Page 33 of Home Free

He was a good man. A good man doing the best he could to right a wrong.

She couldn’t use her mind to answer the question of how far she was willing to go for him. For that, she needed only her heart.

And it said she would go all the way.

17

Finn adjusted the bow tie on his tux, then slipped a finger into the collar of his shirt. It had been forever since he’d worn a tie of any kind, since he’d been a teenager for some occasion or another, and he was swiftly remembering why.

He glanced at Ronan, looking perfectly at ease on the suite’s sofa, the jacket of his tux stretching across his shoulders. Ronan had always had that ability — to look at ease in any situation, to be at ease in any situation.

It was a quality Finn didn’t possess. He was most comfortable when he was invisible, disappearing into the world around him.

Which meant this was his worst nightmare.

The only thing he wanted to do less than gallivant with a bunch of rich people was take Elise with him, put her at risk.

But here they were.

Ronan picked up his phone and glanced at the time. They’d been waiting for Elise and Julia to finish getting dressed for nearly a half hour, but Ronan didn’t seem perturbed by the delay. Funny how the man who had to check his murderous frustration with Clay somehow managed to be calm as a cucumber when waiting for his wife.

The door to the bedroom Finn had been sharing with Elise opened.

He turned and was momentarily stunned into silence as Elise stepped into the living room in a deep blue-gray dress. It was simple, with a high neckline and barely-there straps that accentuated her collarbone and arms.

Elise had told him the dress had a “halter-style top.” He hadn’t known what it meant at the time — she’d refused to show him the dress, wanting to surprise him tonight — but now he knew he liked it.

She smoothed the dress’s silky fabric, falling in a straight line that skimmed her curves, and looked at him. “Do you like it?”

“Do I like it?” He fumbled for words, his eyes on the slit that revealed a subtle but long expanse of thigh when she moved. “You look so beautiful I don’t know what to say.”

She walked toward him and placed her palm on his cheek. “You just said it.”

He bent to kiss her cheek, not wanting to smudge her lipstick. Her hair was pulled back from her face, pinned to the top of her head but spilling down her back in an organized tangle of waves that made him think of her naked in bed at three a.m. after he’d explored every inch of her.

He had the urge to slip the straps of the dress off her shoulders, watch it pool at her feet, take her to the bedroom and forget the gala, forget everything but her.

“I felt kind of ridiculous in this monkey suit,” he said, trying to get his desire for her under control. “Now I’m glad I’m wearing it. I need all the help I can get to do you justice.”

She smiled. “You’re crazy. You look like a model in that thing.”

Finn was so busy staring at Elise that he didn’t notice Julia enter the living room in a red dress with a plunging neckline. Ronan was already next to her, his head bent to her ear, whispering something Finn couldn’t hear.

“You look amazing Jules,” Elise said.

“Seconded,” Finn said.

Ronan grinned. “You already know how I feel.”

Julia blushed and swatted at him, giving Finn a good guess at what Ronan had whispered in her ear, or the spirit of it at least. “You’re incorrigible.”

She was obviously pleased with the reaction, and Finn was suddenly glad Julia and Elise had come along. Julia deserved something fun, and the night ahead looked a lot brighter with Elise, gorgeous and dazzling, at his side.

Besides, Julia was right. The Boxgrove gala was just a fancy fundraiser. They’d hobnob with the rich and famous, case the guests, and before he knew it, he’d be in bed with Elise, taking the beautiful dress off her magnificent body.

No drama, no danger.

End of story.

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