I lift my head up to look at him, and think about it for a minute. He’s serious about his concern, I can tell. “No, this is nice. I…I don’t mind cuddling with you.”
“Good. I don’t mind cuddling with you, either.”
I lay my head back down on his shoulder and feel him take a long breath in and out. I could overanalyze why I’m pretty sure I would love to hug Finn, but now’s not the time.
“Thank you for being here,” he whispers against my head before kissing me once more. I open my mouth to tell him it’s not exactly a hardship, but when I look up, his eyes are closed. Faster than I thought it would, his breathing evens out into the peaceful pattern of sleep. When I glance over at his bedside table, I discover the culprit. He must have taken one of his painkillers, and that’s why he’s so drowsy and adorable. I snuggle in closer, and when his arm tightens around me, I let my own stress and worry fade away.
When my brain slowly makes its way to consciousness the next morning, I register two things immediately.
One, the warm, solid wall of muscle underneath me and two, the indescribable sense of happiness I feel. The first makes sense given my sleeping situation. The second baffles me. Since when does waking up with a man lead to such a complete feeling of everything being right in the world?
“Mmm.” The sound of that contented sigh coming from Finn brings a goofy smile to my face. And when I feel his lips press against the top of my head, I lift my face to meet his. We kiss, both of us still in that dreamlike state that only an early morning and the magic of newfound intimacy can bring.
“You’re here,” he says, and his eyes are smiling at me.
“You asked me to stay.”
“I know. I’m just really happy you did.”
I don’t know how to handle this softer, affectionate Finn. It’s so at odds with the man I’ve experienced so far, the man who’s either abrupt and rude, or flirtatious and full of life. My hand caresses his cheek, and he turns to kiss my palm. Feeling brave, I shift upward so I can kiss him. His hands come up to hold me against him. When his tongue licks the seam of my mouth, I open eagerly. It’s so easy to get lost in his kisses and let the intoxicating connection between us take over. But then Finn moves to roll me over onto my back and before I can stop him, he cries out with a curse.
“Ow. Shit,” Finn yelps, dropping back onto the bed. “Damnit, I’m sorry.” He groans, closing his eyes in frustration. I run my hands through his hair and wait until he opens them again. Little does he know, he has nothing to apologize for. His injury just means we have to be careful, and maybe a little creative. A side of me I haven’t set free in a long time, thanks to a lackluster sex life with my ex, is back and ready to go. My inner sensuality rises to the surface, and I give him my most flirtatious wink.
“It’s okay, it just means I get to be in charge.” Carefully, so I don’t hit his knee, I straddle his waist. The expanse of muscle underneath me almost makes me salivate. I lift my shirt up and over my head, taking in the possessive look he gives me with an inner smile.
“Ash. You’re stunning.”
I lean over, letting my hair cascade around us, and kiss him deeply. His hands are still glued to my hips, so I press my breasts against his chest and slowly start to rock my pelvis against his. I trail my fingers up and underneath his shirt, teasing the skin I find there. Sitting up, I tug at the hem.
“This has to go.”
We maneuver his shirt off and I take a minute to really appreciate the muscles that I saw only briefly during that ill-fated shower scene.
Oh, yes, please.
Chapter seventeen
Finn
The way Ashley is staring at me is making me completely forget about my injury. That is, until I go to move. Fucking hell, this is torture. I’m all for a woman on top, but there are things I want to do to her, things that are infinitely more difficult now. But not impossible. As tempting as it is to go straight for the goods, I still want to take my time. Squeezing her hips gently, I use the abs that I spend way too long on developing at the gym to sit up and kiss her neck. When her head falls back with a little moan, I let my hands drift upward, noticing where she shivers at my touch. Slowly, painfully slow, I move my lips and hands around to her front until they meet at her gorgeous breasts. One hand cups and squeezes gently, while the other tips her chin down so I can kiss her, and make sure we’re on the same page.
“If you’re going to need me to stop, sweet girl, tell me now. Because once I get a taste of you, it’ll be a hell of a lot harder.”
The fire in her eyes sears me. “Don’t stop, Finn.”
Giving her a wolfish grin, I reach down to take her legs and encourage her to wrap them around me, bringing her snug against my body. Our bare torsos press together, and she starts to rub herself against my rock-hard cock trapped inside my boxers. I can’t lift my hips much without putting pressure on my damn knee, but that doesn’t seem to stop my fiery girl. She grins down on me, taking my lower lip between her teeth and tugging gently. I wrap my hands in her long hair and tug her head back until she releases my mouth with a pop. “Easy there, babe. You might be on top, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up all control.”
I bend slightly and take one breast in my mouth, biting down gently on her hard nipple before soothing it away with a kiss. Judging by her moans, and the way her hands are gripping my shoulders, she’s enjoying that, so I move to the other side and give it the same treatment.
“Oh my God, yes,” she breathes as I lightly suck and nip and kiss my way around her chest. But I need more.
“Take off your shorts,” I say, unable to hide the rumble of arousal lacing my words. Ashley’s eyes widen, but she lifts her hips and shimmies off her shorts. “Fuck. Ash.” The sight of her sex, glistening with all the evidence of her desire, is making my dick literally ache. But I need to taste her. I lay back down and place my hands on her perfect ass, pulling her toward me. It takes a second for her to understand what I’m asking, and when she does, she looks down at me with no small amount of uncertainty.
“Finn. I’ll smother you.”
“What a hell of a way to die.” I smirk, earning an eye roll and a giggle. I smack her ass lightly. “Get up here and give me what I’m waiting for, woman.”
“Oh, good grief. You’re demanding in bed,” she teases, but she makes her way up the bed until she’s almost exactly where I want her. I give her one more wicked grin.
