by Natalie Ann
“Can I, Daddy?”
“Sure, scout. We can go down.”
Finn pushed his chair out to stand up, but Anthony stopped him. “Please, visit longer with Victoria. I’ll take Trey down if he doesn’t mind going with me.”
Trey had looked back and forth between Anthony and Finn and finally nodded and stood up. “Don’t get too close to the end of the dock,” Finn said, then watched as his son ran down the hill with Anthony quickly following.
“He always wanted children,” Victoria said.
“Why didn’t he have them?” Olivia asked.
Victoria elegantly shrugged her shoulder. “He said he met me too late in life. He’s always been a smooth one.”
“He does seem to really enjoy Ian and Addison,” Olivia commented.
“If he has his way, we’ll be visiting more often. He’s hoping for more grandchildren.”
Olivia changed the subject fast and Finn was grateful.
That dinner was days ago, and here he was taking Olivia out to dinner again, a celebration dinner. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am. I’m on cloud nine right now. I can’t believe how busy we were! I didn’t expect a lot of sales and was thrilled we had as many as we did. I’m going to be busy next week.”
“How’s that? Didn’t they just buy what was in the store?”
He hadn’t shown up until the last hour, dressed for dinner. He’d worked the night before so he’d been sleeping for part of the day. Then the rest of the day he wanted to spend with Trey.
“Most of the pieces, yes. I’ll have to order more inventory, but I’ll also have to size some of the pieces and two more people put deposits down for custom designs, so I’ll meet with them and figure out exactly what they want.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“You are?” she asked, looking surprised.
“Sure, I am. Why would you even ask that? Anyone can see how hard you worked at the store, how much time you’ve put in, and how much it means to you. You should be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.”
She turned and pulled him into her arms. “Thank you for that.”
He returned her hug and kissed her cheek. “For saying you should be proud of yourself?”
“For acknowledging everything I’ve put into this and knowing how much it means to me. For not thinking it was some silly little dream or hobby of mine.”
“No dreams are silly. Not if you really try to achieve them.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a pretty wise man?”
“Just you.”
***
“Thank you for taking me to dinner.” She picked up her wine glass and finished off her merlot. “It was the perfect way to end the day.”
“It was my pleasure. You deserved to bask in the glory of your success today.”
“The glory of my success, huh?” She let out a soft little giggle. “One day isn’t enough to judge. Let’s give it a few more weeks.”
“One day is enough to know it was worth it.”
He really was wiser than she gave him credit for. And Anthony was right: Finn knew her well. Better than anyone else had known her…ever. Even her mother and Anthony.
A few nights ago, when they’d taken Finn and Trey out to dinner, she wasn’t sure what she expected from her mother. Anthony, well, she knew he’d be fine. For all the traits that Anthony had that Victoria loved, he was still a pretty down-to-earth man. He’d come to visit plenty over the years, even siding with Olivia when it came to Simon, her father, and how he always treated Olivia.
Anthony never badmouthed Simon, not to Olivia’s face, but he never had anything nice to say about him either. Instead, Anthony stepped up when Olivia needed it, without her even needing to ask.
And though Anthony had always seemed to understand her, she never realized the extent until he made the comment to Finn about Olivia finally finding herself.
“You’re right. I’m going to remember today as one of my best days ever.”
“Then I guess I don’t need to make the rest of the night memorable for you.”
“Oh, I didn’t say that. You already have.” She looked at her watch. “You probably need to get Trey soon, right?”
“No. He’s spending the night at Sherri’s.”
“Really? We have the whole night to ourselves?”
“We do. Your eyes are positively glowing right now. I’m almost afraid.”
“You should be.” She winked at him and gave her hair a toss over her shoulder. “Seriously, Finn. I know how hard it is for you to leave Trey two nights in a row, so the fact you made tonight about us was the cherry on top of the dessert for me.”
He looked embarrassed and that charmed her even more. “Well, unless you want dessert now, we can head out.”
“You can give me my dessert in a little bit.” She’d been afraid to ask what his plans were for the night. “Can we swing by Sophia’s so I can get a change of clothes?”
“Sure. I’ve got a change in my truck already.”
“Where are we going? To a hotel?” She was trying to hide the hurt that he didn’t want her in his house.
“No. We’re going to your house. I thought it was a night for firsts. Your grand opening, and our first full night together. Why not have it be the first night you’re staying in your house, too?”
“That’s a perfect idea! I’m glad my mattress was delivered yesterday.”
“Even if it hadn’t been, we could have made use of sleeping bags.”
“I hope you are joking, because I draw the line at camping.”
“Sure.” He laughed, but she didn’t think he was joking.
“Okay, then let’s go. I need to grab some sheets too.”
“Everything is taken care of. Just grab a change of clothes.”
Thirty minutes later, Olivia was opening the back door to her house. They walked past the kitchen and she saw a bag from the grocery store on the counter. “What’s that?”
“In case we get hungry later on. Just a few snacks.”
She nodded and followed him through the house and upstairs to her bedroom, then stopped in the doorway. Not only had her mattress been delivered, but there were also sheets on the bed, and four pillows with pillowcases. “You like white, I see?”
“It’s basic and simple. I grabbed the first things I could find that matched at the store.”
“I thought you didn’t like a lot of pillows.”
Why she was making small talk was beyond her, but if she had to guess, she was nervous about tonight. About the amount of thought he’d put into the night and if it meant more than he’d been letting on in terms of their relationship.
“I’m not sleeping alone, and if I remember correctly, you like pillows. So you can have the other three.”
He reached for her hand and pulled her into the room, and she noticed off to the side on the floor was a blanket spread out with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
“This is a side of you I never expected.”
“You could say I never expected to have this side.” He ran his knuckle down her cheek and over her jaw. “It’s your night, so why not make it special? I know you like romance. I thought I’d give it a try. Another first, right?”
He’d already made it special, more than she could ever express. “Let’s make it special together.”
Out of His Way
Finn opened his eyes and gazed down at Olivia’s blonde hair spread across his chest, her hand on his waist and her eyes closed, her breathing nice and steady.
He’d wanted to make it a night to remember for her, but it ended up being one for him.
He’d never been a romantic type of a guy. Matter of fact, he was always one busting on other men for doing exactly what he did last night. For some reason, it felt right to go the extra mile for Olivia. To give her a bit of the storybook romance she secretly tried to hide wanting from him.
She hadn’t once asked him for
or expected anything from him. That alone made him want to give her something in return.
And spend the full night with a woman for the first time since Becca.
He ran his hand lightly over Olivia’s head, not wanting to wake her, but needing to touch her.
To make sure it was real, that last night was real, that she was lying across his chest and it wasn’t some dream. That what he was feeling for her in that moment was as tangible as his hand on her head.
The last two times they’d been together, it’d been hurried, rushed and mind-blowing in their urgency. But he wanted to treasure her last night. Savor their time together, knowing it could be a long time before they’d have another full night alone.
Last night, he’d pulled her to the blanket on the floor, opened the chilled bottle of champagne, and poured them each a glass.
“Good choice,” she’d said after eying the bottle. “It’s my favorite.”
“I may have asked for a bit of help on that.” Anthony had been more than willing to inform Finn of Olivia’s drink preferences.
“You’ve gone above and beyond today.”
“You’re worth it.” She was, in so many ways. “A toast, then. To many more grand openings.”
She laughed softly. “I’m not so sure I want to go through another store opening anytime soon. Let’s amend that. To many more days like today.”
He hoped so, but didn’t say the words, knowing she wasn’t thinking it the same way he was. “You could do it, though. You could do anything you put your mind to. I know it.”
“There’s something different about you tonight,” she said, sipping her champagne. Before he could respond, she set her glass down and took his glass out of his hand. “Whatever it is, I like it. Why don’t you show me what else you’ve got up your sleeve?”
He pulled her forward by the back of her neck, placed his lips below her ear, and started with soft feather-like kisses. “No rush tonight. No timelines for once.”
Her head fell back and she succumbed to him. His hand slid around her neck, lowered the zipper on her little black dress, and pushed it off her shoulders. She was adorned in a black lace strapless bra, holding her perfectly in place.
He moved his lips down her neck, over her shoulder, across her collarbone and in between the hint of cleavage flashing under the lace.
“Have I told you before how much I love your facial hair?” she whispered.
She had, and he remembered, which was why he didn’t shave today, but just trimmed it up. It wasn’t as long as she would have liked, since he had to shave for work the day before. “You have.”
“It feels so soft against my skin. I expected it to be rough the first time I felt it, but it wasn’t. Then again, maybe I’d like it just as much if it was rough.”
She had no idea what she was doing to him. No idea how hard it was for him to rein it in, and she was testing his resolve.
“I can show you rough if you want it.”
“Hmm, I might. Maybe later. But I like what you’re doing now.”
So he continued. Shifting his hands to her back, he released the clasp on her bra and let it fall away, exposing her completely to his eyes. Time now…he had time to look and admire her. To admire the soft curves, the way her body reacted to his touch, and the way her eyes turned darker as she was gazing at him while he did what he was doing.
“I won’t stop then.”
His lips found her breasts, kissing, licking, sucking, even biting. She was squirming around and gripping his shoulders, silently asking for more. For him to give her everything he had and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
When she’d had enough, or more like when he needed more, he guided her down on her back, lifted her hips, and pulled her dress off of her. The matching black thong went right off with the dress. He’d let her model them for him another time, he decided.
One by one he slipped her sexy stilettos off and laid them next to the dress, then moved up her legs with his mouth, tasting every part of her body he came in contact with.
“I haven’t had enough time to really explore your body as much as I’ve wanted. So tonight, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
“Do whatever you want, Finn. You’re in control.”
“Have I told you how much I love the way my name sounds on your lips?”
“No,” she said, letting out a little moan as his hands moved between her thighs and spread her wide.
He dipped his head down for a taste, then another and another. Not stopping, and not letting up, even working harder. Working her over and sending her flying, crying out his name again and again. Just the way he wanted. Just the way he loved how it sounded.
The smile on her face filled him with satisfaction. After a few deep breaths, she finally said, “This no-time-limit thing is working really well.”
He leaned up and kissed her quickly. “It’s only the beginning.”
“Oh dear, I’m going to be one lucky girl tonight. I might want a lot more nights like this.”
The look in her eyes, there was a double meaning there—he knew it and he felt it—and surprisingly he was okay with it. He wanted them too.
He shed his own clothes quickly, laying the condom next to them on the blanket. “Careful, you might get what you wish for.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Whether she changed her mind through fear, or loss of thought since his mouth was starting to cover her again, he didn’t know.
And he didn’t care at that moment. All he really cared about was pleasing her.
He went back to work, his mouth over hers, her breasts, her waist, her ribs, her neck, moving everywhere, never staying at one place for long, and kept her guessing…and frustrated.
“Stop teasing me!”
Reaching for the condom, he got ready and moved over her again. Slowly, he eased inside as her body seemed to sigh. Arching high into him, she reached her arms out and held him close. Every part of them touching and becoming one.
Gently, he moved in and out, teasing her again, but this time she didn’t seem to mind. This time she played right back with him. Moving her hips away from him, prolonging things when he would have hurried them up. Then marking his back with her nails when he finally did increase the speed, until she lifted those long legs of hers and wrapped them around his back, sending him deeper yet.
Together, racing toward the end. Searching for that feeling. The feeling he wanted to give her, the first of many firsts to come for them.
He sent her soaring while the bright light flashed in front of his eyes. The light she’d said she saw that first time at her shop. And now he knew. He knew what it was like to lose a part of himself.
“I’m glad we finally made it to the bed.”
He shifted his eyes to hers and wondered how long she’d been watching him as he reminisced about their night together.
“Well, I went to a lot of trouble to get this bed ready.”
“And I appreciate it. Just as much as I appreciate the effort of last night.”
“How much do you appreciate it?”
He needed to lighten the mood. His emotions were running pretty deep right now and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to see them. He was terrified she saw too much of him as it was.
“I thought I did a good job of showing you when we made it to the bed last night. I could show you again, if you’d like?”
“I’d never turn down an offer like that.”
“Well then, I think I better show you.”
She slithered down his body and under the sheets as he struggled to keep the groan from escaping his lips. Then he had no choice in keeping the groan back, it flew out of his mouth—she had a hold of all of him and not just his body.
***
“Please tell me you thought ahead enough to have soap and shampoo in the house, and at least one towel?”
They’d finally made it out of bed. It was by far the best twenty-four hours that she’d ever experienced.
Not just physically, but emotionally as well.
She was afraid to say anything to Finn, but she sensed something had changed with him. A corner turned maybe, a light a little brighter. Something. She just wasn’t positive what.
As much as she wanted to question him, she decided not to. So far, letting him control the pace of their relationship seemed to be working. Even if it was slower than she would have preferred.
“You should know by now that when I do something, I put a hundred and ten percent into it.”
“That’s a great trait to have. So which bathroom should we use?”
“Since there isn’t anything to use in the master bath, I guess we’ll make our way down the hall. Don’t worry, I cleaned it too.”
“Seriously? You bought sheets and made the bed, set up a picnic for me, bought some food for us to snack on, made sure we had toiletries and towels, and now you’re telling me you cleaned the bathroom first? Are you for real?”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t get all embarrassed on me. And stop blushing.”
She laughed at his expression, but it was priceless. For such a manly man, he really went out of his way more than anyone else she’d ever known. No one else would have gone to these lengths. Yeah, they might have hired someone to do it, but they wouldn’t have done it themselves.
“It’s hard not to when you’re looking at me like that. I’m starting to feel like a wuss.”
“No, no wuss. Not at all. I don’t care what anyone says, a man that cleans is sexy as hell.”
He grunted. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. It’s not the act of doing it that’s sexy.”
“I didn’t think it was.”
“It’s the fact that you did it and didn’t leave it for a woman to do. You don’t expect a woman to do it for you.”
“Again, I’ll take your word for it. I just knew you wouldn’t appreciate taking a shower in a dirty bathroom any more than I would want to.”
“Okay, let’s go. I can see this conversation is only making matters worse.”
“See, you know me well.”
