The thought didn’t make me sick as much as it made me jealous. I didn’t get jealous, not with women.
The fucking lady at the register looked at me and Shayna and asked if we were on a romantic getaway weekend. Like we both needed to hear that shit, right? I smiled, nodded, and threw money on the counter. It was more than needed, but I had to get out of the place.
When we arrived at the cabin, there had already been a visitor there. The lights were on, a fire started, and groceries on the table in the kitchen. Nobody there to kill us or ambush us. To make matters worse, there was a bottle of expensive wine on the table with a note from Fiore.
Finn & Shayna -
Salut. Have some wine, something to eat. Forget the world. Make it all happen. Make it all right. I know you’ve got it in you, Finn.
And Shayna, just let him in. This is the only way.
Don’t fuck with me.
- Fiore
How elegant, huh?
I tossed the card into the fire before Shayna could see it. The flames grabbed the note and destroyed it.
“Wow, he is serious,” Shayna said as she appeared from the kitchen.
I turned and couldn’t help but eye her up and down. The bags of her new clothes and stuff were at the door, but seeing her in an old shirt of mine and the same jeans from the night we met was just… intense. Maybe my heart was trying to convince me to just go with the flow of things, or maybe my mind was really trying to fuck with me. Hell, if I really did this - knocked up Shayna - and gave Fiore what was taken from him, his debt to me would be greater than me messing around at a fight he didn’t know about.
Maybe I’d get eyes from his family.
Yeah, right.
I was Irish blooded. And while Fiore’s family and the Irishmen had a peaceful existence together, that didn’t mean I’d be treated any differently. All of Fiore’s family and close fiends were traced back to their roots. You had to come from a special place or village or something to be considered part of their family. They researched until they found out where someone came from. And anywhere along the line, any hint at proof of someone fucking around with an Irish person or someone else, and you were out. Maybe not killed, but definitely out.
It was really intense to think about.
But looking at Shayna took away the edge.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “And, yeah, Fiore is serious. I could tell you more about him. Maybe make you understand things a little better.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” I asked.
“I’d like to hear more about you. Understand… you a little better.”
I shook my head. “You don’t want that in your life, sweetie. We have to work together now.”
“You mean jump into bed?”
“Well, I’m not going to argue that.”
I saw a flicker of a smile on her face. Her cheeks turned a rosy red. “Finn, this is…”
“We have time,” I said. “Today is shot in the ass already. I say we eat, have a drink, and try to unwind a little.”
“I need a shower first,” she said. “Do you mind?”
“Only if I’m joining you.”
“Please,” Shayna said. I watched her fight trying to feel good about it. “You’re not going to get me with that bad fighter attitude. I’ve been around it all and I’ve seen it all. There’s nothing new and cool about it to me.”
Fair enough, sweetie.
I let her win the small battle and I let her grab a couple bags and take them to the bedroom. I gave it about a twenty count and then went to the door. I stood there with the same hesitation as before, only this time I had different intentions.
I gave it a little bit extra on purpose because I wanted to see Shayna naked.
When I opened the door, I was a second too late.
Shayna had just hooked the top of a towel around her chest. She gasped and stepped back as I stepped into the room. Her clothes were on the floor in a neat little pile. My t-shirt first, then her jeans. Then her bra and panties. I stepped over them and approached her. I moved fast, trying to outsmart my mind, heart, everything.
“Finn…”
She backed up to the bathroom door, but it didn’t open. There was only one bathroom in the cabin but two doors to get into it. One from the bedroom, one from the living room. The one in the bedroom stuck sometimes and you had to work with it to get it open. Shayna didn’t know that.
I got right up against her. I put a finger to the weak top of the towel and knew with one gentle tug the goddamn thing would fall and I’d see her beautiful nude body.
“Let’s be clear about something,” I said. “If I want you naked, you’ll be naked. If I want you in the shower, you’ll be in the shower. And if I want to be inside you, you’ll be ready for me.”
“You can’t talk…”
I pressed my lips to hers. It was hotter than in the truck. My hand touched the bottom of the towel. I lifted it a little.
I was losing control.
But I was supposed to, right?
After all, Shayna wasn’t going to get pregnant on her own.
~