by Claire Raye
I’m pretty sure the next time I speak to my parents will be when they tell me they’ve sold the house and are moving to Florida.
I have plans with Finn tonight, so it wasn’t just my parents that were happy to know my visit was quick. Now that Ryan knows about us, there’s no reason to hide the fact that we’re spending time together.
I had sent Finn a text as I was leaving, letting him know what time I would be back in Rockport, but with his work schedule, he’s on tonight until eight p.m.
I stop off at a couple of stores on my way back, killing time and picking up a few dresses, a skirt, a couple of pairs of shoes and far too many shirts, but given this new job, I’m going to need the clothes.
I arrive back in Rockport around six and knowing Finn won’t be off work for a while, I stop off on Main Street in downtown Rockport.
Although it’s bigger than Eddington, it has the same small town appeal and quiet atmosphere.
I walk along the street, window-shopping before ducking into a small boutique to check out a cute dress in the window. The shop is busier than I would have thought with a group of women who look to be a little older than me. They’re at the back of the store chatting and laughing and I don’t really pay them any mind. I walk right to the rack where the dress is and take a look at the price tag. It’s cute, but not for the price they’re asking.
Just as I’m getting ready to leave, one of the women says Finn’s name and I freeze. I can’t leave now, and after what Erin’s told me about the women in this town and their interest in Finn, I’m not going anywhere. Staying out of their line of sight, but close enough to hear their conversation, I stand next to a rack of skirts, pretending to look.
“Oh my god, I was walking my dog the other night and I passed by Finn’s house and he was kissing some girl on his front porch.” She lets out a disgusted sigh and flips her brown hair over her shoulder. “She nearly ran into me as she was leaving, all disheveled and filled with that false hope that Finn was interested in her,” the brunette says, and when she turns toward me she looks like she’s been hitting the Botox a little too hard.
I step a little closer because I really need to hear what these women are going to say.
“Word around town is that he’s been screwing around with someone who’s ten years younger than him,” the next woman says. She’s at least somewhat cuter than the last, but that really isn’t hard.
“I’m sure she’s a slut.”
“A total whore.”
I’m not at all concerned with what these women are saying about me and realizing these are his dating options in this town, now I know exactly why Finn is still single. These women are just horrible. There isn’t a single one that seems to have any redeeming qualities other than their ability to gossip, and that is certainly not redeeming.
“I just don’t understand him. He has his pick of women in this town and he chooses some floozy tourist.”
Floozy? Who the fuck uses that word? I don’t know what comes over me, well, I do, but I don’t care and I stalk over to where these women are standing.
“Hi, ladies,” I say in my nosiest voice. “I couldn’t help but over hear your conversation and thought I’d contribute.”
They all stare at me, one of them actually gaping at me with her mouth open. “I’m the floozy and yes, you saw me kiss Finn on his front porch, but even better, I fucked Finn O’Loughlin, in his house, in his bed, in his kitchen, in his shower, and I’ve even fucked him in the bathroom at O’Loughlin’s.” I stop and wink at them, each one more shocked than the next. “And he plans to keep fucking me because I’m a great lay and I give amazing head and,” I whisper the next part just for pure shock value. “He says my pussy is the sweetest he’s ever tasted.” I glare at them with a wicked smile on my face, but none of them say a word.
I turn on my heel, making my hips sway as I walk away with a satisfied smile on my face. Just as I hit the door, one of them hisses, “What a bitch,” and my smile grows even bigger.
Feeling pretty good about what just happened, I head back to Erin and Ryan’s house to drop off my clothes. I hate that I’m once again using my brother’s house as a hotel, but at least this time I’ll have the money to pay him rent.
When I walk in the front door, my arms bogged down with piles of clothes, Erin jumps up from the couch grabbing the clothes from me.
“Let me help you,” she says, taking what she can and bringing it into the bedroom. After we have all my clothes and the few tubs of stuff I packed up in the bedroom, we both flop down on the couch.
“I go back to work on Monday, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do it,” Erin says, yawning. “I’m so tired. This baby is sucking the life out of me. I took a nap at noon today and I feel like I’m already ready for bed.”
“I’ve heard that,” I respond, knowing the few friends I have that have gotten pregnant complained about the same thing.
“You start Monday too, right?” Erin asks and I nod my head. “That’s a good thing. I think you’ll be happier working in Boston.”
“I’m going to start looking for a place in Boston soon, I promise,” I say, even though neither she nor Ryan has made me feel like I’m not welcome.
“Oh, Sarah, that wasn’t what I was saying at all. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you want.”
“I know you weren’t, but I don’t want to intrude. You guys will be having a baby sooner than you think.”
“Maybe you could move in with Finn and commute to Boston?” Erin suggests, shrugging her shoulders, but acting like this is really a viable option.
“We barely know each other. I don’t think he wants me to move in with him.”
“I would beg to differ. I told you, you’re his girlfriend whether you believe it or not. Trust me, even the whole town thinks you’re his girlfriend.”
“I met some of those women today, and they didn’t seem too happy about it.”
“All the women in this town think he wants someone barefoot and pregnant, making dinner and fucking him once a month out of obligation. They’re horrible,” she says, a disgusted look on her face as she rolls her eyes.
“Okay. So you really don’t think he’s just killing time with me?”
“No, not at all. Finn could kill time with anyone in this town or within a ten-mile radius of this town, for that matter. Look at that boy. He’s gorgeous. And word is he’s got a huge cock.”
“Erin!” I shout and clamp my hand over my mouth immediately, realizing how loudly it came out.
“What?” she asks, acting innocent. “Your brother’s not suffering in that department, but Finn… holy shit.”
“Stop! You’re going to make me gag. Don’t talk about my brother’s penis.”
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you just called it a penis! And I’m sure Finn will make you gag,” she says, opening her mouth wide.
“Erin, for fuck’s sake!”
By this time the two of us are laughing so hard tears are streaming down our cheeks. I’ve missed just being able to chat with someone like this. Living with my parents has been quite lonely.
Around eight, I head over to Finn’s house, but when I get there he’s still not home. Sending him a text, he tells me to go in through the garage and the key to the house is in the top drawer of his toolbox.
Finding the key, I let myself in and begin to rummage through his freezer and refrigerator looking for something to cook for dinner. It’s late, but I can’t imagine he’s eaten.
I quickly throw together some tacos with what I find in his fridge, which isn’t exactly a simple feat. He has a head of lettuce, a jar of salsa, flour tortillas, a pound of ground beef, some cheese and a random assortment of condiments that by the looks of the containers have been in his fridge for a while.
He truly is the epitome of a bachelor and it’s even more glaringly obvious that he doesn’t invite women back to his house, let alone have one stay over.
He comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, he kisses my neck, and whispers, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I turn in his arms and push up on my toes, giving him a soft kiss on his lips, but Finn pulls me closer and deepens the kiss.
“You are amazing,” he murmurs and I smile against his mouth. “Thank you for cooking me dinner.”
“It wasn’t that easy, but because I like you I persevered,” I respond jokingly and Finn swats me on my ass.
“And I like you too.”
We eat and chat about his day and me starting my new job. The conversation is easy and when there’s a lull, I ask, “Do you ever worry about our age difference?”
It takes Finn by surprise, cocking his head to the side, his eyes flashing with what appears to be anger. “No, why? Did someone say something to you?”
“Not really, well, not directly to me, but I overheard some women in town talking about us today.”
“The women in this town need to mind their fucking business,” Finn spits out harshly. “I hope they weren’t bothering you.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his, pressing a kiss to my palm.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I tell him, winking and he chuckles.
I then fill Finn in on my run-in with the ladies of Rockport and their opinion on our relationship, leaving out nothing. Finn laughs, and jokingly tells me not to get them fired up. But even behind our joking, I get a sense that Finn does worry about these women. He has an image as the chief of police to uphold and as much as he says fuck their gossip, he does have this professional persona to maintain.
I don’t ever doubt that he’s as professional as they come, and even when these women are throwing themselves at him, I’m certain he’s respectful. It’s the reason he’s never found himself in a relationship with any of them, and it’s why he did choose me. I’m an outsider, and I’m someone who hasn’t created this glorified version of him in my head. Around me he can be himself.
We finish up dinner and settle on the couch, with me leaning against Finn as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“Are you staying tonight?” he asks, his eyebrows raised and a mischievous smile on his face. “No reason for you to go sneaking around anymore.”
“Are you inviting me to stay the night?” I ask, tossing it back to him, not wanting to seem like I’m desperate.
“Yes, Sarah, I am.”
“Then yes, Finn, I am.”
He kisses my temple and turns on the TV. Scrolling through the channels he stops on a house flipping show, where we both begin to comment on how the people on the show have no idea what they are doing. It’s entertaining and the two of us are laughing as we watch multiple things go wrong.
When the show ends, Finn glances at his watch and says, “I gotta be back at the station early tomorrow.” We both let out a tired sigh, and then Finn adds, “Don’t let the women who live in this town bother you, okay?”
“I’m not. Why would you think I would?”
“I don’t know. They can be pretty brutal and while I know you can hold your own, I just don’t want it to wear thin.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Finn.”
“Neither am I.”
He smiles at me and shakes his head. I have no idea what he’s thinking, but the way his eyes never leave mine makes me believe he’s thinking about what our future might look like.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Finn says, his eyes now raking over my body. “Care to join me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
But just as Finn leans down to pull my shirt over my head, his phone lets out a soft chime. He exhales hard and runs a hand through his hair.
“That’s my work phone,” he mutters, the annoyance in his tone obvious. “But don’t move.” He holds up his hand as he begins to leave the room, searching for his phone.
“This is Chief O’Loughlin,” I hear Finn bite out from the other room and the harshness in his tone doesn’t fade even as he walks back into the room and sits down on the couch next to me. “Tell her I’ll deal with it in the morning,” Finn snaps, but it’s obvious the person on the other end isn’t taking no for an answer. “Listen Sam, this fucking town doesn’t know the difference between an emergency and wanting attention. I will deal with it in the morning.”
He hangs up and tosses the phone onto the coffee table in front of us as he mutters a for fuck’s sake and rolls his eyes.
Without missing a beat or filling me in, Finn looks over at me, desire back in his eyes and says, “Now, where were we?”
Chapter Eight
Finn
Waking up with Sarah still in my bed this morning had been everything I’d expected it to be. Fucking perfect. It was something I’d never experienced with any other woman I’d hooked up with before her and it was something I could definitely get used to.
Even though it had been early, Sarah had rolled over at the sound of my alarm, wordlessly pressing her warm body against mine as her hand trailed down until it found my dick. I’d groaned as she stroked my morning wood, my eyes rolling back into my head when she pushed me onto my back and straddled my hips, riding me slowly until we both came.
It was a hell of a way to wake up.
Afterward, I’d reluctantly dragged my now late ass into the shower, before quickly dressing and leaving Sarah dozing in my bed. I’d told her to stay as long as she wanted, even as a part of me wanted to tell her to stay forever.
But at the same time, I didn’t want to freak her out with how fast this was all moving. We’d only just come clean about the fact we are dating and as much as I’m into her, I know we need to take things slow. Spend some time getting to know each other, especially with so many other things changing for her with the new job and a possible move to Boston.
Even if that last part is not something I‘m looking forward to.
My morning bliss however, rapidly fades the second I walk into the station and find Carla waiting for me. After last night’s phone call from Sam, I should have expected this to happen, but it still irritates me.
“Finn,” Carla says, jumping up as soon as I walk in.
I ignore her, heading back to my office as Mavis at reception wordlessly hands me a coffee, at the same time offering me a sympathetic smile. I grab the mug, a small nod my only response, before I go back.
Carla follows me in, her potent floral perfume filling the small space and making me nauseous. “Finn,” she repeats, stopping in front of my desk.
“It’s Chief O’Loughlin,” I say through gritted teeth. “And if you don’t mind,” I add, gesturing back out toward the waiting area.
Carla smiles and ignores me, practically laughing off my dismissal as though it somehow doesn’t apply to her. “I just wanted to touch base and see if you’ve managed to catch the vandal who defaced my shop?” she asks.
I don’t bother to hide my eye roll as I glance at my door before turning back to Carla. “This is what you’ve come in here for?” I ask. “To check up on your vandal?”
“Well, I called last night,” she says, shrugging as though she can’t possibly understand why I’m so confused by this. “And there was no new information,” she continues. “So I thought…”
“So you thought,” I interrupt, cutting her off. “You’d trot on down here and waste my time, did you?” Carla opens her mouth to speak, but I don’t give her a chance. “To be perfectly honest Carla,” I say, not bothering to hide my sarcasm. “Officer Corcoran is looking into your vandal and I’m quite certain he doesn’t appreciate your phone calls checking to see if he’s doing his job. Just like I don’t appreciate you coming in here and assuming that we have nothing better to do than hunt for some snotty little teenager who drew a cock on the side of your building
!”
I know I’m being rude and possibly overreacting, but I can’t help it. For some reason, Carla’s appearance at the station this morning after her phone call to Sam last night really pisses me off.
Maybe it’s knowing she was likely one of the ladies gossiping in the shop that Sarah overheard yesterday or maybe it’s because I’m sick and tired of this woman bothering me and being unable to take no for an answer.
“Look,” I say, forcing myself to calm down, knowing I can’t afford to lose my shit. “Officer Corcoran is more than capable of doing his job,” I tell her. “And while it’s unlikely we are ever going to catch the culprit, that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try. So please, Carla,” I say. “Go and do your job and let us do ours.”
Carla huffs when I finally finish as though she can’t believe I’ve had the gall to say all of these things to her. Just when I think she’s about to turn and leave, she steps closer and smiles at me, the gesture somehow simultaneously flirty and nauseating.
“Finn,” she practically purrs.
I clench my jaw. “What?”
She blinks at me, as though trying to play coy when I know she’s anything but. She opens her mouth to say something just as my phone starts ringing. We both glance down at my desk, see the name Sarah Summers now flashing on my screen.
Shit.
I silence the ring, grabbing my phone and sliding it into my pocket, even as the look on Carla’s face tells me it’s too late, she’s seen the identity of my caller.
“Is that the woman I saw leaving your place the other day?” she asks.
“What?” I reply, shocked.
“She was leaving your house,” Carla says, a hand on her hip. “I was walking my dog and nearly ran into her. She seemed awfully flighty and quite frankly, disheveled. And then yesterday, she rudely interrupted a private conversation I was having. I mean I know she isn’t from around here, but still, she was incredibly crass, the things she said. It was probably all lies anyway,” she continues. “Gloating over what she’d like to think was happening.”
