Page 44 of Rupture

“I’ll add it to my repertoire.” He grinned, the simple actof feeding her bringing more satisfaction than any gourmet meal he’d ever created.

“Won’t Luca and the others be worrying about us?”

“Luca won’t blow a gasket just yet.” Finn leaned back, keeping his voice light despite the tension bunching in his shoulders. “He can wait five minutes.”

He watched her take another bite. “You’re more important.”

She looked at him then and man if all the blood in his body didn’t go straight to his cock. Finally, she looked away, her cheeks flushing a delicate shade of pink.

She feels it too.

She sipped her hot chocolate, giving herself a frothy mustache. Her tongue darted out to lick it away, and heat crawled up his neck. He forced his gaze away, his mouth suddenly dry. But his eyes kept drifting back to her lips.

“The darkness,” she said, her voice small. She stared into her mug. “It wasn’t just the scorpion-thing. It was the darkness. I can handle deep water, but absolute darkness...” She inhaled, her breath ragged, torn at the edges, her eyes squeezing shut as if to block out memories as much as the dark. “It freaks me out.”

Finn waited in tight-jawed silence, sure there was more.

“My dad took us caving when we were teens. Thea, she...” Her fingers whitened on her mug. “She persuaded me to explore a narrow passage. Said it would be an adventure.”

Muscles popped in his cheek. He knew where the story was heading.

“We got separated from our parents. It was hours before they found us.” The raw fear in her eyes made his chest lock.

“When they eventually found us, the batteries in our flashlight had died. We were just…lost in the dark.”

A bubble of anger surged in him, molten hot. “The more I know about her, the less I like this sister of yours.”

She gave a dismissive shake of her head. “We were just kids.” But her lips twitched in what might have been a smile under different circumstances.

“That’s what we want more of. Less doom and gloom, more of that.”

Her smile widened.

“Are you ready to deal with Luca now?” She nodded, dabbing at a few remaining crumbs on her plate.

Finn drained his hot chocolate. Dealing with Luca often required something stronger, but it would have to do.

Rose pushed to her feet beside him. Color had returned to her cheeks, and her eyes were brighter, more focused.

His shoulders dropped as he exhaled—a slow, deliberate breath—and unclenched his jaw for the first time in what felt like hours. “Better?”

“Yes. Much.” Her gaze hit his mouth, then before he could process what was happening, she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Thank you.”

She stilled, her body flush against his, her breath ghosting his jawline. Her simple touch powered an electrical storm down his spine.

Damn.

He breathed her in, her scent of flowers and sunshine as his hands found her hips, steadying them both as he pressed his lips to her forehead. He savored the kiss, her skin silk-soft against his mouth.

A soft whimper escaped her. Her fingers gripped his tactical vest, drawing him closer.

Heat flooded his system. He could lift her onto the table right now, taste every inch of her skin, lose himself in her. The thought alone made him harden his grasp on her hips.

But this was different.

For the first time that he could remember, his body’s demands took second place to something deeper. He wanted a connection with this woman, not just a satisfying fuck for them both. He wanted to know who she was, what mattered to her. To be the one she turned to, the one who could give her everything she needed.

He wanted all of her. Not just her body, but her trust, her thoughts,her heart.

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