by Rhian Cahill
Chapter Seven
Ethan eased up on the accelerator and hoped he’d backed off in time to miss getting snapped by the speed camera. He’d been pushing the limit from the minute he’d squealed out of the office parking lot. Finn sat beside him in the passenger seat. They hadn’t spoken a word since Kelly had sent her last text. He couldn’t describe the emotions that had slashed through him when he’d worked out what he was reading.
She gave them nothing but an address.
No other words—just a number, a street name and a suburb. But he didn’t need anything else to know the significance of this particular place on the planet. She’d revealed where she was and nothing more. That confused him a little. Did she want them to come to her? Had she sent it accidently?
He glanced at the dashboard. His GPS said they had another fifteen minutes before they reached their destination. They’d been on the road for forty minutes already, and while tension was high, it wasn’t the kind to get on your nerves. Probably because the anxiety was coming from both of them and he was already strung as tight as he was going to get.
They were silent another five minutes when Finn finally spoke. “Do you think this is what she wants?”
Ethan briefly glanced at his friend to see him staring out the side window. “I haven’t a clue, but I’m tired of hashing this out long distance. Hell, we haven’t hashed anything out.”
“What if we get there and she’s gone?”
That thought didn’t bear thinking as far as Ethan was concerned. “She’ll be there.” She had to be.
“We should have told her we were coming.”
Ethan couldn’t take one more word out of Finn’s mouth in that dejected tone. “Stop. We won’t know what is going to happen until we get there. No point trying to guess and there’s definitely no point in seeing a negative outcome when neither of us can predict what Kelly wants or doesn’t want. She has to tell us. Same as we need to tell her.”
“I’m not sure I want to leave myself open like that,” Finn mumbled.
“What?” Ethan took his eyes off the road for a second, but Finn’s head was still turned away. “Don’t go fucking pansy-arse on me now. We put our balls on the line when we started the business. This is only different because Kelly is far more important.”
“That’s the problem. Whatever happens could ruin any future we’ve planned. Or dreamed.”
Ethan shook his head. He’d never known his friend to be so negative or so blind. “If Kelly decides she doesn’t want to pursue a future with us it’ll have the same effect whether we tell her how we feel or not.”
“Then what’s the point in putting ourselves out there?” Finn asked.
“What’s the point?” If Ethan didn’t have both hands on the wheel he’d punch his best friend in the face. “Are you fucking kidding me, Finn? Kelly is the point. She’s the only point.”
From the corner of his eye, Ethan saw Finn turn his way. “Think about what we’re asking. Is it fair to even suggest she throw a normal life away for us and what we want from her—with her?”
Ethan couldn’t answer that. Accepting them for herself was one thing. But by doing so she’d have to thumb her nose at the world and what they deemed okay. It wouldn’t be an easy road to take, and he couldn’t—wouldn’t—blame her if she refused. All he could do was remember how he felt and that loving someone was never a bad thing. “I don’t know if it’s fair or not. But I believe we can make it work. We have to have faith and trust. We already have the love. We just have to trust it. Trust each other.”
In the end, it was all that mattered.
Finn turned to look out the side window again. He understood what Ethan was saying, but the fear of being without Kitty ate at him. It was like someone had stuck a needle in his spine and sucked the marrow out of his bones. Repeated it on every bone in his body. When people talked about being gutted, he figured this was the feeling they meant.
He’d spent the last three days in a fog. He couldn’t remember what he’d done or where he’d been. The only thing in his head was that Kitty wasn’t there. Of course, that was glaringly obvious every time he stepped out of his office to see some other woman at Kitty’s desk—in her chair.
He couldn’t believe how dependent he’d become on Kitty in the last two years. Finn knew he’d survive without her—even if life seemed bleak without her in it—but he didn’t want to even try. He wanted Kitty to come back to work—back to them. Move into their house—
Finn sat up straight as Ethan turned off the main road. “How close?”
“Five minutes.”
He leaned forward and peered through the windshield. The houses on either side of the road ranged from new high-end dwellings to dilapidated older homes that were probably original to the area being populated. The closer they got, the more Finn’s muscles tensed. There was a light coating of sweat on his palms—dampening his back—and he clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together.
“Sit back. You’ll go through the window if I even brake a little bit,” Ethan growled.
“Fine.” Finn sat back against the seat but his eyes remained trained straight ahead. “How long now?”
“Jesus. Look at the fucking GPS yourself.” Ethan’s voice held anger and frustration, and Finn knew they had to gain control over their emotions before they got to Kitty.
“Pull over.”
“What?” Ethan asked. “We’re not there yet.”
“I know. Just pull over. I need a second.”
“Shit.”
Finn knew his friend wasn’t happy, but he pulled the car over anyway. Finn grabbed the latch and opened the door. Pressing the release on his seatbelt, he swung his legs out and stood.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Ethan demanded from inside the car.
“Breathing.” He planted his hands on his hips and dropped his head back. The sky was vibrant blue, not a cloud in sight, and he stared without blinking until his eyes watered. Dragging in deep breaths, Finn concentrated on reeling in every runaway emotion Kitty’s leaving had set free.
“Are you done yet?”
He ignored Ethan and took two more deep breaths, making sure he filled his lungs to capacity before letting the air out. His world seemed to shift. The millions of particles slipped back into place and gave him a clear view once more. No more fog. They were here to claim Kitty, and claim her they would.
“Okay.” Finn climbed back into the car. “Let’s do this.”
“Shut the fucking door and buckle up.” Ethan put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb before Finn got the second of his two directives completed.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Not driving off without me,” Finn said.
Ethan braked at a stop sign and looked at him. “We’re in this together.”
Finn smiled. “Yeah.”
“And now that your head is out of your arse, we’ll be on the same page again, right?” Ethan asked.
He knew what Ethan wanted to hear. Knew he had to confirm he’d fight for what they could have with Kitty. Finn smiled. “We’re not leaving here without her.”
Ethan grinned. “Good to have you back.”
They remained quiet while Ethan followed the directions on the GPS. When they reached their destination, Finn thought perhaps they’d plugged in the wrong address.
“You put in the correct street and number, right?” He leaned forward and squinted, but that didn’t change the building in front of them. If you could refer to it as a building. Building was too big a word to describe the house sitting in among the trees and large bushes.
“You think I’d fuck that up?” Ethan asked as he switched off the engine.
Finn studied the small cottage. The garden was overgrown and full of weeds, the roof on the tiny front porch sagged on one end and the paint had long ago peeled off, if it had ever been put on. “Well, no point staying in the car.”
He made his way to the front gate, and th
at’s when he saw the appeal this little house had. It was at the end of the street with one small strip of grass between the side fence and the beach. The place was prime real estate, and he was surprised no one had flattened the dwelling and built something modern that took the amazing vista into account.
“Damn. Wonder what this block of land is worth. God knows the house isn’t worth a cent,” Ethan said as he stepped beside Finn.
Finn turned a full three-sixty and studied the other houses on the street. It was a mix of old and new, and he figured if he had to answer Ethan’s price question, he’d go for high six figures possibly seven. Bringing his gaze back to the beach, he tilted his head towards the house. “We going in?”
Ethan stepped back. “After you.”
“Nah.” Finn grinned and clapped Ethan on the shoulder. “Together, remember.”
As they’d done on Sunday when they’d gone to Kitty’s house, they walked side-by-side down the overgrown path. When they reached the door, they couldn’t find a bell so Finn raised his fist and knocked.
The cry of a gull overhead drew his gaze. As he followed its progress through the sky down to the water, he found himself looking at a lone figure standing down at the shoreline. It only took a moment for him to realise he was staring at Kitty’s back.
“Hey.” Finn elbowed Ethan. “Check it out.” He nodded his chin in Kitty’s direction.
“Well, that explains why there’s no answer.”
Instead of rushing down to her, Finn walked to the side fence and sat on the two-foot-high wall. Ethan joined him and together, they waited. She’d obviously felt the need to be outside, away from the house after she’d sent them her whereabouts. Finn was quite okay with letting her take as much time as she wanted now that she was within sight.
“How long we going to give her?” Ethan asked.
“As long as I can see her, she can take all the time in the world.”
Kitty didn’t need to turn around and look to know that Finn and Ethan had arrived. It was as though she had some internal radar that had registered their appearance in her immediate vicinity. Some sort of sixth sense tuned in to them and them alone.
The water in front of her blurred as she focused on building the courage to face them. She just had to remember the intoxicating power she’d felt on the weekend when she’d grabbed the reins of her life with both hands and gone after what she wanted.
And gotten it.
She’d managed to be bold long enough to send them the information they needed to find her, but then the uncertainty and fear had risen up and gripped her throat until she had to come outside to breathe.
With each second that passed after Kitty had hit send, the walls of the small house had shrunk. They’d inched closer and closer until she could have sworn stretching her arms out and spinning in a circle would have her fingertips brushing against the faded, peeling wallpaper. It was similar to the sensation of breathlessness she’d experienced while wearing the corset on Saturday night.
Sucking in a lungful of salt-laced air, Kitty straightened her spine and, before she chickened out, turned around.
They sat on the low wall that ran around the perimeter of the house. Still in their suits but missing their ties, it was obvious they’d driven straight from the office without going home. It shouldn’t surprise her, but it did. It also gave her a rush of pleasure. Glancing at the time on her phone, she felt another burst of excitement when she realised they must have left seconds after receiving her message.
C’mon, Kitty. Now or never.
The first step was the hardest. Lifting one foot had never been so difficult, except once she’d made the move the next came easier. And the next. Until she was marching across the sand towards them. Her feet were bare and the warm grains stuck to her skin, sucking her beneath the surface with every step. Only now that she’d made up her mind, it would take more than a little sticky sand to keep her from reaching them.
Kitty strode over the few metres of grass that stood between the beach and her rented accommodation. When the distance between them was only a few feet, she stopped, taking each man in with a quick scan. They looked tired, and she could only assume they’d gotten as little sleep as she had in the last few days.
“Hi.” The word seemed inadequate, but Kitty felt the need to say something, and she wasn’t ready to dive into the conversation they needed to have. Not yet.
Ethan smiled. “Hi yourself, beautiful.”
Finn shifted on the low brick wall. “Hello, Kelly.”
The sound of her name in his deep voice sent shivers down her spine. “You’ve never called me that.” Her throat constricted, her eyes stung.
He arched one eyebrow. “I haven’t?”
“No. Ethan does every now and then, and this past weekend he used my real name all the time, but you’ve never said it. Not once.” Kitty couldn’t believe how much his use of her name affected her. It didn’t make any sense.
“Do you want me to keep calling you Kitty?” Finn asked.
She stepped forward and held up her hand. “No!” Her reaction was over the top. She knew that even as she did it. “I…um…”
Finn dropped his feet to the ground and stood. “What do you want me to call you?”
“I…” Kitty glanced at Ethan. “I liked it when Ethan called me Kelly all the time.”
Heat flooded her face and her pulse kicked up a notch.
Finn moved closer. Moved right up to her so that the tips of his dress shoes were millimetres from her pink-painted toenails. He placed two fingers under her chin and pushed up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze or close her eyes. The latter was tempting. Oh so tempting. Except she wanted to be that bold woman again. The one who’d gotten her every desire catered to on Saturday night.
She licked her lips. “I’d like it if when we’re not at work you call me Kelly.”
Yes! I did it!
Kitty waited for Finn to say something. Anything. She never expected the words he spoke though.
“Kiss me, Kelly.”
His mouth wasn’t within easy reach, so she had to rise up on her toes to do as he asked. And he had asked. Unlike the weekend when he’d demanded most of time. The thrill that raced through her at this commanding man asking instead of demanding or taking delivered a sexual kick as potent as any of his orders had.
Her insides trembled, her muscles contracting and releasing as her body warmed and prepared to take what she wanted. She loved that she had control over him. Loved that she could deny him the simple pleasure of her mouth on his if she wanted.
“Ask me again.” Kitty kept her gaze on Finn’s so she saw the moment he realised how his question affected her.
“Kiss me, Kelly.” His mouth remained parted after he’d spoken her name, and the urge to thrust her tongue between his lips swept through her until she couldn’t deny either of them.
Rising on her toes, Kitty pressed her mouth to Finn’s. They touched nowhere else, only their lips as they clung to the sweet sensation of touching once more. For half a second, it was enough. Then memory and need took over and she drove her tongue into his mouth and flung her arms around his neck.
She wasn’t sure how long they kissed before Ethan reminded them of his presence. Separating their mouths, Kitty remained on her toes and met Finn’s heated gaze with her own. “Hi.”
Finn grinned. “Hi.”
“Okay, my turn.” Ethan managed to worm his way between them, pushing Finn back a step and taking his place in front of her. He exaggerated a pout. “I’m feeling a little neglected here. You’ll have to make it up to me.”
Kitty knew he was joking, but the words brought a fear to the forefront that she’d worried about since deciding to continue seeing them if that was what they wanted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“Wow. Wait. I wasn’t serious.” Ethan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in against him. “I’d never stop you from being with Finn.”
“And vice ver
sa,” Finn said as he moved in beside them.
She eyed them both. Studied them to be sure they spoke the truth. What she was hoping for wouldn’t get passed the first day if any of them felt alienated. Satisfied Ethan had been joking, she smiled. “We need to talk. But first—”
Ethan didn’t wait for her to move. He must have guessed her intention, because he lowered his head and took her mouth with his. Like the kiss with Finn, it was like coming home after a long time away. She couldn’t explain the way it felt so right being with both of them. The thought of being with one and not the other had never entered her mind.
Epilogue
Finn sat with his back against the headboard on the ridiculously small bed in the house Kelly had rented. “Okay, so before we strip you naked and have our wicked way, let’s get some things straight.”
Kelly eyed him. “What kind of things?”
“First, no more running. You panic, you tell us.”
She nodded. “I can try to do that.”
“No, Kelly, you will do it.” Finn wasn’t giving her any room on this one.
Her gazed darted to Ethan, who only nodded his agreement.
“Okay.”
“Second, you move in with us.”
“Wow. Stop right there.” She got to her feet and Finn wondered if he’d have to chase her down. “We’re not jumping in that deep right away.”
“Why not?” Ethan asked. “Are you not serious about being with us completely?”
“Yes. Or course I am, but what will people say when I suddenly move in?”
“Does it really matter what they say or think?” Finn asked.
Kelly chewed her lip and Finn fought against the urge to throw her over his knee, spank her arse a few times and convince her to move in by sexual means.
“Kelly, we’re serious about this relationship. It’s no different to a single man and woman moving forward with their lives. If it were just one of us you were thinking of spending your life with at this point, if everything was the same, the time we’ve known each other, the closeness we’ve developed, would you be balking at moving in?” Finn asked.
