CHAPTER 23

DAY 37

AN: I'm not sure that you guys like the sexy chapters, so let me know your thoughts please. The chapter after this one, Chapter 24, has Finn taking Steph to a special place and sharing an intimate conversation. Let me know if you enjoy.

Tuesday Evening

FINN POV

I sat at the island and logged into my Pinterest account. I had a few recipes I'd been waiting to try, and tonight seemed like a good night for new things. I found one I thought Stephanie would like and checked the fridge to make sure we had everything we needed. When I saw her bare toes peaking under the door, I closed the fridge and looked her up and down. She wore cutoff jeans and a tank top without a bra. I gulped.

"What's for dinner?" she asked.

I handed her three large zucchini.

"Yay, we're making zoodles again? I love the zoodles."

I tried not to laugh at her excitement. If I hadn't stopped her last time, she'd have spiralized a whole bushel of zucchini. "No zoodles. Tonight, we're making taco boats."

"What are taco boats?"

I pointed to my iPad on the counter. "It's a new recipe."

She picked up the iPad so she could see the picture of the finished product. "This looks great. What do you need me to do?"

"You can wash and slice the zucchini long ways?"

While I found a large casserole dish in the cabinet, she sliced the zucchini. "Now what?"

I handed her a spoon. "Hollow out the inside and cut what you scooped out into chunks. When you finish that, dice an onion and a green pepper while I brown the turkey." I emptied a pound of ground turkey in a skillet. While it cooked, I got another skillet and drizzled olive oil in it. "Dump everything in here and keep it stirred so nothing sticks."

Her knowledge in the kitchen might be limited, but she was doing a good job. Whatever she lacked in skill, she made up for in determination.

"I think they're done," she said.

"Yup, they look done to me. Go ahead and pour them on top of the turkey."

She dumped the peppers and onions into my skillet, and instead of moving away, she put her hand over mine. "I can do it." I let her have the wooden spoon. She mixed everything together while I added salsa and a packet of taco seasonings into the skillet. "Isn't that cheating? The recipe listed a lot of individual seasonings."

"It'll taste the same, trust me." She gave me the side-eye, indicating her doubt. I chuckled again, something I'd been doing far more than I could remember.

"Now, can I fill up the boats?"

I spread olive oil on the bottom of the casserole dish and stepped back. "It's all yours." After she filled the zucchini, I added a little shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. "Put them in the oven for 30 minutes. While they're cooking, we should dice a tomato to put on top and make a salad."

"I got this," she said, "Go finish your work for Oz?"

I nodded and went into the sunroom where I'd left my laptop. I had a view of the kitchen, and occasionally looked up as she put the finishing touches on the meal.

Maggie whimpered at Stephanie's feet. "You want a treat, girl?" I shook my head because Maggie was getting damn good at suckering Stephanie into giving her treats.

Stephanie opened the cabinet to get the treat and froze. She stayed like that for so long, I moved to get up and see if there was a problem. She reached inside and pulled out the jar of peanut butter. I'd seen it since she brought it in from the garage. I just wasn't sure what her plan was. She regarded it with trepidation and then opened the jar. She gagged and stepped closer to the sink before screwing the lid back on. With her head still hanging over the sink, she lifted just a little to see if I'd seen her reaction. I turned my attention back to the computer screen to give her privacy.

Maggie whined and rubbed against her leg. "Sorry, girl," Stephanie said so quietly that I barely heard her. "I almost lost it there for a second. That would have been gross." She put the peanut butter back in the cabinet and got Maggie a treat. "Here you go." Maggie gulped it down and followed Stephanie outside on the deck.

A few minutes later, the oven dinged. Stephanie heard it through the open accordion glass doors and came inside. I saved the file I was working on and joined her in the kitchen. "That smells good," I said, looking at the finished product.

She pulled two salads from the fridge, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado. "Do you want to eat in here or on the deck?"

"Deck is fine." I poured us both glasses of water.

Stephanie loaded everything onto a tray and carried it to the patio table. We sat across from each other and dug in. "This is so good," she moaned.

My blood heated, but I kept myself under control. "It is good."

"You need to add this to your recipe board."

"My recipe board?"

"Don't deny it. We both know you have an extensive recipe board on Pinterest."

"If you play your cards right, I might share my recipes with you." The look I was giving her made it clear that I wasn't talking about food.

She choked on a sip of water, gave herself a light thump on her chest with her fist, and cleared her throat. "You have a filthy mind, mister."

I chuckled and got up to take my plate inside. "I've got a couple more things to finish up for Oz, and then me and my recipes are turning in early." The way she pretended to be scandalized had me laughing all the way to the kitchen.

As I worked, I caught flashes of Stephanie throwing the frisbee for Maggie in the backyard. They played until it was almost dark and then walked down to the dock, something that she liked to do in the evenings now that it was warmer. I hated to admit it, but I loved having her here. Damn, but it was going to hurt when she left. I sighed and emailed the file to Oz, hoping my input helped.

While Stephanie was still outside, I turned in early. After what happened downstairs this afternoon, I thought it wise to put a little space between us, or we'd end up in my bed, and I would grow even more attached to her, which is why I closed my bedroom door all the way. After putting on my pajama bottoms, I got into bed but couldn't stop thinking about her. I heard noises in the bathroom, and then the shower turned on. She had to have noticed that my bedroom door was closed. Was she hurt by that? Did she think I was rejecting her? I didn't want to hurt her, but I also wanted to protect myself from being hurt when she left.

The sound of the water running had me recalling our earlier shower together and how the water cascaded down her naked body as I rubbed soap all over her soft skin. I shifted restlessly, fighting the urge to go get her. I was overthinking things and making decisions based on fear. I was so afraid of being alone again that I was denying the happy moments in front of me. Stephanie had been through so much, and she was running circles around me with her bravery. Any minute, she would go to her room, and my opportunity would be lost.

Screw it. I would make the most out of whatever time I had with her.

It wasn't enough to open my door in silent invitation, not after she'd already seen it closed. I needed to be bold. I went into the hallway and leaned against the wall to wait. When she came out of the bathroom, she stopped short, surprised, and then her mouth transformed into a smile. Without a word, I offered my hand and led her into my bedroom, kicking the door shut behind us.

She looked up at me with unsure eyes. "I thought you wanted to sleep alone tonight."

I pulled her flush against my body. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Beats me," she shrugged. "I'm pretty awesome."

"Yes, you are." I pulled her nightshirt over her head and stepped back, admiring her in only a purple thong. Closing my eyes, I took a breath to calm myself and swept her up in my arms.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"I'm going to enjoy exploring every inch of you." I gently laid her on the bed and simply stared at her, letting her see how hungry I was for her. I was a lucky man.

She parted her knees and crooked her finger at me.

Have mercy.

Helpless to resist, I ran the back of my knuckles over the damp silk triangle between her legs and moved the fabric aside, so I could slide my fingers through her folds, spreading the moisture around. Her eyes dilated, and her breathing became shallow as I brought my wet fingers to my mouth and licked each finger.

Damn, I wish I knew what she was thinking.

I wasted no time sliding her thong down her legs. She was laid out before me, and I was overwhelmed about where to start. Urging me on, she arched her back so her nipples strained toward me. I settled between her thighs, spread wide to welcome me, and lowered my mouth to her nipple, sucking long and hard. She moaned and threaded her fingers through my hair. I moved her hands above her head, not to restrain her but to let her know I was intent on pleasuring her. She tensed. "Is this okay?" I asked.

"Yes." She relaxed, letting me know she trusted me.

"Leave them there," I whispered as she grabbed the thick wooden headboard, trusting me to take care of her.

I licked and kissed the swell of her breasts, down her stomach, past her belly button, and found her vulnerable center. The scent of her arousal had me salivating for another taste. As I ran my tongue through her folds, teasing and sucking, her back bowed off the bed.

I added one finger, then two, working them in and out of her as my mouth feasted. She threaded her fingers through my hair and tried pushing my head away, at the same time pulling me to her. Without words, she told me it was simultaneously too much and not enough. I put my hand low on her stomach to keep her in place. She bucked and clamped her legs around my head. I sucked hard on her clit, and she screamed, turning her head from side to side as she spasmed around my fingers.

When she could breathe evenly, she said, "That was—"

"Beautiful," I finished, smiling down at her, pleased that she looked satisfied.

She raised up on her elbows. "You have on too many clothes." Who was I to argue?

I got rid of my pajama bottoms, and when I looked up, she was staring at me in a way that made me wonder what she saw. I felt self-conscious. I was nothing special to look at. No one would call me traditionally handsome. My features were too hard, and my nose was too large. A woman as beautiful as Stephanie could have her pick of any man.

All negative thoughts were forgotten when she smiled seductively with so much heat in her eyes. In a matter of seconds, I would be inside her, and we could burn up together.

I fisted my cock, squeezing the base so I could get myself under control. I wanted Stephanie so bad that drops of come leaked from the tip. I pulled on the condom and settled between her legs. Still swollen from her orgasm, I rubbed the tip of my cock from her opening to her clit in gentle, teasing strokes. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes." She dug her nails into my back and wrapped her legs around my hips. It was all the encouragement I needed to slip inside her. The friction was so intense I never wanted it to end. With each thrust, my balls slapped against her until her breath hitched and started getting quicker and shallower. She was close. I put one hand under her knee, adjusted my angle, and sank in further. The sound she made when I went deep was enough to have us both racing to reach that moment when our vision faded away, and all we had left were the sensations flowing through us.

I couldn't wait any longer. I reached between us, rolling her clit between my fingers as I pulled all the way out and plunged to the hilt, setting off her second orgasm. While she milked my cock, I continued thrusting until I'd wrung every last drop of pleasure from us both. I collapsed on top of her, letting her feel my weight like she'd wanted me to do earlier, but careful not to put my full burden on her.

Once we were both back on earth, I pulled out, quickly disposed of the condom, and lay with my arm around her. She relaxed into me, running her fingers over the peaks and valleys of my chest, playing with my chest hair and down my abs before repeating the same pattern. I smiled into the dimness of the room.

After a while, she raised up on her elbow, studying me. I wasn't a vain man, but the longer she stared, the more insecure I became.

"I don't know another man like you," she whispered and laid her head back on my shoulder. "You took me into your home and made me feel safe. Thanks to you, I feel stronger than I ever have."

"You did it all yourself. I just watched."