She knew there was some prejudice still out there and some people didn’t think it was right for humans and monsters to mingle. For her, it was about deep connection and she didn’t really care about who she fell in love with. One thing she knew she needed was trust. And there was just something about Finn, something deep in her gut that was telling her he was the right one. That she could trust him.
Except, it was that grumpiness.
Pearl had insinuated that he liked her, but she had a hard time believing that. Especially when he stormed out of the dinner the moment dancing started. Dancing with Sven and then Phineas had been fine, but that’s not who she wanted to dance with last night.
In her dreams, it wasn’t either of those two she had been riding.
It had been Finn.
The boat tripacross the lake and to the other side was a bit longer than yesterday, and Finn hadn’t been lying about the choppy conditions. She’d had worse experiences, but the farther they got from Harmony Glen, the faster the clouds seemed to be moving in.
Finn wasn’t saying much, but he helped her with her gear and went out with her as she collected the samples she needed in the rough water. As she bottled the last specimen, she glanced over at Finn who was watching the sky. Brows furrowed and a look of concern.
“A storm rolling in?” she asked.
He nodded. “Aye. I think we need to head back to the marina.”
“I think that’s a good plan.”
Finn paddled the dingy back to his houseboat and together they got the equipment and the dingy back on board. Once everything was secure, Finn went off to start the engine just a crack of thunder rumbled through the sky, followed by a flash of lightning and then a downpour of rain.
Margaid followed him into the bridge, shaking off her rain gear. “Was this storm in the marine forecast?”
“No. If it was, I would’ve cancelled your trip for the day,” he said tightly. He turned the engine over, but it sputtered, not catching. He tried again. “Damn, I think the engine is flooded.”
“Well, let me help.”
He looked at her like he was going to say no, but then nodded. “Follow me and keep the hip waders on, if the engine is hydrolocked, there’s probably a little bit more than bilge water down there.”
“I know. I’m a marine biologist and I’ve been on my fair share of boats.”
A smile crept on his face and he nodded quickly. She followed him down into the very lower decks where the engine was kept and where all the systems of the boat were. As they got down there, she could see there was a bit more water and it was coming in through a small leak.
Finn got to work, straight away plugging the hole. She stood there and handed him tools that he asked for, while she got to admire him work. This wasn’t his first rodeo. After they made sure that no more excess water was getting in, it was time to check the engine which appeared to be, indeed, hydrolocked.
It was nice to work side by side, in somewhat silence, though nothing needed to be said. In this moment working together, there was nothing awkward about the situation. As Finn opened the values and removed the plugs, water poured out of it, and then he made sure he dried off the plugs before putting them back in.
“I’m going to manually start from here,” he said. “Fingers crossed.”
“They’re crossed.” And she held up her hands.
He started the engine and after a sputter, it came to life. They shared a smile together and then headed back up to the helm. As they made their way outside, the rain was coming down hard and there was a bolt of lightning that struck a tree on thenearby shore. It was so loud and so close, she could smell the ions in the atmosphere and the crack made her scream. Finn let out a whinny, like he was terrified, and placed his body over hers, pushing her against the side of the houseboat. His hard, muscular body pressed against hers. She could feel every hard plane of him. His face inches from hers, she could drink in that musky smell of him that was also mixed with a bit of grease from the engine. Either way, it made her pulse race and her blood heat, thinking about what else was hard under his clothes.
“Are you okay?” she asked, finally finding her breath.
“Yeah, sorry.” He looked down at her, but wasn’t moving from his protective stance. “Lightning killed my father.”
“Oh,” she said tenderly. “Well, maybe we should head back to the marina before this storm gets any worse.”
“Right.” Finn stepped back and she was kind of sad that he was no longer pressed against her, but it wasn’t safe to linger out on the deck in a storm that was getting worse. It was much safer for them to head back to Harmony Glen.
She followed him into the helm and sat down in a little chair as he began maneuvering the houseboat through the choppy waters. The rain was pouring down in sheets. The thunder and lightning were getting worse and Finn’s knuckles were white on the wheel.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t much like storms like this,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Because of your dad?”
