Page 36 of Finn

Cillian shrugs but isn’t finished. “Alessia is a beautiful woman.” I nod because I already know this. “You sure it’s a good idea having her here with all the rich assholes? It’s entirely possible they’ll mistake her for one of the girls and get a little handsy.”

“If anyone has a problem with her not being for sale, they can come find me. I expect everyone within these walls to treat her with the same respect they treat me.”

“Expectations and actuality are two different things, Finn.”

“Then I’ll handle it like I handled that punk at the fights last night. If the men who walk through those doors care about walking out with all of their limbs attached, they’ll be damn careful not to disrespect what’s mine.”

Cillian gives me a flat look and exhales. “I hope to fuck this doesn’t blow up in our faces.”

Chapter ten

Alessia

The first night after working at the casino, Finn nearly had to carry me to bed. These late nights are a far cry from what I’m used to, but at least it’s something to do rather than twiddling my thumbs every day. And I like it. So far, the clientele has been pleasant, even if a few of them have cast me suspicious glances from time to time. It’ll take some getting used to for a lot of the old-school Irish men to see one of the Amattos in their space, let alone working in one of their establishments.

I’ve been there every night for the last week. Finn told me to take the evening off tonight, saying he didn’t want me getting burned out at the start. I tried to argue a little, but honestly, it was halfhearted at best. I just need a little time to adjust to my new schedule. Either that or Finn was tired of having to lead a zombie up to bed every night. He leaves me at my bedroom door and says a polite good night before heading to his room.

Every. Damn. Night.

There was a fire in him the night of the fights I haven’t seen since. It seems the only time he gets in my space is when we’re arguing. Otherwise, he’s a perfectly respectable stranger. I liked him in my space the other night. Maybe a little too much. When he covered my mouth with his hand so I wouldn’t interrupt him, I felt something more than fury toward his domineering attitude. A lot more. Having him that close, that intense, it shook me. It made me uncomfortable, then it made me have to change my panties when I got to my room. What the hell is wrong with me? I’m not attracted to men like Finn. Men who demand to be listened to like that, who have no problem invading my personal space to command my attention. I hate that, in fact. So why did I have a sudden and intense urge to press myself into his heated body and shut him up by slamming my mouth to his?

Scrubbing my hands over my face then groaning at the ceiling, I sit up from my bed and check the time on my phone. It’s nearly ten in the morning. I’ll admit, it was a touch daunting, seeing the red walls, cream duvet, and massive cream-colored tufted leather headboard when I first walked into this room a few weeks ago. I don’t think I’ve seen such bold colors painted on a bedroom wall before, but considering red is my favorite color, I quite like the space. Good thing, considering this is my new home.

Even though Finn and I haven’t been getting back from the casino until around four a.m., we’ve still been training in his gym every day. Aside from boxing, I’ve found my husband is skilled in Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do. Come to find out, when Enzo was a kid, he envisioned himself as a UFC fighter, so those two have been sparring at the end of our training sessions for fun. There’s something about watching Finn trying to incapacitate Enzo that has enthralled me on more than one occasion when I was meant to be stretching and cooling down. The look of fierce determination and focus Finn wore was more than a little distracting and did little to slow my racing heart rate from our workout. Damn that man for being so tempting and completely wrong for me. Not that there would be any chance of finding a man that was right for me. He made it very clear what his stance on marriage and fidelity are.

Trusting men like Finn can be dangerous, especially to my heart. It’s one thing to say you find the idea of infidelity offensive, but it’s another to go your entire life married to one woman and never fall into the bed of another. Especially a man who’s as powerful as Finn, who surely has women throwing themselves at him, with or without the band of gold he wears. Hell, there are plenty of women out there who find it a challenge. I don’t have much faith in the declaration he made in regard to cheating. But even I’ll admit, an entire lifetime is a long-ass time to go without sex. And the way Finn makes me feel when he doesn’t think I notice him watching me makes the idea of having a platonic marriage with him nearly unbearable. The only problem is knowing I have to keep my heart guarded at all times, and sex tends to muddy the waters. But when my mind wanders to him sweaty and breathless in the gym or the night of our wedding when he was helping me with the buttons of my dress, my reasons for wanting the walls seem to be less and less pressing.

“Get it together, Alessia,” I say out loud to my cat, who is pawing at my blanket, trying to get me out of bed to go feed him.

“Fine, you win.” I scratch his head and throw the covers off me.

Throwing on a robe over my nightgown, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Finn hasn’t made it down yet, if the lack of coffee brewing is any indication. I start the pot and decide to make us a light breakfast before our workout. As I’m finishing cutting the fruit, Finn walks into the kitchen in nothing but a pair of running shorts, his naked chest that’s smattered with a bit of hair on full display. My husband works out a lot, and I see the hours he’s put in in every ripple of muscle on his defined chest, all the way to his toned abs, straight down to the top of his shorts, where a deep, chiseled V-cut muscle dives under the waistband.

You will not stare. You will not drool, I tell myself as my heart rate kicks up several notches.

“Good morning.” His voice is husky, and his hair is still mussed from sleep. “You made breakfast?”

“It’s nothing fancy. Just some fruit and yogurt before we head to the gym,” I reply, putting a spoon in his bowl and sliding it across the island.

“Looks better than the sludge you made us drink the other day.”

“God, you’re such a baby. How about, Thank you, Alessia, for caring about my well-being and eating habits instead of lacing the energy drinks I’m constantly pouring into my body with arsenic? You realize how unhealthy those things are, right?” Turning toward the coffeepot, I pull down two mugs, barely resisting the temptation to throw one at his head.

As I’m pouring my coffee, I feel the heat from his nearly naked body radiate into my back, with nothing but my thin robe and nightgown separating us.

“Thank you for not murdering me, Alessia.” His voice is low, and I feel the vibration of his chest as he chuckles.

Everything stops. My breath, my heart, my awareness of what the hell is going on around me. The only thing I feel is the warmth against my back and the minty scent of Finn’s freshly brushed teeth as he holds himself still behind me.

“Shit,” I say when I look down and realize I’ve overfilled my mug and there’s coffee dripping from the counter onto the gray marbled tile and my bare feet.

Damn distracting man.

Finn takes a step back, and I can finally take a breath before grabbing the paper towel and cleaning up the mess.

“I was thinking we could go for a run instead of the gym this morning. Test your endurance.”

“My endurance is fine, but I wouldn’t mind some outdoor exercise,” I reply, tossing the soiled paper towels in the trash.

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