Page 18 of Finlay

He looked so lost in that moment that I yearned to comfort him. To offer him something that might make him feel better. But all the trite things I trotted out at work felt wrong now. Empty.

Instead, I said nothing. I just stood beside Finn as he pulled himself together. I couldn’t offer him anything else, but I could offer him my solidarity. The knowledge that, for a few moments, he wasn’t alone in his grief.

Eventually, he cleared his throat and took a step backwards. “I best let ye get home.”

I nodded, already backing away. “Goodnight, Finn.”

He gave me a wry smile. “Goodnight, Chester.”

It was only as I walked up the path to my house and glanced out over the silent body of water that I realised something.

There was only one loch Finn could’ve been swimming in. The one I could see from most rooms in my house.

Including my bedroom.

I let myself in with a sigh.You’re not going to look out your window at every opportunity just in case you get a glimpse of Finn practically naked.

And wet.

You’re not.

Yeah, I didn’t believe myself either.

Chapter 5

Finn

After running into Chester in the woods, I’d like to say I didn’t spend hours thinking of him. Wondering why his mood seemed to flip faster than an acrobat. Why he was confident one second and shrinking in on himself the next.

It shouldn’t have bothered me. He was practically a stranger. One who’d made it evident he wasn’t interested in me.

Even if his eyes had lingered on my chest a beat too long.

Attraction didn’t equal interest though, and I’d never pursue someone who didn’t want my attention. I hadn’t with Sarah, and I wasn’t about to with Chester either.

But try as I might, I couldn’t get Chester off my mind. I’d never had this problem with Sarah. With her, it had been easy to compartmentalise. To hide my feelings inside a deep part of my soul. To be her friend and guard without letting anything else even cross my mind in her presence.

Why couldn’t I bury these thoughts about Chester just as easily?

When the time came to pick up my order, I couldn’t stop myself spending longer than usual fussing with my hair. Or putting on a new shirt Logan had brought back from his last shopping trip in Edinburgh. I even polished my lace-up army boots, something I hadn’t ever done before. I’d had to borrow the polish from Evan. Calan and Logan could’ve given me some, but I knew there’d be fewer questions from Evan. He hadn’t been around long enough to know this was unusual behaviour for me.

All in all, I was tidier than I’d been in decades. The only thing I didn’t bother with was cologne.As a shifter, scent was everything. I didn’t want Chester smelling anything on me that wasn’t, well, me.

Yes, I was being ridiculous, but there was only so much I could deny my wolf. He was already pissed at me for deciding not to pursue anything with Chester.

It was bad enough that I’d let my wolf loose the other night. After telling Chester goodbye, I’d shifted and stalked him through the night. I’d forgotten to strip first, ruining the pair of shorts I’d hidden in the woods in case of a human encounter. At least it had happened after meeting Chester.

Anyway, my wolf had been pissed at me for letting Chester walk away. I hadn’t been able to stop myself shifting and making sure the gentle giant got home safely.

It had been a shock to realise where he lived. There were only a handful of homes around the loch and Chester’s was in a prime location. Built twenty years ago, it stood on the spot I’d once thought of as mine. The one where Calan, Danny, Logan, and I had once swum. Where we’d spent our youth.

Where Calan had found me on the night of Sarah and Danny’s wedding.

To say I’d been furious when a developer had purchased that bundle of land was an understatement. I’d tried to buy it from him, but the bloke had refused to budge. I’d had to watch as the house took shape. The porch that sat on the area where I’d fallen to my knees. The steps leading down to the exact place where I liked to step into the frigid waters.

Over the years, I’d blocked the presence of the house out, diving into the loch from the shore opposite. I hadn’t known who lived there, nor had I cared.

Now though, I knew exactly who inhabited the space I’d once thought of as my own. And I found myself caring about it far more than I should have.

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