Page 96 of A Little Secret

“Never pegged you for a minimalist,” I say as I set yet another box on the kitchen counter. We spent the last couple of hours packing her stuff into boxes, and carrying them over here. Her mattress is in her room, but the majority of small boxes containing things like clothes and toiletries are scattered along her bedroom floor and have now spread into the kitchen.

Yeah. Minimalist isn’t a term I’d use to describe the girl in front of me, for sure.

With a smirk, Finley sways toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Gotta put these muscles to work, Griff.”

“Are you using me for my body?”

“I mean…can you blame me?” She drags her hands down my biceps and squeezes before snaking them along my trap muscles, noting, “Although you are a dirty boy.”

With a laugh, I wrap my arms around her waist and sway us back and forth. Her feet are bare, and her baggy, hot pink sweats hang low on her hips. I splay my fingers against her lower back and memorize the feel of her silky skin in my hands. “Are you complaining?”

“Hardly.” Rising onto her tiptoes, she kisses me softly. “I like it when you make me dirty.” Her heels hit the ground,and she rests her head on my chest as I chuckle quietly. This girl. To say she’s a handful is an understatement, but I’ve learned to crave the chaos. The smartass remarks. The teasing. Fuck, I crave everything about her.

“I also like it when you dance with me like this,” she adds with a wistful sigh.

“Is that what we’re doing?”

“I mean, I could always use some music, but…”

Keeping her pressed against me with one hand, I fish in the front pocket of my joggers, pull out my phone, and open Spotify. As an IndieCent Vows song filters through the speaker, I set my cell down on the kitchen counter and pull Finley closer into me.

Her laugh is light and airy as she lifts her head, smiling up at me. “Smooth.”

“I can be smooth.”

“I’m aware. You’re very smooth. Why else do you think I let you into my pants?”

“So, it wasn’t my charming personality?”

She snorts. “Nah. It was definitely the body that got you into my pants, but it’s the personality that won you a season pass, so you’re welcome.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “Are you saying I’ll have to renew in a year?”

“You’ll be gone in a year,” she points out.

With a frown, I lean back, making sure I can study her expression. “You really think I’m going anywhere?”

“Uh, I know you’ll be going somewhere.” She fake-coughs. “Tornadoes.”Cough, cough.

Her nonchalance would kill me if I didn’t know her better. The way she ticks. The way she hides her vulnerability behind a thick coat of sarcasm. Yeah. I know Finley Taylor. And this girl? She’s kind of attached to me, too.

At least the feeling’s mutual.

I tuck her long dark hair behind her ear. “We’ll figure it out.”

She stays quiet, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, then gives a slow nod. “Careful, Griffin. If you keep dancing with me like this, I just might believe you.”

I lean in for another kiss, and she raises her chin, meeting me halfway. It’s been like this for a while now. Tiptoeing around my contract with the Tornadoes, and the expiration date accompanying it. After our lunch meeting, my agent reached out to Deemwater. He wanted to confirm I hadn’t pissed the GM off by rejecting his offer before I played like shit against the Bulldogs. By some miracle, the Tornadoes are still anxious for me to represent their organization. It should make me feel better. Instead, I’m preoccupied with what-if’s.

Finley’s whole life is here. And mine? Mine’s waiting for me a thousand miles away. Closing my eyes, I drag my tongue along the seam of her lips, memorizing the shape. The softness. The taste.

A quiet sigh escapes her.

“Question,” she murmurs against my mouth, then pulls away, peeking up at me.

“Yeah?”

“Do you, uh…” She hesitates, and her eyes become nothing but slits.

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