Page 69 of Rules in Love
A look of bliss and wistfulness crossed Jocelyn’s blushed face, and she rubbed her neck slowly and stared into space. “You could say that. Never underestimate the simultaneously rejuvenating yet exhausting power of a French vineyard and a hot, young man.”
Speaking of hot, young men.Looking gorgeous and not at all like he had an hour of sleep and bonked my brains out all night, Finn appeared. Tiptoeing behind his aunt, he gave me a wink, held his index finger to his lips and mouthed,Shhhh.Then, he slammed both his massive hands on his unsuspecting victim’s shoulders. “Old lady!” Poor Jocelyn shrieked, clutched at her chest, and then slapped her nephew sideways. “Finnley James Austen, you will kill me one day. Is that what you want?”
“Not at all,” he laughed, wrapping her into his massive arms and squeezing. “I promise, I love you dearly. I just love scaring you almost as much.”
Still recovering, Jocelyn wiped her brow, then took a relaxing, deep breath. “A nice, “Hi, Aunty,” and a kiss on the cheek is all I ask of you. Why must your love be so rough and bruising?”
Bruising? Rough?Rough Finn was almost my favorite Finn last night. Rough Finn pinned me down, slapped my ass, and ruined me. I was a big fan of Rough Finn.
“Miss Grant, are you joining us?”
“Hmm, what?” Jocelyn and Finn paused. They were halfway to the conference room, looking back at me, probably wondering why I was frozen on the spot and drooling.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Rushing to grab my bag, I took two steps, fumbled, and fell flat on my face. I watched in horror as my coffee hit the ground, the lid popped off, and my liquid life juice spilled onto the floor. It was horrific. Then I noticed another color liquid dripping onto the ground. Blood. My blood. I was bleeding.
An echo of, “Scarlett!” filled the room, and multiple sets of feet ran toward me. Finn was the first at my side, and with little effort, he picked me up and almost threw me over his shoulder. No amount of blood or the sudden sharp pain stabbing me in the temple could un-sexify that.
Things then got a little blurry from there. I’m not sure if I had a concussion or if Finn was singing songs from Disney’sTangledas he carried me off into the sunset, but either way, I was good with it. Once inside the castle-themed conference room, he placed me on a throne. My hand slipped from around his neck, ran down his chiseled jaw, and cupped his chin. I could taste the blood trickling from my lip, and it felt as though I might have some oozing from my forehead too, but I couldn’t be sure. Finn was too close and looking too deep into my eyes to be bothered by a drop or liter of blood. Two Jocelyns were bustling around behind him, shooing everyone else out of the room and closing the door.
“You need to stop that bleeding, Finn. Have you got a first aid kit here?”
“I don’t think so, but there’s one in the kitchen. Jocie, could you run and grab it for me?”
Finn’s worried face was right in mine as Jocelyn nodded and disappeared. He was so sweet, kissing me on the nose and asking if I liked doughnuts in Spanish. It was hard to concentrate on translating because he was also taking off his shirt and holding it to my temple. I began to feel woozy and dizzy, and my eyes were getting heavier with each blink. I knew I was in trouble, and if I didn’t die from the blood loss, I might from the image of him shirtless and on bended knee before me.
“Yes, Finny! I mill warry us!”
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Red. I’m asking if you’re okay. You hit your head. It’s a nasty cut. I think I need to take you to the ER.”
“Hero my.” I swooned, making perfect sense and patting his face.
“Okay, I definitely need to take you to the E—” I swallowed his words with a sloppy wet kiss, and I returned my arms to his neck.
“Me take, Finnley.”
Finn laughed and kissed me back but tried to unglue me at the same time. My mouth was fondling his neck when Jocelyn returned with the first aid kit, an ice pack, and a smug grin. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting, Jocie. Scarlett is just being a little extra friendly. I think I need to take her to the emergency room. That gash on her head looks nasty, really deep.”
I snorted. Loud. “Nasty? Ha ha, I thought you liked my deep gash, Finny.” My medic turned and flashed a gorgeous smile and turned a brighter shade of red than the bodily fluids on his shirt while Jocelyn kicked him in the bum.
“So, how long have you two been sleeping together?”
“We’re not sleeping together,” Finn lied, his voice two octaves higher than normal.
“Yes, we are, Finny. We sleeps together five times last night, and my bum is sore.”
“She’s definitely concussed,” he muttered.
“Well, I like her concussed,” said Jocelyn. “I also like how she makes you smile, even throughfivelayers of shame. I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.” She then took out her phone and began pacing back and forth. “David, yes, can you bring the car around? We need to take Miss Grant to the ER.”
Hanging up, she returned to Finn’s side as he again picked me up like I was nothing, carried me from the room, and nobly whisked me through the office. Of course, we made it to the front door the very moment Teddy walked through it. “What the hell is going on here? Shirtless and carrying my girl across the threshold? Did I miss something?” He then saw the blood. “I did miss something. Shit, what happened?”
The story was relayed as I was carried then hauled to and inside the waiting car. The last thing I remembered was Teddy waving goodbye, Finn’s eyes watching me protectively as he laid me down across the backseat, and the dull thud of the black town car door closing behind me.
“Christ. Why is it so bright in here? Where is here?”
Blinking my eyes open, pink and white peonies were the first things to greet me. Tied with a pink bow and sitting in a makeshift coffee-cup vase, they leaned sharply toward the light I was shielding my eyes from, desperate to enjoy their last days before shriveling and dying. After realizing where I was and who I was with, I wouldn’t have minded shriveling and dying myself.
