He stops sucking just long enough to respond. “Good girl, that’s more like it. Tell me how good it feels.”
“You are a fucking king, Finn. You’re so good at this. Please don’t stop.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” he grumbles as he works in a second finger. “You know something?” he asks, removing his lips from my body.
I lift my head from the back of the seat. “Keep going,” I plead. “I’m close.”
He looks up and shoots me a wicked smile. “You still have my fingers. Goodness, you needy girl. Let me talk to you for a minute.”
I blink at him as my lips press together in a hard line. “I am zero percent amused.”
He thrusts his fingers into me hard, making me grunt. “This is too easy.”
“What?” I cry out as he picks up the pace.
“Yeah, I know your pussy backward and forward by now.”
He’s careful to keep his fingers long and straight, knowing if he curls them, I’ll make a fuss about making a mess in this limo. I let him do that to me at home, preferably in the shower. Not here. Not in my mermaid costume, right before we’re about to go into public.
“I know exactly how to make you feel good, baby. I’ve got this pussy on lockdown.”
“Your point?” I ask through gasps.
“Now, how do I get your heart, hm? What do I need to do to keep you? To convince you that you are exactly what I want?” He latches onto my clit again with his lips and drives me to the brink, making sure my toes are curling and my thighs are tensing before he pulls away again. “I need you to start falling in love with me now, Avery.”
In love?
Normally, I’d feel like this is a wildly inappropriate time to be having this conversation, but it feels right with Finn. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking or fucking, the connection is the same. It’s deep, and real, and so all-encompassing. Maybe my emotions will explode at the same time my body does…
“I’m halfway there and I don’t want to be alone at the finish line,” Finn continues.
He nips at my clit now, knowing how it sets me off. It’s the thrill of the idea of danger. He could hurt me, but he doesn’t. He’s so controlled, his nip almost on the cusp of pain but not quite. The perfect balance makes me explode. It’s the trust I have knowing Finn is always going to dare me to jump off the cliff, then be waiting at the bottom to catch me.
I come so hard it almost hurts. The way my back arches so intensely my spine aches, my thighs fatigue, and my head knocks back against the headrest so hard it bounces right back up. I have to rip Finn away from my body with both hands because he’s dead set on pushing me past my limit and he continues to drag his tongue all over my sensitive entrance. The sensation is so intense that it’s torture.
“Stop,” I beg. “I came, Finn. I already came.”
“I know,” he says with a chuckle as he yields and rises from his knees to slide back into his seat. “We need to work on your endurance.”
“Endurance?” I ask as I adjust my panties over my swollen and throbbing center and realign my skirt.
“If you could bear through it, I could send you straight into another orgasm. Even more intense.”
“I think one at a time is plenty,” I huff, still catching my breath. The tingles in my toes still linger. I’m so satiated I just want to fall asleep with Finn holding me from behind.
“For now. You’ll see. There’s a lot for us to explore together. That’s what keeps your sex life alive, Avery. It’s not different positions, dirty talk, or getting choked and your ass swatted. It’s trusting each other enough to be honest and ask for what you want and need—”
“And the other person being willing to try,” I add.
“That’s where I think both of our prior relationships fell flat. Nora didn’t trust”—he points to his chest—“and Mason didn’t try.” He points to me. “That’s why we’re good together. I don’t want to pressure you, Avery, but if you were here, I know I could make you happy.”
I look out the window and see that we’re parked right in front of Ruby’s. I remember the giant red neon sign from all those years ago when I rescued Palmer. My best friend…
“Finn, you know L.A. is only about four hours away.”
He nods shortly. “I’m aware.”
I keep my eyes on the window so he doesn’t see my guilty expression. “That’s almost the same distance to Scottsdale, right? You visit your mom once a month and the drive isn’t too bad.” I finally force myself to look at him, and the way his lips are pressed together and his eyes are narrowed, he knows what I’m saying.
“Do you think seeing each other once a month would be enough for us?”
“Finn, I…” I trail off and he waits patiently for me to finish my thought, but I can’t. I don’t want to tell him Palmer is what stands between us because he truly will hate her forever and if Finn is going to be in my life, I need my boyfriend and my best friend to get along. It’s bad enough that there’s a war between Palmer and Mason. But there’s only a war because she loves me and hates the man who broke my heart.
“Can I be honest?” Finn asks.
I nod in reply.
“I think we’re good together and I think you’re standing in your own way. And when you figure out why, let me know. Maybe I can help you through it.”
But I know why.
It’s because even after all summer, it’s still easier to sink back into what I know I am versus what I could be. I’m Mason’s business partner. I’m Palmer’s best friend. I don’t know if I can trust the idea of Finn and this reinvented version of myself. It’s just a fantasy. It’s just a dream. Guys like Finn don’t really fall in love with girls like me. I know he likes that I make him feel safe…
But do I make him feel alive the way he makes me feel alive? There’s no way. And it’s so much easier to think with my head than my heart.
“Finn, listen, I—”
Knock, knock, knock. The abrupt sound against the partition conveniently interrupts me.
“Sir, we’re being told to move. I can’t park here much longer. Should I circle the block again?”
“No, we’re all set,” Finn calls back and we hear the driver’s door open then slam shut. No doubt he’s making his way over to let us out. Finn keeps his eyes on me. “Finish your sentence, sweetheart. What is it?”
What is it?…
I’m scared.
I grab my clutch and fish through it before I pull out a pack of gum. “Nothing. But here, you should take a piece.” I hand over a single stick. “I promise I’ll return the favor later.”
He chuckles as he pops the gum into his mouth. He winks at me playfully, clearly trying to mask his disappointment in our conversation.
“Damn straight you will.”
34
Avery
I thought my costume was a little risqué, but in comparison to the women here, I look dressed for the presidential inauguration. There was one woman who was basically just wearing a tiny G-string and stickers over her nipples. I would’ve asked what her costume was, but she was a little busy with the security guard’s tongue shoved halfway down her throat.