Page 19 of Finn

Gillian laughs as she stands up. “Your dick isn’t ashamed to do anything.”

“Christ,” I mumble.

They walk off, and I look at Harper, who is grinning at me. “Ignore Riley. You know how he gets.”

I laugh, finishing off my beer. “I always ignore Riley.”

“So you and Mia are moving in together, huh?”

I grab the back of my neck as I nod. “Yeah, gonna give it a go.”

“I like her. I think she’ll fit in here,” she says, looking around.

I grin, appreciating her subtle way of telling me she thinks it’s a good idea. Harper is the toughest and most opinionated of all the girls. They follow her lead. Even Nora knows that. But she doesn’t trust easily, especially after everything she’s been through. I’m not sure sometimes how she manages to stay standing, but I think we’re a lot alike in that regard.

Her father was an abusive, cruel, ruthless man, and she suffered because of him every day, just like I suffered because of my mother. She didn’t physically abuse me, her boyfriends took care of that. She just loved her drugs, and I was an imposition. I protected us both, and most of the time, she had no idea because she was either high or passed out. She didn’t care that I was taking care of myself and her. She didn’t care about anything but her drugs.

Harper and I both had parents who cared more about themselves than us. They wouldn’t have cared if we lived or died. We never knew love and affection.

I squeeze the back of my neck and swallow my fears. “Harper?” She looks at me, tilting her head. “Was loving Zane something that came easily for you? After all the shit you’ve been through, how did you know?”

She looks off into the distance and keeps her eyes focused on Zane. “I loved Zane before I even realized what love was. He was the first person in my life, besides my mom, who was gentle. He listened to me, he protected me, he made me feel safe.” She meets my eyes and grins. “I think you’re asking how did I know that I loved him, and the answer is easy, Finn. You just know. You feel it. It takes over, and you suddenly realize you can’t live another day without that person. I don’t know your whole story, but I know you didn’t have it easy. Believe me when I tell you that this isn’t easy either. You’ll fight your demons. But when you know, you know it’ll be worth it.” She finishes her drink and leans across the table toward me. “Do you love her?”

I shake my head, crossing my arms. “I care about her. I like being with her. But I don’t love her.”

She nods and sits back. “Don’t fight it, Finn. It makes shit so much worse. You need to talk to her. Trust her with your past. It won’t work if you aren’t honest about it all.”

I grin and stand up to grab my phone out of my pocket when it rings. “I’ll do my best, Harper.” I look down at the screen and see Mia’s name. I smile as I look back at Harper. “Thank you.”

I walk away as I hit answer on my phone. “Hey.”

“Hey, I’m here. Should be at your place in about twenty minutes.”

Her soft, sweet voice has my dick jumping to life, and I walk out the door. “Good, I’ll see you there.”

I hang up and climb onto my bike. As I ride to my place, I think about what Harper said. No one knows my past, and maybe it’s time that someone does.

I’m standing in the kitchen smoking a cigarette. The reality of the situation suddenly hit me, and I fucking hope I’m not making a mistake. The longest we’ve been together is a few days at most. Now she’ll be living here in my house. In the only place I feel like I can relax and breathe. Her place in California is no comparison to this place. I could never afford to give her such luxuries. Is that going to cause problems? Is she going to want to come in here and redo shit to her liking?

I close my eyes, gripping the counter as my smoke burns away in the ashtray. I have no idea what I was thinking when I told her to come to Vegas. In that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else. I couldn’t imagine not being with her constantly.

I hope I feel the same when she walks through the door.

Headlights flash on my wall, and I take a deep breath, smashing out my cigarette. I wipe my hands on my jeans and open the door as she climbs out of her car.

She notices me and her entire face lights up with her smile. She closes her door and runs toward me. I chuckle as I go to meet her on the concrete walkway.

She jumps into my arms, and I hold her tightly against me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and her legs latch around my waist. “I missed you so much,” she whispers, burying her face in my neck.

“Me too,” I whisper, holding her tighter.

All the uncertainty I was feeling vanished as I lifted her head to look at me. Her blue eyes bounce between mine, reflecting the need I’m sure mine show.

I press my lips to hers, and the minute our tongues touch, my body shakes with need. I bite her bottom lip, and she whimpers.

“I need to be buried inside that perfect pussy, baby,” I say, walking toward the front door.

Her fingers tangle in my hair as she smiles. “I need it too.”

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