Page 3 of Saving Finley

During the bar incident, she hadn’t given much thought to the possessive way he kept his hand on her, rubbing her thigh. But now, it was clear that he had staked a non-verbal claim of some kind. Since then, he’d touched her more in passing, rubbed her neck, and been more protective. He had a way about him, and he was watchful, not just because it was his job but because he’d been kind and considerate with that expected touch of bossy all Jac’s security experts had.

Did she want to bring in another person to their dynamic? Was that what Levi was suggesting? Cash had been there when she had faced down bullies in the bar. She knew he was interested in her, and that night a few weeks ago, it felt right, butuntil Levi explained that he and Cash were childhood friends, she was worried it would cause trouble, and drama was not her thing. Did this mean they were okay sharing her? The evidence suggested that exact situation.

To her amazement, since that bar incident, Levi relaxed more with Cash around and allowed him to slide into their outings when they were both available. Cash had even kept her company recently when Levi was out of town. She didn’t need the protection, but the companionship was enjoyable, and she found she looked for him when she wasn’t on duty.

And they were so different, each feeding a need that she had. He wanted to be seen as a strong, capable woman with skills that complemented her partners, and Levi was that man. He was protectant but careful to allow her to be her own woman. He would place his hand on her neck as much to stake a claim as to show his dominance to the world, but not to her. He didn’t need to demonstrate his position with her because they were partners in the truest sense.

Cash had shown himself to be more comforting, more nurturing than she would have thought Jac’s people to be. Cash, when working, had a straightforward manner that completely disappeared when he was on alert. He was just as kickass as any of the other security guys, but like the men in the Alpha group, when they found their forever woman, it all changed. The world got the brick wall effect, but their women got the coddling, the chiding, the rules.

Her belly tightened, and she felt that familiar tingle between her thighs when she considered being with both men. Would it be more friends with benefits like she and Levi? She didn’t think she could do that, or would they want to be a trio? Is that what you would call it? She was sure there was a little wetness between her thighs as she spent a couple of minutes envisioning it.

She hadn’t told either man that she was looking for something more than companionship. With Levi, it had been effective stress relief, but she wanted to see what it was like to have more. Would it be too much? Likely. She was attracted to both, but they were alpha males, defined as too much of everything in a relationship. Did she want that in her life? Two bossy men? Was she brave enough to give it a try?

“Fin? Hey, I won’t bring him if it’s too early to explore. Or if it turns you off. It’s not an issue, really.” Levi’s voice startled her. He was still on the phone.

“Let me get used to the idea. I can talk to you later tonight. Besides, Cash is coming with us tonight, so we’ll talk.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in about an hour.”

As soon as she hung up, she didn’t want to try. It was too far off the mainstream to consider it, right? Finley had enough of the segregation mentality when she was enlisted. She certainly didn’t want that to be a thing that caused her to lose the job she loved. Should she talk with Sharlee about things? Probably not. Sharlee spoke to Jac, and Jac had a big mouth sometimes.

At first, Finley was hesitant to add Cash to their outings, and he hadn’t suggested more than friendship.

Sex with Levi certainly hadn’t included anyone else. No sex with anyone had ever involved more than one partner, but now she wondered what it would be like. She tried to guess what Jac and the rest would say. Something to ponder another time. It would work better if she could relegate that conversation in her head to a more appropriate time if there were one. Levi had started that whole idea of two in her head again, and damn if she couldn’t get rid of it.

Cash, a childhood friend of Levi’s, had joined Jac’s band of merry men about a year ago. He was on a different team, but had begun to hang out with them. Finley was once again tangling with two men, but it wasn’t just to date; this was for both mentogether. Maybe she had always wanted to try being with two men at the same time. The two men were comfortable with each other, but was she?

She hadn’t been more intimate with Ryker than a kiss and a little fondling. She was glad now that they hadn’t since he’d found Oakley. In the last few months, though, she and Levi had agreed on a friends-with-benefits arrangement when it suited both of them, but no expectations to get more serious. It was a means to find release, but it hadn’t been as good of an idea these last few days, and she didn’t know why. And last weekend, Levi had promised “more to come.” She didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she hoped they would have a chance to discuss it tonight, maybe with Cash.

As a kid, Cash moved into Levi’s hometown, and they had become fast friends that continued into adulthood. Levi had invited Cash to go out with them a few times, and it was clear how much the men were bonded. When she ended things with Ryker and turned fully towards Levi, Cash was right there to fill in Ryker’s place but standing next to Levi instead of in competition with him.

Tonight, they would enjoy themselves. Jessie had been pressuring her husband to allow them to get together for weeks. Mark finally relented. They all needed this. Ryker and Oakley had gone through a rough time recently from the radical group mixed up with psychotropic medications. She’d been kidnapped, drugged, harassed, and more. Everyone had rallied around, but it was touch and go for too long. All was resolved, and things have settled back down. It’s time to relax and enjoy themselves.

Finley was off the clock after five most nights, and glancing at the wall clock, she was almost there. Sharlee was home already, getting ready for the party, and then she would take the monitor, and Finley would shower and change. They used the monitor as the official handoff if the toddler was sleeping.

The plan was they would have dinner at Jessie’s, and that meant another hour of feeling famished. She’d skipped the afternoon snack, and she felt it now. Finley had a healthy appetite, and waiting another hour was risking a group of hangry people before they were fed, including her. She might grab a little bit of cheese before they left.

In the years after a complicated few years in high school, college was the last place Finley wanted to go, so she joined the Marines against her parent’s wishes. Basic wasn’t difficult as she had always been athletic and enjoyed being outdoors and moving. However, women were still seen as not capable in some areas of the Corps.

She wasn’t a docile woman, but she wasn’t a bitch either, and she spoke up when necessary to not get walked on. Some respected that, others... didn’t. Competition was fierce, and the politics even worse. She wasn’t influenced by whose dick was bigger, and it had cost her. She’d met some incredible people, but the few jerks ruined it for the many good.

After three different assignments in eight years and not any significant improvement in the way she was treated, Finley decided to call it quits. Just before she finished her enlistment, she’d torn her rotator cuff, which gave her a medical discharge. Instead of working with her, they eagerly approved a medical discharge without making sure she was set up with restorative therapy.

So she found herself leaving with some monthly compensation for a bum shoulder, excellent gun skills, disillusionment, and disruptive memories from a deployment that occasionally lived in her dreams, but not much else.

As soon as she was separated from the Marines, she got an attorney, a second opinion, and a shoulder expert, and she worked hard to get some stability in it. She was at probablyeighty-five to ninety percent, and that was much better than she’d even hoped. She was satisfied with that.

One day, soon after she had separated from the military, Ryker Bennett, the attorney she engaged to handle the disability paperwork for her, was talking to someone outside his office. They seemed friendly. She overheard the man say he needed to find a nanny to put up with them and their crazy lifestyle. Finley always enjoyed kids, even though having one of her own wasn’t in her life plans. She had several much younger siblings, which helped with her experience when she considered applying for the job. What else did she have to do right now?

She’d stopped Jac before he got into his car and handed him her card. On it was nothing more than her picture, name, phone number and a quote, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

“I might be interested in your nanny search,” she said to the striking man, who she was sure was overly arrogant and in complete confidence of his control of his environment.

She hesitated a moment, wondering if she would be opening herself up to another degrading experience, until he smiled. Jac’s smile was brilliant, and she didn’t use that adjective often. He shook her hand, took the card, and glanced at it. He looked at her up and down as though seeing into her soul. It should have creeped her out, but oddly, it simply gave her a feeling of trust and safety.

“Not interested in joining one of my security teams?”

“Nope.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com