Game(35)

24.


(Shayna)



I knew we were wasting time together. Day after day, I watched Finn slip in and out of darkness. It consumed him one second and let him free the next. When he was in his dark place, he destroyed the punching bag. The sight was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The way he’d punch it, the way he’d grunt, and the way he’d send the thing swaying back and forth was nothing but sheer anger, pain, and muscle.

He always did it without a shirt on. His back rippled with intense muscle. And the worst part (or maybe it was the best part) was that as he hit the bag harder, he sweat more, and when he sweat his muscles glistened with even more definition.

When Finn was in his dark place, he didn’t talk to me.

He punched the bag and drank whiskey.

During the times he got out of the darkness, he became what I had come to know as typical Finn. Which meant he looked at me with an intense stare, he flirted with me, he touched me, and he left me teetering on the edge of waiting desperately to be thrown over his shoulder and taken to bed.

But he never did.

Finn and I still hadn’t…

I felt stupid as I looked at him, waiting for it to happen. Like we were some old couple who lost their spark. Or we were some new couple with a wild spark but still hadn’t done it. The feeling in my stomach left me feeling wild. I never wanted someone as bad as I wanted Finn, yet the feelings went deeper.

I had to want him. Because of Fiore. Because of what Fiore wanted.

Nothing was normal and I couldn’t allow it to be normal.

So I waited… and watched…

“I’m going to chop firewood,” Finn said. He walked to the front door and left.

I waved and raised an eyebrow. “Have fun,” I whispered to myself.

I had never been so turned on yet so confused in my entire life.

I turned and saw the punching bag. I bit my lip and stepped toward it. I made two fists and brought them up. I put my right hand back and threw it forward. I wanted my chance at the punching bag. I wanted to see it sway. I wanted to see what Finn felt.

My fist hit the bag with a thud.

The bag didn’t move and a sharp pain shot through my knuckles into my wrist and up to my shoulder. I cried out and jumped back. I cradled my wrist and tears filled my eyes.

I hadn’t even moved the bag.

Yet just an hour ago Finn had the thing swaying back and forth like a tree branch in a storm.

He was really that strong. That tough.

“Did you just punch that?”

I spun around and Finn stood there with firewood in his massive arms. He dropped it next to the fireplace.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You hurt yourself.”

“Maybe.”

Finn grinned. “I’ll teach you how to fight someday.”

“Finn… it’s been…”

Finn turned and walked away. He stopped in the doorway and his hands balled up into fists.

“What?” I asked.

I saw the car coming as he said it…

“Fiore’s here.”



~



I stood next to Finn as we watched a big black SUV pull up behind the car.

“What do we do?” I whispered. “He knows…”

“I know,” Finn growled. “He’s checking on us. Just follow my lead.”

“You can’t tell him I have my period again.”

“I’ll tell him whatever I want,” Finn said.

I could sense Finn slipping back into his darkness. I wondered just how he could go and what he would do. If he would put himself in danger with Fiore. Because if that happened, then that meant I was in danger.

The back door of the SUV opened and out stepped Fiore. He took off a pair of sunglasses and pointed them at us. A big smile graced his face as he approached the cabin. He walked right up the steps and put a hand to my stomach. I grabbed for Finn’s hand and squeezed it. Finn didn’t squeeze back at me, or even hold my hand.

“How are we feeling?” he asked. “Nice and full?”

My mouth opened, but I had nothing.

“She’s not pregnant.”

Fiore looked at Finn. “How do you know? Did you take a test yet? It can take some time to show up.”

“We haven’t had sex,” Finn said.

Just like that it felt like the temperature had dropped by a hundred degrees. My spine shivered and sent chilly tingles throughout the rest of my body.

What had Finn just done?

“Say that again,” Fiore said.

“You heard me, Fiore. We haven’t had sex.”

Fiore swung his hand at Finn. He smacked him with it in the face. Fiore’s ring cut under Finn’s lip. Blood started to leak but Finn just stared at Fiore.

“Have you forgotten what I said?” Fiore asked.

“It’s my fault,” I said. “I don’t… I push him away.”

Fiore slowly looked at me. “Well then, Shayna, I have some rope in the back of the SUV. I’m going to tie you to the f*cking bed. Legs spread wide open. And then I’m going to watch Finn f*ck you until he can’t move anymore.”

“She’s protecting me,” Finn said. “I haven’t made a move. I haven’t tried.”