The Finn Factor

by Rachel Bailey

  “Louder,” he repeated.

  “Finn.” The word felt like it was ripped from my throat—calling, begging, praising all at the same time.

  A finger slipped inside me, then another, and I gripped hard as his mouth sucked, taking me outside of time and space, into a world where there was only Finn and me, only pleasure, only this.

  My hips bucked and I couldn’t have stopped them if I’d wanted to. My body wasn’t following my commands anymore—it was completely under Finn’s control.

  “Again,” he said. “Louder.”

  Then his hands and mouth all moved in unison. The world contracted and was tightly bound around me for a suspended moment before exploding out in cascading fireworks while I screamed his name.

  When everything came back into focus, I managed to whisper, “Okay, now your nakedness is necessary.”

  “Already taken care of,” he said and slid onto the sheets with me. Sure enough, I could feel his warm skin along the length of my body and I rolled into him, wanting to increase the contact.

  Finn groaned, but it was a good sound, full of satisfaction and hunger at the same time. He nudged my legs apart and pressed a thigh against my happy place.

  “Well done on the not-being-quiet thing, by the way,” he said against my ear.

  I snorted. He said it as if I’d had any choice in the matter. “I think any kudos goes to you.”

  “How about we see if we can break your noise record?”

  I reached between us to find him already sheathed in a condom, and burning hot. Circling my hand around him, I squeezed ever-so-gently, and was pleased when he shuddered in response.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, moving my hand up and down, slow and steady. “I was thinking it was time to hear how loud you can shout my name.”

  “And how are you going to make that happen?”

  I lifted a knee and pulled myself up to straddle him, then rested my hands on his chest and gazed down into his eyes. At some point my glasses had gone missing, so he was a little blurry, but still the best thing I’d ever seen.

  “I was thinking I’d see if this worked.” I eased down onto him, loving the feel of him filling me to stretching point, of having Finn surround me and be inside me at the same time. My entire body was tingling, as if my veins had been filled with champagne.

  Once I’d taken him all the way, I paused, adjusting, appreciating, but he was clearly impatient. Digging his fingers into the flesh on my hips, he held me exactly where he wanted me as he began thrusting upward. I’d planned on taking control, but was quickly mesmerized by what he was doing, by the sensations building again, by the fire within that threatened to burn me alive, by Finn. Just him.

  I leaned down to kiss him, and he released my hips to wrap his arms around me and kiss me back. Maybe it was the freedom we had, not needing to sneak or be quiet, but I felt something pass between us in that moment, in that kiss, and I’d never felt closer to him. Never felt closer to anyone.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  He stilled, his eyes blazing. Whether he felt the same, I knew he wouldn’t say it back, couldn’t, but it didn’t matter. I hadn’t said it just to hear it back, I’d said it because he needed to know. In his dark gaze, I could see he was glad I had. The universe felt as if it was in alignment. Was irrefutably right.

  Straightening, I moved over him, finding a rhythm he matched. He didn’t try to take control again, instead following my lead, but one of his hands cupped my breast. The other reached down to where we were joined, adding extra sparks through my system.

  Everything seemed to move faster—the two of us, even the air around us. Everything was in sync, racing, climbing, reaching. My skin was so hot, I might combust; my breath was coming in pants.

  “Scarlett,” he rasped, and it was the last straw. I imploded into wave after wave of almost unbearable sensation, feeling myself clench around him, calling his name, never wanting the moment to end.

  He yelled, “Scarlett,” as his body tensed, and it was the loudest, most beautiful noise ever. I lay down over him, resting on his chest, still trying to catch my breath.

  “You were louder than me,” I said after my heart rate slowed, my head still on his shoulder.

  He smoothed a hand over my hair. “Yeah, but I lasted longer.”

  I chuckled, surprised I had the energy, then rolled to the side, leaving one leg draped over him. “How about we call it a draw?”

  “Not a draw.” He kissed the end of my nose. “We both won.”

  That was so true I happy-sighed. “You know, we still have a bit of time before they get back.”

  “Something in mind?”

  “I’m thinking I could grab that ice cream and bring it in here, then I take you up on the offer to try a different room.”

  “If you bring the ice cream in here while you’re naked, I’ll have ideas of my own.” He ran a hand idly up and down my arm.

  A shiver ran down my spine. “I like the way your mind works. Okay, ice cream then we try shower sex.”

  He grinned. “Perfect.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Scarlett

  Finn was sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table, blowing into various reed flutes he’d made, making notations on the sheet of paper beside him. After weeks of comparing the sounds that came out of each, depending on where he put the air holes, his notes were the messiest mess of any mess there ever had been. I’d given in and made him a spreadsheet template, which he’d printed out and was making notes on. Messy notes, naturally.

  “I have some news,” Billie said, coming in through the kitchen, licking at a spoonful of peanut butter.

  Finn grabbed his water glass and looked up. “Cool, what is it?”

  “I’m dropping out of uni.” She cleared her bangs from her eyes with a quick movement.

  It was lucky Finn hadn’t started drinking or he might have choked. As it was, he froze, and all the color left his face. It was no secret he thought education was important, but I also now knew it was part of his plan for his sisters—once they finished a degree, they would be adults, responsible for themselves, and he would have succeeded. It was his indicator his job was done.

  From my spot on the sofa, I turned to Billie, needing to say something to cover for Finn. “This is sudden, isn’t it?”

  She took one last lick of the peanut butter spoon and stuck it, handle first, into her back jeans pocket. “Yeah, I guess so, but when you know, you know, right?”

  “Know what?” Finn said, his voice tight.

  “Whether it’s your bliss or not.” Her voice, always a little husky, also had a touch of dreaminess to it now.

  Finn’s stormy gaze swung to me. “Your bliss?”

  Billie was unperturbed. “I don’t think university is going to be the right path for my life’s journey.”

  My stomach fell. I recognized those words. I’d heard them often during my life and by the look on Finn’s face he recognized them from the same place I’d heard them—their source.

  “Been talking to Scarlett’s parents, by any chance?” he said.

  “They were great,” Billie said, leaning back against the wall. “They talked me through it all while we were stargazing last night. I hadn’t realized before our chat how discontented I was.”

  “So you were fine until they made you question your life? Look, Billie,” he said, his voice softening, “maybe you still are fine. You always wanted to study science. Why not take some time to think this through a bit more?”

  She shrugged. “I appreciate the concern, but it’s all clear to me now.”

  I jumped in before Finn said something he’d regret later. “What do you think you’ll do instead?”

  “Maybe some traveling. Move around, get to know myself.”

  Finn looked from me to Billie again, like he’d been handed a lifeline. “That’s going to cost a bit. How about we make a plan for this? What if you finish your degree, and in the meantime, I’ll put money
aside. When you graduate, you can use the money for a year off and travel then? Maybe you could even pick up a bit of locum science work along the way, to supplement the money and keep your hand in.”

  Smiling, Billie covered the space between them and crouched to hug her brother. “Thanks, Finn. You’re the best. But I think it’s time I stood on my own two feet. I’m twenty-one and you’ve had responsibility for me for too long—heck, I’m older now than you were when you took us on. And you still have Amelia on your plate.”

  He hugged her back, his palm cradling the back of her head as if she were a small child. My heart ached for him, trying to do the best he could in a role that, in a just world, he shouldn’t have had to cope with for many years yet, not until his own children reached adulthood.

  “I don’t mind about what else I have on my plate,” he said, his voice thick. “I’ll always be here for you, and I’ll always do whatever it takes.”

  Billie released him then sat beside him, her back to the coffee table. “I know you will, and I love you for it. But I need to do this alone. I need to prove something to myself.”

  “Completing a degree will prove something to yourself, too,” he said, but by the tone of his voice, he clearly knew it was a lost cause.

  She punched him lightly on the arm. “I won’t be taking off straight away. I’ll look for a bit of casual work first and save up.”

  “I don’t like this,” Finn said. “But if you’re sure, I’ll support you.”

  She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, big brother.” Then she left.

  Finn glanced up at me, his expression slowly morphing from confused and bereft to serious. “We need to talk about your parents.”

  I winced, knowing he was right. “I’ll have a word with them.”

  “I think we’re beyond that.” He stood up and joined me on the sofa. “Since they’ve arrived, a stray dog moved in, my youngest sister has been educated about porn, and now my other sister is dropping out of uni to find her bliss. If they stay any longer who knows what sort of damage they’ll wreak?”

  Leaning back against the cushions, I sighed. He was right. Even given they were my own parents, I found them hard to take in large doses—I was surprised Finn had managed to put up with them this long.

  “What do you want to do?” I asked.

  His shoulders slumped a little, the earlier fight seeming to leave him. “I was hoping you’d have a solution.”

  “They’re pretty resilient.” In fact, they were pretty impossible to insult—they saw life through a different lens than most people. “We could explain the situation to them.”

  “They thought they were helping,” he conceded. “I don’t want them to feel bad. Besides, they’re your parents.”

  He reached for my hand, interlacing our fingers, and I understood. He didn’t want me put in an impossible position—having to choose between supporting him and hurting my parents. Even in this, he was protecting everyone around him.

  “They need a reason to move on,” I said, refocusing on finding a solution.

  Finn brightened. “We could buy them tickets for somewhere.”

  “Actually, I have a better plan.” I grabbed my cell from my bag at the end of the sofa and dialed my brother’s number.

  He picked up on the third ring. “Hey, Scarlett. What have they done?”

  “How do you know I’m calling about the parents?”

  He chuckled. “Because I’ve been waiting for this call. You saying you’re not calling about them?”

  “No, you’re right. They’ve stepped over the line a couple of times with Finn’s sisters. In fact, right this minute, Billie is dropping out of uni so she can follow her bliss.”

  “Shit.” Thomas blew out a breath. “How’s Finn taking it?”

  I peeked at the other end of the sofa and found Finn watching me. “Pretty well, considering.”

  “Do you want me to invite them to stay?”

  “That would be great.” I gave Finn a thumbs up. “I was hoping you’d offer.”

  “Consider it done. Say hi to Finn.”

  I disconnected and tossed the cell onto the coffee table. “Thomas is going to invite them to stay with him. And he says hi.”

  Finn pulled me in for a hug, leaning his chin on top of my head. “Thank you.”

  Just in case anyone walked in on us, I pretended this was a friendly hug and I wasn’t luxuriating in the feel of being pressed against his chest, and almost succeeded. From the way his grip tightened and the hardness starting to nudge my hip, Finn was even less successful me. My hand seemed to make its own way to his chest and began to trace patterns through his pale blue polo shirt.

  “I didn’t do much.” My voice was a little breathless, but I ignored that, too. “Just a call. Which was fair, since they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”

  “No,” he said, releasing me from the hug, his eyes telling me how reluctantly he was doing it. “I mean thank you for understanding and helping me fix it. I was watching Billie talk about finding her bliss and wanting to kick your parents out, then I looked over at you.” He paused, wincing. “I thought if I told you, you’d either feel bad about what they said to her, or you’d be hurt I wanted them gone.”

  He’d clearly been torn, so I gave him my best reassuring smile. “I’m glad you just came out and told me. If anyone understands about my parents and the trail of damage they can leave behind, it’s me.”

  “You’ve never talked about your childhood much,” he said, softly. “Tell me something about it.”

  It wasn’t that I deliberately avoided talking about it. It was just that my childhood was hardly an exciting topic of conversation. Plus, whatever had happened with my parents when I was young, it couldn’t compare to Finn losing his, so I hated to sound like I was whining about actually having parents. But Finn was asking, and I’d tell him pretty much anything he asked, so I searched back through my memory banks for something to share with him.

  “From grades three through to six,” I said, hoping the memory didn’t still bother me, “my parents didn’t buy us a single school uniform. They said we were never in the same place long enough to justify it. If we moved on after four months, six months, they’d be continually buying new uniforms.”

  Finn’s forehead crumpled up into a frown. “Didn’t the school insist?”

  “They tried, but if they pushed too hard about it, we just moved along sooner. Usually, if the uniform was red, they’d send us to school in a red T-shirt and shorts—whatever we had that was closest. Sometimes the school would take pity on us and give Thomas and me a second hand uniform. At one school a few of my friends’ parents got together and organized full outfits for us—shorts and shirts for Thomas, dresses for me, shoes and socks, even ribbons in the school color for my hair.”

  “What did your parents think?”

  I shrugged. “They were grateful for the kindness, but they didn’t see the need.”

  He reached out and ran a hand down my arm, then squeezed my hand. “You did, though.”

  “Oh, yes,” I said on a humorless laugh. “Not only was I the new girl in class, but I was the new girl who wore something different than everyone else. Though it never lasted too long before we’d move somewhere new.”

  He squeezed my hand again, offering his support all these years later. “Then it would start again.”

  “Then it would start again,” I repeated.

  “You’ve talked about your childhood before, but I’m starting to see why a stable career is so important to you.” His dark blue gaze was full of understanding, which meant the world to me.

  “And why I love your appliances,” I pointed out.

  He raised a lazy eyebrow. “My appliance?”

  “Yes, your personal male appliance has a special place in my heart,” I said in an exasperated voice, but still laughed. “But I mean the household appliances. The coffeemaker and icemaker. My love for them knows no bounds.”

  “Well, since we’re not
the only ones home, it’s probably better that you don’t show your appreciation for my personal male appliance right now. So how about we make use of that icemaker and whip up a jug of iced tea?”

  “Too early for mojitos?” I asked, hoping he’d say no.

  “Yeah—” Then he blew out a long breath. “You know what? It’s the day after my birthday and it’s not been the best morning. I think it’s the perfect time for mojitos.”

  “Excellent.” I jumped up. “You sit there, birthday boy, and I’ll make them.”

  He looked up optimistically. “Did you realize it was my night to cook—also on the day after my birthday, and also on a day that’s not been the best?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Okay, I’ll cook dinner, but that’s the last time that line works until next year.”

  “Fair enough,” he said, grinning, and I walked into the kitchen, feeling like I was walking on rainbows. There was some potential drama to come with my parents, and I didn’t know how it would pan out for Billie yet, but things were really good between Finn and me, and that was priceless.

  Scarlett

  A couple of hours later my parents knocked on the back door. “Scarlett, are you around?” my mother called out.

  I was in the kitchen, cooking the rice for dinner. “Come on in,” I said over my shoulder.

  They appeared in the archway, both fidgeting with their clothes.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked, hoping this was just about Thomas’s call, not something new for Finn to freak out over.

  My father cleared his throat. “We want to run something by you.”

  Trying to look innocent, I turned the burner down, wiped my hand on the towel, and turned to face them. “Okay.”

  “We had a call from Thomas today and he said he’d very much like to see us. Suggested we set up the tent in his backyard for a while so we could catch up properly. We haven’t seen him as much as we’d meant to since we arrived back in Sydney.”

  “That sounds nice for all of you,” I said, hoping my expression had the proper mix of sadness for me and happiness for them.