Author: Kylie Scott

“No. Finn?” Dan lay her down on the mattress. Finn was already pulling off his soaked shirt, toeing off shoes and socks. “Everyone’s getting some sleep. See?”

“Definitely.” Finn, naked in a nanosecond, climbed in beside her and lay on his side. He shuffled over til his nose nearly brushed the side of her face. When she made to rise, the kid threw an arm over her waist. Carefully. “Stay put. What do you need? Dan can get it.”

He didn’t even need those rosebud lips to impart it.

“She wants a gun. She’s not getting it. You are not reverting to sleeping curled around a firearm, babe. Not. Happening.” Dan yanked his shirt off over his head, not bothering with buttons, then got to work on the lower half. “Don’t even try it with me.”

The sudden mutinous glare she shot back bumped up his heart rate. Their girl had come back to life. It did him good to see it. He knew then she’d be okay.

“Shh, it’s fine.” The kid touched his lips to her cheek, stroked her arm with his fingertips. Trying to instil some peace and calm, for al the good it would do him. His girl was overtired and wired, ripe for a fight. “There are two handguns and a rifle behind the bed. All within easy reach, Al. You can get to them in no time if you need to. Okay?”

Their bristly babe frowned, thought it over a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

“Good.” Finn’s eyes drifted closed.

“Suck up.” Dan muttered at the kid, then finished getting undressed and crawled onto the bed. He settled in flush against her, threading her fingers through his. Ignoring his ever hopeful dick.

Ali squeezed his fingers lightly, letting him know she wasn’t set to castrate him over the gun issue right here and now. Later, when she had her energy back, he might be wise to worry. But for now they were good.

Her skin was cool like the sheets and the smell of the antiseptic cream lingered. Beneath the soap and the shampoo came the scent of her. Warm and lovely and his.

His and theirs. Whatever.

They had pulled the curtains, locked the doors. Wellwishers and the curious alike could take a flying fuck. They were not home to visitors.

“Close your eyes,” Finn ordered her without opening his own.

She did not.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so awake in my life.” Al stared at the ceiling, placed a hand on the arm the kid had thrown across her chest.

“You’re safe, babe. Everything’s fine,” Dan told her, wanting to believe it. Needing to believe it. Because he was more than willing to throw himself off cliffs for her, but that wasn’t stopping the bullshit from happening. It wasn’t keeping her safe. That had to change. Ali appeared to have gone ten rounds with the champ and not emerged the winner. “No more adventures for you. Either Finn or I will keep you company for the foreseeable future. You need to stick close to home for a while.”

She said nothing.

In days of yore, circa late last week, her silence might have been cause for concern. He knew her better now, knew she was mul ing things over, choosing her words with care.

Finn broke first, rising up on one elbow and dealing Daniel the death glare. “You could give her some space to recoup.”

“You disagree with me?”

The kid’s pretty face drew tight, and he shook his head. “No. I just wasn’t going to lay it all out on the line at this particular point in time.”

His honey snorted. “You were going to attempt to manage me, you mean.”

“I was going to attempt to protect you. Not that you make it easy.” Finn put his hand to her face, and her focus shifted off the ceiling and onto him. Neither smiled. “You’re not stupid, Al. The situation isn’t right. You’re at risk. We need to know why.”

“Oh please, I’m at risk over my sleeping arrangements. Kind of obvious since it’s the only standout thing about me right now, given the state of the world. Also, I don’t want to be a job for you.” Her bottom lip trembled, gray eyes shone.

Daniel stared, spellbound. He loved it when her mouth did that. The stern set of her jaw, however, didn’t alter in the least.

“Can’t you understand?” she asked. “Or are you too far gone on your serve and protect bullshit to figure it out?”

The kid frowned, surprised. “My serve and protect bul shit?”

“Yes,” she said.

And then in one smooth move Finn rose up over her. He nudged her legs apart with a knee and settled between them, an arm set beside her head to take his weight. Daniel scooted over to make room, curious about the kid’s plans.

“Finn.” Her brow furrowed as she pushed at him. “Get off me.”

“No,” Finn said. “We’re talking.”

“We can talk without you lying on top of me.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Finn—”

“See, I’ve got all sorts of warning bells going off in my head, Al. That statement you made sounds far too similar to the last time we had one of these talks. After that talk, I ended up sleeping somewhere else. Remember?” Finn’s voice was all reason as his hand burrowed down between their bodies.

It was the first time the kid had touched her in an overtly sexual way in front of Dan. They were covering new ground here and it felt right, hell, it felt good. His blood raced. Voyeurism just might be a field sport he could get right into after all because it certainly wasn’t jealousy rising to the fore. Ali’s mouth opened on an “oh”, her hips kicking upward. The bed shook as the kid found his target. Dan’s cock stirred against her thigh.

“I hated that,” said Finn. “Hated fighting with you. Hated being away from you. Then, I was partly at fault. But this time, I’m not. So I’m staying put.”

His girl growled and squirmed and got nowhere.

“Your logic escapes me. Get your fucking fingers out of me.” Her hands shoved at the kid’s thick shoulders, not moving him at all.

“Finn!”

“My fucking fingers aren’t in you. Yet. Be patient.”

“Daniel …”

“He does have a point,” Daniel said, relishing the whole scene more than a little. “You do seem to be starting a fight for no reason.”

Her mouth twisted and those familiar twin spots of red lit her cheeks. So pretty.

He sighed, dramatically. “Hon, it’s not real y fair to expect me to get involved in a fight between you and your other boyfriend.”

“Get him off me,” his girl gritted out.

Finn looked at him, eyes fierce, daring him to do it.

“Easy, tiger. This is between you two.” Dan held up a hand in surrender, grinning broadly. “So long as you’re not hurting her, I’m not interfering.”

The tirade this set loose from his babe was mighty. They both ignored it.

“I would never hurt her,” Finn snapped, fingers still busy between her legs.

“I know,” Dan said, shifting his hard-on to a more comfortable position. “That’s why I’m not interfering. So … what happens next?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Frustration had her fit to fight.

She wanted to stay mad. Mad felt safe. Instead she was moving against his hand, ostensibly to get away, but it wasn’t working. Her sex was slick and far too willing. A moan escaped her, and she almost sobbed at the betrayal.

Being wet didn’t play into her mood. But she was panting, out of breath and overexcited.

And the real problem was that she was going to cry, fuck it.

Her eyes were gritty. Her heart going rabbit crazy in her chest. The fluffy white menace was going to break a rib in its bid to run away this time.

“Don’t. Finn, please.” Her voice caught, which she hated even more. “Stop! Just stop.”

“Stop what? This?” His hand stilled against her pussy, cupping her sex. Oh man, the ache it left behind. The bastard. “You don’t want this?”

“I don’t want you touching me when you’re angry at me.”

Finn smiled. It wasn’t comforting. “I’m not angry at you, Al. You’re angry at me. Doesn’t matter though. I’m not going to play this game with you anymore.”

“What game?”

His beautiful face dipped, firm lips aiming for hers.

She turned her head aside. There Daniel lay, twirling a strand of her damp hair around his finger. His face was impassive, concentrating on her damn hair without meeting her eyes.

She was on her own as promised. The wanker.

Finn rested his forehead against her cheek, his breath warm on her skin. The heat of his body pressed her into the mattress and everything became good and right. He made breathing an effort.

“Look at me.” He rubbed the tip of his nose against her cheek, waited. Sighed and kept on when she didn’t comply. “The game I’m referring to is the one where you start a fight when you’re scared. The same game where you don’t say what you mean. Those kinds of games, Al. Do you love me?”

“What?” Ali tried to turn her face back to him. She needed to gauge his feelings, figure out where he was going with this. But now he didn’t let her move. His face pressed against hers, lips sliding along her skin, stopping near her ear.

“You heard me,” he prodded. The feel of his mouth moving against her skin sent shudders through her. Resisting him was doomed to failure, she should have learned that by now.

“Finn.”

“Answer the question. Truthfully.”

Her mind reeled. The rabbit fought harder than ever, rattling the bars of its cage like a lion. “You know I do.”

Finn said nothing, lifted his head. His face eased and he nodded. Nothing more.

She swallowed hard. Stared back up at him. “I mean it.”

His angel’s lips curved into a smile. “I believe you. Now tel me what the real problem is.”

She turned her face to the other side, eyebal ing the bulge of his bicep. He was so strong, willing and able. His strength set the perfect example. They both were perfect, and they were far more than she deserved. Not that she would give them back.