Page 17 of One Vow

And by typical, I meant in any way normal. He was silver-spoon born and gold-plated bred. So, he never charged for legal services, he just expected to be repaid with a good deed. Which meant, since he was chairman of all things Christmas festival, I had to play one of the elves to his Santa for this week’s festivities, but I didn’t mind. Handing out gifts and taking pictures was a small price to pay. Especially since I did it every year anyway.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

If fine meant a Colonel Sanders/Santa Clause look-alike, mustache and beard trimmed according to time of year, with a law degree and an over-abundance of year-round cheer, then yeah. He’d be fine.

For just a minute, walking beside Finn, I could see us doing this every year, being together, celebrating. Walking under the awnings down main street and caroling with the church choir. But then the fantasy disappeared. “So, tell me about your fiancée.”

Nothing like being my own wet blanket.

He shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

Not the ringing endorsement of love, the list of her positive traits that I expected. “Complicated. That’s a big word for someone who’s supposed to be the love of your life.”

He didn’t look at me. Didn’t touch me. Almost didn’t speak loud enough so that I could hear. “I already had my shot at that.”

There was a pause while we both let that sink in. “Anyway, you might know her. She went to school here, to the university with us.” His voice dropped to that low timbre, the one that made my toes curl and my eyes close as if I could capture the sound and keep it.

Fortunately, I opened my eyes before I ran into Mrs. Chester, who was in charge of sprinkling the fake snow at the edges of the sidewalks until the real snow came. Couldn’t have a picturesque Christmas town without snow, and the bed and breakfasts in Maine needed the tourist business. In summer, we had the ocean, but winter was windy and cold, so they capitalized where they could.

“Did you finally go out and get you one of those internet boyfriends? I hope you didn’t overpay. Some of those online gigolos demand such a big going price.” She snickered and covered her mouth. “Maybe I should call it a big coming price.”

Mrs. Chester gave Finn an up-and-down appraisal that lingered in all his best spots. “She’s been alone too long. And you look like you know your way around a woman.” She glanced at me and nodded. “Probably worth the up-charge.”

Finn smiled and ducked his head, his skin, for such a confident guy once upon a time, went pink. But Mrs. Chester wasn’t quite done yet. “And if there’s anyone who needs her block blown out, it’s Felicity.”

Block blown out? Coming price? My mouth fell open and my skin went hot. Was she serious?

Finn, on the other hand, threw his arm around me and grinned then brushed his lips along my ear to whisper. “I could go for a stroll around your block.”

Warmth spread from my cheeks straight south. Settled somewhere just below my belly button. I should’ve been used to it since I’d never quite developed an immunity to Finn and how he made me feel. But I would’ve thought all that emotion would have faded in a decade. What did it make me that just a look or a word from this guy could make me wet and desperate? That I was still weak for a guy who almost destroyed me?

I stared at Mrs. Chester. “My block is just fine, and Finn’s only going to be here a couple days.”

Mrs. Chester laughed again. “I didn’t say you had to marry him. Internet boys are all about pleasure. Getting in and getting out.”

For being old enough to be my mom’s mom, Mrs. Chester seemed to have information of the illicit and modern kind. And I was by no means a prude. Never really met an inhibition I couldn’t work my way around, but I wasn’t a civil war survivor either. And I didn’t often stop on the street to spew my uninhibited advice to the townsfolk either. Of course, I wasn’t Mrs. Chester.

I had to silently remind myself that Finn belonged to someone else. He had a fiancée. Loved another woman enough to marry her. A better person than me wouldn’t have stood on that sidewalk debating with herself whether or not one night with me would ruin Finn’s new marriage if we stuck to the one-night theory and made it an absolute, and never saw each other again. Maybe if we didn’t get loud enough to shatter windows and alert the neighbors of our illicit activities nobody would know anyway. I almost had myself convinced we could make it work until that last one. Sex with Finn was…amazing, an earth-moving experience. Loud anyway and…did I mention amazing? Because it was.

“He’s getting married, Mrs. C. To someone else.” I wanted to spit to get the taste of that mess of syllables out of my mouth.

Instead, I quietly stared at Mrs. Chester and felt her frown all the way to my soul. I’d battled the same sentiment all morning. “That’s a shame.” She patted my hand as if I’d suffered a tragedy then she pulled me in for a hug. “Maybe he has a friend?”

She paused for a second. “Or maybe the fiancée never has to know? You could use my place. I’m never there. You could use some of your woman skills and lure him.” What she’d thought was a whisper, wasn’t even close, and Finn chuckled then covered it by pretending to wipe the lower section of his mouth. And…shameful as it was, I was glad she’d said the words aloud. Planted a seed in his head. Then I hated myself for it.

I pulled away from Mrs. C. and glanced at Finn. “He was in love enough to propose. I wouldn’t even try to lure him.” He frowned, looked away, and didn’t affirm my goodness and purity for not using my wiles to tempt him. When he glanced back, our gazes locked, and my passion smoldered as I imagined his doing the same.

It took a moment to come back to my senses, to wipe away the image of him kissing his way down my body, of kissing my way down his. But somehow, I’d ended up in front of him with my hand slipping over his chest, across a button on his shirt, and I shook off the lust and yanked away.

Instead of hauling me against him for a kiss that said his fiancée didn’t matter to him, what was supposed to happen, he cleared his throat and took a step back. “We should go.”

I nodded because words failed.

“It was nice to see you.” Finn gave her a little wave then walked a couple steps. When I didn’t immediately follow, he stopped and turned, widened his eyes, and gave me a little wave. When we were out of earshot, he stopped walking, so I did too.

“What?”

“You have a history with internet boys?”