AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Then simply don't go back. Tell them you wish to stay here." Fynn says it like the solution is simple, and for some people it probably is.
Not me. I know what will happen if my father comes here. I wish I could say I’d tell him I wasn't coming back to Minneapolis and I sure as hell wasn't marrying Warren, but I know I won't. I will collapse back into the woman he raised me to be. I'll lose every bit of backbone I found over the past few weeks, and I’ll end up living a miserable, lonely life with a man who considers me nothing more than a business agreement.
I do recognize that’s still the situation I'm going to be in, but this time I'm the one making this deal.
"That is a lot easier said than done." My stomach twists as unwarranted guilt attempts to make me regret my decisions. "My family feels like I'm obligated, but I'm not, and I don't want to be." I toy with the tie of my dress, needing something to occupy my hands as I try to explain. "I know it's difficult to understand, but sometimes family responsibilities can take your life in a direction you don't want it to go."
Fynn studies me a minute longer, his gaze wary. "Fair enough." He takes a deep breath before summing up my terms. "So you wish to be married. To sleep in my bed and live in my home in exchange for my position as your husband to offer you an excuse to stay in Sweet Side and avoid being pressured by your family into working at a business you don't wish to have a part of." His brows lift. "Am I understanding correctly?"
I offer a definitive nod. "Yes." More or less. There are a few details missing, but it's not like he’ll ever have to be involved with my family in any way, so the truth of who they are doesn't really matter. Especially since the truth of who they are might make him less willing to marry me.
Fynn crosses both arms over the broad expanse of his chest, biceps flexing in a way that once again threatens to steal my focus. "I have concerns."
The little bit of hope I had earlier withers. "Okay. What are they?"
"I've lived alone a very long time, Valerie. I'm not used to having another person in my space."
Okay. That's not terrible. "I'm very quiet. I clean up after myself." I pause, brain racing as I try to come up with another thing to alleviate this particular worry. "And I'm a very good cook."
Fynn makes a sound in his throat, like a hum of consideration. "My closet is practically overflowing as it is."
Once again this isn't really a problem. "I guess it's a good thing I don't have an extensive wardrobe then."
Of everything I left behind me, my clothing is what I've missed the most. Not that most of it would do me much good here in a tropical climate, but still. I loved all of my professional suits and skirts. They made me feel powerful and independent. Right up until my father informed me he'd let my employer know I would no longer be working there because I was getting married and would be a housewife.
Again, Fynn makes that considering noise in his throat. "I don't like to be hot. I keep the thermostat turned down."
My smile widens even more. "You remember I’m from Minnesota, right?"
He continues studying me as he works his jaw from side to side.
"Anything else?" I feel like I'm holding my own. Like I've managed to be pretty successful at pleading my case. It makes me think I have a real chance of getting him to agree. A real chance of—
"What about,” he pauses, “marital relations I believe you called it? What if we’re not sexually compatible?" Fynn's eyes hold mine. "It’s possible you could find my particular proclivities distasteful. You could decide you don’t like it when I touch you."
Heat rushes through my insides, pulling low in my belly as my thoughts go to the gutter. "You've already touched me."
Fynn’s expression hardens. "That was different and you know it. That was before..." His nostrils flare. "Before I knew the real reason you came into my life."
I wince. I know how it seems. I know how he must feel, especially after what he's gone through the past six months. All I can hope is he agrees to this and his feelings toward me soften as he sees I really do want to help him. Almost as much as I want to help myself.
And I really do want him to touch me. His feelings toward me might have cooled, but mine haven't. The attraction I have for him has been there from the first second. The minute Crystal showed me pictures of him, I was smitten. Even when I thought the rumors might be true. Even before I knew he was charming and funny and looked ridiculous with his shirt off.
So my next suggestion is not difficult to make. "Then maybe you should touch me again. Just to be sure." I chew my lower lip, unable to stop my eyes from dropping down his body. "And I should probably touch you, because you might not like my touch either." My heart is beating so fast I think I might pass out, but I can't because then I know Fynn won't touch me and he definitely won't let me touch him. So, difficult as it is, I continue breathing, feeding my brain oxygen even as it spirals into a pit filled with filthy imaginings.
“You drive a hard bargain, Valerie.” Fynn’s hard mouth barely softens. “But I find myself inclined to take you up on it.” I start to smile, but he lifts one finger to stop me. “Provided we both agree it will be a mutually satisfying pairing.”
He’s agreeing. Willing to go along with my plan. That means I won't have to go back to Minneapolis. I won't have to marry Warren. I won't spend the rest of my life hopelessly tangled in a web I didn't weave as the life is slowly sucked out of me.
It also means I get to touch Fynn and that Fynn is going to touch me.
Now.
He reaches out to tap my chin with one finger. "Who goes first, Valerie? Lady’s choice."
I desperately want him to go first. I want his hands on me. I want more of what I had in the ocean. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to enjoy myself knowing I still have to perform well enough to convince him this is a great idea. So, rather than putting it off, I decide to dive in head first. "I want to touch you first."
If Fynn is surprised he doesn't show it, but he does smile at me for the first time since discovering I sought him out with intent. He holds both arms out, stretching them wide. "Then touch away."
