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“Don’t do that.” His voice dipped to a caress.
“No.” She pulled herself together. “After the things you said to me, after the way you claimed to feel about me, and then you’re withherafter what she had them do to me.” Her jaw trembled and Finn stepped toward her. She couldn’t let him touch her. She pushed away and rushed past the elevator to the immediate escape of the staircase.
~ ~ ~
Finn didn’t go after Gretchen, though God knew he wanted to. Every damn cell in his body cried out for him to go to her and tell her the truth. He couldn’t do that. If he wanted this to work, if he wanted to make Ronnie pay for what she’d done, he had to stick to the rules of the game he and Benjamin Carpenter had laid out.
He sighed and turned back toward his apartment. If only he could wave a magic wand that would have Ronnie gone when he returned. Unfortunately, she still lounged on his couch in silent invitation.
He tried unsuccessfully to push back visions of Gretchen on that same couch, naked underneath him. “You should go.”
“Or what?” She rose from the couch and sashayed across the open space to him. “Is she going to cut off your privileges?”
Finn shook his head. He had to keep his feelings for Gretchen in check. He couldn’t afford to let anyone know how much he cared about her, especially potential enemies. It had already cost her too much, and he hadn’t even been sure of his feelings for her then. Ronnie would kill her now if she guessed the truth.
“She’s just a girl,” he lied. It had only been a few weeks since Gretchen had made that same claim while lying in his bed, and he’d tried to convince her it could never be true.
Ronnie nodded. “I warned her not to fall in love, especially with you.”
He looked up and met her eyes, if he hadn’t believed Ronnie had ordered the attack on Gretchen before, he knew it now. “She’s young. She’ll get over it.” He played along.
Ronnie smirked as if what he said changed anything between the two of them.
“Either way, I’m not in the mood tonight. You were about to leave anyway.” If only Gretchen had shown up five minutes later, she could’ve told him about the case, and they could’ve spent one last night together.
“Fine.” Ronnie huffed, turning on her heel and heading toward the door. She stopped when she reached him. “Think of me tonight while you lie all alone, Jay.” She pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.
He controlled the disgusted shiver that slithered through him and instead offered a weak smile. She kissed his cheek and walked out of the apartment. He shut the door behind her and locked it, then hurried to his bedroom to snatch his private phone from his bedside table. He dialed Gretchen’s number, surprised by her distracted greeting.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“What do you want?”
“I want to know where you are.” He fought for composure. He wanted her back in his arms, not farther away.
“On my way to my real home.”
“Come back,” he ordered.
“Hell no.” Her voice cracked, but she pushed forward. “You won’t ever have to worry about me darkening your doorstep, Finn James.”
The break in her voice, eroded his resolve to keep her in the dark about his plans.
“Come back, Gretchen.”
“You must have me mistaken for someone else,” she told him coldly. “I informed you I’ll never be coming back. Unlike Ronnie, I’m not interested in your sick fucking games.”
She ended the call and Finn stood staring at the phone in his hand. He wished her pride wasn’t one of the things he loved so much about her and hoped his wouldn’t be the reason he lost her.
~ ~ ~
Finn paced back and forth across the small stoop of Gretchen’s apartment and waited for her to answer the door. He shouldn’t have come to her like this, but he couldn’t let her believe he didn’t care about her. He turned with a hand raised to knock again when she appeared through the glass.
He stopped, sure his heart had as well when he spotted her in the doorway with only a towel on. Her wet hair fell in curls on her shoulders, one tendril even snaked down to disappear between her breasts. Tears clogged his throat, but he fought them back and met her glare. Her sadness had somehow deepened her green eyes.
“Let me in.” He stepped forward.
She shook her head. “You can’t come in. Please don’t come back.” She choked, moving back to close the door.
