“Fuck me. Finn,” Sam said, firmly. “I want you to fuck me.”
“Say please,” Finn teased her, sliding out slowly.
“Please!” Sam shifted her hips, her legs pulling him back inside her.
A guttural groan escaped from Finn. He surged against her, plunging into her as she cried his name over and over, her climax building for a second time with each eagerthrust until she was bucking uncontrollably beneath him, her breath coming in gasps, her cries rasping in her throat. Everything faded except for the feel of him, the heat, the intensity. She broke, pleasure surging more intensely through her than she’d ever felt before—hot, crazy, like wildfire. With a cry of his name, she tumbled over the edge. He held her gently as she came, his body shuddering as she shook beneath him. Her hands found his hips, then his ass, and she pulled him deeper into her, rocking against him, begging him to come with her.
Suddenly he grabbed her, grasping her tightly as he stilled slightly, then his body convulsed, shaking as he reached a crescendo. He held his breath as he came, his body stiffening as he cried out her name. Gasping, he laid his forehead against hers and pulled in a ragged breath. Lying down beside her, he threw his arm over his eyes, as if embarrassed. Sam snuggled closer to him, almost unsure what to do next. She’d never experienced this kind of feeling before, this sensation of closeness, and of being completely safe. At home even. She slowly released a breath. Was he feeling the same way? Was he nervous too? She felt the muscles on her forehead relax—she wasn’t nervous, she was with Finn, the place she always should have been. The place she’d been longing for. She’d the strangest feeling that he felt that too. Gently she slid her arm over his chest and held him close, shocked to find him trembling.
“Finn?” she whispered as his breathing returned to normal. “You okay?”
“More than okay.” He rolled over to face her, his arms holding her tightly. “I feel like I’m soaring—flying. I feel … like I never want to move. You?”
Lying in his arms should’ve felt strange. Weird. This was her best friend after all, but it didn’t. It felt as if they should have been together already, like this was meant to be.
“Me too.” She nodded. “You …”
“No, you—” He kissed her softly. “You are perfect.”
Sam dipped her head, away from his loving gaze. In his arms she felt perfect. It wasn’t a sensation she was used to feeling.
“Come up here,” Finn said, moving them both until they were settled against the pillows. Curling in beside him, Sam sighed deeply, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Finn drew the duvet up over them, carefully tucking it in around Sam’s shoulders. Sam sucked on her bottom lip as he pulled her closer to him, his arm felt protective and loving. His chest rose and fell gently beneath her head. His fingers toyed gently with her undone hair.
Their eyes met in the dim light, and for a long moment neither of them spoke. Then, Finn brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch soft, delicate. Sam exhaled softly, her fingers tracing absent patterns on his chest.
He stroked her cheek. “Sam. I am here for you. I will never let you down. I couldn’t even if I wanted to because …” He took a deep breath. His eyes glanced down and then back up to hers. “Because I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
Sam stared at him, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. All these years she’d pretended that he was just Finn, her friend, the person she could tell anything to, the person who knew what she was going through, the first person she wanted toshare things with … all these years she’d pushed away the love she’d felt for him because of that stupid promise.
“Finn.” She squeezed his hand. “We made that promise …” She could still see them, that night walking home from prom, swearing to win before anything else. It felt silly now, but very real.
Finn’s expression flickered, just for a second, as if he couldn’t believe she was talking about a stupid pact they’d made when they were teenagers. That promise—career first, friendship second, then nothing. Well, nothing wasn’t good enough, and time was going by too fast.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice quieter now. “We did, but that was a long time ago.”
“We meant it then, didn’t we?” Sam almost choked on her words.
“Sure, but Sam, why did we ever make that promise in the first place?” He sat up, pulling the duvet closer to them both. “I know now—I was scared. Weren’t you?”
Sam swallowed, suddenly feeling light-headed.
“We were kids,” he said, watching her gently. “We thought love would ruin everything. What if we were wrong? Maybe we were.”
Her heart twisted. He was right. All those years, wasted. But what if he was wrong? What if the promise was keeping them safe, and focused and winning? She took a deep, shaky breath. If she told him how she really felt there’d be no going back to before. She could lose him if it all fell apart. She plucked at the cotton sheet, her mind racing.
“Sam,” Finn whispered. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I’ll beokay, I’ll survive. But if you do—if you’re just scared—Sam, don’t let a promise we made as dumb teenagers stop you from saying what you really feel.”
Sam gasped. Her pulse pounded in her throat. She’d lose him if she didn’t say something—lose him forever. She couldn’t—not when it seemed like she’d justfoundhim. She stopped picking a thread from the sheet and sucked a breath in.
“Back then.” Sam let out her breath. “I seem to remember you said that we would revise it—the promise. I think that maybe, maybe weshouldrevise it.”
His whole body stilled. His hands stayed by his side. Nervously she raised her eyes to his. “I love you, Finn. Always have, same as you.” She smiled weakly. “And yeah, it’s scary.”
“It is, it’s terrifying.” Finn stared at her. He breathed out then opened his arms. “Come here.”
Sam settled into his arms, loving how he seemed custom made for her. He settled his chin on her head, sighing deeply before snuggling down deeper into the pillows. Closing her eyes, Sam sighed. She’d had never felt more seen in her life.
22
