Chapter Fourteen
“Do you known what?” Fin interrupted my spreadsheet analysis for the fifth time in an hour.
“What?” I asked exasperatedly. Things had gone pretty much back to awkward friendship, which really meant just sizzling sexual tension. I was having a hard enough time concentrating without Fin constantly distracting me.
“I think I won the bet the other night.”
“Excuse me?” I asked dryly.
“Well, we made a bet, and since neither of us backed out, there has to be a winner. I think we’ve established the fact that you are not the winner, as evidenced by the fact that you’re here, working with me now.” He paused as if for dramatic effect.
“So you’re telling me you won?”
“Well, would you like to admit that you won?” he asked, seeming to choose his words carefully.
I thought it over and almost laughed when I realized he trapped me. “And if I did admit that?”
“Then obviously you would collect your winnings.”
“Which are?”
“You are free of the debt,” Fin turned to face me then, his eyes serious and dark.
“I didn’t win though, so I can’t be free,” I admitted. It wasn’t even my debt and here I was hanging on to it. Gosh, I was such an idiot. But after everything Fin opened up about I couldn’t just walk away from this money anymore. I was tied to helping Declan as much as he was.
“Ok, then I’ll collect my winnings,” Fin’s gaze held me transfixed, his expression so full of want I couldn’t catch my breath.
“I thought we agreed that was a bad idea,” I whispered.
“It’s just a date, Ellie,” he reminded me gently. “And we agreed that during it we would leave the bet completely out of it.”
“Fine,” I puffed out. “You can take me out for my birthday.”
“When’s your birthday?” Fin asked, a smile already lighting his face up.
“You know I ran high school track, but you don’t know when my birthday is? Tisk, tisk,” I scolded, turning back to my computer.
“You’re right, that is an oversight on my part. I guess it was one fact I didn’t commit to memory. I do know that you’re turning twenty-one though. And the only reason I know that is because I don’t usually let minors into my poker games, but it seems for you I was making a lot of exceptions.”
“Believe me, I do not thank you for that. Anyway, it’s technically today, but you can have your date tomorrow night. After I’ve had time to mentally process this and dress up for it.”
“Sounds good,” he smirked at me. “But how are we going to celebrate your birthday today?”
“You’re just trying to get two dates out of me!”
“Not true,” he denied but I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye. “Ok, maybe a little true.”
I laughed, I couldn’t help myself. Sometimes he was adorable. “Well, I did bring something to share with you….”
“Really?” He sounded surprised.
I stood up and walked over to my backpack that was sitting on his couch. I dug out the bottle of sake Lennox brought me back from Japan and held it up proudly. His expression grew wicked as he looked over the bottle, recognizing what it was immediately.
I brought it over not wanting to drink it alone on my twenty-first birthday, that felt a little lame. And I thought about asking Britte to share it with me back at my apartment, but instead found myself shoving it in my backpack right before I came over here. I didn’t want to examine my motives to carefully. I just wanted to do something fun on my birthday.
“Is that sake?” he asked sounding a little impressed.
“I guess. Lennox brought it back for me from one of his business trips. He made me promise to drink it on my birthday.”
