Page 86 of The Moment He Couldn’t Walk Away

The silence that followed was loud.

“Do you need anything?” Finch asked. “A drink. Something to eat.”

“Finch.” She stopped. Tried again. “I’m not sleeping with you. I can’t—” The words didn’t come out the way she wanted and held no strength.

He didn’t argue. Instead walking to the kitchen, where he set down a saucer of water for Mabel, and then he took a blanket from the cupboard. Nina then watched him twist it into a horseshoe shape on the floor in front of the woodstove, a perfect little bed that Mabel would absolutely love. Then he got a glass of water and held out his hand.

“Let me look after you, Nina.”

She put her hand in his and Finch led her down the hall to his room. He closed the door behind them.

“Why were you there on my street tonight, Finch?”

“I felt something wasn’t right.”

He nudged her gently toward the bed, and, after lowering the glass onto the nightstand, pulled back the covers. “Get in, Nina.” Finch dragged the blanket from her shoulders.

She did as he said, suddenly too exhausted to do anything else. The sheets were cold as Nina slid across them to the other side of the bed, where she lay on her side and watched him strip down to his shorts. Finch then switched off the bedside lamp, and the room went dark. Nina felt the mattress dip, and then he was there beside her. Big hands turned her so that her back met his front, pulling her into the solid warmth of his body without a word.

He pressed his lips briefly to her hair. “For now, you’re safe with me. Sleep, and tomorrow we’ll work through all of it, together.”

Nina stared into the dark after Finch spoke and thought there was absolutely no way she would sleep. Not with him at her back and her mind full of what had happened. She was wrong. Within minutes, the night caught up with her, and the warmth had her eyes closing, and then she felt the darkness pulling her under.

Chapter 23

When Finch opened his eyes, he wasn’t sure what time it was because the curtains covered the window, but he knew exactly whose head was lying on his chest.

Nina.

Finch would have walked through flames to get to her last night. There was no getting around that fact. The thought of her in a burning house and him not being able to reach her—no, don’t go there. It didn’t happen. Shutting down his spiraling thoughts, he worked through what he knew.

Someone was deliberately targeting her. Jett Hyland had said it could’ve been her hair straightener, but she was adamant she’d not left it on. Yes, she had a shit ton of stuff going on right now. Enough to derail any sane person, but Finch didn’t believe this fire was started by her. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure it had something to do with her father.

Finch felt the moment she woke because her body stiffened. Before that she’d been curled beside him relaxed, one of her arms over his waist.

“Nina, it’s okay. You’re safe here with me.”

She flattened her hand on his chest and pushed upward. Eyes dazed, hair mussed, she looked rumpled and sexy, and what he really wanted to do was roll her under him and wake her up with his mouth, but he wasn’t an animal and could control himself, he reminded his body.

“Hi,” she whispered. “I’d hoped that was a bad dream.”

“Not a dream,” he said, tweaking a strand of her hair.

Her PJs were silky, and Finch knew if he slid a hand underneath, he’d feel her skin, smooth and warm from sleep.

“Want some coffee?”

She nodded, then added, “I don’t have food for Mabel.”

“That’s okay. I have some tuna.”

Nina was the first woman he’d ever woken up with. It felt right having her here in his bed. He wanted more of it, but that wasn’t something up for discussion right then, as they had other things to deal with.

“Let me get you something to wear. My sisters always leave stuff here, things I told them I was chucking out if they didn’t come and get them. So far they’ve ignored me, which is pretty much standard behavior for Blue and Birdie.”

“You’re lucky,” Nina said as he climbed out of bed.

“With those two as sisters?” Finch asked, pulling on some clothes.