“So, um, yeah,” he said. “That’s a basic kiss. You seemed quite good at it already. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
With his eyes studiously trained on the floor, he turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving me trying to catch my breath. And remember my name. And how to use my legs. I slid down the wall to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees. That was what he called a basic kiss?
What the hell had I been missing out on all these years?
Chapter Three
Scarlett
The next day, I was on the phone at work, listening to a man telling me how important it was he be put through to the senior partner right away, despite me telling him seven times already the senior partner was in court and couldn’t take calls. My mind drifted to that moment Finn had shuddered when I’d sucked on his bottom lip. My skin flushed even remembering it.
God, this was so not the time. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to also squeeze the memory out of my brain. Or at least my reaction to it—becoming turned on at work was not the way to fast track my career.
To distract myself, I took off my cobalt-blue glasses to wipe a smudge on the edge of my top. Some girls spent their disposable income on shoes, others spent way too much on clothes. Me? I couldn’t walk past an eyewear store without browsing the racks. I had contact lenses, but I liked the way glasses made me look. A good pair added three words to my description—serious, smart, and mysterious. Totally worth it.
The guy on the other end of the line finally accepted that I’d pass the message on as soon as possible, and hung up. And I started thinking about Finn’s mouth again…
I needed something new to distract me, fast. Luckily, fate seemed to be in a wish-granting mood, because right then Jake Maxwell walked through the door with an arm around my brother’s ex, Annalise Farley. Annalise and I had had a bit of an intense discussion last time I saw her—she’d misunderstood something I’d said to Thomas about their relationship—but once she explained what the problem was, I told her I’d only meant that Thomas felt a lot more for her than she did for him, and, luckily, things were good between us again. I jumped up and moved around the counter to greet her with a hug.
“Scarlett,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be on the desk so we could say hello.”
“I’m always here.” Much to my parents’ disappointment.
Jake pulled me into a hug when Annalise and I moved apart. “Good to see you.”
I stood back and smiled. “You, too. What brings you back to Sydney? I thought you’d moved to Queensland.”
“We have, but we were down visiting Kelly and the baby, and thought we’d get some legal paperwork for Annalise’s fashion label done while we were here.”
I turned back to Annalise. “You have your own label now? That’s fabulous.”
She bit down on a smile. “It’s only very small at the moment, but still, things are going much better than I’d ever dreamed.”
“You deserve it,” I said. Not only did Annalise have a big, sweet heart, she was a really good designer. I’d bought a couple of things she’d designed when Jake started stocking them in his surfwear stores. “You both look great. Happy. This being in love thing is really working out for you.”
They sneaked a glance at each other and shared a secret smile. They were so darn cute together that if I were given to displays of sentimentality, I’d probably shed a happy tear.
“Yeah,” Jake said, “it’s working out really well. You should try it sometime. You dating anyone?”
A nervous laugh escaped my throat. “Ah, no.”
Annalise rested a hand on my forearm, her green eyes searching mine. “This is probably out of line, but I always assumed you and Finn would end up together.”
Another nervous laugh, this time accompanied by a step backward. “No, no. Just friends. Nothing more. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. You just seemed to have a deeper connection than merely friends.” She turned to Jake. “When I was seeing Thomas, Scarlett would bring Finn to family gatherings for birthdays and things. He’s a great guy, and perfect for Scarlett—”
I stepped all the way back to the reception desk. “How about I see if they’re ready for you?”
Annalise arched an eyebrow and Jake gave me a knowing smile, but we said our good-byes and they headed off to see their lawyer.
After they’d gone, I was back where I’d started. Thinking about Finn’s mouth. And how it had made me melt. Jake and Annalise had been a good distraction for a few minutes…right up until they’d started talking about the person I was trying not to think about.
Sighing, I turned to Andrea, the other receptionist.
“I’m taking a ten minute coffee break. Are you okay here?”
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll take one after you.”
Puppy-dog mug in hand, I headed for the staff room. Caffeine would help me get through the day, especially since I’d lost about half the night’s sleep by laying in bed, replaying that kiss.
“Hey, Scarlett.” Cathy, a personal assistant to one of the lawyers, and my regular lunch partner, waved me over to the table by the window. I wasn’t sure if I was better off being alone, or if the distraction of conversation would help me. Distraction was worth a try.
After waving back, I made a coffee and sat down across from her. “How’s your day?”
Cathy shrugged. “Same same. Yours?”
Filled with memories of Finn’s tongue in my mouth, actually.
Something must have shown in my expression because she put her mug down. “What’s going on?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, debating whether this was something I should share or not.
“Come on,” Cathy said. “Spill.”
Maybe distraction wasn’t the best plan—it hadn’t worked this morning. Talking it out and getting some perspective might be better.
“Okay, here’s the thing.” I looked down at my coffee. “I kissed my best friend last night, in what might have been a monumental mistake.”
Cathy’s eyes widened. “Hang on, isn’t your best friend your gorgeous roommate who sometimes picks you up after work?”
“Yep,” I said on a sigh, “that’s him. Finn.”
She frowned, then her forehead cleared as if she suddenly understood, and she nodded. “Was it awful?”
Memories of heat and mouths and teeth cascaded into my mind. “Nope. In fact, I had no idea kisses could be that good.”
“Then I’m missing something. You already think he’s a good guy, he’s super hot, and he kisses well. You’ll need to point the problem out to me.”
I glanced around the stark white room, searching for inspiration on how to explain this to an outsider. Finding none, I gave up and took another sip of my coffee before answering. “The thing you have to understand about Finn is that all his passion is dedicated to ancient Mesopotamia. He loses interest in relationships quickly. He dates girls fairly regularly, but he wouldn’t be a great boyfriend.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Not great in what way?”
“Well, he’s forgotten he’s had a date more times than I can remember. Being his roommate, I’ve had a front row seat to the drama of a girl calling from the restaurant they were supposed to be meeting at, or waiting for him to pick her up.” He always apologized for putting me in that position, but it was the other girls I felt sorry for.
“That’s pretty rough,” she said, wincing.
“Yeah, they usually forgive him the first few times—”
“First few times?”
“—but they always walk away in the end. And I swear sometimes Finn doesn’t even notice they’re gone.”
We were both silent for a few moments, absorbing the disaster that was Finn’s love life.
“But he’d notice you,” Cathy said finally. “Remember you.”