Page 10 of Heir of Fire
“Don’t let yourself get worked up over that asshole,” Finn said. “If he had any brain in him, he would realize that settling down and loving you would have been the best thing he could have done in his miserable life. He blew it, and you’re better off with someone who isn’t going to be ashamed of you.”
Gianna turned to look at him now, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She went to open her mouth, but he wasn’t done yet.
“Those assholes don’t deserve you, Gianna,” he said, his voice holding such strong conviction she almost believed him.
His eyes were darker now, the brown now almost completely black. She didn’t even realize they had been so close to eachother, but their legs were only a couple inches apart. If she leaned in, she would taste that minty warmth again.
But she didn’t. Of course she didn’t.
“How will I know who deserves me?”
“I don’t think I need to tell you how you’ll know if someone worships the ground you walk on, princess.”
“Princess? And here I thought you’d become nice,” she said, but she still couldn’t help the way her lips turned up slightly.
“You’ve known me long enough to know that’ll take a miracle,” he said. “Do I get a thanks for helping you tonight?”
“Add that to your list of miracles.” She snorted, getting up to stretch her legs before she sat on the edge of the bed. She was awfully aware of his eyes on her, trailing every inch of her exposed skin. She was also aware of how horrendous she must’ve looked now.
Gianna leaned over to peel the heels off her feet. She threw them across the room, catching the way he shook his head. “What?” she asked.
“I don’t understand how you do that.”
“Do what?”
“How you went through a breakdown and now you’re back to your normal self, as if nothing happened,” he said, standing.
She shrugged, leaning back on the palms of her hands. “I had my moment and now it’s over. I hope no one outside of this room will find out about it either.”
“Is that a threat?”
“I’m not in the business of making threats like you are.”
He shook his head. “I don’t plan on telling anyone either way. Your secret is safe with me.”
A chill ran down her spine at those words. Sharing something with him felt wrong, especially something like a secret. Something that she wouldn’t be telling anyone else about.
“Perfect,” she said. She rose from the bed when the craziest thought popped into her mind. Maybe it was her testing the waters, or maybe it was her just trying to tease him, but Gianna decided to do something she had never ever considered doing in her life, with her best friend’s brother of all people.
She turned around, looking at him over her shoulder. “While you’re in here, mind getting the zipper for me? It tends to snag.”
The tension in the room turned thick in an instant. She waited for him to tell her to figure it out before stomping out like the asshole he had always been. Finn helping her tonight, being kind, saying the words she needed to hear, was a fluke, a glitch.
Only the opposite happened. He walked up behind her, standing so close she could feel the heat from his body transferring over to hers. With a careful hand, something so unlike him, he grabbed the zipper, using the other hand to hold her lower back. She could feel every single millimeter the zipper moved down her back. Slowly, her back was exposed to the air, and she swore she heard him gasp, or maybe it was her. Shit, she didn’t know anymore.
With a long exhale against her shoulder, he pulled it all the way down.
“There,” he muttered, pulling himself away entirely.
“Thanks,” Gianna said, but he was already walking out the door, closing it behind him.
She caught her gaze in the full body mirror against the closet door, and for some reason, she didn’t turn away from it this time.
SEVEN
FINN
What the fuck was that?
