15 Shades Of Pink (32 page)

“And he was quite spotty back in high school,” Catherine offered.

“Doesn’t matter. We’re just friends.” But that felt like a lie coming out, because there was definitely an undercurrent between the two of us that we’d both acknowledged back in his kitchen. Question was, would I be willing to jump in and find out where that current would take me?

And would I drown in the sea of women castoff by Finn?

After hearing about the rest of the night the girls spent at the bar, and the French guys who tried to pick them up with lines worthy of the cheesiest fondue, we hit the beach around noon. I’ll admit it. I was scanning the shore for Finn as we scoped out the perfect spot to set up our beach umbrellas, coolers, and towels.

“He’s over there,” Brooke said, watching me survey the shore.

I thought about playing dumb, but I’d been found out. “Can’t blame a girl for looking, can you?” I squeezed a handful of sunscreen into my palm, and smoothed it across my skin.

Finn spotted us right away and left the volleyball game he was playing with some other guys. The girls must have officially given up on him, because they were busy scoping out his friends instead of watching him walk up to me.

I finished applying the lotion to my legs as he walked up. “Don’t want to burn,” I told him.

His voice got all sultry and smooth. “Don’t forget, you have a firefighter on hand to put the flames out if things get too hot.” We both broke out into laughter.

“You must come up with some pretty good lines in your profession,” I said, hating to think about women swooning over him at fire scenes. Women probably set small fires hoping he’d arrive to save the day.

“I can make you scream louder than my siren,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

I sucked in a breath, then forced a laugh, remembering it was a cheesy line, not an actual come-on. I’m sure it would be effective, though. “Clever,” I managed to say.

“Yeah, me and the guys try to outdo each other when we’ve got time to kill. Way too many jokes about fire poles and hoses.” He knelt down in the sand next to me and my stomach rolled again, just looking at him. “Need some help putting that on your back? I’m also a certified EMT, so I imagine preventing a sunburn would fall under my duties.”

I stared at him and couldn’t hold back my smile. “I suppose that qualifies you for the job.” I lifted my hair off my neck and handed him the tube.

He squirted the lotion in his hands and rubbed them together. He spread the cool cream across my shoulders with slow, broad strokes. His fingers slid up my neck, gently rubbing in the cream.

I swallowed the soft moan that was working its way up my throat. I hadn’t really thought this one through.

He squeezed out more sunscreen and worked his way down my back, slipping his fingers under my bikini string. He was thorough, I had to give him that. Then his fingers curled around my waist and down to my hips. That gasp I’d been holding back finally slipped out.

“Too cold?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “A little too hot.”

He laughed, and came closer, nudging my ear with his nose. “But did you like it?”

I turned around and looked at him. I could only nod.

Reaching for my hand, his fingers twined between mine and he squeezed. I squeezed back. I felt myself leaning in for a kiss, but he pulled me up instead. I looked at him, surprised.

Then he picked me up in his arms and ran toward the water.

I squealed. “What are you doing?”

“I promised to cool you off if things got too hot, didn’t I?” His grin would have buckled my knees if he weren’t holding me.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hung on. I looked back and saw the girls watching. Catherine flashed me a thumbs up.

Finn splashed into the water and finally set me down when we were waist deep. He put his hands on my waist and kissed my forehead. “Are you okay with this?”

I looked up at him and nodded. He reached down and brushed his lips over mine. The sound of the surf filled my ears as the world around me disappeared.

Then I heard the hoots and hollers from my friends on the beach. “I’m never going to hear the end of this,” I said.

“You’re right. I should have made sure our first kiss was in private, but I couldn’t help myself.” He pulled me against him and then whispered in my ear, “Later.”

“Absolutely,” I finally managed to say.

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the water. “Come on, let’s see if you and your friends kick ass on the volleyball court.”

***

We did not kick ass on the volleyball court, mostly because my girlfriends were too busy checking out the competition’s asses. We lost three games and a bet, which involved promises of a risqué hot tub game of strip poker later that night.

“But not you,” Finn told me after the game. “It’s just you and me tonight.”

To say that scared the hell out of me is putting it mildly. Mostly because I thought it sounded absolutely perfect. How had I changed my mind so completely in just twenty-four hours?

“In the meantime, want to help me get ready for the clambake?”

“I’m sure I can’t match your cooking prowess, but I make a good assistant.” I followed him up to the house, which earned another round of catcalls from my friends and now his friends, too. I didn’t even bother flashing any dirty looks their way.

I kicked off my flip-flops on his patio, and he opened the door for me. He led me into the cool, dark refuge of the family room. “Truth is, there’s really not much we have to do to get ready.” He pulled me toward him.

“I kind of figured that.”

He ran a hand through my hair and gently tugged a handful of it, raising my face to his. “Then you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking.” His lips brushed mine, and I rested my hands on his hips.

“And what’s that?”

“That this kiss is at least a day overdue.” His lips parted and his tongue danced across mine.

I glanced out the big back window, wondering if anyone could see us. He must’ve sensed my worry, because he picked me up, never breaking our kiss, and carried me to his bedroom down the hall.

I could definitely get used to being carried around by this guy
.

He kicked the door closed behind him and laid me on his bed. My suit was still damp from the water. Sand sprinkled off our skin onto the crisp white sheets as he climbed in next to me, running his hand along my hip and under the string of my bikini bottom.

The ceiling fan whirled overhead as we stared at each other.

“I can’t do this with you yet,” I said, betraying my antsy heart. “I just know I’ll look guilty at the party, and then everyone will know.”

“I’m in no hurry,” Finn said, smoothing my hair out on the pillow behind me. “I’d be happy spending the rest of the afternoon just looking at you.” He smiled and kissed my nose.

I wrapped my hand around the back of his head, and brought his mouth to mine. “I’d rather spend the rest of the afternoon kissing, if you don’t mind.”

His lips spread into a grin as they crushed against my mouth.

***

Luckily, we came up for air half an hour before the first guests arrived, so we had time to set out plates and napkins, empty buckets for clamshells, and dishes for melted butter. Finn set a fire in the pit, and placed a huge pot of clams over the flames. He left room for two more pots, one for potatoes and one for cobs of corn.

I grazed my fingers over my lips, remembering our very hot kissing session. He smiled at me, and his sultry gaze made me blush. People would definitely be making some assumptions about our disappearance from the beach.

The girls were the first to show up, freshly changed into cute clothes, while I still wore my bikini. Monica set up the mojito station and she and Catherine got to work muddling the basil.

Brooke came over and pulled a sundress out of her beach bag. “Thought you might need this. That periwinkle Liz Claiborne sundress you have at home would have been better, but this is all you brought. Having fun?” she asked, with more than a twinkle in her eye.

I took the dress from her, grateful to have friends who were not only fun, but thoughtful, too. “Thanks and yes, I’m having a very good time.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A
very
good time?”

“No. Not that good. Not yet.”

Brooke bit her lip. “We should have warned you. No one can resist the charms of Finn Donahue.”

I wanted to protest that this was more than a casual hookup. At least that’s the vibe I was feeling. But she dashed off to say hello to one of her new buddies from the volleyball game.

Or was this really just a vacation fling with no future on the horizon?

I quickly chased away my thoughts and enjoyed the party. I took on the unofficial role of hostess, helping Finn refill drinks, butter, chips, and whatever else was in demand. Hours later the party thinned out and the girls climbed into the hot tub with a few decks of waterproof cards Finn pulled out of a drawer in the kitchen. He left them outside with instructions to turn off the hot tub before they made their way home. Finn made it pretty clear he wanted all the guests to be gone at some point in the evening.

While the laughter bubbled up from the hot tub outside, I started tidying the kitchen.

Finn grabbed my hand. “Stop. Leave it till the morning.”

“Oh. And you’re so sure I’ll be here in the morning?”

He looked down and a shy grin split his face. “I hope so.”

Oh, the look of uncertainty on his face killed me. “Do I even want to know how many women have woken up here in the morning?”

His face paled a bit. “With the old Finn? No. You don’t. But I’m not he same guy, Anna. I thought you’d figured that out.”

I set my hand on his arm. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I can see that you aren’t the same heartbreaker who bagged all my friends back in high school.”

“That doesn’t sound so good, put like that.”

I’m not entirely sure why I said it, but I grabbed his hand and looked in his eyes. “I trust you, Finn.” And I led him back to the bedroom to finish what we’d started a few hours earlier.

***

We woke up in a tangle of sandy sheets, still wrapped in each other’s arms. He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

“It’s the morning,” I said. “And I’m still here.”

He squeezed me tight. “Good. And sorry about the small bed. You’ll be happy to know I have a king-sized bed at my place in Quincy.”

I looked into his eyes, wondering if he realized the truth that small detail held; he was talking about us beyond this vacation. I closed my eyes and finally relaxed in his arms.

Making the walk of shame back to the rental for a shower and a change of clothes at ten a.m. was mortifying. My friends were awake, drinking coffee on the patio.

“You’re up already?” I asked.

“We haven’t been to bed yet,” Brooke announced.

“But it looks like you have!” Catherine chimed in.

“I don’t want a beach fling,” Monica said, in a singsong imitation of my voice. “Oh, this is just like
Pretty Woman
except you’re Richard Gere.”

I gave her a look. “Uh, not exactly.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “And it’s not a fling. He’s talking like we’re going to see each other after the vacation.”

The girls stopped grinning and exchanged worried glances. “Anna, we’re talking about Finn Donahue. The king of flings.” Catherine pursed her lips.

“It’s just who he is,” Brooke added quietly. She forced a smile. “Just have fun and don’t worry about the future.”

I shook my head. “No. That’s who he was. He’s different now.”

Silence settled over the group.

I ignored them. “Please tell me Monica made one of her famous omelettes.”

“We went out for breakfast with our volleyball boys,” Catherine told me.

“But there’s an awesome Danish pastry inside,” Brooke said.

I was glad we dropped the Finn discussion. They hadn’t seen the man he’d become. They were still thinking about the boy from high school.

***

And he was proving me right. We spent the next two days together. My friends didn’t give me grief for spending our vacation with a guy instead of them. They would’ve done the same thing if they’d met a guy they were falling for. Finn took me to some of his favorite spots on the Cape, and we had a fabulous sunset picnic on the beach. Better yet, each night ended at his place.

That was fine with the girls; Monica snored, so she was able to have her own room since I wasn’t there.

With two days left in our vacation, I told Finn I wanted to spend the day with my friends. We had planned on doing a whale watching tour, then a bit of shopping along Route Six.

“Have fun,” Finn told me, giving me a long, hot kiss that left my lips tingling.

***

Monica clutched the side of the boat and threw up for the third time. “I feel like Regan in
The Exorcist
. I never used to get seasick when I was little.”

“You didn’t drink alcohol when you were little.” I rubbed her back when she sat down and offered her a bottle of water. “I’ll drive you to the rental when we get back to port. I can’t imagine you feel like shopping.”

She shook her head. “Thanks.”

“No problem. That’s why we brought two cars, in case we wanted to split up.”

We drove home and I helped Monica get settled in bed, then brought her some crackers and soda. I slipped on my flip-flops and headed down for Finn’s place. He’d planned on cleaning up his place and he’d probably appreciate some help.

I walked along the fence in front of the row of rose bushes. I peeked around the corner of the hedge hoping to sneak up on him with a surprise kiss if he was outside.

And he was—along with a beautiful dark-haired woman whose arms were wrapped around him, her head resting against his chest. Then she raised her lips to his. They were standing at an angle, and I couldn’t see his face, but I’d seen enough.

I leave for the day and he squeezes in a quickie with someone else
.

Even if they hadn’t actually made it to the bedroom, he was kissing another woman after spending every day and night with me, and talking about our future after the trip.