Fighting Redemption(23)

Time with Ian had been spent at his place until emotions cooled down. She had good reason to believe his reception at the cottage wouldn’t be a welcoming one right now. With her farewell party being held in two days, she was thinking it was going to be spent with Ian on one side of the room and her family on the other.

With a sigh, she kicked off her work shoes in the direction of her wardrobe and reached for her phone when it rang.

She unzipped her skirt, answering the call as she wriggled out of it.

“Fin, God. Please don’t hate me,” Rachael moaned in her ear. “I already hate myself.”

Fin laughed. “Are you having a hate party and forgot to invite me? Hang on.” She set the phone down, and after peeling off her top, picked it back up again. “Sorry. Getting changed. I swear I’m not running late. We have ages until the movie starts.”

A loud sigh came through the phone. “I can’t make it.”

“Oh.” Disappointment welled up in her chest. “Well. You suck. Just for the record.”

“So noted. Sorry, Fin. End of month is killing me. Who ever thought being an accountant was a stellar career choice? I should have been a smarty-pants scientist like you.”

Fin sat on the edge of the bed and flopped onto her back, her hair fanning out behind her. “You’re just jealous because you think all the geeky guys I work with are hot.”

“I do. Smart guys are hot—except for accountants. Why can’t I find a hot guy where I work? I have no eye candy here. If they hired hotter guys, then maybe I’d find the motivation to come into work every day.”

Fin laughed. “Okay, so that’s your bad news out of the way. Do I get any good news?”

“Only that I’ve got you the best going away present that ever lived. You can thank me properly at your party on Saturday night.”

“I’m gonna miss you, Rach.”

“Rubbish. You have Ian to miss. And Ryan. And you’ll be surrounded by hot Antarctic men who ride snowmobiles and peel off their thick parka’s to reveal tanned chiselled abs just for your benefit.”

Fin laughed again. “Are you ovulating?”

“How can you tell? Now scoot. Go take that hot brother of yours and his even hotter best friend to the movies with you instead.”

“Okay.”

“Good. I’ll email you tomorrow.”

“Rach, no! Stop forwarding me those dirty emails. I can’t open those things at work.”

“Can’t hear you, Fin. Bye!”

The call disconnected before she could reply, and she tossed the phone beside her with a sigh. Pushing up off the bed, she walked towards her wardrobe. Catching movement from the corner of her eye, she turned her head and jolted. Ryan was leaning casually against the doorframe, his arms folded. Licking his lips, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

“Ryan. You scared me.” She reached for the top she’d tossed on her corner chair a few minutes ago and gave him her back.

Fin felt him come up behind her and she shivered. He reached around, grabbed the shirt from her hands and tossed it on the floor. Suddenly breathless, she looked at it, then at his hands where they came to rest on her stomach.





He was an * for doing this to her, but her door was ajar. When Ryan heard her voice and saw her lying on her bed in nothing but lacy pink underwear, he couldn’t stop himself. How did she manage to look so innocent and so sexy all at the same time?

His lids lowered as he looked down over her shoulder, watching his hands as they skimmed up the smooth, taut skin of her belly to cup her breasts firmly.

Her body trembled as he rubbed his thumbs across her nipples. He felt them harden beneath the flimsy lace of her bra.

“Fin,” he breathed, running one hand down along the inner edges of her tanned thigh. Fuck. Her legs were smooth and warm, and he wanted them wrapped around him as he sank himself deep inside her.

Burying his head in her neck, Ryan shifted his hand to cup the pretty lace panties between her thighs and took a deep, shuddering breath. God, he shook with the need to taste her.

“Ryan,” she moaned.

With his other hand, he fisted the soft strands of her hair and yanked her head back, exposing the line of her throat, and he fell on it—sucking and biting the sweet skin until he was unbearably hard.

A tap came at the bedroom door and they both froze. “Fin? Are you heading out soon or eating here first?” Jake called out.

“I-I’ll be right out,” she stammered and took a step forward out of Ryan’s arms. She turned around, meeting his eyes.

“Okay,” Jake called back.

Ryan’s blood pulsed so hard it was a roar in his ears as they stared at each other wordlessly. After a beat of silence, she tore her eyes away and opened the wardrobe door.

“Are you happy now?” she hissed as she grabbed a pair of jeans from the shelves.

His eyes on her ass, he muttered, “What?”

She threw the jeans at him and he caught them when they hit him square in the chest. “This. Us. Yes, okay? I want you. Is that what you want to hear? That I dream of you too?” she choked out. “Your hands on me, inside of me, and I ache too.”

Ryan took a step towards her.

“Don’t.” She snatched the jeans out of his hands and tugged them on.