Fighting Redemption(13)

“Okay. See ya, Fin.”

“Bye, Jake.”

Fin hung up the phone and spun her chair back around, flinging the phone on her desk and staring blindly at the paperwork in front of her. How was she going to concentrate now?





Heart pounding, Fin stumbled through the front door weighted under by an armful of paperwork and dinner. After hearing from Jake, focusing on her reports had been a lost cause. She would have to work through Sunday now. She winced at the thought, realising that would irritate Ian even more. She hadn’t had a chance to call him yet and cancel on tonight.

Kicking the door shut behind her with the shiny, four inch heel of her shoe, Jake wandered out from the kitchen.

The files slid from her arms, scattering carelessly to the floor.

“Jake,” she breathed, tears burning her eyes.

He grinned at her. “Hey, Fin.”

Her eyes roamed over him quickly. In two long years he was bigger than she thought possible—his shoulders wider, his hair lighter, his eyes brighter.

Jake opened his arms, and dropping her bags to the floor, she rushed down the hall and flung herself into them, burying her face in his chest. Picking her up, he spun her around.

“Missed you so much,” she mumbled into his shirt when she was set back on her feet.

Jake pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Not as much as I missed you.”

“Rubbish.” Fin pulled back, her lips twitching as she wiped at her tears with shaky hands. “It’s all just one big party, isn’t it? That’s why you joined the SAS.”

He laughed down at her. “Of course. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.”

The smile died on her lips. “Two weeks and I’ll be leaving for Antarctica for six months. You’ll be gone again when I get back, won’t you?”

Jake nodded, his jaw tight, and her heart sank.

“I wish I wasn’t going now.”

“Don’t say that.” He forced a grin. “You’re saving the earth, one whale at a time. They need you.”

Fin pressed her lips together, her eyes on her feet. “I know.”

“Look at me.” Fin closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing tears, and looked at Jake. “Don’t forget about your own dreams, honey.”

She sniffed and arched a brow. “Would I do that?”

His smile came a little easier. “Of course not. You’re a Tanner. Nothing gets in our way.”

Dropping his arms, Jake stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Her brows flew up as she caught sight of the contents. “Did you get enough beer?” she asked, watching him pull one from the fully stocked shelves.

Jake offered it to her with a wink. “Enough for a couple of days.”

“No thanks,” she replied with as shudder. Beer made her feel bloated and tired. “I’ll have a wine though.”

He set the beer on the kitchen counter and reached for a glass from the cupboards above.

Fin looked around the living area, searching out Ryan and not seeing him. “I thought Ryan was with you?”

“He’s in the shower,” Jake told her as he poured out a red wine.

Trying to ignore the flutters filling her stomach, she returned to the hallway to collect the dinner and files she’d dumped on the floor.





Showered and dressed, Ryan rubbed a towel at his hair haphazardly. Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, he hung it neatly on the rack and leaned his knuckles down on the bathroom vanity, frowning into the sink.

What the hell are you doing staying here, Ryan?

It wasn’t the first time he’d questioned his own motives, but he couldn’t seem to find an answer. He missed her. It was that simple and that complicated.

Looking up, he saw nothing in the mirror except tired eyes and the ghosts of those he’d killed in the line of duty. He rubbed a hand across his face as though to wipe it all away and left the bathroom.

Back in the hallway, his eyes fell on the scattered files littering the floor. He crouched down and started pulling them together.

“Ryan.”

He froze for a moment, time standing still when he turned and saw Fin in the hallway. Her blonde hair was a tousled mess, reading glasses were caught in the neckline of her pretty top, and her legs—so damn long—were on display in a short, black skirt. His eyes skimmed the length of her before falling to her full pink lips.

She was utterly beautiful and it was like a punch to the gut. Despite tears filling her eyes, she smiled the smile that haunted his sleep at night, and seeing it right before his eyes left him breathless.

Fuck, he swore to himself and dragged his eyes away from her mouth.

“Fin,” he murmured. He stood slowly as she reached his side. Her eyes went wide as they followed him.

“You okay?” he asked.





Was I okay?

Fin eyed the stranger in her hallway, realising she wasn’t okay at all. The person that left her bedroom six years ago had been a boy. The man that stood before her had dark eyes that should have been familiar, but they were hard now, and intense. Framed in long black lashes, they were studying her face, darkening when they came to rest on her mouth.

Despite Ryan being dressed casually in a fitted white shirt and navy blue cargo pants, his stance was imposing and powerful. His biceps were heavily muscled with thick veins, and tattoos ran the entire length of his right arm. The entrance hall was crowded by the bulk of his wide shoulders.