“Safe,” she repeats in an exhale. Another round of thunder echoes around us and I hold her tighter. She doesn’t shake, but she scoots closer to me, as if we could possibly become one in the moment. “I’m sorry, Finley. Just… Please don’t let me go.”
Chapter Eighteen
Lorelei
Well, this is embarrassing.
Probably my top most-embarrassing moment ever. Stripping in front of my sister doesn’t even compare to this. Because she’s my sister. I probably have some embarrassing moments as a child that I’ve deliberately chosen to forget about, but in my adult, functioning life… this is the most embarrassing.
It’s a little past ten, the storm has passed, and only a light drizzle remains. Finley still has his arms around me as we lay on top of his sleeping bag, but judging by the light snores and the loosened grip, he’s fast asleep. Slowly, I wiggle out of his arms; the heat of his touch is overwhelming now that I’m in my right mind. He groans, but turns to the other side of the tent. I stand, tiptoe over to my backpack, shove my own sleeping bag and pillow underneath my arm, and quietly unzip the tent. I poke my head out, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When my vision comes to, thanks to the battery-powered lamp Finley has hanging in his tent, I gasp at the gruesome sight of my beloved tent lying in a pile of shambles.
“Lorelei?” I snap my attention to Finley, who is in the process of sitting up and rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. A shiver ripples down my spine, and I curl my toes at the energy zinging through me as he says my name again in that husky, tired voice.
So that’s why Lucy “screams, cries, and throws up” (her words, not mine) over a man’s sleepy voice.
I think I get it now.
“Hm?” is my only intelligible response.
“Everything okay?” He’s fully sitting up now, his hair a golden mop of waves sticking up in different directions.
“My–uh… My tent is demolished.”
His lips tilt upward for a fraction of second before he schools his expression into a slight frown. “Guess you’re stuck with me tonight.”
I blink, trying to remember if I’ve heard him correctly. “Sleep in here? With you?”
He nods emphatically like it’s the most obvious solution. Which it is, but still. “I don’t even sleep in the same room with my sister. Ever. I like to be alone when I sleep. With shut doors. And dark rooms. And cocoon blankets.”
“The tent will be zipped, I can turn off the lantern, and you are free to cocoon. You can even cocoon against me if you’d like.”
I toss him a “watch yourself” glare before glancing out of the opened tent towards the remnants of mine and then back to Finley, whose lackadaisical expressionshouldconcern me because the man is anything but unenthused and uncareful.
“You’re not going to take advantage of me, right? Since you wish to date me and marry me and such?” I'm amazed at how Idon’t actually believe this man in front of me is capable of such things. Finley snorts, then crawls like a predator until he’s at my feet, his body rubbing against my calves as he reaches around me and zips the tent. I'm frozen in place as he stands in front of me, my gaze following his smirking face as he rises, his head remaining bent because he’s a little too tall for the tent. Which means that I should really angle my face down so that I’m not losing all train of thought into darkened blue eyes and minty breath…
But then he speaks, a twinge of huskiness still present in his voice. “I would never take advantage of you, Leilei. Though I can’t deny the fact that you sleeping in this tent with me awakens the urge to…” he swallows, and I mimic the action, afraid of his next words as he grins, “cuddle you.”
Despite myself, I laugh, then I slap my hand over my mouth because I didn’t mean to laugh. Finley, however, doesn’t look to be offended. His grin grows wider as he takes a couple steps backwards from me. “But if you do not want to cuddle, then I will respect your wishes.”
“I don’t think I would be able to sleep if I were cuddling with you, Finley. Don’t take this the wrong way, but touching you is like touching the sun.”
“I’m that hot? Way to feed my ego, Leilei.”
I glare at him once more. “I said not to take it the wrong way.”
He shrugs, wearing a saucy grin. “You calmed down well enough when you were in my arms earlier.”
Seems the Prince of Hearts has come out to play. My face heats, my heart reacting to the fresh memories. “I was scared. That’s all.”
Finley lowers himself to a crisscrossed seated position. “Do you want to tell me about what triggered it?”
“It’s,” I inhale and release, the heat deepening in my skin, “stupid. Really.”
“Stupid or not, you can talk to me.” He pats the area beside him. It’s then I remember we are still in our gross hiking clothes. Once the storm started, I was too worked up to change, and he was too busy holding me like my life depended on it. My skin starts to crawl at the feeling of grime and sweat and dirt.
“Can we change first? And then I promise to tell you. As long as you promise not to judge me too hard or make fun of me.”
He holds out his pinky, and I meet him halfway, wrapping mine with his, laughing.
