by Claire Raye
With a beer in hand, I find my brother and Erin near the back of the pub sitting at a high-top table with Ryan’s old partner Beck and a woman I assume is his fiancé.
I greet Ryan and Erin with hugs and Beck gives me a nod of his head and introduces me to Kelsey.
It’s nearly midnight and as I look around at the little group I’m with, I’m once again hit with the reality that I’m the fifth wheel. I roll my eyes and stop the shot girl as she strolls by.
“Anyone?” I ask, a smile on my face, knowing that despite being alone it’s better than being in Eddington.
“Me!” Kelsey yells out, bouncing up on her tiptoes as she tosses a hand in the air.
“I’m out, clearly,” Erin adds with a pouty face, but Ryan assures her he’ll drink enough for all three of them. Sometimes I wonder if he’s really cut out for this whole fatherhood thing.
“I’ll take one,” says a deep voice from behind and I watch the guy I fucked in the bathroom stroll up and kiss Kelsey and Erin on the top of the head, and shake hands with Beck and Ryan.
It takes him a second before his gaze falls on me and the shock on his face absolutely mirrors what’s on my face. I get that this is a small ass town, but the last fucking thing I thought would happen is currently happening.
As much as I wished I would run into him, I really didn’t want it to be in the company of my brother and his friends. There’s no way this is going to end well with how Ryan has responded to my past hookups. And to make matters worse, he is clearly close with my brother’s group of friends.
As I stand here, chewing on my bottom lip, taking in his muscled frame and shockingly good looks, I realize he looks even better than I remember. My memory did not do him justice and today he’s wearing a pair of slim-fit jeans and a tight gray sweater. Holy fucking shit.
Ryan calls my name and I avert my eyes from my mystery man’s rock hard body and my thoughts of what he would look like naked.
“Yeah?” I answer, my eyes blinking, swallowing hard as I try to clear my head and remove my what-the-fuck face.
“You okay? You’re being weird,” Ryan says and shakes his head not waiting for me to answer. “I don’t think you’ve met Finn. This is Beck’s brother, Finn O’Loughlin. Finn this is my sister Sarah.”
I reach my hand out and Finn takes it cautiously, my fingers grazing the inside of his wrist as he tightens his grip. The jolt of electricity that moves through both of us causes my hand to remain in his longer than necessary. And I can’t help but I wonder if everyone in this room can feel the sexual tension that is radiating between us.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, moving closer so he can hear me over the noise of the crowded pub, my hand still in his, and he glares at me. I can’t stop the giggle that escapes my mouth, and when I look at Erin she gives me a serious side eye. I have a feeling she knows something is up, but she wouldn’t dare say it out loud in front of all these people.
“You too,” he responds, but his tone is formal and his expression is almost angry. I wet my lips and give him a small smile, and I swear I see the corner of his mouth pull up on one side.
“Off duty already?” Kelsey asks as Finn takes down his shot.
“Surprisingly, yes,” Finn says, his eyes still trained on me. “But you know how that goes.” He shrugs his shoulders and signals the waitress for another drink.
We spend the next half hour chatting and laughing, and then someone announces we have ten minutes until midnight, and that’s when the conversation takes an unexpected turn.
“I swear to god if you two fuck in my bathroom again, you’re going to be banned from ever coming in here,” Beck shouts over the crowd and the music.
My wide eyes immediately make contact with Finn’s and for a split second I think Beck is talking about us, but then I watch as everyone looks at Erin and Ryan. His mouth is on her neck and she’s leaning into him with a cheeky smile on her face.
I’ve never been more mortified by my actions in my life. I can’t believe I’ve now had sex with someone in the same place as my brother. And by the stories that are pouring out of Beck and Kelsey, it wasn’t a one-time thing.
“Listen,” Ryan says, his tone assertive, but I know he’s not serious. “I’m not sure you can ban me from a place that I now own a portion of, and if we’re staking claim here, Erin and I get the ladies’ room. You can have the men’s room.”
Before the conversation can go any further, a five minute warning and a last call for drinks rings out before the new year. Kelsey grabs us all another shot and a glass of champagne, holding her shot up she calls out, tipping her shot toward me, “To a great year and to new friends.”
I put my shot back, setting the glass down on the table as I lean over to Erin, letting her know that I’m going to the bathroom.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she calls out, laughing and the look on Finn’s face nearly gives away that we’ve definitely done what she’s done. But even worse is the look on Ryan’s face that screams I shouldn’t be fucking anyone, let alone someone in a public bathroom.
I shake my head at her and make my way to the bathroom. The crowd of people is thick and with the buzz I now have going, I’m struggling to get through.
When I finally make it near the bathroom, a hand suddenly grabs hold of my upper arm, stilling me and I can feel the weight of Finn’s body pressing against my back. My heart begins to race as desire swirls inside me and I know that Finn feels it too.
“You could have told me who you were,” he says tightly, but breathlessly, his lips next to my ear as he walks me into the hallway with the bathrooms, his body still pressed into mine.
Turning around, looking up at him through my lashes I ask, “What fun would that have been? You weren’t exactly open with me either.”
“Your brother is going to fucking kill me. Kill me with his bare hands,” Finn groans, running a hand through his hair.
“He never has to know,” I respond, this time stepping closer to him as he moves us both into a corner at the end of the hallway.
“Do you have any idea…” Finn starts but stops quickly, again tugging a hand through his hair. “Your brother hates me, and this,” he says, motioning with his hand between us, “is only going to add another reason to the list.”
“Fuck him,” I say, rolling my eyes, hating the fact that Ryan can be so controlling. I don’t even live here, so the idea that this could carry on longer than the length of my visit is probably pushing it.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about our bathroom rendezvous turning into something more, but that was just boredom and the loneliness of living in Eddington. Or at least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself.
By now, my fingers are slipping into the waist of Finn’s jeans, and I watch him bite down hard on his lower lip. He sucks in a long slow breath and closes his eyes.
I press my body harder against his, pushing up on my toes so my mouth is next to his ear. I murmur, “Admit it, fucking me in that bathroom was hot. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about your…”
“Sarah, no,” Finn says firmly as he interrupts me, and I pull back feeling small and insulted. I duck my head away from him, but there’s nowhere for me to go. I’m trapped in the corner of this hallway with him as the crowd calls out a joyous shout of “Happy New Year!”
With his large muscled body looming over mine, Finn mutters, “Fuck it,” and that’s when his hand slips to my neck, his fingers gripping tightly, his thumb brushing over my cheek, as he leans down and kisses me hard.
I’m breathless for a split second and when my lips part to take in air, Finn’s tongue invades my mouth making me moan out loud.
“Goddamnit, Sarah,” he says, but the smile I feel against my lips tells me he’s anything but pissed off at me.
I laugh and pull him in for another kiss while the crowd of people still celebrates the New Year, knowing we only have a few seconds
before this hallway fills with people and our anonymity is lost.
When we finally separate, both of us breathless, I tell Finn, “I have to get back to the table.” I’m feeling like I’ve been gone for way too long, but he shakes his head at me.
“Everything about this tells me it’s a terrible idea, but fuck me, I can’t walk away from you.”
I nod my head in agreement, feeling my heart race as Finn rubs his thumb across my bottom lip, and with his warm breath on my neck, he says, “I wanna fuck you in this hallway so bad right now.”
My eyes close and a soft groan falls from my lips as I murmur, “Then do it.”
Finn lets out a low chuckle, pulling me against his body. “Don’t tempt me,” he says, as he sucks at my neck. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Sarah.”
I feel my face grow hot at his words, and I swallow hard wondering if our one night stand has suddenly turned into something more.
Chapter Two
Finn
I cannot believe the woman I’m currently pressed up against and seriously thinking about pulling into the ladies’ room for a repeat performance of what we did a couple of weeks ago, is Ryan’s sister.
Fuck me.
If ever there was a time when I wished to god I’d maybe handled things differently with Erin and her mobster father, then this is it. It’s bad enough that Ryan thinks I didn’t look after her properly. Worse still that he knows we shared a bed on more than one occasion. But to find out I’ve now fucked his baby sister?
I might as well cut my own balls off and hand them to him right now because it’s only a matter of time before Ryan does it.
“Well?” Sarah murmurs, sliding a hand down to cup said balls. “Shall we?”
I groan out loud, reluctantly moving her hand from my dick and lifting it to my mouth. “As tempted as I am,” I murmur, gently biting her palm. “I really don’t think it would be a good idea.”
“Ever or just tonight?” she asks, smiling up at me as she bites her bottom lip.
“Fuck,” I whisper, pushing her back against the wall as I lean down and kiss her again. Despite my protestations, my hand slides under her sweater and finds her breast. I tease her nipple, feeling her squirm against me, her hips pressing against mine.
Just as she slides her hand back to my dick though, I pull away, and take a step backward so we are no longer touching. “Go back to the table,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest as I try to get my breathing under control. “This seriously can’t happen here.”
Sarah grins up at me and I know she’s thinking that if not here, then maybe it can happen somewhere else. And as much as I’d like that to be the case, because she’s right, it was hot and I have been constantly thinking about her, I just don’t know if I should. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk, the pain in my ass that I know it could be if Ryan, my new business partner for fuck’s sake, ever found out.
“Okay,” she whispers, pressing up on her toes and lightly brushing her lips against mine. “Somewhere else then.”
Before I can say anything, Sarah winks at me before turning and walking away, disappearing into the crowd that has miraculously not seen anything that’s just gone down between us. It’s bad enough that word could get back to Ryan or my brother, but I sure as shit don’t need half the town gossiping about my sex life either.
It’s half the reason I avoid being with anyone in this small ass town. Aside from the fact that literally no one here is my type, I just don’t need the bullshit that comes from everyone knowing your business. I’ve seen what it’s done to Beck and even though he mostly tolerates it this time around, I know it used to annoy the hell out of him.
A relationship like that is not what I’m after. Which is another reason to avoid the locals and focus on the tourists. As shallow as it sounds, I don’t need the drama that comes from a long-term relationship in a town where I’m the Chief of Police.
Groaning, I shove a hand through my hair and turn to walk into the men’s rest room. I’ve half a mind to jerk off so I don’t walk back to the table with a raging hard on, but all of that becomes unnecessary when I see who’s standing behind me.
“Finn,” the woman says, as she moves even closer.
I roll my eyes as I watch her half-assed attempt to steady herself on the wall while trying to look as though she’s completely sober. Carla Robinson, owner of the fish and chip shop down on the pier and one of the locals who can’t seem to take no for an answer. This woman has been trying to get into my pants for years and it doesn’t matter how many times I tell her I’m not interested, she doesn’t seem to get the hint.
“Carla,” I reply.
“Happy New Year,” she slurs, stepping toward me.
“And to you,” I reply, taking a step backward.
She grabs onto my arm, swaying a little as she steps closer again. I can smell something fruity and alcoholic on her breath. “How about a midnight kiss?” she asks, pressing against me.
“I don’t think so,” I reply, grabbing her by the arms and steering her in the direction of the ladies’ room. “I think you might need some water.”
“Pfft, you’re no fun, Finn O’Loughlin,” she protests as I open the door and gently guide her inside.
As soon as I do though, my eyes flick to the counter and I’m bombarded with memories of the only other time I’ve been inside this room. I can’t even explain what came over me that day. How in the hell did I manage to find myself in here, jeans around my ankles and my dick buried deep inside Sarah as I fucked her hard against the bathroom sink?
God, it was incredible though, really hot and a huge turn on. Part of it was the newness of it all, the excitement of doing it in public with a woman who’s name I didn’t even know. But the bigger part was the way my body reacted to every single thing she did and said. She was like no one I’d ever met before and not a day has gone by since that I haven’t thought back to that afternoon.
Carla half falls against the sink, the other women touching up their lipstick, giggling as she tries to steady herself.
“Ladies,” I say, before turning and walking out, not the missing the chorus of, “Bye Finn,” that follows. God knows what they’re going to think that was just about.
I make my way back to the table, stopping by the bar first to grab another round of drinks for everyone, knowing I’m definitely going to need it if I have any chance of keeping my hands and my eyes off Sarah for the rest of the evening.
By the time I get back, the girls are on the make-shift dance floor, jumping around to the eighties music Beck always insists on playing every New Year’s.
“You okay?” he asks as I hand him and Ryan their beers.
I shrug as I take a long sip of my beer, force myself to look away from Sarah before I do something really stupid. “Yeah.”
Beck laughs. “Let me guess,” he says, grinning at me. “Carla.”
“Who?” Ryan says, reminding me of exactly why I shouldn’t even be thinking about Sarah.
“Carla Robinson,” Beck continues, chuckling because he loves giving me shit about this. “She owns Hook, Line & Sinker,” he says. “And she’s had a crush on Finn since, I don’t know, forever.”
Ryan grins as he turns to look at me. “What and you’re not interested?”
“No,” I reply, my jaw tight.
Beck laughs. “Not interested, but that doesn’t stop her from throwing herself at him every chance she gets.”
“So, just throw her a bone,” Ryan says, nudging me. “Put her out of her misery?”
Beck’s laugh only gets louder. “He did that, back in high school,” he says, apparently having no qualms about sharing the details of my sex life. God, if only he knew. “Popped her cherry,” he continues. “And she’s been after a repeat ever since.”
“Jesus,” Ryan says, chuckling. “Desperate.”
“Fuck off,” I say, shooting him a look. “Maybe I’m just that good?”
&nb
sp; Ryan laughs now. “Yeah, yeah,” he says, punching my shoulder. “Just giving you shit is all,” he adds. “But seriously, you’re not interested?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Well then,” he continues, finishing his beer as he stands to get us another round. “Guess we’re just gonna have to find you someone else then, aren’t we?”
Fuuuucckkk.
It’s noon by the time I wake the following day, the bonus of working until almost midnight last night meaning I now have the day off. It’s probably just as well given the monster hangover I’ve currently got.
I shuffle my way into the kitchen and make some coffee before collapsing on the couch and channel surfing on the TV. Sometime in the afternoon I force myself to eat something, but I must doze off because when a knock at the door wakes me, it’s dark outside.
I glance at my phone, and see it’s after six. Jesus where has the day gone?
The knock sounds out again and I have to bite my tongue at the impatience of whoever’s decided to drop by as I push off the couch and make my way to the front door.
“What?” I grumble as I open it.
“Hey,” Sarah says, standing on my dark front porch, grinning up at me. “Bit hungover, huh?”
I freeze, my foggy brain unable to comprehend if she’s really here or if I’m still asleep on the couch and dreaming all of this.
“You going to invite me in?” she asks, rocking on her heels and looking far too cheery and alert for someone who was as drunk as I was last night.
“Ah, what…ahhh, what are you doing here?” I stammer.
Sarah rolls her eyes as she steps toward me, one hand on my stomach as she moves me aside and walks into my house. I wordlessly close the door before turning and following her into my living room. I watch as she takes it all in, the coffee mug, the empty bottle of Gatorade and the mostly eaten pizza that litter my coffee table.
“Sarah?” I ask, hungover, half asleep and totally confused.
She turns now, her grin widening. “Well, Ryan is as hungover as all hell and even grouchier than usual,” she says with a flick of her hand. “Erin is annoyed she’s not hungover and is taking it out by unpacking all of Ryan’s stuff that he has yet to unpack,” she says, staring up at me. “And I was bored,” she adds, giving me a look that says she’s more than just bored. “Thought I’d drop by.”
