Page 80 of Capture The Moment

By the time he entered her, they were so revved up that she knew it wouldn’t last long, but she reveled in the urgency. His hands tangled in her hair, her name on his tongue, his heat thrusting inside of her. She clung to him, digging her nails into his back, and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to keep him right where she wanted him.

Succumbing to the pleasure, she cried out, “Finn!” as she climaxed, bucking up against him unabashedly. He’d been responding with equal enthusiasm until he must have realized that they weren’t protected, and he quickly pulled out and released himself on her stomach.

Harper caught her breath while he went into the bathroom and came back with a warm washcloth. She held out a hand to take it from him, but he said, “I’ll do it,” and proceeded to clean her off.

Afterwards, he pulled her close and covered them with a sheet.

“Thank God one of us was thinking,” she said nervously.

“Why? You don’t think I’d be a good dad?”

Her body tensed.

“I’m teasing, Harper.”

She tried to laugh, but it came out strangled.

“Hey. Are you ok?” he asked, peering down at her in the dark.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she replied, burying her head in his chest. He might have been teasing, but something about the way he’d said it made her wonder if he was developing feelings for her that extended beyond what they were doing. And it scared her. Because she wasn’t there—not yet anyway.

Yes, she liked being with him, and yes, she enjoyed making love with him, but as for a future together—was that even possible? A few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have thought so, but now…

“Sorry if what happened freaked you out,” he said, obviously trying to make light of the situation. “I’ll be better prepared next time.”

Next time. She most definitely wanted a next time. But she didn’t want to think too far beyond that. After Blake had died, she’d all but stopped thinking about the future beyond a few days. She’d discovered that the future wasn’t guaranteed for anybody, so she’d concentrated on just getting through each day.

But lying there with Finn, she could almost imagine it. The two of them with Daisy and Hunter, traipsing through the woods behind his house, having picnics on the sloping back lawn, eating dinner in front of the fireplace on a cold winter’s night. Finn coming home to her after work, wrapping her in his arms and carrying her off to his bedroom or hers.

My God. What is happening to me?

Suddenly, Finn moved away and sat up against the headboard. Pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts, she sat next to him and waited for him to speak.

“What’s going on, Harper? Where’d you go?”

“I’m sorry. I guess it did freak me out a little bit. This is all happening so fast,” she said, gesturing between them with one hand while clutching the sheet to her chest with the other.

“I’m not sure I follow. A little while ago, you were telling me how perfect everything was.”

“And it was. It is. It’s just that…”

Shoving the sheet aside, he scrambled out of bed and began to pace. “I’m getting mixed messages here. One minute, you’re undressing me and asking me to take you to bed, and the next, you act like you’re about ready to bolt. What is it you want from me, Harper? Huh? Is this just sex to you? Is that it? Is that all you want from me?” Finn had stopped pacing to stand at the edge of the bed, hands on his hips, breathing heavily while he awaited her response.

“You said you wouldn’t rush me,” she said shakily.

“Didn’t think I was.”

“I hope we’ll have many more Valentine’s Days together?”

“That was just me being honest.”

Looking him straight in the eyes, she said, “But what if I’m not there yet?”

“That’s ok,” he said, relaxing his stance.

Shaking her head, she added, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” he replied, sinking down to sit on the edge of the bed.

“How can you be so sure?”

He reached out and took her free hand, the one that wasn’t clutching the sheet, and entwined their fingers together. “Because I know you. And I know that you’re scared. But I also know what it feels like when we’re together, and I know you feel it too.”

She couldn’t deny it, but she also wasn’t ready to give voice to her feelings. “Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“No more talking.” And with that, she let go of the sheet, letting it fall away from her breasts. All that frustration and fear fueled the fire that was already raging between them, and he pulled her over on top of him.

Holding her head between his large hands, he gazed up at her, eyes clouded with desire and some deeper emotion that she refused to acknowledge. “Stay with me tonight,” he demanded, daring her to refuse.

She fell into those eyes, found the place where she felt safe, and replied with one word: “Yes.”