by Marie Force
“Maybe.” Chloe shrugged, afraid to jinx it by saying too much too soon. “It’s new.”
“I remember that stage with Alex,” Jenny said with a smile and a sigh. “It was so exciting, even if I felt like I went days without sleeping. Did you ever hear how we met?”
“I don’t know if I did.”
“I was living at the lighthouse and had been complaining to the town about the grass not getting cut out there. He showed up at dawn with the biggest monster lawn mower I’ve ever seen, and after he woke me up, I threw tomatoes from my garden at him.”
“You did not!”
“I did! Hit him square in the back.” She laughed. “I wish I’d gotten a picture of his face when he turned around, boiling with outrage, to catch me in my skimpiest nightgown. It was during that heat wave we had a few years back.” Jenny fanned her face. “It was hot from the start with him.”
“Sounds like it.”
“We were up against it, though.” Her expression sobered. “He and Paul were contending with their mom’s worsening health, and I was, well, still pretty much a mess after losing Toby.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, Jenny. You and Erin are my heroes.” Toby’s twin sister, Erin, had fallen for the island’s favorite pilot, Slim Jackson, after she replaced Jenny as the lighthouse keeper.
“That’s nice of you to say, but everyone is dealing with something, you know?”
“I do know.” She knew all too well.
“The one thing I’ve learned is that when true love comes along, you have to grab it with and never let it go. It’s the greatest thing there is. After I lost Toby, I never expected to feel that way again, but then along came Alex with his monster lawn mower, and there it was.”
“I love that story. Thanks for sharing it with me.”
“Maybe Finn is your Alex, hmmm?”
Chloe laughed at Jenny’s shamelessness. “I guess we’ll see.”
Chapter 22
Hours later, Chloe lay on her side, staring at Finn on the pillow next to hers while trying to decide how she’d completely lost control of this situation—in the best possible way. She’d arrived at his house with the best of intentions to slow things down. Her intentions had flown out the window when he greeted her in a towel, still dripping from the shower.
She’d taken one look at that perfect man chest and her intentions had evaporated.
He caressed her arm, outlining her ink with his fingertip. “What’re you thinking about?”
“About you coming to the door in a towel and reducing my brain to pudding.”
His laughter lit up his beautiful face. “Did I do that?”
“You know you did. In fact, I think you did it on purpose.”
“That would be awfully conniving of me.”
“I wouldn’t put it past you.”
Finn slid his leg between hers, drawing her in closer to him. He touched her with gentle reverence, making sure to never hurt her. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling quite good, thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but you have to tell me if anything ever hurts. I couldn’t bear to hurt you.”
“Thank you for that, but I’m okay.”
“You’ll tell me if you aren’t? Any time?”
“I will.”
With his hand on her face, he kissed her. “I promised you dinner.”
“I’m a big fan of dessert before dinner.”
He laughed, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I’m completely hooked on you. I hope you know that.”
As she was unprepared for him to say that, Chloe’s throat tightened with emotion.
“Is that okay?”
She nodded because that was all she could do.
“You’re still not convinced this is a good idea, are you?”
“I want to be, but I still think it’s not the best idea for you.”
“Is it okay if I decide that for myself?”
“Of course, but—”
He kissed the words off her lips. “No buts. I’m exactly where I want to be with the person I want to be with. I heard everything you said this morning, and I respect your concerns. In fact, I read up on RA this afternoon.”
“You did?”
“Yep. I wanted to know what we’re dealing with.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“What?” he asked, alarmed.
“It’s very sweet of you to care.”
“I do care. I care deeply, and I want to understand it. After reading about it, I feel so bad that you’ve had to deal with this on your own. It must’ve been so scary to get that diagnosis.”
“It was. It took a long time to get a definitive diagnosis because I tested negative for the RA factor, which happens sometimes. So in some ways, it was a relief to know what it was, but the relief was quickly eclipsed by the panic about how it will affect my livelihood.”
“I have an idea about that.”
“What idea do you have?”
“I’m not sure if I should share it until I know if it’s feasible.”
“You can’t dangle that and not tell me!”
Smiling, he said, “I’m sorry. This afternoon, I was thinking about whether we might incorporate a salon and spa into the Wayfarer that you could manage. After the spa that opened a few years ago went out of business when the owner got arrested for tax fraud last winter, I’ve been thinking someone needed to open a new one. Why not you? If you were the boss, you wouldn’t have to do the actual haircutting anymore.”
Chloe stared at him, incredulous. “You can’t just come swooping into my life and try to solve all my problems.”
“Why not?”
“Because! It doesn’t work like that.”
“Why can’t it work like that?”
Chloe had never met anyone like him.
He kissed away her tears. “It’s a McCarthy family trait. We see a problem, we want to fix it. It’s not my fault. Blame the DNA.” His lips slid over hers, seductive and persuasive. The cut on the right side of his lower lip hadn’t kept him from kissing her passionately earlier or from doing it again now.
Chloe was powerless to resist him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her fingers in the soft silk of his hair, lost to him and the desire that simmered between them all the time. Being naked with him ranked right up there as the most thrilling thing she’d ever experienced.
“Finn.”
“Hmm.”
“Let me this time.” She wanted to show him that despite her challenges, she was more than capable of holding her own when it came to sex. At least for now.
He lay back on the pillows, watching her with those sexy blue eyes that slayed her, waiting to see what she would do.
On her knees, Chloe leaned in to kiss the prominent jut of his collarbone, taking little nips that made him gasp.
His fingers combed through her hair, and his breathing became choppy. Knowing he wanted her so fiercely empowered her to make this good for him. She wanted to give something back to him, to find a way to let him know how much his care and concern meant to her.
Skimming her lips over the finely honed muscles of his chest and abdomen, Chloe smiled at his sharp inhale and the way his fingers tightened their hold on her hair.
Her mouth watered when his hard cock strained for her attention, which she was happy to give, starting at the base with her tongue on his balls.
“Fuck… Chloe.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “Babe.”
She heard the desperation in his tone and fed it by wrapping her lips around the broad tip and sucking gently.
“God. Chloe. So good. Don’t stop.” His hips came off the bed, and his grip on her hair tightened until her scalp tingled. That only added to the pleasure for her.
Fueled by his enthusiasm, she slid her lips down farther, taking as much of him as she could.
He made a desperate noise that was a cross between a moan and a groan.
Chloe added some tongue
action.
“Stop. Christ… Chloe.”
She didn’t stop.
His hips came off the bed in the second before he exploded.
Chloe stayed with him until he sagged into the mattress, panting, arms over his head. She released him slowly and then looked up to find him watching her with sizzling eyes that were so full of affection that she could barely process everything she felt coming from him in that hyper-charged moment. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve never been better.” He crooked his finger. “Come here.”
She grimaced when all her joints protested the movement.
Finn sat up to meet her halfway, wrapping his arms around her and cuddling her into his chest. “You’re hurting.”
“Just a twinge when I moved. I’m okay.”
“That was… You wrecked me.”
“Did I?”
“You did.” He rolled on a condom and then tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. “Sexiest fucking thing ever.”
“How’s your lip?”
“It’s fine.” Moving carefully, he arranged her so she straddled him. “Is this okay?”
“Yes.” Chloe moaned when his reawakened cock nudged against her clit. She would be sore tomorrow, but she would worry about that then. For now, she would chase the pleasure.
“Is that a good moan?”
“Mmm-hmmm.” She hated that he had to ask, that he watched her with concern when he should be losing himself in the moment. Now that he knew about her condition, he would always ask. Her heart sank a bit at that realization.
“What’s wrong?”
He paid attention, he cared, he saw the very heart of her, and that scared her.
Eager to get his attention back where it belonged, she kissed his neck. “Nothing.”
“You’d tell me if something hurts?”
“I will. Don’t worry about me.”
“Can’t help it.” His hands slid down her back to cup her ass, lifting her. He entered her slowly, carefully, stretching her to the absolute limit as he brought her down in increments. “So good,” he said on a long exhale. “So, so good.”
Everything about this was good, except the part where he treated her like she was made of glass and might shatter if he moved the way he had the night before when he hadn’t known about the RA. She would never see that version of him again, and that made her sad for them both.
* * *
Finn had never understood the expression “on top of the world” until he had been there, and after two nights in bed with Chloe, he was still floating somewhere well above the top of the world. Tonight, they were meeting Riley and Nikki for dinner at the Wayfarer, where Anthony and the waitstaff would be doing final tests of the house specials and working out any kinks in the service ahead of the grand opening to the public.
He arrived at Chloe’s fifteen minutes after she closed the salon and waited for her to get home while Ranger barked inside. Finn wished he could go inside to feed him for her, but he didn’t have a key and didn’t think they were “there” yet.
He was there. He’d happily give her the keys to his entire life, but he didn’t want to freak her out by letting her see how excited he was about her.
While he waited, he pulled out his cell phone to make a call that he couldn’t put off any longer. He found the number he needed and pressed Send, holding his breath while he waited for Clint to answer. Finn hoped he didn’t have to leave a message.
“Hey, Finn. What’s up?” Clint sounded rushed and stressed.
Finn grimaced. He hated this. “So, um…”
Clint let out a loud groan. “Don’t do this to me, Finn.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Ugh, you and your brother are going to be the death of me.”
“I feel so bad, but some things have changed, and I’m staying on Gansett for now.”
“What is it about that place that makes it so hard for you guys to leave it?”
“So many things.” Especially the realization that if he got to be with Chloe, he’d never want to leave. “Our entire family is here, and we’re opening a new business, and there’s just a lot happening. I’m really sorry to be flaky with you, and I know Riley feels the same way. We both intended to come back, but then life happened.”
“I get it. I don’t like it, but I do get it.”
“I hope we haven’t completely burned our bridges with you.”
“Nah. I’m always in need of good people who do the job without the drama, so if you get tired of being marooned out there, call me before you call anyone else.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you again for being so great to us. Riley and I both appreciate it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep in touch and call me if you need me to send a rescue boat to pick you up.”
Finn ended the call laughing. Clint wasn’t the first to say that to Finn or Riley since they moved to the island. Their college friends, who came out to visit for a weekend the previous summer, had wanted to kidnap them and bring them home. Their mom had repeatedly asked what was so great about a remote island and when were they coming home.
He dreaded having to tell his mom that his plans had changed and would have to let her know soon.
Chloe drove into the driveway, parked next to him, smiled and waved, and Finn was reminded of why his plans had changed. He got out of his truck to greet her.
“Sorry. Were you waiting long? My last client was late arriving.”
“I just got here. No worries. But Ranger is ready for his dinner.”
“So I hear.”
Finn followed her to the door, noting the slight limp that came from a long day on her feet. He wanted to help her find a way to simplify her life so she could make a living without having to be on her feet using her hands all day. In the morning, he was having breakfast with his uncle Mac to pitch the idea of a spa and salon at the Wayfarer. He hoped the others could be convinced and that they’d want Chloe to manage it for them.
After she fed Ranger and let him out, she headed for her bedroom. “I’ll be just a minute.”
“Take your time.” Finn wondered if he’d asked too much of her by making plans for the evening after she’d had such a long day at work. His stomach churned with nerves as he tried to navigate her situation with the proper amount of empathy that didn’t stray into the area of pity, which she did not want.
He’d never confronted a situation quite like this one and wanted to do the right things. If only he knew for sure what the right things were. As much as it pained him to admit it, he needed advice from his dad the shrink, who always had advice to give—so much so that his sons often begged him to let up.
But he was flying blind with Chloe, and he didn’t like the feeling that he might screw up this incredibly important relationship at any second by saying or doing the wrong thing.
Perilous. That’s how this felt, and he hated that. Even though she’d come around somewhat, he still wasn’t sure of where he stood with her.
They enjoyed being around each other, were incredible in bed and had chemistry to spare, but would that be enough to build on, or would it take more to make a go of this? Finn didn’t know, and he hated not knowing. He’d been waiting his whole life to feel the way he did about her, and to be so uncertain about so many things had his emotions in an uproar.
Chloe came out of the back room wearing a clingy blue dress that tied at the waist and carrying a faded denim jacket. “Is this okay? Not sure of the dress code at the Wayfarer.”
“You look beautiful, as always.” He admired the effortless way she combined clothes and makeup and accessories to look stylish and put together.
“Thank you.”
“Hey.”
She looked over at him.
Finn held out his arms to her.
After an initial hesitation, she came to him and stepped into his embrace.
He held her close, breathing in the scent that was so uniquely hers, the disquiet within him settling when her arms slid around his
waist. “That’s better.” He kissed the top of her head. “Was today a really, really long day, or was it just me?”
“It was just you.” Then she laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
He loved that she’d teased him. “That’s not nice. I’m hanging by a thread here, and you’re being mean to me.”
She looked up at him. “Why are you hanging by a thread?”
“It’s you. You’re all I can think about. I count the hours until I can see you again. I want to spend every minute with you that I can, and I have never, ever, ever felt like this before.”
“Finn…”
He didn’t wait to hear what she was going to say, preferring to kiss her before she could tell him he needed to take it down a notch or be less honest and forthcoming or whatever she might say. When it came to her, he didn’t know how to be less forthcoming. Their kiss quickly spiraled from sweet and undemanding to sensual and needy, making him wish he hadn’t made plans with Riley.
Finn withdrew slowly, placing soft kisses on her lips, nose and forehead. “We messed up your lipstick.”
She reached up to rub her thumb on his lip. “You’re wearing most of it.”
He puckered up. “Is it a good look on me?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Are you okay?”
The look she gave him made him wonder if he shouldn’t have asked that—again. But how was he going to know if he didn’t ask?
She gave a brief nod, patted Ranger on the head and led the way out the door.
Finn followed her, bringing the desperate feeling that he was messing this up with him as he walked to the truck.
Chapter 23
Chloe had looked forward to seeing him all day, had been thrilled to find him waiting for her outside her home and had loved the way he’d held and kissed her as well as the things he’d said about never having felt the way he did about her.
But…
Always a but.
Was she doing the right thing becoming more involved with him by the day? Was it the right thing to have dinner with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend, as if she and Finn were a couple? Was it the right thing to let him propose a salon and spa at the Wayfarer to help solve her most pressing concern? She had prided herself on being completely independent since she’d aged out of the foster system, so allowing someone else to step in and try to help her went against everything she had believed in prior to her diagnosis.