Page 59 of Reign of the Queen
The driveway sensor alert goes off. Someone's at the gates buzzing to be let in. I bring up the camera on my phone and see a live image of Finn pressing on my intercom. I can make out a partial shape sitting next to him, too small to be one of the other kings. Raegan, damn it, why did she allow him to bring her here?
"Yes?" I answer the gate intercom.
"Let me in, Mia. We need to talk." Finn's soothing calm voice comes through my phone and the hairs on my arms stand up..
"We don't need to do anything, Finn. Turn around and head elsewhere," I reply sardonically.
"Mia, Raegan is with me. Please just let me in. I won't stay. I just want to make sure you're okay." His deep sigh comes through the speaker.
I can hear his concern through the phone and see lines of strain across his forehead as he stares at me through the camera. Theo must have spoken to him and told him what happened and what I saw. They have sent the "peacemaker" to talk to me, good choice on their part. If it were one of the others, they would have zero chance of getting through my gates.
I give myself a pinch on the leg;come on Mia, he is not the same little boy who used to be your friend. He's the one who turned on you the minute his life improved and yours didn't.You need to remember that.
Steeling my spine and resolve, I press the button that automatically allows the gate to open and provides Finn's black Cadillac access to my driveway. Then I walk ahead to my front door, waiting for them to pull up to the house. I swing my large glass and metal front door open and step out into the porch. I can smell the slightly briny scent of the ocean, the cool breeze bringing hints of fauna and palm trees my grandmother had planted on the property.
Finn pulls up to the house and is out of the car heading in my direction before Raegan can get her seatbelt off. His long frame eats up the steps between us, anger and agitation coming off his body in waves of emotion.
His brown eyes are so dark and extensive that they seem to eat up all the white in his eyes. His beautiful smooth ochre skin appears to have a glow to it in the afternoon sunlight. His jaw is set like a piece of granite, with no sign of those gorgeous dimples as he strides toward me, hands clenching like he's preventing himself from grabbing me.
"Tell me you're okay?" he spits out the minute he's standing in front of me. His large frame dwarfing mine.
I lean back, fold my arms across my chest, and access him. He's pretty worked up. Is his concern genuinely for me, or is he worried about what I will do to his precious leader, Theo?
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I answer him with no emotion in my voice. I look past him to Raegan, who's coming around his vehicle. Concern etched across her features. "Thank you for dropping off Raegan. You can go." I dismiss him.
"Like fuck I'm going anywhere. You and I need to have a discussion." He makes to grab one of my arms, but I pull back from him.
"You and I have nothing to discuss." I motion him away. "Get the hell off my property." Once Raegan has reached my side, I push her in the direction of the open doorway while making sure to not give Finn my back.
"Mia, please. I'm not going anywhere until you and I have spoken." He tucks his hands into the pockets of his pants. Face etched in concern, body practically vibrating with nervous energy.
I study his face to determine if I can slam the door to make him go away. Stubbornness is written across it. I remember what he was like as a kid; once he got something in his head, there was no way of getting him to relent.Fuck me and this stupid town.
"Fine, but you're not staying." I huff, giving him my back and wandering through my front door into the entranceway. I look over my shoulder, keeping my eyes on him.
Finn follows me through the door, body on full alert like he's waiting for a trap. He's taking long studious glances like he might glean information from the parts of my house he can see from the entrance.Good luck with that, bud.
"Raegan, help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I'll meet you in the media room, hun." I give her a look that says, not now while he's here. I can see all the questions written across her face that she wants to ask. He obviously hadn't told her shit before he convinced her to come along.
I return my attention to Finn and motion to the kitchen area and the bar stools around the island. Annoyance clearly on my face.
"What do we have to discuss, Finn? What is so important you had to come out here to my house and drag Raegan with you as an accomplice?"
Glancing around my kitchen, he takes in all the stainless-steel appliances, marble counters, glass open shelves, and white cabinetry. It has zero reflection on mine or my mom's personality. It's a cold, modern space, completely unused as neither mom nor I cook. We have a housekeeper who comes in daily, cleans, and prepares food. Even though most of the time, it's just me here.
Finn’s quiet, contemplating what he wants to say, shifting from the view of the state-of-the-art kitchen to me. He gives me a full once over like he's checking for visual damage. I raise an eyebrow at his thorough scrutiny.
"What you saw today...I mean, what happened at Theo's house." He swallows deeply like his words are logged in his throat. "I...I need to know you're okay." He sighs, rubbing his hands down his face. "Are you okay?"
Ignoring his question I pull out two bottles of water from the fridge and hand one to him. My damn southern manners make an appearance to my immediate regret.He's not a welcome guest here, Mia, I chastise myself. I shouldn't be offering him shit. I straighten my spine and give him a look of indifference as he accepts the bottle.
"Why wouldn't I be fine, Finn? What do you think happened?" I turn the questioning around on him.
The look he gives me calls me on my bullshit. "Oh, I don't know, Mia, because you hooked up with Theo in a house where apparently his sick, demented father has women tied up like sex slaves?" He shakes his head in distress, uncorks the bottle, and takes a large swallow of water.
I shrug disinterestedly. "It was no big deal." I watch that water make its way down his strong column of a neck, the muscles in his arms and shoulders straining against the open tieless oxford school shirt and his white T-shirt below.Damn that’s hot.
"It was no big deal?" He takes a step toward me. "Like shit you see every day, hmm?" He takes another step, crowding me into the industrial-size fridge doors. "Are you telling me you see houses with tied-up sex slaves daily, Mia?” He pushes his body flush against mine until we're joined from thigh to chest. My water bottle still hangs between our bodies in my tightly clenched hand.
