by Lila Kane
I stepped in between everyone, holding up my hands to stop the fight. “Finn, wait. Stop! He could be watching us right now!”
The room went silent. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold even in the midst of the heated argument.
“What do you mean?” Finn asked.
Jake stepped back, giving him some space. “Charlotte thinks he might still have access to the cameras.”
“But Powell checked my place himself. No more cameras.”
Curtis propped his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “That was before John quit. Before we knew about him. He had access to your apartment before that—and since then, it appears.”
“He would know how to get into the security system from outside the building,” I said. “Most likely, he set it up that way. So either he could see things when he wasn’t here, or he could…Oh, God.”
“What?” Finn gripped my hand. “What, Charlotte?”
“If he could do that, maybe he could have set it up for Mark to see, too. He probably had cameras everywhere in my apartment…” My voice dropped to a whisper and I looked around. “They could be all over yours.”
I shivered, thinking of everything I’d said to Finn in my apartment and in these walls. Everything we’d done. The intimate times we’d shared. My stomach clenched into a hard ball.
“Finn, listen,” I said, looking up at him and keeping my hand in his. “I’ll talk to him—”
“No,” he growled.
“You really need to consider what I’m saying here.”
He looked down, eyes so dark in the dim room, they looked black. Every muscle in his body tensed, warning me he was at his breaking point.
“No one needs to say another thing until we can sweep this apartment again,” Curtis said.
I released Finn, giving him space, and Jake touched my arm. “Come on. It’s too late to do anything right now. We’ll figure things out tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I said, giving in. I was too tired to think all this through anyway. “Tomorrow.”
“We’re leaving,” Finn said.
I didn’t argue, only waited as Dustin and Curtis quietly made plans. I found my shoes by the door and decided against gathering any of my things from the bedroom. The rose petals were still inside, scattered all over the bed. I could still feel them on my skin, soft and fragrant.
Finn touched my elbow and I jumped, releasing a tense breath.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You ready?”
I nodded, letting him guide me to the elevator. Wondering if I’d ever feel comfortable in his apartment again.
I fell asleep somewhere on the way to the hotel, the same one Jake was staying at. It was all a blur as Dustin checked us in, Finn steered me to another elevator, and we all rode up together.
I leaned against the wall outside the room as Dustin did yet another check of the space. How John could have any idea where we were going was beyond me, but I was too tired to say anything.
When Dustin finally came out, I caught Finn’s arm and said, “He’s been working all day—and now this. I feel bad—”
“Don’t. Powell is sending someone over until he can get here.”
“I’m fine, Ms. Evans,” Dustin said in his usual jovial tone. “Heading out soon.”
“Thank you, Dustin.”
“My pleasure.”
Our room was next door to Jake’s, a nice suite with two bedrooms and robes neatly folded across the beds. We said goodnight to Jake and Finn switched on a few lamps in the living area.
“I can order something if you’re still hungry,” Finn said.
I shook my head, pulling my shoes off again and releasing a sigh at how good it felt to be barefoot. I debated sitting on the plush cushions of the couch but then I probably wouldn’t make it to bed.
“A bath, then,” Finn suggested.
“No, thanks. I’d fall asleep in there.” I smiled at him. “Get all wrinkly.”
Finn’s phone rang and he immediately pulled it from his pocket and answered. He listened for a moment and then turned the other direction, lowering his voice. “It’d probably be better to talk to Jake about that.”
He clearly didn’t want me to hear the conversation, so I wandered to the bedroom. I wished I had clothes. My own shorts and a tank top for pajamas—or even an oversized T-shirt. I considered this long enough to realize I didn’t care. I could sleep in anything right now.
With the lights still on, I climbed into the bed, pulling the covers halfway over me. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of going to work tomorrow but I had calls and emails waiting for me. I had to get in touch with Tracy again, too, because she had more questions on the space she seemed more than ready to lease for her boss.
Tracy. That’s what had started off this whole long day. It felt like years ago that I’d stood with her in the Entertainment Community and heard her tell me all about the trip she’d taken with Finn to Maui or one of those islands.
I’d never been there either. Just another place to add to my list.
I must have dozed because the next thing I knew, the lights were off and someone was touching my cheek.
I gasped, jerking awake with my heart thumping hard.
“Charlotte, it’s me,” Finn said, voice soothing. “It’s me.”
“Finn,” I whispered, reality seeping in.
“Were you dreaming?” he asked.
My heart rate slowed and I rested my cheek on my pillow again. “No. I was thinking and then…I fell asleep. Sorry, I’m—you startled me. That’s all.”
“What were you thinking about?” he asked.
I could only see his shadow in the darkness, his profile as he turned his head in my direction.
“Maui,” I murmured. The covers were twisted around my legs and I untangled myself. “Ever been?”
He didn’t answer right away but when he did, his voice was cautious. “Once. A while back.”
“You know how much Tracy loves Maui? Almost as much as she loves France. But the best thing about Maui is that she can wear that cute, skimpy red bikini she swears you just drool over.”
“I don’t, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t remember any bikinis.”
I shifted, propping my head up with my hand. “That’s right. You were probably both naked the whole time. Who needs a bikini?”
He sighed, making me laugh.
“I wasn’t keeping her a secret from you,” Finn said. “I swear.”
“I know.”
“We barely keep in touch anyway, and—you know? What do you mean you know?”
“I mean, I believe you. It was just hard to hear all this from her. After everything else that’s going on, the last thing I needed to hear was that she’s still in love with you—”
“We were never in love,” he said firmly, reaching out to caress my cheek. “I promise you.”
“Maybe you weren’t but she was.”
His hand brushed my hair in the darkness and then he leaned in to kiss my cheek and whisper in my ear. “I love you.”
“What about the red bikini? She’s pretty cute—I bet she could sway you.”
“Hell no,” he said, hand trailing down to my blouse. His hand was warm through the back, running along my shoulder blades. “Now, you in a skimpy red bikini. I’d be your slave.”
“Oh, I like this story. Carry on.”
He chuckled, fingers nimble on the front of my blouse. He undid the first button. “No, I changed my mind. Not red. Black. So skimpy I don’t even have to use my imagination.”
“You’ve seen me in less.”
“And I never get tired of it.”
Once he’d finished with the buttons, I eased up for him to remove my shirt. My skirt bunched up when I straddled him but I ignored it, thrilled to find he was already naked from the waist up.
“I’d feel better if you talked to her,” I said, bracing my hands on his chest. “So she knows where we stand.”
“Already done.”
I found his eyes in the dark, just a glimmer in their depths. “You did?”
“Yes. After you left my office, I called her and talked for a bit before Jake and I went out.”
I waited a heartbeat and then gave in to my curiosity. “What did she say?”
“She was embarrassed and said she had no idea who you were. Which is partly my fault, though I’m surprised you didn’t say anything while you were with her.”
Smiling, I said, “It was hard to between all the Maui talk and the stories about Steve’s yacht.”
“Hey,” Finn said gently, grabbing my hands and holding them to his chest. “I don’t want to be with her and I’m sorry it bothered you to hear her talking about us. It was a long time ago and I’m actually surprised she remembers it all that fondly considering we didn’t split on the best terms. It’s over. I want you.”
“You sure? Because, red bikini and—”
He stopped my words with a kiss, his lips matching perfectly with mine in the darkness. He kneaded my tongue with his, holding the back of my head to keep me close. His other hand found the clasp of my bra and deftly undid it.
“No more Tracy talk,” he murmured, running his mouth down my neck until I arched back. “My mind is too full of you.”
I knew what he meant. I’d almost forgotten our conversation this morning about me moving in, and the yellow petals on the bed in his apartment, and drinks with Leslie and Paige. Right now, all I could see was Finn. All I could feel were his hands on my breasts, his thumbs making slow circles on my nipples until I moaned his name.
I undid his pants and found him hard and ready, skin like velvet against my hands. I smiled at his groan of pleasure and slid off of him to remove my skirt and panties.
“Relax,” I murmured, urging him to lie down.
He reached for me but I evaded.
“Just relax.” I pulled off his pants, leaving him naked and lying on the bed for me to do whatever I wanted. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now.”
“Do what?” he asked, voice almost hoarse.
I lowered my mouth to his chest, my breath hot against his skin, and kissed him. “This.” I kissed him again. “And this.”
Then I kissed lower, leaving a trail all the way to his abdomen. His pulse raced beneath my hands, heart pounding in his chest. When my mouth closed over him, his body melted. I could feel the change, him sinking into the bed like he’d just released a day’s worth of worries and stress.
I took him deep in my mouth, running my lips from the base to the tip and then back again. Whirling my tongue over the head of his cock and reveling in his groans of pleasure.
His fingers curled into my hair, grasping—at what, I wasn’t sure—until he finally whispered my name. “Charlotte.”
But when he tried to move again, I straddled him, enclosing him in my warmth. He released a breath this time, hands racing down my sides to my hips as I began to move.
“Just stay there,” I warned, my lips curving.
“God, you’re going to kill me.”
“Then I hope you’ll die a happy man.”
I circled my hips, feeling him deep inside, and relished the warmth and strength of his hands as he claimed the rest of my body. When I picked up the speed, our breathing quickened, matching each other’s as I drove us both to a shattering peak.
My body tensed, rolling in waves of pleasure, so strong I grasped Finn’s hands and hung on until I could breathe again. Then I collapsed on his chest.
He wrapped his arms around me, one hand stroking my hair that was spread across his chest. I was so relaxed, my eyes closed while I listened to his breathing, I’d almost fallen asleep when Finn shifted beneath me.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “You need to get under the covers.”
I groaned in protest when our bodies separated and the cold overtook me. Finn chuckled and pulled the covers over my shoulders.
“Where are you going?” I mumbled.
“What?”
I forced my eyes open. “You’re leaving.”
“No. I’m not leaving—why would you think that?”
I fumbled my hand out, reaching for him. “You’re so far away.”
He didn’t respond for a minute, and then I felt his lips on my temple. “You’re tired. Close your eyes.”
“Don’t leave.”
He was quiet again before lifting me to lay on his chest. I draped my arm across him, holding tight so he couldn’t move away without me knowing.
“Sleep,” Finn murmured.
And so I did. But the dream still came anyway.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It wasn’t Mark this time, but John. He held my masquerade mask, red feathers falling from it and coating the floor. There were thousands of them, growing higher and higher, until they started to cover my face.
I breathed one in and started to choke. Just like Mark wrapping the tie around my neck, I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at my throat but the air wouldn’t come.
Breathe!
I jerked away, doubled over with my hands on my neck. I fumbled for the lamp beside the bed, only to have a glass of water crash to the floor. Gasping, I pulled in a sharp breath of air and scrambled from the bed, confused. Lost.
A light appeared in the doorway, the shadow of a figure moving in my direction.
“No!” I threw my hands up, warding off the blow I knew was coming. “Please, don’t. Mark—”
“Charlotte.”
Hands gripped my shoulders, and I screamed. “No!”
I scrambled across the floor, trying to get away. Barely aware of the shards of glass under my feet. The rug burned my knees as I crawled to the window, cowering next to the curtains, light from the hallway blinding me.
“Charlotte,” he said again. “I’m not Mark.”
I blinked. John? No, that was just a dream. And the feathers…also a dream.
“That’s right,” Finn said. He stretched to the bottom of the bed to grab one of the robes. “It’s Finn. We’re in the hotel, remember?”
I stared at him dumbly for a long moment. When he wrapped the robe around me, I clung to it, shivering. “You weren’t…you weren’t here.”
“I had to make a phone call. Sorry.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Still early. Shit, your feet. Charlotte…” He stood, glancing around like he was trying to figure out what to do. “We need to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay.”
I moved to get up, but Finn was already scooping me into his arms and carrying me to the large bathroom. I could see just a sliver of light coming through the curtains as he walked away from the broken glass on the floor.
He set me on the lid of the toilet. “Stay here just a minute.”
“Okay.”
He left the bathroom and I slid my arms into the sleeves of the robe, tugging it closed around me. The bathroom was freezing and I stared at the tub, wishing I was surrounded by steaming water. Far away from here.
Finn returned with a wash cloth and another glass of water. He set a few aspirin next to them on the counter. “It’s for your feet but I bet you have a headache, too.”
The throbbing in my head barely bothered me over the ache in my feet and the lingering dream. They were enough to overshadow the effects of all the tequila I’d drunk last night.
“I called for some bandages,” Finn said, eyeing my feet. “They’ll be up in a few minutes.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He dampened the cloth, wrapped it around my right foot, the worst of the two, and narrowed his eyes on my face. “You’re worrying me here. Can you say something else?”
I gave a small smile. “Something else.”
He blew out a breath. “Well, that’s better than ‘okay.’ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to leave. I—”
“Had to make a call. Yeah. Must have been important.”
He grimaced. “Actually, it’s bound to get us into another argument so let’s focus on yo
ur feet first.”
“They’re fine.” There was barely any blood on my left foot and the right just had a cut on the heel and one near my small toe. “A Band-Aid will be fine.”
Finn sighed. “Can I look first, please?”
I held up my foot, obliging him. He dabbed it with the cloth.
“Looks like my toe is going to have to come off,” I joked.
“Funny,” he said, though he was clearly unamused. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t need stitches.”
“Will I live?”
The question must have hit too close to home because he stood again and nudged the glass of water in my direction. “Take these—they’ll help.”
“Finn.” I gulped the water and the pills and then grabbed his hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You thought I was Mark,” he said, a haunted look in his eyes. “You thought I was going to hurt you.”
“Not you—Mark. Finn. Please. It was a dream. I woke up and didn’t know where I was. You weren’t there and I thought…I don’t know. I thought I was back in Mark’s house, I guess.”
A knock sounded at the door. Finn turned. “I’ll be back.”
He left, and I rubbed my hands over my face. I was still groggy from sleep. I probably needed several more hours but I didn’t want to lay down again. I wanted to be through with this. I wanted to be somewhere else. I wanted to feel whole and rested, and then kick this in the ass.
Finn returned with a red first aid kit. He set it on the counter, intent on his task.
“Maybe you should talk to someone,” he said, sorting through gauze. “A professional. They could help you through…all this. Maybe give you something to help you sleep.”
“I don’t need—” I broke off. “Okay, something to help me sleep might be good. But my dreams aren’t that frequent. Just—”
“When I’m around,” Finn concluded.
“No.”
He lifted his gaze, meeting my eyes long enough for me to see the argument in them. He was right. I had the dreams when he was in the same bed. Or nearby.
“I’ve…I told Paige. And Leslie. Everything. And I’m talking to you,” I said. “I think that was a good start. A kind of therapy on its own.”
