Page 45 of Rejected Exile

I try, "You're friends with Kieran, and we have a history."

"A bad one, as I recall. Somehow I doubt he'll lodge an objection. If he does, fuck him."

"It would complicate things."

"What things? We're not friends."

"But we're... working together?"

"On the house. That will be over with soon enough. And it's an easy job—if things getcomplicatedbetween us, I'll just have someone replace me."

"Then... I don't know why."

Finn cocks his head one way, then the other, and leans up against the wall opposite me. I stop my pacing; he watches me. His gaze feels like that of a lion crouched and ready to pounce.

Except I'm very, very certain he won't snap my neck when our bodies collide.

If anything I'm more afraid of what hewilldo than I would be of a physical attack.

Because I'm absolutely certain that the instant his touch collides with my body, I'll be unable to resist. To say no. To do anything but mold myself to him physically and sink into pure pleasure.

Something that's dangerous to do with werewolf males. Especially given the ways in which they can discard you.

After a long moment of studying me, Finn's face clears. Something seems to occur to him, and his eyes soften towards me. "I think I know why you claim wecan't,shall we say, enjoy each other."

"Oh?" I snort. "Do tell, then, because I'd love to be illuminated about my own thought process."

"You're afraid." Two short, succinct words that eat right through my fragile shell and sink into the heart of me. "If we have fun today, you think I'll abandon you tomorrow. But Delilah—I'm nothim.I don't give a shit if you can shift into a wolf or not. To me, it's a bonus that you can't, because it means I'll never have to watch you die a tragic and painful death."

The sudden seriousness of his words, after so much playful banter, makes me reconsider him. Finn has presented himself as a light, charming, playful man so far, but everyone has more than one side. This other more serious side is a part of him I didn't think I'd get to see.

What sucks, though, is that he's right about me. I'm afraid—because of Kieran. But I don'twantto be. I keep vowing to myself that I won't let his actions affect me, only to break that promise.

Isn't it time I lived a life that wasn't defined by the hurtful actions of a fourteen-year-old boy?

Making my decision, I stride across the room until I'm right in front of Finn—then stop, suddenly uncertain. He watches me, his eyes slightly wide, but he doesn't make a move towards me. Just leans against the wall like some kind of statue.

"I think you're hot as sin," I blurt out, feeling like a fool as soon as I say it. "And yeah, I'd like to know what it would feel like if you... and I... well. Uh. Let's not make this awkward? Let's just..."

Finn chuckles. "I think you're hot too, Delilah. But you should try finishing your sentence.”

He reaches out to curve his hand against my waist, and despite the fabric of my T-shirt separating his skin from mine, I shudder with overwhelming vulnerability and desire. Even this little sends a jolt of feeling through me like I'm being shocked by a live wire.

In a low voice he asks, "Whatshouldwe do first?" A rhetorical question he soon answers. "Kiss, yes—I want to taste those soft lips of yours. Touch, obviously. Your skin practically begs for my hands."

He shifts his thumb beneath the edge of my shirt as he speaks, voice low. "The question is, how far are you ready to go? How much of your desire are you willing to give into? Should I put my mouth on your breasts..."

My chest hitches, and Finn's eyes narrow, his pupils black depths. "Maybe I should suck on your nipples until they form soft peaks. I could trail my mouth between them..." His fingers trail around my waist towards my belly button. "Then bring my mouth further south, to the soft flesh of your stomach, where I'd hook my fingers in your panties and..."

"Let's just start with the kissing," I interrupt hurriedly, the heat between my thighs like a furnace, my heart beating as hard and fast as a teenager with a new drum set. "We can go from there."

Finn's eyes crinkle as he chuckles. "You didn't even let me get to the best part. I was going to tell you how my cock would be hard from the taste of your pussy on my lips, and I could bury myself in you and make you mine so thoroughly every wolf in town would smell me on you. But sure, Delilah—let's start with a kiss."

His hands move quickly, shifting to my lower back and pulling me against him. Our hips collide and our stomachs press together, the outline of his arousal digging into my hip. Dipping down his head, he brings his mouth to mine as a whimper leaves me.

I've watched Finn speak, admired the curve of his mouth, the thickness of his red-brown lips. Just looking at him this whole time brought a blush to my cheeks. That's nothing compared to the heat of his body on mine. His lips consume me, stoking fire in my chest as I melt against him. The brush of his harsh stubble is a sharp contrast to the softness of his mouth and the stroke of his tongue between my lips.

His hands press up against my back, moving beneath my shirt and brushing against my bra strap. I curve against him, drawing up onto my tiptoes to get a better angle on his openly greedy mouth. My own hands hover in the air for a moment before I settle them on his chest—and feel the rumble of a growl deep inside him as his primal wolf rises to the surface.

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