“Yes.”
“You’re going to sell Christmas trees?” she asked in surprise.
“I am.” The definitive answer was contradicted by his pensive expression as he stared at the trees, as if he wasn’t so sure about the decision.
Her natural inclination was to ask how he could afford all the land, and could he really make money selling trees a month or two out of the year, and what were his back-up plans? But…that was none of her business. He seemed like a smart guy. He would’ve weighed the pros and cons before making such an investment.
And if he hadn’t, that was his problem, not hers.
Assuming he had, then if he was happy doing it and could make a decent living, who was she to cast doubt? Shoving her foot in her mouth like when she’d asked about his limp wasn’t a move she wanted to repeat.
Turning back to the field of green and white, she banished all practical thoughts and grinned at the possibilities before them. “That’s pretty awesome.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw him angle toward her. “You really think so?”
“I do.” And he looked so good out here amongst the trees. Manly, and rugged, and totally in his element.
“Thanks.”
The tone of his voice said her opinion mattered, and she was glad she’d offered support instead of questions.
Finn pointed behind them to a fallen tree. “Do you mind if we sit so I can rest my leg before heading back?”
“Sure. I could use a rest, too,” she said truthfully. “I’m not used to this kind of hiking.”
They brushed the snow off the log and took a seat. Kismet joined them for some attention and Nina stroked her head when the dog sat with her back leaning against her leg.
“I know you said you stayed in touch with Peyton, but how did you end up as her assistant?” Finn asked.
“We moved to L.A. together after high school with the grand plan to both become famous together. I was the first one to get a couple of commercials and a few small movie roles, but it didn’t take long to realize I didn’t want to play the games that are played in Hollywood. Not for myself, anyway. Besides, I was much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, so I quit and supported Peyton becoming the star instead. She’s a natural. It suits her so much better than me.”
As she spoke, she noticed he’d removed his glove to massage his right thigh. A glance up at his face caught a flicker of a pained grimace, but he quickly masked it with a smile.
“What movies were you in?”
“Nothing big. I doubt you saw them.”
“You might as well tell me. It’s not like I can’t look them up when we get back.”
True—and he would, too.
She rolled her eyes in resignation. “Well, don’t laugh at the first one, I already know it’s a total cliché for a new actress.”
“Must be good.”
“Banshee High.”
He laughed anyway. “Let me guess—horror?”
“My character was killed about halfway through,” she confirmed with a grin. “The other one was Third Time’s the Charm. It’s a witchy romantic comedy that did pretty well, but more so on DVD than in the theaters. I played the heroine’s best friend.”
“My sisters loved that movie when it came out.”
“And you?”
“Total chick flick. Never saw it.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“That’s fine. It was definitely more for girls.”
“What about the commercials? Maybe I saw one of them?”
She shook her head. “One was for a local mattress company, and another one for toothpaste.” Impulsively, she gave him goofy, toothy grin.
“Nice. Very white.” He shifted a bit on the log to stretch his leg out, his snowshoe sticking up in the air. “And now you’re working for Peyton and writing screenplays.”
“Yes.”
“How many have you written?”
“Two so far. I even had a bit of interest for one of them last year, but nothing has panned out yet. I pitched the one I’m writing now to a producer friend of ours one night after a dinner party a few months ago. He wants first chance at it when I’m finished.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“As long as I get it written, yeah. I’m excited about my progress the past two days.” A small part of her wanted to tell Finn right now that if she could sell a couple screenplays, her ultimate goal was to write full-time. But she hadn’t even told Peyton that little secret, because realistically, that dream would likely take years to bear fruition.
“Then we should probably get back so you can keep at it.”
“I guess we should.”
What she should do is sound more enthusiastic. And while she did have the excitement of a good writing spell pulling at her to get back to her laptop, not even a guaranteed option on the screenplay would convince her to give up the past hour with Finn.
There you go. Doing exactly what you swore you wouldn’t do.
She set her jaw against the voice, ignoring the inner, guarded Nina shaking her head in frustrated warning.
Finn stood, then turned to offer a hand to pull her to her feet. She shifted her foot to adjust her balance, and her snowshoe came down on his at the same time he stepped backwards. Thrown off balance, he tightened his grip, and Nina held on until they both steadied.
They shared a smile, then he led back the way they’d come, pausing every little bit to scoop up a handful of snow, ball it up, and toss it for his dog. The shepherd tore after each snowball, leaping to catch them in mid-air.
“Do you want to get married?” he asked out of the blue after lobbing another snowball. He twisted at the waist to grin at her as he clarified, “In general, I mean.”
It dawned on her he hadn’t actually answered when she’d asked him before. Figuring it’d probably freaked him out, she gave him the answer that was sure to send him running in the opposite direction and keep her heart safe.
“Definitely. And have kids.”
Chapter 9
There was a note of challenge in Nina’s voice that threw Finn off. He couldn’t tell if she was serious or mocking. “White picket fence and a minivan?”
“Oh, yeah. The whole nine yards.”
Mocking. Had to be.
Kismet bounded up to him, tongue lolling out of her mouth, and he bent to rough-house with her to mask his disappointment. The crazy little nut took off again, ready to play. He stuck his poles off to the side and scooped up another handful of snow.
Before he could form a snowball, one hit him on the right shoulder with a solid thwack. It broke apart on impact, pieces flying everywhere as he ducked reflexively. Some hit his face, and some fell beneath the collar of his jacket. As it melted, it left a wet, shiver-inducing trail down his back.
Nina’s laugh rang out behind him.
He turned around, hands still full of snow. “What was that for?”
“You never answered.” Her mittened hands were forming another snowball.
“Answered what?”
“If you want to get married. Does the question scare you?”
Definitely a challenge there. “Not at all.”
Her hands stilled. “Well?”
Finn made a drawn out show of packing the ball in his hands really tight. “Yes, I want to get married. Wife. Kids. The whole nine yards.”
For a moment, she looked like his answer scared her. In the next blink, she tossed her ammo at him. He ducked and threw his at the same time. She gave a short cry with a defensive bend and twist. The snowball glanced off her shoulder, and when she reached her hands down to reload, he charged forward.
Her eyes widened when she saw him coming. “No! Finn—don’t. I’ll stop—I’ll stop.”
Too late.
He caught her around the waist and tackled her into the snow alongside the trail they’d forged on the way up. He landed on top of her, their legs, snowshoes, and her poles all tangled together.
Kismet’s exc
ited yip gave him a couple seconds warning before she started slobbering in his ear with frantic licks of her tongue. His firm command to sit saved Nina from his dog, but he scooped up a huge handful of snow to hold over her face. Her shriek vibrated his eardrums and echoed through the trees as she thrashed her head back and forth to avoid a face wash.
He had to command Kismet down again, but didn’t lower his hand.
“Finn, please.” Nina half-laughed, half-panted as she pushed up against his chest. “Don’t.”
He considered using his leverage to force a confession about the upcoming auction, but decided against it. Surprising her that night would be a lot more fun.
And right now, he had a much better idea.
When he moved his hand closer, she squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body tensing in preparation. Flakes of snow that had landed on her face during her struggles melted atop the bright flush in her cheeks. He knew the feeling. Even with their clothes and jackets between them, the length of her beneath him heated him from the inside out.
How was a man to resist?
Burying his raised hand into the snow beside her head, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She stiffened in surprise at the contact. He kept his eyes closed as his pulse thundered in his ears while he waited to see if she’d keep pushing him away or kiss him back.
Please, kiss me back.
He brushed his lips against hers, a gentle, coaxing exploration of hope until, finally, the pressure against his chest eased, her body relaxed, and she gave a soft moan of acceptance.
Relief and excitement sent a tingle through his veins. Finn pressed closer to run his tongue along the seam of her soft, cool lips. When she opened for him, he tasted the watermelon candies she kept beside her laptop still lingering on her tongue.
Underneath the sweetness was the unique flavor of Nina. He savored her taste, taking his time, wishing he could go on kissing her for hours.
But it didn’t take long before he became aware of moisture chilling his knees and thighs as snow melted by his body heat seeped through his jeans. Being that he was on top, her backside was probably soaked.
Reluctantly, he took one last taste and then lifted his head. As they both caught their breath, her lashes lifted, revealing hazel eyes turned to that gorgeous mossy green. He reached up and used his thumb to wipe away a spot of moisture from her flushed cheek.
“I’ve thought about this since that first morning in the kitchen,” he admitted gruffly.
Her eyes widened the tiniest bit, then her lips curved into the most beautiful, shy smile he’d ever seen. “Me, too.”
He grinned at the whispered admission and dipped down for a quick kiss—only it flared out of control when she wound an arm around his neck and angled her head to boldly stroke her tongue against his.
Kismet’s low whine registered, and he broke the kiss again to give his dog a sideways glance. She was fine, just dying to join in the fun as she stared at them with her chin on her paws, tail swishing in the snow. Finn turned back to Nina and leaned his forehead against hers as their labored breath plumed in the winter air.
“Sweet cupcakes,” she murmured on a sigh.
He pulled back with a slight frown. “What?”
She gave a self-conscious little laugh. “We weren’t allowed to swear growing up. It’s a habit that stuck.”
“Why are you swearing at me?”
“It was a compliment. Promise.”
“Okay, then I’ll take it.” All of a sudden, her brow furrowed, and when she attempted to shift beneath him, he grinned. “Your butt wet?”
She grimaced. “Yes. And cold.”
“That’s what you get for throwing snowballs at me.”
“Better watch your back then.”
He chuckled while pushing up and off her. Once he’d struggled to his feet with the awkward snowshoes and sore leg, he bent his knees and reached to help her up. They were both pretty wet, and by the time they made it back to the house, dusk had fallen, and the cold had seeped into his bones. He was pretty sure Nina’s teeth were chattering as they unstrapped the snowshoes and left them on the front porch.
After he hung up their jackets in the entryway, she gave him another shy smile from beneath her lashes that took hold of his heart.
“Hey,” he said softly. She glanced up in surprise as he lifted a hand to thread his fingers into her hair. Still cool from outside, the silky strands slid across the back of his knuckles. Her hands rose to his chest, and her luminous hazel gaze locked with his as he added, “I’m really glad you came with me,” before lowering his mouth to cover hers.
She closed her eyes, and this time there was no hesitation when she returned his kiss. As her mouth opened beneath his, the addictive taste of her had him lifting his other hand to her hip. He slid it around to spread his fingers on the small of her back to urge her closer.
A soft sound of pleasure from deep in her throat kicked his pulse into high speed. The feel of her fingernails scraping against the nape of his neck sent a delicious shiver down his spine. He took a step forward, only to stumble over the boots at their feet.
His flattened palm against the wall checked their momentum and kept her from hitting her head, but then he eased her backward and used the solid support at her back to press his length against hers.
The feel of her curves without their jackets heated his blood, but he also felt a slight stiffening of her body. He gentled the kiss, lifted his head just an inch, and brought his hand forward to rub his thumb over her bottom lip.
“You have the most amazing mouth.”
She swallowed hard, then lowered her arms until her hands were clasped between them. “I’m not going to sleep with you, Finn.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they did, heat flashed from his head to his feet. Not from anticipation—well, maybe a little bit at the mere thought—but mostly, he was offended she assumed that’s where he thought this was leading.
He braced both hands against the wall on either side of her shoulders and pushed away from her body. Just enough to not be touching her anymore, yet not enough to let her escape.
“Thanks for the heads up, but I don’t recall asking you to.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but a moment later it was gone. “What I meant was—”
“I know what you meant, Nina.” Irritation fisted his hands against the wall. “And the truth is, I’d carry you upstairs right now if you wanted to, but I’m a little pissed off you think I’d expect that after only a couple kisses.”
Color flared in her cheeks as she ducked her head. “I don’t think you expect it, it’s just, I know you date a lot.”
“You know nothing of the sort.”
“Well, you used to,” she justified lamely.
“And you used to have black hair.” She looked properly chastised at the direct hit, and still, his anger simmered just below the surface, making his skin prickle. “I’m not that guy from back in high school. I’ve grown up since then. And, I was serious about wanting to get married someday, so seeing as you’ll be gone in a couple weeks anyway, exploring this any further looks to be a waste of time for both of us.”
Now he did shove away from her completely. Without looking back, he went upstairs to change into dry clothes.
As he peeled off his wet jeans, the bone-deep ache in his leg told him he’d done exactly what his mother had warned him not to do yesterday. Experience told him it was going to be a long night. Unfortunately, he’d enjoyed walking and talking with Nina so much, common sense had taken its own little hike and not returned.
Replaying the conversation from a few moments ago, he didn’t have to worry about that anymore with her. Anger boiled back to the surface, and he balled up his jeans before hurling them across the room.
Man, why was he still so annoyed at her insulting assumption?
Maybe there’s a little truth to it?
Of course there was some truth to it. He was a guy attracted to a beautiful
woman, and he’d openly admitted to her if she’d said yes, she’d be on this bed beside him right now. But—and it was a big but—he hadn’t expected that. Honestly, after Peyton’s warning, he’d been happy enough with their walk in the woods and the unexpected kisses.
A sudden muscle spasm gripped his leg, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he rubbed his thigh above the knee. Then his jaw clenched even harder as he massaged while breathing through the pain. He’d been offended and told her so, but no matter his words, his reaction was sure to come across as him being mad because she wouldn’t sleep with him.
What a chump.
And he’d seen another flash of hurt when he’d said spending time with her would be a waste. Of course, she didn’t know he’d been lying through his teeth. Despite the fact she wouldn’t be staying, he still wanted to know everything about her. Share breakfast, go for walks, take a ride in his truck…and yeah, if she let him, he’d darn sure kiss her again, too.
Talk about common sense taking a hike.
Chapter 10
Nina brooded in her room for a good hour after changing into dry leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. But the more she went over those moments with Finn in her mind, the worse she felt. She couldn’t even convince herself anymore that he’d overreacted when she considered her crummy assumption and accusation.
People changed, as he so effectively pointed out with the black hair comment. Being it had been ten years since she used to know him, or of him, it was completely unfair to express disapproval of the man he was now based on the boy he’d been then.
Worse, if she was being honest with herself, she knew the man he was now—and he was the exact opposite of what she’d accused.
And to think, you weren’t sure if you projected your fears. Stupid girl.
No question about that. Finn was shaping up to be an amazing guy in every way possible, and when he hadn’t freaked at the subject of marriage and kids, she saw a very real probability of her heart falling for him.
Which scared the bejeezus out of her—hence the blurted, “I’m not going to sleep with you.”
She wanted to. When his hard body pressed hers against that wall, oh, sweet cupcakes, she’d never wanted anything more. But sex without love wasn’t an option for her, and there was no way she could allow herself to fall for Finn Regan. They lived clear across the country from each other. Her life was in Hollywood, while he’d just bought himself a Christmas tree farm in Wisconsin.
Nina (Beach Brides Book 3) Page 6
