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“It’s stupid, I know it is,” Colleen said, blinking back tears. “Girls like Ashley will never grow up. I’m embarrassed to admit what she said about me stung. I’m better than that and I know it. It’s just—shit!” she said, lifting her face to him in frustration.
“That’s true. You’re not like her. You’re better than her.” After going through the trauma of the storm and sharing her past with him, he suspected what underscored her insecurity. “This isn’t really about your dress, is it?”
Colleen’s expression shifted; a sadness shone in her eyes.
“Are you comparing yourself to Ashley?” He couldn’t believe she would be intimidated by someone like Ashley.
Colleen moved her focus away from him, muttering, “She’s been with you.”
Finn’s body surged with the primal instinct to take Colleen right here and fuck her until he could make her believe how much she mattered to him. His hands burned with the need to touch her and his cock wanted to plunge inside and claim her over and over again. But he knew that wouldn’t work.
Her past sexual abuse and her inability to orgasm with a partner must have made her feel less confident about her sexuality, but she had nothing to feel ashamed of—he just had to make her believe it. Finn caught her in his arms. “Listen to me,” he said, moving Colleen against the counter, bracing his arms on either side of her.
Colleen looked up at him with piercing attention.
“I already told you, Ashley is a spoiled rich girl. We fucked, but there was never anything more to it. Hell, I’ve fucked a lot of women, but none of them ever came close to you.”
Finn moved in closer, searching her eyes. His lips brushed hers lightly. He wanted to be tender with Colleen, and above all else, to make her feel safe. She deserved to be pampered and showered with affection. But he also wanted to make it clear to her how much history they shared and, more importantly, what that meant to him.
Colleen’s eyes stayed locked on his.
“I’ve never loved any woman before, and I’ll never love another woman, for as long as I live.” He kissed her with care. This wasn’t about sex, this was about intimacy, and he would have to shove aside his own needs to give Colleen what she needed most right now.
With a sigh, Colleen melted into his arms, her soft lips yielding to allow his tongue inside.
He broke their kiss and cradled her face in his hands, caressing the apple of her cheeks with his thumbs while he studied her face.
She blinked a few times.
“Your favorite movie isA Room with a View. You denied readingTwilight, but everyone knew you had it hidden under your pillow. You hate mustard. You don’t touch a french fry until you’ve finished eating your hamburger. You’re a ruthless Scrabble player. And you have an encyclopedic recall of every singleFriendsepisode.”
Colleen opened her mouth to say something, but Finn gave her a soft kiss. “Your mom never had to ask you to help her, you just did it. You’d sit with your dad watching old Marx Brothers’ movies when no one else wanted to. You were patient with Aidan whenever he tried to tell a joke and never got the punchline right.”
A tear trailed down her cheek and he kissed it away.
Colleen tried to stifle a laugh. “He’s the worst joke teller in the world.”
“He is,” Finn said, returning her smile. “So, no more talk of other women. I didn’t fall in love with just any woman, I fell in love with a queen.”
“Finn,” she whispered, her eyes focused on him.
“Never doubt who you are.” He kissed her again and pushed the hair out of her face.
“I won’t.”
“Let me show you how much I love you.” He lifted Colleen up in his arms and took a few steps toward his bedroom.
A low growl followed by a series of loud barks came from the crate.
Dammit. He’d forgotten about Alfie. “I told you so,” Finn said with a sidelong glance at the dog who was staring at Finn in defiance. “Alfie will insist you pay attention to him all night.”
“I think he’s hungry,” Colleen said.
“And he probably needs to pee.” Finn took his time giving her a deep kiss.
A series of high-pitched barks meant Alfie had reached the end of his patience.
Colleen pulled away with a tilt of her head to Alfie. “Duty calls.”
