The Engagement Arrangement Read online

  Brenna lifted her chin, wishing her mind wasn’t conjuring up those images in her head. “Do not.”

  Again that smug smile from Honor. “Liar. It’s written all over your face, and your body language whenever you were around him this weekend said otherwise.”

  “What body language?”

  “You leaned into him like you wanted a lot more of what he was offering.”

  “I did not do that.” Did she? She couldn’t remember. “Besides, it was all playacting for the benefit of Allison and Mitchell.”

  Honor shook her head. “There’s acting a role and really getting into the part. You are into that man. And what’s wrong with that? Finn is great.”

  “He’s all wrong for me.”

  Honor laughed. “On what level is Finn wrong for you?”

  “Well, first, he works here.”

  Honor lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “Bren. Everyone loves him. That’s a benefit right there. You already have Mom and Dad’s approval.”

  “It’s not just that. Say we start dating for real and it doesn’t work out. He still works and lives on the property. How awkward would that be until the end of time?”

  “I imagine you’d both be adults about it. Why don’t you do something totally unexpected for you and actually go for it with Finn? Have some fun. Sex. Romance. See what happens instead of picking things apart with a guy before they even get started.”

  “I never do that.”

  Honor laughed. “You do it all the time. With every guy you go out with. You zero in on the tiniest fault and end the relationship before it ever gets off the ground.”

  She lifted her chin. “I have high standards. There’s nothing wrong with that. After my disastrous marriage with Mitchell, I don’t ever want to settle again.”

  Honor leaned forward and grabbed Brenna’s hand. “And you don’t have to marry every man you go on a date with. Aren’t you entitled to have some fun, too?”

  Her sister had a point. “You’re right. Maybe I have been overly picky. I just don’t want to get hurt again.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt again, either. You and Mitchell were not right for each other. But you and Finn? Now that has potential. Why don’t you see where it could go and instead of worrying about next month or next year, just live in the moment with him.”

  “Well, we are engaged, you know.”

  Honor laughed. “Plan a very long engagement with him. In the meantime, how about just dating him?”

  “It’s a plan. That is if he’s still speaking to me.”

  “Uh-oh. What did you do?”

  “I might have in a roundabout way vacillated about all these upcoming events, giving him the impression that I might not be interested? I don’t know. I was confused and not communicating well. And I’m sure he’s angry with me for getting close to him, then backing off. It was juvenile behavior.”

  Those mixed signals? Bad, Brenna. So bad.

  “Oh, Brenna. You need to go fix things with him.”

  “I know. I will. Tomorrow.”

  Honor stood and grabbed Brenna’s other hand, hauling her out of the chair. “No. Fix it tonight. Go over to his place and apologize, then make your intentions clear to him.”

  She frowned. “You’re mean. And bossy. I thought Erin was the bossy one.”

  “You’d like to think that.” She pointed her sister toward the door. “Go.”

  “Okay, I’m going.”

  She went upstairs, slipped on her sandals, swiped her hair into some semblance of order and sucked in several breaths of self-encouragement as she came downstairs and walked out the door.

  He was probably still mad at her, she thought as she made her way along the path in the dark. She’d been rude and confusing instead of excited about the prospect of the two of them spending more time together. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to talk to her.

  She batted away mosquitoes as she wound the corner to Finn’s house, then immediately started scratching her arms. She was going to be eaten alive before she ever got there, swarmed by these bloodsucking bastards. They’d find her body in the morning, bumpy and unrecognizable after the mosquitoes feasted on her flesh all night long. And she’d have never had the chance to tell Finn she was sorry.

  Or maybe she was making up this revolting death story in her head because she was afraid of facing him.

  “Woman up, Brenna. You can do this.”

  As she got to the house, she saw that the lights were on but he wasn’t outside with Murphy. Maybe he’d gone out.

  Maybe you wish he’d gone out, you big baby.

  Just to shut up her annoying conscience, she rapped loudly on the door.

  Murphy barked, and a few seconds later the door swung open.

  “Oh, hey. You should have texted to tell me you were on your way over. I’d have met you halfway.”

  Even if he was mad he’d have done that, because that’s who Finn was.

  “No big deal. I thought we could talk.”

  “Sure. Come inside. Mosquitoes are vicious tonight.”

  “Don’t I know it. I already have like fifty bites on me.”

  She followed him in and he turned as they made their way into the small living area.

  Murphy came over, excitedly wagging his tail. She bent down to give him some love.

  “Didn’t you put repellent on?”

  She straightened. “I forgot.”

  “Ouch. Let me get you something before you swell up. Grab yourself a drink. I’ll be right back.”

  “That’s not—” But he had already disappeared into his bedroom, Murphy trailing behind him.

  She shrugged and went to the fridge. Seeing an open bottle of chardonnay, she pulled it out and found a glass to pour some into.

  “I have lotion that’ll kill the itch,” he said as he came back in. “Where did you get bit?”

  “My arms. My neck.”

  “Come on. Take a seat here and let me take care of you.”

  “I can do it.”

  He held some cotton balls and the lotion in his hand, then smiled at her. “More fun if I do it.”

  Evidently he wasn’t angry with her. Or at least not as angry as she’d thought. “Okay.”

  She picked a spot on the sofa and he sat facing her, poured some of the lotion onto a cotton ball and dabbed it onto each of the bites on her arm. It instantly cooled and calmed the annoying itch, giving her relief. But she supposed she couldn’t sit there silently, not when she’d come over with specific intentions.

  “I came over to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes. I was momentarily freaked out about you and me doing all these things together and continuing our fake engagement.”

  He patted a few spots on her shoulder. “Understandable. You had a plan and now your plans are messed up. Unless you tell everyone we broke up, which is easy enough.”

  “I suppose that’s true. But then there’ll be all the questions about what happened. And you made all those new friends.”

  His lips curved. “I’m sure I’ll survive if that’s what you want to do. You don’t need to worry about me, Brenna.”

  He would say that, giving her an out if she wanted one.

  Was that what she wanted?

  “You know,” he said, dabbing a spot on her cheek, “that get-together with Esther and Brock after their honeymoon means Allison will be there. Do you really want to put up with her questions about the two of us breaking up?”

  “You have a point.” And now he was giving her a way back in, which for some reason gave her comfort. And felt right.

  He gently patted a bite on her collarbone. Damn mosquitoes. But as he got closer, the clean scent of him swirled around her, making her want to crawl onto his lap and forge
t all about the reason for her visit. But then things between them would be unresolved, and she hated leaving anything hanging.

  “Okay, I’m sorry for the way I acted. I overreacted. And I gave you mixed signals, getting close to you during the wedding, then putting the brakes on after. It was a terrible thing for me to do.”

  “I’ll admit it was confusing. If you want something, Brenna, you need to tell me what it is.”

  A million thoughts swirled through her head, so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t form the right words. “I know. It’s . . . hard for me to do that.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

  She inhaled, let it out. “I don’t know. Just be patient with me? And forgive me for acting like an ass?”

  He nodded. “You’re forgiven.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Just like that?”

  He shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal. And I overreacted, too, so I’m sorry for walking away. I should have stayed so we could talk it out.”

  “In retrospect, a cooling-off period for both of us was probably the best idea anyway.”

  “You may be right, but I don’t like leaving things unresolved.”

  Maybe they were more alike than she thought. “Then we’re good?”

  “We’re good.”

  “And I’d like to go to those events with you, if you’re okay with it.”

  He gave her an easy smile. “So the fake engagement continues, then.”

  “I guess it does. And, Finn?”

  “Yeah?”

  She swallowed, her throat gone dry. “Maybe we should explore the whole dating-each-other thing?”

  His lips curved. “Bet that was painful to get out, wasn’t it?”

  “A little.”

  “We’ll take it a day at a time. How does that sound?”

  Relief washed over her. She felt warm and comfortable and finally at ease. “Good. Really good.”

  He laid the lotion and cotton balls on the table, then leaned in. “We should probably kiss on it. Seal the deal, you know.”

  Her heart rate accelerated. “Make it official?”

  “Yes. Since you’re wearing my ring and all, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t.”

  She felt his ring encircling her finger. Something else she wouldn’t be giving back just yet. Which was all right with her.

  She moved closer and slid her hand around his neck, the softness of his hair teasing her fingers. “Then you’d better kiss me. And Finn?”

  His mouth was inches from hers.

  “Yeah?”

  “Make it a good kiss.”

  His lips curved. “Good kisses are my specialty.”

  He wrapped his arm around her, scooted her against the arm of the sofa, and then he kissed her.

  Was it a good kiss? Oh, no. A good kiss was the kind that made her feel warm and tingly.

  This kiss was an inferno that melted her right to the sofa. She was swamped with so much sensation her toes curled and the hairs on the nape of her neck stood up. And then she was suddenly on her back and Finn’s delicious hard body was on top of hers. She slung her leg around his and all his parts rubbed against all of hers. She grabbed hold of his shirt and held on tight as he moved his mouth over hers, slid his tongue between her lips and turned her world upside down.

  He broke the kiss and looked down at her. “Good enough?”

  She shook her head, needing to draw in a few deep breaths before she could speak. “No. Better than good. What else do you have in your arsenal?”

  He grinned and smoothed his hand along her side, stoking the fire inside her.

  “I’ve got a few ideas.”

  She definitely wanted to hear those ideas. Or even better . . .

  “Show me what you’ve got.”

  He arched a brow. “You sure you’re ready for that?”

  She’d never been more ready. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”

  He hopped off the sofa and took her hand, hauling her upright. “Let’s go stretch out on my bed.”

  Murphy followed them, but one move of Finn’s palm and Murphy stopped, then curled up on the floor in the hall, laying his head on his front paws.

  “I see his training is going well.”

  Finn’s lips curved. “He’s a good dog.”

  She liked that he gave all the credit to Murphy.

  Finn closed the door behind him and pushed her against it, his body coming up to press alongside hers. He slid his fingers onto her scalp, playing with her hair.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since . . . forever.”

  She drew in a breath. “What’s that?”

  “Touch your hair. See if it was as soft as it looked.”

  “You can touch any part of me you want, as long as I get to do the same to you.”

  “Babe, my body is yours for the taking.”

  She palmed his chest, raking her nails down his perfectly formed pecs, over his abs, feeling the way his body clenched in response. She smiled up at him. “Tense?”

  “You could say that.”

  She lifted his shirt and snaked her fingers over all his perfectly formed abdominal muscles. “Then we need to relax you.”

  “Touching me like that isn’t going to get the job done.”

  Then she moved her hand lower, cupping his impressive erection. “I suppose this won’t, either.”

  He gave her a warning look. “Keep doing that and I’m going to pick you up and toss your ass on the bed.”

  She let out a soft laugh and rubbed his erection, unable to help herself.

  In an instant, he’d hauled her over his shoulder, and now she really was upside down, and then flying through the air, landing with a bounce on his mattress.

  Before she had a chance to even catch her breath, Finn was on top of her, his hands framing her face, his mouth capturing hers in a kiss that melted her bones to liquid. She was grateful for his amazing air conditioning and the ceiling fan blowing at full force because she was hot and feverish and certain that every inch of her skin that touched his was on fire. She couldn’t wait for their naked skin to slide over each other, which couldn’t happen fast enough for her liking.

  She wiggled her hand between them, lifting his shirt, reaching for the button of his jeans.

  He lifted his head. “What’s the hurry?”

  “Naked. You inside me. Sex. The good stuff.”

  “Are you telling me my kisses aren’t the good stuff?”

  She swept her fingertip over his bottom lip. “Your kisses are magnificent. The best I’ve ever had. I’m just . . . anxious.”

  “About?”

  “You know . . . sex. It’s been a while. I’d like to get to it.”

  He rolled to the side, pulling her against him. Then he moved his fingers slowly down her arm, teased her rib cage, eliciting tingles of pleasure.

  “You wanna know what I think?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  “I think we need to slow things down instead of speeding them up.”

  She frowned. “Whatever for?”

  “Because I think you’ve forgotten how fun sex can be. Especially the foreplay part.”

  “I honestly don’t need foreplay. I’m primed and ready to go.”

  “Uh-huh. Well I’m not.”

  She shifted her gaze to his sizable erection. “You lie.”

  He laughed. “I mean, yeah, I’m ready there. But I’ve wanted to touch and kiss you all over since the first time I laid eyes on you, Brenna. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”

  “The first time?”

  “The very first time. When I walked in the door and your ma introduced us and there you stood, arms crossed in front of you, eyeing me suspiciously, your fiery red hair spelling out your personality without you e
ven speaking a word.”

  Okay, he’d been right about that. He’d been some stranger that Mom had told them was coming to live with them and Brenna had been immediately suspicious of his motives. He’d also had the saddest look on his face and she’d had to remind herself that he’d just lost his mother and was now living in a foreign land and didn’t know a single person.

  It had still taken her a while to warm up to Finn because that was who she was. Fortunately, he’d had Erin and Honor and Clay and Jason and Owen to make friends with. And eventually, she’d come on board when she realized she could trust him.

  She realized then that she’d trusted Finn for that long. Much longer than she trusted her ex, for that matter.

  “Okay, then. We’ll take it slow.”

  “I promise you’ll enjoy it.” He gave her an easy smile that made her insides quiver.

  She believed him.

  CHAPTER

  • • • • • •

  fourteen

  FINN HAD NEVER known a woman like Brenna. She was efficient, determined, enjoyed so many activities and kept herself so busy that she never took downtime to just—be. She was also coiled up so tight he wondered how she didn’t explode.

  Tonight he intended to wind her down a little, hopefully remind her that taking time to relax and savor had its benefits, especially where sex was concerned.

  He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her he’d wanted to touch her since he’d first laid eyes on her. He’d been eighteen then and smitten, blown away by her beauty and her smarts and fiery personality. Now, though? He wanted her like only a man could want a woman, and he intended to show her all the ways a man could make love to a woman.

  He kissed her, slow and easy and for a long time until he felt her body go lax. It took a while, but he made sure to kiss her thoroughly so she could empty that highly functioning brain of hers of everything except the feel of his lips moving over hers, of his hands leisurely roaming her body.

  Only then did he stroke his fingers over her collarbone, teasing lower to the swell of her breasts. She arched, but this time it was more relaxed as she eased into his touch, exactly what he’d wanted for her. He needed her to feel his fingers, every small flutter of his lips along her neck as he wound his way to her ear.