“Everything okay?” Anastasia’s eyebrows were scrunched together in concern. I loved that about her. No matter what she was going through, she still cared about everyone else. I’ve seen it time and time again and it just goes to show how strong of a character she really is.
“It’s nothing, just Finch being a pain.” I didn’t know whether it was such a smart idea to bring up my brother. I knew how Anastasia felt about him and I didn’t want her drawing any more parallels between Finch and her own brother, Ambrose. She already thought Finch was bad enough as it was. I didn’t want her opinion to worsen.
“What’s he done now?” She flashed a small, almost playful, smile before turning away. It was okay though, I knew how she felt about Finch. It was silly that she still felt the need to pretend.
“He’s coming round to the house.”
She made a ‘hmming’ noise but offered no other response. I didn’t take that as a good sign. All I could do when I got home was keep Finch as far away from Anastasia as possible.
* * *
After the five-hour journey home, Anastasia practically fell out from the cab of my truck. She’d fallen asleep around hour three and had been solidly asleep since then. Her soft snores had been adorable.
“Finch is here.”
“I’ll make myself scarce.”
“Anastasia, you don’t have to. This is your home too, I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable.” I trailed my hands up and down her arms to offer her some form of comfort. My hands landed on her waist and my automatic response was to pull her closer.
All I really wanted was a quiet night in with her. I’d cook us dinner, we’d snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie. I could’ve run her a bath, maybe even hung around to carry her to bed.
While the thoughts were innocent, I knew just how quickly they could turn. The filthy male that sometimes clouded my judgement could rear its ugly head at the worst times. I didn’t want this moment to be one of them, because I knew that in a few seconds I’d have to open the front door and deal with my obnoxious brother.
“Do you want me to kick him out?” I whispered in her ear, placing a soft kiss just below it.
I liked that she showed no hesitation in responding. Her hands slid up my arms and her fingers linked behind my neck. I continued to pepper kisses along her neck as she pulled me in.
Ana moaned and leaned further into my body. “No,” came her breathy whisper.
“You should go see your brother...”
“Oh yeah?” My hands slid down from her waist to palm her ass. I flexed my fingers and gripped her fleshy globes. She moaned louder. Her fingertips danced through my hair, grabbing at the strands.
“Yeah.” My lips worked their way around to hers. They collided in an all-consuming struggle for dominance, her tongue swirling mine.
A noise to our right drew my attention but not enough to pull my lips from Anastasia’s. A second later it repeated, louder this time. I pulled back and looked towards the house. My happy mood was killed immediately when I spotted my brother standing in the doorway. His expectant raised eyebrow had me pissed.
Who the fuck did he think he was? This was my house, my property I could do whatever the hell I liked. Not to mention we were on a gated, fenced-off property. I could fuck Anastasia right here and now and no one would have a damn thing to fucking say about it.
Except maybe Anastasia.
I sighed as I let Ana go. I watched her scrape past Finch and scramble up the stairs. She was out of sight within seconds.
I turned my attention back to my brother and followed him inside. We clearly needed that talk about boundaries more than I’d originally thought and for that conversation to happen, I needed an ice-cold beer.
I was coming down the stairs when Finch caught my eye, making his way into the foyer. I gave him a tight-lipped smile as I attempted to pass him by, which he chose not to reciprocate.
Suddenly, my arm was yanked back holding me in place.
Here it came. As I turned around to face Finch, I knew this was it. Make or break. I’d been waiting for it since the first night we met.
“You’re still here.”
It was a statement, an accusatory one. It wasn’t a question. It didn’t require an answer. But I gave him one anyway. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Surely he and Nikolai talked. Nikolai must have told him it was going good, that I was here to stay. Hell, I’d even given up the chance to leave and go back to my old life. It was safe to say, I was here for good this time.
“Because you’re more trouble than you’re worth. My brother is a fool to think you’re anything more than a spoiled brat. I don’t know why he’s so fascinated by you.”
