“Maybe that’s what it took for me to finally snap out of it, but I wantyou,” he says. “I want the Josslyn people don’t get to see. The one who gets mad and cries and laughs with abandon. The one who makes my heart beat so fast I can hardly stand it.” He holds my hand in his and brings it up to his chest as if to show me. “I want all of you.”
Somehow, I force myself to breathe. “That’s a big ask, Finneas.”
“I know.” He moves closer so he’s standing between my legs, still holding my hands on my thighs. “I want to take you to dinner and watch stupid movies with you. I don’t care what we do. I just want tobewith you.”
My heart skips a few beats. I want that. I want it so badly, but I don’t know…
“People pay attention to my whereabouts. They’ll take pictures, they’ll talk, they’ll speculate,” I say. “That picture of us at the fundraiser was literally examined and talked about by a person who reads body language.”
His brows shoot up. “That’s … interesting.”
“My point is, you’ll give up a lot of your privacy, and if you…” I swallow hard and look down, focusing on our linked hands. “If you cheat on me or something?—”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” He lets go of one of my hands and lifts my face with it, eyes blazing. “I would never do that to you. Never.”
“You don’t know?—”
“Ido know. Do you think I’m some fucking kid who needs to fuck all the time? Or that I accept every proposition I get?” he asks, his eyes hard. “That’s not me. I’ve been hyperfocused on my career and haven’t had a serious relationship, so maybe I’ll fuck up, but never like that.”
I know I can’t blame the entire male population for one cheating bastard, but it’s easier said than done. Especially when it comes to Finn. He’s every hetero woman’s fantasy.
“What you went through was shitty, but I’m asking you to trust me.” He sighs, grabs my face, and touches his forehead to mine. “You’re my fucking fantasy, my dream girl. Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to hurt you like that?”
“Oh my God,” I whisper. “I’m going to have a heart attack if you keep saying things like that.”
He chuckles against my lips and kisses me softly but pulls away quickly.
“You’d lose your privacy,” I reiterate.
“But I’d gain you.”
I take a shaky breath. “Are you going to complain about my guy friends?”
His eyes narrow. “Define guy friends.”
I laugh. “Guy friends. Like Tiago.”
“I don’t expect you to ditch your friends, but he likes you as more than just a friend.”
“He doesn’t, and you have nothing to worry about because I’d never do anything to hurt you either.”
“He’s always touching you. I don’t like it.”
“I think I understand,” I say. “I was jealous of Ella, and you and I weren’t even together.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“You were always at events together. I thought maybe…” I shrug. “It shouldn’t have mattered since we weren’t together, but I hated seeing those pictures.”
He cups my face and tilts my head again. “You have nothing to worry about. Ever. I mean that. And not just with Ella, who’s alesbian, by the way. If anything, I’ll be the one annoyed as fuck if she keeps checking you out the way she does.”
I smile. “You don’t have to worry about anyone either. I’ll definitely speak to Tiago, but he’s like that with everyone. I told you, he’s a touchy-feely guy.”
“Yeah, well, he can touch and feel someone who’s not my fucking girlfriend,” he growls, his grip tightening on my thighs.
I stop breathing. “Girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend, partner, whatever.” He bites my bottom lip. “As long as you’re mine.”
