on his cheeks . . . and she repeated. Too. Fucking. Sexy.
Ugh.
He pushed off the wall and came close.
Close enough that his spicy scent washed over her. Close enough that she felt the heat of his chest through the thin material of her blouse. Close enough that she could see he had a ring of gray in those honey-colored eyes.
He brushed his thumb lightly over her cheek.
Shan’s lips parted, breath catching.
“Not swollen,” he murmured.
“Wh-what?”
“Your eyes are the same gorgeous blue as always,” he said. “Not swollen. Not red.”
That thumb drifted lower, brushing over her jaw, drifting along her bottom lip.
“I—uh—”
“I slept on your couch because you and Rylie were asleep, and I didn’t know where your spare key was.”
She frowned.
“So I could lock up.”
More frowning.
His thumb dipped lower, sliding forward, bringing his palm in contact with her skin as he cupped the side of her neck. “Because after I put you in your bed, I wasn’t going to leave you and Rylie asleep in an unlocked house.”
“But this is Stoneybrook.”
One brow came up. “And is Stoneybrook a fictional utopia where nothing bad ever happens?”
“No,” she admitted.
“So, I wasn’t leaving you unprotected.”
“Finn, the worst thing that has happened in the last couple of years is Pepper nearly getting mowed down by an old lady because that old lady was trying to read the sign Pepper was holding and got distracted.” Her lips twitched. “But that’s Pepper’s Chaos Magnet—her words, not mine.”
“Pepper’s Chaos Magnet.” He grinned. “Yeah, that’s fitting.”
She shrugged. “See? You could have easily left.”
“No, I couldn’t have.”
A huff.
“There was no way I was leaving you and Ry vulnerable,” he said mulishly. “So, just drop it, okay?”
“No, I will not drop it,” she snapped. “You have your own life. I don’t need you to rescue me or—”
He bent and slanted his lips across hers.
Morning breath.
He should have had morning breath.
That was the only logical thought that went through her mind before his mouth settled on hers, before his tongue drifted across the seam of her lips, and slipped inside, before she tasted him—coffee and mint. Before that tongue slid against hers and she got lost in the feel of him.
Two men.
She’d kissed two men in her life.
Brian.
Finn.
And this was like her first time all over again.
Heat slid down her spine, not in an explosion, but rather in a licking, consuming forest fire, burning slowly, combusting everything in its path. Flames coalescing and spreading outward along her skin, up her nape, drifting down to her thighs, in between.
Slow. Ever-increasing. Incineration.
And what a way to go.
But then Finn lifted his head, removed his hand from her throat.
“What—”
Rylie appeared in the hall. “Mom! Pancakes!”
Shannon shook herself. “Get the bowl, baby. I’ll be right there. Finn—”
He kissed her again.
This time wasn’t slow. It was a sparked fire from lightning, flames exploding from the simplest contact. Lips immediately parting, her hands gripping his shoulders, sliding up into his hair, her body flush against him.
Finn growled, arms banding tightly around her, one hand sliding to her ass and tugging her hips to his, the other sliding up to her hair, tilting her head until their mouths met in a perfect frenzy of teeth and tongues and lips. She moaned and arched against him, her pelvis coming into contact with the hard jut of his erection, and fuck, if she didn’t see actual stars from this man’s mouth, his body, his cock.
Eventually, though, they needed to breathe.
They both pulled back, chests heaving.
Finn cupped her cheek. “I should apologize for taking advantage of you,” he said, and added, right over her when she began protesting, “I only came back to tell you that you didn’t have to cook for me.” He brushed his lips over hers. “So, I should say I’m sorry for kissing you.” Another brush. “But I’m not going to. Not when I’ve been dreaming about doing it from the moment I first saw you.” One final brush before he dropped his hands and stepped away. “There is no fucking way I’m going to apologize for the best kiss of my life.”
Then he turned and walked down the hall, disappearing into the kitchen, leaving her standing there, reeling.
For two huge, ginormous, astronomical reasons.
One, dreaming about her?
And two, the best kiss of his life?
The. Best. Kiss. Of his life?
Finn popped his head out of the kitchen, lips slightly swollen as they curved up into that gorgeous, award-winning smile.
“Come on down, Blue Eyes,” he called. “I made coffee.”
He disappeared.
And she stood there for a few more seconds, still reeling.