Page 5 of Hidden Confessions

His laughter rumbled behind me, and I had to hold back a smile of my own.

“Probably not. Wouldn’t want to stroke that massive ego of yours.”

A part of me wanted to tell him he could stroke something else of mine, but I bit back the words, not daring to take it there yet. When the silence between us stretched and became more noticeable, Finn interrupted it. “What, cat caught your tongue?”

I sighed, shaking my head. I turned to face him again. “Still just as annoying. Even on your last day.”

He smiled, showing me a fine set of whites.

He was loving this. Every single second of it.

I hated that it sent a chill down my spine, because I loved it too.

“Why do I have this feeling that you’re going to miss me?” he asked, arching his brow. He straightened up from the desk he was leaning on, then took a step toward me.

A shudder ran up my spine, every nerve in my body activated as he began closing some of the distance between us.

I wanted to come up with something witty in response, but my mind went completely blank. Again. The lump in my throat returned, and I could feel my stomach tighten.

Just say it.

The voice in the back of my mind nudged me. Like Finn said, we would never see each other again. Boston was miles away from Dallas. Plus, the thought of him leaving without knowing the truth was becoming physically painful.

I swallowed. Hard. Then the words just ripped from my mouth. “You caught my eye from the first moment you walked into the office.”

Finn froze in place, his eyes wide with shock.

“Too bad you’ve always been so irritating, so I never dared to say anything about how I felt about you, how attracted I was toyou, let alone make any move. But you’re leaving now, so to hell with it all. And I know you’re going to make fun of me.” I rolled my eyes. “I know this sounds ridiculous. Trust me, I know. The first time I even thought of it, I wanted to bleach my own mind but... here we are.” My mouth just wouldn’t shut up. “To be honest, I think I did look forward to our interactions every day, Finn. I only convinced myself otherwise because you were.. . you were such a pain, and a part of me—a very tiny one—is sad that you’re leaving.”

There. Done.

I drew in a shaky breath. The words were out now; there was no taking them back.

My face felt hot. Hell, my whole body was burning. It was getting more difficult to breathe by the second. I fidgeted with my collar, loosening the top two buttons as I braced myself for the laughter I knew was coming. Any moment now and he’d just spit it in my face. But it didn’t matter if he laughed. I was ready for anything.

Except Finn didn’t laugh. He said nothing. He didn’t tease me.

He didn’t even come up with a sarcastic remark.

Instead, he was right in front of me in a few quick steps. His palms clutched either side of my face, emerald eyes locking onto mine.

“What are you—”

I couldn’t finish the sentence before he leaned in, colliding his lips against mine.

The breath seized out of my lungs. My whole body trembled and froze in place, trapped in sheer disbelief.

Finn Parker was kissing me.

Chapter 2

Finn

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Spencer’s voice came out in a stammer when I pulled back, breaking the kiss. Surprise flooded his face as he tucked a strand of his blond hair behind his ear, a gesture he did often when he was nervous.

Wait. Shit.

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