Page 10 of Unintentionally Yours

“Maybe. Or maybe you finally grew a backbone and decided to go after what you wanted.”

She propped a hand on her hip. “Did you just call me spineless?”

Finn’s mouth kicked up at the corner. “You said it, not me.”

She laughed, visibly relaxing for the first time since she’d seen the cabin on her mad flight. The smile that lingered lit up her whole face, turning her from merely pretty to beautiful.

Oh, he was in over his head. Way, way over his head with this woman.

“Alright, Finn Brody, since you’re so wise, riddle me this—what does a runaway bride do now that she’s run away?”

“Whatever the hell you want to.”

“Oh, if only it were that easy.”

“Sometimes, Layla, it really is that easy.”

“Is that what you did? Why you’re living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?”

Finn went still, his expression shuttering. For a moment, Layla feared she’d overstepped, pushed too hard.

“Something like that,” he answered quietly. “I had to get away, clear my head after…” he trailed off. “After some things I saw. Some things I did.”

He shook his head as if shaking away the memories. Then he was focusing back on Layla with an intensity that made her shiver.

“Point is, I understand the need to run. To find somewhere safe to lick your wounds and figure out your next move.”

Their eyes met and held for a moment. Finn felt it like a physical thing, a live wire sparking along his nerve endings. Every instinct, every cell in his body screamed at him to pick her up and carry her to his bed.

And stay there with her.

“Goodnight, Finn,” she said softly.

“Goodnight, Goldi.”

Then she was gone, disappearing down the darkened hallway. Finn stared after her, suddenly acutely aware of the silence.

Fuck. He was in so much trouble.

What the hell was he doing? Taking in a stranger, offering up his home like some kind of backwoods bed and breakfast for runaway brides? He must be losing his mind.

He finished up in the kitchen on autopilot, his mind whirling in useless circles. What was he doing? Letting her stay, making her dinner, practically tucking her into his bed...

It was insanity. Sheer, unadulterated lunacy.

And yet...he couldn’t bring himself to regret a single moment. Not the unexpected visitor, not the stilted conversation, not the unfamiliar warmth unfurling in his chest.

Layla was...different. Unique. She saw him, looked right through his bullshit and his bluster to the man beneath. It was terrifying. Exhilarating.

He wanted to know her, this brave woman who’d run headlong into the unknown. Wanted to unravel her secrets, soothe her hurts, make her smile that blinding smile.

He wanted...

Too much. He wanted too damn much.

Finn inhaled sharply through his nose. He needed to get a grip. Needed to focus on the practicalities, the next steps.

Should he let her stay? Or take her back down the mountain? Yes, despite what he’d told her, he had no doubt he could get her safely into town if he wanted to.

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