Deadly Illusions(45)

“Anyway, he was sitting in the studio watching, and a steady stream of blondes kept coming in to bring him coffee,” Emma said. “He was nice to all of them, although he was clearly disinterested. That didn’t stop them from coming, though.”

“Yeah, Grady has been plagued with the unbearable burden of women throwing themselves at him since we were teenagers,” Finn explained. “I don’t know how he’s dealt with it.”

“One time, the woman who was behind the receptionist’s desk in the lobby came back,” Emma said. “I guess she was on her break or something. She was practically drooling over him – although she kept asking questions about James.”

Finn smirked. “She’s got a crush on James. I don’t think she’s recovered from finding out about Mandy. She keeps hoping that they’ll break up. Plus, I don’t think she and Sophie get along very well. She was probably trying to needle her by flirting with Grady.”

“Grady only seems to have eyes for Sophie,” Emma said. “He was nice to everyone, but he brightened up the entire room with his smile when she came in to visit.”

“How is Sophie doing after the fire?”

“She seems fine,” Emma said. “She was the first one down. Grady seems more worked up by the fire than Sophie.”

“Grady is something of an alarmist sometimes,” Finn said. “He’s dramatic. Sometimes I think he missed his calling. He should have been an actor.”

Emma smirked. “He’s very sweet and very kind. He really stayed focused on me for most of the day, asking me a bunch of questions and stuff.”

“About?”

“You,” Emma replied, shrugging. “He wanted to know what we did last night.”

Finn searched Emma’s face for signs of regret. Not finding any, he relaxed back against the booth. “And what did you tell him?”

“I told him we watched Grey’s Anatomy,” Emma replied. “He seemed really interested in that.”

Finn cringed internally. He just knew he was never going to hear the end of this. “Anything else?”

“I’m not the kind to kiss and tell,” Emma teased.

They’d done a lot more than kiss the previous night, but Finn pushed the thought out of his mind. There was nothing he could do about those urges until he had her back at Mandy’s apartment.

The conversation progressed from there, Emma laughing easily – which made Finn’s heart swell. This was the woman who never laughed, and here she was giggling like a teenager at a slumber party. He couldn’t get enough of the sound. He found himself telling her silly stories from his childhood – stories that made him look like a complete fool – just so he could hear her laugh some more.

After a while, Finn glanced around at the other restaurant visitors. At a certain point, he realized that every man in the restaurant was staring at Emma. Some tried to pretend they weren’t – most of those were eating with women. Others didn’t care how obnoxious they looked.

He shouldn’t have been surprised. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Other men drinking in the beauty that he already regarded as his was taxing and irksome.

When they were done, Finn linked his fingers with Emma’s and led her out of the restaurant, meeting as many predatory eyes as he could as they exited. He knew he was marking his territory, but he didn’t care. She wasn’t a piece of candy in a bowl, a slice of meat on their plates. She was a person with feelings. She was his person.

Dammit, that Grey’s Anatomy show was getting to him.

When they got back to the apartment, Finn barely had the door shut and locked before she was on him. He’d expected to spend the night wrapped in her arms – and thighs. He just wasn’t sure she would make the first move again. He figured he’d have to plan a little seduction to get her to his way of thinking. Instead, he was the one welcoming her need.

Their interlude was different tonight, more fervent.

Emma’s mouth was greedy and dominant. Finn let her claim his mouth with as much force as she wanted, letting her dictate the pace. Emma stripped out of her clothes – all of them – in the hallway.

Finn followed suit, taking her lead with robust enjoyment. He loved seeing her this way. She was so … free.

Emma wrapped her arms around Finn’s neck as they staggered into the bedroom. Finn reached into the nightstand, grabbing a condom to clutch in his hand as they tumbled to the mattress.

Finn lodged the condom under a pillow, making sure he remembered where he stashed it, and then rolled Emma’s naked body over so she was spread eagle on her back. His initial inclination was to smother her body with his, but Emma’s skittish nature had him thinking twice.