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Get it together, come on. It was one night and now it’s over. He’s a friend now, that’s all, okay?
Yeah, definitely that was all.
“What do you want with Indigo?” Beth leaned against the counter, going for casual.
Finn folded his arms across his broad chest. “It’s both of you. We need to chat about that house you two were supposed to move into. Chase mentioned he still hasn’t had much luck contacting the owner.”
It was true, he hadn’t. And Indigo was starting to get depressed about continuing to live in the Rose, which was understandable. Beth was getting tired of it herself. It would be nice to have her own space and a bathroom with an actual bath, not just a shower. And having a proper workbench for her jewelry would be good; though Jim had let her use a portion of his workshop, she still felt as if she was imposing.
“No,” she said. “He hasn’t. What’s that got to do with me and Indigo?”
“I might have a solution to your housing issue.”
Beth stared at him in surprise. “Seriously?”
“That’s great, Finn.” Izzy looked pleased. “I mean, I’d offer some rooms in Chase’s place if he had any.”
“Yeah, he’s not going to allow that,” Finn said casually. “And besides, that wouldn’t solve the issue.”
Izzy sniffed. “Chase doesn’t get to decide that all on his own. I have a say too.”
Finn lifted one dark brow in a way that spoke volumes and Izzy flushed.
“He doesn’t,” she insisted.
Beth was too busy gazing at Finn to be amused at Izzy’s discomfort. It took a lot to fluster Izzy, but Chase Kelly managed to do it on a regular basis, even now that they were engaged.
No, it was the realization of how much Finn managed to say without speaking. A raised brow. A curl of his mouth. A gleam in his dark eyes. He might be a man of few words and his expressions mostly impenetrable, but if you knew where to look, you could get hints of his mood.
Apparently, both Kelly men had what it took to fluster a woman.
“What’s your solution?” Beth asked, leaning on her elbows again, staring up at him. His black T-shirt let her see the pulse at the base of his strong throat, a regular, steady beat.
She’d made his heart beat fast that night, though, hadn’t she? She’d made him groan her name, made his usually guarded expression fracture into need, into hunger…
Finn’s gaze settled on hers and he gave the minutest shake of his head. As if he knew exactly what she was thinking and was warning her not to go there.
Dammit.
Beth took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together.
“Clint signed the sale documents last week and he’s moving out in a couple of days since he wants to get back to Christchurch ASAP. I’m not going to be living there, I have my own place, but the farmhouse is very decent and there’d be plenty of room for you and Indigo.”
Beth blinked. “You mean…we could move into Clint’s?”
Something shifted in Finn’s expression, though she couldn’t have said what it was. “Yeah. What do you think?”
***
Finn had had himself well in hand the moment he stepped into the gallery. Or at least he thought he had. So Beth’s big green eyes meeting his the second he walked through the door shouldn’t have been such a gut punch.
He’d managed a whole week seeing her a couple of times, giving her a smile and a nod, without feeling anything much.
Except the second her gaze met his, he realized how completely he’d been lying to himself. It felt like someone had plugged him into an electrical socket and flicked the switch.
She was looking quite frankly adorable in a bright-blue T-shirt that clung to her generous curves, the deep V of the neckline showcasing her pretty cleavage and the koru pendant nestled there. And her hair was caught up in that messy bun again, the same one he’d pulled down that night up in HQ. Tendrils of curly, white-blond hair clustered around her neck and ears, making him itch to touch them, smooth them back behind her ear.
Which was not happening. None of it was. He’d well and truly broken his drought with her last week, and he’d always be grateful to her for giving him those couple of hours of sweet oblivion. But a couple of hours was all it was.
