“Exactly,” she mumbled, then stepped out, shutting the door behind her as she sagged against it.
“Girl, what the hell happened in that back room? Finn looked like he was ready to combust when he came out.”
That made two of them.
Willow shook her head as they walked to the car. “I’ll tell you as soon as I figure it out myself.”
Finn couldn’t say he hadn’t participated in some ground-shaking kisses in his time, but he could say, unequivocally, he’d never experienced one like he’d just had with Willow. At least, not in the time since he’d left her.
As he headed back to his temporary apartment, his lips still tingled from touching hers, her taste still lingering on his tongue.Jesus, the things he’d wanted to do to her. So much more than just kiss that tempting mouth of hers. He’d wanted to spin her around to the empty bed in the room, press her into the mattress and lay himself on top of her. Grind his cock into all that welcoming heat between her legs. Trail his mouth down every inch of her and find out if she tasted as good as he remembered.
But instead, he’d left. He’dhadto. Kissing her had been about showing her there was something to them. That her removing the tattoo on her hip, removing a part of their history, would be a mistake.
And, shit, hearing her saying she’d wanted that part of herself changed?Erased?As if it’d never happened? It’d nearly wrecked him, especially considering the tattoo he bore of hers was as much a part of him as his fucking heart.
The willow tree she’d drawn for him—the one she’d sat by him for hours as it’d been inked on his skin—was the only thing he’d had tethering him to her for all those years he’d been away. And he’d made sure it’d done its job, not allowing himself to forget about her, even when she’d probably thought he hadn’t given her a second thought after he’d left.
Truth was, he’d thought about her every damn day.
And every year on her birthday—the same day they’d gotten tattoos in the first place—he went and got another root added at the bottom of the tree. He might’ve spent years being thousands of miles away from her, but she’d been stamped on his heart—and his body—forever, her very essence permeating down to his bones.
After that kiss in Ty’s house, after how she’d responded to it, melting into him, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke, there was no doubt left in Finn’s mind that Willow knew what still crackled between them. And didn’t just know it, butfeltit, same as he did.
He’d be damned if he wasn’t going to push her to explore it with him.
He walked up the stairs to his and Drew’s apartment, unlocking the door and walking into their temporary home. Nola had been right—it was in okay shape, all things considered. It was smaller than their place in California, but it worked for now. It had the same hardwood floors that ran through the main floor, though these weren’t nearly as worn as the ones downstairs. They’d needed to give it a good scrubbing and vacuum a few thousand dust bunnies, but it was in working order now.
And thanks to their handful of friends who still lived in the area, they’d been able to fill it with castoffs. Someone’s cousin/momma/friend had had what they’d needed sitting in unused guest rooms. Southern hospitality at its finest.
Finn tossed his keys on the counter in the small kitchen as he strolled into the living area and found Drew on the phone. He tipped his chin in Finn’s direction before speaking to whoever was on the other line. “Yeah, we got the box. We’re doin’ all right otherwise. Ty’s momma spotted us a few things, and we got most of the rest from Nola’s cousins.”
If Finn had to guess, he’d place bets it was their momma, calling to check in on them, same as she’d done every day since they’d been gone. The separation was getting to her, that much was clear. It was the longest the three of them had been apart in…well, ever. If that made him and Drew momma’s boys, so be it. But the three of them were all they had, so they stuck together, through thick and thin. And there’d been a lot of both over the past twenty-nine years.
“He’s fine. Just walked in,” Drew said, glancing Finn’s way, his eyes doing a quick sweep over his brother. Even though Finn was certain nothing in his body language said anything about what had happened with Willow, he also knew his brother would know something was up. Same way Finn had known when Drew’d lost his virginity to Lexie May sophomore year of high school. Sometimes it was awesome being a twin; sometimes it was a little awkward and damn inconvenient.
Finn fell into the corner of the couch, throwing an arm across the back as he waited for the phone.
“All right, Momma. I’ll let y’all talk. Love you.” Drew tossed the phone in Finn’s direction before getting up and strolling into the kitchen.
Finn brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, Momma.”
“Hey, sweetheart. Y’all gettin’ on okay there?”
With one hundred percent certainty, Finn knew she’d asked Drew the same thing. But every time she asked, she did so with such sincerity, he couldn’t fault her for it. He wasn’t sure if the concern was because she wasn’t used to being away from them, or if it was because she was worried about the reception they’d receive in Havenbrook. When they’d left, he and Drew were only a year or so out of their rebellious teen years where they’d gotten up to everything from petty vandalism to property damage. Add that in with being from the wrong side of the tracks, born to a teenage single momma, and they’d hadoutcastsandtroublemakersbranded on them from birth.
“Doin’ fine here. Spent today doin’ demo and working on some repairs on the plaster. Things are movin’ along.”
“So y’all think you’ll be comin’ back soon, then?”
“I’m not sure.” The thought of leaving now, before he’d had a chance to explore whatever this was between him and Willow, left him with a rock in the pit of his stomach. “We haven’t even begun to pick out the finishes for the space yet. And Nola can’t be dealin’ with all that while she’s still workin’ at the auto shop. She didn’t have as much money put away as we did.”
“How’s that sweet girl doin’? Haven’t talked to her in ages. You tell her to give me a call, would you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now what’s this I hear about you talkin’ to Willow Haven?” she asked.
Finn blew out a breath and shot a glare at his brother who’d taken a seat on the other end of the couch. Drew’s only response was to shrug as he took a swig from his beer.
