Page 128 of Wood You Rather?

“Come on. My mother would never forgive me if I left you here. She raised us right.” He cocked a brow. “Or at least she tried to.”

“She wouldn’t know.”

He laughed. “My mother knows everything. As does yours, by the way. They probably know we’re arguing instead of driving to Lovewell right now.”

It was late, and my weekend had just gone to shit. I’d probably spend tomorrow working. After I hit the gym, of course. Maybe, just maybe, I should lower my weapons and accept a little help.

“Fine,” I said, standing up and pushing my chair in.

His answering smile made my stomach drop. And when he put his hand on the small of my back and gently led me through the restaurant, something inside my chest fluttered. There weren’t many people who could make me feel small, but his size and his presence were comforting. Andthatwas unnerving.

He opened the door to his truck, and I climbed inside. It was immaculately clean.

I didn’t know what I had expected, I guess. Maybe empty protein shakes and condom wrappers? Regardless, the person I’d eaten dinner with tonight was shockingly different from what I assumed all Heberts were like.. They owned a rival timber company and our grandfathers had had a falling out sometime in the 1950s, so I’d spent my life hating them. They were rich and entitled and thought they were better than the rest of us. While our family and others struggled to survive, the Heberts were flaunting their wealth, all while actively trying to buy out the other local timber companies.

Riding beside Finn down the lonely rural roads made me itchy and self-conscious. Maybe it was his confidence. Or maybe it was the way he carried himself. The straight military posture mixed with the bad boy tattoos and long hair.

“I’ve had a shit day myself,” he said as I sat perfectly still, keeping my focus locked on the road ahead. “Had to drive all the way to Bangor to sign legal paperwork. My ex, Alicia, is a lawyer.”

I nodded, not sure how to respond. We had grown up in the same tiny town. I knew Alicia Walker, his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child. Her grandmother had lived down the street from my parents. They had hooked up when he enlisted in the Navy but had never married. There was all kinds of local gossip and speculation as to why. I’d always assumed it was because she realized he was a Neanderthal. She was a smart and motivated person. No wonder she’d become a successful lawyer and had left him in the dust. These days, the rumor was that she was engaged to another lawyer. Apparently, some people could find their happily ever afters. Just not me.

“You could try to make polite conversation,” he said, sounding annoyed. “Your manners leave much to be desired.”

“Newsflash. I don’t give a shit what you think of my manners. And being polite is overrated. Why is that the gold standard for womanly behavior? I have no interest in pretending to care about what you think of me.”

He whistled. “I guess it’s not a shock you got dumped then.”

“Fuck off. Your commentary about my love life is unwelcome.”

“Just calling it like I see it, She-Ra.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to ignoring him, studying the lane markers on the road instead. His monster of a truck was beginning to feel a little too small. Finn wasn’t just physically large. His booming voice and deep chuckle made his presence almost all-consuming.

I hated it. Or, more accurately, I hated how I felt around him. Off my game, on the defense, and out of my depth. No fucking thank you.

Thankfully, he got the message, and once again, we rode in silence. Once we hit Lovewell, I busied myself directing him to my house.

He put the truck in park out front. “You live here?”

I nodded. My house was my sanctuary. A craftsman cottage on a neat acre, it had a white picket fence, a porch with rocking chairs, and my gardens in the back. It had taken years to save for and even longer to fix up, but it was mine.

I unbuckled my seat belt and reached for the door.

“We should do this again.”

I shot him a look. “Good one.”

“Why not? Because our families hate each other?” He cocked a challenging brow. “Who cares? We’re adults.”

I turned and studied his face.In for four, out for four.Finn Hebert already knocked me off balance. And his casual assertion that we should hang out only made me more nervous.

I leaned forward, watching as he bit down on his bottom lip.

“Because I dislike you. And more importantly, because you couldn’t handle me.”

He stared at me for a long moment, the heat of his gaze making my body shiver. And then he slid his hand into my hair and gripped it tight before pulling my lips to his.

His lips were full and soft, in complete juxtaposition to his rough, strong hands. Both of which are in my hair.

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