“Finn, you can’t?—”
I cut off her protest with a kiss. I’d meant for it to be quick—a distraction—but I couldn’t seem to pull away. Licking across the seam of her lips, she opened on a moan and I surged inside. She tasted like coffee and sin, an enticing combination. Our tongues swirled in a wicked dance while the world around us faded into the background. My hand dropped to her ass at the same time a driver honked his horn down the street. Slowly, our surroundings came back into focus.
“Holy shit,” Waverly uttered breathlessly.
Dark clouds blotted out the sun and thunder rumbled in the distance. The sound had the crowds of people on the sidewalk picking up their pace, determined to reach their destination before the first drop fell from the sky. Still, I didn’t move. Even as my feisty agent pressed against my chest in order to put distance between us, I held firm.
“Finn.” She frowned.
“We’re starting something special here, beautiful,” Ikissed the corner of her downturned mouth. “We can’t build a future if I’m five hundred eighty-three miles away.”
“That’s my point exactly. Moving five hundred eighty-three miles is a bit extreme. Don’t you see that?”
“All I see is you.”
“Sap.” She rolled her emerald eyes.
“I’ve been called worse. Nothing will change my mind.”
“Did I mention hardheaded?”
“Pot meet kettle.” I lifted a brow. “As much as I’d love to stay here and argue with you for the rest of the day, I’m meeting a realtor in twenty minutes.”
“So this is really happening.” She wiggled in my arms. This time, I reluctantly let her go, fisting my hands at my sides when she took a step back.
“Short of you telling me to kick rocks, it is. Even then, I wouldn’t give you up without a helluva fight.”
“Okay.”
There it was. Acceptance, of sorts. With one word, she eased my mind marginally, but I wasn’t delusional. Neither the move, nor our relationship would be a cakewalk. With that in mind, I’d never steered away from an honest days’ work and I wasn’t about to start now.
“Okay?”
“For now,” she huffed. “Be careful today.”
Now wasn’t the time to bring up the fact Wes would be arriving sometime today. I’d keep that little morsel of information to myself a while longer.
“I will.” Closing the gap, I kissed her again. “See you tonight.”
Without giving her a chance to question me, I sprinted down the steps and climbed behind the wheel of my SUV. Flipping through my texts, I entered the address Noreensent at the crack of dawn into the navigation system, then pulled away from the curb.
Seventeen minutes later, I arrived at my destination just as a light rain began to fall. There were no other cars in the small side lot, which meant I’d beat the realtor. Grabbing an umbrella, I stepped out, walking around to the front of the building to assess the surrounding area.
The neighborhood reminded me of New York, minus the congestion and noise. Tall buildings—though not quite skyscrapers—littered both sides of the streets. Some were commercial properties, like the one I was there to look at, while others were residential. In between was a healthy mix of restaurants and small mom-and-pop-type businesses.
“Mr. O’Lachlan?” a male voice called out.
I spun around to face a man who looked to be about my age, maybe a few years younger. He was casually dressed in khaki pants, a dark blue button-down with no tie, and a pair of nondescript brown loafers.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Lewis Harper, from Harper and Sons Realty.” He held out his hand.
“Finnian O’Lachlan.”
You could tell a lot about a person from the way they shook a hand. His was firm and brief; professional to the core. I liked that.
“Shall we?”
