Page 31 of By All Accounts
“Yet.”
“I don’t want to do this with you if you’re convinced it will fail,” I said, and even though I hated the taste of them, the words were the truth.
Finn closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re right, that’s not fair of me.”
He held my stare, blue eyes searching mine. I wasn’t sure what he found, but it must have satisfied him because the tension left him on the next breath. I gave his leg a quick squeeze, then grabbed the bottle and tested the cap to make sure it was on tight.
“How do you take your coffee?” I asked.
“Too sweet.”
Just like Daniel, I thought. I wondered if they knew that about each other or if it was a secret I discovered the two of them were yet to find out.
“There’s spare toothbrushes in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom,” I told him. “Not because we make a habit of this, but because we buy in bulk.”
Finn chuckled. “I appreciate the clarification.”
“Daniel sleeps late on the weekends, so when you get up, try to be quiet?”
“As a mouse,” Finn whispered.
I wanted to kiss him, but I could taste the sour bitterness of sleep in my mouth and as romantic as that could have been, I didn’t want it to be our first kiss. I…was surprised to even be thinking about our first kiss, shocked that it mattered to me in a way that hadn’t mattered for anyone before.
I left Finn in the guest room, pulled the door to the primary closed so Daniel could sleep longer, then headed to the kitchen to make coffee. Down the hall, I heard Finn in the bathroom, but the man was exceedingly capable of being quiet. The toilet flushed, the water ran, and I dumped three and a half spoonfuls of sugar into the mug of coffee I’d poured for Finn.
When he joined me in the kitchen, he hesitated. I crooked my finger and beckoned him closer until there wasn’t much more than the mug between us. He hadn’t bothered getting dressed. Instead he’d put on his pants but left the button undone. The waistband of his underwear was visible above the zipper; so was the dark line of curls that led up toward his navel.
“My eyes are up here, ma’am,” he said softly, taking the mug out of my hand.
I let my stare drag up his stomach, his chest, his throat, before leaning back enough I was able to see his face. Finn obviously hadn’t shaved, a little bit more than a five o’clock shadow coloring his jawline. He had dark bags under his eyes, but if anything, they made him look more attractive.
Unfair.
I looked like a raccoon when I didn’t get enough sleep, not a sex god carved from marble.
“How’s the coffee?” I asked. “Sweet enough?”
The corner of Finn’s mouth twitched and he took a sip, eyes going wide before a quiet moan slipped out of him.
“You heard too sweet and knew exactly what to do,” he murmured, reaching past me and setting the mug on the counter. He boxed me in with his arms, slowly settling his hands on my waist. He was definitely giving me enough time to tell him no, but I wasn’t going to.
“Three and a half scoops,” I told him.
Finn hummed, nodded, then dragged his hands over my hips and down to my thighs. His fingers dug into my skin, and I raised onto my toes, making it easier for him to pick me up and lift me onto the counter. I hadn’t even thought about getting dressed for the day yet either. I’d gone to bed in an oversized button-up and pair of cotton panties. My ass hit the cool counter, and Finn’s warm hands traced their way back to my waist. I hooked my ankles around the back of his thighs and drew him closer, happy to be almost eye level with him.
He exhaled a soft breath against my chin, his hands finally reaching my face. Again, he studied me quietly, but his expression didn’t give away what he was looking for…or what he found.
“You can kiss me,” I told him.
Finn huffed out a laugh. “You can kissme,” he said, but his mouth was already moving toward mine and it was no work at all to meet him halfway. Our lips touched, tongues next, and then it was the taste of coffee and toothpaste and the desperate low groan from the back of Finn’s throat. He leaned into me hard, holding me upright so I didn’t fall, and I grabbed him by the hair, threading my fingers into the very soft and slightly too long strands.
“God,” Finn groaned into my mouth, and I pulled his hair harder, smiling when I got the same reaction as the first time.
We kissed until we were breathless, until I was wrapped around him so tight I couldn’t even feel the counter beneath me anymore. Finn held me in his arms, his hands roaming my back as he explored my mouth with a long and curious tongue. God, the man could kiss. He lifted me off the counter, walked me to the dining room, and laid me down on the table. I was glad I’d taken the time to clean up before going to bed the night before, and as my back hit the wood and Finn spread himself out over top of me, I closed my eyes and let him.
His hands finally made their way beneath my shirt, skating up my ribs to the sides of my breasts. He took my nipple between his fingers, kneading gently until I arched away from the table and right into his chest. Finn broke the kiss then, gasping for air and burying his face against the crook of my neck. He palmed my breast and groaned, stilling himself entirely.
“Not gonna fuck you on your dining room table,” he whispered, nipping at my earlobe.
