Then he sinks in his seat. “I’m sorry for yelling. That wasn’t very fair of me when you’ve been so helpful and supportive. You don’t have to be involved in any of this and I’m just getting unnecessarily angry. I’m sorry.”
I reach over and hold my hand out until he places his in it. “Don’t apologize, Finn. Anyone would be frustrated with this.”
“When we get home can we just… do something else for a bit? Something to get my mind off it?”
“Of course. What do you want to do?”
He shrugs. “Mope, maybe?”
“No moping allowed.”
“Tantrum?”
“Nope.”
“Why won’t you let me have any fun?”
“I’m just mean like that.”
He smiles at me before lifting my hand to his mouth and giving it a kiss. When we reach the house, I notice Finn is a little stiff getting out of the car. I know he jarred his leg during the event, but he refuses to admit he’s sore. His goal in life is to never look weak but it’s to the extreme.
“Orin has the hot tub. What if we get in it to help your leg?” I suggest.
“But I want to do something with you,” Finn says.
“Oh… vampires don’t melt when they get wet. That’s witches.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You know what I mean, smart-ass.”
I scrutinize him as I walk up to the house. “No, sorry, I don’t,” I say as Artemus and Hela greet us at the door. Artemus just obliviously shoves Hela out of the way as Finn gives him a big hug.
“I’m so glad you’re doing better, my good boy. But you’re supposed to be quiet and not jumping around,” he says.
Artemus jumps around hard enough he knocks Finn into the door, making his head give a loud thunk.
“That didn’t sound good. I know sometimes I want to see if I can knock some sense into you, but that sounded like he was knocking sense out of you.” I’m trying to get inside but it seems impossible with the dog barricade.
“Nope, but he can do anything he wants,” Finn says as he hugs Artemus some more.
We have them sectioned off to the entrance sitting area where Artemus’s favorite couch is so he’s not being too active, but honestly, he’s healing up amazingly well. I reach over and scratch behind his ear.
He knows he did a good job and if he didn’t before, he did after I gave him a bowl of ice cream yesterday.
“Why don’t you go soak in the hot tub for half an hour while I get some other stuff done? Then we can watch a movie or something together.” While I don’t like feeding into Finn’s insecurities, I know I have to move slowly with his stubborn ass.
Finn gives Hela a pet before standing up. “You can join me if you promise to stare at the ceiling the entire time.”
“Deal,” I say. “I’ll take the dogs out. Can you find me something to wear so I don’t have to show Orin my naked ass if he comes home early and surprises us like he’s been doing? I’m also convinced he has cameras all over the house and is watching you.”
Finn laughs. “You’re making him sound creepy.”
I pretend to be nervous as I glance around. “Shh, he can probably hear us.”
“He’s not listening to us… probably.”
“Probably?” I ask as I look up at the newly installed camera. I swear that thing is aimed right at me.
“Moon him! I bet that’ll get him talking if he’s watching us!” Finn says as he tries turning me around.
I attempt to shoo him off. “Orin currently likes me. I’m not mooning him. Vampires like me have to uphold our prestigious—”
Swiftly, Finn undoes my button and yanks my pants down before giving my ass a smack and rushing for the stairs.
“Dammit, Finn!” I yell as I yank my pants up.
Finn hesitates on the stairs before looking over at me. “He just texted and said you have a nice ass!”
“He did not!” I growl as I rush after him before remembering that I promised to take the dogs out and Finn shouldn’t be running around with his leg aching. I sigh as I glare after Finn even though he’s long gone. “Why do we put up with him?”
Neither dog seems to know, so I take them outside, keeping Artemus on a leash to stop him from running anywhere.
Once they’re finished, I head back inside and over to Finn’s room where he’s wearing a pair of swimming trunks he must have left here at some point and