He unlocked his door and stepped inside, motioning for me to follow. I stepped inside and looked around. The apartment was virtually identical to mine except backwards since it was on the other side of the hall. Well, that and the fact that this one still had unpacked boxes against the living room wall while mine was obviously very lived in.
“I haven't gotten around to settling in all the way.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “It's mostly kitchen stuff, so I can't offer you much more than a beer or leftovers from a box.”
I chuckled. “I understand. It took me weeks to get everything organized.”
He gestured towards the worn couch. It looked like he'd picked it up in a thrift store, which wasn't surprising. Most single people – especially men – weren't going to spend the money for brand-new furniture. I walked across the room and sat down. Finn followed and took a seat next to me. He was close enough that it wouldn't be awkward to reach over and touch him, but he was far enough that I didn't feel like he was crowding me.
“I have to ask.” The tone in his voice changed. It wasn't slick or anything like that, but there was a definite undercurrent of something else. “How is a woman like you still single?”
I paused, unsure about how much I wanted to tell him. I decided to keep it simple. “I wasn't up until a couple months ago.”
“His loss.” He smiled. He started to reach for me, then hesitated. When I didn't pull away, he tucked a curl behind my ear. “My gain.”
“What about you?” I asked. I might not have been looking for a relationship, but I definitely didn't want to get involved with something complicated. “You're good-looking, kind and,” I gestured around me, “you obviously don't live with your mother. How are you still single?”
“My job tends to send me on trips every couple weeks. I've found most women don't like it when their boyfriend has to leave at the drop of the hat and be gone for who knows how many days.”
I really hoped I wasn't reading too much into what he was saying. It sounded to me like he wanted to let me know that he wasn't looking for something serious and that was good. No matter how nice he was, I was getting more and more sure that I didn't want to get right into something that could be a relationship.
“I could see how that'd be difficult,” I said honestly. “I know my ex always got annoyed when I had school stuff that kept us from...” My voice trailed off and I shook my head. “You know what, I don't want to talk about him.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I didn't want to talk about Ronald and I sure as hell didn't want to think about Cade. I knew of one way I could make sure neither of those things happened.
I leaned across the distance between us and brushed my lips against his. The kiss was tentative because I wasn't entirely positive Finn wanted this to go any further, but when I saw his eyes light up, I knew he did. He put his hand on my cheek and I could see him gauging my reaction. I met him halfway and this kiss was anything but hesitant.
His lips moved with mine, opening my mouth. I ran the tip of my tongue along his bottom lip and he made a pleased sound. I tried not to frown. I was glad he liked what I did, but the moan hadn't sounded quite right to me. Finn's hand slid around my back, pulling me closer to him and I tried to put out of my head that the warm palm on the small of my back belonged to the wrong person.
No. Finn wasn't the wrong person. He was the right person. My tongue slid into his mouth, tangling with his. Finn was the one who was going to help me forget.
He leaned into me and I knew what he wanted. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled, letting him lay me down on the couch. The hand on my back slid down my hip and he pulled my legs up before stretching out on top of me. I ran my fingers along the short hairs at the base of his neck, trying not to think about how I preferred longer hair. Soft curls. Dark...
Finn's hand moved back up over my ribcage and he cupped my breast through my shirt. I sighed. It should've felt good. The pressure was just right, and his thumb made circles over my nipple in a way that started to make it get hard. But there was no electricity, no arousal making me wet, no heat spreading through me. Only a faint friction that was mildly pleasant.
Dammit!
I pushed gently against Finn's chest and he sat back. His face was flushed, breathing heavy, but he didn't try to keep going. I gave him a smile to let him know I wasn't angry.
“I think I should go.” I adjusted my clothes and stood.
“All right.” Finn stood as well. He smiled at me, his eyes warm.
Relief flooded me. He wasn't angry.
“Should I call you?” he asked as he walked with me to the door. “Or would you prefer we stick with small talk in the elevator?”
I raised an eyebrow as I looked up at him.
He shrugged. “I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me.”
“You really are a nice guy, Finn Colson.” I opened the door. “I'll see you around.”
“See you around.”
As I walked towards the stairs, my head was spinning. I'd wanted a casual hook-up, something to take my mind off of Cade. Instead, I'd managed to push away a decent guy who could've ended up being a nice fling, maybe more as we saw how much work would be an issue.
I knew why. I just didn't want to say it. I had to though. I had to admit it.
I wasn't ready to move on.
I wasn't over Cade.
Chapter 2
When I went to school on Friday, I'd completely forgotten that Mindy had mentioned that we were all going to go out to a club after dinner, so when she came bouncing into my classroom, I couldn't figure out why. Then she announced that she and Adelle had planned the perfect night out. After L20, we were going to a club opening. It was supposed to be the hottest new thing, so it was guaranteed to be a blast. At least that what Mindy kept telling me. I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to let her down either, so I didn't say anything. Instead, I went home after work and picked out one of the sexy dresses I'd gotten with Cade. Even if I knew I wasn't going to have fun, I could at least pretend.
When I showed up at L20, I knew I'd chosen my outfit well. Adelle let out a low whistle and I felt eyes following me as I walked by. Mindy's eyebrows shot up when she saw me and I just smiled.
“Damn, Bree,” Mindy said. “If you weren't my friend, I'd be all over you right now.”
“What about your guy?” I teased as I sat down.
“Oh, I'm sure he'd be very interested in joining us,” Mindy shot back.
“Man, Cade did an amazing job with you,” Adelle said.
My smile tightened and I looked down as I put my napkin on my lap. I didn't want her to see how hearing his name bothered me.
“Mindy said you and Cade are done,” Adelle said.
Her casual tone didn't fool me though. I could see the interest in her eyes.
I nodded. “We ended our contract. I'm ready to go out on my own.”
“So.” Adelle leaned across the table, a smile playing across her lips. “Did he spank you?”
“Adelle!”
Mindy sounded horrified so I didn't have to say anything. That was good, because I wasn't entirely sure I could trust myself not to be rude.