He might be a witch but he was also one of the most popular boys in school. He was certainly the cutest, going out with the beautiful cheerleader types all through high school. Alli had refused his invitation to the movies on more than one occasion because her shyness had her terrified to go anywhere with him.
It took a lot of convincing on his part but she finally said yes. The past few weeks had been paradise and Alli was having the time of her life.
She’d met most of his friends, been taken to all the cool parties, and she was part of the in crowd. No longer was she Alice Downing, major wallflower. She was Finn Donovan’s girl and everybody wanted to be her friend.
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Alli felt so proud being with him and he looked so good in his jeans and leather bomber jacket. He’d taken her for long rides on his motorcycle and they took walks together holding hands and talking about everything they loved, all their plans for the future.
He was always a gentleman, kissing her softly before saying good night. Those soft kisses grew to be longer ones, deeper ones, and the butterflies in her stomach churned faster. Alli put everything she didn’t say into her kisses.
Tonight Finn said he had something very special planned for them.
The butterflies in her stomach relayed how nervous she was. Scared and thrilled all at the same time as he pulled her along the back of his family’s property. It was dark and Alli held Finn’s hand tight as he led her through a forested area. The Donovan estate had hundreds of acres.
Alli guessed they had walked at least two miles behind the house and into the woods.
“Finn, where are we going?” Alli asked as her stomach churned with nervousness.
Deep down inside she knew what was about to happen and she was ready. She wanted Finn to be her first. With him, it would be memorable and when they were old and sitting on the front porch, they would talk about tonight and enjoy the memory together.
Alli knew that she and Finn were destined to be together forever. They’d never spoken about a future together but she felt it in her soul that he was the man she was going to marry. Alli loved him and knew that he loved her back. No boy ever treated her with such kindness and respect. She was smitten with him, bowled over by his generosity and attention.
Finn led her along a small stone path that wound its way through the tree line behind the huge Donovan family home. He held her hand tightly and she begged him to let her in on his plans. He smiled and kissed her every time she asked him any questions. It became a game—Alli asked, Finn stopped, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Each one more intense than the one before.
Light shone through the trees, and Finn increased the pace, pulling her along the path. They stepped through a canopy of weeping willows and Alli gasped.
Torches were burning in a large circle around them. In the middle of the clearing was a large, flat black stone. It was about eight feet long and six feet wide. Near the base was a sleeping bag.
A blush rose on Alli’s face. Next to the stone was a bucket with a bottle of wine and two plastic cups. The butterflies really began to hammer at her tummy and her skin almost itched in anticipation as Finn pulled her to the stone and down onto the sleeping bag. It felt downy-soft against her bottom.
Opening the bottle, Finn poured them each a cup. Alli’s shaky hands wrapped around the plastic when he handed it to her.
Raising his cup in a toast, he said, “To you, Alli, for being such a blast to hang out with.”
Not the most romantic of toasts but she knew that at eighteen boys never talked like the men in romance novels did. That would come later, when he matured.
The fruity-flavored wine slid down her throat, causing a warm tingling in her belly. Finn quickly downed his and poured them both some more. He drank that one just as quickly so Alli followed suit and began coughing as her throat felt slightly raw and heat pooled in her stomach.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked, patting her hard on the back. He was laughing. “I forgot you aren’t a drinker, are you?”
He leaned forward and kissed her. It was the kind of awkward kissing teens do, all tongue and no real finesse, but it made Alli’s heart do flip-flops.
Finn pulled away. “Look what I can do for you, Alli.”
He waved and spoke what she thought was Latin, though she had no clue what he was saying, and the torches dimmed. As they sat there, they became surrounded by fireflies blazing back and forth over and all around them.
She stood, surrounded by thousands of the tiny flying points of light, and laughed as she spun and danced with the fireflies.
Alli gasped at their beauty. It was better than fireworks on the Fourth of July and Finn was doing it just for her. He stood next to her and she turned her face to him. He said nothing, just reached for her and they began to kiss again.
When it was over, she didn’t remember a lot. Her memory was hazy from too much wine, which he kept pouring in their cups until she was tipsy from it. She knew there was a lot of fumbling for buttons and her being scared.
Finn whispered in her ear that everything was going to be all right and that he wanted her more than anything in the world. As he took her virginity, she cried out from the pain. Finn kissed her tenderly, he held her face in his hands and for the first time that evening, the look in his eyes was different.
He wiped away her tears, waiting for the pain to subside.
“You’re beautiful, Alli, thank you for your gift,” he whispered before taking her lips in a kiss that made her fly, it was so soulfully sweet.
His mouth traveled to her ear, where he whispered so softly that Alli almost didn’t hear the words. “I love you.”
She held on tight and they continued making love, his eyes gazing at hers the entire time. His mouth slid across her cheek, whispering sweet things to her, kissing her as though she were the last girl on the planet.
Afterward, she couldn’t understand why Finn was so quiet. He drove her home without saying anything and walked her to the door, kissing her deeply. He slid his hand down her face and gave her a sad kind of smile. Then he turned around and jogged back to his car and drove away.
She didn’t hear from Finn the next day but the memory of the night before kept her smiling. Bliss ended quickly a day later when she went into the video store for her mother. Standing in the drama section, trying to find an old black-and-white classic, she overheard two very familiar voices coming from the other side of the rack.
Sully and Gavin Donovan. She had started to round the corner to say hello when she heard something that stopped her cold.
“A bet, Finn did it on a bet?” Sully asked his brother.
Gavin lowered his voice some more. “Yes, the asshole! Some of his football buddies bet him he couldn’t get Alli Downing to go out with him.”
“You’re wrong, Gavin. He may be stupid but he’s not that stupid.”
“I’m telling you the truth, it’s all over town. Worse yet is, a couple of the guys followed Finn and Alli to our house.”
“Did they follow them to the grove?” Sully asked.
“Yeah, though they didn’t stay long enough to see anything happen. They got a good idea of what was going on.” Gavin whispered, “Finn swore he didn’t know they were there. Pop found out, big brother is in deep shit. They started razzing Finn and that’s why he got into that fight.”
“How could he?” Sully asked, clearly upset at what happened. “Do you realize what he’s done to himself, not to mention to her? She doesn’t deserve this. He broke the rules. Pop won’t have a choice but to send him there.”
The horror Alli felt as she heard the conversation between the brothers only compounded when both boys came around the corner and saw her.
It was instantly obvious that Alli heard their conversation. Sully started toward her but Alli dropped the movie in her hand and ran out the door. Hot tears of humiliation swept down her face. She heard Sully yelling for her to stop but she kept running, not looking at anyone unti
l she made it home, where she locked herself in her room for three days.
Finn came to her that night, banging on the front door. When she refused to answer, he went to her window and started yelling her name.
His voice was loud as he pleaded with her to see him. “Alli, you don’t understand. Please let me explain. Alli, I have to see you.”
Finally, her father had come home from work. He told Finn to leave and never bother Alli again. Through her lacy curtains, she peeked out the window. His shoulders sagged as he started toward his car. She drew back when he turned around and spoke.
“I’m sorry, Alli, it’s not what you think. It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said, his voice raw.
By the time she resurfaced from her room, she learned that Finn had been sent out of the country to study in Europe. Gavin, Sully and even Mr. Donovan tried to contact her but she avoided them each time.
She even received letters from Finn himself. She never read any of them, writing “return to sender” on each envelope that showed up in the mail.
Alli chose to go to college in another state. Her shame and disgust with herself faded over time. When she returned home to open up the bookstore, she resumed speaking to Gavin and Sully, though she refused to broach the subject of Finn.
Over the years, she wanted to question the younger brothers about him but could never bring herself to do it. Finn’s betrayal, even after all the years had passed, still lay just below the surface.
Chapter Five
Alli stared out the front window of her store, waiting with a sense of trepidation. Finn—why did he have to come back and throw everything off-kilter? If her necklace was so important, why didn’t one of his brothers come and ask for it?
She would hate to part with it, it was a gift from her grandmother, but Alli wasn’t cold-hearted enough to deny a family something that could help save a loved one’s life, even if it meant parting with one of her favorite possessions.
She didn’t believe him when he said they were mated. Tonight she would hand the necklace over to Finn and tell him to leave her alone for good. The idea should have made her feel a little better. Instead it made the unfulfilled longing she had kept buried for so long resurface. Hell, she needed a drink.
Was she really this pathetic? Alli knew she was no match for Finn in any way. Her control was barely leashed when she was around him. Those damn flowers. He wasn’t the flower-giving kind of man and that had thrown her when she’d seen them. Why was he trying so hard?
Shaking her head, she tried to dampen the growing excitement of seeing him tonight. When was she going to learn? Probably never, because when all was said and done, down in the deepest part of her being, she wanted Finn Donovan more than anything, and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to hold out against him.
This time, though, he wouldn’t be taking advantage of her. She would take control of the situation. Alli wouldn’t think in terms of forever with Finn.
A hot affair, that’s what she wanted from him. She shook her head. Who am I kidding? She craved Finn. Her head told her that once she had him in bed she’d be able to purge the need she felt for him. The ache in her chest told her differently. Could she really let go after several nights of really great sex?
Wishful thinking on her part. Walking away without heartbreak wasn’t possible but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him know that.
Exactly at six, the bell over her door rang as it had the night before. Looking up, Alli saw the most beautiful man in the world coming toward her.
He seemed even taller than before. His once-short hair now fell past his shoulders. Tonight it was pulled back and held against the nape of his neck. Finn’s features were like a finely sculpted piece of marble, so masculine and strong. Firm lips that made Alli shiver at the memory of them on her mouth.
As a teenager, they hadn’t been that experienced, but that wasn’t the case now. Finn knew how to touch a woman with his mouth, make her cry out in pleasure, make her moan for more. Alli squeezed her thighs together as her panties got wetter by the second. It wasn’t fair. The sight of this man could reduce her to such base needs.
He was dressed in faded blue jeans that clung to muscular thighs and a black sweater that emphasized his wide chest. Alli clenched her hands into fists, the urge to touch him was so intense. He smiled and she couldn’t help the blush reaching her face as he flashed those perfect white teeth for her.
She wanted to scream at him for having this effect on her though Alli figured he had this effect on most of the women he came into contact with. She grew pissed at the idea of him with other women, the lightning-hot jealousy she experienced making her cringe. She had to face facts, Finn was one hot male and she knew he hadn’t been celibate for fifteen years. A man like him screamed sex from every pore.
What was she doing here with him? She could never compete with the type of woman he was probably used to. She’d only had two previous lovers in the last few years. While they were good men, she didn’t feel the spark she’d hoped to. She imagined he’d had plenty of lovers since he’d been gone. The twinge of jealousy threatened to strangle her.
She envisioned the perfect woman for Finn—tall, blonde and model thin, the total opposite of herself. Alli had always been the chubby kid and when she’d gotten older, she became a curvy woman. Some men really enjoyed that about her but men like Finn liked their woman skinny. Alli wasn’t a fool. Finn wanted one thing and that was the necklace.
She made herself stop. She’d long ago accepted who she was. She was a good woman, passionate, kind and caring. While she may not be a model, she certainly wasn’t ugly. Her hair shone with hundreds of highlights. Her eyes were wide and clear. She really liked herself and wasn’t about to question her attributes now that Finn was home.
Alli heard the lock slide into place. It should have unnerved her the way he could do
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things like that with a wave of his hand, but it didn’t.
When he reached her, instead of saying hello he picked up her hand, turning her palm over and kissing it dead center. The tip of his tongue slid lightly against her flesh.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his voice husky and his eyes smoldering.
Alli pulled from his grasp. “This isn’t necessary. If you need the necklace to help Heather, it’s yours.” She reached up to release the clasp.
“Like I told you last night, it doesn’t work that way. I appreciate the offer but the situation with Heather and the necklace is more complicated. Just handing it over won’t help.” His smile was almost sweet when he spoke.
“No, it can’t be. You take it and help your sister. Please just take it and go.”
Finn swore to himself. Alli was beginning to panic, he saw it in her eyes. She wouldn’t look at him and her body started to tremble. He folded his arms around her, trying to calm her down.
“Relax,” he whispered into her ear. Running his hands up and down her spine, Finn willed her to relax for him. “Take it easy, everything is going to be all right.”
She was warm against his skin. She smelled delicious as he held her.
Putting one hand up, he dimmed the lights in the store. While he couldn’t use his magic to gain her trust, he could use it to calm her down. He didn’t want Alli frightened of him. Her body finally went pliant in his arms. Finn pulled back a little to look at her.
Placing one calloused palm along her cheek, he brushed his thumb back and forth across her full bottom lip.
Goddess, she was beautiful. He didn’t deserve her. A better man would walk away. Not Finn. He was glued to the floor, unable to leave.
He had to kiss her. His body demanded it, the feeling so unfamiliar to him. He’d only felt like this one time before and it had scared the shit out of him. His teenage mind hadn’t been able to process such intense feelings. He had been forced to leave the States because of what happened with Alli.
He hadn’t realized until now what impact the events so long
ago had on him. They’d made him into the man he was today. He wasn’t leaving this time, Alli was his.
She may not know it yet but he’d always belonged to her. From the second she’d agreed to go out with him, he was a goner. As a kid he couldn’t place his feelings, didn’t have a name for it. All he knew was that when she smiled his chest pounded and when she kissed him her soft lips cast a spell over him. She had always been his.
It would be easy to say destiny was forcing them together. He was man enough to know that destiny had nothing to do with his feelings. It had taken everything in him not to grill his family about her every time he’d called. He’d been so tempted to come back and see her but his shame and his pride wouldn’t allow it. Fifteen years of denying what he wanted—no, what he needed—and it was time to show her.
His lips brushed across hers. Again and again, he gently touched his mouth to her. When she offered no resistance, Finn’s kiss became hungrier, slipping the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips. She tasted like sun and rain and all the good things in this world. He drew her closer, nestling his raging hard-on against her soft belly. Sliding his arms around her shoulders, he brought her even closer.
Her mouth was a feast for his senses, unlike any he’d ever known. She tasted sweet and spicy. He kept returning to drink from the nectar of her mouth. Driving his tongue greedily in a little deeper each time, he thrust into her.
Almost shyly, she returned his kisses. Her small tongue delving into his mouth, dancing along his. Finn almost lost it. He sucked on her tongue, causing her to moan, the sound vibrating down his spine.
“Alli,” he groaned as he moved down to taste the skin on her neck. Finn worked his way along the column of her throat, nibbling, tasting and sucking. This was what heaven tasted like.
His fingertips caressed her shoulders before pulling the collar of her shirt aside, and his mouth feasted on the exposed flesh there. He bent down, running his tongue into the valley of her breasts. They felt so full, her nipples tightening, her body showing Finn exactly how good his touch felt.
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