somehow.
By not following their demands, they’ll come for me, but I won’t allow them to come after her.
I can’t.
Stone has become more important to me than I could have ever imagined.
Maybe even more important than my freedom.
Chapter 21
Stone
“A party?” I stutter, wide-eyed.
“Uh-huh.” Finn nods, absentmindedly playing with my hair.
I place my chin on his chest, looking at him as if he’s completely lost his mind.
“At your house? Tomorrow? You want me to come to your house for your dad’s birthday party tomorrow?” I repeat his moronic invite, word for word, hoping my tone will knock some sense into his head.
“You make it sound like you’ve never attended a birthday party before,” he jokes, his warm body chuckling with amusement under me.
“Not one on the Northside, that’s for sure,” I mutter into his chest.
“It’s no big deal. My mom throws one for my dad every year. There will be so many people attending that no one will even notice I brought a date.”
“I bet.” I scoff. “No doubt all of Asheville’s high society will be making an appearance.”
“So? Who cares who will be there?” he asks playfully, pushing me flat on the bed to be on top.
“I care,” I exclaim, playing with my tongue ring nervously.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, brat,” he taunts, crawling down to one breast and giving my sensitive nipple a little tug with his teeth.
I pull his head up with both hands, unwilling to be distracted by his sexy ways when this conversation hasn’t met its end.
“First of all, won’t your parents be pissed that I’m crashing their party?”
Finn lets out a little chuckle that, I swear, never fails to annoy the hell out of me just as much as it warms my insides. Or maybe it’s because the sound leaves me a gooey mush, that it irritates me so.
“You won’t be crashing. You’ll be my date. A guy can bring his girlfriend to his parents’ party, can’t he?”
I try not to give too much thought to how easily pretty boy just latched the ‘girlfriend’ title on me, especially when there is a bigger issue at hand.
“Finn, I’m serious. Don’t you think they’ll be just a little bit upset you’re bringing me?” I insist cautiously, leaving out the fact that his parents may not be thrilled with the idea of him showing up with a Southie on his arm.
“I don’t see why.”
“Really? You don’t see any problem at all? They don’t even know who I am, Finn.”
“So? What better way for them to get to know you. You’ll come and dazzle them with your sassy ass. Besides, my mom is on pins and needles waiting to meet you.” He chuckles, kissing the inside of both my wrists.
“She is?”
“Yep,” he explains excitedly. “But I didn’t invite you for her benefit. It’s time I show off my girl to my friends and family,” he coos, slowly slithering his body down mine so his mouth can once again latch onto my nipple. “And anyway, I met your mom, and I didn’t feel all this resistance when you brought me home.”
“That was different.”
“I don’t see how,” he counters, looking up at me with a new frown edged on his lips. “Why are you fighting this so hard, Stone? What’s the real reason why you don’t want to come?”
I maul my lower lip and look up at the ceiling instead of his stellar, baby-blue eyes. They always seem to stare right into my soul, trying their damnedest to disarm me of every weapon I might have against them. Thankfully, my cautious heart always keeps some ammunition stored away, precisely for protecting myself from situations like these.
I let out a long exhale, turning my gaze back to him, knowing I’m about to cause some serious damage to his fragile heart.
“I don’t think it’s time to meet the family, that’s all. Or your friends.”
He gives a stiff nod, instant sadness coating every feature of his beautiful face.
“Message received,” he quips back harshly.
He pulls his hard body off mine and gets out of the bed in one quick jump. Taking just a few seconds to search for his clothes, he grabs them from the floor and begins to get dressed.
“You’re angry,” I utter, sitting upright on the bed and leaning against the headboard.
I pull the sheets to cover my naked form as I watch him pull up his sweat pants and yank his T-shirt over his head in record time.
“I’m not angry, Stone. I’m disappointed. There’s a difference,” he snaps