Page 90 of Study You

“You had a genuine reason?” Gillian quirked a brow.

“I did. The online portal seems to be down. Did you have a copy of what you uploaded to it by any chance?”

Gillian brought a hand up, patting Finn’s cheek. “You don’t have to impress me anymore, baby. I’m already yours.”

Finn snorted. Did Gillian really believe that all of her hard work had been a lie? That Finn had done it so Gillian would notice her? Nah. She didn’t need to do that. Gillian always would have seen her at some point. The pull was too hard to ignore. “Babe, I didn’t do any of it to impress you. I’m a hard worker. In my work life and my personal life.”

“Oh, I know just how hard you work. You kept me in bed until two in the afternoon yesterday. If that’s not hard work, I don’t know what is.”

“Well, when the woman I love is demanding I lie down so she can sit on my face, who am I to argue?”

Gillian took a step closer, pressing her body to Finn’s. “You mean to tell me you’re not falling anymore?”

“Honestly? I think I fell the moment I met you.” Finn took Gillian’s bottom lip between her teeth, releasing it slowly. “But to answer your question, no. I’m not falling anymore. I hit the ground hard and woke up madly in love with you.”

“Finn,” Gillian whispered, hooking her fingers through a belt loop. “I—”

“You don’t have to say it back. That’s not necessary. But I’m not afraid to tell you just how hard you’ve hit me since we met. And I can’t help that feeling. We have less than five months to go, and I’m going to girlfriend the fuck out of you when I’m able to.”

“Sounds promising.” Gillian grinned, kissing the tip of Finn’s nose. “But…Finn?”

“Yeah?”

Gillian brought her hand to Finn’s jaw and held it, those gorgeous eyes undoing Finn in all the ways they possibly could. “I love you, too.”

Oh, God. Finn hadn’t expected that. Did she want to hear it? Only every moment for the rest of her life, but she hadn’t thought for one second that Gillian was at that place yet. Who are you kidding? It’s obvious she loves you in the way she touches you. “I…y-you do?”

“I do. But this really isn’t the place to discuss it. You know what’ll likely happen and I don’t want to get caught with your hand between my legs in my office.”

Gillian was absolutely right. And she clearly knew Finn better than Finn knew herself, because that had been Finn’s next move. She grinned, offering Gillian a quick kiss. “You’re right.”

“Now, I should try to figure out the portal while I have time. But I will email you the module notes right away. I’ll send out a mass email, too, in case anyone needs them sooner.”

“Thanks, babe. Appreciate it.”

* * *

Gillian yawned as she closed her front door and lowered her bag to the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Finn’s car was parked outside on the street, and as she moved towards the door that would take her to the back living area and kitchen, Gillian caught a whiff of something delicious. She didn’t know what it was, but her stomach growled. Finn had cooked for her a few times now—Gillian was impressed by her skills—but hadn’t they agreed to takeout tonight?

“Finn?”

“In here, babe,” Finn called out from the kitchen, the sound of utensils clattering against the worktop as Gillian entered the room. “Dinner won’t be long. I didn’t get your message until ten minutes after you sent it. Sorry.”

“Hey,” Gillian spoke low, watching Finn move around her kitchen with ease. One day, this would be their kitchen. One day, all of this would belong to them. It simply had to. No other outcome was acceptable. “Relax. Slow down. What help do you need?”

“I don’t need any help. You go and do what you need to do, and I’ll have dinner ready when you’re done.” Finn finally turned to her, wiping her hands on a towel as she smiled. “But hi. How are you?”

“I’m better now that I’m home.” Gillian lifted onto a stool, taking the hair tie from around her wrist. She dragged her hair up and off her neck, officially done for the day when it came to looking professional. “What time did you get here?”

“Couple of hours ago. Mum was whacked today. She’d been out all day with Monica, and by the time I got there, she was falling asleep. I stayed a while with her, though.”

“Can we hire Monica to take us out places?”

Finn laughed from deep within her belly, crossing the kitchen and standing between Finn’s legs. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, babe.”

“Spain? The Maldives? Bahamas?”

Finn shrugged. “If that’s somewhere you’d like to visit, then let’s look into planning it and booking it. I don’t know that we’d make the Maldives or Bahamas this year, but we could absolutely try for Spain this summer if you fancy it.”

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