An hour and two martinis later, Sophia was no longer ready to kill Claire. She couldn’t believe Claire had told Finn about the jersey. Girl code had failed at epic levels on that reveal. He didn’t need to know he was her favorite. She’d played it off. Hell, she hoped she’d played it off.
She’d had more fun in the last hour than she’d had in a while. Sully continued to flirt with Claire, who wasn’t taking any line he threw at her seriously. And Finn—well, he’d stayed at her side. Aside from her brief maudlin tale about her family and being overworked, they kept the conversation focused on hockey stats. She could go all day with those. She’d watched more games than she could count, with her uncles and cousins growing up. And when Adam had returned more than a decade ago, he’d joined the group. Sophia loved every tidbit he’d shared over the years since he’d actually played in the minors with some of the guys.
She’d also spent the better part of the last thirty minutes focusing on every brush of her body against Finn’s. He stood close to her barstool, her knees grazing his thighs when she shifted, his arm brushing against her shoulder as he reached for his beer on the bar. Every touch sent bolts of desire to all points in her body, and she resisted the urge to wrap her legs around his waist and pull him closer. She was still aware that they were in a public place. Barely aware.
“You know, it’s really hot when you quote stats. What was our record two years ago?” he teased, his face way too close to hers. His breath should smell. All that beer. She shook her head, clearing the desire pulsing through her. She should not want him. She could not want him.
“Eighty-nine points. Not enough to get that last wild card spot, but so close. That final game was brutal. I screamed at the television and used words I’m not proud of.” She paused. “That’s a lie. I’m proud of them.”
He chuckled. “I don’t even know if that’s right, but I’ll go with it. Why has this never come up before?”
“Because we were focused on your rehab and exercises. I wasn’t about to rattle off stats to a professional athlete I’d just met. I’d look like a star-struck dork,” she said, brushing the strand of hair away that was tickling her face, only to realize it was his. She would not run her fingers through it. She would…
It was so soft.
“What kind of conditioner do you use?”
He coughed. “I’m sorry, what?”
“It’s softer than mine. What kind of conditioner?” This was officially the weirdest conversation she’d had with a guy she wanted to kiss. Or climb like a tree. He was actually the first man she’d met that she wanted to climb. He looked super sturdy. Crap. It was ginger ale time.
“I doubt that,” he said.
“You’re not sturdy?”
“What?”
Damn. That was out loud.
“Umm, yeah, your hair is soft because of your magical conditioner. I think I need a ginger ale.”
He tugged on one of her curls. “Coming right up. And your hair is softer than mine.” He leaned in, and she held back her gasp. “I want to sink my fingers into it and kiss the hell out of you right now.”
“You can’t say that.”
“Why not? You can’t tell me you aren’t thinking the same thing.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re a liar.”
She wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but she took the offered ginger ale and gulped it down, her gaze darting around the bar, focusing on anything but him. Claire was a few seats down, flirting with a guy who wasn’t Sully. Good. Sophia wasn’t sure what to make of Sully and whatever the hell was going on with him and Adam’s righthand woman, Sara. And Lily was currently leaning over the bar, kissing Adam. Sully had disappeared into the crowd at some point.
“Sophia,” Finn drew out, and her gaze finally met his again. Why did his eyes have to be so blue? It really wasn’t fair to the rest of the world. The bar was dim, but she knew they were a pale sky blue that graduated to a darker blue along the edges. Not that she’d studied his eyes during his appointments, but he was there three times a week, and she would have to be blind not to notice.
“Umm. I have to pee,” she muttered, hopping off the barstool and wobbling just a little. He reached out and gripped her arm to steady her.
Graceful until the end.
“I’m fine. I’ll be right back,” she said, shrugging off his hold, and instantly missing it when she took her first step away from him.
She made her way to the restroom and finished her business before stopping to stare into the mirror. What was she doing? Why couldn’t she push her need for him aside and remember that he was her patient and it was highly unprofessional to want to stick her tongue down his throat? She dropped her head and took in a deep breath. She was by no means drunk, but her healthy buzz encouraged her to do things she shouldn’t.
Oh, how she wanted to. And he wouldn’t be her patient forever. Claire’s words echoed in her head, and she wanted to take the risk.
She yanked the door open, stepped into the hall, and gasped as she walked right into Finn.
“It’s creepy to stand outside the women’s restroom, you know,” she said, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m aware. Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, his eyes a combination of sincerity and desire that threatened to buckle her knees.
“I’m fine,” she said, stepping closer, unable to walk away from him.
“Are you tired of fighting this?” he asked, linking his hand with hers, and tugging her into his body.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice low and rasping, her free hand resting on his chest.
When the hell had she done that? His muscles bunched under her touch, and she hated the fabric between her palm and his skin.
“Sure you don’t,” he said, then lowered his head and tentatively brushed his lips across hers.
She gasped, but he didn’t deepen the kiss. He was waiting for her. With one last thought that she’d shouldn’t do this, she pressed her lips harder to his, giving him everything she had.
He dropped her hand, and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her, and wiping every thought about how wrong this kiss was out of her mind.
She sunk her hands into his hair, holding his mouth to hers, and moaned when his tongue traced the seam of her lips. She quickly granted him entry as he deepened the kiss, and she barely resisted the urge to wrap her legs around his waist. She couldn’t get enough of the taste of him, of the feel of his body pressed to hers.
After an endless moment, they broke apart, his forehead resting against hers as they tried to regulate their breathing, with much difficulty.
“We have to stop,” she whispered, wanting nothing more than to kiss him again.
“I know.” His rough voice rolled over her. “But there’s something going on here that I’m tired of fighting.”
“Me too,” she replied honestly, and then he was kissing her again. She broke free. “Finn, we can’t. You’re still my patient.”
He growled in frustration that equally matched hers. “I know.”
“I should go,” she said, breaking from his hold.
“Just remember, I won’t be your patient forever,” he said, his voice echoing off the narrow walls as she headed back into the bar. She was not counting the minutes until their final appointment.
She spotted Claire and made her way to her roommate’s side. “Claire, I’m exhausted. Can we head home?”
“Are you okay?” Claire’s eyes narrowed, and Sophia wondered just how disheveled she looked, but she refused to reach up and smooth out her hair.
“Fine, just tired.”
“Okay.”
They quickly said goodbye to Lily and Adam and headed out of the bar. She never looked back to see if Finn was watching her. She didn’t know what to do about him right now, when all she wanted to do was run back into the bar and kiss him with everything she had. This was a disaster.
“So tonight was fun, right?” Claire asked.
“Right. Fun. I still can’t believe you told him all of that, Claire,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“What? I’m sorry. You both needed a shove. I saw how he looked at you and you gave it back just as good.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Sure, you don’t. I know he’s your patient, but he won’t be forever, and you should get out there, have fun. With him. I haven’t seen you giddy like this in—well, maybe never. Fuck, that’s depressing,” Claire said, shaking her head. “You deserve some fun with a nice guy.”
“You don’t know anything about him. He could be awful. Mean. Abusive.”
“He’s not Tony. And from everything you’ve told me about him, he’s not like that. Don’t waste a chance because you shouldn’t pursue something with him right now.”
“Do you know how bad it would look if I started dating a patient? Even if he’s a former patient? This is my career, and I don’t want to jeopardize my reputation.” Not that she hadn’t already started down that path with that kiss. She was still trying to catch her breath.
“I know, I know. Your job is super important, and I get that, but don’t walk away just yet. I saw how he looked at you. If I had glasses, they’d probably be completely steamed up. How you don’t attack that beautiful man is beyond me.”
Sophia dropped Claire’s gaze, focusing on her shoes.
“Wait. Did you—holy crap, did you kiss him already?”
“What? No. Umm, maybe. Okay, yes. I kissed him, and it was glorious. And shit, what am I going to do?”
“First of all, you’re going to kiss him again the next chance you get. And second—when did this happen? Where was I? It better have been tonight, because if you’re holding out on me, I just don’t know what kind of friendship we have.” Claire pouted and grinned at the same time.
“Yes. Umm, he may have caught me in the hallway near the restrooms and kissed the hell out of me. I think I’m still having a hot flash,” she said, the warm summer breeze doing little to cool her down.
“Woohoo,” Claire exclaimed with a fist pump. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Fuck. How am I going to look him in the face and greet him on Monday?”
“You’re going to walk in that room, shut the door, and kiss the hell out of him.”
“You’re not helping,” she muttered.
“Now tell me more about this kiss.”
“It was amazing… and I should never want it to happen again,” Sophia said as they walked back to their condo.
“I cannot wait to hear how Monday goes,” Claire said.
Next week was going to be awkward.
He’d almost slipped on the treadmill that morning—the treadmill she’d finally given him permission to use, and he blamed her. And that kiss Friday night. And how much he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted her in his arms, more than he wanted his next breath. His focus was shot, so to prevent further injury, he’d taken Bash for a walk in the park. Now Bash was running around with his friends in the dog park, and Finn was trying to pay attention to the conversation he’d joined with a few other dog owners.
But instead of paying attention to Greg and Bryan—at least he thought the guy’s name was Bryan—he was thinking about seeing Sophia tomorrow and wondering how pissed she would be if he kissed her in the exam room.
He shouldn’t want anything with her. And he understood why she resisted what was happening between them, but he hadn’t felt a pull like this with anyone in a long time—if ever. He’d dated over the years, but nothing serious since he’d left Calgary for the NHL seven years ago. It was easier that way. He’d had goals to meet and a career to focus on. Getting tied up in a relationship, or continuing one that wasn’t going to go anywhere, was a waste of time.
But Sophia was different. Hell, he was in so much trouble with her. He looked forward to every appointment, and his eyes still darted around the park every day hoping he’d run into her again—literally.
“Think you’ll be back on the ice for the season?” Bryan asked, breaking through Finn’s thoughts.
“That’s the goal. PT is going very well, and I should be back for the preseason.” The answer was canned, but he was careful divulging any information to people who weren’t in his hockey circle. You never knew who you were actually talking to or the motives behind their questions. He’d had friends and teammates burned more than once by giving up too much information to casual acquaintances or people they considered friends.
“Great. I’m rooting for you guys to go all the way this year,” Bryan said, with a laugh. “Hell, I do that every year.”
“Thanks, man. We’ll do our best, and I think we have a really strong team going in.” And he was damn sure going to be part of that lineup. His ankle felt great, and he had to be close to getting back on the ice. He missed the smell. The feel of it beneath his skates.
He spent the next thirty minutes chatting about the upcoming season, providing vague answers that would make the PR department proud, then grabbed Bash and headed home.
Alone with his thoughts again, they naturally headed back to Sophia. Maybe he should stop by the restaurant for dinner tonight. The steak he had thawing in the fridge could wait another night, but he couldn’t show up by himself. Lanzi’s wasn’t a restaurant where people went alone.
He reached for his phone and swiped it on, but quickly shoved it back in his pocket. There was no way he could ask the guys if they wanted to go out for dinner to Lanzi’s without them asking him why, and he wasn’t in the mood for questions or taunts. And she would definitely be pissed if he tried to entice her into a dark corner so he could taste her lips again, in a restaurant filled with her family.
Steak stir-fry with Chinese five spice and brown rice it was. He had to come up with a way to get her over to his house for dinner. He had plenty of dark corners and no meddling family members getting in the way.
His phone buzzed in his hand, just as he walked through his front door, and he swiped the phone on.
“Hi, Mom. It’s been a while,” he said. And it had. Almost two weeks, and the last time they had spoken, she’d made no mention of Jack. Now that Finn thought about it, their calls had been rushed and sporadic in the last few months. How had he not questioned it before?
Because he’d been selfishly focused on his recovery. On himself.
“Yes, sorry, honey. It’s so busy over here, and I forgot to call you back last week. How are you feeling?” she rushed out. And that was another thing he’d noticed. It was always questions about him.
“I’m good. How are you?” He kept his voice steady when what he really wanted to ask was how his father was doing, or actually what his father was doing, since he gave zero shits about how that asshole was. But he’d wait. He wanted her to tell him Jack was there.
“Good. I’m good. And I know Molly spilled the beans that your father is back.”
And there it was. “Yes, she did. Why didn’t you tell me as soon as he showed up?” he asked in a level tone. He would never yell at his mother. She didn’t deserve that from him, no matter how delusional Finn thought she was whenever Jack Finnegan came around.
“I didn’t want you to worry about anything except getting better. He showed up shortly after you were injured, and I knew you’d want to rush home to see him.”
Yes, so he could put his fist through his father’s face. His mother didn’t say the words, but she knew how he felt about the man. And he hated to upset her, so he’d toned down his vitriol over the years.
“You should’ve told me. Is everything going okay? What does he want? I’m almost done with rehab, so I could come visit.”
“Oh honey, I would love for you to come visit, but we’re fine up here. I know how important it is for you to get back to playing, so I don’t want you to rush your recovery.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m not rushing my rehab. Why is he back? Does he want something?” He didn’t miss the questions she didn’t answer, but he refused to let it slide.
“He wanted to see his family. It’s been so long, and he said he missed us.”
“If he missed us, why did it take him so long to come back?” And why had he come back? Finn thought he’d taken care of this years ago, but he couldn’t tell his mother that. She still didn’t know what he’d done.
“He was working in Toronto and now he’s between jobs.” He heard the hesitation in his mother’s voice.
“And there it is. So… what does he really want?” he gritted out, surprised the man hadn’t called Finn for another handout.
“Can I talk to him?” he asked.
“Honey, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You two never got along.”
“Just put him on, please,” he said, holding back his frustration.
“Fine.”
He waited as his mother called for Jack to grab the phone. He noticed that she didn’t tell him who was asking to speak with him. Maybe his mother wasn’t as helpless as he’d thought.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Father.”
“Finn? Finn, it’s so great to hear from you. Let me take this in another room.” Of course the man wanted to get out of earshot of his wife. Jack Finnegan might be an ass, but he was also smart.
“Finn, my boy, how’s everything going?”
“Don’t pretend that you give a shit. Why are you home? We had a deal.”
“There’s no need to take that tone with me, son. I wanted to see my family. It’s been so long. I’ve been over in Toronto working and finally had a break while I look for a new job. Thought I’d try to get one close to home.”
Finn scoffed. “You got fired and your girlfriend kicked you out? Don’t think I’m giving you anything else.”
“How dare you? I love your mother. There’s no one else.”
“I don’t believe you for a second, but for some reason my mother doesn’t think you’re an asshole. Her blinders are thick when it comes to you,” he bit out.
“I’m here for my family. That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” his father said, his tone soft. And Finn knew exactly why his father’s tone had changed as his mother got back on the line.
“Eric Finnegan, I know you have issues with your father, but you will not talk to him like that.”
Finn took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mom. I just want you to be happy. You may not agree, but you deserve better.”
“Your father and I have our issues, but we always find a way back to each other.”
His chest clenched at his mother’s words. He’d thought he fixed this problem when he paid his father all those years ago. The man wasn’t supposed to come back. How could she not see Jack for who he was? And at what point did Finn stop trying to convince her that she could do better?
“Fine. But I think I’ll come visit soon.”
“We would love to see you, honey, but don’t rush on our part. You fix that ankle and come visit us before the summer ends. We’ll still be here,” his mother said.
Finn ended the call before he could say anything else he might regret.