He chuckled. “It happens.”
She threw a fry at him. “Jerk.”
“Your friend… what was her name, Savannah? She just about killed herself laughing. Do you still talk to her?”
Molly nodded. “Sometimes. She went to college in Iowa and we drifted apart.”
Finn had already consumed half of the food on his plate and made a healthy dent in the sides he’d ordered, too. She rubbed her chest. In all the years they’d known each other, his voracious appetite never failed to simultaneously astound and disgust her.
“You’re staring.”
“I’m wondering how in the hell you’re not getting heartburn. I have secondhand heartburn just from watching you.”
He gestured at her with a chicken wing. She’d never thought chicken wings were sexy until one was brandished at her by someone with a wicked, bbq-sauce covered grin on his face. “It’s a well-honed skill. Took years.”
“You’ve had hollow legs for as long as I’ve known you. If I ate anywhere near that amount of crap my ass would be huge.”
He tore at the chicken wing with his teeth. Hot damn, she’d give a limb to become a chicken wing. “I happen to like your ass. And many other things about you.” His magnetic gaze wouldn’t let her go. Light danced in his eyes as he chewed and she was sure her mouth hung wide open but she had no control over closing it.
“Where is all this coming from?” She dropped a fry onto her plate and licked her fingers before taking a drink of her milkshake.
“It’s always been here, Doll. It’s just been locked away in a dark corner of my heart. Forbidden love is the hardest kind, but I think in many ways it’s also the strongest. I’ve fought it for so fucking long, Molly.” He dropped the bones into his bowl. “I just can’t do it anymore. I want you. I can’t watch you and any more guys when I’m the guy, Mol. I’m the fucking guy.”
Her chest ratcheted tighter and tighter with every word, squeezing air from her body. Finn was the cocky, happy-go-lucky, laidback, no strings kinda guy. That she could deal with. But the romantic, soft eyed, warm-hearted man sitting in front of her might break her. “Who knew you were so poetic?”
He shrugged but a faint blush kissed his pale Irish skin. “I almost drowned in the pool the first day we met. I thought if I stayed under the water and held my breath the water would wash away whatever arrow shot me to the heart when I walked into your yard and saw you in all your half naked splendor. Or at least be cold enough to kill my raging boner.”
A laugh bubbled up in her chest. “From day one, eh? You did a very good job of adopting an older brother role. I had no idea.”
Another shrug, but his eyes darkened. “I needed my friendship with Will, my relationship with your family… if it wasn’t for you guys taking me in…” His voice thickened, curdling the milkshake in her stomach.
“I know. I’m not blaming you, I just… I didn’t know. I mean, when I got to college I knew you thought I was attractive.”
“Molly, any hot blooded person in your presence thinks you’re attractive. If they don’t they’re blind or stupid.”
Her heart flared. “It’s going to take a while to get used to you saying things like that.”
“I’d suggest you adapt quickly, Doll. Now it’s out there…” He motioned between them. “I can’t seem to cram it back in the box it came out of.”
“From day one?”
“From day one.”
When they’d finished their meal and Finn had used no less than a dozen wipes to clear down his face and hands he flicked through the playlists again. “Eyes.”
She snapped them shut. His music choices for the evening hadn’t been awful, though they had resulted in a rather painful rendition ofBarbie Girlthat had Susan and Joe covering their ears behind the counter. The other patrons clearly weren’t digging their performance either – one of them even asked for their order to go.
After a few moments, warmth surrounded her hands on the table as Finn cupped her hands with his. From the moment he’d sat down they’d been connected somehow. Either holding hands, him stroking her face, or even just their feet touching under the table.
Every time their bodies touched her raw nerve endings sizzled. He picked up her clasped hands and kissed her knuckles, his breath tickling her skin as he caressed her fingers with his lips.
If she wasn’t careful, she could become addicted to the tender side of Finn O’Brien.
The song fromThe Little Mermaidstarted playing and Finn hummed quietly. “Keep them closed.” He dropped her hands. The sound of the fabric squeaking as he moved was followed by the side of her body warming as he slid onto her side of the bench. Keeping her eyes closed she turned to face him.
He cupped her face with both hands and brushed his nose against hers. The tiny trembles in his hands vibrated through her cheeks as he rested his forehead against hers. He pulled back and pressed his lips against hers, but her muscles held tight, unrelenting. Her eyes snapped open and met his pained stare. Brows pulled into a deep frown he didn’t give up, instead he tilted her head to the side and kissed again, but it made no difference.
Nothing. She felt nothing.
