He didn’t listen—surprise, surprise. But I wasn’t prepared for his leash to jerk right out of my hand. And I really wasn’t prepared for him to take off like he had a jet up his ass. Straight into the middle of the Ferns. I knew where the little bastard was heading.
“Flash! Damn it, get back here!” I yelled out.
Running as fast as I could, I watched as he scampered in and out of crowds of people. “Sorry! Shit! Sorry about that, ma’am!”
“Get your damn dog on a leash, asshole!”
Turning around, I shot the bicyclist the finger and yelled back, “Can’t you see the leash trailing him, you dickhead?”
When I spun around, I came to an abrupt halt. Flash was licking the face of a lady. Who was lying on the ground. With Flash standing over her.
“Please tell me he didn’t knock you down.”
She laughed and sat up. “Well, I saw you chasing him so I bent down, but he was coming in hot.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, he is a firehouse dog, and named Flash.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? A firefighter, huh?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Damn. It was too easy. Women loved firefighters. It had brought a lot of pussy my way over the years.
Standing, she brushed off her jeans. “Julie Pringle.”
I lifted my brows. “Like the chips?”
She giggled. “Yes!” She glanced down at Flash, then peeked back up at me. “So you know my name, and I know your dog’s name. What about your name?”
My hand extended toward hers. “Finn Ward.”
“Nice to meet you…Finn Ward. Do you both run here often?”
Taking a quick glance around, I nodded. “Yes. I’ve only had Flash for a little bit, but he’s managed to make my life a living hell, so we run and play until I basically wear his ass out.”
Julie handed me Flash’s leash. “Dalmatians are full of energy. I’m a vet tech, so I know.”
“Really? So then you would know when they finally grow out of this chewing stage.”
With a pat on the dog’s head, she looked me directly in the eye and said, “It may never end.”
I stepped back in a state of horror. I can’t live like this. This dog is going to eat everything I own. Everything.
“Looks like Flash has been causing a bit of drama, huh?”
Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, “You have no idea.”
“Maybe you should talk to someone about it. Like me for instance, over dinner. Tonight.”
Damn, this woman is blunt. I was tired of women throwing themselves at me. It was all meaningless now.
My eyes widened at my sudden realization.
“Finn? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head. “No…sorry. The last few days have been long. Listen, I appreciate the dinner invite, but I’m kind of seeing someone.”
Huh? What in the hell?
Her lips formed into a pout. “Well, I guess that’s my loss, isn’t it?”
The only thing I could do was smile.
I lied. Why in the hell did I lie?
Maybe I thought it was easier to tell her that than to turn her down?
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
“Thank you so much for catching this little bastard….I mean…for catching Flash.”
She covered her mouth and chuckled. “Well, maybe I’ll see you both out running sometime.”
Nodding, I lifted my hand. “Thanks again, Julie.”
“Sure! Anytime!” she called out as Flash and I took off into a run.
—
“All right, what’s wrong?” Colton asked as I sat down on my sofa. Flash jumped up next to me and spilled the popcorn everywhere in his attempts to sit on me.
“Damn it, Flash!” I shouted. “Get off the sofa!”
I gave him a hard push, and Flash jumped off and promptly ran across the room and jumped up on Colton.
Sighing in frustration, I got up and started to clean up the popcorn.
“Okay, I know it’s not the dog that has you all uptight.”
Shooting daggers at Colton, I pointed to the sofa arm. “Do you not see the arm half chewed off?”
Colton looked down and attempted to hold back his smile. “He sure did a number on it. How long is Cap making you keep this mutt?”
“Probably until he drives me insane and I can no longer take it.”
This time he didn’t hold his laughter back. “Seriously, though, it’s not the dog that’s bothering you. I can tell you like him.”
I huffed. “The thing is destroying my place and eating me out of it at the same damn time.”
Plopping back onto the sofa, I scrubbed my hands down my face. “For fuck’s sake. I can’t get her out of my mind.”
“And there it is. It’s finally happened.”
“What’s finally happened?” I asked, dropping my hands to my side.
“That girl.”
My brows pinched together as I stared at him. “That girl?”
Colton sipped his beer, taking his time responding to me. “Yep. That girl that makes you rethink everything. Like, do I really want to go out tonight and mindlessly flirt with women? Am I really gonna have a one-night stand with the hot chick I met at Subway? Will I ever call the number I got from the yoga instructor after she went blatantly out of her way to guide me into my poses today?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I said, “Wait,” I said as I looked at Colton. “When in the hell did you sign up for yoga and did you really sleep with someone you met at Subway?”
“Dude, are you listening to me, and where have you been? Do you know how many women I’ve messed around with from my yoga class alone?”
“Subway?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“You’re not listening, Finn. I’m saying Rory is the one girl who is going to change everything. Your playing days are over. Like Zeb’s is and mine kind of are.”
I laughed. “Kind of? I thought you and what was her name again?”
“Melissa.”
“Things not going good with you two?”
Colton shrugged. “It’s going.”
“Are you not exclusive?”
“I guess for right now we are.”
Lifting my brow with a questioning look, I replied, “You guess for right now? It sounds like you’re more confused than me.”
Shooting me the finger, Colton called Flash up onto his lap again after the bastard had jumped down to chew on a toy. “We aren’t talking about me right now, though, are we?”
“Oh man, don’t call him up here. Flash, down. Down, boy.”
Colton rubbed Flash between his ears, instantly getting him to lie on his lap. I explained, “You know what’s going to happen? I’m going to take him back to the station this week and he’s going to jump in Adams’s lap and then I’m fucked because I’ll be blamed for teaching the beast that.”
Flash lifted his head and looked at me. My heart sank. Damn, he really was a cute dog. “You’re not a beast, just a pain in the ass.”
He put his head back down and closed his eyes.
“Let’s get back to Rory. Ask her out.”
“I have! She keeps turning me down. She said her dad wouldn’t be too happy with her dating a firefighter.”
With a roar of laughter, Colton pointed to me. “Or you! Dude, could you imagine if Cap found out you were dating his daughter! Holy shit. You think he doesn’t like you now—he may have you killed.”
I smiled, for about a second. “You don’t think he would…do you?”
Flash didn’t seem to like Colton’s constant moving around. He jumped off him and headed into his crate and lay down. “What, kill you? No, but I think he would find some reason to get rid of you…from the department.”
“No.”
“Hell yeah he would. I mean look, he gave you that crazy-ass dog to keep for no reason other than to torture you. And that’s only because he thinks you’re a playe
r.”
Flash barked, causing both of us to look his way. “Sorry, Flash,” Colton said before finishing off his beer and setting it on the coffee table. “Let me ask you something, Ward. When was the last time you got laid?”
I shrugged. “Shit, I don’t know. Before my birthday, so a few weeks.”
Colton gave me a smug look. “And when did Rory Adams show up into the picture?”
“You’re fucking crazy if you think I’m not getting laid because I’m waiting for Rory.”
Leaning forward, Colton rested his arms on his legs. “Have you had the chance to hook up with anyone since you met Rory?”
“Yes,” I answered too quickly.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Why haven’t you?”
My hand pushed through my hair. I instantly knew the reason why.
Rory.
Colton stood up. “Come on. We’re going out.”
With a groan, I shook my head. “No. I’m not in the mood to go out.”
“We’re going to test my theory.”
Standing, I grabbed Flash’s leash. “Oh Christ. This is not going to turn out good.”
He slapped my back and laughed. “Boys’ night out.”
I put Flash’s collar on and headed to the front door. “Let me take Flash out really quick.”
The second I stepped out of the elevator, I grabbed my phone. Pulling up Rory’s number, I smiled. I had gotten her cell number when she’d left her phone sitting on my counter.
“Hello?”
“Evening, beautiful.”
“Um, Finn?”
My heart jumped when she recognized my voice.
“Yep.”
“H-how did you get my number?”
With a lighthearted laugh, I replied, “Wasn’t hard, considering you left your phone sitting right there on my counter.”
With a nervous chuckle, she said, “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Is everything okay?”
“Tell me you’ll have dinner with me tonight.”
“It’s eight-thirty.”
“So? You’ve never eaten dinner late?”
“No. Well I mean, I have. It’s just I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“You got plans with someone else?”
The silence on the other end of the phone bothered the hell out of me.
“Rory?”
“I’m here. No. I don’t have plans with anyone else.”
“Then it’s a date. What time should I pick you up?”
She sighed. “Finn, listen, I’m in the middle of this case and Russell and I will be working long hours and I really can’t afford a distraction right now.”
“A distraction? So that’s what I am?”
“Yes. No, wait. That’s not what I mean exactly. You are, but, well I can’t really talk right now. Russell is waiting on me to get back in the conference room.”
Until this very moment, my heart had never actually felt as if it had been torn in half. “You’re with Russell…working this late, huh?”
“I was about to head out, so maybe we can talk later.”
Closing my eyes, I nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
Flash barked, and I glanced down at him. “See ya around, Rory.” Hitting End, I let out a frustrated breath.
Fuck it. No woman is worth this shit.
Chapter 11
Finn
Time to move on
The second Colton and I walked into the club, women were all over us. We drank, danced, drank some more, and I was pretty sure that at one point, Colton got a girl off while we all sat at the table we were at now.
“Finn Ward! What a small world.”
Glancing up, I tried to focus my half-drunk eyes on the woman standing in front of me. “Do I know you?” I asked.
She laughed. “Julie? I caught your dog Flash in the park earlier today.”
My mouth fell open and I pointed to her. “Julie! Dog-saving Julie. How the hell are you?” I called out.
“I’m doing good. What about you?”
Grinning just enough to flash her my famous smile, I replied, “I’m doing great, now that you’re here.”
She looked around. “Where’s your girlfriend?”
I jerked my head back, almost a little too fast. “Girlfriend?” Then I remembered my lie. “Oh her…yeah…I’m too much of a distraction for her. She doesn’t want to date me. I’m not good enough like her lawyer friend, Russell.”
Julie licked her lips and the next thing I knew, she was straddling me. “Well, her loss is my gain.”
Her mouth pressed against mine, and I was soon lost in the feel of her hands all over my body. Pushing my hands up under her shirt, she gasped when I pinched her nipple through her bra.
“Yes. Finn, take me home and do what you want with me,” she mumbled against my lips.
Pushing my hand up into her hair, I grabbed it and pulled her head back, exposing her neck to me.
“You want me to fuck you?”
“God yes!”
Glancing over to Colton, I couldn’t help but notice how his head was dropped back and his eyes were closed. Where in the hell was the girl who was just kissing him? It was then I noticed she was under the table. Colton lifted his head and looked directly at me.
I stood and helped Julie off me. “I’m out of here, dude.”
Colton looked over at Julie, then back to me, and smirked. I shot him the finger and said, “You proved me wrong.”
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have sworn his eyes looked sad.
Taking Julie’s hand in mine, I gave her a slight tug and said, “Let’s go on back to my place. Later, Colt.”
“Have a good time, Finn!” he called out as we walked toward the exit.
Stepping outside the club, I called for a cab. Julie was on the phone talking to her friend. “Hey, I’ll give you a call tomorrow. Yes. His name is Finn Ward and I have met him before. I’ll check in when we get there. Bye!”
“Jesus Christ, is she your mother?” I asked as I whistled this time for a cab.
“She just worries. You know how it is with moms.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I know how it is.”
The cab pulled up and we crawled inside. I gave him the address to my condo and quickly turned to Julie. “I need to make a call too,” I said as my speech slurred slightly. I was drunker than I thought I was.
Hitting Rory’s number, I waited for her to answer.
“Finn? Is everything okay?”
“Oh…you saved my number in your phone, huh? You sure you should have someone like me in your phone…ya know…a distractor?”
“Finn, are you drunk?”
“Hell yes I’m drunk. But you know what: I only called to tell you that you don’t have to worry anymore, Rory. I’ll leave you be….Consider this distraction gone.”
I hit End and pushed the phone into my pocket. My stomach felt sick, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or the call. With a forced smile, I captured Julie’s stare. I pressed my lips to hers. The sooner I moved on, the faster I’d forget Rory.
Chapter 12
Rory
We aren’t even dating
As I rode up in the elevator to Finn’s place, I went over all the reasons why when I got to his floor I should stay in the elevator, push the button for the first floor, and walk away.
My father.
I couldn’t afford the distraction.
I didn’t have time for a relationship.
Work was my number one priority.
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. Was that all I could come up with?
Then I went through all the reasons I should keep heading to his front door.
His smile.
His laugh.
His kiss.
The way he made me feel when he touched me.
The idea of what it might be like to actually be in a relationship with someone.
With a heavy sigh, I shook my head. Was it worth the risk of my father finding out?
>
My fingers moved lazily over my lips. I could still feel the tingle from when he kissed me.
Smiling, I knew my answer.
I could keep it a secret. My parents were clueless whether I dated or not. They would ask out of obligation to know what was happening in my life, but I always gave them a generic answer. On the one hand, they would tell me to focus on my career, but on the other, they would tell me I needed to find someone and start living my life.
The doors to the elevator opened and I stepped out and made my way down the long hall to Finn’s. My heartbeat increased with each step. I wasn’t sure if it was because of his phone call last night or from finally giving in to the only thing I wanted.
Finn.
As I approached his door, I took in a deep breath. He had been out last night, and clearly he was drunk when he called.
His last words haunted me as I raised my hand to knock.
“I’ll leave you be….Consider this distraction gone.”
Taking a deep breath, I knocked. The door moved and I stepped back. My gut was telling me something was very wrong. Using the tip of my finger, I pushed the door open and peeked inside.
“Finn?” I barely called out.
Oh God. What if he’s hurt?
My eyes scanned everywhere. There were bottles of beer all over the coffee table. My heart dropped. What if he got drunk, then went out? My hand came up to my stomach as a thought occurred to me.
What if he hooked up with someone last night? Russell’s comment about Finn ran through my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to even think that was a possibility.
Taking another glance around, I noticed the kennel door was open. But there was no sign of Flash anywhere.
Panic instantly set in. Where’s Flash?
Okay. Deep breaths, Rory. In through your nose, out through your mouth.
I covered my nose and my eyes widened as the strong smell of alcohol hit me.
What am I doing? I’m in Finn’s apartment without his permission. What if he took Flash out for a walk and here I am snooping around his place? Maybe he thought he shut the door and it hit too hard and opened back up?
Pulling out my phone to call him, I heard moaning coming from down the hall. I instantly froze. This could end very badly if I headed that way.
I chewed on my thumbnail as I silently debated if I should investigate or turn around and leave. Dropping my hands to my side, I drew in a deep breath and slowly made my way down the hall. Finn moaned again right as I stopped at his bedroom door.