FinnsRedemption (3 page)

He wanted to shrug off his trepidation and pretend that if
they were lovers for a while he could expunge the carnal need he had for her.
She would give him the jewel and all would be well. If afterward she chose to
stay with him, he would show her all the things he’d always wanted to.

It seemed Fate had a different plan in mind and like all
things in life, this wasn’t going to be easy. Excitement built in his chest.
For the first time in fifteen years, he felt alive.

He’d serve his duty to the family and Heather, and for his
efforts, he would be with the luscious Alice Downing for the rest of his life.
It was a good match, he and Alli, if the fireworks they made just from kissing
were any indication. He wanted…no, he needed to believe this would work, that
the torch he’d been carrying around for her all these years was true and real.
It had felt like a dream for so long, until he’d walked into the shop. Her
scent filled his nose, her body fit so perfectly against his and he knew that
what he felt was real.

They may need a little time to reconnect as adults but their
spirits were already bonded, had done so the first night they made love and
she’d given her virginity to him. He’d never forgotten the look in her eyes
that night as they came together. It haunted his dreams and made it impossible
to get serious with any other female.

The prospect of life with her made his dick even harder. He
looked forward to seducing her, wanted her begging for his body. He thought he
might be the one to beg though. He wanted her in his arms, he wanted in her
sweet body as soon as possible.

Finn shook from head to toe with pent-up frustration. Alli,
after all these years, he still loved her. He would make up for his past
mistakes, he’d prove to her that he loved her. She would realize they were
meant to be together. He felt it, deep down, she would be his.

He smiled as he pulled at the front of his jeans, trying to
relieve some of the pressure his hard-on was causing. Time to head back to his
dad’s and take a long, cold shower.

Chapter Two

Alli tossed and turned in bed all night, finally giving up
on sleep. Her dinner with James had done nothing to relieve the stress she felt
after Finn came into her store. It also didn’t make the ache between her thighs
any better.

Finn, he was so damn sexy. His tall, athletic body filled
out those jeans so damn well.

He was aroused when he kissed her. She still felt his hard
length as she pressed close to him. His mouth was pure paradise. Demanding and
in control but needy at the same time.

Closing her eyes, she could still see him walking toward her
in those tight jeans of his. Her cunt began to ache, remembering his kisses.
How his hot tongue slid so sweetly into her mouth and took control of her,
making her body throb. Her pussy was actually throbbing with the need to be
taken by Finn.

No other lover ever made her feel this needy, her body was
achy and felt empty. With one smoldering glance, he turned her on and made her
panties wet, her thighs itching to wrap themselves around his trim waist.

She slid her long fingers up her thighs, trying to
extinguish the deep fire raging within her, imagining Finn lying in her bed.
His large hands rubbing her legs, slowly up her thighs.

Her finger found the heart of her desire and began circling
the now-hard bud. Her other hand joined the first and she slipped two fingers
into her tight wet channel. She rubbed and pumped her fingers in and out
slowly, picturing Finn’s cock like she always did when she masturbated.

She’d never noticed until now—when she made herself come, it
was Finn’s face she saw. It was always about the night they’d shared together.
She removed her fingers and reached over to her bedside table. Alli opened it
and retrieved her favorite toy. The dildo was seven inches in length and
resembled a real cock. Alli yearned for release, the kind she couldn’t obtain
with just her fingers.

She needed to feel something hard in her pussy, something
penetrating her deep enough to give her one hell of an orgasm. Closing her
eyes, she pictured Finn there with her as she brought her hand up to play with
her hardened, taut nipples, first rubbing them with her palms before she slowly
pulled them away from her body. Alli moaned as she gave them a pinch. She loved
her nipples being manipulated and teased until they stood straight out.

It was easy to imagine Finn’s full lips licking over the
hardened peaks, laving her flesh until she was writhing in ecstasy, begging for
him to fuck her. Moisture flooded her along with the small amount of pain she
felt.

One hand remained on her breast while the other traveled
down the line of her tummy to the slick juncture that lay between her legs. She
slowly opened the folds, stroking the soft flesh there. She was wet and ready
for release. In Alli’s mind, she saw Finn’s hand following the same path as her
fingers, inching slowly to her clit, nestled in her honeyed folds.

It was Finn sliding his fingers into her pussy, pumping in
and out. The rhythm built slowly, steadily, making Alli wetter. Her imagination
spinning out of control. Finn’s body looming over her, kissing, licking and
giving her pleasure upon pleasure.

She was so out of control with thoughts of Finn taking her
the way she dreamed a man would that she grabbed her toy and plunged it deep
within her. She let out a loud moan, saying Finn’s name as her dildo dug deeper
into her.

Alli rubbed faster on her clit as her other hand pumped the
dildo harder into her cunt. She rose off the bed in a frenzied attempt to find
satisfaction as she felt her orgasm building deep within her body.

Alli screamed Finn’s name as she thrust deeply once more and
fell back onto the mattress. She pushed the toy in as far as it could go and
fell apart around it.

The muscles of her vagina contracted tightly, grabbing hold
of the toy until her quivers stopped and her body relaxed. Alli turned to her
side and rose from the bed. She cleaned the dildo in the sink then placed it in
the drawer. She plumped up her pillow and with a small smile, she closed her
eyes.

Unfortunately, sleep didn’t claim her. Part of her was
frustrated that Finn could walk back into her life and she was ready to give
him everything. It was a dangerous tightrope to walk and she wasn’t sure that
she could deny him anything. After all these years believing she was strong,
only to be knocked on her ass by a kiss.

Well, Finn was going to have to prove what he wanted was
real and it couldn’t be just to save his sister. Alli wanted to do all she
could to help but she couldn’t give everything to Finn unless they were going
to be together in the future.

Finn threw his arm over his eyes. After two freezing
showers, he’d decided that sleep was not going to happen. He gave in to the
fantasy that was Alli. The taste of her honeyed lips still lingered in his
mouth. The smell of her, light and slightly fruity, stayed on the edge of his
senses.

He couldn’t wash her essence from his body. He couldn’t get
the picture of her beautiful face and lush body out of his mind. She was tall
and her legs went on forever. Her hips flared, perfect for carrying his child.
The thought should have spooked Finn but it didn’t. The Donovan men attracted
women fairly easily but all three remained single.

Finn never had any serious relationships. No woman ever
measured up to Alli. Whenever he took a lover he was always upfront and honest
with them. He never wanted the woman he was sharing time with to ask for more
than he was capable of giving. He shared the physical part of himself but never
his emotions, never his soul. Alli held that part of him, always had and she
always would.

The idea of Alli carrying their baby was more of a turn-on
than he’d ever imagined.

His hand made its way down his chest as he thought of her
doing the same thing to him, her soft, gentle hands playing havoc with his
torso. Finn craved her in a way he never dreamed possible. His body came alive
when he kissed her. Desire hit him so fucking hard and fast. She was his mate,
his destiny, she’d always been the one. He’d been too young and stupid to
realize what she’d given to him so many years before.

He knew their sex life would be hot, carnal, all the things
lovemaking should be. He cared for her of course, but he knew it was more than
simply caring. The idea terrified the hell out of him. Finn was man enough to
admit Alli could break his heart. He knew his brothers Sully or Gavin would be
a better match for her.

Sully with his quiet ways and Gavin, even though he’d been
through a terrible accident and wasn’t as free-spirited anymore, were capable
of giving Alli the kind of love a woman deserved.

The idea of either of his brothers being with her caused a
deep stab of jealousy in him. Fate chose correctly when she paired Alli with
Finn, and he needed to make her see that. He’d felt the bond between them long
ago and it hadn’t disappeared with their separation. The pull to be with her
was stronger than ever; his soul understood what his head had refused to acknowledge
out loud. Alli was meant for him and him alone.

Finn closed his eyes and pictured her lips, red and swollen
from his kiss. All the blood left his body and pooled in his cock. Slowly, he
rubbed around the head of his penis, seeing Alli in his mind with her hands
wrapped around him instead.

He needed to bury himself inside her warmth. Finn knew she
tasted like heaven and he longed to run his tongue along the delicate folds of
her pussy. Faster, his hand slid up and down his hard shaft, feeling himself
growing larger with each stroke.

The memory of her was better than any aphrodisiac. She was
flesh and blood, one hundred percent woman, and so perfect in Finn’s eyes. He
desired no other than this seemingly fragile woman he had hurt so long ago.

Unable to prolong the overwhelming urge to come, Finn
grabbed his balls firmly in one hand. He pumped his dick with the other. He
bucked up off the bed once and shot his seed all over his belly and chest.

Alli was going to be his wife, and she would give him the
jewel that would buy more time for Heather. Sully and Gavin would find their
women and the curse would be broken.

The Donovans would never again have to watch a female born
of their blood waste away and die at the age of twenty-five. Their daughters
would grow to be healthy and vibrant, no longer hunted down by the specter of
the curse the family had borne for more than two hundred years.

Alli woke the next morning and put a call in to Hannah. She
asked her only employee to open up the store for her. She couldn’t bring
herself to go in this morning. The events of the previous evening had her
excited and scared. Her heart and mind were in a constant battle about what to
do with Finn.

Finn Donovan was back in town and staking a claim on her.
She wanted to be angry, any self-respecting woman would be, but the truth was
she was frightened. She wasn’t in the same league as Finn. She was the shy
bookworm who had given herself over to him once before and been humiliated.

She couldn’t trust herself again with this man. He was all
hot male need, strong and arrogant, with a lethal kiss. The memory of his mouth
made her nipples tighten into hard points. How could she have been so stupid to
let Finn kiss her like that? The worst part being her reaction to his kiss. He
could have pushed her up against the counter and taken her right then and
there.

His mouth was so sensual, and he did wicked, wicked things
with those lips. His body was so hard, felt so right pressed up against hers.
If she was going to try to help out the family, Alli decided she would have to
find a way to resist Finn. She wanted to cry, she didn’t want to resist him.

Hell, she needed to make up her mind. Either she avoided
Finn forever or she explored the older, more sensual man he was.

A knock brought Alli out of her little remembrance of the
previous night. Opening the door, she plastered a smile on her face. James
stood there with a basket filled with blueberry muffins.

Guilt washed over her as she remembered what a terrible
dinner partner she’d been. The entire evening, James had tried to engage her in
conversation about what was going to happen next fall at the school.

He kept asking her to come back to earth when she drifted
off to go over the memory of Finn and what they did in her store earlier.

“You didn’t seem yourself at the restaurant, so I decided to
bring you some breakfast.” James stepped in.

She didn’t really feel like sharing another meal with him
but after last night, it was the least she could do. He was a good friend to
her. She wasn’t about to be rude to the man.

“It smells delicious. Come into the kitchen and set that on
the table,” she said, turning around and leading the way into her small
kitchen. She put a pot of water on to boil for their tea since they both hated
coffee.

Sitting down, she added, “Thank you. I’m sorry I was such a
bad dinner partner last night.”

The pale blond man studied her for a moment or two before
placing his hand over hers. She couldn’t help but note how soft his skin was
compared to Finn’s.

“I hope our friendship will allow you to confide in me. I
did notice you weren’t yourself last night. Is something wrong?”

Alli withdrew her hand from his. The last thing she wanted
was to encourage anything more than friendship with James.

“To be honest, I had a visit from Finn Donovan. We have some
old unfinished business that we’re taking care of.”

Concern etched in the corners of his light-blue eyes. “I
know it’s none of my business but as a friend I have to ask.” He stopped and
laid his hand over Alli’s a second time. “Do you think it’s wise to associate
with that family? There are rumors of them all over town, of curses. It sounds
a little bit freaky to me.”

“Oh James, I went to school with Finn and his brothers.” She
didn’t like the sour expression on his face. It took away from his handsome
features. “They’re harmless.”

“You know as well as everyone else in this town who the
Donovans are. I think dealing with a family like that can be dangerous.”

“I’ve never heard you say an unkind thing about another
person before. Has someone from the family done something to you?”

“No, I don’t know any of them personally. It’s only that you
hear stories on the news all the time about those who are different than us.
Bad things happen all the time.”

Alli felt the need to defend Finn and his family. “You’re a
high school principal. You of all people should know there is good and bad in
every part of society. Whether they are witches or not.”

His expression softened as he let go of her hand. “Of
course. I guess I just worry about you. If all I’ve heard about Finn is true,
he was quite the troublemaker in his youth. Didn’t he get sent away after high
school? I only want you to be careful with a man like that.”

Alli bristled. Everything he said was true. Still, she
didn’t like him speaking about Finn and his family that way.

“Finn didn’t get into any more trouble than any other
teenager. As far as him being sent away, that had to do with some rule he broke
with his family, nothing more.”

James leaned forward and cupped Alli’s cheek. “I have a bad
feeling. I only wish you would give me a chance. I know I could protect you
from anything he might do to you. A man like that, you can never be too sure
of. They say he comes from one of the most powerful families around. I wouldn’t
put it past him to bewitch you in some way.”

Alli pulled back as if she’d been stung. Finn could never be
capable of doing her any physical harm. He could break her heart but he would
never hurt her in the way James was implying.

The one night she’d spent with Finn, the only magic he’d
performed was to make the fireflies in the sky dance for her. Even last night,
the worst he’d done was lock her door so they were alone.