“What did you do to him?” Julia demanded the minute she showed up for work on Monday.

“Why?  Was he really upset?” Harper asked.

“According to Connor, he snapped at everybody within a three-foot radius yesterday!”

“Wait a minute.  Connor?  You mean we’re not talking about Will?”

“What about Will?  Oh no.  Did you do something to poor Will too?”

“Back up.  What did Connor tell you?”

“He said that when he showed up for work yesterday, Finn was slamming things around, muttering under his breath, and acting like a caged bull.  Connor mistakenly asked him if he was having woman troubles, and Finn blew up at him!”

Interesting.  If Finn had gone home with the brunette from the bar on Saturday night, why had he been in such a rotten mood?  “And so, naturally, you assumed that I was at the root of his troubles?  Thanks a lot, Jules!”

“Well, weren’t you?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe it had something to do with the brunette bimbo he left the Union with on Saturday night.”

Brows raised, Julia said, “Oh.  Connor didn’t tell me about that.”

“Well, he probably didn’t know.  Liam was with Finn that night, and they left with two women they picked up at the bar.”

“And what were you doing there?”

Harper winced.  “Breaking up with Will.”

Julia sighed, but she didn’t look angry.  “I knew it was coming, but I feel bad for him.  I think he really liked you.”

“I like him too, Jules.  Just not in that way.  But he said he was going to contact his old college girlfriend.  Somebody named Megan.”

Julia instantly brightened.  “Oh good.  I always liked her.  Not as much as I like you, of course…”

Harper giggled, glad that the tension between them had passed.  “I felt bad about Will too, but he was very gracious about the whole thing.”

“So, back to Finn.  Why do you think he was on a rampage yesterday?”

Averting her eyes to the set of prints on her desk, Harper said, “Maybe it had to do with him seeing Will and me kissing.”

Leaning forward, Julia said, “Can you repeat that, please?  A minute ago, I could have sworn you said that you and Will broke up.”

Sighing, Harper looked up at her.  “It was Will’s idea.  He saw Finn flirting with the brunette, and then he suggested that he and I give Finn something to be jealous about.”

“Sounds like middle school!”

“I know.  It was stupid, but I can’t go back and undo it.  Besides, Finn agreed that we should keep things status quo between us.  We need to get used to the idea of seeing each other with other people.”

“And I would agree if it was REAL!”

Harper shook her head.  “He’ll find out soon enough.  Nothing stays a secret in this town for long.  Speaking of secrets, how are things going with Connor?”

Julia smiled, that same smile that Will had sported when he’d mentioned Megan.  The same smile Harper used to give Blake. 

“I think he’s ready to tell his brothers about us.”

“That’s great, Jules!”

Julia nodded, but she looked nervous. 

“What are you afraid of?”

“It’s just all so new and unexpected.  Connor’s unlike any guy I’ve ever been with, and I still can’t figure out how this happened.”

Kind of like me and Finn.  “Well, I know how close the O’Brien brothers are, so if he’s ready to tell them, that’s a good thing, right?”

“Hey, you know what?” Julia said suddenly.

“What?”

“Connor was planning on inviting me and his brothers over for a casual dinner next weekend.  You should come with me!”

“Oh.  No.  I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not?  Connor won’t mind at all.”

“Maybe not, but Finn might.”

“Come on, Harper.  You’d be helping me out, and you’d get a chance to talk to Finn too.  Maybe you two could straighten things out while you’re there.”

Staring at Julia’s hopeful expression, Harper caved.  “Ok.  I’ll come.”  She would have liked to claim that she’d agreed strictly as a favor for her friend, but she had her own selfish reasons as well.  Maybe seeing Finn in a group setting would make it easier to transition back into the easy friendship they’d once had.  And she believed that almost as much as she believed in unicorns.  But still, it was worth a shot!

 

“I don’t know about this, Jules,” Harper said, tugging at the hem of her sweater dress.

“There’s nothing to worry about.  You know everyone here.”

Some better than others, Harper thought, an image of her and Finn kissing springing to mind.  “And you’re sure that Finn doesn’t know I’m coming?”

“Positive.  I made Connor promise not to tell him.”

“Which could be good or bad, depending on Finn’s mood.”

“Harper.  Did you ever consider that he just might be happy to see you?”

“That would be too much to hope for,” Harper said with a heavy sigh.  She hadn’t seen or heard from Finn since that night at the bar.  And since the snow had tapered off, he hadn’t even been over to plow her driveway.  With each passing day, she’d found herself missing him more and more, and she wondered if he felt the same.  Of course, the last time they’d seen each other, her lips had been plastered to Will’s, and Finn had left with another woman, so maybe he hadn’t thought of her at all.  She’d soon find out. 

“Are you sure I look ok?” Julia asked once she’d parked in front of Connor’s house.

“You look beautiful.”  She looked like a woman in love, but Harper refrained from telling her that.  The woman was already petrified enough! 

“So do you.  I don’t usually see you in a dress.”

“This old thing?” Harper teased.  They both knew that Harper had dressed up for the occasion because of Finn, and she wouldn’t bother denying it.  They approached Connor’s front door, arm in arm, and Harper inhaled deeply as they waited for someone to answer it. 

“We can do this,” Julia said.

“We are women, hear us roar!” Harper said just as the door swung open to reveal Finn.  And then time stood still for a few beats as their eyes locked and held, neither of them speaking or moving.

“Um…I’ll just go find Connor,” Julia said, squeezing past Finn.

Harper remained on the porch step, waiting for Finn to invite her in. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly, mouth set in a straight line.

Just then, Liam came up behind him and shouted, “Hey, Harper.  Why are you standing out there?  Come on in!”

Finn shot him a scowl but stepped aside to allow her access. 

“Hey, Liam,” she said, attempting to ignore his big brother.  “It’s nice to see you.”

“You too!  Connor didn’t tell us you were coming.  Got any more surprise visitors with you?”  Liam’s enthusiasm at seeing her was in direct contrast to Finn, who still wore a disgruntled expression.

“No.  Just me,” Harper said.

“Finn, don’t just stand there.  Take the lady’s coat!”

“Why don’t you go away and give us a minute?” Finn growled. 

Liam’s hands shot up in the air, and he backed up.  “Whoa.  Someone forgot to take their happy pill today!” he teased as he retreated to the back of the house. 

Harper had taken off her coat and had laid it over her arm, although part of her was considering turning around and running back out the door.  I knew I should have driven myself here!

“If you must know, I came here for Julia,” she said, keeping her voice low.  “My being here has nothing to do with you.”

“I didn’t expect that it would after the way you were locking lips with Burberry the other night,” he hissed, and he pulled the coat out of her arms and hung it in the hall closet. 

“You have some nerve, Finn O’Brien.  I saw you leave with that…with that…large-breasted bimbo!”

She’d planted her hands on her hips, and they stood there, glaring at each other, until someone cleared their throat from a few paces away. 

“Uh…you two care to join us for dinner?” Connor asked. 

Harper tore her eyes away from Finn long enough to see the smirk on Connor’s face, but when Finn looked his way, Connor immediately wiped it off.  “Sorry, dude.  It’s just that the pizza’s getting cold!”  With that, he turned and sauntered back to the kitchen.

“I would leave if I could, but Julia drove,” Harper snarled.  So much for them rediscovering their friendship.  Right then, she wanted to get as far away from him as possible. 

“It’s fine.  We’re all adults here.  We can certainly be civil through dinner.”  His voice had softened, but he still looked perturbed. 

Harper knew they weren’t done talking—not by a long shot.  “Agreed.”

She followed him through the living room and into a kitchen/dining area at the back of the house.  Julia stood at the kitchen counter, doling out pizza on paper plates while Connor passed out beers. 

“About time, man,” Connor said as he handed a bottle to Finn. 

Liam was already seated at the kitchen table, the only one who looked truly relaxed as he kicked back in his chair and took a huge bite of pepperoni pizza.  I bet my sister would think he was hot, Harper thought as she eyed him.  And he’s probably around her age…

“Harper?  Beer?” Connor asked.

“Sure,” she said, accepting the cold bottle from his hands. 

Once everyone had settled in, Connor cleared his throat noisily. 

“So…uh…the reason I asked you guys over…” he began.

But Liam interrupted.  “What? Are you getting married or something?”

Julia choked on her pizza, while Connor and Finn glared at their younger brother. 

“Oops.  My bad,” Liam said and tucked back into his slice. 

“If you called us here to tell us that you and Julia are dating, you can relax.  We kind of gathered that when she showed up,” Finn said, shooting a smile at Julia. 

If only he would have smiled at me that way, Harper thought, inwardly fuming at the way he’d greeted her.

“Yeah, well, I wanted you guys to be the first to know,” Connor said, looking relieved.

Julia leaned over and sweetly kissed his cheek, and Connor sat up a little straighter.  “So, anyway, now you know, and there’s no more secrets between us.”

Harper gave Finn a sideways glance and found that he was looking at her too.  This time, she detected a softness in his eyes, almost as if he were trying to apologize to her without words.  And it would be so easy to let him.  But they still had a lot to discuss, and she wouldn’t let herself get sucked in by his crystal-blue eyes, his day-old scruff, his thick, wavy hair, or his hard-packed body.  No, sir.  She had a lot more willpower than that!

“Well, I’m glad we had this talk.  Am I free to go now?” Liam asked, breaking through her reverie. 

Finn reached over and whacked him on the shoulder.  “You’re not going anywhere.  We just got here.”

“More pizza, anyone?” Julia asked, trying to run interference between the three headstrong brothers. 

Whoever ends up with these guys is certainly going to have their hands full, Harper thought.  She must have had a funny look on her face, because Finn suddenly said, “Harper?  Something on your mind?”

“Yes.  I’d like to make a toast.”  Holding up her beer bottle, she said, “To Julia and Connor.  May your relationship be everything you want it to be.”

“Here, here,” said Liam, raising his bottle.

Finn joined in too, and after that, the tension seemed to dissipate.  For the next hour or so, the five of them talked comfortably about a variety of topics, until Liam stood up and announced that he had to leave. 

“What’s your hurry?” Connor asked as Liam tugged on his boots. 

“None of your damn business,” Liam replied.  And then, without missing a beat, he added, “Ladies.  Nice to see you both.” 

At the sound of the door closing behind him, Harper became uncomfortable again.  Now that it was down to the four of them, it felt a little too much like a double date for her liking.

“I should probably get going too,” she said, forgetting that she didn’t have her car.

“I guess that means I have to drive you home,” Julia said, sounding disappointed. 

“That’s not necessary.  I’ll take her,” Finn said, and he pushed himself up off the couch.

“What?  I mean, no thanks.  I don’t want to put you out,” Harper replied. 

But Finn was already putting on his coat and walking toward the door.  “Come on.  Let’s leave the two lovebirds alone.”

Harper weighed the alternatives and decided she had no choice.  Later, she wondered if Julia had orchestrated the whole thing.  Why else would she have insisted that they drive together?

When Finn opened the passenger door of his truck for her, she started to climb up, and he put his hand on her elbow to help her. 

Jerking out of his grip, she said, “I got it.”

“Suit yourself,” he said and went around to his side to get in. 

They were quiet for a few minutes, until Harper broke the silence.  “I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“I don’t get what you’re mad about.  You were the one who told me I should see Will, remember?”

“I remember.”

“And what about the woman you hooked up with at the bar?  You don’t hear me giving you any guff about that.”

Brows raised, Finn said, “So, calling her a bimbo doesn’t count?”

He’d pulled into her driveway, and he shut off the truck and started to open his door. 

“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice sounding unusually high-pitched. 

“Inside, where we can finish talking.”

“Why can’t we talk out here?”

“Do you really want your neighbors to see?”

On a dark winter evening, there wasn’t much activity in the neighborhood, but she decided to save her argument for something more worthwhile.  Sighing, she opened the truck door and hopped down before he could come around and assist her. 

After receiving an enthusiastic greeting from Daisy and shedding their boots and coats, she led Finn into the living room, where she’d left on a lamp.  Instead of taking a seat like he usually did, he stood in the middle of the room, looking uncertain, and suddenly, a lot of the fight drained out of her. 

“I hate this,” she said, gesturing between the two of them.  “What’s happening to us?”

His hands were shoved deep in his front pockets, as if he were afraid to reveal them.  “I hate it too,” he said quietly.

“You still haven’t explained why you reacted the way you did when you saw me with Will.”

He looked down at the ground and shook his head.  “I’m having trouble understanding it myself.”

Harper sighed.  “This is all my fault.  If I wouldn’t have kissed you that night, we’d be fine right now.”

Still shaking his head, he glanced up at her.  “If you wouldn’t have done it, I would have.  Maybe not that night, but I’m sure it would have happened.”

His admission caught her off guard.  “But…”

“Can’t you tell?  I feel it too.”

“Feel what?” 

“This thing between us.  We can try to fight it, but it’s there.  The kiss just brought it to the surface.”

And then she looked down at the floor, unsure of how to proceed. 

Finn reached over, placed his index finger under her chin, and gently lifted it.  “Don’t hide from me, Harper.”

“I…I don’t know how to do this.”

“I don’t either.  That’s what’s got me all tied up in knots.”

“But…what about that woman at the bar?  I saw you leave with her.”

He took a step forward and gently cupped her cheek.  “But I didn’t go home with her.  I couldn’t.”

Her breath had already become ragged from his nearness, and she inhaled deeply, grasping for some calm in the storm of her emotions. 

“I saw you kiss Will, and I thought I should be kissing someone else too, but the person I really wanted to be kissing was you.”

Harper leaned her cheek into his hand, as if she could absorb some strength from it.  He took another step closer, and she felt his heat surround her.  He looked as if he were about to kiss her again, but she lifted her head and placed both hands on his chest.  “Wait.  I need to explain about Will.”

But Finn just shook his head.  “You broke it off with him.  I already know.”

“But…who…how?”

Finn’s face broke out in a slow, satisfied grin.  “Julia told Connor, and Connor told me, thinking I might want to know.”

Harper wasn’t sure whether to be irritated with Julia or grateful.  But given the sudden turnaround in Finn’s mood, she decided to go with the latter.  “I’m sorry.  We…I was just trying to make you jealous.”

“And it worked,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her.  “Are you sure that’s all it was?”

“Positive,” she replied immediately.  She was done playing games.  She’d graduated from middle school a long time ago. 

As they’d been talking, Finn had taken another step closer, and now he rested his hands on her hips.

“So.”

“So.”

“Not sure where we go from here, but I’m willing to see where this thing leads,” he said.

Harper swallowed hard, feeling like they were standing on the edge of a precipice and about to tip over.  It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.  “I’m scared,” she admitted and leaned her head against his chest.

“Me too,” he whispered against her hair. 

“It’s been a long time for me.” 

“I know.”

“And I’m not just talking about…well…you know.”  Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Sex?”

She nodded, afraid to raise her eyes to his. 

Sliding his hands up and down her back, he said, “We’ll take it slow.  You can set the pace.”

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel any better,” she mumbled against his shirt.

He chuckled, the rich sound vibrating against her cheek.  “Look at me,” he said softly.

Slowly tilting her face up, she met his gaze and just about melted.  His eyes were filled with desire, but they were comforting at the same time. 

“I’ll wait for you.  For however long it takes.”

At this rate, it might not take long at all, she thought, but she kept her mouth shut. 

“All I ask is that we keep the lines of communication open.  Don’t shut me out,” he urged. 

Nodding, she slipped her arms around his waist and closed the small gap between them, reveling in their closeness. 

“There might be some weird moments,” she said.  “I still have a lot of stuff to come to terms with…”

“About Blake.  Yeah, me too.”

And then she realized that she’d been so caught up in her own head that she hadn’t fully considered how Finn would be feeling about all this.  Knowing how loyal he’d been to Blake, he must have been struggling too.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said.  It was classic Finn—always trying to make her feel better.

She smiled then, a full-on, high-voltage smile that got him smiling too.

“Not sure what you’re smiling about, but this feels a helluva lot better than earlier.”

“I agree,” she said, and almost without thinking, she slid her arms up around his neck and kissed him.  It was just a peck, but it was enough to set off the sparks between them.

“I could use a few more of those,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

And their lips met again, only this time it wasn’t just a peck.  Chests pressed tightly together, Harper opened her mouth to invite his tongue, and it felt like tiny explosions detonating throughout her body.  And then Finn’s hands began to move—up and down her back and then into her hair.  It had been so long since she’d been touched like this, and it felt like drinking from a well after a long drought.  She simply couldn’t get enough. 

Suddenly, Finn pulled back, and in a gravelly voice, he said, “Tell me to stop right now, Harper.”

“I can’t.  I don’t want to.”

Dragging one hand through his thick mane, he said, “You sure?”

“Positive.” 

And in a swift move, he picked her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, her hands clinging to his strong shoulders. 

“Where to?”

Harper motioned to the stairs, and Finn started up while Daisy looked at them quizzically from her dog bed in the living room. 

But Harper wasn’t thinking about Daisy, or anything else right then other than being with Finn.  When he reached the top of the stairs, he started to turn toward her bedroom, and that was when she felt the first twinge of guilt.  She wasn’t prepared to bring him into the bed that she’d shared with Blake.  Not now and maybe not ever. 

“Spare room,” she said, motioning in the opposite direction. 

He nodded and carried her through the door of the guest bedroom, where he set her back on her feet. 

Breathing hard, Finn said, “I’m going to ask you one more time.  Tell me you’re sure.”

Placing her hands on his broad chest, she looked him directly in the eyes and whispered, “Make love to me, Finn.”