Where did that thought come from?
I needed to pull myself together.
Charlie pushed through the doors at that moment drawing all of our attention to him and another guy I had seen around Fin before. Jameson and Fin said their hellos, and introduced us to Gunner.
“Gunner?” I asked just to make sure I got his name right.
“Not my real name,” he admitted seeming just a little bit embarrassed. “It’s a nickname.”
“He’s a sprinter. The hundred and two hundred,” Jameson explained. If I hadn’t run track in high school I wouldn’t have known those were the fastest sprints, so I guessed the nickname made sense.
“My real name is Ben Gunning, but I’m fast,” he said matter of factly.
“Good for you,” Britte mumbled, but she sounded amused.
Charlie and Gunner must have been hungry because they headed off for the dining room immediately. Jameson and Britte followed and I would have too if Fin hadn’t stepped in front of me.
His devilish smile caught me off guard and I smiled back, wondering what he was up to.
“I pissed you off the first day I met you, didn’t I?” he asked in a low, rough voice.
“And every day since then,” I said dryly but I hadn’t managed to wipe off my smile yet.
He took a step forward and slid his hand slowly around my waist. He palm wrapped around my hip gently, carefully, like he was afraid to scare me. I shivered against the warmth of his hand and the closeness of his body.What was he doing to me?
“I want to apologize for how I treated you that day.” His dark eyes met mine and held my gaze. He was being sincere. “I didn’t mean to scare you or piss you off. I was just desperate to get that money. But that’s not an excuse for how I treated you and I’m sorry.”
I cleared my throat and processed his words without a whole lot of understanding. He was too close, too overwhelming. “I forgive you,” I finally managed.
“Thank you.” His head dipped down and he brought me closer to his body. I put a trembling hand to his chest in a weak attempt to push him away but when his nose grazed my cheekbone only to nuzzle against the top of my ear I lost the ability to move completely. “But Ellie, I will never feel bad for suggesting that you to stop dressing like a missionary.”
Still stunned by the sound of his voice whispering in my ear, he brought his other hand up and let his fingers brush against my stomach. Eventually reason and understanding penetrated the haze of want fogging all rational thought and I let out a choked sound of indignity.
Pushing him away with two hands I snapped, “You are so full of yourself!” I stomped past him, my cheeks ablaze with blushing and the firm decision to never get that close to Fin Hunter again making my entire body shake.
“It was a compliment!” he called to my back. “I think you want me, Ellie. You can’t keep pushing me away!”
“Want to bet?” I called over my shoulder and escaped to the cafeteria, all the while I was afraid he was right.
What was more waswhydid I have to push him away? What did he want from me? Obviously he was pursuing me? But for what?
I caught up to Britte in line and started immediately filling up my plate. If she wanted to sit with our new “friends” then she was going to have to pay for it.
We separated from the guys as Britte and I made our way to the salad bar. She was nervous, I could tell and so she was playing it safe with a salad. I grew up around older boys, not just my brothers, but their friends too, so I was more comfortable with Fin and his friends than most girls my age. And while I got a salad too- because obviously vegetables were important- I also grabbed a grilled cheese, a piece of pizza, a baked potato and a banana.Perfectly balanced meal.
After Britte did a double take of my tray and then paid for both of us we walked to the dining area where I hoped I could persuade her to sit by ourselves.
“Do you see them?” she asked.
Ok, there went that plan.
“Nope,” I said unhelpfully.
“I don’t get it,” she shook her head and started walking in a random direction. “Fin’s obviously into you. What’s your holdup?”
“We don’t know that he’s into me,” I argued but she shot me an incredulous look that brokered no argument on her part. “Anyway, I got over Colton pretty easily, but I’m not always going to get over the guy like that. And it’s not like Fin is looking to settle down. I’m not the kind of girl that can just have a fling, or one night, or whatever. I’m stuck with him for four more weeks or until this debt is paid off and how awkward would it be to have to work with him after that?”
“Maybe he would just forget all about the debt?” Britte suggested and I really couldn’t believe she thought that question all the way through.
