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Until his father clears his throat and steps between us, blocking my view of the younger Lachlan. “Sabby, so good to see you.” I fight down a niggle of anger at him using a nickname for me when we don’t know each other. I open my mouth to correct him, but then his arms are around me and the absolute repulsion that hits me is so startling it cuts off anything I was going to say.
My arms stay at my sides, not returning the embrace, because why would I when I don’t know him? I’m not in the habit of hugging strangers.
He pulls back and grips my shoulders as he beams down at me. Is this how he is with everyone? Or is it just… teenage girls? His new daughter? I don’t know.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here and out of that horrible camp.”
I make my lips curl into a smile, the fake one, and nod. Not saying anything. I don’t trust myself when he’s still touching me.
Why is he still touching me?
Behind him, Finn groans loudly. “It’s too fucking early for this.”
His voice cuts through the whole beaming thing Lachlan was doing, drawing a frown to his face and he finally, finally releases me as he turns to his son. “Be polite.”
Finn lifts one muscled shoulder. “I am. I was just stating a fact. It’s too early to be standing here with the door open, greetingguests.”
Oh, wow, okay. Guests. Now I know how he feels about us moving here. He definitely sees it as temporary, which in my case is true, but my mom, well, she’s moving here, living here. She isn’t a guest. Or at least she shouldn’t be.
Does Finn know something we don’t?
He and his father have a stare off. I can feel the frustration radiating off of Lachlan, but I don’t really understand it. After a moment, my mom reaches forward, clasping his hand in hers and drawing his attention away as she smiles up at him sweetly. “Ron, maybe Finn can take Sab up to her room? I want her to see it.”
My mom is always good at this, diverting the conversation and tension, getting people to focus on the mundane rather than the problem. And I know this is going to be a problem, whatever contention there is between Finn and his father.
“What a good idea, darling. Finn.” It’s an explicit order and I half expect Finn to dig his heels in and refuse.
But the son sighs and motions me forward, toward the stairs. I don’t hesitate. Following him seems like the lesser of two evils. And I want to escape this weird tension and have a moment to myself.
As I trail Finn up the stairs, I ignore the way his muscles bunch and flex under his skin, ignore the way his sweats hug his ass and the dimples in his lower back that I strangely want to lick. Yep. I definitely ignore all of those.
I have a boyfriend. Jeremy.
I shouldn’t be ogling a half naked god of a man.
Definitely not.
We reach the second floor and Finn leads me down a hallway to the left, and hitches a thumb at the hall behind us. “Ron and Kelsey’s room is that way, on the opposite side of the house.”
I don’t say anything, and I don’t think he expects me to. It was just a simple offer of information. He stops in front of a door midway down the hall. There’s only one more door farther down and I realize we must be nearly to the back of the house, away from the road and toward the forest that lines the back of the community.
Finn leans against the wall next to the door, and I again ignore how his muscles flex under his skin.
“This is your room here. Mine is just down the hall. I wanted you close to keep an eye on you.”
My brows droop and my fingers fiddle with the bracelets on my wrists. “What, like you don’t trust a commoner in your palace?”
His gaze goes even harder. “Yeah, something like that.”
Oh, wow. “I’m not a thief. I’m not going to steal your shit.”
“I didn’t say you would.”
I take a deep breath.I release all that is not in alignment with me.“Well, thanks. For welcoming me to your home so graciously. Its really made this transition so much easier.” Without waiting for a response, I push open my door, step through, and close it as quickly as I can.
Closing my eyes, I take another deep breath while leaning against the door. When I feel like I have my emotions under control, I open them again and just fucking freeze. I blink, rub my eyes and then look again.
I’d expected the room to have a bed, a dresser and impersonal art on the walls. I’d expected a guest room that I could stay in as aguestin this house for a few months before making my escape.
