Talk about a damn flub up.
Chapter Fifteen
Naomi
I’dbeenstaringatthe band-aid on my finger for almost five minutes before I snapped out of it. With a shake of my head, I finished drying the last dish. Today was a deep cleaning day and I wouldn’t get through half my list if I didn’t remain focused.
My brain only allowed a few minutes of productivity before returning to what it deemed more interesting: Finn.
He’d been so different last night. First, the willingness to stay in my presence, then asking questions like I was interesting enough to listen to, and he…well, I think he was going to kiss me.
That’s ridiculous.
But what else is someone doing when they lean into someone? Count eyelashes? No. Finn was going to kiss me.
Or maybe he hadn’t been leaning in at all? Maybe the leaning was all me?
Last night, I’d been feeling the effects of my poor sleep patterns. Pair that with loneliness and you’d get the perfect recipe for questionable decisions.
I filled a plastic spray bottle with cleaning liquid. As I coated the counter with suds, I replayed my birthday confession. I’m not sure why, of all people, I told Finn about my birthday. Not even Celeste and Mid knew about my mother’s emails. I kept that to myself, along with most things about my relationship with Mom. Lately, my secret had been boiling to the surface, practically begging for release.
A sigh fell from my lips as I scrubbed the granite. I suppose telling a stranger something personal was easier than telling a friend. Finn and I would never get closer than roommates. Hell, he probably already forgot what I said last night. There was no need to panic because he knew something about me.
He hadn’t been leaning in, I decided. I had. It was definitely me. A small moment of vulnerability I wouldn’t let happen again.
Hot water burned my skin as I washed the soap from my palms. When I turned off the sink, I heard a creak on the stairs.
I turned with a smile, expecting to see Lincoln or Henrik because they were usually the first up. My expectations were shot when my gaze met Finn’s. His dark hair stuck up in a few places, giving him a softer, more approachable look. He wore a pair of black-framed glasses and was shirtless. I swallowed.Oh, my.
No washboard abs. Just thick muscle and fat. He resembled a boulder, and I couldn’t help but remember how gentle his fingers felt on mine last night. Finn could crush a man, but while cleaning my skin he’d been incredibly gentle.
It took a lot of willpower not to stare at how his thick biceps curved, painted with visible veins. His chest was bulky enough to withstand a head-on collision. In the end, it was the hair trailing from his belly button down into his pants that made my breathing shallow. If he was this thick in every visible part of his body, then it only made sense that…damn it.
My smile felt wobbly as my mind wandered into dangerous territory. Finn didn’t seem like he was fighting with the same battle. He wore his usual solemn look, complete with an unbothered brow.
“Good morning,” I said, sounding a bit too cheery even to my own ears. Instead of waiting for his response, I resumed scrubbing the already sparkling counter.
Finn lingered in the doorway for a moment. “Morning.”
I could feel his gaze tracking my movements around the kitchen. Should I say something about last night? A joke to smooth things over?
I was so exhausted last night, I might have dreamed you tolerated me enough to kiss me?No. Absolutely not.
As I struggled to start a simple conversation, Finn moved to the refrigerator. He pulled out a carton of orange juice and yogurt. I expected he’d move into the living room or back upstairs, but he lingered at the island.
“It’s early for cleaning,” he noted in that deep voice that touched my core.
I raised a brow and glanced over at the clock above the microwave. It read, six-thirty. “I guess. I like to get a head start on weekends. Got a lot of stuff to do before tonight’s…”
I clamped my mouth shut. I’d been about to say stream. Finn studied me, waiting to hear the end of my sentence.
From our talk last night, I doubted Finn would judge me for streaming. I expected an ambivalent response. Still, I wanted to keep my streaming life to myself. It was too special for me to share with too many people in my everyday life.
“Studying,” I said with a shrug. Finn was completely unaware of how close he’d been to getting another one of my secrets. He wasn’t even trying, and he was good at making me feel comfortable. Yeah, that was it. Last night was the first time I felt comfortable around him.
Finn nodded at my response and absentmindedly flicked the plastic flap of his yogurt’s lid. I pressed my lips together when I noted how steady the tip of his finger looked. How consistent and firm his movement was against the plastic’s edge.Holy crap.When was I ever this horny? It was settled. Next paycheck I was going to invest in a vibrator.
“I was wondering if—” Finn began to say, but stopped short when Henrik and Lincoln’s voices filled the hall.
