Finnley grabbed my leg, and I paused, but then continued.
"Actually, I met Finnley at the Bellagio when I came into town."
"Really? That's interesting. Almost like fate or something."
She had no idea.
"Yeah, sorta. After my parents passed away, I… well, I wanted change."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Emma said.
Then Franklin spoke. "I think all of us here have lost someone we've loved at one point in our life. It seems you met Finnley at the right time."
"So, Texas… is it true what they say? Is everything bigger there?" Emma asked.
I laughed, and everyone else laughed as well.
"If you only knew," I said. "Actually, you should visit one day. There is a beautiful bed and breakfast in my hometown. It's by the Neches River. I lived really close to Louisiana. You should experience the Cajun-French food, and Texas delicacies like gumbo, chicken and dumplins, bacon covered donuts."
I gave Luke a glance, remembering the time we shared. Then Emma looked over at Franklin, and they shared a smile. They were so in love with one another, it was sweet. It kind of reminded me of the way my parents acted.
Luke favored his dad: dark hair, blue eyes, and a strong jaw. They even had the same laugh. Emma loved Franklin tons. I knew once Luke found a partner, their love wouldn't be any different from his parents. Some men are easy to love.
"Thanks so much for dinner. Seriously, it was the best I've ever had," I said to Emma. Everyone stood, and she began clearing the plates from the table.
"Thanks, Lovely. Finn, you better keep her around. I like her," Emma said, as I grabbed the plates from the table and followed her to the kitchen.
"I plan on it," Finnley said.
Of course the bastard did.
"You can set it there," she said. I placed the dishes in the sink, and before I walked out Emma stopped me.
"Jennifer."
"Yes ma'am?"
"I've not seen Finnley act this way in a long while. I know how he can be hard sometimes. But he really is a brilliant man. Take care of him," she said then reached over and gave me a big hug.
Take care of him? His mother should be saying a silent prayer for me, because her son was an animal. Finnley, and taking care of, didn't go together.
I walked back to the dining room, and Luke helped grab more dishes.
"Finn fired Jesse," Luke whispered.
My movements slowed.
"What? For what?" I tilted my head and looked at him.
"For sexual harassment."
"Toward who?"
"Finnley."
I burst into laughter, but swallowed it back when Luke put his finger over his mouth. What were the damn odds of her being fired for sexually harassing Finnley? Fucking hilarious.
"So it really was just incredibly horrible timing?"
"I'd say so. Apparently he was furious beyond belief."
A smile crept across my face. Oh, how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when he fired her. I imagined the hard look in his eyes and the harsh words he spoke. When it came to business, Finnley was nothing but serious, ruthless, professional, and cold. But Jesse deserved to see that side of him. I wouldn't be surprised if she planned the whole thing, and made sure the timing was perfect in hopes of sabotaging me. When I left that building, jealousy reared its ugly head, accompanied by self-doubt. I trusted Finnley, didn't I? He was faithful to me, wasn't he?
I stifled a laugh. I bet it chapped her ass to know that we had one thing in common: being fired from The Elite. Unfortunately for her, I got the last laugh. Momma always said not to rub things in people’s faces or say 'I told you so' because it wasn't very polite, but at that moment, I wanted to.
Finnley leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed as Luke and I finished clearing the table. I made eye contact with him as he watched me hungrily. After the dishes were cleared and washed, Franklin made coffee for everyone, and we took our conversations to the living room.
Twenty-two
Emma brought a tray of biscuits, or cookies as I call them, to the sitting area where Finnley sat relaxed, reading a magazine, and Luke spoke with his father about his upcoming project. We were each given a saucer with a biscuit, and when I took a bite, I couldn't hold back a smile. I had tasted them before.
"These are delicious," I said, and shifted my eyes toward Finnley.
"It's a secret recipe passed down from my great-great grandmum," Emma said. Luke bit into one, sipped his coffee, and continued to talk with his father.
"I've had them before," I said.
"I don't think so. It's an extremely secret recipe," Emma insisted.
"She's had them," Finnley said and sipped.
Emma set the cup down, interlocked her fingers together, and glared at Finn, almost as if she couldn't believe it.
"Jennifer, they tasted exactly like this?"
I nodded my head. They had, I couldn't lie.
"I thought you said you couldn't get the recipe right," she said to Finn.
"I practiced until they were perfect. Just like yours and grandmum’s."
"Did you find the ingredient you were missing?"
"I did," Finnley replied and set his cup down as well.
"I was over-mixing, trying to stay within the lines, and following the recipe exactly. But I realized that I couldn't do it precisely like the directions. I had to give a little here and there, and mix it until I thought it was done, not a specific time limit or number of mixes. Once I did that… they were perfect." He laughed and smiled with his mother. He loved her so much.
"Very good, Finn. I'm so proud of you and impressed. All it takes is a little love to get it right," Emma said and lifted an eyebrow at me.
My heart pounded in my chest. Seeing Finnley like this, relaxed, talking about recipes and reading magazines, was different. No smart-ass mouth, no dirty words or fancy clothes. Finnley wasn't being uptight, but rather normal. Every piece of my body wanted to run to him and kiss him. He wasn't being Finnley fucking Felton, the most fuckable CEO, but rather his mother and father's son, a brother, and most of all, a man that any woman could fall in love with.
We finished, and before Finn sat down his cup, he looked over at me with a blazing fire in his eyes.
"I've got something to show you," he whispered.
I shot him a confused look.
"My old bedroom. Hasn't changed since the day I left home twelve years ago."
All eyes were on me and I blushed. I had to play the part: the girl he brought home to meet the parents. He stood, and I followed. We climbed the stairs, and he barely waited for me.
When we rounded the corner, he opened the door to the room at the end. Inside were posters of soccer players on the wall and a keyboard in the corner. Finnley sucked in a deep breath and turned on me.
"The way you looked at me downstairs," he said. Then his lips were on mine and he was backing me up against the wall. Every sense and emotion heightened. He threaded his fingers through my hair and kissed me so hard my lips hurt. Want, need, desire, they all overtook me.
I kissed him greedily as I unbuttoned his pants. Every inch of him was excited and wanted me. He tugged my hair toward him, pulled me closer, and forced me to look into his eyes. I was like air, and he couldn't breathe me in fast enough. He pulled my dress up to my waist. Luckily, he'd already removed my panties, or rather put them in his pocket as a good luck charm.
When he inserted himself into me, I gasped. All of him, every inch of him, filled me, and he moaned in my ear as he pushed deeper into me. We couldn't have enough of each other. I needed him so much. We moved with one another, and he became more animalistic and rough with me, and I wanted it. Oh God, I needed it. I swallowed down moans, as my emotions rose and collapsed on themselves like waves at sea.