Page 38 of Capture The Moment

Chapter 10

When Harper returned to the living room a few minutes later, Finn was standing in front of the fire, watching the flames leap and dance. He’d turned off the television, and the silence was deafening. Even the dogs were quiet as they took up positions on their nearby doggy beds.

Harper halted a few paces away and waited for him to speak.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” he said, turning to face her. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” she said softly. “I was being oversensitive.”

“It’s allowed, you know? You’ve been through a lot.”

“So have you.”

“But it’s different from losing your spouse.”

“We both loved him, Finn.”

He looked down at the floor then, and she could tell he was trying to compose himself. Her heart swelled with compassion for this big, burly man who had lost his best friend. Stepping forward, she reached out and took both of his hands in hers. “He loved you too, you know?”

He nodded and swallowed hard. He looked up then, and when she saw the tears swimming in his eyes, tears sprang to hers too. What happened next seemed to occur outside of herself, like she had no control of her own movements. She stepped forward until she was flush against him, and his arms immediately wrapped around her waist. To an outsider, it might have looked like a simple hug between friends, but they both knew it was so much more.

Harper’s heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline pumping throughout her entire body. Her arms coiled around his neck, and his stubbled cheek scraped against hers as he held her tight—tighter than was necessary. She felt a surge of heat that she knew came from more than the fire that was still crackling and flickering in the grate.

Time stood still as they embraced, and Harper relished the connection and the heat between them. I need this right now. This is what I’ve been missing, she thought as she leaned into him. She was barely cognizant of the fact that she’d been toying with the soft hair at the nape of his neck while he’d been stroking hers at the same time. All she knew was that everything felt so deliciously good, so right, so perfect that she didn’t want to let go.

Finn began stroking her arms up and down in a comforting rhythm, and she thought about him touching her somewhere else. But she was afraid to move and break the spell. This was the most she’d been touched in a long time, and she soaked it up like a sponge. But it became impossible not to move, since he’d awakened every cell in her body and she longed to touch him too.

Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at him and saw a myriad of emotions in his beautiful blue eyes—desire, longing, astonishment, and uncertainty. She felt certain that if she were some other woman, he wouldn’t be holding back right then. But she sensed his restraint and admired it even as hers was crumbling.

Finn gently cupped her face, and looking deeply into her eyes, he whispered, “Whatever you want. Whatever you need.”

Coming up on her tiptoes, she said, “This. I need this.” And she brushed her lips against his, softly, tentatively. And then again until his lips parted, and he groaned. He let her take the lead, and she did, kissing him gently at first and then increasing the pressure as she became more aroused. His hands slid down her sides until they cupped her bottom, pulling her hips more tightly against his, where she felt the unmistakable outline of his erection.

Her nipples were tight where they rubbed against his chest, and she ached to have his hands on her bare skin. Her tongue darted out for the first time since they’d started kissing, and he opened his mouth wider, accepting all that she had to give, giving all that she wanted to take. She moaned against his lips and wriggled against his manhood, encouraging him onward. His hands had drifted underneath her shirt, where he splayed them across her lower back, holding her captive against his hard body. She was overflowing with need, drunk with lust, heady from all the sensations that were assaulting her. Her titillated state and his responses made her brave, and she stepped back and placed her fingers on the buttons of her shirt.

Finn’s eyes grew wide as she undid the first button and then another. And then he stopped her by placing his large warm hands atop hers. “You sure about this?” he asked, his voice ragged.

She nodded and undid another button, revealing the tops of her breasts, which peeked over the edge of her bra. Swallowing hard, Finn started to reach for them, and then suddenly, the shrill sound of a ringing phone stopped him in his tracks.

“Shit,” he said, plunging his hands in his hair and stepping back.

Just like that, the air was sucked out of the room and out of her lungs. Reality crashed down like a heavy weight upon her soul, and she turned away from him while she hastily rebuttoned her shirt.

Without a word, Finn stepped around her and went into the kitchen to answer the ringing phone. Seconds later, she heard his gravelly voice and was grateful that he stayed out of sight while she regained her composure. Heart pounding erratically, she forced air back into her lungs, breathing deeply and trying desperately to get a grip. Her mind raced with the reality of what would have happened had they not been interrupted.

She’d been like another person, one she hardly recognized. The person she’d been when in the heat of passion with her HUSBAND. Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod. Blake. She choked on a sob just as Finn returned to the living room.

He started to reach for her, but she spun away.

“Harper?”

“I shouldn’t have…I don’t know why…I just shouldn’t have.”

“It’s ok,” he said softly.

Her head jerked up. “No, it’s not ok! Do you realize what almost happened? It’s not ok,” she repeated, her voice louder that time.

And then the dogs started to whine, almost as if they sensed the sudden tension in the room.