Finn

by Madison Stevens

  “Goodnight, Alyssa,” he said, his voice on the brink of sleep.

  “Goodnight, Finn,” she whispered.

  Chapter Eight

  Warm. That was the first thought she had when she woke up. It had taken forever for her to actually fall asleep. Unfortunately for her, she still hadn’t been able to stay asleep. She blinked a few times and realized that there was more than one reason she was so warm.

  During the night, they had migrated to the center of the bed. Her back was nestled up against Finn’s front, and when she shifted, she realized his hand had gone up her shirt to cup her breast. Every time she moved, he would squeeze and pull her further back toward his body.

  He nuzzled the sensitive skin between her ear and neck.

  She tried to move out of his grasp. His hand tightened around her breast again, and she couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her mouth.

  Finn froze behind her, clearly surprised by the sound of her voice.

  “I didn’t mean to,” he said and pulled his out from under her shirt. He struggled to untangle himself from her. When he pulled too quickly, she grunted in pain.

  “Just wait,” she said. Her hand landed on his and stopped him from moving.

  His breathing was uneven, and she wondered if he had been as aroused as she was.

  “It’s just my shoulder,” she said quietly.

  With her bad shoulder facing him, she was having trouble moving away. Finn had one arm over her and the other under her. It was amazing they had even gotten that way.

  She wiggled against him but stopped when something long and thick pushed against her thigh through his boxer briefs. Finn groaned.

  “Alyssa,” he growled.

  Her heart raced as she turned a little more in his arms until her back was against the bed. He leaned over her slightly to pull his arm out from under her. She lifted off the bed again. When she bumped him this time, she watched his pupils dilate.

  His eyes burned into her as his arm slipped free, and she didn’t want this connection to end. She reached up and placed her small palm on his chest. The hard muscles under her fingers quivered at the touch.

  Watching his face, she traced the lines of his chest. Her hand went lower and lower until meeting the band of his underwear.

  “That’s not really a good idea,” he groaned.

  Her fingers slipped under the band.

  “It seems like nothing in my life right now is a good idea,” she whispered.

  She slipped her hand in the rest of the way and grabbed ahold of him.

  “Fuck it,” Finn said and closed the distance between them.

  His mouth touched hers, and she sighed at the taste of him. For half a year, she’d been watching him, too afraid to do anything about it until now

  His tongue traced along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth to him. They battled for control as their tongues slipped along one another.

  Finn grabbed her hand from his pants and shoved it into the pillow by her head. He pulled back for just a second.

  “Too soon,” he growled and went back to her mouth.

  He moved his body over hers, positioning his hips just out of reach of hers. When she reached up to pull him closer, he snatched her hand by the wrist and pulled it back to her head.

  “Keep it here,” he said firmly.

  She frowned. Being passive was a thing of the past for her, and she sure as hell wasn’t following orders easily.

  Alyssa wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him down to the bed. Finn landed hard on her, grinding his hard dick at her core.

  He sat back and scowled at her.

  She smiled and waved her hand. “Didn’t move my hand.”

  Finn’s scowl faded as he grinned at her. “I’ll be sure to be more specific next time.”

  She groaned when he shifted forward and nudged her aching clit.

  He sat back on his legs, and she huffed in frustration. Her body was on fire, and this was when he wanted to slow things down?

  His hands slid from her hips to the front of her stomach.

  “So soft,” he whispered.

  He pushed the shirt up her body, tracing little patterns as he went. She sucked in a breath when he brushed the undersides of her breasts. His fingertips circled around, never touching her hard nipples.

  He made a second trip around her breasts, but when he came to the side, his thumbs flicked the hard peaks. She arched off the bed at the touch and then yelped in pain.

  Finn jumped off of her to the end of the bed.

  “I knew this was a bad idea,” he said as she scrambled to sit upright.

  “No.” She slid across to him. “I just leaned back on my shoulder.”

  She placed his hands in her own and smiled.

  “It was nice,” she said shyly. “Really nice.”

  Finn slid his hand away from her and slipped off the bed.

  “I can’t do this,” he said.

  Alyssa stood in front of him as he tossed on his pants and zipped them up, not bothering with the button.

  “What do you mean you can’t do this?” She placed her hand on her hip in frustration.

  “This!” he shouted and waved at the bed. “It’s not a good idea. Look how much trouble you’ve gotten into just knowing me.”

  Alyssa gave a bitter laugh. “Please, you think being shot was the worst thing to ever happen to me?” She was angry now. He didn’t get to decide what was best for her. “Try being with someone who holds you down while they do what they want to you. Try having to look at yourself in the mirror after that.”

  “I could be like him,” Finn said softly. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “I don’t fucking need you to protect me like that,” she yelled. “Especially from you. You may not know yourself Finn, but I certainly do.”

  She stepped forward, shaking and emotional. “I trust you without a doubt. No matter the situation.” She locked gazes with him, his expression turning to revulsion as she spoke. “I believe in you.”

  Finn stepped away. Fear crossed his eyes as she continued to look at him.

  “I’ve got work to do,” he said and turned away.

  “Don’t do this.” She choked back the tears that threatened to spill.

  He paused at the door, his body halfway out.

  “Don’t believe in me, Alyssa,” he said quietly over his shoulder and then shut the door.

  “Too late,” she whispered into the dark and sank to the floor to cry.

  Finn made his way through the darkened halls, his heart heavy with guilt and regret. He opened the door to his office and slipped in, shutting off thoughts of running back to her.

  The scent of her floral perfume still clung to his skin, driving him crazy.

  She just didn’t understand. He couldn’t let himself be like his father. Couldn’t even let himself be close, especially after what she had been though. He remembered what her shitty ex had said about how he liked to use her when they had sex. Just knowing that her ex had raped her as well made him want to do more than just break the man’s jaw.

  She was like a delicate little flower. He didn’t even know how to handle somebody like that. He had never been much on gentle sex. It had always been rough and hard, and although he never had complaints, he just couldn’t do that to her.

  Finn leaned against the door and breathed hard. He had been so close just then. So close to yanking off both of their underwear and fucking her like he had always thought about. It wasn’t until she cried out in pain that he was brought back to reality. He caused pain to the people he cared about.

  His mother had taken beatings for him. Ennis as well. If it weren’t for them, he likely wouldn’t have made it. Because of him, they had suffered.

  Even his mother’s death had been his fault.

  He sighed and sat heavy on his couch. Ennis was already off at school, but Finn still had another year. If only he hadn’t insisted on going to the park, she wouldn’t have had to protect him. Just like
in a movie, they drove by, and he saw the flash of the gun before he heard it. She was next to him and tossed him out of the way.

  He watched as his mother fell to the ground, dead after the last bullet pierced her heart.

  Two women had taken bullets for him. He couldn’t let there be any more. What if next time they didn’t miss with Alyssa? The very idea kept him up at night.

  Finn sighed and leaned back on the couch. Maybe he could get a little shuteye in his office. She would be safe in his room.

  * * *

  Alyssa listened as movement came from all over the house. She wondered how many people worked in the house and how many were just his men.

  She sighed and stood in front of the bed. This was going to be difficult. Everything in her last night had wanted to chase after him. Something was wrong with his thinking, but she just didn’t know what.

  Since day one he had been doing everything in his power to keep her at arm’s length, and she was about done. She wanted him, no question in her mind now, but the truth was she really didn’t know how equipped she was to deal with his issues. Her own were trouble enough.

  If only he would just tell her.

  She laughed a little. Finn was not much on making things easy.

  In her clothes from the previous day, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Before she did anything, she need to get some caffeine in her. She was a little surprised to see Conor sitting at the island, drinking coffee and looking at his phone.

  She cleared her throat at the door, and he looked up in surprise.

  “Well, he thought you wouldn’t be up for another hour,” Conor said, his sandy brown hair glowing in the morning sun.

  “Always been an early riser.” She smiled at him and sat down.

  Conor rose and grabbed a cut out of the cabinet for her.

  “Anything in it?” He held up the cup.

  “Cream and sugar if you’ve got it.” She started to get up and winced.

  He brought over the steaming mug with the cream and sugar. “You fix your coffee. I’ll get your meds.”

  She dumped in a couple spoonfuls of sugar and a little cream. He set the pills in front of her.

  “Just ibuprofen today,” she said.

  Conor frowned. “He’s not going to like that.”

  “Yeah well if he has a problem, he can tell me himself,” she mumbled. “Where is he anyway?”

  Conor glanced awkwardly around. “Had some business at the bank.”

  She wondered what sort of business that could be. He had gotten the issue with the disappearing money solved, and things were stalled with buying any new buildings, at least until they got some of their issues with the city council settled.

  She quietly drank her coffee and let the caffeine kick in.

  “Shit, what time is it?” She jumped a little.

  “Nearly nine,” he said.

  “I’ve got to go to my apartment,” she said. “Today is therapy, and I really can’t miss it. Especially since I’ve really messed it up from that whole thing yesterday.”

  Conor nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, just let me know.”

  Alyssa smiled at him. “You’re so easy to talk to, Conor,” she said. “So,” she said, taking a sip, “are you a cousin of Finn’s?”

  He shook his head. “Old family friends. We’ve known each other our whole lives. Practically raised together.”

  “And what about Noel?” she asked with interest, curious how what Conor said would be different in view from what Noel had told her. The whole idea of such a large family appealed to her on so many levels. Not having any family, it always seemed so great to her.

  “Noel is Finn’s cousin via his father’s brother. He lives back in Ireland, and Noel spent a good chunk of his childhood there,” he said quietly. “He has a strained relationship with his family.”

  “It’s sort of an usual name,” she said.

  Conor laughed. “Oh God, don’t tell him that. He takes him name very seriously. His mother named him that, and it’s not that unusual in Ireland.”

  Alyssa laughed. “I’d never say anything to him,” she said. “He doesn’t exactly look like the kind of guy who take teasing well.”

  She stood up. Her coffee was finished, and she was feeling much better about the day.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said. “My sixth new therapist will be coming to my place soon.”

  Conor smirked. “Let’s hope it’s a woman.”

  Alyssa smiled. “I was actually hoping for hot guy.”

  Conor laughed out loud as he pulled out the keys. “You certainly like to keep him on his toes.”

  “Somebody’s got to.” She winked and walked to the door.

  Chapter Nine

  Alyssa flopped down on her couch and took a deep breath. It was nice to have some laundry done finally and everything put away. She was really amazed with how much her arm hurt, but that just seemed to be the price you paid when you were running from the Russian mafia.

  She picked up her phone and hit Haley’s number.

  “Are you okay?” Haley said quickly into the phone. It almost sounded like she had run to get it.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “A little banged up but fine.”

  Haley sighed, and Alyssa knew she had been holding her breath.

  “Thank God,” she said. “I was so worried when I didn’t hear from you last night.”

  “It was a long night,” Alyssa yawned into the phone. “I went right to sleep on Finn’s couch.”

  The line went silent for a moment. “And did you stay on the couch?”

  Alyssa smiled at the leading question. Haley might be a sweet little school teacher, but she was anything but a shrinking violet when it came to sex. She knew what she wanted and had no issues going after it.

  “Why, Haley, what in the world are you asking?” She laughed into the line. “And what would your mother say?”

  “She’d say young women shouldn’t have, talk or think about premarital sex. But then I’m fairly certain my parents only did it once in their whole life,” she laughed. “Now spill!”

  “Nothing much, just a little petting. Then he ran from the room.”

  Haley laughed loudly through the phone. “What did you do, ask him for a ring?”

  “Ha, ha,” Alyssa said sarcastically. “My shoulder hurt, and I let out a yelp.”

  “Well, I can see that not going well. He was so protective of you at the hospital.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s too protective at times.” Alyssa sighed. “He spends so much time worrying over my shoulder that he’s not seeing anything else.”

  Haley laughed into the phone, and Alyssa frowned. “Yeah, because the worst thing in the world is a man worrying over you.”

  “You try dealing with it,” she mumbled.

  Haley sighed. “I wouldn’t mind letting that Noel worry over me.”

  Alyssa nearly dropped the phone. “Noel?”

  “Yup,” she replied. “He’s just so,” she paused as if she was savoring it, “big.”

  Alyssa giggled at her friend. It was strange to think of the two of them together. Haley was so short it seemed like such an odd pairing.

  Haley huffed into the phone. “Not that he would reciprocate. I invited him in for a slice of cake and coffee, and he wouldn’t even think of it.”

  Alyssa debated telling her friend that Noel had spent the night guarding her outside but thought that might actually make her feel worse.

  “I get the impression that he comes from a bad background,” Alyssa said into the phone. “So maybe he’s just not used to that sort of thing.”

  “Or,” Haley said, “he’s very used to it, and I’m just not his type.” She huffed again like a child. “Whatever.”

  Alyssa smiled. If anyone could take her out of bad mood, it was her friend.

  “Well, I’ve got therapy here soon.” She stretched her stiff muscles. “I’ll check in again tomorrow.”

  “You had bet
ter,” her friend warned.

  She got off the phone and went to put on the usual outfit for therapy. Even though she doubted they would make her work her shoulder too hard, it was still good to be ready.

  She put on the tube bra and a thin, strapped pink top with gray and pink pants.

  It took a little longer than normal, and by the time she was finished, someone was already knocking at the door.

  She jogged to the door and opened it. If she had thought to whistle, she might just have. This man was the epitome of a Greek God: chiseled nose and jaw, deep tan, black hair and a chest like a wall.

  He smiled at her and walked past as she opened the door.

  “I’m Steve,” he said. “Looks like you’ve got a note on your door.”

  Alyssa absentmindedly pulled the note off and set it on the table.

  “I’m Alyssa,” she said shyly.

  “That’s what the report said.” He gave her another winning smile, and her knees went weak. “Also said you’d been shot, and the muscle was torn up. How is it feeling today?”

  She blushed and looked away. “I fell yesterday and think I messed it up,” she lied.

  There’s no way she could tell him that she was running from crazy Russians.

  “Oh that’s not good,” he said. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Steve manipulated the shoulder and kept a hand on it as he went. When she cried out, he released her arm.

  “Why don’t you take a break, and then, we’ll go on.” He pulled out his phone to make a call.

  Alyssa sighed and went to get a couple bottles of water out of the fridge. It was amazing how much she could sweat when she hadn’t even done any real work.

  She set the bottle on the table. A paper slipped to the floor, the note from earlier. She picked it up and opened it. There was a picture of a gun and the word “WHORE” written in bright red.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Steve, holding the note so the words and picture were facing her. “Did you see who put this on my door?”

  Her head started to spin when he shook his head. Alyssa folded the paper back up and placed it on the table. Maybe it was the Russians. Were they just trying to show that they could get to her any time? Her blood ran cold thinking about what they could do to her.