Page 75 of A Violet Obsession

“It didn’t happen again for a while. Maybe six months. Then one night, Scott passed out first, and I heard the three of them, Joey, Pete, and Keith, talking through the wall about me. I knew it was only a matter of time. After that, I was on guard all the time. I’d hear him at night trying to pick the deadbolt, but I guess I was lucky he wasn’t a particularly good thief.” I press my trembling fingers flat against my knees. “I started putting things in front of my door. Stacking stuff that would fall and wake me up. And I kept a kitchen knife under my pillow.”

I make myself say the last part.

“The last time he got through and tried to… I stabbed him in the leg. He wasn’t around for a while after that. When he came back, it was clear he wanted to hurt me, but didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of his friends again.”

I inhale deeply and let out a slow breath. “That’s why I don’t sleep well at night. Dr. Williams says it’s because I spent too many nights staying awake and on guard, that sleeping feels too risky. Well, that and the nightmares.” I make a face, trying to lighten the mood.

Finn’s eyes are bright and hard and fixed on the window past me. When he looks at me again though, the hardness is gone, replaced with something so gentle I hope I’m not dreaming.

“Thank you for telling me.”

We sit staring into the fire without talking, but I’m too conscious of how his large body is so close to mine that I can smell his soap and the scent that I now know is all Finn.

“What are you thinking?” I ask, when I can’t take another minute of tension.

Finn looks at me, the fire flickering gold over the high points of his face. “Are you sure you want this?”

My heart skips a beat before thundering back into rhythm. “Very sure.”

“If we do—” He stops, and his hand slowly comes up. He tucks a strand of hair that’s come free of my braid behind my ear, his fingertips just barely grazing the line of my jaw. My entire world narrows to that single point of contact, and I hold my breath.

“If at any point you change your mind, or it becomes too much—you tell me. Right away. We stop. I need you to promise me that.”

“I promise.”

He exhales roughly. “We are going to take it slow. One step at a time.”

Finn’s expression is so concerned, an ugly thought pops into my head. “I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want, Finn. I shouldn’t have assumed that you would want to do this with me.”

The dark chuckle that comes out of his mouth surprises me. “You don’t need to worry about that, Lily. I’ve been thinking about this almost from the moment I saw you in the cafe.” He reaches forward and flicks the button holding my cardigan together, causing it to slide free, and then he pushes it off my shoulder, his eyes on my cleavage. His eyes hood and his breath picks up.

“And that damn butterfly.” His head bends and he places an open-mouthed kiss over the tattoo, sucking lightly.

My head rolls back as sensation floods me. “Oh my god.”

I feel his tongue trace the butterfly before he pulls back, cheeks flushed. “That’s skipping steps.” His eyes bore into mine. “I plan on enjoying each of them.”

I swallow, trying not to show how much the dark timbre of his voice affects me, but my pulse is pounding so hard I’m getting lightheaded.

Slowly, Finn reaches forward and catches the end of my braid. He tugs it gently to bring me closer, and I swear it felt like his fingers are on my body and not just my hair. With deliberate care and moving so slowly, he tugs the thin elastic tie free and slides it onto his own wrist.

I want to make a joke about him stealing them, but my mouth is dry, and I feel frozen in place. His fingers carefully undo the plait, and then his other hand comes up to join the first to loosen my hair until it spills wild over my shoulders. It’s an innocent gesture, so why do I feel like I’ve turned molten.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for three days,” he murmurs, his fingers still sifting through my curls, letting one ringlet wrap around his pointer finger. Hazel eyes meet mine in the firelight. “You’re breathtaking, Lily.”

And then he takes mine.

Cupping the back of my neck, he pulls me into a kiss. Finn’s lips glide over mine, his stubble rasping against my cheek as he angles my head, taking the kiss deeper, and I melt into him.

His teeth catch my lower lip and tug. “Let me in, Butterfly.”

With a gasp my lips part, and then his tongue is stroking mine in long, languid strokes. My head is spinning, and it feels like my body is about to take flight; every sense is overwhelmed. Desperate for an anchor, my fingers curl into his shirt.

We break apart, both breathing hard.

“Can I touch you?”

“Whatever you want.” He says against my lips. “This is for you.”