Page 22 of Your Two Lips
I deliberately swallowed. “I appreciate feedback that helps me improve.”
“Good. Me too. You ready?”
Yes. Anytime you want me. “Yep.”
We mounted up.
He looked back at me as he pedaled toward the end of the driveway. “How long should we ride today?”
“I’m open the rest of the day.”
“Cool. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
I liked Finnandmy body’s reaction to him. The sooner we got comfortable, the sooner we could do more things together, naked.
I needed a flirt game. I added that to my mental to-do list.
Ours werethe lone wheels on the road for miles. Strips of pavement bisected long green fields dotted with the occasional farmhouse surrounded by cedars and flowering trees. The air still held the dampness of the recent rain, but the sun was warm on my face.
The sight of Finn’s powerful legs pushing the pedals and his strong back curved toward the handlebars, lowering wind resistance, distracted me from the landscape. When he led the way, he often looked back to check on me. I missed the sensation of being cared for, considered. I doubted Joel had ever really considered me.
The sun was lower as we returned to Bakker Farms. We exchanged the lead a few times after Finn gave me turn-by-turn instructions for the next part of the ride. My legs moved past the initial burn of exertion and into the practiced routine of pushing the pedals. We pulled into the driveway, and I sat up to stretch my shoulders. My lady parts were going to be sore for a couple of hours, but I felt alive, exhilarated. It was a small price to pay.
We stopped by my car, and I loaded my bike. “Your parents live in the farmhouse?”
“Yep. My grandfather built this bungalow. The original house my great-grandfather lived in was tiny and located over where the warehouse and greenhouse are now. Dad grew up here. After he and Mom married, they built that one. Big farm kitchen where Mom makes all things delicious, and a few scuffed walls compliments of me, Luc, and Tess.”
“It must have been great growing up here.”
He shrugged. “Sure. Normal, I guess. My parents love each other, and I think they genuinely like each other. Family traditions, birthdays, holidays. You?”
“Same, well, the city version. Traditions, holidays. My parents absolutely loved each other and liked each other.” Finn stood still and didn’t speak. “My mom passed away when I was a freshman at U-dub.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet, but his tone was steady, not pitying like so many well-meaning others.
“It was a tough time.” I instinctively smiled at him to ease his concern. Strangely, though, he didn’t seem uncomfortable. “She had ovarian cancer. It’s very treatable usually. She went through a few rounds of chemo and fought hard, but hers was too aggressive.” I looked around at all the colors and life of the farm.
“That’s actually how I got interested in massage,” I said. “I drove her to get massages every few weeks following treatment. We would have lunch and talk or just be together. The first couple of days after treatment were the hardest. Massage and relaxation techniques helped her lymphatic system flush out the toxins. She always felt so much better afterward, and I thought, I want to do that. I couldn’t help her, but maybe I could help someone else’s mom.”
“Emily, that’s … amazing.” His eyes had shifted to the deeper blue and roamed my face. My breath hitched.
“I … I was planning to go to school for physical therapy, but PT programs are hard to get into. Academics must be the top priority in your life, and they weren’t for me. Mom was. I half-heartedly applied to a couple of undergrad-grad combination programs after my sophomore year, and, surprise, I wasn’t accepted. I finished my undergrad in biology with an emphasis on anatomy and entered an accelerated massage therapy program.”
“It sounds like you made the right choice. You’re doing what you want.” His smile was kind. “I’m sure your mom would be proud of that.”
My stomach fluttered. I had never laid out all that history to anyone other than a therapist. I should be shaking, yet all I felt was heard. His striking blue eyes held mine, and the air heated around me. His full lips and firm scruffy jaw filled my vision. I wanted to know if his whiskers would be rough against my skin or ticklish. I wondered if his lips were warm or cool. Desire pulled me closer to him in the silence between us.
He stared at my mouth, and I touched his hand. He didn’t move. I lifted my lips toward his, clearly having an out-of-body experience.
Finn audibly inhaled and pulled his hand back. He cleared his throat and started toward the garage with his bike. “Good job today. Do you think you’ll be able to ride on your own some?”
The hot flush of embarrassment flowed up my neck. I swallowed. “Sure. I rode near the horse farms on the south side of the island with Angela earlier this week.”
“Good. Keep that up, and we’ll connect next week.”
Oh, God. I was an idiot. Making a move? I wasted time on Joel, and now I was so far out of practice. I misread this completely. We didn’t share a connection. Finn was being nice, clearly focused on the race. I would keep mine there as well. As soon as the humiliation wore off.
16
