AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finn smirks and twirls me once, twice, and again, before reeling me back in, his arms tight around my middle, our chests rising and falling in sync. “You are the most gorgeous, most bewitching, most divine being.”
I glance around. “I don’t know. There are a lot of beautiful people here.”
“I didn’t mean just here in this mansion or in this city. I meant across the entire globe.”
We break apart and he stretches his arms wide to emphasize his point and make me giggle.
“I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you.” His breath mingles with mine when we come together again. Nose to nose, he gives me a wicked smile. “And I’m not the only one.”
Finn spins me in his arms and suddenly he’s behind me, pulling me firmly against his broad chest, pointing us to where Rune watches from across the room.
I catch glimpses of the Viking between the bobbing heads and bodies flowing past where Finn and I stand in the middle of it all. “Do you have a problem with that? With Rune and I?”
He gives me a guilty smile. “As much as I want, I can’t keep you as my own. You are bound to him as well.”
“That isn’t what I asked, Fintan.” Though, with his hands running down my body, I don’t entirely remember what I asked in the first place.
“No,” he answers, fingers flexing where they skim my thigh, “I don’t have a problem with it.”
His clipped tone and the way his body tightens says otherwise.
“It doesn’t feel that way. It feels like you’re thinking you saw me first, so you get dibs.” As easily as he calms me down, since the night Rune drank from me, he has been riling me up.
It feels like our negative emotions might compound each other’s until one of us explodes.
“You don’t seriously believe I would be so immature, do you?”
I shrug. “It’s the way it feels over our bond.”
Finn frowns and seems to consider before he speaks again. “I don’t have a problem with you being with me and with Rune. You can be with whomever you so choose.”
“But…?” I prompt.
“But,” he looks at me like I’m being the difficult one here, “I find myself getting jealous—almost to the point of violence—when I learn about your time with Rune in passing or from a second party. It’s stupid, I know, but I haven’t figured out how to deal with that yet.”
My mouth falls open, but I’m not sure what to say. His reaction is fair—more than fair. How can I accuse him of not communicating with me when I haven’t been fully transparent with him?
“You are no less special to me. I adore you. You know that, right? You feel it.”
He meets my gaze and nods. “I do. Although, I’d like more time with you. It seems you’re always working out with Rune during our downtime, and I miss you.”
“Then let’s fix that. Tell me when and where and we’ll make a date of it.”
“You promise?”
“Absolutely.”
As the music swells and the dance nears its end, Fintan’s hold tightens ever so slightly, drawing me closer like he doesn’t want to let go. The final notes hang in the air, lingering as we come to a graceful halt and I’m left gazing into his green eyes, enraptured by the moment.
Finn pulls away, breaking the suspension of time and snapping me back to the ballroom. “Rune would like the next dance.”
“Sure, you two go ahead. I’ll get some wine.” I snort, but Finn pegs me with an unamused look.
At least Rune finds me funny. He chuckles as he glides through the dance floor towards us with a smirk, invading my space. “Finn is nowhere near as beautiful as you, Josie. Although,” he says, turning to waggle his thick brows at Finn, “if you want a dance, I’d be happy to oblige after I show our witch what real dancing looks like. None of that uptight waltz crap.”
“Don’t listen to him.” I lean in and press my lips to Finn’s, pulling him closer and trying to convey how much he means to me in our kiss. “We’ll figure it out together.” I hold his gaze for a long moment before Rune pulls me back into the throng of witches dancing.
He looks sad as Rune whisks me away and it opens a gnawing pit in my stomach, knowing I’m responsible.
