"And who is this beautiful young woman?" his mother asked. She greeted me with a hug like she had known me forever.
"Oh, Mum, this is Jennifer Downs."
"Jennifer. The pleasure is mine. Please, make yourself at home."
"Thank you. It's so nice to meet you," I said.
"Isn't her accent so cute?" His mother smiled and clapped her hands together.
Eyes like Finn’s stared into mine. Her features were elegant and soft like a movie star in a silent film. Luke's father returned and handed me a glass of wine. I thanked him but barely sipped. If I allowed myself to let loose, I would be wasted before dinner.
"I'm so rude. I'm Emma, and this is Franklin. We've heard so much about you."
"Mother, you're going to embarrass her," Finnley said.
I blushed.
After the finale, Finnley turned on the piano bench with a gaze so cold, I could almost feel him. My thoughts clouded, and I reminded myself to breathe, to just fucking breathe, before I completely lost it. I went from seeing him almost every day since he took my V-card, to not seeing him. The emotions that I tried to smother streamed through my body and mixed with my blood.
His smell. His eyes. The fucking smirk on his face. He was intoxicating.
"That was wonderful, Finn. See, all those years of lessons paid off." His mother raised an eyebrow at him.
He smiled while walking toward us. "I admit it, you were right Mum," he said.
"I'm always right," she said to him.
"Of course you are."
I couldn't speak, not with him standing so close to me. Not with his sweet smell controlling me, urging me to move closer to him. Our bodies stood inches apart from one another, and as much as I tried to shut him off, I couldn't. I tried to accomplish the impossible: ignore Finn.
"So you've met Jennifer. She is the woman I've been telling you about, Mum. Luke was so kind to bring her along. She insisted on seeing the city early, and I couldn’t argue with such a pretty face."
God, I loved the rasp in his voice. Stop it.
I darted my eyes between Luke and Finn. They both smiled as they practically lied to their mother's face. I was supposed to meet him here. Ohhh, Luke would so be getting a stern talking to when we left. We'd have a two-hour train ride back to Paris. That would be plenty enough time to exchange a few heated words with him.
"Wanting to see the city without being rushed is understandable. Too many tourists try to visit it all in one week but there's too much. One must stay longer to enjoy the small intricacies that Paris and London have to offer. There are no two places in the world that are better than here. I'm convinced at this point," Emma said.
A small ding echoed from the kitchen. Emma smiled and excused herself. Franklin followed and so did Luke, leaving Finn and me alone in the living room. I crossed my arms and stared at him. He moved closer. I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine.
"Fancy seeing you here."
"I was thinking the same damn thing," I said.
"Nice outfit," he said raising an eyebrow. "Not what I would have chosen, but it suits you."
I scoffed. "Fuck off, Mr. Felton."
I stood frozen in his presence, and I needed to decide my next move as Mr. Sex-on-legs stalked toward me like a lion in the jungle claiming his next victim.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Miss Downs."
"No." I hesitated. "I wouldn't."
Finnley wrapped his arms around my waist, and I wanted to push him away, but my body responded instantly. I shuddered. Stupid body betrayed my commands again. Damn it.
"You're a horrible fucking liar, Miss Downs," he whispered over my lips. His breath lingered on my skin, causing my heart to race. The thought of his family in the next room caused my nerves to go haywire as his hand trailed up my leg, lifting my skirt just enough for him to feel the lace edges of the panties under my dress.
"Mmm." He slid his fingers under the little string that held them to my thighs and grabbed them in his fist. When he ripped the fabric from my body, a stinging sensation brought me back to reality. The electricity of his ferocity mingled with my want, my need, for him. I was weak as much as I wanted to be strong, and I felt my wall crumbling. He dangled the broken white lace in front of my face, smiled, then tucked it in his pocket. A gleam of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
"You bastard," I said.
"I've warned you about those names already. Think of something better, Miss Downs. Be fucking original." He grabbed my ass with a hard hand, and I moaned, but not so loud as to be overheard. His lips and teeth traced along my neckline and he pulled skin, causing small spikes of pain to course through me. I forced myself to pull away.
"Mr. Felton, dick hole, stop. You're being disrespectful, and I don't want this."
He laughed. "Dick hole? Wouldn't that be you, Miss Downs? I've found your smart-ass mouth continuously says one thing, but your body says another. So, which is it?"
He grabbed another handful of ass, and I moaned into his chest and squeezed my legs together. When I thought I might fuck him on the rug in his mother's living room while chatter drifted from the kitchen, Finnley moved away from me. He grabbed his wine from the table, moved to the piano, and sipped. I moved my skirt over my bare ass, crossed my arms, and pursed my lips. Sometimes he really was a bastard.
Then that sinister smile overtook his whole body. The one that made my insides tingle with delight. The one that said you're fucking mine and I know it. Finn enjoyed the way my body responded to his slaps, grabs, his dirty fucking words and snarky comments. Control. He had it, even though I tried to tell myself he didn't.
I looked at him and mouthed, 'Stop, or you'll be fucking sorry.'
He slowly shook his head and mouthed back, 'Not a chance.'
The impulse to touch him was too much, but somehow I resisted. I contemplated going to him and fucking him on the piano bench. It had been too long since I had felt Finnley Felton or had his bare skin press against mine. When I made the decision to play his mind fuck, that I would tease him and make him beg for me to stop, a clearing of a throat stopped me in my tracks. We both turned our heads, and Luke stood with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Dinner's ready, join us?" Luke winked at me. I shook my head at him and scowled. Of course, he smiled. I still couldn't believe he was in on this the whole time.
"Shall we?" Finnley said, and slapped my ass before we entered into the dining area. I turned and conjured the best go-to-hell-and-I-hope-I-am-going-with-you look that I could.
Smells of fresh herbs lingered. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw all the deliciousness that filled the table.
"Mum always cooks way too much," Luke said.
Finnley pulled a seat from the table for me to sit. Franklin and Emma smiled as Finn sat beside me. They were proud parents and had every right to be. They had raised two very fine men, although at this moment, I wanted to curse out both of them.
We passed around salad, roasted chicken, and vegetables.
"I didn't know you made my favorite," Luke said, as Emma brought out a plate of cookies.
"I know how you and Finnley completely rave over Grandmum’s recipe. Since I have you both home, I thought, why not?"
Finnley gave me a side-glance. I ignored him and cut into my chicken. The flavors filled my mouth, meaty and delicious, and not like anything I had ever tasted.
"So, Jennifer. Won't you tell us a bit about yourself?"
I wiped my mouth with the napkin and made sure not to put my elbows on the table. I felt like I was back in the training room, and I was being asked The Elite questions that I had memorized.
"Oh, sure. I was born in Texas. Graduated from the University of Houston and recently moved to Vegas."
She continued to smile. "And how did you meet my sons?"