True Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Chapter 10

Emily never would have guessed her day would include a sumptuous kiss from the cute waiter she had been daydreaming about. Or that she would initiate it. But when he was so close, she couldn't resist reaching out and comparing reality to fantasy.

Real-life won hands down, as their mouths danced to the same rhythm. Finn's lips were dry but warm and welcoming. He held her hand and her cheek in those divine hands, her skin tingling at the contact. Someone moaned and she wasn't sure if it was her, him or both of them.

There was a banging coming from somewhere besides just her heart and Emily did her best to ignore it. But then it got louder and was combined with the whiny voice of her sister repeating her name. Reluctantly, Emily broke the contact with Finn to find the source of the noise. If only to tell it to go away.

The rain had let up at some point. How long they had been kissing for, Emily had no idea. She was out of breath, but she wasn't sure if it was from the kiss or its effect. When Finn had looked at her like that, cobalt irises full of desire, she couldn't resist tasting him.

To her surprise, his kiss was sweet and tender. But it was more than that. They fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle, snapping into place. She could spend hours exploring him. She wanted to.

"Emily," her sister growled. Mary stood outside the truck, umbrella in hand, a scowl on her face, reminding Emily why she had been forced to stop partaking of her new favourite treat. Her hand had grabbed a fistful of the boy's shirt in an attempt to pull him closer and Emily couldn't find the strength to let go.

"Emily... Get... Out." Mary was snarling as she yanked the door open.

Rolling her eyes, Emily turned back to Finn. "I have to go." As he nodded, she explained. "She won't give up." Mary already had her hand on Emily's elbow, set to drag her out of the vehicle.

"I'm coming Mary." As she slid across the seat, Emily pulled free of Mary's grip. "No need to be rude." Mary huffed in response.

Before she knew it, Finn had Emily's bicycle out of the truck bed and was placing it against the garage. Without looking at her, he climbed into the driver's seat and drove away. She hadn't even had a chance to say thank you.

Following Mary into the house, Emily leaned against the front door and prepared to yell at Mary. She didn't have a chance.

"What were you thinking? Well, obviously you weren't thinking." Condensation dripped in her sister's words.

"Mary, don't you think you are overreacting. It was just a kiss."

Her big sister folded her arms across her chest. "Kissing leads to other things." Mary raised an eyebrow and Emily felt her face flush, heat exploding within her. "Someone has to look out for you. You don't have a great track record with boys, little sister."

Emily glared. Bringing up Josh was a low blow. "Josh was a mistake I won't make again."

"Not on my watch, that's for sure."

The thought Mary was monitoring her infuriated Emily. It seemed she was too young to run her own life but old enough to get the task of keeping the family reputation intact. "At least I'm willing to feel again. Your cold, cruel heart won't let anyone close enough to check for a pulse."

Mary's eyes bulged and her mouth opened and closed a few times before blurting out. "That...boy and his brother are townie trash. We are better than that."

Emily closed her eyes in frustration. It always came down to this. Us vs them. City vs country. Summer residents vs locals.

Status mattered to her father and sister. They had encouraged her to date Josh, pushed them together, glad for his good family name, full coffers and future prospects. His morals and personality were of no concern as long as he looked good on the outside. Emily was tired of fighting against their prejudices, playing peacemaker all the time.

Running up the stairs, Emily let her feelings fly. "You're a ....a...city snob. You don't know anything about Finn or his family."

Slamming the door shut, Emily cut across her bedroom and flopped onto her four-poster bed. Wrapping her arms around her, she caught a faint woodsy scent. She still had his hoodie on. Inhaling deeply, Emily closed her eyes and thought of Finn. Of his rough long fingers caressing her cheek.

"Ah, Emily..."

Lance's voice broke through the thoughts Finn's cologne had dredged up. "Wanna get out of the elevator?"

Emily blinked, trying to shake the memories that clung to her like spiderwebs. Finn pushed past her giving her a wide berth and strode purposefully through the open doors.

"Sorry, Lance. I got... lost."

Her brother-in-law clamped a hand on her shoulder and guided through her the lobby. "Bryden's on the mind. I understand. We should have ordered ahead."

Emily did as expected and let out a little laugh. Lance excitedly pontificated about the upcoming feast as if it might be his last meal. In accordance, Finn nodded now and again.

By the time the infamous sandwiches arrived, Emily found she had lost her appetite. Something had shifted in the space between the conference room and the lunch table. 

Finn had always been a man of few words. It had taken a while to get used to when they first met. Once she had been able to read volumes in every syllable escaping his lips. This morning she had made every effort to reconnect with Finn. Seeming to engage, Emily thought she was making progress. 

He had answered their questions succinctly but efficiently. She had even managed to eke out a few additional tidbits, one-half opinion and a fact or two when discussing his life in the army. However, Finn had gone from what Emily might have called reserved but at least open to talking to her during the briefing this morning to downright cold at lunch.

Emily didn't understand what she had done wrong. Despite her best effort, Finn barely spoke to her after stepping out of the elevator and never once looked directly at her for the rest of the day.