He didn’t answer straight away, but I hadn’t expected him to. His family’s business had been sprawled all over Monroe for anyone to see, and that shit had to be hard to deal with. Even though his gran had said she wanted to stick around, I’d half expected them to pack up and go back East, so I was impressed they’d stuck around. Ben had been keeping me in the loop and had been keeping an eye on things, and Lola had been in contact with Finn’s gran. Once the Lavender women got their claws into you, there was no getting away from them, and Lola was making that clear as day.
“Scared,” he whispered when he finally answered. “I’m scared shitless.”
“Totally understandable.”
“But Gran doesn’t want to leave, so I’ve gotta stick it out.”
Ahh, so the idea of leaving Monroe had crossed his mind.
“If you even think of leaving, I can guarantee you Marnie would search the country for you and drag you back.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah.”
“You have people on your side here. I can’t tell you what’s going to go down, but you have the Lavenders and me. You and your gran aren’t alone in this. You’ve just gotta make sure you reach out if things turn to shit.”
“I can do that.”
“I’ve gotta run, but I’ll tell you this. The Lavenders love hard. Once they’ve brought you into their world, they will love, care, and protect like no other. Marnie needs this. She needs you. She’s stubborn and won’t admit it, but it’s been freaking her out that you won’t be there when she goes to the shop tomorrow.” I stood from the seat and started heading to the door to head back inside. “You’ll be there, right?”
The silence lasted longer this time. I could hear him breathing, and if the line had been clearer, I swear I would have been able to hear his brain ticking over. Marnie would take on all the blame if he didn’t show, and I didn’t want her to have to deal with that.
Then softly, he confirmed, “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
And I believed him.
Because even though Marnie needed him for the shop, and they’d developed a friendship, I think Finn needed her more.
He needed her to help him to start living again and to help figure out who this new Finn was.
And if anyone was the best person to help with that, it was Marnie Lavender.
Thirty-Two
Marnie
I had no idea how my letter or the article in which it appeared had been received. Austin had closed us off from the world and everything other than him and me no longer existed for three glorious days. He’d even taken my phone, so I wouldn’t agonize over it. It had been exactly what I needed. We spent three days just being us, and it was perfect.
Today was our last day of solitude, and as I stood under the scalding hot shower, the nerves of going back to work were kicking in. I made no apologies for what I did or said. Everything in the article, including my response, was the truth. It needed to be said, and Cybil had brought it on herself. I just hated that it had to be so public. I wasn’t worried about how Monroe would treat me or if Cybil would retaliate. My only concern was Finn and whether he’d face any ramifications. Was I still shocked that he was Thomas Bell’s son? Hell, yes. But Finn was Finn, my happy-go-lucky, hard-working, coffee making co-worker who’d quickly became a friend. I refused to judge him or treat him differently because of his father, just as I’d expect people not to treat or judge Austin differently because of his mother.
But they were my thoughts, and I had no clue how the rest of the town would feel. Monroe was protective of its townsfolk, and I was afraid they wouldn’t agree with what I had said or welcome Finn and his gran as my family had now that their true identity was revealed.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. Rubbing my hand over the mirror, I cleared the steam and stared at my reflection. Even though I felt uneasy about so many things, I felt grounded. Rock solid. And that was because of the man downstairs.
I was so in love with Austin Hart. Head-over-heels, hand-on-heart, mind-boggling in love with him. Behind me, the door opened, and my eyes met his in the mirror before he scanned me from head to toe. I spun around and leaned against the bathroom counter and stared at him.
“You going to take a shower?”
He nodded. “I was hoping to get up here before you got out.”
Heat flooded my body as he began to undress in front of me. First, his shirt disappeared, revealing his ridiculously toned chest and six-pack. I licked my lips as he kept going. His thumbs slid into the side of his sweatpants, and he slowly slid them down over his narrow hips to reveal his long, thick, semi-hard cock. I hissed as I drank him in. No matter how many times I saw him naked, I’d still be rendered speechless, and right now was no different.
He didn’t say a single word to me as he continued to seduce me with slow moves, enticing looks, and silent promises. After turning the shower back on, he disappeared behind the curtain. I sucked in a desperate breath and then another. I was wet, so damn wet for this man, and I didn’t hesitate. I dropped the towel and stepped into the shower with him.
Without speaking a word, I sank to the tiled floor and gazed up at him. My hands traveled up his muscular thighs as my eyes roamed his glistening physique. Now that the memories my body had kept dormant for so long had been reignited, I craved every inch of him constantly.
“Thank you for taking care of me, for loving me, for protecting me, and for being my biggest cheerleader,” I whispered as my hands trailed higher until one wrapped around his cock. “I missed everything about you when we were apart. Your smile, your voice, your touch, your kindness, your love. And I missed having you in my mouth. I missed tasting you as you came down my throat. I missed hearing you moan my name. So I think I need to make up for lost time.”
He hissed at my words, and his fingers found my hair as soon as my tongue swiped across the head of his cock. I kept my eyes locked on his as I slowly began to move, taking him inch by inch down my throat. I moaned as he fisted my hair, my throat vibrating along his shaft. When he tugged gently, I quickened my pace. His pants fueled me, and my name falling from his lips in whispers ignited me. With the water cascading over my body, I worshiped him, and at that moment, I showed my love and devotion with my mouth. I took him deep. Slow and fast, gentle and rough. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I craved his taste. I wanted his desire to coat my tongue, and I wanted his release to belong to me.
“Fuck, Marnie, finger fuck yourself while you suck my cock. Stretch that pussy because I’m fucking you hard, fast, and rough after I come down your throat.”
I moaned at his words and swallowed around his cock, my throat tightening and gripping. I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop until he lifted me from my knees and slammed into me. My fingers crept between my legs, and I did as he said. I pushed one and then two fingers inside my pussy. I was soaked, needy, and ready for him.
When his fist tightened in my hair, I knew he was close. I lifted my head slightly to watch him. I had always loved watching him come undone. His head shifted back slightly, and with a groan and hiss of my name, he let go. I moaned and swallowed, taking everything he gave and wanting everything he would forever give.
In a flash, his arms were under mine, and I was pulled to my feet and twisted around. I cried out in utter pleasure at the sensation of coolness from the tiles pressed hard against my breasts and the fullness of him slamming into me from behind. I twisted my neck to look over my shoulder and connect my eyes with his. Sex between us had always been incredible, but now, sex was mind-blowing. I couldn’t and wouldn’t get enough of him. Ever.
I knew I was going to explode around him within seconds, but I tried desperately to hold on for as long as I could. I didn’t want to break our connection, but I knew nothing, and no one could ever break us.
“I’m so close.” I moaned, and his eyes burned with fire as I clamped down around him.
“Yes, grip my cock, get me there again.”
O
h, fuck! He didn’t stop, he didn’t slow down, he didn’t relent. He kept thrusting deeper and taking me higher. My pussy ached for him, desperate for relief and desperate to come undone. The moment I shuddered around him, he stilled within me, and our eyes locked tightly. Together we soared high before crashing in moans and pants. I came hard, and he came shortly afterward. I felt like a rag doll, limp in his arms. Slowly, he cleaned me up before turning off the shower and wrapping me in a towel. I stared at him as he began to dry my body and hair.
“I love you.” I hummed, completely satisfied and floating on cloud nine.
His smile lit up the room. “And I love you. You want to nap for a bit?”
“But we just got out of bed?” I yawned and wasn’t quick enough to catch it. We’d literally been out of bed for an hour, but after that shower, I felt like I could sleep for days.
“We’re napping.”
He dragged me back into the bedroom, and both of us collapsed onto the mattress. With a satisfied moan, he pulled me against his body, and within seconds, I passed out.
And when I did, I was content, satisfied, and head over heels in love.
I woke up early to Austin’s voice floating up the stairs. “What do you mean she’s pulled out? Wow, okay. What else does it say?”
I looked at the clock on the side table and saw it was just before six in the morning. Immediately, I yawned. I climbed out of bed and hissed at the chill in the air. Fumbling around the floor, I pulled on Austin’s discarded hoodie and a pair of fluffy slipper socks and quietly made my way downstairs to find out what was going on.
“So, DC?”
He looked up when I entered the kitchen, and I swallowed hard at the sight of him. Gray sweatpants sat low on his slim hips, his chest and abs still glistened from the shower he’d obviously taken, and he hadn’t shaved yet. When he lifted his arm, silently inviting me into his space, I didn’t hesitate. I snuggled into him, inhaling his scent and loving his warmth as it curled around me.
“Okay, yeah, I’ll see you in about forty-five minutes.”
After hanging up the call, he placed his phone on the counter and met my eyes.
“Morning,” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him lightly. “Everything okay?”
“Morning. And yeah, just got some news to share. Firstly, the guy who did this,” He lightly touched the red scar left from the bullet graze. “He’s facing serious time in Chicago, so he’s going to be locked away in Illinois for a long time, so we can close that chapter forever.”
Even though Austin hadn’t deemed it as serious, it was to me, so hearing this news was a relief. We never spoke about it, and I knew it was because of my reaction to when it first happened. Nowadays, the only reminder we had was his scar that would eventually fade. I’d always have my fears that something could happen to him, and I’d always sleep light when he was working nights, but I wasn’t going to allow my fears to win. What happened to Dad was calculated and planned and what happened to Austin was because a man was under the influence of drugs and alcohol who should never have had a gun in his possession and was pissed off at his wife. And now he was paying for it. Austin was safe, and that’s all that mattered.
“Good!”
He smirked and tapped my nose with his finger.
“Also, Mom’s pulled out of the electoral race, and apparently, she’s moving to DC. It’s been all over the news this morning.”
“What?” I gasped, feeling my eyes bug wide.
Of all days for this news to break, it had to be on the day I was re-opening. I was already worried about what people were going to say, and now this? He read me instantly and picked up on where my thoughts had run to, and he reeled it in right away.
“Hey, this isn’t going to affect you. I promise. Don’t let her do any more damage. She doesn’t deserve that. You are going to have a kickass day, and nothing is going to change that.”
I nodded, trying desperately to believe him because if I didn’t, it was likely that I’d bolt upstairs and call Finn and make a bullshit excuse as to why we couldn’t open today.
“Did it say anything about your dad?”
“Not a word. It was all about her. Apparently, she’s going to DC to care for her sick mother. Although my gran died when I was ten, so I have no clue who she’s using as her mother.”
Nothing surprised me when it came to Cybil Hart anymore. I’d been witness to her games for years, so hearing she’d made up some bogus story to get out of Monroe without looking like the lying bitch she was didn’t faze me. But I watched Austin closely.
I took a step closer to him. “Are you okay with this?”
“Absolutely.”
“If you’re not, it’s okay.”
He moved his hands to cup my cheeks and lifted my head to look up at him. “Freckles, I haven’t had a mother for a long time. I have amazing women in my life that I’d rather love, cherish, and protect. You, Ashlyn, Aria, your mom, Cora, Gigi, Sasha, Missy… I’m the luckiest man in the world. I refuse to give even a second of my time thinking about her. She birthed me, and I will be forever grateful to her for giving me Ashlyn, but other than that, she chose her way, and I’ve chosen mine.”
I rose on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. He didn’t need an invitation to claim my mouth as his. He moved his hands from my cheeks and wrapped his arms around my body and held me tight against him. I kissed him with everything I had and everything I was. This man and his heart were too big to comprehend at the best of times. He had every right to be angry, upset, and think poor me, but instead, he loved hard, and he wasn’t afraid to show it to the people who meant the world to him.
And he was all mine.
“As much as I want to fuck you on the kitchen counter, we both know I can’t. It’s a big day for you today, so you don’t need to be worn out by an early morning orgasm or three. I know you need your nap afterward, and we have no time.”
The teasing tone he used caused me to slap his arm and pfft him at the same time. Though I couldn’t deny that he was right. Naps were becoming a regular thing in my life these days, and they were brought on by sex and orgasms. But hell, a girl wasn’t going to complain.
Three hours later, I stood with Finn in the middle of Luscious Lavender ready to open the doors for the first time since what I was calling CybilGate. He’d arrived just after me, and he’d brought me our usual morning coffee, so I knew Finn was here in some capacity, but I was still worried about him. Was I moving too fast for him? Did he really want to be here? My stomach sank as I wondered if I’d made a mistake. He looked pale and like he hadn’t been sleeping, but he’d shown up. As soon as he’d walked in, and before we even said good morning to each other, I’d wrapped him in my arms and squeezed the air out of him. I needed him to know I was okay with this, and more than anything, I needed him to believe me. After I stepped out of our hug, he’d finally given me the smallest and briefest of smiles, and I’d taken it. The tension in his shoulders and running up over his jaw indicated that he still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact I was okay with all this. No matter how much I told him, he still held hesitation in his eyes every time he’d look at me.
But I was stubborn. Oh boy, was I stubborn. He might not have believed me now, but I’d make sure he did.
“You ready for this?” I asked him as we looked toward the glass door as the clock was getting ready to tick over to nine a.m. “If you need a break, or to step away, you do it. We’re a team. We’ve got this.”
I held out my fist and raised my brow expectantly. That got me another half-smile, and he hit my fist with his.
“You are crazy.” He shook his head as he made his way to the shelving toward the back to turn on some music like he did every time he worked.
“Yeah, crazy awesome.”
There was no way I’d tell him, but I was feeling a little anxious about how the day would go. I still had no idea how Monroe was going to react. I guess it was now or never.
But as soon as I opened t
he doors, Monroe proved that I had nothing to worry about.
Basically, all day, I’d been all but forgotten, and Finn became the man of the moment and in the best possible way. Every customer who walked through the doors, and even some locals who’d never step foot into Luscious Lavender and probably never would again, made a beeline for him and either shook his hand or gave him a hug. And every person welcomed him to Monroe.
We hadn’t even reached midday, and I’d already lost count of the number of times I had to swallow my emotions and wipe away tears.
Fuck, I loved my town.
After lunch, we finally had a moment to breathe. That was until Gigi burst through the door, signaling her arrival with an exuberant hello.
“You are a hard boy to get details on. I had to go through Ben, and then Austin, and then Lola, and then finally, I got through to your gran, who by the way is a bucketload of fun and we are hitting up the country club next week, to find out your favorite cake!” Gigi fanned her face dramatically. “I know I look it, but I’m not a spring chicken anymore. I can’t be running around like this.”
Finn hadn’t blinked since Gigi burst through the door.
“But thankfully, it was all worth it because you like triple chocolate, and I am the queen of chocolate cake, so you are in for a treat!”
Still, he didn’t blink, and he hadn’t made a sound. Shit, I didn’t even know if he was breathing.
“Is he okay?” Gigi shot a look of concern in my direction before waving a hand in front of his face. “I’ve been known to render men speechless, but this is… interesting.”
I clicked my fingers in front of Finn’s eyes, and he finally blinked out of his Gigi trance.
“Ahh, there he is! Here you go!” Gigi thrust one of her famous cake carriers into his hands and waited expectantly for a compliment.
“Um, sorry, I’m not sure I know you.” His eyes dropped to the cake carrier now in his hands before he looked at me for guidance, or maybe even an escape plan.
My Only Reason (Men of Monroe Book 2) Page 29
