by Emma Dean
She looked up at him and Kenzie smiled. “You win.”
He grabbed the bottom of her chair and yanked her forward so fast she gasped and he took her mouth with unapologetic roughness. She tasted like sweet cheese and wine with a hint of despair and…desire.
Yes, he wanted her desire. Finnick wanted to taste it and then devour it.
“Wanna get out of here and grab some food?” he asked, noticing how gruff his voice was just from that one kiss.
Her dazed and hungry look set his blood on fire and the chair creaked underneath his hand.
“I could definitely go for some tacos,” she agreed.
He was up and pulling her out of The Cheese School so fast she stumbled and Finnick had to resist the urge to pick her up and carry her like his bride down the stairs. Instead he slowed down and glanced back to make sure she was okay.
Kenzie was too busy laughing to notice the moment he nearly slipped up and lost control of his nonchalant act. “They’re never going to let us go back there,” she warned.
“I don’t really care,” he told her honestly. “I got what I wanted out of it.” Finnick lifted her up and over the threshold. He placed her firmly on the sidewalk and smiled down at her.
The fiery red of her hair burned in the night and the warm glow from the streetlights made her look otherworldly. He tucked a piece of hair back and tightened that weird cardigan around her against the night chill.
“And what did you get?” Kenzie asked, letting him pull her towards him slowly.
“Closer to you,” he murmured, bending down to kiss her, but he stopped an inch from her lips and looked into her bright blue eyes to see what she was thinking, what she might be feeling.
For how much she drank she looked incredibly sober. Kenzie ran her hands down his chest until she reached the hem of his shirt. His abdomen clenched when her bare hands skimmed the skin above his belt.
Instantly he was hard and Finnick couldn’t resist pressing into her, letting her feel what she did to him. Fuck, she was warm and soft and curvy and hard all at the same time. And that burnt sugar smell made him insatiable.
Kenzie’s fingers gripped the waistband of his jeans and yanked him forward harder and then she turned her face up, waiting for him to kiss her.
Yes.
This time he was gentler, holding her face with a touch that was barely there. Finnick didn’t want to go too fast, not yet. He wanted her to lead the way and tell him what he was allowed. He wanted her to know she had complete control.
Nipping her bottom lip then kissing the sting away, he relished the sounds she made as he held her close, acutely aware of every part of her body currently touching his. Finnick licked the seam of her lips, feeling that insatiable need building inside.
If he wasn’t careful he’d tip right over and there’d be no going back. He’d have her up against the brick wall of the building before she could blink; giving her the pleasure she so desperately needed from him.
“I have tacos at my place,” she gasped when he moved to kiss her neck, pressing his hand against the small of her back, wiggling his hips so she would be reminded of what she did to him. “We can eat there.”
Then her hand dipped lower and Finnick yanked back with a curse. He glared at her, hating how tenuous his control was. One more touch and he’d rip those shorts off her right now.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked and the confused look on her face cut him deep.
“No,” Finnick snarled, clenching his hands into fists to resist the urge to reach out for her again. He didn’t trust himself to touch her, not yet. “But I don’t think you understand our precarious position.”
Kenzie froze and he could hear the way her heartbeat ratcheted up, smell the tiny twinge of fear and apprehension on the air, but not of him. She was afraid of something else, something that made that cut slice deeper into his heart until he had to close his eyes so he could say what he needed to.
“If we go back to your place now, I won’t be able to hold back,” he told her. “I can’t resist your scent or you. Kenzie…I want you too badly to eat stupid tacos at your stupid, depressing mansion when I want to rip every single shred of clothing off your body right now…except maybe those socks.”
Definitely not the socks.
Finnick couldn’t help imagining what those thigh-high socks with her cute little biker boots would look like slung over his shoulders while he ate her out until she screamed his name loud enough to wake up her whole fucking family.
Her mouth popped open in shock and he smelled her desire on the air and it was almost too much. Finnick growled deep in his chest as his mouth watered. “I’m sure you know what happens if we have sex.”
Then she snorted and closed the distance between them. “You mean the mate bond gets stronger? Yeah, I don’t think I care. We’ll deal with that later. I’d rather have you do every nasty thing you’re thinking of right now than worry about magic bonds.”
Finnick had her pinned up against the brick wall so fast she gasped, but he was careful, he made sure not to hurt her. Then he shoved his thigh in between her legs so he could feel her hot center on his body, smell her arousal, and find out if this really was what she wanted.
The rhythm he set against her clit was slow, but demanding with all the pressure she could want. She was scorching hot even through all the fabric. “Every nasty thing?” he asked, lips against her ear. “Even making you come right here and right now?”
His hand slid down and then up into her shorts so he could press his thumb against her, rubbing in slow circles. Finnick felt her nails dig into his shoulders and it made him almost lose it.
Kenzie groaned against his neck. “Yes, even making me come for you right now.”
Finnick made sure he kept the pace steady, careful and slow so as not to hurt her, but those words out of her mouth were too much. He drew his left fist back and punched the wall hard enough bricks cracked but still he kept going, slamming his fist into the wall again when she started riding him.
His teeth left a scorching trail from her neck down to her shoulder but Finnick didn’t break the skin. Fabric ripped as he pulled the shirt and cardigan aside so he could kiss the bare skin in the hollow of her collarbone. And the whole time her hands were in his hair, holding on tight as she got closer and closer to the edge.
“Fall for me,” he growled into her neck. He licked her jaw before taking her mouth so he could swallow her screams as she did exactly that.
Kenzie fell over the edge and nearly tore his hair out in the process.
Then Finnick kissed her gently, reminding her that no matter how much he raged at the world, he would never hurt her. Never.
Sliding his hand from underneath her pants he brought his thumb up and licked her from it. “Now I’m ready for tacos.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kenzie
Kenzie felt like she’d lost her damn mind.
Letting Finnick do that to her in a public place, right outside a damn wine and cheese class had been the most awful, hot as sin thing she’d ever done in her life. But their connection, the way he stared at her…she felt like she had no choice.
She needed him more than she cared about propriety.
The ride back to her basement had been excruciating, pressed up against his back while keeping her hands to herself so she didn’t get them into an accident. Only her healthy dose of fear kept her from seeing if he was still hard as a rock.
When he pulled up to her small parking space outside her little entrance Kenzie hopped off almost before the bike stopped. The vibration was keeping her sensitive enough she knew he could smell it.
“Are you going to come in?” she asked, handing him the helmet back.
Finnick flipped up his visor and for a second she could see the strange glow nocturnal animals had in his eyes. “Do you want me to?”
She was so fucking done with these games. Kenzie reached under his chin and undid his helmet for him. “I ordered fresh tacos on m
y app as we walked back to the bike. You got here in record time so it’ll still be another forty-five minutes before they get here. How should I pass the time?” she asked as she gently pulled off the helmet.
The ruffled helmet hair was fucking cute and she smiled, reaching out to touch it. Kenzie absolutely adored the color of his hair. It was a darker red than she was used to seeing on humans, though not quite the deep red and burgundy of Hunter’s. It was somewhere in between that and her flame-bright red.
The way he looked up at her, it reminded Kenzie of that intensity they’d had in the gym as he’d confessed to her. It made her heart ache and she just wanted to hold him. But why did he look so vulnerable now?
Instantly she felt apprehension and doubt. Maybe she was being too forward. “If you don’t want to join me, dates are usually ended with a kiss at the door,” she said lightly, trying to hide how insecure she was feeling.
“Kenzie…” the pause made her heart leap into her throat. “I think I made a mistake.”
Then her heart clenched and she felt for a moment like she was going to black out. It was very dramatic and stupid, but the overwhelming emotions were almost more than she could take.
“I thought we could just have fun, and keep dating like normal people,” Finnick told her, reaching up to take her hand from his hair. She thought he might remove it completely, but instead he held her hand to his chest so she could feel the wild beating of his heart.
“But this is already moving quickly. I’m already…” He looked away from her and she felt oddly choked up.
Kenzie had no idea where he was going with this, but at least if he broke up with her, it wouldn’t be because he didn’t like her. It would be because he liked her too much. How fucked up was that? Only in her life did that not come as a surprise.
“It’s fine,” she told him. “We don’t need to date. I totally get it being too much.”
He was up and off his bike so quickly he blurred and suddenly she was cradled in Finnick’s arms against his chest. He stomped towards her door like he was pissed off and honestly, she was just really confused, but Kenzie held on tight because somehow this felt absolutely perfect.
“Why do women always get so fucking weird?” Finnick asked, kicking her door open.
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “I had a key. Now I have to get it repaired.”
“I’ll fix it myself. Now what in the ever loving fuck made you think I want to break up with you?”
Finnick stared down at her with such an annoyed frown on his face, right in her entryway where the fucked up family portrait was hung…in the dark. And it still felt perfect.
“Usually when someone starts by saying they made a mistake, they mean with me,” Kenzie told him, giving him a pointed look.
The rumble in his chest made her smile but even she didn’t know why.
“That’s not what I fucking meant,” he grumbled. Finnick took her through the space and back into her bedroom. Kenzie felt her core tighten at what that meant and all her insecurities melted away even if she still wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Then what did you mean?” Kenzie asked. She squealed when he tossed her on the bed.
Finnick yanked his shirt off and then removed his boots.
Her mouth went dry as she took in the rigid muscles on his torso. Surprisingly he had no scars, or tattoos. Finnick was a glorious male specimen and she let her eyes trail down to that ‘V’ of muscles pointing downward and her brain just went stupid.
Kenzie ripped off her shirt and cardigan, showing off the bright red lace bra underneath. His sharp inhale was music to her ears. It only took a few seconds to get her shorts off. Finnick licked his lips when he took in the matching underwear. She grinned at him as she settled back against her pillows, leaving the boots and the socks on.
“Take off your clothes, slowly, while you try and explain to me why this is a mistake.”
“I never said this was a mistake, crazy girl,” Finnick growled at her. But he did as she said and slowly undid his belt while she watched hungrily. “I meant, I had made a mistake in thinking we could do the hard shit later, in thinking we could pretend none of this meant anything and we could just have fun.”
It was hard not to get emotional over that confession. Kenzie wanted to hear more but she also wanted him to fuck the shit out of her. “Prove it,” she told him. He grinned at her challenge and slowly unbuttoned his black jeans.
Now her mouth watered. Finnick was so fucking gorgeous it was almost hard to look right at him.
“I want you to know Kenzie,” he said, kicking off his jeans. “I think I’m falling for you and I’m pretty sure you’re falling for me too.”
Finnick removed the last shreds of fabric from his body and her eyes went right to the thick length of him. He was massive like all shifters supposedly were. Kenzie had had no idea what to expect. As a fox shifter he was physically smaller than say, Samuel who was nearly six foot five, but…he definitely hadn’t missed out on the giant penis attribute.
Then he was crawling onto her bed. He prowled towards her and somehow he didn’t look fucking ridiculous. The way he eyed her and the lack of a smile on his face amplified his predatory nature and Finnick looked starved.
It made her want to run.
So she did.
Kenzie rolled off the bed and bolted for the door, grinning her ass off. Play the game, she mentally begged. Come on, play with me.
Finnick growled and reached for her so fast she screeched when he grabbed hold, pressing against her. His skin was a thousand times softer than she thought it was going to be and instantly she relaxed into him.
They rolled onto the bed and somehow she ended up on top of him. The sensation of his cock against her hot pussy through the lace was almost too much. Kenzie closed her eyes as his hands dug into her hips, fingers pressing into her ass, urging her on.
“You think I’m falling for you?” she managed, gasping as he thrust. Kenzie was already so wet it was almost embarrassing.
“I know you are.” Finnick ripped the lace from her body. It annoyed her, but the feel of him against her with nothing in between made everything else seem pointless. “I can smell it on you. There’s affection.” He reached down and pressed his thumb to her clit.
Kenzie bucked against him and he used it to his advantage. Suddenly the head of his cock was pressed against her entrance and she stilled. This was moving really fast.
Finnick didn’t push through, he just stared up at her, eyes glowing gold. “There’s the smell of ‘mate’ that gets stronger every time I see you. The pain when you leave is getting worse. And then there’s this.”
His fingers slid over her folds, spreading the slickness around. Finnick stroked his thick cock with it, all without breaking eye contact. It made her pussy clench around his head and the ache was nearly unbearable. She wanted to slam down on top of him, but…
Was that what she wanted, or what a magical bond was pushing her to do?
“Does it matter?” he asked, like he’d heard her. “The urge to be near each other, the desperate need to be physical together – that’s the bond. But what else do you feel?” Finnick pushed up ever so slightly and he slid inside half an inch.
It made Kenzie groan and his hands caressed her thighs as they trembled. Not because it was hard to hold herself up, but because it took everything she had not to give in just yet.
“I feel…a connection. Despite our differences we are very similar,” she murmured, sliding down a little and this time Finnick was the one who groaned as she pulsed around him.
“You make me laugh,” she admitted, sliding down another inch. “And I love the way the three of you take care of each other.”
Finnick thrust again, urging her on. “What else?”
Fates, it felt so good. Her skin was so sensitive every touch was electric, even the soft caress on her thighs as he waited patiently for her to continue.
“Your story about the children in the cancer ward made
me cry,” she whispered, wriggling her hips. “And I think that was when I knew I might be in trouble…when I thought that maybe – maybe the mate bond wouldn’t be so bad.”
He pulled her down, all the way down. The sensation of being stretched like that, him slowly easing into her body as far as he could get…she couldn’t help the long moan when his hips finally met hers.
Kenzie opened her eyes and saw his were still blazing gold. The fox was close to the surface and for some reason that turned her on. Finnick was losing his careful control with her, he was letting her see the real him.
“What do you feel?” Kenzie asked as she started to gently ride his cock, pressing her hands into his chest so she could watch his face.
“I would die for you,” he snarled. “Kill for you. Anything you asked of me I would give.” Finnick gripped her ass hard, but he didn’t take the control away from her. “Whether we choose the mate bond or not, I am yours. Right now, right here. Ride me hard, babe. As hard as you can.”
Then he took her hands and placed them around his neck, tilting his chin ever so slightly so his throat was bared to her.
Oh geez, that was so much more than she’d been expecting. Her walls clenched around him while she considered the scene before her. Something about this kink, about his desire to surrender to her was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.
Finnick was a deadly predator that could snap her neck faster than the blink of an eye, but he was on his back, throat bared, and thrusting up into her, silently begging her for more.
So Kenzie rode him like he’d asked, gently squeezing his throat as she took her pleasure from him, meeting him thrust for thrust, grinding her clit against him until she was taking everything he offered and then some.
Her moans made him harder which stretched her more as she rode him rough, tits bouncing as she cried out. The edge was so near. Kenzie felt herself slipping over like she had before, and he didn’t even blink when he repeated the words that had shoved her right over.
“Fall for me, Kenzie.”