Page 21 of Wood Riddance
Finn raised one brow. “That yippy little shit tried to bite my ankles.”
“You seem to have survived.” Shrugging, I looked him up and down mockingly. “And don’t underestimate him. He’s an eighteen-pound killer. Aren’t you, baby?”
I scratched his ears again, always proud of my boy.
“Why are you here?” I asked when the giant of a man continued hovering.
“I work here. Henri and I worked out a plan for drone surveillance, and he wanted me to run it by you. Equipment and software are being set up now so I can get it all done quickly. While I’ve been waiting for that to be completed, I figured I’d get to know the other employees.”
I blanched. “Why? Your position here is temporary. We’ll hire a real pilot at some point.”
“I am a real pilot,” he said, the corner of his mouth quirking. “Ask the US Navy.”
Shooting him a withering look, I huffed. “Not one I can tolerate. I’d much prefer one who isn’t the spawn of a murderer.”
Finn pulled up the chair directly across from my desk and sat in it. He-Man lunged at him, but I held him back, tucking him against my chest.
Placing those massive inked forearms on the surface, he leaned forward. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not him? I barely had a relationship with my father. I don’t want trouble. I want to work.”
His dark eyes met mine, and he held my gaze for a moment longer than necessary to make his point.
Heart thumping in my chest, I sat still, deliberately not responding. Because what I wanted to do was scream and throw torque wrenches at his handsome head. Instead, I held He-Man close and focused on breathing through the rage. It was late, I was tired, and I had a date with a new episode ofSuccessionlater.
I was gathering up the courage to kick him out of my office when my phone buzzed on the desk, right next to his giant paw.
Before I could react, he snagged it and held it up in front of him.
“Hey.” I dove forward, upsetting He-Man, who hopped off my lap in the process. But he pushed his chair back and stood, examining the screen.
“Hold up,” he said, his attention still fixed on the device. “These are LuvStruck alerts.”
My stomach dropped and my face flamed. As if every part of me didn’t already hate this guy enough, now he was going to mock me for using dating apps? Not today, Satan.
I stood and crossed my arms, going for authoritative. “Give me my fucking phone, Stretch, or I’ll take it from you, and I will not be gentle.”
He smirked. “That is not the threat you think it is, but here.”
He held it out, but he was still halfway across the room, so I was forced to round my desk to get it back.
“Go forth and date,” he said when I tore the device from his hand.
Annoyance flashing through me like a storm, I narrowed my eyes. “Is it so strange for a person to be on dating apps? Let me guess, I’m so terrible and ugly and mean that I have no business dating. Is that it?”
I was fuming, yet he only raised a brow and dropped back into the chair he’d been occupying. “Project much, She-Ra?” he teased, leaning back and spreading his legs wide. “I was only curious. Figured some lucky guy with balls of steel and a really good life insurance policy had locked you down already.”
I clutched the phone with both hands. “Nope. Still looking for Mr. Right.”
He chuckled. “Fascinating.”
“Fuck off with your smug judgment.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “No judgment here. It’s rough out there. And you’re talking to someone who hasn’t been on a date in years. It’s not like women are lining up these days, what with my father being a murderer and all.”
I grinned. Finally some good news. “It warms my heart to know the women of Penobscot county have such high standards. Maybe there is hope after all.”
Before I could bask in the glory of putting him down, he pushed back, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor, and stood. We were close, maybe six inches away from one another. His body took up every spare inch of space in my office, a physical reminder of how big he was.
He tilted forward a little so we were eye to eye while maintaining the distance between us and dropped his voice. “Or maybe you’ve been waiting for me all these years. Since that hot make-out session in my truck.”
