Finn

“Always a proper hello,” I say against her mouth. “I’ve missed you.”

“Finn…” Her raspy voice vibrates on my lips, and my cock starts to stir.

Instead of answering her, I scoop her into my arms and carry her to the couch. I sit with her in my lap and hold her close, dropping my forehead against hers.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Sorry about Wednesday, sorry about surprising you with my work, and most of all, I’m sorry about the way I left you. It’s been on my mind for days.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. I think maybe I was surprised stupid. In the matter of five minutes, I realized I knew nothing about you. There were a lot of assumptions on my part. Then, when Winnie clung to you, I realized I was an idiot. I should have been more careful about our relationship, been more cautious. She’s so young and naïve. It was stupid to bring her into my dating life.”

Fuck! She hit a nerve. I’ve been afraid she’d question her decision regarding Winnie.

“Don’t say that. I messed up. That’s on me, and I’m going to work like hell to make it up to you both.”

“But you shouldn’t have to. We’re still new. What happened on Wednesday isn’t uncommon. You got called into work, and it shouldn’t have been a big deal. We—”

“Stop right there. Let’s tackle this one issue at a time.”

Without warning, I flip us around so she’s forced on her back as I hover over her. My thigh presses down gently, keeping her still, and my hand slides to cradle her neck. Her breath hitches when I lean in and kiss along her parted lips. The warmth of her breath and the flutter of her eyes give me a push of encouragement. I continue to trail my mouth over hers, soaking in the feeling of our bodies pressed together.

“Does this feel new to you? How comfortable you are in my arms, the way my body responds to being next to yours?” I press into her hip, hoping she can feel the bulge in my shorts.

“Finn…”

“How far back do you want me to go?”

“What?”

“My life… How far back?”

“I want to know everything.”

“Twenty-eight years is a lot, so let’s skim and get to the present. You have questions, we’ll go back, okay?”

She nods.

“You already know about my friends and growing up in Nashville. At eighteen, Robbie, Max, and I joined the Marines. Max’s uncle and James were both military badasses, and we wanted to be like them. Ironically, Robbie and I excelled in intelligence. We did several tours in the Middle East. Our path was set to be career Marines. Four years ago, Robbie and I were attacked in a roadside bomb that killed six men. He was wounded badly, almost lost his leg, but I wouldn’t let him die. We got to safety and watched an explosion ten feet from where he was previously lying.

“I took some shrapnel, but otherwise, I was fine. We were taken to Germany for immediate medical treatment then flown stateside. Mine was much less invasive than Robbie’s because he had intense physical therapy. We were both treated for PTSD. After that, we decided to come back to Nashville.”

A tear slides down her cheek. “Hero, that’s what Ember said. You’re a hero.”

“I’m not a hero. I couldn’t save them all. And she’s pretty biased because I saved her lug of a husband.”

She giggles and reaches up to run her hand through my hair. The lightness of the touch leaves tingles on my scalp.

“We came home, and it was time to look at the rest of our lives without the Marines. I decided to finish my degree and work for James part-time. Hayes Security is all encompassing. There are several sides to the business: General security, Corporate Security, and more confidential areas. James works with some high level contracts that include Homeland Security, FBI, ATF, CIA, and other divisions of the government. His connections run deep. So I work where he puts me. In the last year, Robbie and I have been given clearance to work higher profile situations. That’s why I had to leave the other night. We have a potential situation.”

“Is it dangerous?”

This is it. No more hiding. I grip her tighter and look deep in her eyes. “Yes, it could be.”

She stays still as she absorbs the information. I decide to go all in. If I sugarcoat this, it’ll come back to bite me in the ass.

“I was shot at a few weeks ago in an attempted bank robbery.”