Page 25 of Never Too Late

Finn let out a little huffing sound. “Just a kiss.”

It was more a statement than a question, but I answered it anyway. “For now.” I jerked my head to the doorway a few feet away. “You should go before my resolve crumbles.”

This time, Finn didn’t argue, smiling as he stepped back. “What time, tomorrow?”

“Eleven,” I said. “It’s been a busy day and we’re both tired. We need a good night’s sleep if we’re going to do tomorrow justice.”

Finn nodded. “Eiffel Tower, tomorrow. I’m never going to find a Parisian to go with me. Laurent would rather die than go there.”

“Eiffel Tower,” I agreed. “Whatever you want to do. I’m at your disposal.”

Finn didn’t comment, but there was a softness in his eyes that said he understood the sentiment. “Night, Cillian.”

“Night, Finn.”

Only once he’d disappeared into the building and the door had closed behind him, did I turn and walk away. I was still smiling when I reached my hotel, one or two of the night staff giving mea quizzical look as I passed. “It’s been a fantastic day,” I said to one in explanation. “Très bonne journée.” He nodded, looking even more confused.

Chapter Ten

We shared a kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking out across Paris. The number of people around prevented us from prolonging the kiss as we had the previous night. Neither of us was keen for our romantic moment to be captured for all the world to see on some foreign tourist’s camera.

“Did you know,” Finn asked as we admired the view, “that this held the record as the world’s tallest building when it opened in 1889?”

“I did not.”

“Although, its height changes depending on the season.” He laughed at my slight frown. “It changes by thirteen inches.”

“That’s a lot of inches.”

He winked. “Isn’t it? More than any man needs.”

As I wasn’t ready to pop a boner at one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations, I quickly brought the conversation back to the original point. “Go on, explain.”

Finn slid a hand into mine and my heart skipped a beat, him instigating the intimacy making me miss the first part of what he’d said.

“…iron.”

“Iron,” I repeated dumbly.

“It expands and contracts depending on the temperature. So in summer, it can be seven inches taller, and in winter when it’s cold, it can be six inches shorter. Thirteen inches.”

“I can do the maths,” I said with a smile. “I might just be an advertising schmuck, rather than someone who works with numbers, but even I can work out the difference between seven and negative six.”

“Just thought I’d help you out. And I don’t think the founder of a successful business gets to describe themselves as a schmuck.”

“Maybe not,” I conceded. “Amrita calls me far worse on a daily basis though.”

“How did you two meet?” Finn asked. “I know she’s far more than a PA to you. More like your right-hand woman and your advisor. And I suspect her wages are far superior to that of the average PA.”

I laughed at that. “That’s true. Sometimes if I piss her off, she’ll ask for a raise. The record is four salary hikes in a single year. Small ones. But add them together and they were pretty hefty.” A gust of wind blew, our position at eight hundred and three meters, making it feel more like a gale. I automatically pulled Finn into my body to shelter him from the worst of its effects.

“My hero,” he said with a laugh. “What are you going to take on next for me? Rain? Hail? Snow?”

“Next time, I’ll let you be blown off the side.” I was laughing, too, though. And the best thing was that Finn hadn’t stepped back, his body a heated line against mine through the layers of our clothing. I wrapped an arm around him and kept him there, rubbing slow circles over his shoulder blade with my thumb.This was better than sex. Way better. Because sex was something you could do with anyone. Whereas true romantic feelings were far rarer. Not that my dreams hadn’t been full of what-if scenarios after last night. What if I hadn’t left Finn alone and gone upstairs with him instead? What if I’d listened to him on that last day and given him an opportunity to tell me what was bothering him?

There was no changing the past, though. Whether that was minutes ago, hours ago, or months. There was only living in the present. The right here and right now. And it felt like I was getting better at being able to appreciate it for what it was.

“Is there a reason you’re not answering my question about Amrita? Did the two of you have a torrid affair you don’t want me to know about?”

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