“Shell. I’m sorry.” I shove my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her, trying to give her some space while I gauge the damage I’ve caused.
“You never answered me, Finn. Was I just a bet?” Her voice wobbles. “All this time, was I just a joke to you?”
I step forward, needing to hold her. “Do you see me laughing?” I cup her face between my palms. “This was never a bet or a game for me. You have to believe that.” I press my lips against her forehead. “I wanted you from the moment I saw you rolling in the sand.”
Her green eyes gaze up at me, full of hope.
My chest aches, hoping I can convince her how much I’m in love with her. “You had me hooked when you berated me for the ball games, but you reeled me in with your speech when I saw what an amazing woman you were. Then I was drowning with our first kiss. Literally.”
She smiles, reassuring me that hope is not lost. “Why did Chad say I was a bet?”
“Because he bet I couldn’t win you over. But I wanted to prove him wrong because I wanted you. Not because I cared about his lousy hundred bucks.” I stroke her cheeks. “Don’t let him ruin what we have.”
“Please don’t hurt me, Finn.”
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I’m falling in love with you.”
Her lip trembles as she looks up into my eyes. Her irises glisten under the twinkling lights in her awning, resembling the emerald aura of the northern lights. “Do you really mean that?”
I stroke her cheek, my thumb tracing all the sun-kissed freckles I’ve come to love and cemented to memory like anastrologer would map out the stars in the sky. “Eagles mate for life.”
“They also eat turtles.” Her lip quivers again as she bites back a smile.
My chest swells with hope. “I want nothing more than to eat you up, turtle girl.” I lean into her so our noses brush. “If you’ll let me.”
Chapter Seventeen
SHELLY
His lips press to mine, tentatively at first, testing the waters. I’m weak in his arms, as if he zaps all my strength and resilience with one kiss.
I cling to him, fisting his shirt for something to hold on to. My tongue is no match for his as he sucks and licks at a ferocious pace, wordlessly telling me how he feels.
He pins me to the side of the van, grinding into me with the rock behind his zipper. “Can you feel that?”
I gasp as he thrusts harder, making sure I feel everything this time. “Yes.”
“Does that feel like a bet to you?” He grinds against me again. “You have to know how much I want you, Shell.”
“All right. I believe you.” I know it's wishful thinking and probably foolish of me, but I desperately want to believe him. Judging him before was wrong and I'm done tarring him with the same brush as my enemies.
Letting him take the lead with the kiss, I take charge inother departments as I unbutton his shirt. “I have protection in the van.”
His eyes sparkle under the twinkling lights. “I made sure I was prepared this time, but I didn’t want to presume?—”
I shut him up with my mouth. My fingers working swiftly to unbuckle his belt. “I don’t condone violence, but watching you go all macho for me was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Once he’s free of the zipper, I kiss my way down, gripping his large length in my hand. My mouth waters at the thought of kissing him there. I rarely go down on a man—well, on the few boyfriends I’ve had anyway—but with Finn, I want to make him feel good in the same way he makes me feel.
His stomach hardens as I kiss over the trail of hair, my hand stroking up and down. Angling his dick to my mouth, I lick a pearl of pre-cum from the slit before peppering sloppy kisses around the head.
“Fuck, Shelly.” His fingers tangle in my hair, massaging my scalp.
I look up through my lashes as I swirl my tongue around the head of his cock.
“Do that again. Lick the slit.” He hisses with pleasure.
I kiss the head again before sliding my tongue in the crease.
