“Sorry!” I’d jumped out and grabbed a tissue in case his nose bled. “But you’ve never done that before. I wasn’t expecting it.”
His eyes had been pained, and not just from the car door hitting him in the face. “You’ve always been my friend when we’ve gone out before. This time you’re my girlfriend, so I was opening the door for you.” He said it with such obvious patience, as if I should have known, that I wanted to smile.
“Thanks?” I said sheepishly as I examined his nose. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to bleed. Do you want a painkiller?”
He started to shake his head, then stopped, wincing. “I’m fine. Let’s just go in.”
It was the opening night launch of a new museum display: Etruscan Treasures. Finn was here representing his department at the university, so none of his friends were around, and I recognized nobody. Finn knew a few people from his networks in the Australian archeology scene, and he took great pains to introduce me each time as “Scarlett Logan, my girlfriend.”
When we had a moment clear, I dragged him by the elbow behind some potted ferns.
“What are you doing?” he hissed.
“Finn, I don’t think you have to point out that I’m your girlfriend each time you talk to someone. It’s weird. Besides, I think they’re just going to assume it since I’m here with you.”
He frowned. “But you went to events with me when you weren’t my girlfriend.”
“The hand on my waist has been pretty much giving it away, but does it really matter what they think our relationship is?”
He pushed me a step farther behind the potted palms, the heat in his eyes blazing to life. “You betcha it does. I want every single person to know that the most beautiful woman in the room is here with me.”
I melted inside. “If I didn’t have red lipstick on, I’d totally kiss you right now.”
He leaned down until his warm breath fanned over my face. “I’m not scared of a little lipstick. I have the tissue you gave me at the car in my pocket.”
Then he closed the remaining distance and kissed me. It was light, sweet, and left me smiling.
“Okay,” I said a little breathlessly, “let’s go back and mingle.”
Ten minutes later a waiter came past with a tray of canapés. Hungry, I took one without thinking, and only as I swallowed it did I realize my mistake. The main flavor had been garlic. After all the effort I’d gone to in making this night special—buying a new dress and wearing sexy lingerie—I’d gone and given myself garlic breath.
Finn finished talking to the woman on his other side, and turned back to me. “Come with me,” he said and tugged my hand. Before I knew it we were in a dark corridor and Finn had pressed me up against the wall. In general, I had fond memories of being pressed up against the wall by Finn, so this was something I could approve of. Except for the garlic breath.
He leaned in to kiss me and I turned my head to the side. Undeterred, he nibbled on my jaw then turned my chin and kissed me. All I could do to salvage the situation was hold my breath, so I did. His tongue slid into my mouth, and I kissed him, still holding my breath.
He eased back. “Is something wrong?”
I turned my head to the side to breathe out and gasp in a new lungful of air. “No, everything is good.”
“That kiss lacked any passion, or even interest, whatsoever,” he said, his eyes narrowed.
I put a hand over my mouth as I said, “I’m just overwhelmed by the Etruscan display tonight.”
“Truth, Scarlett.” In that moment, he sounded every inch the university tutor that he was.
I screwed up my nose. “I ate a garlic canapé. I was holding my breath so you didn’t get icked out.”
“By your garlic breath?” His eyebrows drew together.
“Yes,” I said, turning my face to the side, still trying to protect him.
“I think you might have underestimated how badly I want to kiss you. Garlic breath is pretty much irrelevant at this point.”
“You say that now, but after experiencing the power of the garlic breath, you may never kiss me again.”
He drew in a pained breath, said a quick, “Stay here,” and left. Had he headed to the car for breath mints? I glanced around at the corridor, fiddled with the hem of my dress, tried to remember everything I knew about the Etruscan civilization, and hummed the lyrics to my latest favorite song.
A few minutes later he was back, grinning. “Okay, let’s try it again.”
“What did you do?”
“Tracked down a waiter and ate one of the canapés in question. Now our garlic breaths will cancel each other out.”
“Genius,” I said on a laugh.
He leaned in and this time I let him, welcomed him. I couldn’t even taste the garlic on his breath—I was too lost in him. Lost in the feel of his body pressed against mine, lost in the sounds of appreciation he was making at the back of his throat, lost in the freedom to kiss him freely now we were officially together.
It wasn’t long before he pulled back and whispered, “I wish we didn’t have to stop, but we’re in a museum corridor.”
I had to catch my breath before I could reply. “And you’re supposed to be out there, representing the university.”
“Yeah.”
I finger-combed his hair to undo the effects of my hands having just been there, gripping it in fistfuls, and wiped away my lipstick from around his mouth with my thumb, then did a similar patch up job on myself. “Okay, we’re good to go.”
“This is not finished,” he said, with a promise in his eyes. “As soon as I have you alone again, I’m going to make you scream my name. Twice.”
I linked my elbow into his as we headed for the main display area. “I’m going to hold you to that,” I whispered as we emerged into the light.
We spent the next half hour moving around the room, chatting to people and looking at the exhibit. Finn continued to stick close to my side, so the only time we were more than a hand span apart was my quick trip to the bathroom. When I found him again, he was deep in conversation with a tanned guy who looked to be in his forties.
Finn glanced up as I approached, and pulled me against his side, but kept his focus on what the man was saying.
“I have all the funding in place, and the logistics are almost organized.”
“That’s great, Ray,” Finn said. “I can’t wait to hear what you find there. It’s a region I’ve been excited about for a while.”
“You should come with us.”
I felt Finn’s quickly indrawn breath. “I’d love to, but I can’t.
“I’m serious. I could use an archeomusicologist on the dig. In fact, I’m in the early stages of planning the two digs after this one, and both of those teams could do with someone who has your specialty.”
I glanced up at Finn, waiting for him to say he was planning on a career of lecturing more than doing fieldwork. Instead he blew out a breath and gave Ray a rueful smile.
“I have guardianship of my sixteen-year-old sister, so I won’t be in a position to travel overseas for at least a couple of years.”
Ray’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t realize, but good for you.”
“If you have any openings on teams after that, I’d be more than interested.”
“Deal.” Ray held out his hand and Finn released me to shake it.
As the other man moved away, I felt as if I was watching the scene from far away. For some reason, I’d never put it together in my head that archeologists must live a fairly nomadic life. And Finn was an archeologist. Secure, reliable Finn. The man who’d given me my first taste of stability after growing up with hippies who moved around.
“Are you okay?” he murmured near my ear.
I nodded and stepped back a little to get a read on his expression. “I’m just surprised. I always expected you’d move from tutoring to lecturing and become a university professor.”
He frowned. “I’m planning on that. Maybe after a few years of fieldwork.”
My gaze scanned his face as if I were seeing him for the first time. “You’ve never mentioned it before.”