Finn (Blue-Collar Billionaires #2) (17 page)

We get on the elevator and I push the button for the lobby. “I can see what kind of boss you are. You’re amazing."

She waves the compliment away. "We all cover for each other when needed."

Once the elevator stops moving, she peers at the elevator panel, as if just realizing that we’ve gone down instead of up. “Aren’t we going back to your place? I still haven’t cleaned.”

I shake my head. “You don’t need to. We both know that wasn't why I hired you."

She doesn't exit the elevator so I sigh and walk out into the lobby. If she won't leave then I will. I can hear her shoes squeaking on the floor as she hurries behind me.
 

"Mr. Stevens originally told me that the entire building had gone through a recent upgrade and redesign. I assumed the owner was planning to sell the building not keep it. But there's no way normal people could afford this kind of real estate."

"You're right. The people who most deserve these apartments can't afford them. Not without a little help, anyway."
 

“That’s why you’ve been renovating this building. You’re donating all these apartments?” She turns to me, her eyes bright. "That’s why you insisted that we concentrate on one floor at a time. You've been lining up tenants and scheduling them to move in."
 

“Not all of them will be donated but at least a third. I know what it’s like to leave the military and wonder if you can make it.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

I grunt at that. “I’m not a nice guy. Don’t fool yourself. I brought you here to get payback for how you left me. My plan was to hurt you and I succeeded. I’m not a nice guy. I’m an asshole.”

She shakes her head. "Don't try to make it seem like you were just pretending this whole time.
 
I know you and you meant every single thing you said to me. You love me."

It would be kinder to just lie to her. To pretend that this was all part of my plan from the beginning and to make her hate me. Then she could go on with her life without a backward glance. But when I look over at her, her eyes glow with knowledge. She smiles like she knows what I'm about to do and is already amused by it.
 

She always sees everything.
 

"You're right. I meant every word. That doesn't mean that I'm good for you though. We need to slow down and I definitely need to figure my shit out. Because I can't take the chance that I'll ever scare you like that again. Or that I might hurt you. I'm more determined now but I'm also more cautious. I'm not as reckless as I used to be because I know now how much I have to lose."

"You told me that you weren't going to let me go so easily this time. Was that a lie, too?"

Now that bothers me so I take her by the arm and pull her over to the small lobby area so we aren't giving the concierge such a show. "I wasn't lying. I've never lied to you. I'm just taking a step away."
 

She shakes her head. Her disappointment cuts like a knife. “I never thought I'd see the day when you gave up without a fight. Did I make you this way, Finn?”

“Losing you made me a lot of things, angel. But none of that is your fault."

RISSA

A couple of days later, I'm in the office early to get a head start on some paperwork.
 
I'm not a fan of paperwork under any circumstances but my level of cranky this morning has nothing to do with all the tax forms on my screen. It's because I've been sleeping at my mom's house all week instead of at Finn's place.
 

I hit one of the keys too hard and chip a nail. My frustration is more than just sexual. It's that I'm not on board with this stupid plan of Finn's to take things slowly. His definition of slowly is staying away from me. For the last few days I've only seen him when I'm there to clean. And cleaning the random vacant apartments that he wants move-in ready isn't the same as cleaning his place where I get to see him. Talk to him.
 

I feel like I'm going through withdrawal and I need a Finn fix.
 

After ten minutes, I get up and take some aspirin. Staring at a computer screen for hours on end has the tendency to trigger my headaches and I don't have time to be sidelined today. Daphne, Tara and I had a long talk about delegating and trust.
 
Eventually we decided to start the paperwork to bring three of the girls who've been with us the longest into management positions. With three others who can supervise the bigger jobs it will free up some of our time and allow us to have lives again. For the first time in ages, I have a weekday evening free.
 

My goal is to make it so that none of us work more than ten hours a day. Maybe after a while we can see about cutting it back even more. We might even achieve this mysterious work-life balance that I've heard so much about.

After I've been working for about an hour, I take a break and massage my eyes. I'm going to have to double-check everything I just did since my mind keeps wandering. How can I concentrate on something as mundane as tax regulations when Finn has my mind all twisted? He scares me one minute and then he does something thoughtful the next. How can one man be so sweet and so infuriating at the same time?
 

The upside to Finn being on his best behavior is that we're talking more and more. What he did for Major Halliwell is part of a bigger program that he's started to help get homeless veterans off the street. It's a nice feeling to be a part of something so important.
 
My crankiness subsides a little as I remember that day. Maybe that's what I need, to focus on the good things. I smile remembering how pleased he looked as he welcomed some of the new tenants. The joy on their faces and his was an honor to witness.

"Whatever you're working on must be way more interesting than anything I've got going on."

I open my eyes to see Tara leaning against the doorframe. Her dark hair is pulled back so only the blue streak is hanging loose.
 

"Are you aware that you're just staring into space with an incredibly goofy grin on your face?"

I deliberately make my goofy grin even bigger. "Is smiling a crime now?"

"It is when this grin has something to do with a certain moody client of ours."

My smile fades. "I'm trying not to think about him but I can't help it. He's just … everything that he was when I knew him before and more." I tell her about Major Halliwell. "Instead of cleaning, he's got me helping him out with this new program. It's been a long time since I've felt that good about something I was doing. I really love being a part of that."

Tara's face falls. "You're in love with him. The first day you told me about him, I knew this was where it was going. But it scares me to see how into this guy you are."

"I can't help it, Tara. I've always loved him." It thrills me and frustrates me, too. Wanting Finn is just a constant that I can't escape in my life.

She perches on the edge of my desk. "I know he's gorgeous and rich and crazy over you. But he's also kind of twisted and obsessed and messed up, too. He's already admitted that he wanted to use you and get you out of his system. I just don’t want to see you get hurt by this guy. Not again."

"That’s just it, I hurt him. He never hurt me. Not once. I was scared when I saw him acting so crazy that day but now that I know what was going on, how can I not try to help him?"

"Gah!" She crosses her arms. "That's our fatal flaw as women. We always want to help guys and nurture them. Sometimes there isn't any help other than to run far and fast."

The nagging pain behind my eye socket has gotten worse and the whole left side of my head is throbbing. I've ignored the signs and now it looks like this is about to develop into a full-blown migraine.

"I need to go home." I wince as another throb of pain stabs right behind my eye. "I'm getting a migraine."

Tara knows how intense my migraines can be so she immediately takes my arm and pulls me to my feet. "Go home and rest. I'll cover for you this afternoon."

"Thank you." I shut down my computer and then walk out to the parking lot. All I really want is to go to Finn's but with the way we left things, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. Letting him take care of me is really tempting though. He always knew what to do for me when I would get these debilitating headaches.
 

He always knows what to do in every situation but I'm afraid to get used to relying on that too soon.
 

*
 
*
 
*
 
*
 
*

The front door has never seemed so far away. The chime peals again and I heave myself upward. I place a hand on my abdomen as I shuffle down the hallway praying that I don’t get nauseated again before I can get rid of whoever it is at the door.

I peer through the peephole and then freeze. Finn stands on my mother's front porch looking almost too big for the area the peephole covers. I pull the door open slowly and look at him blearily.
 

His eyes drift up to my hair and I reach up and pat the haphazard bun that I pulled my curls into. Then I look down at what I’m wearing. I’ve got on my favorite pair of pajamas with the ribbons and hearts all over them.
 

Embarrassment sets in. I’m not too exhausted to feel mortified that he’s seeing me like this.

“What are you doing here?”

He holds up the plastic bags in his hands. “Delivery.” He pushes past me and I just let it happen. I’m way too tired to protest his high-handed methods the way I usually would.

He takes everything to the kitchen and then is back before I can even drag my weary body after him. “I called the office and Tara told me you were sick. How are you feeling?

I push the hair around my face back. “About how I look.”

He nods once and then picks me up.
 

“Finn!”

“You looked like you were on the verge of collapsing at any moment.”

“Just tired.” Even saying the words requires more energy than I have at the moment.

In my room, he deposits me gently in the middle of the bed. He pulls the covers back so I can slide beneath and then to my surprise, he slides in next to me. It feels so good to have him here. Like I can finally relax and let someone else take care of things for a while.
 

"Sleep, angel." He loops one arm over my waist and pulls me back into the cradle of his body.

When I wake up the next time, the television is on, the soft lights flickering over the bed. The curtains are drawn so I can’t tell whether it’s still daylight but I have the sense that it’s late. I turn my head and my nose brushes up against Finn’s chest. That’s when I realize why I’m so warm and cozy. I’m tucked up under Finn’s arm, snuggled against his chest.
 

He stayed with me.
 

Finn looks down at me and there’s something indefinably warm in his expression. This is how he used to look at me, like he could spend hours just staring at my face. “You’re awake. Are you hungry?”
 

My stomach pitches at the idea of food. “No food. I can’t even think about it.”

He sits up slightly and the motion forces me to move back. “Here. Take a sip of water. You can’t get dehydrated.”

I sip from the cup he holds out obediently. My migraines always hit me pretty hard and I feel like a wet dishrag that’s been wrung out. “Thank you. I feel a little better now. I just needed to sleep.”

Now that I don’t feel quite so delirious, I can fully appreciate the situation. Finn is snuggled up against me. His chest is bare and I glance down at the bottom half of his body buried beneath the covers. Is he naked under there?
 

He sees me looking and that shit-eating grin of his is back. “I’ve got pants on angel, don’t get any ideas. I'm sure Gloria would kill me if she thought I was in here debauching you.”

“Are you kidding? She'd probably cheer. She's always liked you.” I try to sit up and the room sways slightly. I’m bone tired and I’m groggy as if I’ve been asleep for a very long time.
 

“Did Daphne come by to clean this morning?” Before I'd left, I'd sent her a text asking her to do it if she had time. Even though this was clearly not a typical job, Finn was still paying for our services. And I really don't want to feel that I'm earning that paycheck on my back.
 

Finn nods. “She did. That was interesting. First I had to get out of bed to let her in. Then, she accidentally walked in on me while I was dressing because, I assume, you didn’t tell her that the master bedroom was off-limits. That was quite a shock for both of us.”

I can only imagine. Daphne’s probably no longer speaking to me. I definitely should have warned her not to go in his room. I'm also a little jealous that Daphne has seen him half-naked.

"You know you didn't need to send her over. I'm not going to fire you if you skip a date."

"I know that but I've seen how you live. You need daily cleaning."

His soft laughter is a relief.
 
I wasn't sure if he was going to be pissed that I'd done that without asking.
 

"No, what I need is daily doses of Rissa. But you still look exhausted and that means I haven't been taking care of you properly. So hush and go back to sleep, angel."

There was a time when his proprietary manner would have annoyed me. I'd had more than enough of men thinking they owned me and viewing me as their responsibility. But with Finn I know that he doesn't view taking care of me as an obligation at all. More like an honor. He seems pleased just to be here with me while I'm resting. But I'm reluctant to close my eyes again because I'm afraid this whole thing might turn out to be dream. Then I'll be back to how I was this morning, cranky and depressed because Finn has decided to stay away from me.
 

 
I wrap one hand around his neck and pull him down into a kiss. His lips move against mine hungrily and know that it's been just as hard for him to hold back as it's been for me. Our physical connection is so strong that it's hard to be near him and not be affected. Even now, my body is aching and wet, my pussy clenching hard every time he rocks against me. His mouth is so hot and hard on mine, like he's trying to devour me.