“Hey, you okay?” he asks once I’ve gone silent.
I give him a tight nod and a fake smile while walking us over to one of the free tables. He sits in front of me, always observant with that watchful eye of his, making me inadvertently bow my head.
“Stone, you sure you’re okay?” he asks suspiciously when five minutes pass without barely touching my food.
I bite the side of my lip while playing with my fries, not one bit thrilled to feel this way.
“I was just thinking, maybe this isn’t exactly your style? I mean, have you ever eaten at a food truck before?”
“Are you kidding? Of course, I have. You think you’re the only one who likes greasy food?” he laughs out, taking a huge bite of his burger.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to eat lobster or caviar, or whatever you Northside, rich folk eat?”
He takes another big bite of his chili burger, closing his eyes while letting out an exaggerated moan, looking like he just took a bite of heaven itself. He then shakes his head and replies, “I’m good, Stone. Food is food. It’s the company that matters.”
I can’t help but chuckle at that little comment.
“You’re such a dork,” I exclaim with a little laugh, feeling more relaxed.
“Whatever. Just eat your burger.”
I laugh again but do as he says. The peaceful silence that arises while we eat our dinner is oddly comforting. I can’t help sneaking in a peek at him every once in a while, chuckling as he shoves his food in his face, perfectly content with the setting.
After we’re finished, Finn goes back to the truck and orders a couple of sundaes. He wolfs his down before I’ve even taken two bites of mine. But I guess Finn must need some serious calorie intake every day to keep his body as fit as it is. When I’m done with my dessert, he takes my hand and walks me back to the car.
“You tired?”
“No, not really. Why?”
“I want to take you back to my spot. You game for that?” he asks nervously, his blue eyes as clear and bright as a summer’s day.
I just give him a little nod and follow him to the car, this time letting him take the wheel. He puts on some music, and again I feel that peaceful silence between us.
“I’m not used to you being so quiet,” he states, the back of his knuckles slightly grazing my cheek.
I hold his hand and open his palm to land a small chaste kiss to it. It’s the only answer I have for him. Anything else will be messy. Explaining how he turned a bad night into something serene and normal is not something I want to discuss.
He leans in closer, gently pressing his temple against mine, making his woodsy scent kick-start the beat of my heart. His eyes are shut as he takes a minute just to breathe me in. I lick my lips, letting my eyes close of their own accord, to try steady my foolish heart.
“Just take me to see the stars, Finn. I’ve missed them.”
“Not as much as they’ve missed you. Not nearly enough.”
Chapter 18
Finn
When we get to the secluded gazebo, I scratch at my throat, hoping the lump in it will miraculously disappear. Deep down, I know the fucker will only go away once Stone opens that beautiful mouth of hers and tells me she likes what I’ve done with the place. It took me all afternoon to make my small corner of the world look presentable for our date. With colorful cushions spread out on the lawn, and comfy blankets, I tried as best I could to make it comfortable and cozy. The first time we were here, I only had two sweaty gym towels for us to lie down on. This time around, I made sure to go all out and make this place look and feel somewhat romantic. Even got scented candles and shit.
“You’ve been busy,” she marvels, taking in the scenery.
“I wanted tonight to be perfect,” I confess, hugging her from behind, placing my chin on the top of her head. “So, did I do good, brat?”
She turns around in my embrace, her emerald eyes shining with an unnamed emotion behind them.
“You did good, pretty boy,” she whispers huskily, batting her dark eyelashes at me, making my chest tighten and my cock harden.
I’m about to go all in and kiss her senseless when she lightly pushes me away to stroll around the small lawn and investigate further what else I’ve done with the place. Without her watching, I discreetly maneuver my stiff cock to make him behave. We have all night for him to call the shots, so he can be patient. At this moment, all I want is to enjoy Stone in any way she’ll let me.
My eyes never leave her as she walks slowly over the decorated lawn. When I hear a little laugh fall from her lips, I know she’s found the cooler. She picks up the bottles of Jose and Jack, looking amusedly at them, lifting them up to her head and swinging them in my direction.
“Couldn’t do all this and not have your plan A in mind, now could I?” I joke, taking a seat and leaning open-armed against one of the larger cushions. “Had to make sure you’d have a good time one way or another.”
She places the bottle of whiskey back in its original place and begins to stroll over to me with her beloved tequila in hand.
“There’s some limes and salt there, too,” I add before she takes a further step.
“You have thought about everything, haven’t you? I have to say, I’m impressed, quarterback,” she teases, going back to get the small Tupperware of sliced lime wedges and salt shaker. “If memory serves me right, you said you were bad at this dating thing,” she adds, walking back over to me, her hips swaying left and right.
Instead of the banter she’s looking for, I just shrug in reply. I mean, what can I possibly tell her? That she’s the only woman who has ever made me want to do this type of thing? That I wracked my brain for hours on end last night, thinking of ways to bring a smile to her face? Nah! No way can I tell her that. Stone spooks easily, and after almost a week of not being around her, I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot by telling her the truth—that I’d do just about anything for the tattooed, fearless Southie.
Unsuspecting of the insanity rummaging through my brain, Stone toes off her boots, hikes her dress up to her hips, and sits cross-legged beside me, cracking the seal on the bottle, creating a nostalgic sense of déjà vu around us.
“Are we going to play another one of your games? If it ends the same way it did last time, I’m all for it,” I taunt with a wicked smirk.
“Funny.” She wiggles her brows. “Actually, I was thinking tonight we tell each other our secrets without having to take our clothes off.”
“If I’m going to spill any of those, I’ll need a good incentive.”
“Oh, yeah? And what type of incentive are we talking about?”
“Get your sweet ass on my lap, and I’ll show you.”
She rolls her eyes at me but follows my command, straddling me like I’ve envisioned in my dreams every night now for almost a month.
“Much better,” I groan, placing my hands on her hips, pressing her down on my hard length.