Page 40 of Where We Belong

“What?”

But he doesn’t have time to answer, already slipping out of the cabin, phone to his ear. “Hey, man…”

Maybe he got confused and thought I’d be going away to a motel. Sadly, I don’t have enough in my bank account to afford the daily fees for a hotel, even if Finn gave me a voucher for the cabin, but if the repairman can come in the next few days, I can stay here and figure something out. Worst case, I’ll sleep in my winter jacket and get up every hour to put new logs in the fireplace.

I start a pot of water on the stove and grab instant coffee from the cupboards. My drink’s ready by the time Finn steps back in, the spring door smacking close behind him.

“So?”

“He’ll be able to come around tomorrow to take a look.”

“Great. Thank you.”

He eyes me with an annoying expression, then looks over my shoulder to the unmade bed. “Where’s your bag?”

“What bag?”

“The bag I asked you to pack.”

“I’m staying here, it’s fine. I’ll just bundle up.”

“Over my dead body.” He chucks his chin up. “Come on, go pack something.”

I pop my hip and cross my arms. “Finn, I have nowhere else to go.”

“The hell you don’t. You’re coming with me.”

Thank god I’d already swallowed my sip of coffee because I would’ve sputtered it all over him.

There’s no way I can agree to that. Spending two hours there doing laundry is one thing, but sleeping there? Eating there? Showering there? I can’t. It’s way too intimate, too domestic. I wouldn’t do it with a boyfriend. With someone I barely know anything about would be crazy.

“That’s not necessary,” I start, but Finn interrupts me with a hand up.

“You can either pack your bag and come willingly, or I’m picking you up and bringing you like I did with your laundry.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

He quirks a brow in response. His eyes are a dark green this morning, reminding me of a forest basked in moonlight, and while they’re usually sparkling with glee, right now, they’re telling me he’d actually make good on his threat.

And when I imagine him actually picking me up, his fingertips digging into the soft skin of my hips, heat creeps up my neck and my cheeks. I look down, not wanting him to notice it.

All right. It’s not like I have that many options available. And if it’s only one night, what’s the worst that can happen? I’m not scared of Finn. If he’d have wanted to hurt me, he’d have done so already during one of the countless times I was practicing at night and he was alone in the gym with me, and regardless, he’s never made me feel uncomfortable. I could say yes, go to work today, then practice until 1:00 a.m. and spend the last few hours of the night on his couch. It wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Resolute, I face him and say, “Fine. Thank you.”

His face lights up. “Crabby, I am so proud of you.”

“Shut up before I change my mind.”

He chuckles. “Well, then, let’s go.”

I don’t know what to do.

This morning, I entered Finn’s apartment with him, and after dropping my bag to the ground in the living room, I escaped to the gym to coach my first group of the day. I didn’t come back all day, but now it’s almost 6:00 p.m. and I’m starving, but I forgot to bring something to eat. So I’m stuck having to go back to Finn’s across the street, and I’ve just knocked twice with no answer. My car is still at Evermore where I left it, so I can’t go back there to grab some food.

Shit.

I go through my options. On the one hand, he could be in there with a girl, and I might walk in on a scene I very much don’t want to see. On the other hand, if I don’t get something in my stomach soon, I might die. Literally.

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