Chapter Eighteen
The moment Finn’s mouth touched hers, Navi banished all worries of the day—of the upcoming meth lab bust, of their undiscussed future and of how Raven’s scent lingered in this place. Today had been hellish, joyous and terrifying all in one gasp. He tightened his grip around her hips and she surrendered to how her body sparked to life at his touch. At the way he made her feel like she was freefalling yet standing on solid ground all at the same time.
He circled his hands around her waist and hoisted her up. She wrapped herself around his hips, pressing the hard length of him against her, making her core pulse in return. The sensitive tips of her nipples brushed against the fabric of his shirt, sending a jolt through her. This close, the air heated between them, and a film of sweat caused his skin to glisten. She leaned into the crook of his neck, sinking her teeth into the slope. He tasted like salt and sweat and he dug his fingers into her hips in response.
“I need you inside me, now,” she murmured, brushing her lips against his skin. She ached for him with an intensity that defied reason. Beyond that, though, she couldn’t admit she was scared. She was terrified of the depth of her feelings for him and how the brief time they’d spent apart had brought all those fears crashing down until she could barely breathe. They’d never discussed anything, and he owed her nothing.
When this case came to a close, he could decide to stay with the Red Rocks and yet she would always have to leave. Always. The thought caused her throat to tighten and she pressed herself even closer to him, as if the skin-on-skin contact might banish those dizzying fears.
Finn carried her across the room as though she weighed nothing. His absolute fearlessness with her was something she cherished. Too many times, others veered away due to her power, and the distance she’d accumulated over the years made connecting even harder and trusting difficult. So she remained in control, always. Yet when it came to Finn and the sheer passion he leveled at her, Navi couldn’t help but surrender.
He lowered her onto the weight bench in the back of the room and undid the latch on his belt. A hunger squeezed her chest tight, and she reached out to grab his zipper and tug it down with a snick. Navi slid to her knees in front of him while he shucked his pants to the ground, boxer-briefs too. His cock was stark in the air in front of her and she licked her lips as she glanced to him. The heated look in his deep brown eyes, the singular focus made her feel like she was the only one in his universe.
God, I need that right now.
Navi dipped forward to take the velvet length of him in her mouth. His hot, hard cock tensed as she began to suck. The groan that came out of him made her pussy pulse and wetness pooled between her thighs when she inhaled the scent of him, all leather and sweat. He ran fingers through her hair, thrusting his hips forward with an eagerness that didn’t surprise her. Finn Kelly threw the entirety of himself into everything he did.
His cock stiffened in her mouth, and his thighs tensed. Finn gripped the strands of her hair tighter, pulling her back. “You’ve got me so fucking horny I’m liable to blow,” he said, stepping away. “I want to come inside you.”
She slunk toward him to trail the tip of her tongue on the underside of his erection, tasting the pre-cum on the head. Finn let out a low curse and grabbed her hand, tugging her up from her crouch. Navi slipped her finger underneath his shirt and pulled the hem up as he helped her toss it over his head. She shimmied out of her shorts, enjoying the way Finn’s eyes blazed when she slipped her panties down to follow.
“Turn around, now,” he growled, his feral side coming to life in a way that made her panther purr. She complied, standing in front of the weight bench, and the delicious idea made her ache for him all the more.
He pressed himself against her, his rock-hard chest to her back, and he brushed his stiff cock against her ass. The feel of him made her core clench, made every ounce of her tune to awareness at how badly she needed to be filled by him. How she needed to banish her fears tonight. She dipped down to place her palms on the weight bench in front of her, grinding her ass against his cock. He ran his hands up her thighs, tracing the path of the tattoos emblazoned on her skin.
“You’re perfect,” Finn said, the words slipping out in such a quiet hush that she almost didn’t hear them. The emotion behind them made her throat tight and her eyes burned at the thought that this might be their last time together. The possibility of going their separate ways after finding something so brilliant and true tore her to shreds.
He brushed the tip of his cock against her drenched folds, the sensation rushing through her in a fierce sweep. Finn settled his big palms around her hips, the heat soaking through as he made her feel small and feminine in a way she never had before. He nudged his head in and she tilted her hips up to accept more of him inside her. As he lowered his length into her, she let out a low moan at the sweep of relief prickling through her arms and legs.
Finn settled inside her and she let out a gasp at the delicious way he filled her to the hilt. This, this was what she needed. Once he rocked his hips, moving his length in and out of her, every worry, concern and fear vanished. Navi sank into the rhythm of the way he drove into her, how each time she ground her sensitive clit against him she saw stars. She curled her nails into the tough fabric of the weight bench and sweat pooled beneath her palms.
Navi cried out at the pleasure flowing through her, at the increased pace while he fucked her harder, faster and with the ferocious edge she needed. Both of them moved with the fury of desperation, trying to abandon the turmoil plaguing them. Finn had worn his damage on his face clear as day when they’d left the meth shack and she’d been haunted ever since they’d become mated. Navi should’ve left him alone to his thoughts tonight, but she needed him as badly as he did her.
She didn’t want to quit him. She didn’t want to leave him behind.
The slight sting of the slap of skin when they slammed together sent a thrill through her veins. His name was a prayer on her lips as he edged her closer and closer. They moved with the frenzy of abandon, and Navi sank into the bliss of their dance. Her mind blanked as she surrendered to the sensations pulsing through her from the scent of him, all leather and sweat to the bite of his grip around her hips. Her clit tingled from the frenetic pace, sensitized and enhancing every collision. Her pussy clenched. So, so, close.
He thrust into her, hot, hard and filling her to entirety. As he collided with her, Finn leaned down to sink his teeth into her shoulder. The bite pushed her over the edge.
Molten pleasure rushed through her in a torrent and her core squeezed tight, pulsing with the throes of her orgasm. Navi cried out, right as his cock kicked inside her, heat flooding through. Her legs trembled while she came, but Finn’s grip on her didn’t falter. He leaned over her, his big body near crushing her, but she didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to leave the safety of his embrace. For the first time she understood why Akio fought to keep his mate on the road with him and why he braved those fights and the fears. Because this connection was one worth fighting for.
Sweat pricked her forehead as she sagged against the weight bench and her body grew loose in the wake of the intense orgasms that racked through her. If she could stay like this forever, she would, with his heavy weight on her, skin to skin and connected in the deepest way possible. Except, this had been a temporary avoidance of their very real problems.
Slowly, Finn pulled himself out of her and rose. Navi still sagged over the weight bench, not ready to face the day. A second later, he wrapped those muscular arms around her and heaved her up with little effort.
“Come on,” he said, slipping her into his arms to carry her across the room.
Navi lifted a brow with an amused smile. “Ready to kick me out already?”
Finn shot a glare at her. “What gave you that idea? We’re not sleeping in my gym, so you’re coming to my place so we can crash out in a real bed.”
“Help, help, I’m being kidnapped,” Navi murmured in a dry tone. She reached up to flick her fingers against his abs. His brows wrinkled at the feeble attempt. “Oh well,” she continued, unable to hide the hint of a grin on her lips. “Didn’t work. I suppose I’ll resign myself to my horrible fate.”
Finn snorted. He didn’t bother grabbing their scattered clothes as he made his way to the door. “That’s right, the big bad wolf is dragging you off to his den of torment. The horrors of sleeping in a real bed instead of on sweaty gym mats.”
Navi watched, impressed, as he leaned down with her still in his arms to grab his keys from the latch. “You want to be giving the roadside a show?” she asked, glancing to their discarded clothing.
Finn reached for the knob and nudged the door open. “They saw plenty earlier,” he murmured, a boyish grin lifting his lips. She couldn’t help how her heart pounded in double time at the sight. The cooler night air coated her skin and he clutched her tighter to his chest when he leaned down to lock his door. The roadside remained empty, though Navi was well aware of the floodlight illuminating this lot. She could slip out and walk on her own, but she didn’t want to admit she loved Finn’s overabundance of affection.
He stopped in front of his Challenger and lowered her to the ground. “I’m just up the road, so we can get some shut-eye there. We can scandalize all the neighbors on the way.”
Navi couldn’t resist her smile and she lifted her arms to skim her fingers across his buzz cut even though he had to duck his head for her to reach. “I’m sure you achieve that enough all by your lonesome.”
He slipped his hands around her waist, drawing her close. As she looked into his eyes, a tenderness emanating from them that she’d never experienced to this degree, a shiver rolled down her spine. Navi had spent a lifetime keeping people at a distance and had learned her lesson early on that she’d never be able to sustain any real friendships or connections with a life on the road, apart from with the other members of the Tribe. And even with them, they all acted as sole operators so often it never quite felt like the togetherness of a pack.
Navi swallowed the lump in her throat, sending a silent prayer to the Great Spirits. For once in her life, if she wanted to defy the past and hold on to someone—she wanted to keep Finn Kelly.
* * * *
When Navi woke up, she almost leapt out of the bed, fangs bared. This wasn’t her shared room in the Dusty Pines Motel and she didn’t recognize her surroundings in the slightest. Sunlight spilled out of broad windows that faced the surrounding forest and at least a dozen half-open books lay scattered around the floor along with piles of folded clothes and an over-full hamper. Thick, rumpled sheets surrounded her like a cocoon. As she breathed in, Finn’s familiar scent brought back memories of the night before.
Except he wasn’t anywhere in the room.
Rustling came from farther into the house. Navi slipped out of the bed and snagged one of his oversized, rumpled tees to toss on. If he didn’t like her stealing his clothes, it served him right for abandoning hers at the gym last night. They’d begun making out the moment they slipped into his bed, but exhaustion had claimed them fast. His heavy weight against her as she’d fallen asleep and the lull of his steady breathing—all that came with sleeping beside someone was a foreign experience for her, one she cherished.
Without a sound, she stepped out of his bedroom and farther into his apartment. Darkness shrouded the main room at the end of the hall, though she could make out some silver weights on the floor, a couch and loveseat with black slipcovers on them and a stout hardwood coffee table in the center of the room. To her left, bright light spilled from another room—if she had to hazard a guess, the kitchen.
Navi stepped through the cream doorframe to the kitchen in time for Finn to whirl around in her direction. He wore a loose pair of shorts, the luscious, tan abs on full display, and he carried two mugs in his hands, steam curling up from the piping hot liquid. His brows shot up in surprise and he almost lost his grip. The way he scanned her over, as though he wanted to lick her head to toe, had her core clenching.
“Hey, stranger,” she murmured, reaching out for the cup of coffee. The warmth of the mug printed on her palms. “You can’t be for real. Already up and coffee made?”
Finn broke into a smile that crinkled around his eyes. Her heart sped at the sight of him and she couldn’t help the desperate, dizzying affection that rushed through her.
“What can I say?” he responded. “I’m one of those mythical morning people.” He leaned against the bamboo countertop in his kitchen. The pure white cabinets behind him made his sunkissed skin glow, as if he could get more attractive. His gaze landed square on her. “If I had it my way, you’d be wearing my shirts every day. You look fuckable as hell, babe.”
Navi couldn’t help the heat rising to her cheeks at the compliment, or the earnest affection in his eyes. This, the simplicity of having morning coffee the night after amazing sex, was something so many took for granted. If someone had told her years ago she’d be standing here, across from her mate, she would’ve laughed in their face. Navi never stayed the night—waste of time and she didn’t have room in her heart for more broken memories.
Which is why they needed to have a serious conversation. Because if this was goodbye—if Finn remained here—she wasn’t sure if she could ever glue her shattered pieces together again.
She lifted the coffee to her mouth and took a sip, her own brand of liquid courage. As the hot fluid slipped down her throat, she stood a little straighter. “We haven’t had a chance to talk yet,” she said, feeling as though she was stepping onto the precipice of a ledge, ready to drop into a canyon below. The coziness of the morning and the scorching memories of last night began to gray around the edges in the wake of the fear threatening to steal her breath away. Finn’s brows furrowed and his frown made her feel queasy.
“What’s there to talk about?” he asked, gripping tight to the counter. “We’re mated and you’ve got another thing coming if you think you can start throwing up barriers and excuses. Don’t tell me you already got tired of me.” Even though his tone remained lighthearted, the troubled way his dark eyes shone was anything but.
“I can’t stay here, Finn,” she said, unable to hide the pleading in her voice. She tried another sip of coffee, but even the heat couldn’t dispel the arctic depths her core plummeted to. “I’m Tribe. I have to go where I’m called.”
“When did I ask you to?” His voice softened. He crossed the tiles between them and plucked her coffee from her hands to put the mug on the countertop. When he faced her again, all reason abandoned her. Every logical word on her tongue melted away. She wanted him. She wanted him with a passion she’d never allowed herself to have before, with a longing so intense she almost buckled from the weight.
He tilted her chin up so she couldn’t look away and the tenderness in his eyes broke her. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She was terrified of asking, terrified of the rejection, but if anyone was worth the leap, it was Finn. As one of the Tribe, she made the ultimate choice, not him.
“Would you come with me?” she asked, unable to hide the tremble in her voice. She hated the weakness and vulnerability, but everything about this situation stripped her raw. Her tongue dried while she waited for a response, barely able to suck in another breath. It took until now, but she’d put the words out there.
Now to see if she’d shatter to pieces.
“I was wondering when you’d ask,” he murmured back with a soft smile. He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “Navi, once we became mates, there was no other option—not in my mind. You’ve got to be crazy if you think I’d let you slip out of my hands after finding you.”
Heat seared her eyes and she inhaled a shaky breath. Relief crashed through her in such a fierce tidal wave her lip trembled. Only for a moment, but Finn leaned down to place a kiss on her lips, filling her with the heat of him, the solid strength of him and the steadying, grounding force that had become an addiction. This must be a dream, had to be some fantasy she’d cooked up, because never in a thousand years had she believed she could have this sort of future.
His arms wrapped around her and, even as their kiss ended, she rested her head against his bare chest. “What about your position as beta?” Navi asked, murmuring against his skin. “We don’t have anything like that for you on the road.”
Finn squeezed her tighter to him and she basked in the touch hunger claiming them both. “Don’t know if you noticed, but my position as Sierra’s right-hand man got complicated the moment Dax came into the equation.”
Guilt tugged at her heart—she’d never asked for a life on the road and she understood how disruptive that path could be. She didn’t want to inflict that on someone she cared about. “When are you going to break the news?” she asked.
He pressed a kiss onto her head, still holding on to her like a lifeline. Despite the way he reassured her, he waded through as much unknown territory as she did and, on top of that, he was preparing to leave the only home he’d ever known. How he emanated so much calm baffled her.
“After we launch the attack against Dale Rossi and his men,” Finn said, his voice growing deeper, darker. “One challenge at a time.”
Navi nodded, pulling away from him to steady herself. She matched his unwavering gaze, the feral side of her peering out with the fight they were gearing up for. “Tonight, you’ll finish off Dale Rossi for good.”