Page 179

Bran shifts uncomfortably. “Are you two quite done?”

Finn exudes the smugness of a man who knows he’s won. With calculating cruelty, he adds, “Now, dinnae think too hard about all that when you get lonely on Tonn Glas. Ye’ve got a long trip ahead.”

Bran levels him with an unimpressed stare. “Aye, real mature of you.”

Finn leans in and brushes a light kiss against my cheek, his lips warm and fleeting.

Bran clears his throat, clearly trying to regain control of the conversation. “I wasn’t prepared for you to lack all shame. Were you always this way, or is this torment just for me?”

His voice carries a mix of discomfort and humour, and it catches me so off guard that a small laugh escapes me. “That was him holding back. He is rather lewd-mouthed in the bedroom.”

At that, Bran lets out a genuine laugh. “Guess I taught him well,” he says with cocksure demure.

“No, Finn has an attitude all his own,” I say smoothly, casting him a sideways glance. “Nothing he could have been taught.” At that, he turns his head just enough to look at me, and the second our eyes meet, heat curls low in my belly.

His gaze is pure desire—dark, heavy-lidded, the kind of look that sets a woman’s resolve on fire. His smirk is slow, deliberate, and the sly curve of his lips makes my pulse stutter. He doesn’t have to say a word—that look alone is enough to remind me of every sinful thing he’s done to me. The way he’s touched me, claimed me, memorised every way I come undone beneath him. It’s a silent promise, a reminder, and a challenge all at once.

We let the silence stretch, then I tilt my head, my smirk widening. “I’m certain you are the furthest thing from his mind in the bedroom.”

Bran clears his throat loudly. “Aye, well, if you two are done making eyes like you intend to ravish the other on the spot, I’d like to formally request to un-hear this entire conversation.” Finn chuckles—low, dark.

“Request denied. Ye’re hearin’ every bit of it, Mums.”

“Why are you still standing here?” I ask through a giggle.

Bran throws his hands up, exasperated. “I don’t know! I suppose I thought it was better than standing alone, but then I also kept waiting for it to stop—and it hasn’t.”

Like a bell tolling Bran’s salvation, Casey’s unmistakable, full-bellied cackle erupts across the dock—loud, sharp, and cutting clean through the surrounding chatter.

Bran seizes the opportunity, voice a little too eager. “Ah, would you listen to that? Casey’s found something far more entertaining than whatever this is.” He spins on his heel, marching toward the others without another word.

Finn watches him go, still smirking. “Think we broke him. He’s willingly goin’ over to stand near Casey.”

I exhale, crossing my arms as I glance between them. “Aye, well, I hope they get over whatever the hell happened between them. It’s miserable watching them act like this.”

I chew my lip, mulling over a nagging thought in my head. “I think it was over a lassie.”

Finn’s smirk falters, just slightly.

I continue, voice thoughtful. “The morning after the party, I saw a girl sneaking out of Bran’s room. Looked like she was in a hurry. Thought nothin’ of it at the time, but now…” I trail off, glancing back toward them.

“Only… she left the room just as Amelia and I were walking past, which caused a bit of a scene in and of itself.”

Finn raises an eyebrow, his interest sharpening just a fraction, but he says nothing, waiting for me to go on.

I pause for dramatic effect, my voice quieter now. “Amelia and I had a front-row seat to Bran’s cock standing at full attention—no shame whatsoever at being caught.”

Finn lets out a sharp bark of laughter, shaking his head. “That lad is beyond saving.”

I exhale, shaking my head slightly as the memory comes back clearer. “And then, as we’re all standing there, the door to Casey’s room flies open, and Finn…”

I meet his gaze, my voice quieter now, thoughtful. “I can’t remember the last time I saw such rage in Casey’s eyes.”

Finn’s expression barely shifts—but I see it. That flicker of something, just for a moment, before he smooths it over. A quick flash of realisation, of calculation, before his mask falls perfectly back into place.

I narrow my eyes. “What was that look about?”

Finn exhales through his nose, shaking his head slightly. “They’ll work it out. If not for the betterment of internal peace, then for the mission. Bran is many things, but he’d never jeopardise the safety or well-bein’ of others.”