I’d just need to get him warmed up as soon as we were at his apartment.
We stopped at a red light, and Finn turned to me, panting, his face completely red from exertion and the pouring rain. “This is… so… much fun,” he said, pressing his free hand against his chest. “But I’m… completely… out of shape.”
I laughed, pushing a wet strand of hair out of his forehead, letting my hand run along the side of his face and down his throat. His skin was hot beneath the sheen of water and sweat, his pulse strong but fast. To him, my caress hopefully seemed tender and sensual, and really, it was, but I also wanted to check that he wasn’t overextending himself. My thumb stroked his neck while I checked his pulse.
His heart rate was about one-sixty. That was okay for the level of exercise he was getting, considering the fact that he hadn’t really worked out in months.
Finn tilted his head, a smile on his face as he leaned into my touch. He slowly swayed closer and closer, but then the light turned green.
He laughed, waving his hand at me.
“Come on,” he shouted, tugging at my hand again.
I let out a little laugh myself, and we were off, running like someone was chasing us even though no one was—I checked. There were no predators nearby; hell, we’d only passed like three people in total.
What we were doing was kind of crazy, but the longer we kept running, the more I was able to relax. Finn was obviously happy, his smile still wide on his face, and his eyes shining so brightly they could light the way for us. Maybe he needed this. And if it was something he needed, I’d happily go along. Hell, I’d go and buy workout clothes for both of us if he wanted to do this again. But uhm, maybe I should get us a gym membership rather than making running through freezing rain a habit.
By the time we reached his apartment, Finn was getting slower and slower, his heart beating so hard and fast, pulse about one hundred and eighty-two beats per minute. His blood was pumping, the vein in his neck pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat, calling for me.
If I nicked his neck now, just the teeniest, tiniest of nicks, his blood would be flowing freely. And damn, I wanted a taste. Of Finn. His blood. Of both, equally.
“Fuck,” Finn panted, coming to a stop in front of his apartment building. He let go of me to place both of his hands on his knees, trying to get his breathing under control. “Holy… fuck.”
I laughed, and he gave me a dirty look.
“How come… you’re… not even… out of breath?” he asked.
Oh. Fuck. Right. I needed to up my breathing when working out. Damn. It was just that I’d trained myself to breathe in a steady rhythm, so I forgot all about it. It wasn’t something I needed, but something I did to appear more human. But that also meant increasing the frequency when running.
“I just have great stamina,” I joked, giving him a wink. Even though Finn was completely out of breath, I managed to draw a laugh from him.
“You can show me… all about your… amazing… stamina once we’re… in my apartment.”
Finn fumbled a little with the keys, but I waited patiently for him to get it right and let us into the building.
His feet were dragging now, the burst of energy draining from him with the rain dripping to the tiled floor. We were leaving puddles everywhere, but I didn’t give a damn.
Nope, I carefully maneuvered him over to the elevators, keeping one hand at the small of his back in support. He leaned into my touch and gave me a smile.
“We need a shower to get you warm,” I told him, stroking his cheek with my free hand. His skin was clammy, a bit cold for my liking, but his face was red, circulation obviously working.
“Don’t you mean to get us warm?”
No, I really didn’t. Temperatures meant nothing to me.
“I’m more focused on you right now,” I muttered, caressing his cheek, smiling as his breath hitched.
I was smashing this whole not being able to lie to him thing.
The elevator dinged, and we got out on his floor. Finn leaned against me as we walked, almost melting into my side. He was trembling, teeth chattering. Now that he wasn’t running anymore, he was starting to feel the cold.
Fuck.
I should’ve put my foot down and gotten us an Uber, but seeing Finn so carefree and happy had rendered me unable to deny him.
So I did the next best thing—I took over.
Finn yelped as I swept him off his feet and hurriedly carried him to his apartment door. I had him bridal style, which made unlocking the door a bit tricky, but I managed.
