Page 65 of A Bucket List Birthday

He chuckles, and the sound vibrates against my skin. Finn kisses my shoulder, my neck. “Such a dirty mouth when you’re so turned on,” he says.

I feel his tongue trace over the side of my throat, cool compared to the temperature of the water. His hands are moving now, dragging over my body to cover my skin. Water droplets drip from that loose strand of hair at his brow, and land on my chest, sliding down between my breasts.

When I finally rinse off the soap, Finn is still looming close behind me. I can’t think about anything but him. I want him inside me again.

“Condom,” I whisper.

“On the sink outside of the curtain.” His answer doesn’t bring me the relief I crave, but it’s enough. “I’d like to do something first.”

He gently guides me to turn around, pressing until my back is against the shower wall. Finn slowly runs his hand over the outside of my thigh. He grasps just above my knee to lift my leg and places my foot on the lip of the tub. I’m entirely bare to him. Then Finn does something that has me letting go of all rational thought.

He drops to his knees, his firm hands holding me open. When he stares up at me, my heart thrashes in my chest. The water drips around his face, down his torso to the hair blazing a trail on his lower stomach. When I nod in confirmation, he leans forward, and I feel his hot breath just before his tongue.

“Fucking hell,” I rasp.

Finn chuckles, slowly moving one hand until he presses two fingers inside of me. He’s stroking, licking, keeping time better than anyone I know, and I’m suddenly thankful he considers music to be his passion.

“Finn.” I can’t stop. My hips move, rocking in a way that should be embarrassing, but when he groans, I throw the embarrassment right out the window. He presses in, sucking as the pleasure rips through me. I cry out, fisting my hand in hishair. His fingers continue stroking, his tongue slowly easing to a halt until my body stops trembling.

Before I have time to fully recover, he’s up and reaching out of the shower to the sink. Once the condom is on, Finn spins me away from him, gently placing my hands on the shower walls. The water sprays around us, the steam creating a thick fog.

He places a gentle kiss on my neck, and it draws me back to the present. Finn’s warm chest presses against my back, the weight of it maddening. “I don’t want to stop going on adventures with you,” he whispers so close, a shiver tumbles down my spine. “In case you were wondering.”

When I speak, my voice is breathless. “I wasn’t wondering that at all,” I admit. My mind only preoccupied with the direct present. “But it’s still nice to know.”

Finn chuckles, and within moments, he’s easing inside of me. I clench at the fullness, and press back into him. The noise he makes awakens some kind of feral beast inside me, and my back arches.

He’s thrusting, and my fingers are pressing into the shower wall, my body suddenly climbing all over again.

When Finn moves a hand to where I need him most, he keeps time with his hips, drawing pleasure from every possible corner of my body. His grip tightens on my waist just before his thumb tilts me forward. Everything feels deeper and more intense. A dark sound drags from deep in his throat, sending me over the edge with him.

The water’s gone lukewarm, but there’s still so much steam in the room, it reminds me of the windows of his Jeep.

Finn’s head falls to my shoulder, his wet hair sending droplets of water down my back. I can feel the deep rumble of his voice everywhere. “I can’t get enough of you,” he says, and I am certain I feel the exact same way about him.

Once dressed, I walk Finn to the front door, kissing him as his fingers gently brush against my throat, reminding me of everything we’ve done.

He keeps his lips close to mine. “Merry Christmas, Ellie.”

I smile. “Merry Christmas,” I whisper before letting him go.

When Finn opens the door, Lennon is standing on the other side with her fist raised as if she were just about to knock. Which is strange, but then I realize Finn’s car is parked out front.

Her eyes are so wide, I swear they’re about to pop out of her head. She must have realized who the car belonged to, but in this moment, doesn’t seem to believe it’s true.

Griffin nods, offering her a wide smile while adjusting his coat. “Good to see you, Lennon.” He’s walking past her, but I don’t miss the glint in his eye when his gaze briefly flicks back to me. “And Merry Christmas.”

For the first time in Lennon’s life, she has nothing to say. Her mouth hangs open as she watches him climb into his car and drive down the road.

“Hey,” I mutter, my cheeks flaming.

“Hey?” she asks. “I just watched that man walk out these damn doors at ten in the morning on Christmas day looking like he just received the best sex of his life, and all you have to say for yourself is fucking hey?” Her voice rose the closer she got to the end of that sentence, and I chuckle.

Lennon points an accusing finger in my direction. “Don’t you fucking laugh,” she says. “I want details. Right now. Santa and baby Jesus can wait. They get this day every fucking year.”

When she plows through the door, I take one extra second to look down the street where Finn’s car disappeared.

Maybe I should have opened withhow are youinstead.

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