by Nikki Ash
“See you around,” I call out to him.
“You bet, sir.”
Emily
Present…
AFTER MOM GOES TO BED, I slide on my flip-flops and head toward the lake. Normally, Finn’s over-the-top car is sitting near the dock, but not tonight. Apprehension bubbles up inside me. He said our spot. Surely he wouldn’t stand me up.
A pang cuts through me.
What if I pushed him too far?
Now that I realize I have always wanted Finn and not allowed myself to have him, the very thought of losing him nearly guts me.
God, I am so stupid.
Every smile he’s ever given me flips through my mind like a slide show. By the time I make it to the lake, my vision is blurred with tears. I kick off my shoes when I make it to the dock and walk out to the end. Closing my eyes, I let the hot tears roll down my cheeks.
I’d been so busy trying to mold someone like Porter into something better, that I lost sight of the perfect man right in front of me.
He has every right to want to move on. I’ve been awful to him. Since the day he pushed me into the lake. My heart aches for a redo. To rewind back to that summer day and change things. I’d been smitten with him, but then I’d been introduced to his parents, seen his giant home, and felt the coldness of what money does to people. It was so different from what I was used to with my own family that it spooked me.
But Finn?
He was never cold.
Finn Browning is fire and warmth and comfort.
I let out a sad sigh. Tomorrow, I’ll go to his house and talk to him. It’s not too late. Determination is just burning through me when two solid hands give me a push from behind. I barely have a chance to cry out and suck in a breath before I plunge into the cold, dark lake water. Kicking up, I rise to the surface in time to hear a splash but not see the culprit. Panic rises up inside me and then something grabs me from beneath the water.
The scream I let out gets muffled by the water as I’m pulled under. I thrash until I’m pulled into a familiar pair of strong, muscular arms. He kicks us to the surface and the moment I open my eyes, I start yelling.
“You little asshole!” I holler. “You scared the shit out of me!”
His laughter makes my heart catch as he swims us back over to the dock. As though I weigh nothing, he hoists me out of the water and lays me on my back. That smug grin of his is the last thing I see before his lips hover above mine.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, my fingers sliding up his muscular arms.
“What I should have done six years ago,” Finn rumbles.
“Oh yeah?” I breathe. “What’s that?”
“Claiming you.”
His lips press to mine sweetly at first—reminiscent of that day when he thought he was giving me CPR. But then he urges my lips apart and his tongue seeks mine. This isn’t like any kiss I’ve ever had. No kiss has tasted like fire and need and a bond only forged through years of friendship and love. His body pins mine to the wood planks and in desperation to be closer to him, my legs part. He settles between my thighs and I can feel how hard he is through our wet clothes. When he grinds against my center, I moan into his mouth and claw at his shoulders.
“I knew I’d eventually convince you, angel,” he says in that smartass way that boils my blood. And tonight is no different. My blood is boiling, but I like the way he stokes my fires. I want him to burn me with this intensity he always directs my way.
“So sure of yourself,” I say, nipping at his bottom lip. “You’re going to have to work harder at convincing me.”
A growl rumbles through him and straight to my core. He rocks his hips in such a way that he rubs against my clit each time. Stars of pleasure dance behind my lids. His tongue dances with mine as his hands rove over me in a reverent way.
I’ve never felt so wanted and adored in all my life.
My heart skips with joy. I’m an idiot for denying myself this man for so long.
“Emily,” he rasps, lifting up to stare down at me. His blue eyes shine with such emotion that my heart seems to crack open.
“Finn.”
He smiles. No smugness. Just pure happiness. Me. I make him smile this way. “I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you standing on the end of that dock. I always knew I’d make you mine one day.”
My bottom lip trembles. “I’m sorry I pushed you away.”
“It just makes the reward much sweeter,” he says, pressing small kisses on my lips. “You are worth the wait.”
His lips kiss down to my neck and then he rubs against me until I’m whimpering with a sudden orgasm. Before I can come down from my high, he stands up, stealing his warmth away from me.
“Don’t look so sad, angel,” he teases. “I’m going to take you somewhere where I can take my time with you.” He offers his hand to me and then pulls me to my feet. Instead of letting go of my hand, he guides me over to the edge of the dock so I can put my shoes back on. Quietly, we walk over to my house to the garage. When I was a kid, after we moved into the main house, my parents would let me play in the garage apartment. Finn and I hang out up there a lot since it has a television and we can be as loud as we want without bothering anyone.
This time is different, though.
We’re no longer best friends going there to have an innocent time.
Tonight, we’re taking a new step. Breaking past the friendship barrier we’ve been stuck behind all this time.
He guides me up the stairs and we step into the apartment. Once inside, he walks over to the stereo and turns on some music. Then, he motions for me to follow him to the back. Nerves get the best of me and when I reach the doorway, I pause.
His eyes dart over to me and he stares at me with such an unguarded expression. Love and need and desire all burning in his blue eyes. But since it’s just Finn, the apprehension bleeds away and I find myself slowly approaching. When I’m close, he wraps his arms around me and hugs me to him.
“We don’t have to do this,” he says, pulling away to stare at me. “I’ve waited this long. I can continue to wait until you’re ready.”
His earnest stare is my undoing.
Grabbing the hem of his soaked T-shirt, I start lifting it up. I peel his shirt off him and then admire his lean, cut physique. Finn has those V muscles that make girls like me stupid. Even when trying to keep him in the friend zone all these years, I’ve allowed myself to admire this god of a man. Tonight, though, I’m allowed to touch. And greedily, I roam my palms over his hard, tanned flesh on his lower stomach.
“Finn Browning,” I whisper as I lean forward and kiss between his pectoral muscles. My lips linger there and I can feel his heart steadily thumping. “I’ve loved you from the moment you looked at me and pressed your lips to mine when we were twelve. And then I spent the next six years pushing you away. I’m sorry.”
His palms slide into my wet hair and he tilts my head up. Intensity burns in his blue eyes and he bites on the inside corner of his bottom lip as he stares at me. “Waiting all those years just to hear that you love me was worth every second.” His lips crash to mine and all sweetness fades as our need takes over like two feral animals. He’s not gentle as he practically rips my dress from my body. My fingernails make him hiss when they claw at his hips in desperation to remove his basketball shorts. Soon, we’re both naked and panting between kisses.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he groans as his palms find my ass. He lifts me, urging me to wrap my legs around him. His cock bounces against the crack of my ass as he carries us to the bed. As though I’m something fragile, he lowers us onto the bed with the utmost care. His cock slides between the lips of my pussy, but he doesn’t enter me.
“I’m nervous,” I squeak, my eyes darting all over his face.
He frowns. “This isn’t your first time.” His features grow stormy. “You’ve been with him.”
“No,” I rasp out. “He wanted to one night, but I was scared.”
His cock te
ases me. Back and forth. “Why were you scared?” His voice is husky and raw.
Running my fingers into his hair, I pull him closer for a kiss. “I was scared I was about to make a big mistake.”
“Are you scared now?”
The tip of his cock pokes against my entrance. A thrill of need shoots through me. “No, just nervous that it will hurt. But scared? Not with you. I trust you with my everything, Finn.”
He crashes his lips to mine and then slides his hand between us. At first I think he’s going to guide himself into me, but his fingers find my clit that’s still buzzing from my last orgasm. When he starts strumming me so expertly, I moan into his mouth and tug at his hair.
“That’s it, angel,” he croons. “Let me take care of you.”
He massages me until I’m crying out in ecstasy. I’m still trembling when he fists his cock and then wets the tip of it with the juices running out of me. His eyes are down between us where he’s rubbing me and I truly appreciate how gorgeous he is. Strong nose and chiseled jaw. A dusting of facial hair and tousled light brown hair that sometimes takes on blond hues with too much sun. His lips are full and kissable. God, he’s hot.
His blue eyes sear into mine, flashing with love and assurance as he pushes barely inside me. My breath hitches and his brows furrow together in concern.
“You okay?” he asks, his body stilling.
I dig my heels into his ass and urge him closer. “I’ve never been better.”
He grins that crooked boyish grin I love so much before pouncing on me for a kiss. His cock stretches me to the point of pain as he pushes further inside me. I let out a mewl of fear, but then he’s kissing me with such love and passion that I want everything with him. Pain. Pleasure. Forever.
His hips thrust into me hard. Just once. Enough that he breaks through any barrier separating us and is completely seated inside me. The burn is enough to bring tears to my eyes, but the way he kisses me in such a soothing way, I relax.
This feels right.
This feels like love.
For so long I’ve been an idiot, pushing away what’s been right in front of me. All because I thought money and status mattered. My parents prove that it doesn’t matter. Love matters. Love doesn’t give one damn about how much money you make or where you come from. Love is a storm that decimates everything in its path with equal fierceness. Love is madness and it just doesn’t care. It doesn’t care about what school you go to or what kind of car you drive. Love does what it wants.
“God, I love you, Emily Crenshaw,” he murmurs as his hips begin a seductive rhythm that sings to my soul.
I claw and kiss at him, desperate for more. Now that I’ve finally allowed myself a taste, I’m hungry for it all.
“I love you too, Finn Browning.”
My words set him off and he bucks into me. I love how my sweet, funny, put together boy turns into a beast dead set on ravaging me. His teeth nip at me and his groans become growls. And then he’s coming and marking me. Claiming me as his forever.
In this moment, we’re not best friends or neighbors.
No, we’re finally here.
Exactly where we should be.
This is our spot.
Together.
Finn
Present…
“MOM SAYS TO COME DOWN for breakfast,” Emily says, grinning at me from the doorway.
This morning, she’s more beautiful than ever in a pair of cut off shorts and a black T-shirt. Her brown hair has been freshly washed and dried and pulled into a high ponytail. I take a moment to admire her full, pouty lips and her mischievous green eyes. My cock aches to take her again—as if three times last night wasn’t enough.
“She knows I spent the night?” I ask, lifting a challenging brow.
She smirks and saunters into the room looking too fucking sexy. My morning wood is begging to take this cowgirl for a ride. As if cued into my thoughts, she rakes her eyes over the sheet barely covering me and lingers her stare at where my dick tents the sheet. “Someone’s happy to see me.” Then, she waggles her finger at me. “But there will be none of that right now. Mom will send Dad up here if we don’t get into the kitchen soon and I doubt you want my dad knowing you just deflowered his little girl.”
My dick lurches at the mention of her big-ass dad. “Then stop looking so hot,” I grumble.
Her laughter is music to my ears. “You’re so grumpy in the mornings.” She tosses my boxers and shorts at me. They’re still damp, but I’ll live. I pull on the wet clothes and then snag her wrist.
“I love you,” I blurt out, hating that I sound like a lovesick fool. It’s the truth, though. I’ve loved her for so long. No other girl compared to her. There was only one girl I ever wanted. And now that I have her, it feels unreal.
She smiles sweetly at me and her green eyes shine with an adoration I’ve craved for so long. “I love you too.”
I kiss the top of her head before stepping into the bathroom to piss and brush my teeth with one of the extras in the cabinet. My hair has that just-fucked look, which won’t do in front of her parents, so I wet it down and try to tame it some.
“You done primping yet?” she sasses from the bathroom doorway.
A growl rumbles from me as I pounce on her. I kiss her hard and without apology against the doorframe. “I could use thirty more minutes,” I rumble.
“Thirty?” she teases. “More like three.”
I snort. “Three? You know I fuck you much slower than that because I like to savor you, angel.”
“Maybe we should time it next time,” she breathes. “Because I’m pretty sure it was three.”
She starts squealing when I tug at her shorts button. But her squeals turn to moans when I get them down her hips and shove her panties down as well. I push her into the bathroom over the counter and tease her pussy from behind. She moans and squirms as I rub at her clit from behind until she’s coming with my name—oh, how fucking sweet it sounds—on her lips. Our eyes meet in the old, dingy mirror as I enter her swiftly from behind. I palm her perfect tits as I thrust into her hard. She braces herself against the mirror, pushing against my dick, eager for every inch of me. My palm abandons one tit to massage her clit some more. I love how wild she gets when she comes. How her pussy clenches around me like a fucking vise when she’s losing control.
“Finn!” she cries out, slamming her palm against the mirror. Her cunt squeezes me and I lose it. A feral grunt escapes me as I drain my release into her tiny, sweet little body. With a grin, I pull out and slap her cute ass.
“I guess you were right. Three minutes.”
“Smartass,” she says with a giggle.
We clean up and then walk hand in hand to the house. The house smells like bacon when we enter. Her dad, Harrison, is hugging her mom from behind, whispering things into her ear. My parents act like business partners. There is no love and passion in their relationship. What Emily’s parents have is what I want with my girl.
Yeah, she’s fucking mine.
She always was…she just didn’t know it yet.
“Morning,” I greet as I break away from Emily to steal some fresh bacon. Cat swats at me but smiles. Something different shines in her eyes this morning. Something I can’t quite put my finger on.
“Morning, Finn,” Cat says.
“You look like hell, kid.” Harrison smirks at me.
I chuckle and chomp on the bacon. Then, I wrap my arm around Emily. “She thinks I look hotter than hell,” I correct.
Harrison grunts. “Mouthy is what you are.”
“You love me,” I joke.
It’s true. I’ve worked my way into everyone’s hearts over the years. They’re the family I felt more connected to than my own.
The doorbell rings and the door swings open just as Harrison yells, “Come in!”
“Good morning!” Helen says when she enters the kitchen a moment later. She makes her way around the room, giving everyone a hug. When she stops at me with my arm still aro
und Emily, she gives me a knowing smile. “Good morning, Finn.” She winks. “Good morning, Emily.”
“Morning, Nanny,” Emily says back. “I think you’ve met Finn…my boyfriend.” I chuckle at how adorable she is. I’ve known Helen as long as I’ve known Emily. The woman is like a second grandmother to me.
Helen’s smile turns into a full-blown grin. “Nice to meet you, Emily’s boyfriend.” She laughs.
“Morning, everyone,” Elliot announces, walking into the kitchen and setting down some bags on the counter. He steals a piece of bacon, then, as he walks out of the kitchen, he pops Helen on the ass before sitting in his chair.
“Elliot!” she admonishes. “Not here.” She swats at him playfully before taking the seat next to him.
“Time to eat,” Cat announces and everyone else finds their seat at the table.
Breakfast goes like it does any other time I eat over here, except this time, instead of getting Emily’s eye rolls, she flashes me sweet smiles. It has pride thumping in my chest.
“Whatever happened to Heath?” Emily asks her mom.
I tense because I don’t know who this Heath is. My eyes automatically dart to Harrison for support. It’s like he’s always looked after me all these years. He winks at me and I relax.
“He still lives at Windy Hills Estate,” Cat says, her eyes darting over to Helen, who grimaces. “Still trying to get a glimpse of your grandmother’s ghost, I’m sure.”
Emily frowns. “That’s sad. Even after all he did, I feel sorry for him.”
I listen raptly, curious about her grandmother and the man who loved her. I’m always eager to hear little pieces of Emily’s life. She’s mine and I want to know everything about her.
“Some stories are sad,” Cat agrees. “And some are happy.” She reaches over and takes her husband’s hand.
“Will he ever get his happily ever after?” Emily asks.
This time it’s Helen who answers her. “With Heath, his happily ever after will come the day he’s reunited with the love of his life.” She looks over at her husband, who takes her hand in his and gives it a soft kiss.