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“I never doubted that for a second.” Not even when he grabbed me by my neck and hauled me against him.
We were near the exit of the park so we stopped running to cool down and stretch. I paced the grass in tight circles, my hands on my hips, panting for breath. Finn windmilled his arms, unbothered, like he hadn’t just run three miles.
“Iris, tell me the truth.”
“What truth?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Do you have a crush on Ronan Walsh? Have you fallen for your bodyguard?”
I huffed a heavy breath. “Weren’t you just asking if I have a girlfriend?”
His grin grew wider. “You’re delightfully adept at deflection. I need to take notes.”
Holding out my imaginary skirt, I curtsied, making Finn laugh. “This is from years of trauma, honey bunny. Don’t be jealous.”
His smile dropped. “Want to talk about it?”
My racing heart stirred in a different way. “What an offer. That’s really kind, Finn.” I held my hands up in front of me. “I’m good, though. I promise.”
Finn and I left the park to start the walk back to my townhouse. He was just as alert as Ronan when he guarded me, but I didn’t feel quite as safe and protected with Finn, which was strange. I didn’t have the chance to think that over, though.
“Oh my god, Iris! Finn!” A beautiful, young Black woman with a thick, spiraling curtain of hair stood from a table outside a café. Her wide, white smile was unforgettable, and in the bright autumn sun, her skin glowed.
“Hey...what are you doing in this neighborhood?” Vanessa and Saul Goodman lived on the other side of the city, yet here she was, looking just as stunning as the night we met at her party. “Is Saul here too?”
She flicked her fingers. “He’s probably working. You know Saul. He never takes time off. I, on the other hand, like to venture into different parts of the city and try the coffee at little cafés I find. It’s something of a hobby.”
Finn nodded to her coffee on the table. “How is it?”
She wobbled her hand back and forth. “It’s fair. How are you, Finn?” Her eyelids lowered as she looked him over. “It’s been too long.”
“Grand. I’m grand.” He cocked his head toward me. “Iris just kicked my arse at running. Now I’m hobbling with her back to her place.”
“Oh!” Vanessa swiped her coffee from the table. “Mind if I walk with you? I love this neighborhood.”
She hooked her arm through mine like we were old friends, not barely more than acquaintances. Fortunately, she smelled like buttery almonds and didn’t judge me for being a sweaty mess. Vanessa was sweet and young, and I wondered once again how this goddess had ended up with a crotchety and unattractive man like Saul.
It wasn’t my business, though. So instead of being intrusive, I pointed out my favorite houses and the used bookstore where I got lost in the dusty shelves on occasion. Finn followed close behind but let us talk to one another uninterrupted until we reached my place.
“This is me. Thanks for the escort.”
“Oh, I love your townhouse. It’s so cute.” Vanessa wrapped me in a hug and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’m so happy I ran into you. Really, really happy.”
“Me too.”
Finn leaned an elbow against the balustrade, an eyebrow quirked. “Bye, Iris. Next time, take it easy on me.”
I flipped him off because he deserved it. “Next time don’t patronize me.”
While he laughed, I unlocked the door to my foyer and gave them both a wave. I was unlocking the door to my apartment when something niggled the back of my mind and I had to satisfy my own curiosity.
I stepped back outside and scanned the sidewalk. Finn and Vanessa were half a block away, walking side by side. Nothing salacious at all. But just as I began to turn, Finn reached for her hand and tugged her into his chest. He grabbed her ass with his other hand and slanted his mouth on hers. It was brief, but passionate and familiar.
Sensing an opportunity, I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled, “Hey, Finn!”
Vanessa and Finn jumped apart like they were each a live wire. Seeing me standing there, Vanessa covered her mouth, and Finn took a few steps in my direction.
“Hey, Iris,” he yelled back. “It’s not what—”
“Who’s Lizzy?” I called.
He stood stock-still, shoulders rolling forward in defeat, then he cupped his mouth like I had and shouted, “His ex-wife!”
Satisfied, I gave him a thumbs up and hurried inside. I wasn’t the morality police. It wasn’t my place to judge what Finn and Vanessa were doing, even if I thought it was pretty shitty. Saul Goodman might’ve been a grade A richie-rich asshole who’d swung so high above his pay grade with his child bride it was almost obscene, but I still managed to feel a twinge of sympathy for him.
I kicked my shoes off and headed straight for the shower. Under the pounding hot water, I tossed the name Lizzy around in my brain.Adorable Lizzy. That was what Ronan had said to her. The jealousy that clawed at my throat was so unfamiliar, I almost didn’t recognize it. I rarely got jealous of people I was involved with. It just wasn’t in me. But here, under the unforgiving bathroom lights, I could admit I wanted to take those jealous claws and rake them down Adorable Lizzy’s face. Extreme, yes, but I was never more honest with myself than when I was stark naked in the shower with nowhere to hide.
Clearly, I’d been spending too much time with Ronan and had begun to think of him as mine. I couldn’t become possessive over my bodyguard. It would only lead to places I didn’t want to go.
There was no reason for me to see him until next week. By then, I would work Ronan Walsh thoroughly out of my system.
