Page 39 of Exile and Embrace

“I won’t tell you what happened. It is better if you don’t know, for both our sakes.” Finn perches himself on the edge of the tub as I follow him into the washroom, careful to stay out of my injured heel.

I pull out the medical kit from beneath the sink and put it on the counter before pointing at the tub. “Get in. You need to wash some of the blood off so I can see what’s going on.”

He swings his legs to the side, a soft groan coming from deep in his chest.

And my heart speeds. How bad is he hurt?

Finn leans back against the sloped edge of the white tub as I pull the sprayer off the hook. His eyes close, and his head tilts back.

I adjust the water until it’s warm before waving the soft spray along his body.

The water is red with the blood as it circles the drain.

My chest constricts as cuts appear on his chest, rivulets of blood running from them.

“Still don’t want to tell me what the hell you were doing out there?” I turn off the water once it runs clear.

Finn pulls himself out of the tub and sits on the edge. “Like I said, it’s better if you don’t know.”

I grab a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton rounds. “I know what you did for a living, Finn. I spent enough time around your family. I’m not asking for the details. I’m just asking you to confirm what I already know.”

“You know I would never hurt you, right?” His voice is chocked.

He hisses as I press an antiseptic-soaked round against one of the cuts.

Silence stretches between us as I grab another round and keep dabbing at the cuts.

Finn grabs my hand. “You know that I would never hurt you, don’t you, Aves?”

A lump in my throat makes it impossible to form words. I shrug a shoulder and reach for more antiseptic.

Finn lets out a strangled noise, burying his face in his hands.

“When you were in prison, you said that you didn’t want to be this person anymore.” My voice is soft, but the words are urgent. “You said that you were tired of being your father’s pawn but look at where you are.”

I can’t meet his burning gaze as I motion for him to turn around.

He doesn’t, still staring at me. He clears his throat as I reach for another cotton round.

“I also told you that I like the power.”

When I don’t answer, he takes the pack of cotton rounds and throws them across the room. “Fuck’s sake, Ava, talk to me. You’re the one who wanted to talk, so we’re going to talk.”

“Alright.” I move away from him, needing the distance to keep a clear head. “What the fuck happened to the man that I’ve known all these years?”

Finn chuckles and shakes his head, strands of his wet hair falling into his eyes. “You think you knew me? Ava, when are you going to realize that you knew nothing about me?”

“Oh, so you weren’t the man who used to bring me half of his snack cake because he knew I didn’t eat in the middle of the workday? Not once when you came to clean the infirmary did you ever entertain me on the hard days? Or what about that guard you almost punched because he kept calling me sweet tits? You think I don’t know that an inmate did attack him later? And I’m not even going back to when we saw each other before…”

Finn smirks and shrugs a shoulder. “That was more than worth the time in the hole I got for it.”

I point a finger in his direction. “I knew it was you. You might pretend to be a giant asshole like your brother, and maybe you are, but you never have been when it came to me. So, who the hell are you right now?”

Finn gets up, stalking toward me.

My gaze rakes down his toned body, pussy clenching as water droplets roll down his chest.

Soaked boxers cling to his frame, outlining his hardening cock.

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