Page 176 of Rookie Attraction

I’m about to put my phone aside when it vibrates.

Finn: On my way up.

Adrenaline and relief flood my veins. I hop out of bed, head for the living area, and pace back and forth until I hear a soft knock at the door. When I open it and Finn steps inside, his eyes are bloodshot and swollen, and there are tracks of dried tears on his cheeks. I slam the door and step towards him.

“Sweetheart?”

He throws himself full force into my arms and I nearly fall to the floor.

“Tell me what happened,” I whisper.

Instead of responding, he burrows his face into my neck.

“Finn?” I grip him tighter. “Oh, fuck, I should’ve stayed with you.”

“No. It’s not that. I told you, I had to do this myself. I’m fine, or I will be. I’m overwhelmed,” he admits. “My parents weren’t totally surprised to find out that I’m bi. They already know I’m demi and they could tell what was going on between us from how I looked at you. Well, how we looked at each other. It’s the ‘falling for my teammate in the NHL’ that has them wondering if I know what the hell I’m doing. Or what we’re doing.”

I lean back and cup his face in my palms.

“Are you okay?”

He offers a sigh and a slow smile. “I’m more than okay now that I’m with you.”

I pull him to me, claiming his lips softly.

“Bed,” I insist.

“Fuck yes.”

I rub my thumb over the circles under his beautiful eyes.

“For sleep.”

“But I want to⁠—”

Finn slides one hand down to cup my ass. I’m more than tempted, but I shake my head.

“Not tonight. You need to talk, decompress, and I need to listen and hold you.”

“Does dirty talk count?” Finn quips.

“Nice try.”

I lead him over to the bedroom, and once he’s stripped down to his briefs, he crawls into bed and collapses. Only, he’s grabbed the side I’ve been lying on.

“Mmm, warm sheets that smell like you,” he mumbles into the pillow. “Fuck, I’ve missed this.”

“Finn,” I warn.

He rolls onto his back and offers an innocent smile, one that contradicts the flirty gleam in his eyes.

“I’ll be a good boy. I promise.”

“That’s not helping.”

Ignoring the rush of my blood heading south, I slide under the sheets, and when Finn rolls to his side, I spoon him tightly. His responding moan tells me he needs this hug as much as I do. I nuzzle my face into his neck, breathe in his scent, and kiss his freckles, doing my best to ignore my hard-on.

“Doesn’t feel like you want to go to sleep,” Finn murmurs, pushing his ass back.