Page 90 of Twist of Fate
“No, I haven’t,” I reply softly, staring into her eyes. “I couldn’t—” I draw in a shaky breath. “Even though I was the one who walked away, Ash. It was never over for me.”
She reaches for me. Her arms go around my shoulders, she grips my hair, and her mouth is on mine. I groan. Damn, kissing her feels like coming home. Like finding a missing piece of my soul I lost a long time ago.
Two years ago, to be precise.
She trembles in my arms, and I pause.
That was not a shiver of pleasure.
“You’re cold.” I pull back, rubbing my hands along her arms. It wasn’t a question.
“Spring is not quite the same here.”
“No, darlin’, it is not.” I laugh, pulling her toward the stairs. “Come on, you’ll warm up in the pool. It’s heated.” I look her up and down again. “But you’re a bit overdressed.”
She licks her lips, her cheeks instantly turning crimson. “Well, typically, one wears a bathing suit in the pool. What we have on is pretty close, wouldn’t you agree?”
She’s teasing me.
“All right.” I stalk toward her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Warn me? Warn me about?—”
I wrap my arms around her waist and leap. Her high-pitched squeal is the last sound I hear before we both dive underwater.
* * *
Aisling
Of all the things I thought I’d end up doing today, Finn Larkin is not one of them.
And yes, that pun is one hundred percent intended.
We’ve been ignoring each other for weeks, moving seamlessly around one another like a choreographed dance. At first, I think it was mostly for self-preservation. When he left me standing alone and confused in that restaurant bathroom, I wasn’t sure what else there was left to say.
So, I avoided him, and he gave me the space to do it—just as he said he would. It hurt, but I think part of me understood why he was pushing me away. I had no idea what it was like to run an entire company. He’d grown up watching his father push aside everyone and everything else for it, and both he and his mom were sacrificed for that dedication.
I can understand why he wouldn’t want to make the same mistake.
Did I think he might find another way? Maybe. But I wasn’t sure anyone could convince him otherwise.
When I saw him a few weeks later in that pub, though, that’s when I began to feel like I’d been played.
I knew I had no right to be angry.
We weren’t dating. We weren’t anything, really.
Still, it hurt to see him with another woman. It felt like a betrayal and a rejection all at the same time.
But none of that mattered when I saw him walk out of our meeting today. I sensed something was wrong. I noticed the worry in his expression, and before I could stop myself, I went after him.
I’ll never forget the haunted expression on his face when I found him in that hallway.
Mo chroí.My heart.
Two words I never thought I’d hear again, and even now, I’m not even sure he remembers saying them.
I kick to the surface as Finn’s arm wraps around my waist. The pool water is incredibly warm—warmer than any pool I’ve ever been in. As soon as I have air in my lungs, I splash some water in his direction, attempting to wipe that smug grin off his face. It doesn’t work. “That was incredibly rude.”
