But he was still thick and rigid inside me when my eyes popped open and I dropped my head against his shoulder in replete happiness.
He moved to the end of the bed and dangled his legs over. With a pat on my ass, he motioned for me to turn around. Ahhh. He wanted to see my tattoo. I repositioned myself, and Finn peeled off the bandage that I'd reapplied.
Finn didn't touch it with his hands, but his gaze was a heavy caress.
"I love you, Winter," he growled and then thrust inside me. One arm clamped around my middle while the other held my hip, and I rode him furiously until I came and he came if not simultaneously then damn close. We collapsed backward, Finn rolling to his side at the last moment so he wouldn't land on me and possibly hurt my freshly tattooed skin.
"I don't want to leave your body." His nose nudged around my neck and down my spine, careful to avoid hurting me. After a moment, he got up to dispose of the condom and returned to bandage me up.
He pulled back the covers, and I lay in his arms, using my finger to draw imaginary designs on his beautiful skin. He shook his head.
"I thought blood was what made a family, but it isn't. It's love. My parents had it for me. My sister does. And I…I have it for you."
He rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him. "Our family can be whomever you want in it—your sister, her kid, your parents. As long as you and I are together, we'll make our life great."
28
FINN
"You okay with this?" I asked for probably the tenth time in the last three minutes.
Winter just gave me a serene smile and squeezed my hand that I had locked on her knee. My chest puffed out a little because I had put that satisfied, happy look on her face.
Last night was better than I imagined it would be. We’d made love, and I held her while she made what she termed “her confession,” which was some nonsense about her taking advantage of me while I was grieving my father.
I managed, barely, to keep from making some smart ass comment about how I hoped she'd take advantage of me every night. She was so serious, so I’d allowed her to apologize. I’d told her I forgave her, and then I’d lain back while she ravished me. Best damn apology ever.
I took copious notes for the next time I screwed up and had to make it up to her.
When I woke we had a serious talk about where she was living because while I trusted her, it bugged the shit out of me that she was rooming with Tucker.
"First, the neighborhood is dangerous. Second, the house looks like it's ready to fall apart. Third, you're living with a penis. I don't like that a penis gets to see you coming out of the bathroom or your bedroom."
"I can't afford to live on my own. I don't want to live with four males, so don't even suggest here. And I wear a robe!" She threw up her hands.
"How would you feel if I lived with a girl and she got to see me walking around in my boxers every morning and every evening?"
She fumed for a few moments and then agreed to look for a new roommate. Until then she could stay with me.
Mom called and asked Winter and me to come out to the farm. After we stopped off at Mom's to find out what she wanted, we'd swing by Tucker's to pick up her stuff.
"What do you think your mom wants?"
"No clue."
"I saw her the other day," Winter admitted. "I was creeping on your property down by the pond."
"Really?" That surprised me. Mom hadn't been much for leaving the house lately.
"Did you know Henry spies on you for her?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I caught him giving her a nightly report." I didn't care though. If that was what interested her, then by all means, let her know what was going on. I didn’t even care about the fact she’d tried to get me to quit the project. She probably thought she was protecting me because she didn’t want to see me fail. None of that was important now. The important part was what, if anything, she'd said to Winter. "What'd she have to say?"
"That she loved you and I should fight for you."
"Huh." I hadn't expected that. "Okay, well, good. Still doesn't explain what she wants."
I drove down the tree-filled drive and parked on the side. Winter waited patiently for me to come and help her out. I appreciated that she let me do this for her even though she was perfectly able to get in and out of the truck by herself, no matter how much I teased her for being short or that she told me I should buy a car lower to the ground. It made me feel good to do these small things for her.
I'd like to have paid her rent, made sure her refrigerator was always full, and gotten her a newer car too, but I had to pick my battles.
So I enjoyed these small things. As a bonus I got to feel her up as she slid down my body. Her face turned up, and I couldn't resist bending down to kiss her. She molded her body against me, reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck. Reflexively I lifted her because she weighed nothing, and it was easier to kiss her when she was about five inches off the ground.