SWNOVELS Finn Rhodes Forever: Chapter 28
“YOUR FACE,” I said, shaking my head as we got back to the bar. My face hurt from laughing. “When Shannon brought up your labia, your face turned so red.”
She turned from the step in front of me and her eyes bugged out. “Oh my god. We need to stop saying that word. And you nearly choked when she said that.”
I couldn’t help my grin as I followed her into the hall between our apartments. Her weird dress was stained with red wine, and it made a swishing noise as she walked.
“You look like an egg in this thing,” I said, pointing at her outfit.
She tried to glare at me but her mouth twitched, giving her away.
I leaned on her doorframe. “You had fun tonight.”
She snorted. “Right, I brought two insane people to Avery’s restaurant and we didn’t even get dinner. So much fun.”
“I think you did have fun. I think you like poking at me, trying to get a rise out of me.”
The line of her throat moved as she swallowed. Her gaze flicked up to mine with a little frown. She pulled that plush lower lip into her mouth to bite it and I thought about her straddling my lap while we were camping last week, rocking against me as I tasted her.
In an instant, my cock was half hard.
I studied her pretty face, freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks, a pink flush from being in the sun and a little left over from her dinner plans gone awry, dark brows quirking up. The delicate line of her lips sloping up to her cupid’s bow.
“You didn’t eat,” she said suddenly.
Opportunity lifted its devious head in the back of my mind. Any chance to spend more time with Liv and I was in. I’d sit through a dozen more dinners with the Thompsons with a smile on my face if Liv was within arm’s reach.
“Neither did you.”
“I’m going to order pizza.” She unlocked her door. “Come on.”
I followed her in, watching as she flicked lights on and opened windows. I kicked my shoes off and took a seat on the couch, hands behind my head and gaze on her. She sent me quick glances before turning away, like she was nervous or something.
My eyes narrowed. The air in her apartment felt different from the last time I was here, waiting for her to put her boots on before we went hiking. Tonight, it felt charged, electrified. Sparking.
She tugged at her lacy collar like it was too tight. “I’m going to change.”
I nodded, eyes on her legs. They were lean, strong, and tanned from hiking. When I rested my hand there tonight, her skin was soft as silk. I wondered if she’d like it if I scraped her inner thighs with my five o’clock shadow. If she’d gasp.
She walked into her bedroom, but she left the door cracked. My gaze locked on that crack of light as I listened hard. A drawer sliding open and closed. A rustle of clothing. Another rustle. A grunt.
In her room, she sighed. “Finn?”
I sat up straight. “Yeah?”
The door opened. An adorable pink flush spanned her cheeks as she stared at me with a resigned expression. “I can’t get it off.”
I barked a laugh.
“Don’t.” Her nostrils flared. “Don’t you dare fucking laugh.”
I let out a loud ha! “You need help?”
“Only if you’re not going to be a dickhead about it.”
“I’m always a dickhead, Liv.” I stood and strode over to her.
That wicked part of me? It was fucking singing. My blood rushed through my veins. Her eyes widened as I advanced and I arched an eyebrow at her before whirling my finger in the air.
“Turn.”
She spun around, giving me her back.
“What the fuck?” I grimaced, lifting a ruffle. “There are a thousand buttons on this thing.”
“I know.” She turned and winced at me. “Sadie helped me put it on.”
“Didn’t think this through, did you?”
She shook her head.
I leaned in, mouth by her ear. “Or maybe you did.”
Her breath caught. “Are you going to help me or not?”
My mouth curled up. “Liv, I’ll always help you, even if I’m a dick about it.” I stood back and frowned at her outfit. It started out hideous, and now that it was stained in wine, it was going in the garbage.
I grabbed the top of the collar with both hands, fingers brushing Liv’s shoulders, and a shudder rolled down her back before I yanked the fabric.
She gasped as buttons flew, baring her back to me. I saw a flash of ink and black lace before she turned, clutching the remaining fabric to her chest. I was fully hard.
“Thanks,” she whispered, eyes wide.
My blood thickened watching her clutch the fabric like that. I could see the pulse going in her neck, a little tap-tap-tap, and her chest rose and fell faster than normal. Her brown eyes darkened as her pupils dilated and she did that fucking intoxicating lip-chewing thing that drove me up the wall.
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” I murmured, daring her.
She dropped the fabric and it fell to the floor, pooling at her feet.
“Oh, fuck,” I muttered, raking my hands through my hair.
Liv stood there in a thin black lace bra and panties, and my cock ached, straining against my zipper. I put a fist to my mouth as I memorized her body. The flare of her hips from her waist. The swell of her cleavage around her bra. I wanted to run my tongue over her. My heart thumped against the front wall of my chest. I pictured her long legs wrapped around my neck while I made her moan. A tattoo of a Douglas fir tree ran up the side of her torso, up her rib cage.
“Fuck, Liv.” My voice was raw.
Her gaze flicked down to my erection and her eyes hooded before she turned to grab the shorts and t-shirt lying on her bed. My control hung by a thread. I pictured us doing a thousand things in that bed. She pulled her t-shirt on and I stared at the curve of her ass in that thong, wanting to tear it off her. She bent over and pulled the shorts up before turning to me.
“What’s the matter, Finn?” she teased and I blinked.
I was so hard, it hurt. I got a flash of skin and I wanted to sink into her, fuck her into the mattress, make her come again and again until her voice was hoarse from shouting my name.
She breezed past me and the scent of her shampoo whooshed up my nose. My hands flexed and I dragged in a deep breath.
Tonight was going to test my control.
FORTY MINUTES LATER, we sat on the couch watching Bridesmaids and eating pizza.
I shifted to face her. “Did you know dinner was going to be that bad?”
She snorted and shook her head. “No. I’m so sorry.”
I shrugged. “Don’t be. I loved watching your face get more and more red.”
“I can’t believe she threw two glasses of wine.”
“You’ve been working in a bar for years, you’ve never seen someone throw a drink?”
She shifted, tucking her feet under her legs. “No. I’ve always wanted to see it, though.”
“So you’re saying you crossed something off your bucket list tonight.”
She grinned. “I guess so. I’ll bring Avery apology donuts tomorrow.”
“What else is on your list?” I asked her before taking a bite of pizza.
“Well, finding the flower.” Her mouth twisted and she wiggled her eyebrows at me. “You know that.”
“Mhm. What else?”
“Finishing my PhD, although I don’t care about having the letters after my name. I just want to work in forest research.” She glanced out the sliding glass door at the setting sun splashing orange and pink across the sky. “I think I want kids.” In her lap, her fingers hooked around each other as she fidgeted. She met my gaze and pressed her mouth into a thin line before shrugging.
This slice of Liv’s heart made my chest ache. It felt like she had peeled back one layer of the armor around herself to show me her skin, even if I hurt her before.
“Multiple kids?”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Yeah. Being an only child can be kind of lonely. I got lucky.”
“How?”
Her gaze warmed. “Well, there was a whole house of kids next door.”
“Mhm.” I kept my eyes on her, even if she could barely look at me. “Having me made you less lonely?”
She nodded. “There’s no guarantee of having a kid next door to be best friends with like I had. I know kids are expensive and have tantrums and ruin your sleep but I want two.”
I reached out and set my hand on the couch between us, palm up like I had a handful of birdseed, waiting for a wary bird to land and say hello.
“You want two because you want your kids to have what we had? Best friends like that?” I asked.
She stared at my hand, nodded, and dropped her palm into mine. My heart thumped a steady, excited rhythm in my chest at the contact of her warm, soft skin. I stroked my thumb back and forth, back and forth.
“Liv?” My voice was low.
Her gaze lifted to mine.
“Do you want to…” I trailed off, huffing a laugh.
“What?” Curiosity and heat rose in her eyes.
“Do you want to throw a glass of wine in my face?”