Page 120 of Camera Shy

Avery

Finn has the exact same coffee maker that Dex does. It’s far fancier than a coffee maker should be. There are more buttons here than inside of a high-rise elevator. But after more than half a summer navigating Dex’s pretentious caffeine machine, I’m able to make a good pot of coffee with my eyes closed. Four scoops. Thirty-six ounces. Extra bold.

I’m grabbing a coffee mug from the cabinet when I hear the front door open and then slam shut. Instinctively, I pull at the hem of Finn’s undershirt that I’m wearing. I’m a full-figured girl and in no way is Finn’s thin, white muscle shirt draped over me. It’d probably be much looser and longer on the model type, but between my chest, my hips, and my ass, this shirt is a baby tee on me and whoever is walking through that front door is about to get a show. I have no time to dart back to the bedroom.

“Finn!”

I’m relieved to hear Lennox’s voice.

“It’s me,” I call out. “And fair warning, I’m in my underwear.”

Lennox turns the corner and sees my flushed, sheepish smile. I cross my right leg over the left in a show of modesty. She smirks at me, looking thoroughly pleased. “You guys really hump like bunnies, don’t you?”

I blink at her. “We had…an adult sleepover after the photo shoot,” I say wryly as I cross my arms.

She begins to laugh then her face flattens in concern. “Wait, you mean you guys did the photo shoot and then came back to the main house, right—”

I give her a guilty, closed-lip smile as Finn turns the corner and answers for me. “We definitely did not. We christened the shit out of my studio. We’re going to need to clean up in there a little.”

Finn’s shirtless, showing off his taut, firm abs. They look extra swollen today, like he put them through a hellish workout. Hmm, how much does thrusting work the ab muscles? I feel a twinge of guilt as I appreciate Finn’s perfectly defined body knowing what’s firm on him is soft on me. I am never going to measure up to his level when it comes to looks. I have no idea what this man sees in me. Maybe kindness? Respect? Smarts? But is that enough to carry a relationship? It certainly wasn’t enough for Mason and me.

“You horny assholes. Do you know how long I worked on staging?”

Finn ruffles Lennox’s hair as he passes, the way an annoying big brother would. “You did a great job. The set worked beautifully. We’ll have pictures back in a couple weeks or so…not that I get to see them.” When he gets to me, he wraps his arms around me, letting his hand rest on my half-covered ass. He kisses me unapologetically as if Lennox is nowhere in sight. When I’m good and breathless, he pulls his cool lips from mine and tugs on the T-shirt I’m wearing. “This looks so sexy on you. Keep it. I want to see you in it again tomorrow when I wake up.”

God, I love the attention.

Is that so wrong to admit? Can I be a sensible, hard-working, un-shallow woman and still melt into a puddle when this Adonis of a man looks at me like this?

Finn glances at my empty mug and takes it from me, understanding I haven’t had a chance to pour a cup yet.

“Your phone is over there charging. You must’ve forgotten it out here last night, so I plugged it in.” I point to the outlet on the kitchen island. “It rang like four times this morning.”

“Who’s been calling?” Finn asks absentmindedly. He fetches another cup from the cabinet to match mine and proceeds to fill both cups.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” he parrots in a mumble. “You said you plugged in my phone.”

“Yeah.”

“So you didn’t see who was calling?”

“I didn’t look. Wouldn’t that be an invasion of privacy?”

Finn spins around and his puzzled eyes meet mine. “You can. I have nothing to hide.”

I return his befuddled expression. “I believe you. But I respect your privacy.”

Maybe I should’ve gone through Mason’s phone from time to time. I could’ve gotten a tip-off as to what was going on. It’s more than possible that his adventures on the Rumble app didn’t start after we were broken up. I just have never been a snoop. Getting dumped isn’t going to change that.

Finn crosses the room with intention and wraps his forearm around my shoulders, yanking me against his chest. He smells earthy and musky, mixed with the last remnants of his cologne and my shampoo. He smells like we fucked all night. Because we did. Finn plants a firm kiss on the top of my head before releasing me. His unspoken outburst of emotion is obvious. I may be the first woman who’s respected Finn’s privacy.

It’s in this moment that I realize I’m not the only one who was in an unhappy relationship. Where mine was bland and monotonous, Finn’s was boldly volatile. Still…we’re both survivors.

“Well, I’m going to go assess the damage, you jerks,” Lennox says, reminding me we have company. Finn’s embrace was so desperately emotional, the whole world fell away for a moment. “But here, Avery,” she says, setting a paper shopping bag on the kitchen counter next to me. “I stopped by a friend’s boutique store this morning to pick up some stuff for the set that you guys defiled, and I mentioned your mermaid costume. She had the perfect one. I bet it’ll be smokin’ sexy on you. And it covers all the important bits.”

“Mermaid costume?” Finn asks.

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