“No hickeys,” I manage to say.
“I’ll mark you,” he murmurs into my heated skin. “But not in a way that’s visible to others.” He kisses the spot one last time. He lets go of my hair and I look at him.
He’s heartbreakingly gorgeous. His eyes are soft and dreamy, wanting.
He leans his forehead against mine and kisses me again, this time painstakingly slowly, as if he’s squeezing every last drop from this moment. We separate to catch our breath, but his forehead remains propped against mine. My legs are still locked around his waist, keeping us together.
“Tell me something I’ll never believe.” I’m searching for something to right the ship, to remind me of who I am. Now that I’m coming down from the high, I’m worried. Guilt is seeping in.
He’s quiet for a moment, then says, “The sum of all roulette numbers is six hundred sixty-six.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I needed that. Needed grounding.
“I know Brady didn’t kiss you like that.”
I frown. “I’m not going to tell you what it was like to kiss Brady.”
“I don’t need to be told. I know what kissing you felt like just now, and I know it can’t be topped. That was the best kiss of my life. So far, anyway. But I bet with practice, we could get better.” He pauses, brushing his lips across mine. “And better.”
Thunder rumbles in the distance, a low and ominous sound. “We should get going.” As I say it, the wind picks up speed. The pine trees sway and goosebumps prick my flesh.
“I’m not ready to let you go,” Finn whispers.
I point to the gathering of dark clouds at the far edge of the lake.
“I know. But that’s what’s coming.”
I try to untangle my legs from around Finn’s waist, but he reaches down, ensnaring me once more. “Finn—”
“I’ve been thinking about giving you an ultimatum.”
I stare up at him. “Are you going to?”
He gazes into my eyes for the longest time, then shakes his head slowly back and forth. “I don’t want you to choose because you’re forced. I want you to choose because your heart can’t take it anymore, because it’s about to explode from your chest if you don’t let it love the man it wants to love.”
“I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
“I don’t think you have much of a choice in the matter. One of us has heartbreak in our future. And in the meantime, we’re sitting on the sidelines watching you struggle.”
“This situation isn’t easy, Finn.”
“It’s not easy for any of us, Lennon.”
The sky rumbles again, this time deeper.
“Come on,” Finn says reluctantly.
This time he lets me untwist myself from him. We swim side by side until we reach the small dock in front of his cabin. He pulls himself up first, then reaches down to help me.
I grab my towel and use it quickly, handing it over to him. As he dries off, I look up at what he’s built. It’s amazing to think he created it and worked alongside a crew to construct it.
“Your cabin is beautiful, Finn. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you,” he says, pressing a hand to the small of my back. We start up the path. A few drops of rain fall on my shoulders. Before my haircut, I probably wouldn’t have felt them. Reaching up, I touch the ends of my hair. I still can’t believe I went through with it. It’s the most liberating thing I’ve ever done.
“I’m going to move here full-time,” he says, pausing and looking up at the house. “My uncle’s going to move in. He’ll be here for what little time he has left. I can’t let him die in that trailer.”
“Oh, Finn.” I grab him and pull him to me, overcome by his kindness for his uncle. “I think that’s beautiful.”
