His smile is strained, but there’s still a hint of his usual warmth. “I know everything about you. Right down to what underwear you wore today.”
“Yeah, right.”
He smile turns wicked. “Red-heart print.”
My underwearisred-heart print.
“Fuck you.” I push him away and hastily get out the car, hoping to God he doesn’t see the smile stretching my skin, and the blush that has absolutely nothing to do with the heat.
ChapterFourteen
OAKLEIGH
Just as I thought he would be, Finn is waiting by the door to the hospital, this time surprisingly wide awake. I take a second to take him all in—the way he towers over those sitting down as he stands with his back to me. He’s in his usual unbuttoned shirt with a loose tee underneath. Loose clothes and yet you can see the way the top of it drapes over solid muscle—a testament to years of physical work and dedication to his business.
He shoves his hands into his pockets as he simply stares out of the hospital doors and watches the sun rise. He does that a lot, Finn. He simply just admires the world and the beauty of it that others usually take for granted. Usually, I just rip into him about it, make fun of the fact that he has nothing better to do with his free time than to stare out at a sky that has existed for longer than any one of us ever will. But the truth is, I know he does it because it calms him. I see it in the way his shoulders relax as he sways slightly with the wind.
I feel as if it’s my job to destroy this moment of peace for him, to not just pull him from this moment but to shatter it into a million pieces until only frustration and anger remain. It’s almost my responsibility. But honestly, I’m simply just too tired to even raise my voice higher than a quiet murmur.
“I’d bet money that you’re staring at my ass.”
I’m the one who ends up jumping. “How the hell did you know I was here?”
He chuckles softly as he turns around and reaches for my bag. He surprises me even more by wrapping a single, muscular arm around me and pulling me close. “It’s impossible not to feel when you’re around, Cherry.”
Well, okay, then?
I can swear that he sniffs my hair before he pulls away.
“Are you high?” I ask, stepping back into my own personal space.
“No?”
“Are you drunk?”
His head tilts. “Not last time I checked. Why do you ask?”
He motions for me to walk ahead of him.
“Because you’re acting weird.”
“Am I?”
“Finley.”
“What?” He asks on a chuckle.
I turn to watch him; his crooked smile, his questionable energy this early in the morning.
“Never mind,” I end up saying.
I continue heading to my car, the summer sun slowly illuminating the hospital parking lot until I can see the red of my car clear as day. How Finn fits in my tiny car, I have no idea. The little Fiat 500 isn’t necessarily known for its abundance of space. He has to put the seat all the way back.
He opens the passenger-side door and waits for me to hop in, but I pause.
“You do know I’m more than capable of driving home, right?”
“First of all, no. You’re not. Look at you, you’re five minutes away from keeling over. Second of all, just because you are capable, doesn’t mean you have to.”
