“What do you mean?” Finn asks worriedly.
I lay my forehead against his and take another deep breath. “Losing my mom shaped a lot of my actions and decisions. It made me realize how precious life is. I took the job of taking care of my family seriously. When Simon joined the Marines, I spent years split between pride and fear.
“I’ve always followed the rules, gone the safe route, and never crossed any lines. Hell, even my last boyfriend didn’t know the meaning of the word risky. Now, I’m spending almost every night with a man who owns at least three guns, one he keeps in his glove box, drives a motorcycle, and gets shot at during bank robberies. Not to mention, he gets called away at five am on Saturday mornings to investigate possible threats to State officials.
“Don’t you see the irony?”
Finn’s eyes move to mine and start to glow. “I wake up every day thanking the fucking stars you gave me a chance.”
There’s a wistful sigh, and we both turn our heads to see Raven with a wide smile. “That’s so sweet and romantic.”
Tripp gives us a look of horror and falls onto the sofa, throwing his hands in the air. “What the hell happened to my guys? Sweet and Romantic? We are badasses! My balls are starting to shrivel.”
“Hello? Tripp, did you hear me say Finn was shot at? That constitutes badass any day of the week. And, as for your balls, I’d have that checked out. Sounds painful.”
His head jerks up, and his eyes dart between Finn and me. Then his face breaks out in a huge grin right before he lets out a loud laugh. “Babe, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. You ever get tired of Black’s ass, I’m right here.”
“I appreciate the offer, Tripp, but I can assure you I’ll never get tired of Finn’s ass. Now, maybe his possessiveness—”
I don’t get to finish my sentence because Finn growls, tightens his grip on me, and buries his head in my neck. “Don’t encourage him.” He nips on my earlobe.
“I absolutely love this,” Raven says in a dreamy voice. “It’s perfect. She’s perfect for you.”
Finn turns back to her, and his body goes still again. “What are you doing here, Raven?”
“Well, let’s see… you’ve repeatedly ignored my requests to talk. I’ve texted you dozens of times with no response, and I got sick of it.” She ticks off her fingers one by one, pointing to him. “I came over to confront you. I walked in and made a colossal ass out of myself again, being rude to Presley. Then, I begged
her to talk to me so I could apologize. We had just gotten to the good part when she went giggly, and you swooped in to save the day.”
“I told you we’d talk when I was ready.”
“I was sick of waiting, so I took matters into my own hands.”
Finn lets out a sigh and shakes his head.
“Baby,” I lift his chin to face me, “it’s okay. I think she meant well, even if she walked in here with bitch on the brain.”
“Regardless, the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable. I left you in bed this morning and rushed back, hoping you were still there. My heart dropped to the floor when I saw you in tears.”
“Enough. Presley, please accept my apology. Can we start over? I swear to never be a bitch to you again.” Raven mimics crossing her heart.
“I think it’s safe to say we need to do more than have one conversation. I’m not one to hassle over apologies, nor to hold grudges, but don’t expect the BFF necklace in the mail.”
Finn and Tripp both grunt then chuckle under their breath.
She bites on her lip, seemingly thinking about my words. “I can work with that. You need to see I’m not an uptight and malicious person. Let’s make some coffee.”
“Getting to know you is going to have to wait, RJ. Seeing as Presley is already up, I’m taking her out on the bike today.”
My heart does a summersault at this news. The first time I was on his bike, I was terrified, but now, I love being wrapped around him as we drive through the mountains and countryside.
“No! You can’t. I have three months to catch up on. This is important.”
“Another time.” He stands, still holding me.
“This isn’t fair. Everyone’s had a chance to get to know Presley except me. Ember’s about to sell two of her designs to Presley’s best friend. My mom and Evelyn can’t stop talking about her. Even Declan thinks she’s amazing. It’s my turn.”
“Maybe if you weren’t such a bitch these last few months, you wouldn’t be in this position. But today, I’m taking my girlfriend riding.”