Sweet Little Lies: Heartbreaker Bay Book 1 Read online

  Although the tough truth was, she wouldn’t have to. Telling him the truth would accomplish that because he would give her up once she did.

  She’d known they’d be getting to this. She hadn’t missed him looking at her cheek, or the temper that flashed in his eyes whenever he did. “It’s—”

  “Not nothing. Don’t even think about saying it’s nothing.” His voice was gentle but inexorable steel.

  “My grandfather’s in a senior home,” she said. “Has been for years. I visit him every week but he doesn’t always recognize me.”

  “He hit you?” he asked, his voice still calm, his gaze anything but.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Well, not exactly.”

  “Then what exactly?”

  “He was trying to get me to leave,” she said. “He threw the stuff on his lunch tray at me.”

  His brow furrowed. “What the fuck?”

  “It’s that sometimes he thinks I’m my mom,” she said. “He didn’t like her.”

  Finn’s fingers slid into her hair, soothing, protective, and she felt herself relax a little into his touch.

  “Why not?” he asked quietly.

  “She . . .” Pru closed her eyes and pressed her face to his throat. “She was a good-time girl. She loved to have fun. My dad loved to give her that fun. We spent a lot of time out on the water and at Giants games, his two favorite things.”

  He smiled. “And you’re still out on the water.”

  She nodded. “It makes me feel close to them. I used to tell my dad I was going to captain a ship someday, which must have sounded ridiculous but he told me I could do anything I wanted.” She paused. “I loved them, very much, but in some ways my grandpa was right. My mom encouraged my dad. The truth is they were partyers, and big social drinkers . . .”

  “Is that why you never drink?”

  “A big part of it,” she admitted for the first time in her life. “Is that weird for you, being with someone who doesn’t drink?”

  He palmed her neck and waited until she looked at him. “Not even a little bit,” he said.

  She smiled. “My dad used to say my mom was the light to his dark. He loved that about her. He loved her,” she said, her chest tight at the memory of her mom making him laugh. “They loved each other.”

  There was empathy in Finn’s eyes and in his touch. Empathy, and affection, and a grim understanding. He’d had losses too. Far too many.

  “I’m glad you have those memories of your mom and dad together,” he said. “I know it sucks having them gone, but at least when you think of them, you smile.”

  Mostly. But not always. Not, for instance, when she thought of how they’d died.

  And who’d they’d taken with them . . .

  “I’m sorry you don’t have those memories,” she said quietly.

  “Don’t be. Because I don’t know what I’m missing.” He met her gaze. “You had it worse. Your life was a complete one-eighty from mine. You know exactly what you’re missing.”

  And there went the stab to her gut again. “Finn—”

  “It’s not your fault, Pru. Any of it. Forget it.”

  As if she could.

  He tightened his grip on her. “No more going into your grandfather’s room alone. You take an orderly with you, or anyone. Me,” he said. “I’ll go with you. Or whoever you want, but I don’t want you in there with him alone again.”

  “He’s not always that bad—”

  “Promise me,” he said, cupping her face, taking care with her cheek. “There’s only honesty between us, right? We have no reason for anything but. So look me in the eyes and promise me, Pru.”

  She inhaled deeply, feeling like the biggest fraud on the planet. “I promise,” she whispered, hating herself a little bit. “Finn?”

  “Yeah?”

  Eyes on his, she leaned in close. “Do you remember when you kissed away my hurts?”

  “After the first softball game,” he said and smiled. “Yeah, I remember. It was a highlight for me.” His eyes went smoldering. “Want me to do it again?”

  “No, it’s your turn,” she said. “I’m going to kiss away your hurts.”

  He stilled. “You are?”

  “Yes.” Please want me to, please need me to . . .

  A rough sound escaped him then, regret and empathy, making her realize she’d spoken out loud. Closing her eyes, she tried to turn away but his arms tightened around her, his voice low and rough. “I do,” he said fiercely. “I’m going to show you just how much I need you. All night long, in fact.”

  She stared into his eyes, letting the strength in the words, in his body, in his gaze convince her he meant every single word. “The whole night,” she repeated, needing the clarification.

  “For as long as you need.”

  Since that was too much to think about, she had to set it aside in her head. Instead she slid her fingers into his hair as his hands caught her, rocking her against her very favorite body part of his. She oscillated her hips, thrilling to the way he groaned at the contact.

  No slouch, Finn stroked up her arms, encouraging the spaghetti straps of her sundress to slip from her shoulders. The bodice was stretchy and lightweight and still damp from the rain, which meant it took very little effort for him to tug it to her waist so that her breasts spilled out.

  A rough, very male sound of appreciation rumbled up from deep in his throat and his hands went under her dress to cup her ass, pulling her in tighter to him, putting his mouth right at tease-her-nipples level.

  He captured one in his mouth and her brain ceased working. Just completely stopped. Probably for the best since she was about to do things with him that she’d told herself she wouldn’t do again. “Finn—”

  Finn groaned again, a near growl. “Love the sound of my name on your lips,” he said and sucked hard, his hands pushing her dress up her thighs as he did.

  “Oh no,” she said, and right then, with his teeth gently biting down on her nipple and his hands up her dress, he froze.

  “No?” he repeated.

  “No, as in I’m not going to be the first one naked this time,” she clarified. “Why am I always the first one naked?”

  “Because you look amazing naked. Here, let me show you—”

  “Now just hold on,” she said with a low laugh, feeling dizzy with lust. “Good God, you’re potent.” She shoved his shirt up his chest and hummed in thrilled delight at the sight of his exposed torso. “Off,” she demanded.

  He took a hand off her thigh, fisted it in his shirt between his shoulder blades and yanked it over his head, never taking his eyes from hers, immediately going back to the business of driving her right out of her ever-loving mind.

  Her hands slid down his bare chest over his abs, which were rigid and taut enough that even though he was sitting, there was no fat ripple. If she didn’t want him so badly, she’d hate him for it. She popped open his button-fly jeans and a most impressive erection sprang free into her hands.

  He was commando.

  “Laundry day,” he said.

  She stared at him and then laughed. She had him full and hard in her hands, and she was hot and achy and already wet for him, and she was laughing.

  “It’s not nice to laugh at a naked man,” he said, smiling at her, not insulted in the least, the cocky bastard, and it only made her laugh harder.

  “I’m sorry,” she managed on a snort.

  Straightening up, causing those delicious ab muscles to crunch, he nipped her jaw. “You don’t look sorry.”

  She stroked his hard length and her body practically vibrated for him. “I’ll work on that,” she managed as he pushed up the hem of her sundress.

  Her amusement backed up in her throat.

  Air brushed over her upper thighs now. Her panties were tiny, enough that when Finn reached his hands around to her ass, there was bare cheek groping.

  “Mmm,” rumbled approvingly from his throat. His fingers dug in a little, cupping, squeezing, and then