“Cowards,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
Vee looked up at me. Her expression brought back my earlier rage.
“Fin, I’m tired.”
I nodded. “You’re so strong, Vee.”
She blinked away tears. “I’m tired of being strong.”
“Then let me do it. Let me take charge.”
A faint shade of pink returned color to her cheeks. “Please.”
There were so many things I wanted to know; however, Vee was my priority. “I have one important question.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Dinner first or bath?”
Her lips curled as she exhaled. “Whatever is cooking smells wonderful. I’ve never come home to such an amazing aroma. What is it?”
“Lasagna.”
Her eyes opened wide.
“Not to worry, it’s vegetable.” I tugged her skirt higher on her thighs and stepped between her knees.
Vee lifted her hands to my shoulders. “All the way home, in the back of that car, I kept thinking what it would be like to arrive to an empty condo, to be all alone...”
“You’re not alone, Vee. I’m here.” My lips landed on hers. For a slice of time the world around us no longer mattered. We kissed and kissed, our heads turning, our tongues swirling, and our breathing shallowing. Soft mews filled the air as she pressed her breasts against me.
When we pulled apart, Vee’s hands lowered, her fingers splaying over my chest. “Your heart is beating fast.”
I laid my hand over her breastbone. “And yours is beating. When I first answered the call and it wasn’t you, I was scared that we lost you too.”
“I’m here and I’m safe.”
Stepping back, I lifted one of her sexy legs and removed her shoe. Next, I did the same for the other foot. Reaching behind her, I tugged at the zipper on her skirt.
“Fin.”
“You should be comfortable.” I winked. “Remember, I’m in charge. You can relax.”
Chapter 15
Vee
I scooted off the counter. As my feet hit the floor, Fin scooped me up and lifted me to his chest.
“Dinner can wait.”
Part of me wanted to argue. There was another part of me, the part that told him how tired I was of being strong, that kept my protests at bay. That confession was the most honest thing I’d said all day, maybe in my entire life. As he carried me through the condominium, I laid my head against his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart soothed my aching temples. His warmth disappeared as Fin gently lowered me to the bed. The mattress dipped as he sat at my side.
“I need to see you, Vee. I need to know you’re not truly harmed.”
I lifted my hands. “My hands…”
He shook his head. “All of you.” The intensity of his blue stare soothed and excited me in equal portions. I didn’t object as Fin pulled my skirt down, the one he’d unzipped in the kitchen. I lifted my arms as he removed my blouse. His laser-focused vision scanned every inch of my exposed flesh. I winced as he gently probed the skin of my left shoulder.
