Page 167 of Haze

“No,” I whine and push toward him. But I’m light-headed and have zero strength to make any sort of demands.

He waits until I’m steady on my feet before kissing the crown of my head and backing away from me toward the door.

My feet answer his suggestion, my brain reeling. Finn follows me out into the hallway as I walk down the short distance to my apartment door and let myself inside.

As I stand alone in the silence of my apartment, the realization sinks in: Finn disarmed my anger, made sure I was taken care of, and gave me enough of a reason to miss him with hopes that I’ll come back for him. Clever asshole indeed.

You don’t get to punish our mate. My wolf huffs in displeasure at me. Apologize. Maybe he’ll fix it. Go get him.

Too stubborn to do so, I head to the bedroom and flip through my phone notifications.

Finn:

Remember, faolan, I control your orgasms. I’ll allow you one tonight. But only one.

Me:

And how would you know if I had more than one?

He wishes.

If I didn’t know that the apartment was soundproof, I’d think I could actually hear Finn laugh while typing his response.

Finn:

Well, faolan, if you want to be that way . . . I’ll assume that you’re misbehaving and will handle your attitude problem when we’re together again.

I set my phone on the nightstand and curl up under the blankets.

He has no business being this good. That man walks right around every single one of my bratty behaviors. He’s the fucking perfect Dominant and the most compatible I’ve ever been with sexually. He’s a protective mate, willing to shed blood for me.

Beyond that, he cares for me, even if I don’t want him to. He has no problem stepping in without me asking, and sometimes, even if I don’t want him to. There hasn’t been a problem, a person, or a situation that Finn isn’t ready to deal with.

He sticks by my side and hunkers down to weather the storms as they come. Finn has seen the worst of it, my family, work and school, my ex, and my wolf. Through everything, he’s steady and patient. Mostly.

My brain replays what happened on the side of the road when I told him about Doctor Thorpe. His accent and the anger in his tone plays back in my head, ‘I can’t just take a breath, Kathleen. I have to work for a man who fucked my mate. He fucked the woman I love.’ Mostly steady.

There’s something about Finn that draws me to him. It’s the same thing that makes me think he’ll never leave me.

My wolf rolls her eyes. He won’t. You’re being stubborn again.

I have to be the stubborn one because I messed up.

My phone buzzes from the nightstand.

Finn:

Sleep well faolan, I love you.

I’ve let him into my life, and where I didn’t, he made a door for himself. We’re now irrevocably attached and waiting for heartbreak. In all those little things, the tiny gestures, in the moments of just being there, I fucking love him.

Even if I don’t understand how he can love me ... I’m in love with him.

Agonizing for ten minutes, I finally settle on a message.

Take me to the lab tomorrow? Good night Finn, x.

Chapter 55

---