Finn (Casella Cousins #3) - Kathryn Shay Page 0,15
her mouth into his, grasped his nape to keep him where he was, and aligned her body with his. His hand went to her back, pressed her into him. All the while the kiss went on. He felt her move restlessly against his erection.
After who knew how long, they broke the connection. He didn’t expect the shock on her face. The way she touched her lips with her fingers. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I guess I have feelings for you, too. And not just physically, because this reaction,” he pointed downward “came out of nowhere.”
“You don’t play fair.”
He thought about the times he took her hand, grasped her arms, and braided her hair on the boat, for God’s sake. At least she didn’t see that as harassment.
She stepped out of his arms. “You should go.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t emotionally afford for us to go further tonight. And you know after what just happened, it will.”
“I guess I understand that. Are you really quitting the store?”
“Do you actually think we can go back to employee and employer after this?”
“We can forge a new relationship.”
“What would that look like, Finn?”
“I have no idea. We’ll figure it out together.”
“You drive me crazy, you know that?”
“Same here, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll leave, but I expect you at work tomorrow.”
* * *
Molly smiled up at Fitz after dinner at Mecca’s. They were outside, waiting for a cab, and in the shadows. He tipped her face and his lips met hers. It was a nice kiss, not sexual, but with some fire mixed in.
When they moved apart, she said, “I’m not sure this is the best thing to be doing.”
“Why, Mol?”
“I don’t like to get close to people.”
“That’s all right. Being a cop, I don’t either.”
“I don’t trust men.”
“Because of your father?”
Abruptly, she drew back. “How would you know anything about my father?”
Shit, he’d made a mistake. She drove him crazy and he lost his head some times. “You mentioned him the night we met. That you’d been to his place.”
“I did?”
“Yeah. Look, Molly, we’ll take this slow. But I want to touch you, kiss you…other things.”
“I think I want that too.”
“Good. We’ll go out tomorrow night. Talk about us.”
“All right, Fitz.”
* * *
Chapter 4
* * *
Eight a.m.
Millie had considered calling in sick, pulling a no-show or moving to Alaska, but she did none of those things. She dressed like she always did, choosing a pink skirt and blouse, with a navy sweater for the walk. Though she did apply some lip-gloss and rouge. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face.
Again, she walked to Fitzgerald’s. Why wasn’t she tired? She’d barely slept all night. But she knew the answer. Finn had said he cared about her. But did he mean in a romantic way?
Still with no goal in mind, she arrived early and the front door was still locked. She frowned. They were both supposed to work today. Maybe he hadn’t slept well, either. She expected answers and had hoped he’d gotten here before the others.
He didn’t.
Craig and Lorna came in a bit before the doors opened to catalogue inventory that had arrived yesterday and check the shelves to see if any needed restocking.
Judy showed up at ten minutes to nine.
Still no Finn.
Nine a.m.
“What’s wrong, Finn?” Hayley sat out on the deck of the lake house across from him.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Something happened.”
She gripped the water bottle she held. “Oh, Finn, are you sick?”
“What, no.”
“Is Bridget? Or any of our cousins?”
“No, honey, this is about me.”
Her face blanked. “Because of the store problem?”
“No, it’s personal.”
“You never want to talk about you.”
“I have no choice. This is too important to make a mistake.”
She waited, then socked his arm gently. “You’ll have to tell me, or I won’t be able to help.”
He pushed the words out. “I kissed Millie last night.”
Hayley began to laugh. When she calmed, she said, “Hell, it’s about time.”
That was the last thing he expected. “What do you mean?”
“You’re in love with Millie Morrison.”
The shake of his head was strong, as was the conviction that made him respond, “You can’t be in love with someone and not know it. Granted I care about her. But last night, things between us exploded.”
She stared at him. “I stand by my insight.”
“Why?”
“Number one, you talk about her all the time. Mostly, it’s to complain about her standing up to you. Number two, she makes you crazy.”
“Yeah, she does, sometimes. I’ve always acknowledged that fact.”
“Who else in