Page 24

She squeals as she reaches for another fistful of my locks.

“Yeah,” Layla says. “I think there are a couple in the drawer in the guest bathroom down here.”

I hand Sunny to Branch, much to her dismay, and enter the bathroom on the other side of the staircase.

My heart patters as I search for the hair tie, wondering where Finn is hiding. How have I been here for five minutes and haven’t seen him? Is he not excited to see me?

The thought annoys me as I locate the elastic. I reach for it, but instead of my hand moving forward toward the drawer, it joins the rest of my body falling backward … against Finn’s chest.

My breath hitches as my brain registers the contact—the hard, sturdy wall of a man—and I melt into him.

“Hey,” he says as our gazes tangle in the mirror. His lips twitch. “You just had to wear that top, didn’t you?”

I smirk. “Would you rather me take it off?”

His eyes darken, and I get to see his sexy-as-hell dimples, as well. Stupidly sexy man.

“Behave,” he says.

“If I don’t, will you spank me?”

He steps back, smacks my ass, and closes the door.

The heat in the room explodes as Finn faces me. My pulse pounds through my veins. Finn watches me with lust that typically results in my back pressed against the wall, followed by his cock deep inside my pussy. But this time, instead of cutting the space between us, he keeps a respectful distance.

The bastard.

“I got the coffee maker,” he says, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Nice little note you added.”

“I was trying to be helpful.”

He lifts a brow. “I can’t have you making bad decisions and bad coffee, too. That was you being helpful?”

“Well,” I say, sauntering toward him. “I’m not as good at helping with things in the kitchen as I am … other things. Just doing my best to be your friend.”

“I like it.” His eyes sparkle as I stop in front of him and wrap my arms around his waist. “How have you been?”

I breathe in his clean, familiar scent, skimming my hands beneath his shirt and gliding my fingers across his lower back. Each brush of my skin against his sends a ridiculous rush through me. Something inside me fills up even though I didn’t realize it was empty.

“Lonely.” I pout, earning a grin. “What about you?”

“Lonely.” He pouts, too, making me laugh. “I ordered groceries, and I don’t like any of it. I’ve been starving all week.”

“Poor baby.”

He cups my cheeks, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “Have you remembered to drink anything besides Dr Pepper?”

“No. This guy, who’s supposed to be my friend, made it his mission to make me drink water. But he recently decided to take a step back from our friendship, so I’m on my own.”

“That’s not what happened.”

I smile as his thumbs stroke my cheeks.

A warm, lazy contentment settles into my bones, spreading through my chest. Instinctively, I lean into his touch. I need this connection. I need his touch.

I knew I missed him, but this? Being here—not quite in his arms, but not out of them either—soothes an ache that I didn’t realize hurt so much behind my ribs.

“We should get back out there,” he says softly. “I just wanted a few minutes of you to myself.”