SWNOVELS Finn Rhodes Forever: Chapter 38
ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, I led Finn down the street to our next date.
“What are you grinning about?” Finn murmured in my ear, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“Just excited to take you on a romantic date.” I flattened my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh.
God, I couldn’t wait to see his face when he figured it out. I’d given up trying to get him to dump me, but I still loved trying to rattle him.
A little part of me wanted to see how he’d react, too. Would he get me back? In my mind, I heard the smack of his hand on my ass.
“Cold?”
“Hmm?” I looked up at him. “What?”
“You shivered.” His eyes glittered. Even though there was a light breeze coming off the nearby marina, the sun was warm and pleasant.
“Oh.” My face heated and I hid my smile. “Nope. Not cold.”
His gaze flicked down the t-shirt dress I had on. I didn’t wear skirts or dresses often but something about Finn holding off on us having sex made me want to tease him a bit. His eyes lingered on the neckline, pinning me with something focused and hungry.
We stopped in front of Pemberley Books, Hannah’s bookstore.
“We’re here,” I told Finn, stomach bubbling and fizzing with excitement.
God, I couldn’t wait to fuck with him.
He narrowed his eyes at the store but I pulled him inside.
Hannah’s bookstore was gorgeous. Her mom had started it when Hannah was a baby, and after she passed, Hannah and her dad ran it. A few years ago, with the help of Wyatt and his family, Hannah had fixed it up into something whimsical. The wallpaper burst with big flowers, fluffy lighting hung from the ceilings, and the bookshelves were new, sturdy, and gleaming. Outside, a bright, spectacular mural decorated the side of the building. She sold only romance books, because that was her favorite genre and the books made people happy.
Hannah had changed when she and Wyatt got closer. She had always been painfully shy, but remembering her belting out the Spice Girls at the bar karaoke night always brought a smile to my face. Wyatt helped her come out of her shell and shine brighter.
Hannah processed a customer’s sale at the desk while Wyatt wandered the store with Cora in his arms. She was pointing at all the different book covers and babbling while Wyatt watched her with a sweet, adoring expression. Cora waved at her mom and Hannah beamed and waved back.
Is that what happened when you fell in love? You turned into a better, brighter version of yourself? My stomach flipped as I glanced at Finn and he sent a wink back at me.
Being with Finn made me better. He made me less grumpy and more playful, and everything was more fun. Around him, I couldn’t think of things to be grumpy about.
I couldn’t even imagine how good it would be to feel like this forever. It couldn’t possibly last. The thought sent a chill through my blood.
Hannah glanced up.
“Hey, you two.” She gave us an odd smile. “Are you here for the book club?”
I nodded. “We sure are.”
Her eyes went wide and she bit back a grin, glancing at Finn. “Okay, then.”
Finn nudged me. “Book club, huh? I know the kinds of books Hannah sells.” His gaze flared and he lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you want me to read smut to you, Morgan, all you have to do is ask.”
I coughed to hide my laugh. This was going to be so good.
At the back of the bookstore, a few people from town gathered. Miri and Don were there. Naya, the artist who painted the mural outside, was chatting with Thérèse, one of Hannah’s friends.
“Oh, look,” I said in a casual tone, tapping Finn’s arm. “Dot’s here.” Dot chatted enthusiastically with a woman who worked at the grocery store.
Finn frowned. “Okay.”
The door opened and Elizabeth walked in.
Beside me, Finn stiffened. “Mom.”
She paused inside the door, regarding us with an amused smile. “Hello, Finn. Olivia.”
I gave her a nod, glancing between her and Finn.
Finn’s eyes narrowed and he glanced down at me. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.”
He winced. “Is this going to be weird?”
“Yep.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, you’re on. I’m going to go chat with Wyatt for a bit.”
I took a seat and watched him wander over to his brother and niece. Elizabeth took the seat beside me.
She studied me with that little smile. “Is this going to be a regular thing?”
“Probably not.”
She smiled wider. “I figured as much. I’m beginning to think Finn isn’t the only devil around here.”
“I’m trying to expand his mind, Elizabeth.” I adopted an innocent expression.
“I’m sure.” Her eyes glittered and she opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, studying me.
I raised my eyebrows at her, waiting.
“I’m sure you’ll be working but we’re having a family dinner the last Friday of the month.” Her smile lifted as she watched me. “We’d love for you to join.”
She said it like she expected me to say no, the way I always said no.
“Sure,” I told her. I had a shift but could easily find another bartender to fill in for me. “That would be great.”
The apples of her cheeks popped as she smiled wider. “Excellent.”
I nodded, and my gaze strayed to where Finn was holding Cora, bouncing her up and down while she laughed.
My heart squeezed. Holy hell, that was cute. Finn with a baby, being silly with her, smiling at her like that? My ovaries did backflips, begging for attention. I couldn’t tear my eyes off them. Wyatt leaned against the bookshelf, glancing between his daughter and Hannah on the other side of the store, and a funny tension wrapped around my heart.
Longing.
For the first time, I wanted what they had.
Maybe I had always wanted it, I just never let myself consider it.
Finn blew a raspberry on Cora’s belly and her giggling filled the entire store. I remembered what Finn had said about wanting to be all my firsts. Wanting to fill a house up with a bunch of kids.
I turned back around and clasped my hands together in my lap. Hesitation rattled my chest, like I was getting too close to a good thing and the bubble would pop, or I’d wake up from the dream.
Elizabeth pulled a paperback from her tote bag. The pages were littered with colored tabs, and she flipped to one of them.
Beside me, Finn took his seat as Wyatt and Cora waved goodbye to Hannah. Elizabeth’s gaze flicked to Finn and mischief sparked in her eyes, reminding me of him.
She leaned in, close to my ear. “Shall we make this fun?”
Anticipation fluttered in my chest. “Yes, please.”
Miri strode into the seating area and encouraged everyone to take their seats. “First, I’d like to welcome our two guests, Olivia and Finn.” She smiled at us. “Welcome to this month’s book club, where we will be discussing the third book in Rinalda Davenport’s My Big Sexy Alien series, The Warlord’s Thunderous Desire.”
Oh my god. This was better than I could have imagined. It wasn’t uncommon for Hannah to shove books at me; she had a knack for recommending the perfect book for each individual. When things at school were stressful, I’d read a few chapters before bed and it helped me forget about the endless list of things I had to do.
Some of those alien romances? They were dirty in the best way. I snuck a peek at Finn. His face was blank.
He had no freaking clue what was about to happen.
He slid an amused glance at me. “Thunderous Desire?” he mouthed, and I wiggled my eyebrows.
Miri flipped her book open. “We all know what we need to discuss first.”
“The penises,” Elizabeth said, and Finn snorted.
“Do we ever.” Don threw his hands up. “They’re getting out of hand. Literally. They’re so big the main female character couldn’t get both hands around it.”
Finn’s eyes were wide. “Wow.”
Dot cut into the conversation. “One of my favorite tropes of alien romance is that they can go bareback.” She nodded with enthusiasm. “It really is better.”
Finn bowed his head and I smiled at Dot. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hannah put a hand over her mouth.
Elizabeth put her hand up. “I loved the plethora of penises,” she announced. “And I agree, Dot, that bareback is the way to go as long as it’s safe. For our guests, I’ll read a quick description.” She glanced to Finn. “Of the alien penises.”
He winced.
Miri nodded as if Elizabeth was offering her a cup of tea. “We’d love that.”
Elizabeth cleared her throat before reading from the page. “His member was thick and long like a Subway sandwich.”
Hannah snorted before she hid her face in her book. I couldn’t help the huge grin on my face. This was going even better than I had hoped. Beside me, Finn stared at his mom in horror.
“The sac hung heavy between his legs, swinging like two hefty water balloons,” Elizabeth continued, ignoring Finn.
What a champ. She wasn’t even laughing.
“Thick liquid dripped from the tip of his gargantuan hog, indicating his desire for his mate. When Lily’s wide eyes met with the intimidating member, it began to buzz.”
Don and Miri broke into applause.
“A vibrating penis with a clit massager at the base,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head in wonder. “The multitude of penis features in alien romance is perhaps my favorite part of the niche.”
I held a giant laugh in. Finn’s eyes burned my skin. It was like Elizabeth was trying to say penis as many times as possible.
“Shall we talk about the plot?” Thérèse asked.
“We’ll get there,” Miri assured her. “If there’s time. I loved the author’s use of peppermint-flavored semen.”
Elizabeth nodded. “It seemed like it was a toothpaste consistency, didn’t it?”
Don pointed at her, eyes wide. “Like toothpaste squirting out of the tube.”
Beside me, Finn closed his eyes, probably trying to evaporate into the air or block this afternoon from his memory.
“Toothpaste,” I whispered, and he met my gaze, shaking his head.
“You are so dead,” he whispered back, and a thrill ran through me.
Elizabeth flipped through the pages to about three-quarters of the way through the book. “Let’s discuss the inclusion of butt stuff in this novel.”
Finn shook his head. “No,” he begged his mom.
“Finn.” She gave him a long look and I nearly burst out laughing. “Please be mature about this. In my experience, anal sex can be quite romantic.”
A delirious laugh rose up my throat but I held it down. Across the circle, Hannah stared at me, shaking her head slightly with bright eyes.
I owe you, I mouthed at her, but she grinned, looking equal parts horrified and amused.
I’m used to it, she mouthed back, sliding her gaze to Don and Miri.
To Finn, I raised my eyebrows. Giving in?
He dragged in a deep breath like he was steeling himself for war before shaking his head.
Miri lit up. “What an exciting surprise that was. Who knew anal sex could be so romantic?”
“In my experience—” Elizabeth started.
“Welp, this is fucking horrifying.” Finn grabbed my hand and stood. “We’ve got somewhere to be.”
“So soon?” Elizabeth gave him a bright smile, and I saw that Finn had inherited every ounce of his troublemaking from this woman.
He hauled me to the door. “Thanks for having us,” he called over his shoulder.
“Come back next month, we’re discussing a polar bear shifter romance!” Miri’s voice rang out as Finn pulled me through the door.
In the alley beside the bookstore, he backed me against the bright yellow mural with fire and amusement in his eyes.
“Did you find that funny?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes.” My voice was a whisper. A laugh sat right below my vocal cords. “I did.”
He blinked slowly, holding my gaze. “So on the next date, we get to do whatever I want, right?”
My nerves spiked. “What do you mean?”
The cruel line of his mouth hooked up and something dangerous and playful flared in his eyes. Between my legs, heat coiled. I didn’t think I’d ever had so much fun.
“I mean,” he said, low and dark, “that you’ve had your fun, and next time we go out, I get to have my fun.”
A thousand images projected in my mind of Finn and me naked, tangled in the sheets. Skin on skin. Chests heaving for air, his hand between my legs. His tongue between my legs, firm and unrelenting. Gripping his hair, shuddering around him as he thrust inside me.
“Okay.” My voice was so quiet. “Fine.”
“Good.” His expression turned wicked and smug before he brightened up. “Hungry?”
I beamed at him and nodded.
WE SPENT the rest of the afternoon at The Arbutus, eating a late lunch and then sharing drinks with Emmett and Avery, talking and laughing on the patio.
We walked home down Main Street, and Finn took my hand. My mind wandered back to my realization the other day about my biological father.
I peered up at him. “I’m going to reach out to Cole.”
His eyebrows shot sky-high. “Really?”
I nodded, and when he squeezed my hand, I felt a boost of support, like the ground beneath my feet was more solid.
“What changed your mind?”
“You.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “When we laid the cards all out on the table, there were two sides to the story.” My shoulders lifted. “It wasn’t right and wrong.”
He was quiet a moment as we walked. “And you think that might be the case with Cole,” he said quietly, and I nodded.
“I don’t even know what I would say to him.” My stomach twinged with worry. Hi, remember me?
Oh, god. What if he didn’t remember me?
“Hey.” Finn stopped and turned me to him, worry written on his face. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’ll help you. We can call him together if you like.”
It was so unfair how he could be such a devilish asshole one moment, and the next, he was the sweetest person I could ever imagine.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
He winked at me, hands on my shoulders.
“Your mom invited me for dinner,” I said with a little smile.
“Yeah?” His eyebrows lifted as he gauged my reaction. “And?”
I shrugged. “And I said yes.”
His gaze bored into me. “Like, with everyone, or just us four?”
“She said family dinner, so I think that means everyone.”
“Baby.” His smile stretched ear to ear and my stomach did backflips.
I rolled my eyes. “Relax.”
He walked me backwards until my back was against the nearest wall and he was staring down at me with bright eyes. “This is big.”
I shrugged. “Whatever.” My hands were on his chest, smoothing over the fabric of his t-shirt, the ridges and muscles beneath.
“Mhm.” His eyes danced as he dipped his head down. His hands threaded into the hair at the back of my neck and against my will I sighed, making his smug grin hitch higher. “This is big.”
He kissed me against the wall. I melted under his touch, opening for him as we made out like teenagers for everyone to see. People passed us by and I didn’t care.
I just liked being with him. I was falling for Finn Rhodes, slipping down the slope into a life with him, and I didn’t want it to end.