by Natalie Ann
She did, and she obviously knew what she was talking about and how to handle it. She handled it better then him, better than he gave her credit for.
“So, now that lunch is out of the way. How about we discuss that itch we both had last week. Mine still needs scratching. How about yours?” He knew she was trying to change the subject and he couldn’t have cared less. She watched the smile break out across his face, the frustration and annoyance from their conversation being wiped away. “I promise not to hurt you too much.”
“Oh, I’m not in as much pain as you think. Either way, I think it’d be worth it. Come over here.”
***
She stood up and walked to the large comfortable chair he’d been sitting in with his feet on the ottoman. She pushed his legs down, and kicked the ottoman out of the way.
Leaning over, she grabbed his face with her hands, moved her lips close to his and whispered, “I even have a surprise for you.”
“What’s that?”
“I paid a little visit to the doctor a few weeks ago.”
He pushed back fast and searched her face, confusion mixed in with a bit of fear. She saw it and wanted to alleviate it from his mind.
“Birth control, Finn. Got myself a little shot in the arm. Is that okay with you? Or would you rather not rely on that?”
She was thinking maybe she should have talked to him about it first. Then again, it was her body, worse case it was just a backup if he still preferred to use condoms.
“No, that works just fine with me, if it’s good with you.”
“I got myself a clean bill of health too, if you want to know.” The truth of the matter was she’d always protected herself before. This was the first time she went on any form of birth control.
“I have one myself. No worries there.”
“Then I’d say we can stop talking and get to moving.”
“What are you waiting for then?”
“Just waiting for you to say the word,” she said, lowering her mouth on his, kissing him long and deep and never wanting to let go. Never wanting to lose the feeling of her body taking over and wanting to give herself to him.
His hands went to her thighs, under her skirt, and pushed it up over her hips, then pulled her down to straddle him. Actions worked just as well as words.
From her thighs to her waist, his hands moved under her shirt, under her bra and cupped her roughly.
She loved his hands, loved how hard and powerful they always felt. How he never held back and always made her feel like he had no control when it came to her. It was a powerful feeling.
She started to grind down against him in his shorts, feeling the bulge and marveling on how fast she reacted to him. How fast they reacted to each other. “Let me know if I’m hurting you.”
“The only thing hurting right now is what you are currently rubbing against, and it’s not in a bad way at all.”
Good, that was good. Even better were his hands sliding down the back of her lace panties and gripping her behind, pushing her harder into him, moving her hips in a motion that set her aflame. She needed to get closer, she needed to feel more of him.
Rising up on her knees, she moved her hands and quickly shed her panties, kicking them off, and then started to attack the button of his shorts. Parting the zipper and freeing him, she ran his fingernails up and down, teasing him, making him jump at her actions.
“I could sit here all day and just look at you. Just play with you, but you know, I need some relief, so it’s going to have to wait.”
She kept her eyes locked on his while she lowered herself down, feeling all of him stretching her, the heat of his skin, the strength and power behind him. Everything she hoped for and more.
“Your eyes are so intense when we’re together,” he said, searching her face, his hands now going to work in another spot that was on fire.
Another spot that needed relief. A relief only Finn seemed to bring her to with an expertise that had her forcing her eyes to stay open so he could see her, so he could continue to watch her.
“It’s you. You bring the light out of me.”
He grabbed her hips, held them still and just started to move up and down, in and out, going so deep, so fast, then so slow, driving her insane with need.
Gripping his face again, she held him still, kissing him with an intensity she’d never felt before, a pain of longing so deep she felt she was going to burst.
Then he found a rhythm with his hips and his hands, and in that moment everything around her went dim. She was spinning out of control, she was making him lose control, and together they took that final leap into the flame.
Stubborn
“Have you heard anything from the lawyer yet?”
Once Olivia regained some composure, she lifted herself off of him and made her way to the bathroom, trying to put herself back together as best she could.
She could have used an iron for her skirt but figured why bother at this point. She had the nice soft look of a woman used during her lunch hour, and she was actually pretty thrilled about it.
“No, not yet.”
She sat back down on the couch to face him, seeing he’d put himself back together, too. His eyes were all soft and tender looking over at her, and she was pleased about that.
“Have you tried to call again?”
“I did this morning and left another message. I know it’s only been two days, but now that Becca paid you a visit, I’m thinking I might need to call another firm if I don’t hear anything by tomorrow.”
“Call and ask for Ryan.”
“Why? He isn’t going to take this case. It’s not what he does. I’m not high profile enough for him. It’s just another custody case.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s his firm. He’s a friend.”
“Loosely, Olivia. He’s a friend to you. He’s just someone I’ve met a few times.”
“His kids and Trey play together. It’s not loosely and you know it.”
She was trying not to show any urgency, but she hadn’t told Finn everything that happened this morning, and she was afraid she might have made matters worse.
She’d known who Becca was the minute she strolled into the store in her tight skirt and shirt, dressed to the nines, trying to give off the illusion of sophistication with her knock-off Prada bag on her arm and her overly made-up face.
There was no doubt Becca was beautiful, but she was trying too hard. So much so, it came off as desperation.
Olivia had watched as Becca surveyed the store, her eyes landing on her target, then looking quickly away like she was there to browse.
Becca had walked around the store, but Olivia never missed the quick glimpses sent her way to see what she was doing. Once Becca settled herself before the custom-made pieces, she started to look around like she needed help. Olivia waved Kristen aside and made her way over.
“What can you tell me about these earrings?” Becca asked her, trying to act cool and collected.
“They’re Australian opals, Becca. Are you really interested in them, or are you here to see me?”
Becca hadn’t done a good job of hiding her surprise, but Olivia never blinked an eye. She’d never seen a picture of Becca before, but she knew who she was the moment she walked into the store. Women like Becca weren’t hard to miss.
“Actually, I’m here to see you.”
“As I figured.”
“I’m sure Finn has said all sorts of bad things about me,” Becca started to say.
“Actually, your name never came up until you paid him a visit, but go on.”
Becca faltered, but quickly regained her composure. “I want to give my side of the story.”
Olivia had listened to Becca go on and on about how she’d gotten pregnant by mistake and Finn talked her into keeping the baby, but that meant she had to quit college. He’d said he'd take care of her, but he didn’t do half of what he said, and it was so hard and she was so young.
“Last I checked, twent
y-one was considered an adult.”
It didn’t take long for Becca to realize that tactic wasn’t working, so she changed courses.
“You don’t know the real Finn. He’s controlling and demanding of everything. The minute I said I was pregnant, he started to tell me what I was going to do and where I was going to live. He demanded I quit my job.”
“You mean being a bartender in a night club several nights a week, working until well past midnight? That’s hardly a job a pregnant woman should have, standing on her feet for hours on end.”
“You don’t get it. After I quit I had nothing to do all day but sit around in the house by myself. All he did was work.”
“Work to pay for the house he bought for you to live in and help raise your child.”
After that, Becca obviously decided it wasn’t worth her breath to say anything else negative about Finn. She wasn’t getting the reaction she wanted. So on to stage three of her plan, and what Olivia suspected had been the ultimate goal in seeking Finn out.
“That necklace right there is stunning. I bet it’s worth quite a bit.”
“Depends on your idea of worth. But you’re right, it’s probably well out of your price range.” The diamond and pearl necklace cost more than the average sedan.
“So what’s it worth to you?”
“Is that your subtle way of saying you could be bought to go away? To not cause me any trouble?”
Becca pasted a smile on her face, her eyes shooting venom. “You can take it any way you want.”
“I know women like you. I’ve handled women tougher than you.” Olivia placed her hands on the glass case and leaned forward, closer to Becca, close enough to whisper and know she’d be heard, a smile never leaving her face. “I hope you have a good lawyer. You’re going to need it to defend scum like you, wanting to be bought to never see the child she didn’t want to begin with.”
Finn pulled her thoughts back to the present, arguing, “Our kids playing together a few times doesn’t mean I can call him for a favor,”
“Don’t be stubborn or bullheaded. If you don’t hear from them by the end of the day tomorrow, then call and ask for Ryan.”
“I’ll think about it.”
***
Then next morning Finn heard his cell phone ring and reached forward, recognizing the Mathews firm’s number, and answered.
“Hey, Finn. Ryan Mathews. How are you feeling? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
He couldn’t fathom why Ryan was calling him personally, then decided he could hazard a guess, but didn’t want to assume.
“I’m doing good. I’ll be better when I start working again. And no, this isn’t a bad time. I was expecting to hear from someone else, though.”
“Abigail is a little behind on her case load, and we just got out of our staff meeting going over cases for the week. I recognized your name and took the file.”
Okay, that made him feel better. “Yeah, I’ve got a possible situation. Not sure yet, but I want to cover my bases.”
“Can you be at my office in two hours?”
“Sure, I’ve got nothing but time on my hands.”
Finn walked into Ryan’s office at the appointed time and stopped at the reception desk to give his name, but Ryan walked down the hall first.
“He’s here for me, Carol. Thanks. Finn, follow me.”
Finn had seen Ryan a few times, but never like this. Never in a suit that cost more than his entire wardrobe together. Never this polished, with almost a sparkle to him.
He was trying not to feel so out of place, but he couldn’t help it. He hated even being here, hated the reason he had to be here and was dreading bringing the past up again, let alone sharing it with people who knew him and Trey personally.
On top of that, in the last two hours, he’d thought about the phone call and Ryan’s explanation for calling him. Though it was plausible, he didn’t believe it.
“Did Olivia call you?”
Ryan shut the door to his office, gestured toward a small table, and took a seat, Finn following. “No. Was she supposed to?”
Finn wasn’t buying the smirk on Ryan’s face or the laughter behind his answer. “I don’t necessarily need the biggest defense attorney in the area, or the owner of the firm to take my case.”
Ryan laughed, put one loafer-clad heel on his knee and got comfortable in the chair. “You have met my wife, right?”
“So Olivia called Kaitlin?” Finn wasn’t sure if that was worse or not.
“I honestly don’t know the chain of the calls, if there even were phone calls. I just know that my wife has me wrapped around her finger and I’m not ashamed to admit it. And if she didn’t, then Harper does. I can tell you right now, if I didn’t take this case personally and Harper found out, she’d never let me live it down.”
Finn laughed, relaxing more with the conversation about their kids and Ryan’s joking manner. “I hope Trey hasn’t hurt her feelings. He really isn’t interested in girls right now.”
“That works just fine for me. Trust me, I’m good with it. I’d be happy if Harper was more like her mother used to be, but I don’t think I’m getting that wish. All I can say is I’m happy I’m having another boy. Poor Cameron and I couldn’t take another female in the house.”
“Boys are great,” Finn said, thinking of Trey and why he was here.
“They are. And I wish you’d called me personally. I always know the cases in my office, and I would have taken it over eventually anyway. So please, don’t feel like Olivia put pressure on anyone to talk to me about it, if that even happened. Now, let’s talk about your problem.”
In the end, Finn walked out of Ryan’s office feeling more comfortable and confident than he did when he walked in, but that still didn’t stop the annoyance he felt over Olivia possibly having made the call.
Incompetent
At the end of day, Finn was putting dinner on the table for Trey, his frustration over the day’s events mixed in with his worry, and the possible fight ahead of him had him on edge.
“I don’t want mac and cheese tonight,” Trey said, pursing his lips. “Can I have a hot dog instead?”
He’d just spent the last hour making the mac and cheese from scratch, something he didn’t often enjoy doing, but it was one of the few things that Trey liked. Not wanting to argue, he offered, “I’ll make you a hot dog to eat with your mac and cheese. That’s the only offer, though.”
“Okay. I’ll eat both of them.”
He opened up the fridge, grabbed a hot dog out of the package, put it in the microwave, and then pulled a bun out of the bag just when the timer went off. Once the hot dog was coated with ketchup and on a paper plate next to the mac and cheese, Trey started to eat with gusto.
Filling his own plate with mac and cheese and a leftover burger from the night before that Trey had said he didn’t want either, Finn sat down to eat.
He heard his front door open and Olivia’s voice. Great, just what he needed. He was still too keyed up and in so much of a bad mood that he was pretty sure some of it was going to be spewing out toward her.
He would have been happier if she didn’t have time to stop tonight, but hadn’t wanted to tell her that.
“In the kitchen,” he yelled and looked over at Trey’s dish to see his mac and cheese gone. The kid complained about food, but when he wanted to eat, he couldn’t shovel it in fast enough.
“Hot dogs. Yummy,” Olivia said and leaned down to kiss Trey on the cheek. “Can I have a bite?”
Trey didn’t hesitate to offer the remaining half of his dog to Olivia, who actually took a healthy bite.
“Not bad. It’s better with mustard, though. Sorry to interrupt dinner. I just wanted to stop and say hi before I headed to Sophia’s house for the night.”
“Do you want something to eat?”
“No, I’m good. Sophia is grilling salmon.”
“Eww, fish is gross,” Trey said, his mouth half full.
“Don’t talk wi
th food in your mouth, Trey,” Finn said.
“It’s not that gross. I like it. And it’s pink. Pink is one of my favorite colors.”
“Cuz you’re a girl.”
She tapped Trey on the nose. “I am, and very proud of it.”
“If you’re done, Trey, why don’t you wash up and go play in your room while Olivia and I have a talk.”
Trey finished chewing, grabbed his plate, put it in the sink along with his fork, and ran out of the room. At least his son could clean up without being asked. That was something. And all it did was bring up more deep-rooted issues from his past.
“Is there a problem?” Olivia asked, pulling out Trey’s chair and sitting down. “You look upset.”
“I talked to Ryan today.”
“Oh. See, he did call you. I told you he would.”
He choked back a nasty laugh. “Of course he would when you get involved.”
“What does that mean?” She looked confused, but he wasn’t buying it.
“It means Ryan said Kaitlin mentioned something to him. So I’m guessing that had something to do with you.”
“I didn’t talk to Kaitlin at all. And I don’t appreciate you accusing me of something.” She held her hand up when he went to speak again, her spine going straight and her eyes narrowing. It was the first sign of annoyance he’d ever seen, but he was too pissed off to care. “No. Let me finish. Even if I did call Kaitlin, which I didn’t, what’s the big deal? It’s a phone call, Finn. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. I don’t need other people doing things for me. I can take care of Trey on my own. I’ve done it for years. I hate even having my mother and sister watch him as much as I do, but I don’t have a choice.”
“So you think it’s some kind of charity, is that it? That everyone thinks you’re this poor single father and you can’t handle it? That’s the furthest thing from the truth I’ve ever heard.”
“Listen, I don’t know how things are done where you came from, but in my life, I do things on my own. I don’t ask for help unless I absolutely have no choice. And even then I hate it.”
