Page 10 of Grump of Misty Mountain

“That mouth of yours get you into much trouble in the past, Sami?” Wow, all that intensity aimed at me was addicting, and I wanted more. There was a humorous glint in his eyes, making me want to continue this banter, but he flicked his gaze to the table before I could answer.

“Take a seat. Dinner’s ready. Would you like a frosted glass for your beer, or are you good with the bottle?” Finn’s bourbon smooth voice filtered through me.

I squeezed my thighs together to ease the ache that had been building since he opened his front door. I walked on unsteady legs and took my seat. “Um, in the bottle is fine, thanks.”

Looking at the set table, I noticed that he had real linen napkins. I mean, who would a thought someone with Finn’s background, living in a rustic yet well-designed and homey cabin in the Rocky Mountains, would have napkins and matching placemats? Maybe they were left behind by an old girlfriend? And why did I care?

I’d never been too worried about a guy’s past relationships, and I wasn’t planning on dating him. I just wanted to climb him like a tree.

While he’d been showing me his home, I debated how I was going to bring up the subject of hooking up. I was so rusty when it came to flirting, not that I was ever really any good at it, but something had to be done about this insane chemistry that was sparking between us so I could stop thinking about him and focus on my new business.

My gaze stayed on him as he moved around the kitchen, getting our drinks and returning to the table. His wide shoulders and muscled arms encased in a tight-fitting black t-shirt were my catnip. Did I have the guts to proposition him fifteen minutesafter arriving or should I fall back on what I’ve always done when I’m attracted to a guy and let him make the first move?

But Finn was different. He made me feel things I’d hadn’t before. Especially with my ex. Whenever he looked at me, my nerve endings came alive where his gaze landed. And a pulsing need grew low in my abdomen, followed by sharp bursts of electricity deep inside my core.

Needing to cool off, I took a quick sip of my beer, savoring the tangy flavor of the IPA. Licking a drop that had escaped. I looked back at him, intending to tell him what I wanted. Desire radiated off of him as he held my gaze, as he took a long pull of his own drink.

The intensity of his gaze only amplified as I licked my lips. All pretense that this was just dinner vanished. I was done playing it safe. “I—I, have a confession.”

“Hmm. Alright. You’re in a no judgement zone.” Dammit, that gravelly voice of his was so hypnotic I almost forgot what I was going to say.

And for a moment, I said nothing at all. Just let my gaze run over his features. Noting the silver at his temples, the sharp slash of his cheekbones, sculpted lips and rugged jawline. So many places I wanted to explore with my fingers, my tongue….

“Are we just going to sit here and stare at each other, or did you want to tell me something, Sami?” Finn’s left eyebrow lifted and his lips morphed into the slightest hint of a grin. He knew. Knew I wanted him. And I saw that same want mirrored in his eyes. Thank god.

“I threw the bet. I added double the amount of lavender flavoring in your latte.” Tilting my head in the hopes of appearing more confident than I felt, I held my breath. “And as good as this dinner looks, I want?—”

“Whatever the question, the answer is yes.” His words rushed out.

“Wait, you could be agreeing to something you don’t want to do, like maybe I need my car fixed, or my washing machine isn’t working right.” My teasing words felt forced. Darn this insecurity of mine.

“Alright. I’ll play. Do you need your car fixed, Sami? Is your washing machine not working?” He pushed his chair back, walked to me, and stopped. Leaning down next to my ear, he continued. “Or do you want me as much as I want you? Naked, right here. Right now.” Finn held out his hand, and I grabbed it. He didn't have to ask me twice. Oh, how I wanted right now.

Pulling me up and into his hard chest, he tunneled his hands through my hair, then held my head still as his gaze bored into mine. “Like I said, my answer is yes.”

“So’s mine.” I whispered.

His lips slammed onto mine. Gone was any inhibition I’d walked in with as I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on. His erection nestled into my stomach, the contact wrenching a full-throated moan from me that I barely recognized as my own.

Need exploded, then doubled by the second. I parted my lips and welcomed him in.

This was everything that had been missing from my life and I was going to fill up on it and store it away. I didn’t need forever. I just wanted tonight. I wanted Finn.

I wanted a memory I could visit from time to time. A memory of sexual abandonment that kept me warm until one day, maybe, I was ready again to give searching for love another try.

As long as I went into this with my head and not my heart, I’d be fine. But I needed him to know I wasn’t expecting anything more than this. More than tonight.

Deepening the kiss, he thrust his tongue against mine while his hips mimicked the movement. I needed to touch his skin. His heat was blazing through his clothes. Tugging the hem from hiswaistband, I burrowed my hands under the material. Hard and warm, I glided my fingers over his skin. His abs and chest were chiseled, and it made me want to rip the shirt so I could look as well as touch.

When he pulled back from the kiss, when breathing became a necessity, our panting breaths mingled as he placed his forehead on mine. I pushed down the rightness of how I felt in his arms. Because nothing more was going to happen between us. Just tonight.

“I need to say something…before this goes any further. I’m not looking for anything. Just tonight. I don’t want things to be awkward when we see each other in town, because it doesn’t need to be. Just two people getting naked. Onetime only deal, okay?”

Finn’s nostrils flared, and I thought for a moment he was going to say something, but then he nodded and kissed me again. Bending, he picked me up and cradled me in his arms as if I weighed nothing. No longer able to form a coherent thought, I didn’t push for a verbal agreement. It was enough he knew where I stood and that he wasn’t in danger of hurting my feelings when he didn’t call me the next day.

With the sun setting, its fading rays the only light as Finn strode down the hallway, he turned into his bedroom, kicked the door shut, then shifted me to face him, my legs dangling. The firm grip of his warm hands on my waist held me in place.

Something took me over and I wiggled against him, pressing against his hard as steel length. I let my body slowly slide down his until my feet touched the ground.

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