle. It was grasping desperation for both of them.

  But the moment was broken a second later, ending almost as fast as it had begun. The cause? George Michael’s voice filled the house for the second time that day. Apparently n
othing could completely and totally destroy a moment quite like that damn doorbell.

  Finn’s body tensed before his mouth left hers. He pulled away and she slowly opened her eyes as realty began to sink back in.

  Oh God, what had just happened?

  His face hovered above hers, blue eyes wide in shock. She was surprised to find that it wasn’t a horrified shock and instead a bemused shock. It was different not seeing that simmering anger behind his eyes and getting a glimpse of the man from a couple of days ago, the man who’d wanted her.

  An ache that she wasn’t at all prepared for hit her smack in the middle of the chest. Why did she care how this man looked at her? Or what he thought of her?

  Her fingers were still tightly twined in his hair, and she forced herself to loosen her grip and drop her hands. The movement caused some of the confused haze from Finn’s face to clear, but it still lingered in his eyes.

  “Brie, I…” But that was all he said, apparently unable to figure out the rest of that sentence.

  Not that she had any place to pass judgment on the inability to put together a coherent thought, because she was right there with him.

  The doorbell rang again, the song starting up and filling the house.

  “I—” Her voice caught on that one syllable and she cleared her throat before trying again. “I need to get that.”

  “Right.” Finn nodded, shifting back and off of her.

  She had to force herself not to think about the fact that her body immediately missed the weight of him. Once he got to his feet, he stuck his hand out to help her up, too. Before she could think better of it, she grabbed his proffered hand.

  The second she was upright and stable he let go and took a step back. It was as if the added contact and close proximity was just too much. Or, at least it had been for her.

  “Excuse me.” She moved around him, keeping as much distance as possible as she walked out of the room and to the front door.

  She wished more than anything she could go into a room and shut the door behind her, take a moment to think without dealing with anyone or anything. But she wasn’t going to be allowed that luxury as someone was at the front door and Finn was still in the living room.

  Good Lord, Finn. What. Had. Just. Happened? The question was running through her mind on a continuous loop of ticker tape.

  Brie took a deep, steadying breath, trying to push the last few minutes from her brain. She was unsuccessful. It was going to take a lot more than that to forget. Her lips were swollen. Her cheeks sensitive from his scruff rasping against her skin. Her breasts full and tender. And then there was the fact that she could still feel his hand on her hip, could still feel him moving between her legs, thrusting against her.

  Grabbing the door handle, she twisted and pulled it open to find a FedEx deliveryman on the front porch. There was a hand truck dolly that sat at the bottom of the steps, five boxes stacked on top of each other, her friend Lyndsey’s loopy handwriting on the side of each.

  Her clothes and books were here. At any other time she probably would’ve jumped with joy at seeing them. Not only could she start working on her thesis again, but her wardrobe had just expanded tenfold. But instead of jumping she was still reeling from what had just happened in the living room.

  “Brie Davis?” the delivery guy asked, giving her a lopsided grin.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve got a delivery for you.” He grinned. “Nice doorbell. Sorry, I had to ring it twice just to hear it again.”

  The guy was cute in a puppy dog sort of way with his floppy blond hair and light blue eyes. His eyes weren’t as pretty as Finn’s, though.

  No one’s were as pretty as Finn’s, not even his brother’s and grandmother’s who had the exact same shade of sapphire blue. It was his eyes that did it for her. His eyes that had captured every part of her when he looked down at her just moments before.

  Nope. Focus, Brie. FOCUS!

  “Yeah, the song choice is interesting. It came with the house.”

  He tilted his head to the side, his grin widening. It was the kind of look that she was sure had gotten him laid many a time. “Yeah, well, I was really more of a ‘Careless Whisper’ guy myself.”

  She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. If this guy was even a day over twenty she’d be shocked. There was no way he’d even been born when that song came out. Actually he hadn’t even been alive when George Michael had been in the heyday of his career. Not that Brie could really talk…she only had about eight years on the guy.

  “You just move here? I’ve never seen you before, or delivered to this house for that matter and it’s been on my route for a year.” His eyes moved from left to right, scanning the space on either side of the front door.

  “You never delivered to Bethelda Grimshaw?” The question was out of Brie’s mouth before she could think better of it. She just found it incredibly hard to believe that with all of the crap in Bethelda’s house, FedEx hadn’t made a stop…or five hundred.

  As was the typical reaction when it came to most people hearing the name Bethelda Grimshaw, the guy’s entire demeanor changed. The grin on his mouth disappeared like she’d just spit on him, and a second later he was sneering.

  “This was that bitch’s house?” He looked around the door again as if to double-check that he didn’t recognize the place, and then his eyes were back on her. “Who the hell are you?”

  What with her defenses being in the state they were in, she wasn’t prepared for the sudden change. Not only that, but his words were filled with so much malice that Brie found herself taking an involuntary step back…and right into the solid wall that was Finn’s chest.

  “Robbie, I suggest you tone it back, way back, and apologize.” Finn’s words came out low and menacing, his deep masculine voice filling her ears and going to her bones. She had to repress a shiver.

  And she wasn’t the only one who had a reaction to Finn, either. Robbie was taking a step back, the sneer on his mouth lessening as he looked in confusion from Brie to Finn and back to Brie.

  “I…” Robbie trailed off before he shook his head, all of his aggression disappearing with the movement. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I didn’t like that woman. At all. She always got her packages delivered to her office at the Mirabelle Information Center, anywhere from one to fifteen a week. And every single time I had to deliver to her, she was terrible. Complained about everything. Tried to get me fired. I’m sorry,” he said again, remorse taking over in his eyes. He really was like a puppy. One who’d bitten in fright and was now cowering in the corner. “It was a knee-jerk reaction, not that that is any legit reason.”

  “No, it’s not a reason. Not only is there no need to talk to Brie that way, but it doesn’t matter who she is besides a customer.” Finn’s voice rumbled through her again, except this time it wasn’t a shiver Brie had to push down. No, this time his words had her back going up.

  The association with Bethelda didn’t matter? It was no reason for what had just happened? It didn’t matter who Brie was? Well, this was all news to her. And on top of it all, hadn’t Finn told Robbie to apologize to her, too? Pretty much demanded it? That little fact hadn’t exactly clicked earlier, but it sure had now.

  What a sanctimonious son of a bitch.

  She pulled away from him, wishing she could put a lot more distance than a foot or two between them. Instead she forced a half smile into place as she focused on Robbie. “I’m learning that kind of reaction is par for the course when it comes to Bethelda. Thank you for the apology.”

  Robbie’s eyes darted behind Brie and she just knew he was getting approval from Finn, making sure that the apology was enough to appease the enforcer at her back, too. Apparently it did because Robbie’s shoulders relaxed just fractionally in relief.

  “If I could just get you to sign,” he said before he pulled a black signature pad from a holder on his belt. Looking down, he hit a few buttons on it and then handed it over with the stylus.

>   Brie grabbed both, scribbling out a signature that was barely legible before handing it back. Robbie gave her another apologetic look before focusing on Finn again.

  “I’ll see you around.” He nodded before he turned around and walked off the porch and to the boxes. Once he had his hand truck out from underneath the stack, he was heading back down the path and to his FedEx van on the curb. The guy couldn’t get away fast enough.

  Good gravy Brie felt like she had whiplash. It was from everything, everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes. The cause of that whiplash? The man behind her. The man who’d been at her back while he apparently had her back. And if that wasn’t the most confusing part of it all, she didn’t know what was.

  Something in her snapped and she spun around and headed into the house, thinking that if maybe she put some more space between her and Finn she wouldn’t explode like Chernobyl. She was not successful. The second she heard him behind her, she went off and became downright radioactive.

  Brie spun around, already yelling before she was even facing him. “What was that?”

  Finn came to an abrupt stop, his eyes narrowing. “What was what? Me defending you?”

  “I don’t need you to defend me, Finn. I don’t need you to do anything for me. I thought I made that perfectly clear.”

  “Are you kidding me right now?” His voice was just as loud as hers had been. “You don’t need me for anything? You think you would’ve just gotten a concussion from falling into that earlier?” He pointed to the grandfather clock at their side. “Or maybe just thirty-five stitches from all of the shattered glass?”

  “I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about you being a raving hypocrite. Robbie’s reaction wasn’t anything different from what I’ve already dealt with. In fact, it’s not even the worst that I’ve dealt with. How you’ve treated me gets that glowing honor. I can’t believe you actually stood there and demanded an apology from him after everything you’ve said to me.”