"I'll have it waiting inside for you. Just knock and I'll let you in." I turned and walked back to the house, not wanting to keep him out there much longer. I was angry at him, but it was for selfish reasons. I pushed Cindy onto him and had no reason to be angry with him for doing what was natural.
I was the idiot.
Chapter 12
Finn
The look on her beautiful face was priceless, but I kept my emotions locked away. She was angry and I was at fault. She had played a part in it, but ultimately, I'd been a dick. I had gone over my apology at least thirty times by the time she walked out with the hot chocolate.
Her face was so pretty all snuggled into her jacket and furry hat. She was feminine and petite, yet feisty as hell. I closed my eyes and continued to shovel faster as the remembrance of having my hands on her while we dance filled my mind. She fit against me in a way that made me want to keep her there, pressed to me and in my arms forever.
I was falling for her in a way that made little to no sense, and yet I couldn't help it. It wasn't about sex, though some part of me wanted to push it there. It was safe to think that I was physically attracted to her and nothing else. I was beyond attracted to her, but there was so much more bubbling up inside of me.
The last push was the hardest, but it always was. I finished up and put the shovels up and dusted the snow from my hands and jacket before walking up to the house. I knocked twice on the door and moved back.
Chloe opened the door, her jacket gone and a pretty cream-colored sweater in its place. Her hair was down and a little messy, which drew me in fast.
I extended the invoice to her and smiled. "I'll get something to drink at home. Thanks for the thought, though."
"Did you know this was my house?" She lifted her eyebrow and opened the door a little farther. "And get in here. I'm not letting you drive home without knowing that you've warmed up a little while. I hope your Dad has good worker's comp insurance. You're lucky you didn't get frost bite out there."
I chuckled and walked in, working to take my jacket off before leaning over and getting my shoes off. Everything was soaked in sweat and I started to shiver, which seemed to piss her off even more.
"Get over here." She tugged at my arm and pulled me toward the fireplace before turning it on. "Let me heat up your drink. Take off your shirt and I'll throw it in the dryer."
"This your way to see me half-naked?" I teased her, unable to help myself.
"I could have done that ten times already, playboy. Do what I told you to do." She disappeared into the kitchen and I worked to get my socks and t-shirt off. My jeans were soaked too, but I didn't think she would appreciate me being naked in her living room.
"Does your Dad or brother have a pair of sweats I can use?" I called out to her and followed her path into the kitchen, stopping at the edge of it and taking time to simply watch her.
She turned and let her eyes move across me before turning back toward the microwave and grumbling something.
"Sorry?" I took a step into the kitchen as she pulled a mug from the microwave and handed it to me.
"Yes. I'll grab them and you can change in the bathroom."
"I'm good changing here. It's not like you've never seen a man naked before...right?"
She put her hand on her hip and closed her eyes. "Don't make this hard on me, or I'll kick you out of here so fast it will make your head spin."
"Hard on you?" I laughed and moved closer to her. "You went home with my best friend last night and left me with eight drunks."
She opened her eyes and pushed at my chest, hard. "You wanted to go home with her and I dropped Brian off at his house. You're crazy if you think anything happened between us."
"He's a damn idiot if he didn't try." I dropped my clothes and reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward me. "Nothing happened with Cindy. You know why?"
"Why, Finn? Because of your month off from women?"
I smiled and released her before walking toward the small room by the kitchen that held the washer and dryer. I slipped out of my pants and tossed everything in the dryer. After finding an oven mitten, I walked back in the kitchen holding it in front of my crotch and laughed at the look she gave me.
"I didn't do anything with her because she's not you. Go get me some damn pants or I'm going to resort to other means of warming up." I moved toward her and she turned, walking back down the hall quickly.
"Don't touch me. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer." She disappeared into a dark room and I forced myself not to follow her. Our relationship couldn't be built on sex. It needed a solid friendship. I needed one. Hell, she seemed to as well.
I moved to the fireplace and moved the mitten, warming my body fully and relaxing as the chill finally began to leave me.
The sound of her gasp caused me to look over my shoulder. "Like what you see?"
"It's an ass. Everyone has one." She walked over to me and laid the pants over my shoulder. "I'll wait for you at the table."
"Thank you," I mumbled and put them on, grateful that someone in her family was tall. Too bad they had Sponge Bob and Patrick dancing across them in various motions. "You did this on purpose."
"I did." She pressed her fingers to her lips and laughed. "You look great though."
"Right?" I flexed my pecs and sat down, reaching for the drink. "Thanks for this."
"Did you know this was my father's place?" She sat back and drew her legs up to her chest.
I wanted to lie, but couldn't force myself to do it. "I did. I heard Cindy say your last name at the club and realized that my father had a client by the same name. I had to pull a few strings, and it's creepy, I know, but I couldn't not see you again. I shouldn't want to see you, but I do." I shrugged and lifted the mug to my mouth.
"You're right. I've done nothing but judge you." She rubbed her fingers over her lips and watched me closely, leaving my need to reach out for her rising by the minute. "Forgive me."
"Already done." I shrugged. "So tell me why you were the designated driver last night?"
"Because I'm a light weight and alcohol usually leads to horrible decisions for me."
"Note to self, get her drunk." I winked and set the mug down. "Let me take you on the slopes again?"
"You don't give up, do you?"
"Not sure. I've never had to try, honestly." I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a content sigh. Things were going far better than I'd imagined.
"You've never had to work hard to get a woman's attention." She snorted and dropped her legs down before leaning in. The sweet smell of her perfume rushed in to greet me, and I jerked back to keep myself from accosting her.
"Nope. I'm not saying I'm all that, Chloe. Just telling you the life I've lived."
"Why don't you have a girlfriend or a wife then? Surely one of the women would have meant something to you over all these years." She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "I'm struggling with this a lot."
"I understand that. I struggle with it too." I sucked my bottom lip in my mouth, trying to figure out how to explain it to her. "So the last girl I took out took me back to her place..."