Break (The Breathe Series Book 3)

by Lila Kane

  “Will do.”

  Finn nudged me inside the door before I could say anything else. “Stop feeling bad for him. And stop feeling guilty about last night.”

  I turned, bumping into him when he continued walking behind me. “I made a scene last night, Finn. It was bad enough Curtis knows how crazy I am, but now Shane—and Dustin, I’m sure he’s already aware—”

  “You’re not crazy. But that reminds me, you should take one of your pills.”

  “I can’t drink those with wine, Finn. And pills aren’t on my list.”

  He sighed. “Tonight, before bed then.”

  What he wasn’t saying was that he didn’t want another episode like last night. And neither did I. I took the bag from him. “Before bed.”

  Relieved, he gave me a kiss. “Since wine was on your list, I’ll open something while you get comfortable.”

  “Thanks.”

  I wandered to the bedroom and pulled out a pair of shorts and a comfortable T-shirt. Then I turned and sighed, taking in the room. Tammy had cleaned, making the bed, fluffing the pillows and making the room smell fresh like lemons.

  Pulling my hair into a high bun, I smiled when Finn joined me. “This is our house,” I said.

  He angled his head at me.

  “I know it’s silly.” I shrugged and started out of the room.

  Finn caught my hand. “Not silly. Help me understand.”

  “I guess with Mark…” I looked away when I said his name, but Finn turned my chin so I was looking at him again. “I thought I had the fairytale. I found out quickly that it wasn’t and I thought I’d never have the real thing. But I do. Here with you. And I love our place.”

  “I love that you love our place. That’s all that matters to me.”

  I smiled up at him. “You don’t love our place?”

  He looked around, probably as disinterested in the furniture and layout and general design as I was in love. “It’s…nice.”

  I laughed. “Get out of those clothes, mister. It’s time to relax.”

  “You want to help me?”

  I danced away when he inched closer. “No! We have to stick to the plan.”

  “Your list?”

  “Yes. You didn’t see ‘Undress Finn’ on the list, did you?”

  He grinned and undid his tie. “I’m pretty sure I saw it on there somewhere.”

  “Let me refresh your memory. Talk, drink, relax.”

  “Drink,” he added. “Don’t forget that.”

  “Oh, and drink.” I smirked. “Get comfortable and get your ass out here.”

  Before he could stop me, I padded barefoot down the hallway and entered the kitchen. I noticed a note Tammy had left, and smiled.

  Lasagna in the refrigerator if you want to heat it up. Ice cream in freezer, not for heating.

  I peeked into the refrigerator. There was a small casserole dish covered and nestled next to a loaf of French bread.

  “Your housekeeper is amazing!” I hollered to Finn.

  His laughter floated to me from down the hallway. “She’s your housekeeper now, too!”

  I poured glass of wine and heard the buzz of Finn’s phone from the jacket he’d tossed over the chair at the counter. “Your phone,” I called, fumbling to pull it out of his jacket pocket.

  Something else popped out at the same time and fluttered to the ground at my feet. I bent to retrieve it and froze when I saw Tracy’s smiling face staring up at me. Deliberately pulling in a calming breath, I retrieved the photo Finn had taken from me this morning.

  When he met me at the kitchen counter. I passed him his phone although the call had gone to voicemail. I also set the photograph on the surface between us.

  I calmly poured him a glass of wine. After he took his first sip, I slid the picture closer to him and said, “We’d better start here.”

  He gave me a smile that came off as more of a grimace. “Was that on your list?”

  I returned his smile. “My choice, remember? Let’s get this dealt with.”

  He sighed. “The whole truth.”

  “That’s right. The whole truth.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I ordered Finn to sit while he talked, and I worked around the kitchen, heating the lasagna, preparing garlic bread and fixing a salad.

  “It was several months after we broke up,” Finn said, face unreadable. “Tracy was working on a project Jake and I were collaborating on up in San Francisco and we hung out, had some drinks. She was fun. She was a distraction. That was about it.”

  I sipped my wine and smiled at him. “And then you broke up with her. After Maui.”

  “We were only together a few months, Charlotte, and we didn’t even see each other all that much. I was out of town here and there and she had work. We went to a few functions, did some dinners and a movie, I think.” He rubbed his hand on his forehead. “She’d just come out of a relationship, too. We were having fun. Getting our minds off of things.”

  I nodded. I could understand getting my mind off of things. I’d fallen for Mark. Walked right into his world and was too caught up to realize I didn’t belong there. And it wasn’t healthy.

  “She was in love with you Finn. It seems like she still is.”

  “It wasn’t love, Charlotte. I know what love is. It was nothing like what we have.”

  He poured more wine in my glass and watched me cut a cucumber.

  “I know,” I told him calmly, “but it might have been on her end.”

  “After we broke up, she went right back to her ex, and I didn’t talk with her for years. When I heard from her out of nowhere, she said she got a new job and she was in a better place in her life. I didn’t know about her son and I didn’t know anything else but that she said she was happy.”

  “But you said you’d emailed with her a few times.”

  Finn stood, taking his glass with him to pace in front of the counter. “We did. She always initiated it, but it felt like we could be friends. I heard from her once before you got here. We had lunch, but I had to leave early because of a meeting. And then I heard from her again just recently.”

  He said the last part quietly. That was when I’d broken up with him. Again.

  “Finn,” I whispered, catching his eye.

  He smiled, but continued to pace. “It was just lunch. She said her boss gave her the day off and she was in the area. I was out with Jake, and she met me when he was leaving. It wasn’t like we planned it. She just kind of showed up. And then she told me about her son. She said she wasn’t with the father anymore and something about how I would make a great father—”

  “You would,” I told him.

  Finn walked around the counter, coming up beside me to brush his lips on my cheek. “She said we should give it another try, but I said no. Plain and simple. She was disappointed, but I didn’t hear much from her until she started contacting you about leasing the space in the Entertainment Community.”

  Setting down the knife, I turned to face him. “She made it sound like her son was yours. She didn’t say it flat out, but that’s what she was implying.”

  “She was probably just…frustrated.”

  “Or trying to hurt me?” I asked. “It was just after she saw my ring.”

  He looked down at the simple display of diamonds on my finger. Catching my hand, he brought it to his lips. “She was jealous. That doesn’t excuse her behavior, but it was her reasoning. When you overheard me talking to her on the phone, I was telling her that if she had any questions about the lease, she should talk with you and we should keep it strictly business.”

  “That’s how it should be.”

  Finn frowned. “Now that you’ve told me what she did when you were out with Leslie and Paige, I think it might be better if she dealt with me from now on. Strictly business.”

  “That’s exactly what she wants, Finn.”

  He set his wine glass aside. “I don’t trust her around you.”

  “It’s business,” I reminded him, turn
ing back to the cutting board. “I can handle myself.”

  Finn set his hand over mine, prying the knife loose. “Listen to me.”

  I turned to face him again. He set his hands on my upper arms. “I don’t want her to bother you. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

  “Then let’s deal with it together. That way we can keep it professional and you know what she’s up to.”

  “You sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Because I have to meet with her and her boss next week, and I think it’ll be easier—smoother, maybe—if you’re there.”

  “Together. Good. I can do that.” He pulled me against him. “I love you.”

  His lips met mine. They tasted of wine, sweet and full of promise. His hands glided down my back as the oven timer beeped.

  Finn groaned, and I laughed, pulling away. “Ignore it,” he suggested.

  “Sorry, I’m not going to catch the kitchen on fire. It’s too pretty.” I bent to pull the lasagna out and slide the tray of garlic bread inside. “Dinner’s almost ready. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I’m hungry,” he affirmed.

  When I glanced over my shoulder, his eyes were locked on mine, filled with heat and longing and love.

  “Dinner,” I said with a nod. “It’s on the list, in case you don’t recall.”

  He sighed. “Yes, I remember something to that effect. All right. Dinner. And the Tracy thing—we can cross that off the list, too?”

  I reached out, catching his hand. “Yes. And thank you for telling me the whole truth. I’m not very happy with that woman right now, but at least I know where we stand.”

  He laughed. “Yes, having dinner instead of my body against yours in the bedroom.”

  Grinning, I said, “Add that to the list.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to have time for all the things you want to do tonight.”

  “Good thing we’ve got the whole weekend.”

  He carried the bottle of wine to the table. “You’ve got the whole weekend planned?”

  I passed him the salad bowl next. “I’m leaving room for spontaneity. What if I wake up tomorrow morning and I want to go shopping?”

  He wisely kept a straight face. “Then we’ll go shopping.”

  “Or if I want to stay in bed with you until noon.”

  “Naked?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then I’ll make it worth your while.”

  He took the lasagna from me as I pulled the bread from the oven. When I turned back around, Finn was there again. “Hold on.”

  I set the tray of bread on the counter. “What?”

  He caught my arms once more, pulling me close so my cheek touched his chest and my fingers curled in his shirt. He wore a comfortable T-shirt and sweats that showed off every line of his hard body and made me want to peel off each layer that blocked his flesh from mine.

  “I don’t care what we do as long as I’m with you,” he murmured. “Even if it means spending the whole weekend in our apartment.”

  “I know, but you probably want to go out and do something, too, right? I mean, you probably thought I was going to say I want to go away for the weekend or something.”

  His mouth found mine, drawing out a kiss so distracting I forgot what we were talking about. I clung to his shoulders, and pressed as close as I could so I could feel every part of him against every part of me.

  “Listen to me, Charlotte.” Finn eased back, gaze holding mine. “I. Don’t. Care. Really, I don’t care what we do. If you want to stay here and take it easy, that’s fine by me.”

  “We only have one weekend.”

  He smiled, eyes tender. “We have our whole lives. Come on. You need to eat, and we’ll keep working on your list.”

  After a long dinner, and full from Tammy’s lasagna, I sat with Finn on the couch, listening to music and staring out the window at clouds swelling over the city. It was dark, with only a few candles lit, and lightning flashing far in the distance.

  “What else is on your list?” Finn asked.

  “Honestly?”

  “Yes.”

  I turned to face him, my wine glass still in hand. “The rest of the hard stuff.”

  “Stuff like Tracy, you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  He traced his finger on my bare arm. “There’s more?”

  “One more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  Setting my glass aside after another long swallow, I scooted closer to Finn, tucking myself up against his chest.

  His arm came around me. “Is this some sort of distraction technique?”

  “It’s a…relaxation technique. I don’t want you to get upset about this.”

  “When you say that, it makes me nervous.”

  I ran my hand over his chest. “Don’t be nervous. Be honest.”

  He caught my hand with his, linking our fingers together. “Start talking.”

  “Okay, so…extra security? Shane rode the elevator with me to work today and Dustin checked our apartment even though he hasn’t done that since we moved in. And you said you talked to Curtis, right?”

  Despite my warning, he tensed.

  “The whole truth,” I whispered.

  Finn frowned at me. “Can’t we save this conversation until the end of the weekend?”

  “Does that mean it’s bad?” I shifted, peering up into his face. “Finn, just tell me.”

  “It’s not bad. It’s just…” His eyes softened. He touched my brow. “Don’t look at me like that. Charlotte, this is why I didn’t want to tell you until later. I don’t want you worrying the whole weekend. Worrying is not on the list, if you recall.”

  That made me smile. I smoothed out my expression. “I won’t worry. I promise.”

  “You can’t guarantee that.”

  “Tell me.” I kissed him softly. “Rip off the Band-Aid.”

  He exhaled, leaning his head back. “Curtis said no one’s seen Mark in a week.”

  The words sunk in, simultaneously confusing and irritating me. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Powell said he was having someone keep an eye on him. That’s how they knew he sold his house. But after everything with John—or just before—he vanished.”

  My stomach twisted, and I moved to get up. “Vanished? I don’t—”

  “Hold on.” He grabbed my hips and swung me around so I was straddling him. “Take a breath.”

  “It doesn’t help, Finn. God, you guys keep telling me to do that and it doesn’t help—”

  “Charlotte.”

  I stopped the words and focused on breathing, despite what I’d just told him. I closed my eyes and pictured our evening together and all the things we were going to do, and my heart slowed down. “Okay, it kind of helps a little.”

  “Open your eyes.”

  I did, my lashes flickering as he came into focus in the dim room. Thunder echoed far in the distance, but I kept my gaze locked on his.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “We can talk about this later.”

  “No. Let’s finish this.” I released a soft breath. “What does this mean? What did Curtis say?”

  “No one’s heard from Mark or seen him. Not there in Portland or anywhere else.”

  “Not here?”

  “No, of course not. We’d know. Powell would know.”

  “How? If we don’t know where or when—”

  “It’s taken care of, Charlotte. Extra security. Powell has someone on the cameras. If they see him, we’ll know. But there’s no way he’s getting in here or getting you anywhere alone.”

  “He changed his name, didn’t he?”

  Finn’s fingers clenched on my hips. “That’s one possibility.”

  I moved again to get up, but Finn held me fast. “What are you thinking?”

  “John.”

  He winced.

  “Finn, listen—”

  “We’re definitely not having this c
onversation right now.”

  “My list, my rules.”

  “That fucker wasn’t on your list,” he growled.

  “Finn!” This time, I pressed against his shoulders, levering myself off his lap. I backed away when he reached out to grab me. “Stop. I’ll have you know, your Dr. Palmer suggested I find some sort of resolution for all this, which means talking to John—”

  “I highly doubt Dr. Palmer encouraged you to talk to a felon.”

  My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  “About Dr. Palmer, or about John being a felon? Because I seem to remember him kidnapping you.”

  I yanked in a sharp breath, ready to yell at him. But after a pause, I deflated, whispering, “I can’t believe you said that.”

  Finn stood from the couch, walking to me in three short strides.

  “Finn,” I warned, backing up again.

  He held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. “Just listen for a minute.”

  “Listening doesn’t involve touching. Why can’t you just hear what I have to say? Why—” I hitched a sharp breath.

  “Okay, pause. Just pause this conversation for a minute.”

  “No. It needs to be dealt with. Yes, I know John is in jail for kidnapping me. I was there, remember? And I’m the one who brought all this mess with Mark into our lives, so I’m the one who’s trying to deal with it.”

  “You’re not the only one who has to deal with it.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? I made it your problem. And Paige’s and Curtis’s. Do you want me to list all the people involved because—”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Finn said softly. “I mean you don’t have to, and shouldn’t have to, deal with this alone. It’s not your problem, it’s an issue we’re working through together. You, because you have no choice, and me because I love you and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

  I held his gaze. “Then understand that I think it’s smart to talk to John.”

  He gritted his teeth, jaw clenching, and I knew I’d caught him. “Why do you want to do this, Charlotte?”

  “He knew things about Mark,” I said, choosing my words carefully. He’d said things about Finn, too, and I hadn’t told anyone. I didn’t want to relive his words, not when they would just hurt our relationship. “He said Mark was going to come here, like he knew that was going to happen. If Mark changed his name or he’s keeping his whereabouts a secret somehow, John might have helped him set it all up.”