FinnsRedemption (6 page)

This thing between them had nothing to do with the curse.
This was how it felt to just be a man and a woman who needed each other on a
deeper level.

He was going to tell her the truth about what had happened
so long ago. It was important that she knew. Knew the
whole
truth. He
needed her to understand what that night they spent together meant to him. That
night was what he measured every other sexual experience he had against. Nothing,
no woman, had ever come close to making him feel the way he had that night. No
other woman was ever good enough. He knew why he always felt that way, it was
because no other woman could compete with his memories of Alli, and no other
woman ever came close.

After all this time living with thousands of miles between
them, the feelings were still alive, stronger than before. Holding Alli close,
Finn realized he was truly where he belonged, he was truly home.

Chapter Six

They drove in silence. Finn’s mind was in overdrive. His
body so hard, strung so tight, at the moment it was all he could do not to
ravage her. He had to have Alli, and it had to be sooner rather than later. His
body would not allow a slow seduction. He had gone without sex for a while but
his reaction to Alli made it feel like years. Finn had been unprepared for the
effect she was having on him. He had not been able to stop thinking about her
since the moment he laid eyes on her. Her taste was like the sweetest peach.
Her lush body had grown so hot and wet for him. She fit perfectly in his arms.

The irony of this situation was not lost on Finn. The one
woman whom he betrayed was the only woman who made his heart race like it was
now. Alli was the only woman who made him think of things like marriage and
children and spending late mornings making love. Damn, he sounded like some bad
greeting card. His brothers would get a big laugh at his expense if they could
hear his thoughts right now.

They pulled into the little Italian place near his family
home. After jumping out of the car, he went around to the other side and helped
her out. Holding her hand while they made their way inside.

The restaurant was dim and they were seated at a back booth
that afforded them a great deal of privacy.

The waiter handed them each a menu and offered to get them
their drinks.

“Do you know what you want?” He was impatient to get the
orders out of the way and spend some time just talking with her without
interruption.

The server returned with two glasses of red wine. Alli
thanked him and ordered baked mostaccioli. Finn had the same.

“How long have you owned the store?” What a fucking lame
question, but then she smiled and he relaxed.

“I opened it about seven years ago. After I got out of
college I worked for a few companies but decided I didn’t really enjoy taking
orders from managers worried about the bottom line. I was always a big reader
and when the ice-cream parlor went out of business, I decided to give it a go.”

“That’s a pretty gusty move to start a business from
scratch.” He admired her ability to fulfill her dreams.

She shrugged. “It took awhile to build up the inventory. I
must have scoured every yard and estate sale I could find. Every time the
library held their annual sale, I cleared them out. Before long the store had
enough books to open and it took off from there.”

“I think it’s great to be your own boss.”

“What about you? How was living in the big C?”

“It’s a different world out west. Perpetual sunshine, great
surf. You can hang in downtown L.A. and experience the nightlife or you can go
to the beach and sit under the stars.”

“You miss it, don’t you?”

He noticed the corners of her mouth tip down and reached
across the table, squeezing her fingers gently.

“Not really. I plan to bring my custom bike shop here. I
take orders from all over the world so it doesn’t really matter where I set up
shop. There is nothing for me in California. Everything I want is here.” He
lifted her fingers to his mouth, kissing the tips of each one. “I’m home to
stay, Alli. I’m a grown man and not afraid of what may come.”

She opened her mouth but the food arrived before she pushed
him further about staying home.

Instead he steered their conversation to less controversial
subjects. They exchanged stories of their lives over the last fifteen years.
She’d certainly led a much more social life than he had. She was involved in
the local theater, she helped out with the literacy program at the schools. She
was an amazing person, compassionate and sweet just as he remembered. Even though
she had every right to be bitter, especially after her humiliation, she wasn’t.
Her personality was too strong, she was so sure of herself.

He felt like a kid compared to who she’d become.

After she emptied her second glass of wine, she waved off
his next question. “Enough about me, tell me about you.”

He really hated talking about himself. “Not much to tell
other than the bike shop. I’m not exactly the social type.”

“That’s a surprise. In school you were the life of the
party.”

He swallowed hard. “A lot of things changed after I had to
leave town.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Finn didn’t want to bombard her with what he endured on
Avalon so he decided instead to give her an abridged version. “Alli, you have
to remember that as far as my family was concerned, I did a terrible injustice
to you. I broke your trust.”

He picked up her hand again and this time refused to let go.
“I want you to know that I never ever meant for anyone to find out what
happened that night. Believe it or not, I did like you. You were so different
from the other girls. You were smart and funny and didn’t demand every moment
of my attention. You gave me freedom to hang with my friends, or at least who I
thought were my friends. I didn’t have to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

“The rumors of my family being witches were difficult to
overcome. The teasing the boys and I took as young kids was so damn hard. By
the time high school came around, I could play ball. That saved me from getting
shit every day. I was part of the in crowd. Treated like everyone else and the
popularity followed.”

“Was it worth it, being someone you weren’t?” It was a
legitimate question but the answer was a little more complicated.

“No, it wasn’t worth it but I was a kid and I would probably
do the same thing again. Only this time I’d make sure no one followed us that
night.”

He reached across the table and cupped her soft cheek. “I
don’t regret, I’ll never regret, what happened between us. Believe it or not it
was the first time for me as well. I wasn’t the stud everyone assumed I was.”

Alli sucked in a breath. “But I thought you and Missy had—”

He cut her off. “No, we didn’t.”

“My god, Finn, I didn’t know.”

“I know,” he whispered. “Things are different now. We’re
adults, we’re in full control of our lives now.”

Her eyes lit as his words sank in. “I’m sorry for all that
happened to you. Sorry for what happened to both of us.”

He needed to change the subject. He wanted to spend the rest
of the evening getting to know her without the specter of their shared past hanging
over them. “What’s done is done. We can’t go back and change anything. It’s
time to move forward, and you can start by telling me your favorite ice cream.”

She blinked then smiled as she started talking about her
favorite things.

They left the restaurant in good spirits, each laughing and
talking up a storm about what they enjoyed and what they hated most.

As they started down the road, his thoughts flew back to how
she made him feel. Her mere presence was a soothing balm to his battered soul.
She was made for him and him alone. Finn knew she was the one woman he could
love.

Love? Where the hell had that come from? He shook his head
as the word repeated in his mind. He’d never thought he’d be able to love a
woman. The punishment he received when he’d been sent away cured him of ever
being in love. The punishment the Goddess extracted from him for his sins
against Alli had been too high.

Yet here he was, knowing without a doubt that he was falling
for this woman. Just as he’d fallen for her fifteen years ago. It felt natural,
it felt right. This time he wasn’t a stupid kid. He was a man now and Alli was
his woman. He would care for her, be a good husband, a good father to their
children. He would do everything in his power to prove to Alli that he was a worthy
man.

Alli carried emotional scars from that night long ago but
Finn carried scars as well. He had thought his would never be healed. Every
time he looked in the mirror, he was reminded of his betrayal against Alli.
Scars left to remind him that pissing off the Goddess was the worst thing a man
could do.

Finn had learned to hide the bitterness, tuck it away and
live his life, but he never forgot the years he spent on Avalon and the lessons
forced upon him there. He’d thought he would never allow a woman to have a hold
on him. That is what he told himself before seeing her again. Alli was his,
Fate had decided that already.

Finn knew damn well how to make her happy, and after they
were joined, he would do his best to make her never regret having a life with
him. She would heal his bruised soul, he would heal her broken heart.

“Finn, where are you taking me?” she asked, breaking the
silence in the truck.

Damn, she was a beautiful sight. Finn couldn’t shake the
feeling of being torn every time he looked at her. She excited his body and
soothed his soul at the same time. He knew in that instant he would never be
able to let her go, regardless if the curse against his family could be broken
or not. Alli would remain with him from this moment forward. All he had to do
was convince her of that.

He smiled at her without answering her question. He knew she
was still embarrassed by what had happened in the store. He wasn’t sorry
though, he loved the way she came apart in his arms. Her moans and the way she
had soaked his fingers were a testament to the hot lover she would be. His grip
tightened on the steering wheel to prevent him from hauling her up against him
and starting all over again with her in the truck.

Now was not the time. He was taking her to see Heather and
his family. It was important to Finn that Alli see him with them to get to know
him better. To understand how close he was to them and how devoted. If he could
convince her of that then maybe she would see they belonged together, that she
would be welcomed into the family with open arms. He wanted Alli to know he
wasn’t the asshole he had been at eighteen.

He reached over and grabbed her hand. She stiffened when he
brought it to rest on his denim-clad thigh. He kept his hand on top of hers so
that she couldn’t remove it. She finally began to relax, enjoying the feel of
his strong thigh through his jeans. She even ventured to squeeze it and was
rewarded when she felt his leg tense underneath her fingers. She looked over at
his handsome profile and suddenly felt a little wicked.

Feeling more emboldened, Alli allowed her hand to travel to
his mid-thigh. Slowly, she slid her fingers along the denim until they were
just below his zipper. Finn’s hand clamped down on hers.

“You’re playing with fire, Alli. If you go any further…” he
ground out between clenched teeth. Her fingers teasing his leg were driving him
crazy.
Damn!
He couldn’t believe how much she affected him. Her every
touch going straight to his cock.

Alli pulled her hand back at his warning but Finn gripped it
again and placed it firmly where she had it last on his upper thigh. Stopping
her roaming fingers had been out of necessity so that Finn could make the turn
into the long driveway that led up to his family’s house. He chanced a look at
her and her sultry eyes were half closed as she squeezed him some more. He
swore to himself and pulled over near some trees well before they reached the
house.

“Come here,” he growled, pulling her to him and closing his
mouth over hers.

Alli felt the knot that seemed permanently implanted in her
stomach get bigger as his kiss stole her breath away. His wicked tongue slid
through her lips and plunged in and out of her mouth. Finn grabbed her again
and pulled her against his denim-covered cock. Alli gasped as she felt his hard
arousal and found herself unable to stop as she unzipped him. Tentatively, she
reached the inside the opening—he wasn’t wearing any underwear, she should have
guessed as much.

Finn pushed her hand in farther, he needed her to touch him
like this, and he felt as if he was going to explode. “By the Goddess, Alli,
touch me,” he commanded.

She wished she had the strength to resist her feelings for
him. She would give anything if she could hold the past against him. She didn’t
feel it though and knew she couldn’t deny him anything at the moment, his
hungry mouth finding hers again as she pulled his jeans apart.

Reaching in, she released his rock-hard penis. She moved
back and was able to look at his rounded head. The sight made her mouth water,
the small bead of pre-cum moisture begging to be licked off. She ran her thumb
through the bead and spread it around the head.

Finn fell back against the seat as Alli ran her hand up and
down the sides of his cock. Taking her time, allowing herself to enjoy every ridge
of his flesh. The hardness of him was like steel in her fingers. She tightened
around the width of him, which caused just the right amount of friction. She
was rewarded with a deep moan that escaped Finn’s throat.

Alli placed her palm underneath his balls. Loving the feel
of the weighted sac filling her hand. She squeezed it lightly while keeping up
the stroking of his cock. She liked feeling in control of Finn’s pleasure.

“Baby, that feels so good. Your hands are magic on me.”
Finn’s words were urgent with the need to spill himself in her soft hands.

He raised his head and began raining kisses along her cheeks
and down her neck. His breath causing her nipples to tighten, her pussy to get
damp. He took her earlobe between his teeth, rubbing it, licking it and biting
it, causing Alli to moan from the pain it caused. Finn began licking the spot,
turning her pain into pleasure.

Alli brushed the back of her hand along Finn’s hard six-pack
as she continued to stroke his length. He had so much power. His penis was taut
and Alli shivered at the thought of him fucking her with all his might. He
would send her body to places she had never dreamed about before. How long
would she be able to hold out? Not long.

“I can’t wait to have you beneath me, baby. I will be between
your legs before this night is over,” he promised her. His back became ramrod
straight as he felt his balls draw up tight and he knew he was about to
explode. “Slow down, baby, I’m going to come.”