Alyssa began to cry and the doctor leaned forward.
“He’s going to live and that’s most important.” He smiled at her. “He’s got good friends that will help him through this.” The doctor looked up to Finn. “And he’s going to need as much support as he can get.”
Finn nodded. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Noel.
“I’ll be back later to check on him,” the doctor said. “Just let him rest for now.” He sighed. “Mr. Kelly. I have to report this to the police. After all, this is obviously not an accident.”
“I know,” Finn said. “You tell the police whatever you’re required to.”
The doctor nodded and left.
Finn turned to Liam and Alyssa. “Take her back to the house,” he said to Liam and then turned to Alyssa. “He’s past the worst. Got get some sleep. He isn’t the only one healing from things.”
She opened her mouth to protest but stopped when he placed a finger to her lips.
“Go rest. For me,” he said quietly.
She looked at him for a moment and nodded.
“I’ll call if there any change,” he said and kissed her forehead.
“Night,” she said quietly and followed Liam out the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Alyssa paced nervously in the locker room. She knew he was going to be pissed, but she really had no choice. Liam had called to tell her he was going to be late taking her to aquatic therapy. She couldn’t miss this one. Not after all the trouble she’d been having.
She really couldn’t call Finn. He was so tired and busy with Noel, she didn’t want to interrupt them. Noel was going to need all the support he could get. She couldn’t do much.
Well, other than lie to the police. They’d questioned her, along with Finn, Noel and a lot of Finn’s men. She didn’t know whether it really was the right thing or not to lie about what she knew, but Finn had asked her to, so she did. If the police had things under control, the Russians wouldn’t be able to operate like they were. Finn was one of the few people keeping them in check.
During the last trouble at Cortex, even Kace Allen, who’d been a cop, realized he had to go beyond the law to protect those he cared about.
So, with Finn and everyone busy, she did the only thing she could. Called a cab and went on her own. It wasn’t idea, but it was a week day and people were busy during the week. Besides, she knew now that the Russians might want to rattle her, but they weren’t going to hurt because of her mysterious benefactor.
Not able to stall any longer, she walked out of the locker room and into the pool room. Steve had reserved the place for them to practice. She had a feeling Finn was footing the bill, but she wasn’t going to complain. Water therapy was the best.
“You’re looking much better,” Steve said with a smile.
She smiled back at him. “I’m feeling much better. I was even thinking about doing away with the sling.”
“That’s good,” he said and helped her walk into the water. “If you can do without it, it will help strengthen the muscles. Just don’t overdo it.”
Alyssa laughed. “I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”
Steve grinned at her. “Yeah, your boyfriend is pretty intense.” He paused for a moment before going on. “His friend waiting outside is also pretty intense.”
“Liam?” she said.
Steve shrugged his shoulders. “Big guy with the Jeep.”
“Yup, that’s Liam.”
Steve flexed her arm. “So does Liam have a boyfriend?”
She nearly sputtered water at his question.
“I think he’s got someone he’s hung up on,” she said. “But he’s nice to look at, that’s for sure.”
She grinned when Steven smiled. “That’s never a bad thing.”
She was glad Steve wasn’t upset.
“Okay.” He clapped. “Let’s put that shoulder to good use.”
* * *
Finn watched her through the glass. She smiled as she did her therapy. He might have been pissed at her, but it was good to see her arm working so well. It ate at him that she might have limited mobility.
He watched as Steve climbed out of the pool and dried off. Did that guy really have to wear such skimpy clothes? He fumed inside as he watched the man. When he went into the men’s locker room, Finn opened the door into the chlorine-filled main pool room.
The door clacked shut, and she turned to look at him. Based on her face, she was surprised.
Alyssa swam over to where he was without much issue.
“You came,” she said, slightly out of breath.
“You left,” he said firmly.
She swam to the steps and climbed out of the water.
“I had to come to therapy,” she said.
He stared at her near-naked form. The black tube bikini barely covered her, and he could feel more than his temperature rising.
“What the hell are you wearing?” he said more gruffly than intended.
She looked down at her black suit.
“I know it shows off my scars, but it doesn’t rub either,” she said.
His eyes fell to her scars, and she lowered the towel over them.
“Why does he have to wear something like that and then see you in something like this?”
Her face turned red for a minute before she spoke.
“I really don’t care what he wears, and I’m fairly certain he doesn’t care what I wear,” she said. “I’m going to get ready. I’ll be out in a minute.”
She stormed off into the women’s locker room.
Alyssa stomped into the empty locker room, annoyed at herself for even getting angry. But it hurt. All she wanted was for him to look at her with hunger. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. The scars were prominent.
“You really shouldn’t walk away when you’re having a conversation with someone,” Finn said.
She gasped and whirled around to find him leaning against a partition.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” she hissed at him. She glanced around. No one else was there.
Finn pushed off the wall and walked toward her until they were so close they were nearly touching.
“I’m finishing our conversation,” he said. She watched as he looked down to the scars. “Do you know what I see when I look at these?” He brushed his fingers across the sensitive skin.
She shook her head.
“I see the look on your face when you went down. The pain in your eyes. Not from the bullets but from me,” he said quietly. She backed up a little and he followed. “I see the good in the world, even for people who don’t deserve it.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered.
“But most of all, I see my fears.” He leaned in, his mouth so close to hers. “I didn’t know what I might be losing until it was almost gone.”
She closed the distance between them, crushing her mouth to his. Her arms came around his neck, and she pulled him tighter to him. Finn gripped her hips and pulled her until his thick erection rubbed against her.
He groaned loudly.
“I’m no good for you, but I don’t know how to be without you,” he whispered in her ear, his voice tortured.
“So don’t,” she whispered back.
With little effort, she pulled off her top and bottoms. She stood in front of him and for the first time, she saw the hunger in his eyes, his hidden passion, bubbling just below the surface.
Finn whipped his shirt off, and she went to him. She placed her palms on his chest and loved the feel of the muscles as she glided over them. Alyssa leaned forward and placed open-mouthed kisses along the ridges of his stomach. She stopped when she got to the top of his pants and looked up at him as she swiped her tongue up along the light dusting of hair.
He growled and yanked her back up to her feet. Finn whirled her around and placed her hands on the mirror in front of her.
“Don’t move them,” he said. His voice low, and the heat of it nearly seared he
r.
She could see him in the mirror as she knelt behind her. His eyes stared back as he spread her thighs.
She watched as he kissed up the back of one leg and down the other. The cool air adding to her excitement.
“Do you like that Alyssa?” he asked in a hushed tone.
She nodded.
“Say it out loud,” he said.
She swallowed and tried finding her voice. “I like it,” she said breathlessly.
“Good,” he growled.
She could feel his hot breath at her opening. Her inside quivered in anticipation. His thumb brushed her clit, and she cried out.
“So sensitive,” he whispered.
His thumb brushed her clit again but his time she was ready. Finn moved his thumb in a steady rhythm, slowly circling, with just enough pressure to arouse but not enough to build off of.
She turned around to glare at him. He grinned at her and leaned forward. Alyssa gasped when he pushed his tongue inside her. She came as he pushed in deeper, rubbing her clit furiously.
“Finn,” she moaned as her climax subsided.
She turned around and kissed him hard. Her taste still in his mouth. A hand slipped down his body and came to rest on his length. She traced the outline of him through his pants. Not wasting time, she flipped the button and freed him.
He groaned when she gripped him, her hand moving steady up and down over him.
“Alyssa,” he moaned.
She tightened her hand and moved faster, sliding her hand over the slick head.
“No,” he grunted and pulled away.
Alyssa stood there in shock. Two times. She wasn’t certain how this could happen two fucking times.
“I’m taking a shower.” She walked around him, ignoring his protests.
She pulled back the curtain and stepped in the entry. Alyssa dropped her towel over the side and turned on the hot spray. Closing her eyes, she moved under it. The pain of rejection fresh.
“You really need to stop walking away from me,” Finn said in her ear.
She jumped away from him and spun around. “What are you doing?”
Finn stepped forward, pushing her back against the cold wall of the shower.
“I’m taking a shower with my woman.” He looked at her, then dipped his head to nibble on her neck. He licked a trail up to her ear. “Here in a moment I’m going to fuck my woman. The first time I come isn’t going to be in her hand like some goddamn teenage. I want to be deep inside.”
He surged his hips forward, and she felt his slick cock slide between her legs.
“When you put your hands on me,” he moved his mouth to the other side, “it feels so good. Too fucking good.”
She moaned when he nipped her collar bone. Both his hands came up to roll her nipples, and she slid her hips forward to meet his. She ground against him, creating friction. She could feel her juices dribble onto him and jumped when he slid against her again.
“Finn,” she sighed against his neck. She sucked at the pulse there.
“Wrap your legs around me, baby,” he said gruffly to her.
Finn grabbed her around the back and hoisted her up, so she could wrap her leg around him.
“I can’t hold on to you for long with my right arm.” She pulled back to look at him.
He grinned. “Good thing I plan on pinning you between me and the wall.”
She shuddered at his words.
He put her back against the wall, and she looked down at where their bodies met. The tip of him pointed up, as she had him pinned against his body. She looked up to him and smiled when she moved up and down against him. Her folds, wide open, slipped easily against him with her own slick heat.
“Fuck,” he groaned and pressed harder against her to still her movements. “Please tell me you’re on birth control.”
“Yes,” she said, surprised with how husky and sexy it came out.
“Thank God,” he said.
Finn pulled back and placed his thick head at her opening. She hadn’t really thought about how big he was until he started to push in. It wasn’t painful, but she was stretched to the max. He pushed until he was fully in her.
They both panted at the feeling. He stayed still, and she assumed that it was for her benefit. Alyssa wrapped her legs around him tighter and pulled him so far in, she ground painfully against him.
“You’ve got to stop,” Finn growled against her ear. His breathing was ragged.
“Or what?” she whispered playfully in his ear, gyrating her hips on top of him.
“Or this,” he said. Finn pulled back and slammed into her with full force.
She groaned.
“Again,” she whispered. Her body shook with her pending release.
Finn pulled out and slammed into her again. She bit her nails into his back. He worked himself in and out of her at a brutal pace. She could feel her hips shake as she climbed closer to her orgasm.
“Faster,” she said. “I’m so close.”
Finn jerked faster inside of her, pushing her flat against the wall.
Alyssa groaned as she clamped down on him. She felt her walls milk his release out as he jerked inside. He leaned into her, and she kissed his neck.
Finn pulled out, and she was sad for his loss. Her walls convulsed at the stimulation.
He ran a hand down her body and washed away their combined love. She sighed at the feel of his hands on her and smiled in the warm spray of the shower.
“You better stop with that, or I’m going to have to go again,” he said in her ear.
Alyssa’s eyes opened when he pulled back.
“You couldn’t…” she said. “We just…”
Finn took her hand and guided it to his growing cock.
“I’m always like this with you,” he said. “Half-hard and nearly crazy.”
She smiled. “That’s good to know.”
Finn grinned at her and shut off the water. “Later,” he said.
He grabbed the towel and patted it along her body and then his own. They stopped when they heard voices.
Alyssa peeked out, and she noticed two woman around the corner. Her reservation time must have been well past.
She giggled as she handed Finn his clothes on the other side of the curtain. She quickly dressed and looked around the corner. No getting around it, they were going to have to walk right past them.
Finn peeked out.
“Here,” she said. She handed him a towel. “Put this over your head. I’ll lead you out.”
Finn shot her a funny look but complied. They walked by the two women.
“Well,” said one. “That’s new.”
The other giggled. “Do all the showers come with one?”
Alyssa laughed. “I wish.”
When Finn reached out and pinched her ass, she swatted him away.
“Or maybe not,” she said.
The women cackled as she continued to lead him out. When they walked past the door, she pulled the towel off.
Finn gave her a strange smile and led the way to his car. He opened the door let her in. When he got in, they sat for a moment.
“That was interesting,” he said.
She frowned. “I’d call it more than that.”
Finn shook his head and laughed. “No, the sex was amazing.” He turned to look at her in the seat. “I don’t just follow people. That’s how a man like me gets killed.”
“But I wouldn’t hurt you.” She frowned.
Finn smiled brightly at her. “I know, and that’s the point. I know who you are to me. You are the person I protect.”
Alyssa’s frown deepened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You are special,” he said. “I protect you.”
“Take me home,” she said and stared out the window.
“I don’t understand,” he groaned. “I thought that would make you happy.”
She turned to look at him. “I’m supposed to be happy that the only reason you can find to be with me is b
ecause I need protecting?” She turned away. “Just take me home.”
Finn fell silent as he drove her home. She got out of the car and didn’t bother to say goodbye. He had ruined the one good thing they had been able to build together.
She sighed and rode the elevator to her place.
A new note waited for her. She ripped it off and stormed into her place. She felt a little better when she had slammed the door.
Alyssa dropped her things onto the table. She sank into the chair and cried.
Chapter Fifteen
Alyssa bolted upright at the sound of her front door opening.
“We can’t be here,” she heard Finn say. “It puts her in danger.”
“Too fucking bad,” she heard Liam grunt.
She jumped out of bed, slipped on a robe and hurried into the living room.
Liam had placed Finn on the chair in her kitchen. Red droplets littered the floor around him.
“Oh, my God.” She rushed to his side and kneeled. “What happened?”
“It’s just a scratch,” he said. “Just got a little clipped.”
“Scratch my ass,” Liam said, setting everything from her bathroom cabinet on the table. “That’s more than a scratch on your side. You’ll need to be stitched up.”
She felt the room spin as she looked at Finn.
“Were you shot?” She stared at him in shock.
Finn looked over to Liam. “I told you we shouldn’t have come. Let’s go.”
“Now listen here.” She stood to get his attention. “You aren’t going anywhere. To everyone else you might be the big mob boss, but that’s not going to float here. Not sit down and let me look at it.”
Finn went quiet and pulled off his shirt. The wound didn’t look that bad to her. It was on the side and looked more like he had been sliced than anything, though blood flowed freely from the injury.
“Do you have a needle and thread?” Liam asked.
She ran into her closet and pulled out her old sewing kit and some thread.
When she returned to the kitchen, Liam was at the sink washing his hands vigorously.
One of the gas burners had been turned on.
Liam motioned toward it. “Put the needle on the flame until it glows.”
Finn Page 10
