Page 14 of Primal

I silently nod in agreement.

“It’s true,” he admits. “Whatever he may have told you, it’s probably true.”

Taking in his battered and bloody appearance as he admits that he’s everything Uncle Sean said he is—a shameless womanizer, a thief, and a murderer—I don’t feel the least bit unsafe sitting beside him.

“But… You saved me tonight…” My words trail off as I stare at him.

Pulling to a stop before the church, the leather of his seat crinkles as he turns to face me and replies, “Of course I did.”

“It’s just…”

“What? Tell me what you’re thinking.”

The streetlight above us causes his blue eyes to twinkle as he stares at me, awaiting my answer. My gaze wanders over his face and back to his eyes, which have a softness that I didn’t notice when we first met. “Just… With what I’ve heard and how you talk to me… I can’t help but wonder if you’re a bad man who does good things or a good man who does bad things.”

“I guess you’ll just have to get to know me to find out.” A flirtatious grin spreads across his face, causing heated crimson to creep over mine.

Uncle Sean would lose his mind if he caught me in this car. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve never met a man like Finn or if it’s how he looks at me, but there is definitely something keeping me from opening the door. Mustering every bit of courage I have, I blurt, “Okay.”

That one word leads to hundreds more, and hours pass as we sit in his Bronco under the dim lighting and talk. Glancing at the dash, I realize it’s a little after midnight. With a hesitancy due to being unsure of my own words, I mutter, “I should probably go.”

With gravelly sureness, he responds, “I’d rather you didn’t.”

The warm flush he keeps causing spreads over my cheeks, and I struggle to maintain eye contact with him. “Thank you for the ride home.”

“Anytime,” he croons as I reach for the door handle. Dusting his hand over my arm, he opens his door. “Let me.”

Quickly slipping from the driver’s seat, he rounds the SUV. He opens the door and extends a hand to help me from my seat. As I slide from the SUV, I am practically pressed against him whenmy feet hit the pavement. I breathe in his spicy vanilla-laced cologne as I stare up at him.

“I mean it.” He delicately sweeps a strand of hair from my face. His fingers dust my skin as he tucks it behind my ear, and a surge of electricity pimples goosebumps up my body. He glides his hand over my bare shoulder and down my arm. He carefully pulls my phone from my grasp and swipes his thumb over it to find it locked. Gently cupping my hand, he presses my thumb to the censor to unlock it. He taps the screen, and a ding comes from his pocket as he lays the phone back in my palm. “Next time you need a ride this late at night, you have my number.”

“Thank you.” I lean into him and press onto my tippy toes to place a chaste, appreciative kiss on his cheek. When I accidentally meet his soft, warm lips instead, I gasp. Abruptly pulling back, my fingers replace his lips on mine, and I mutter, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.” He drags his tongue along his lower lip. “That was the fucking highlight of my night.”

My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I take a few steps backward. “Good night, Finnigan.”

Not breaking our stare as he closes the passenger door, he coyly smiles at me and returns the sentiment. “Good night, Catlin.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

FINNIGAN

Fuck…

I look down at the uncomfortable bulge in my trousers and adjust myself.

The last time I got hard from a peck on the lips, I was probably about thirteen years old.

Watching the beautiful cause of my discomfort climb up the church steps, I walk around the Bronco to the driver’s side door. I ensure she’s safely inside before climbing behind the wheel and heading home.

My cock hasn’t gotten the memo that Catlin and I went our separate ways about twenty minutes ago, and I’m still hard as a fucking rock when I walk through the door of my apartment. My phone dings, and I can’t help but smile as I reach into my pocket, hoping it’s her. Swiping it open, I sigh upon realizing it’s definitely not the text I was hoping for.

NIKKI

I’ve been thinking about wrapping my lips around your cock since I got home.

I haven’t stopped thinking about having a pair of soft pink lips wrapped around my cock, either. They just don’t belong to Nikki. Not bothering to respond, I toss the phone onto the black granite of the kitchen counter. I walk past the dark-brown leather couch in the living room as I head toward my master suite. Undoing my pants as I walk, I push them low enough for my cock to spring free. I teasingly stroke myself as I pass through the threshold.

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