Page 79 of Study You

Chapter 26

Finn varnished the final stair, wanting to get finished for the day but also not wanting to do a shoddy job of it. Reading week had commenced today for her degree, and she had plans to surprise Gillian. She had snuck into the apartment after her midday lecture, got the essentials and some gorgeous outfits for Gillian, and packed them away. Finn had no idea if Gillian already had plans—she hadn’t mentioned anything so far—but they were officially cancelled. This weekend, Finn would have Gillian all to herself.

She checked the time, noting that she only had minutes before Gillian arrived. They needed to be on the road by six and ideally out of the house before then. Finn had contacted some trusted friends who she’d worked with in the past, along with three who had already returned favours in the last few weeks, and they would be arriving with any remaining materials she needed to finish off Gillian’s dream home. Not only would they be bringing paint cans and other necessities, but they had offered to finish most of the remaining odd jobs for Finn. Gillian’s home would be complete by the end of next week at the very latest.

The whole reason she had decided to finish varnishing the stairs today was so that Gillian didn’t try to go upstairs when she arrived. Because the upstairs was entirely complete, except for one secret addition she needed to make to a spare room. This was the only way to guarantee that Gillian would be none the wiser, even if Finn itched to drag her up the stairs and show her around. Furniture needed to be assembled, but they could work on that together next week.

As Finn sat back on her knees and removed the mask she’d been wearing, a key in the front door had her smiling. She glanced over her shoulder. “Perfect timing. I’m just finished.”

“Finn, you didn’t say you’d be working after lectures today. I wish you’d take a bloody break.”

She got to her feet and ripped the gloves from her hands, disposing of them in the bin liner hanging from the living room door. “I am going to take a break. All weekend with you, actually.”

Gillian’s eyes widened. “Really? I get you to myself all weekend?”

“Yup. I am here to serve.” Finn stretched her arms out either side of her, grinning. “Work okay?”

“Yes. Fine. Just thankful that I have next week off. My feet need a break from these bloody heels.”

“Is it…some kind of mandatory dress code or something?”

Gillian laughed. “That we wear heels? No. It’s not the 1950s, baby. I can wear whatever I like.”

“Then why do you put yourself through the trouble of wearing heels?” Finn followed Gillian through to the back living area, reaching for her now cold cup of coffee. Ah well. It was wet, if nothing else. “Throw some pumps on and have done with it.”

“If I’m not mistaken, I recall you demanding that I wear heels on campus…”

Shit. Gillian had taken her seriously? “Babe, I was joking. I mean, I love seeing you sauntering around campus, but not if you’re uncomfortable. I’d still get off on seeing you in jeans, since you have a great arse.”

“Do you know how very good you are for my confidence?”

Finn beckoned Gillian closer with a curl of the finger. “I think you have that covered all by yourself.” She hooked an arm around Gillian’s waist and pulled her in. “A gorgeous woman like you has confidence most women would kill for.”

Gillian nodded slowly. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”

Fuck. The look in Gillian’s eyes told Finn just how off the mark she was with that comment. Maybe one day, Gillian would open up to her, but Finn wouldn’t demand it. She’d had the bits and pieces from Jan weeks ago, but Gillian hadn’t added anything as of yet. Nor did she know Jan had spoken to Finn.

“Hey,” Finn whispered as she held Gillian. “I know that was a shitty thing for me to say, and I’m sorry. I have no idea how anyone feels, and I shouldn’t have assumed that I do.”

“It’s okay. No harm done.” Gillian sighed, nuzzling into Finn’s neck. “But just remember that the person I am…is because of you.” Gillian fell silent, holding onto Finn tighter with each second that passed. “We don’t need to talk about it. I just want you to finish up here so we can go back to my place and veg out on the couch.”

“I…had a different idea,” Finn said, holding Gillian in place as she tried to move away. “If you didn’t have anything specific planned for the weekend, anyway.”

“Nothing that doesn’t involve you.” Gillian’s brows drew together. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I may have taken the liberty of booking us a hotel room for the weekend. It’s about a two-hour drive away, so we should be free to go out to dinner. Maybe a club or a cocktail bar…”

“You…did that for us?” Gillian cocked her head, regarding Finn with a sweet smile. “Really?”

“Mmhmm. I wanted us to get away for a few days. I know it’s not much, it’s just a hotel, but I’d love to take you out for dinner and not worry about being caught.”

“Oh, Finn. It’s everything. Really, it is.”

“So, you fancy it then? Because I went to your place on the way here from uni and got some things together for you. I was hoping we could hit the motorway as soon as possible, really.”

Gillian smiled into a kiss, squeezing Finn. “Let’s lock up here and head off.”

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