by Claire Adams
"Keep trying, I guess." I shrugged and stopped by the back of my truck.
"Isn't she going home back to California soon?"
"That's what she said." I brushed my fingers by my chin and tried to work through how I could get her to talk to me. She most likely went home and no one was supposed to be there. I could just go out there and knock on the door. It seemed logical.
"So, I guess you're on a short time span then, dude. You better get after it." He smiled and shook his head. "If anyone can do it, you can."
"Thanks, buddy. I'll call you later." I walked around my truck. I wasn't on a timetable, at all. If she didn't come around while she was here, I would simply go there. Only when she made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested in anything ever happening between us, I'd be done.
I got in the car and hooked my phone up as a call from my dad rang through.
"Hey, Pops. What's up?" I closed the door and buckled up.
"You. That's what's up." He was angry.
Great. More shit to deal with.
"What did I do now? It's been a fucked up night, so I'm sure I had this coming."
"You did what I told you not to do, which has been the story of your life. Do you think I give you advice because I enjoy listening to the sound of my own voice? No. I give it to you because otherwise, you're going to suffer the consequences for your fucked up actions."
"Dad. Really. I'm not in the mood for this shit. Tell me what I did, and I'll fix it. I don't need you berating me. I'm a piece of shit. I get it," I barked into the console of the truck and turned out of the lot, headed out to Chloe's place.
"I didn't say you were a piece of shit. I said you didn't listen."
"I'm hanging up." I let out an exasperated sigh. I would call him tomorrow. I was too broken for whatever he was up to.
"I told you to leave Chloe alone, and you didn't."
How the hell did my father know I'd hurt her? Did she run home and tell her dad? Had he called mine? We were adults, for shit-sake. Why the hell was our fathers involved in any of this?
"What?" I had no other word to throw out.
"Her father caught me in town tonight and chewed my ass out for sending you over there to do the yard. He said you were after his girl, and I couldn't deny it. Do me a favor, Finn. Please. Just one small, tiny thing. Just this once, keep your dick in your pants and keep away from the Burke girl. Those people are rich, hateful, and headed straight to hell."
"Yep." I dropped the call and turned into her driveway, turning off my lights. I would have to figure out how to deal with my old man once I figured out if there were anything to really deal with. Chloe could turn me down cold and the problem would be solved. I prayed that wouldn't be the case, but the chances of a different outcome seemed slim.
Maybe her dad wasn't out of town. I texted her, half expecting no response, but I made my message too compelling to ignore.
Me: I'm sitting in your driveway. Come out for two minutes and then I'll leave you alone after that.
Chloe: Finn?
Me: Yes. Get out here.
Chloe: How did you get my number?
Me: During our shopping trip. Two minutes.
Chloe: No. Go away. My dad's here.
Me: I'm coming up to ring the doorbell. I want two minutes with you.
Chloe: Fine. Come to the second window at the back of the house and I'll let you in. Two minutes and then you're out. I don't have anything to say to you.
I turned the truck off and got out, jogging to the back and finding her window open. I felt all of sixteen again. It was humorous and nerve-wracking all the same.
"Hurry up and get in here." She helped me in and moved back, putting her hands on her hips. She had on a tiny tank top and a pair of boy shorts.
"Fuck," I whispered and let my eyes drag down her. Now wasn't the time, and yet she was the hottest thing I'd ever laid eyes on.
I moved toward her before I realized what I was doing.
"Finn. No." She put her hands out, but I moved past them, wrapping my arms around her and pressing her against the wall behind her roughly. She groaned, but it wasn't a scared sound. She still wanted me. I could sense it all over her.
"I'm sorry." I leaned in and drug my lips up her neck, breathing her in. "I was told you had a man, Chloe. By my best friend and your brother."
"I know," she whispered roughly as her hand ran up the back of my hair.
"I was hurt and so far beyond pissed. You can't have another man." I licked at her ear and pressed my lips to it as I ground against her. "That leaves no room for me."
She cried out again and whimpered. "I need time. I can't do this right now."
I shifted my upper body back and brushed her hair off her face before pressing my forehead to hers. "Time is all yours. Take as much as you need, but I don't want a friendship. I want you. All of you."
She whimpered again and closed her eyes, rolling her hips and stroking my body with hers.
I clenched my teeth, respecting the fact that her father was down the hall. If we'd have been alone that night, I would have already had her stretched out on her bed, my face between her taut thighs.
She opened her beautiful, green eyes and nodded as she bit her lip.
"Tell me we're okay and I'll go." I brushed my lips by hers and slid my hand down her side, over the curve of her breast, and around her hip, my fingers tracing the outside of her panties.
"We're okay. I'm sorry for overreacting, but you hurt me today." I could smell the liquor on her breath.
"I'm sorry for that. I hurt you out of my own pain. It won't ever happen again. I promise." I pressed my lips to her and snaked my fingers into her panties, rubbing over the curve of her ass as I kissed her long and passionately. She had my heart. I didn't know how, but she did.
She pushed at me and I moved back, panting just as she was. "I need time to think through this."
"I understand. I'll wait as long as I can for you to come find me. If you don't...I'll come find you. Be ready to accept me or not, but know that I want you. More than I've ever wanted anyone, Chloe."
I moved back and she clung to me, her fingers wrapped in my t-shirt bunched at my shoulders. "Tell me to stay and I will," I said. I licked at my lips and took one more look at her, which left me overwhelmed.
"Soon." She released me and backed up, hugging herself and watching me intently.
I stood there a minute longer, needing her to change her mind, but wanting to give her time to want me the way I wanted her. The sound of her father coming down the hall almost caused my heart to stop and I moved through the window and chuckled at the sound of her laughing softly out of her window.
Things weren't perfect, but maybe they were at least getting back on track.
Chapter 19
Chloe
It had been three days since I'd spoke to Finn, since the night he came through my bedroom window. I hadn't thought of too much other than him, but I wanted to make sure I was ready for a relationship before approaching him. He was as fragile as I was. There was no reason to start something that I couldn't finish.
The meeting with my dad a few days back went relatively well. He liked my designs and even allowed me access to one of his manufactures to start working on a prototype for the women's windbreaker I designed. It wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, but it was a first step in helping him see me for the professional I was becoming.
With only ten days until Christmas, I had a list of gifts I needed to get, mostly for my brother, but I was running out of time. I had a piece of toast and then headed out for the morning and made sure Parker was still planning on taking me snowboarding for the afternoon. I'd decided over the last three days that I wanted to learn how to do it. I would have asked Finn, but we had some damage repair to get through.
After talking about everything with Parker, he confessed to lying about me still being with Seth simply because it seemed to be in my best interest to steer clear of Finn. I was pissed, but I understo
od where he was coming from. He was all for me calling Finn, but I needed to make sure I was completely for it, too.
I picked up my purse and paused by the door as my brother called for me.
"Chloe. Wait. I wanna go."
"Shopping? Have you lost your mind? You're the worst shopper in the universe."
"Come on. I don't want to stay cooped up here. Let's go shop, eat lunch, and then we'll go hit the slopes and I'll teach you some tricks."
"Yeah, let's start with the one where I stay vertical on the board."
We laughed and I moved out into the garage. I got into the Cherokee and buckled up as he got into the other side.
"I invited a friend to go boarding with us. Hope that's okay." He turned toward me.
"Yeah, sure. Just show me the ropes and then you and your friend can go get lost." I winked and pulled the car out. "I'm glad the roads haven't been too bad this Christmas. I remember as a kid having to help Dad put those track thingies on the wheels."
"Chains?" he snorted.
I slapped his arm. "Hush or I'll take you into every pantie store I see."
"Please?" he growled, and I rolled my eyes.
I'd forgotten I was dealing with a sixteen-year-old boy. He wasn't a kid anymore, oddly enough. Neither was I, and I needed to stop acting like it in several areas of my life.
"I think I'm going to call Finn today." I turned on the heater and waited for my brother's reaction.
"I think that's a great idea, actually. He's the only thing that can keep you here, so I'm all for him."
I glanced over at my brother. "Keep me here?"
"Yeah. I don't want you to go back to Cali. Neither does Dad. We were talking about it last night when you conked out on the movie." He smiled and leaned back in his seat. "It's fantastic having a woman around the house. We get to eat, have clean clothes...and feel loved."
"Awe, you feel loved by me?" I teased him, reaching over to pinch at his chest and ears.
"Alright. Never mind. Get your ass back on a plane." He pulled away from me and laughed. "Stop. I'm ticklish."
"Finn's not the only one that could keep me here, Parker. I would consider it for you and Dad."
"Right, but he'd be enough to sway the vote." Parker shrugged. "And honestly, after thinking about everything, I think maybe I misjudged him. He didn't seem like a playboy asshole the other day. He seemed like a normal guy to me."
"He is. I think we've all done a lot of misjudging each other." I turned into the large shopping mall and parked. "You ready for this fun day?"
"Just get me a hot chocolate and a nudie mag and leave me in the food court."
I laughed and snorted at my brother and his antics. "I am not getting you a hot chocolate. You'll be jumping everywhere."
He slipped his arm into mine and chuckled at my response. "Where are we eating lunch?"
"It's ten in the morning. I seriously have to get a few gifts today. That's my focus."
"Okay, but that still begs the question. Where are we eating lunch?"
"The Chinese place on the top floor? You like their soup and egg-rolls, right?"
"I do. I'll meet you there. I'm going to go look at the game stores. Like, an hour?"
"Two." I pulled from him and walked toward a large department store as the lights and Christmas music beckoned me to come.
"Two? Come on, Sis."
"One and a half." I called over my shoulder and walked in, stopping by the fragrance counter and smelling three different types of men's cologne. The last one smelled like Finn.
"Yum," I mumbled and found the largest box of it.
"Chloe?" The feminine voice beside me caused me to freeze. I didn't know any girls in Aspen.
"I'm Kari, Finn's friend from school." She moved up beside me and extended her hand. The nasty snarl she wore a few nights before was gone and her expression was almost kind.
I shook her hand and nodded. "And, what can I do for you, Kari?"
"Nothing. I just saw you and thought I recognized you. I'm glad I did. I needed to apologize."
"For what?"
"For being a bitch the other night." She pursed her lips and let out a long breath through her nose. "Finn's such a great guy and I think all of us around here have beaten him up and taken him for granted for far too long. The other night when he got upset was the first time I'd seen him show emotion about anything since we were kids. Like a part of him died when he lost his mother and then slowly over time, it kept getting worse. I know he gets around, but I understand why."
"Your point?" I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't help myself seeing that this bitch was unbelievably rude to me only a few nights back.
"No point. Just an apology. I was jealous and acted like a jerk. I'm sorry."
"It happens." I glanced around to see if he was somewhere behind us. Seemed like him to start sending flowers and people to help me see the good in him. It was ingenious, which was right up his alley. "Did he put you up to this?"
"Finn? Heavens, no. I haven't seen him since the other night. He's working his ass off, no doubt. He wants to build his own lodge, but money has always been so tight for him and his dad." She smiled. "Anyway, I'm sorry and I hope things work out with you guys. He deserves a good woman."
"And, you think that's me? That I'm a good woman?"
"I don't know, but I think he believes that, which is enough for me." She nodded and turned, walking back into the crowd.
I reached for my phone and dialed his number.
He answered on the first ring, breathless. "Chloe."
"Hey. Sorry it took so long; I was just..."
He cut me off. "No apologies. I told you to take your time."
"You working?" I looked around at all of the people milling about. Most of them were couples, holding hands and having a good time together. It made me long for him all the more.
"Yeah, but I get off around two. You want to get together and talk?"
"No. I want you to join me and Parker on the slopes. He's going to teach me to snowboard."
Finn snorted, and my lip raised in a smile. "Confession time."
"What?” I asked.
"Parker already invited me. The kid's been texting me for the last three days with what to do and what not to do. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't getting involved until you were ready for me, too." The sound of his voice caused my heart to swell in my chest.
"So, you're his friend for this afternoon?"
"I am, but I was going to text you just after lunch to make sure you were okay with it."
"Too funny. That little shit." I turned as the attendant walked up. I pushed the cologne toward her and gave her my card. Finn would be upset over my getting him something, but I didn't care. I wanted to buy him the world now that I'd decided to give us a try. I had no idea what that really meant, but the thought of even taking a first step left a peace settled on me that affirmed that I was headed in the right direction.
"He's a good kid." Finn cleared his throat. "Where are you?"
"At the mall. Getting gifts."
"For your dad and Parker?"
"And you." I smiled.
"Chloe, I don't want anything but you. Don't buy me anything. Just tell me we can go on a second date and I'll be the happiest man in the world. I don't need things. I need you."
"Wow. From friends to an instant romance. Almost like that crazy love you read about in romance novels."
"We were never friends. That was your dumb rule and it didn't work." He chuckled and I did, too.
"True. Come with us today and let's get one over on Parker. Help me pull a prank on him."
"Only if you'll agree to a second date with me."
"Deal."
"What are we doing?"
"Show up like he wants you to and when I see you, I'll throw a fit and shove you backwards. Lose your balance and slide down that small hill by the lift. Drag me with you and let's roll down and play dead until he gets there. Then, we'll pull him down and bury h
is ass in the snow." I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt.
"Damn. That's a little much. Is that what sisters do to their baby brothers?"
"You bet your ass it is. Help me or I'll get you back, too." I took the bag from the lady and thanked her before moving to the next store.
"I'm in. You're too scary to cross, just don't really hit me, please."
I laughed. "Never. See you later today."
"Chloe."
My breath caught in my chest. I prayed that he wasn't about to say that he loved me. I knew it was starting to build to that, but it would have been too much, too early.
"I've missed you. I haven't stopped thinking about you." His voice was gravelly and sensual.
Chills ran down my back and I groaned under my breath. "Stop it. You're making me all hot and bothered in the middle of the shopping mall."
"You gave me a damn fever the first time we went out. I think payback should be hell."
"I'll see you around three, handsome."
"Yeah, you will. Be careful, baby."
There was no need to pretend I wasn't interested or to play hard to get, anymore. We didn't have time for that drama. My days were running short and I needed to make some hard decisions.
I dropped the call and dropped the phone back in my purse, feeling good about the afternoon and evening to come. After we snowboarded with my brother, I was going to find a way to get Finn to cook for me. He had mentioned his cooking skills several times, but I'd missed out on trying his stew seeing that Parker ate the whole bowl of it.
Letting my thoughts go, I ducked into another store and started my search for the two most difficult people in the world to buy for: my father and my brother.
What do you buy for guys who have everything already?
* * * *
Parker was bouncing on the balls of his feet as we purchased our tickets for the lift, the nervousness running through him was almost humorous.
"You excited or what?" I glanced over at him while handing my card to the guy at the front counter.
"It's the hot chocolate. Should have stuck to your guns on it." He turned around as if looking for someone.
"Your friend here yet?" I asked and took our tickets. "I got him one, too, just to be nice."
