{"id":2781,"date":"2014-10-17T19:13:52","date_gmt":"2014-10-17T19:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/?p=2781"},"modified":"2014-10-17T19:13:52","modified_gmt":"2014-10-17T19:13:52","slug":"chapter-3-dirty-rowdy-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/2014\/10\/chapter-3-dirty-rowdy-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 3 – DIRTY ROWDY THING"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello our loves!! We are so thrilled to share chapter three of DIRTY ROWDY THING<\/a> with you today! Thank you all for your preorders and RTs and FB posts and general excitement about this book. We hope you love it! Only 2.5 weeks left before Finn is in your hot little hands! In case you’re coming here for the first time, go read Chapter One<\/a> and Chapter Two<\/a> first, okay? See you soon!<\/p>\n

You’re back! Did you see our YA debut, SUBLIME<\/a>, hit stores this week? So fun!! And don’t forget about the Ansel POV audiobook, SWEET FILTHY MORNING AFTER<\/a>. So many things happening, even we’re having a hard time keeping up in between visits to sites such as hdsexvideo xxx<\/a>!<\/p>\n

BUT WAIT, there’s more.<\/strong> We do have some VERY cool news to share here, which is that THE DIRTY ROWDY AUDIOBOOK WILL HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE EPILOGUE<\/em>!! That’s right! The Finn POV Epilogue will be available exclusively on audio, read by Sebastian York (Audible<\/a>, iTunes<\/a>). Now, fear not–the story ends perfectly as-is, but the epilogue gave us a way to revisit Finn and Harlow just for fun, and Simon Audio was happy to record it and include it with the book. We hope you love it! <\/p>\n

So, without further ado, here is Chapter Three, Dirty Rowdy Thing (but one more time: we heart you guys).<\/p>\n

*~*~*~*~*~*~<\/p>\n

A reminder: This is for readers over the age of 18. Any errors you may find are ours, and not in the finished book. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Chapter THREE
\n<\/strong>Harlow<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019M STARTING TO see that despite Oliver\u2019s gentle and mildly aloof demeanor, he really is a pretty shrewd businessman. After scouting for months for the best location for his store, he settled on an updated, bright space on G Street in the Gaslamp, nestled between a trendy tattoo parlor and a bar.<\/p>\n

The place is amazing, and I can tell this even without the gathering crowd or the row of apparently famous comic artists sitting at a table in the back signing books.<\/p>\n

Catching Lola\u2019s eye from where she stands several feet away, I can tell she\u2019s impressed, too.<\/p>\n

I can count on zero hands the number of times I\u2019ve been inside a comic book store, but I immediately get the sense that the layout is genius. I expected cluttered and narrow rows filled with floor-to-ceiling racks of brightly colored books and magazines, but Oliver has built-in cube-shelves\u2014 asymmetric, with panels of different sizes to look like pages of a comic book\u2014along the walls. They\u2019re filled with books and merchandise, but there\u2019s also lots of open space for tables shaped like a stack of upward-curving pages displaying featured titles. Up front and nestled in a bank of giant windows are a couch and a matching set of bright red leather lounge chairs. A space just for reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t people just sit and read and not buy anything?\u201d I ask Oliver, who\u2019s just finished giving me the tour.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s already stepped away to greet a customer\u2014the place is getting busy\u2014and instead I hear Finn\u2019s voice. \u201cI asked him the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound is gravelly, and faint, like it was overused last night. I can feel the echo of his fingers on me, the thrill of the dirty things he said, a feeling that only intensifies when I hear him take a step closer.<\/p>\n

Turning, I meet his eyes. I expect it to be a little awkward after last night\u2019s cockblock, but he holds my gaze and smiles. His eyes are greener than brown today, and his lashes seem thicker, even darker. His lips look a little swollen, but the effect is to make me want to suck on them, soothe them.<\/p>\n

I make out with him in a drunken haze and he gets hotter? Unfair, Universe.<\/p>\n

I can tell we\u2019re both trying to play it cool, but I wonder if I\u2019m failing as badly as he is. His attention dips to my lips for a beat before he says, \u201cBut Oliver says comic geeks like to have hard copies of their favorite books. He wants people to hang out, maybe find new titles. He wants newbies to feel comfortable taking the time to find a book they\u2019ll want to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

With this explanation, I think Finn has just used more words in one breath than he has with me up to now, cumulatively. \u201cDid you memorize that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMakes sense. I like the feel of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pause, waiting. He closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay there, Roberts?\u201d I ask. \u201cYou\u2019re passing up a pretty epic that\u2019s-what-she-said <\/em>opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He opens one eye. \u201cNever drinking again.\u201d<\/p>\n

This makes me laugh. Finn the Invincible has a wittle hangover? \u201cYou\u2019re too old to say that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPractically middle-aged,\u201d he agrees. \u201cMight as well skip out and go get a beer for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBreakfast?\u201d I make a point of lifting his wrist and looking at his giant, manly waterproof watch. \u201cIt\u2019s almost eleven<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little slow to start this morning. Late night,\u201d he growls, smiling darkly. When he looks at me like that, I immediately recall the way he slid his fingers over and inside me\u2014God, when did your pussy get so sweet?<\/em>\u2014the way his breath warmed my neck. I remember the feel of his hungry mouth sucking at my neck, my shoulders, the hard press of him through his jeans between my legs.<\/p>\n

And then he left. And I nearly screamed in sexual frustration. Maybe instead I will have to enjoy some amazing content from websites similar to dosexvidoe (https:\/\/www.dosexvideo.com\/<\/a>) instead?<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t feel so easy with him today. Why does it feel so easy?<\/p>\n

After a quiet pause, he asks, \u201cDid you get home okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

I look past him, my head swimming a little with the jarring transition in mental images his question brings. Bellamy was still up when I tripped in at nearly two in the morning. I found her sitting in the kitchen, staring blankly at the space in front of her. I went out. I tried to just . . . have a good night,<\/em> she\u2019d said. But I felt sort of like a bobblehead. Disjointed, you<\/em> know? And now I can\u2019t sleep.<\/em><\/p>\n

I felt immediately guilty for going out and forgetting everything in the middle of Lola\u2019s kitchen, and with Finn of all people. But Mom kicked me out again after breakfast this morning, telling me she hadn\u2019t seen me indoors on a Saturday since I was an infant and I wasn\u2019t allowed to miss Oliver\u2019s grand opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI slept in Lola\u2019s bed for a little bit, then took a cab,\u201d I tell Finn, giving him a pointed look. \u201cIt\u2019s what I do after we hook up, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d He doesn\u2019t seem to think I\u2019m as funny as I do. When he looks over my shoulder at the store beyond, I take the opportunity to check him out. I can\u2019t find a single flaw with the man\u2019s body, and I\u2019m woman enough to admit that I\u2019m completely obsessed with his forearms. They\u2019re roped, thick, every single muscle defined. I want to see him haul a big net onto the deck of his ship. God, he would make majestic fisherman porn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d he asks and I blink up to his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to decide if I want to buy this pair of boots I saw on the way here.\u201d A lie, but one he\u2019d believe. Obviously Finn is comfortable with me in the role of airhead shopaholic, and for sure doesn\u2019t need to know that I was just casting him in the role of Salty Fisherman #1 in the small-screen production of Swabbing the Decks Aboard Her Royal Thighness<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen in doubt, buy the boots,\u201d he says dryly. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what I\u2019m supposed to say here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you need an opinion on the boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God,\u201d he mumbles and then heads across the room when he sees Ansel and Mia walk in. Such an unceremonious departure. I\u2019m sort of relieved with how easy that was. See? No need to rehash or trip through some stilted, day-after I-was-so-d<\/em>runk <\/em>conversation. Finn and I have already done that in much greater magnitude, what with the getting married and sexual consummation. Talk about next-day awkward.<\/p>\n

Mia passes Finn, giving him a knowing little wink before handing me a plastic cup with the Whole Foods logo and filled with a green juice concoction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnsel wanted to see what the juice craze was all about,\u201d she says. \u201cSo of course he goes purist and gets sixteen ounces of straight kale juice. I thought he was going to vomit in my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

I look at my cup with suspicion.<\/p>\n

\u201cYours also has banana, mango, and pineapple.\u201d She nudges me with her elbow. \u201cI hear it cleanses the body of the toxic effects of shady decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, last night was a fun <\/em>decision. Lord, I can\u2019t help but enjoy that physique,\u201d I admit. Instinctively I look over to where Finn has met up with Oliver and Ansel, and he looks over at me at exactly the same time. He quickly blinks away when our eyes meet, and the two other guys lean in to listen to what he\u2019s saying. Clearly he\u2019s doing some sexplaining of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid it speak last night?\u201d Mia whispers. \u201cI know how it vexes you when it tries to converse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt spoke some\u2014never much\u2014but it was acceptable. Mostly dirty sex words.\u201d I lean in closer to tell her, \u201cWe didn\u2019t have sex, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I figured,\u201d she says, nodding. \u201cFinn sort of drunk-grumbled something about blue balls in the car. Where\u2019s Lola?\u201d<\/p>\n

I look toward the side of the store where I\u2019d last seen her, lifting my chin so Mia\u2019s eyes follow mine. Lola is completely absorbed in reading a book and doesn\u2019t seem to realize that an actua<\/em>l celebration <\/em>is happening, with people talking, pictures being taken, Not-Joe showing customers around, and everyone congratulating Oliver on what he\u2019s pulled off here.<\/p>\n

I can tell Finn has successfully assured the other guys that we aren\u2019t approaching Awkward Group Dynamic territory when Ansel comes to join Mia, looping a long arm around her shoulders. He squeezes her to his side before bending for a kiss. She\u2019s so petite, and he\u2019s so tall, that the effect is pretty comical; Mia practically disappears from my view for the length of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you guys need some privacy?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n

Ansel speaks against her mouth. \u201cThat would be wonderful, thank you. Order everyone away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laughing, I shove his shoulder playfully and he pulls her back up, steadying her. She presses two fingers to her lips as she stares up at him, flushed and a little breathless, and for just a beat\u2014only a teeny, tiny <\/em>heartbeat\u2014I want what they have so intensely it makes my chest pinch.<\/p>\n

And then it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thinking of grabbing some lunch,\u201d Finn says from behind me, and\u2014dammit!<\/em>\u2014that tiny spike of heat jabs right back through my chest. Mia\u2019s gaze zeros in on my face to gauge my reaction. He\u2019s standing directly behind me and I widen my eyes, telling her with my expression, It\u2019s fine. I\u2019m<\/em> perfectly fine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe only got here fifteen minutes ago,\u201d I tell him, slowly turning. Slow, and cool. \u201cShouldn\u2019t we stay a little longer?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks around meaningfully. \u201cThis place is packed. Friends show up to these things to fill space. We\u2019re just in the way now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I should go with them, and I\u2019m sure it would be fun, but I really want to be home, pretending not to hover over my mom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you leaving tonight or tomorrow?\u201d I ask him. \u201cUm.\u201d He glances at Ansel, who has tilted his head and is wearing the world\u2019s most hilarious expression of amused expectation. Mia is staring at me wide-eyed, as if I\u2019m a grenade and Finn is about to remove my pin.<\/p>\n

He reaches up to scratch his jaw. \u201cI\u2019m actually staying with Oliver for the next couple weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

**<\/p>\n

MY THOUGHTS ARE stacked like a deck of cards and I have to continually shuffle the top one to the back of the pile.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t obsess about Mom\u2019s surgery on Monday. I can\u2019t think about the possibility of more sexcapades with Finn. I don\u2019t want to shop. I don\u2019t want to surf. I don\u2019t want to eat. And my part-time job is a joke. So, I go to my parents\u2019 house on Saturday afternoon, change into my bathing suit, and head out to the pool to swim until my limbs are like noodles. At least there I can be close by, but not hovering.<\/p>\n

Apparently Dad had the same idea. He finishes his lap, surfacing when he sees me and folding his arms at the edge of the pool. Water drips from his salt-and-pepper hair onto his tanned skin and he pushes his goggles onto his forehead before closing his eyes, tilting his face up to the sky. I would do anything to not have to see my father this worried.<\/p>\n

I sit down, sliding my feet into the water next to him. We sit in easy silence while he catches his breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Tulip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, dude.\u201d<\/p>\n

I slip the rest of the way into the pool, relishing the mild chill of the unheated water in September. When I break through the surface, I ask, \u201cYou hanging in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughs without much humor, stripping his goggles off completely and tossing them onto his towel a few feet away. \u201cNot really.\u201d He\u2019s still breathless. Dad is in unbelievable shape; he must have been swimming like a maniac. \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shrug. For some reason, I don\u2019t feel like I have a right to be as shaken by all of this as Dad is. After all, he in particular has always been my most involved parent. Mom\u2019s career exploded when I was only two and tapered just as I was entering college. Dad\u2019s took off my sophomore year of high school, the first year he won an Oscar. He loves us with a ferocity that amazes me, but I know without question that Mom is his sun, moon, and stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you go into the office this morning?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n

He smiles, clearly noting my diversionary tactic. \u201cOnly for about an hour. Thinking about getting involved with Sal\u2019s next project. It\u2019d keep me home until April, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salvatore Mar\u00ecn is a producer\/director who is Dad\u2019s closest friend and most frequent work colleague. I know the question of work has to have been weighing on Dad: how to balance his career while still being there <\/em>for Mom in every sense of the word. Dad\u2019s never in one place for long, and so I\u2019m sure the idea of having to leave right now, of missing anything with Mom, must be terrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds ideal,\u201d I say simply, going for light.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019d like this one.\u201d His smile changes into one I haven\u2019t seen for a while, genuine and mischievous. \u201cIt\u2019s about a bunch of guys on a boat<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny.\u201d I splash him. I\u2019ve missed his laughter and his easy smiles, so if letting him hassle me about Finn, or any other boy, makes them happen more often, he can do it as much as he wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019d you end up doing last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

I dunk underwater quickly, slicking my hair back. \u201cWent to Lola\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can feel him watching me, waiting. He\u2019s used to getting every detail. \u201cAnd? Was it fun?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was okay,\u201d I hedge and look at him, squinting into the sun. \u201cFunny thing, actually . . . Finn was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrows slowly inch up. \u201cFinn, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always relied on Dad\u2019s brain to help me sort through my day, my frustrations, my adventures. So of course he knows the PG-rated details of my Vegas trip: We met at a bar, got drunk and married. After a sharp cut-to-black in the version of the story he got, I told him about how we went together to get the marriage annulled the next afternoon.<\/p>\n

But he also knows I flew up to visit Finn for less than a day. So when I mention that he was at the party last night, I\u2019m pretty sure my dad puts two and two together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good distraction . . .\u201d I mumble, even more quietly admitting, \u201cnot that much happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes dance with restrained teasing. \u201cHe\u2019s in town for the grand opening?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nod, leaving out the part where it seems Finn is staying for a couple weeks. I can\u2019t decide if I\u2019m excited about this news, or irritated. As if I don\u2019t already have enough to think about, now I\u2019m going to be forced into seeing him every time I want to socialize?<\/p>\n

Dad watches me as I doodle in the dry concrete with a wet fingertip. I\u2019ve never had to hide my interest in boys, my distress over girl-dramas, or my fears and anxiety about life from him. Growing up, our deal was that as long as I always came to him first with the big things, he would do his best not to lecture, judge, or go into what mom calls his Protective Latin Rage.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistractions are sometimes nice,\u201d he says, watching me.<\/p>\n

The problem with being raised by such an amazing man is that it\u2019s nearly impossible not to compare every boy I meet to him. Every single one falls short.<\/p>\n

I shrug.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith everything going on in your life, it\u2019s too bad he lives so far away.\u201d<\/p>\n

I look over at him. \u201cHe\u2019s here for a couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dad laughs at my grim expression and lifts himself out of the pool. Water pours off him into puddles at his feet, reflecting a hundred dots of sun on the ground. \u201cI adore you, my beautiful, fierce girl.\u201d He bends for a towel and dries off his chest and arms as he says, \u201cAnd I know you. I bet you\u2019re thinking of all the reasons why you shouldn\u2019t spend time with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I shouldn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He cuts me off with a hand gently raised in the air. \u201cI know you never let anything come before family; that\u2019s how I raised you. But soon you\u2019ll want to be at every appointment, sitting nearby for every possible second. You\u2019ll be online, reading every detail you can find. You\u2019ll be hovering, offering her food, a sweater, movies, gifts. I\u2019ll be doing the same. And together we will drive your mother crazy.\u201d Crouching down in front of me, he whispers, \u201cPlease, Tulip, let yourself be distracted when you can. Have some fun. I envy you.\u201d<\/p>\n

**<\/p>\n

OLIVER\u2019S HOUSE IS a tiny, single-story stucco cottage in Pacific Beach, with ocean-breeze-dulled blue paint and faded, chipped red windowsills. The sidewalk out front is cracked and uneven, and the lawn is a mottled calico of yellow, green, and brown. Unlike his glossy new store downtown, this place isn\u2019t much to look at. But I know the area well enough to guess what it cost him and that being able to climb up to his roof at night and see the sunset over the ocean is part of the appeal.<\/p>\n

After swimming for a while, I\u2019d gone inside to find Mom and Dad in the living room, cuddled together on the couch and reading their books in easy silence.<\/p>\n

I offered to make them lunch. They weren\u2019t hungry. I offered to run some errands. They had nothing for me to do. So I stood, fidgeting at the perimeter of the room until Dad looked up at me and gave me a sad little smile.<\/p>\n

Mom will <\/em>need me, but she doesn\u2019t need me today. She doesn\u2019t need anyone but her guy, and what he needs is to be her entire world right now.<\/p>\n

I drove to Oliver\u2019s in a fog, on autopilot, trying not to second-guess what I was going to do. My father was basically telling me to enjoy Finn\u2014though not in those exact words\u2014 and why not? It isn\u2019t like Finn and I have misaligned expectations. We\u2019ve spent a combined total of maybe one full day together, and have been naked for most of that. Before this weekend, our most meaningful conversation occurred when I showed up at his house and he told me to help myself to anything in the fridge while he ran out to get condoms.<\/p>\n

I smile at the R2-D2 knocker and rap twice at the door with it.<\/p>\n

The house inside is silent, and all around me the ocean wind whips past the tall, willowy palms. Finally, I hear footsteps just in front of the door and it swings open.<\/p>\n

Finn pulls a dish towel off his shoulder, using it to dry his hands. He\u2019s shirtless, and his jeans hang low on his hips, revealing the black waistband of his boxers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Ginger Barbie.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one heartbeat I\u2019ve gone from relieved anticipation, to hating this moment. I feel vulnerable and on the verge of tears, but there\u2019s nothing particularly sympathetic about Finn. Drunk Finn was an anomaly, all soft expressions and playful. Daylight Finn is efficient and brusque, good for fishing, fucking, and\u2014apparently\u2014washing dishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what?\u201d I say, looking at my car parked at the curb. \u201cThis was a stupid idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait. You came here to see me, not Oliver?\u201d He takes one step closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you come here to finish what we started last night?\u201d I turn to leave, having no idea what to say to such a blunt question. I mean, yes, I did come for that. But it\u2019s bigger than just wanting to fool around: What I want with Finn is the sex that absorbs me and shuts off my brain. I don\u2019t want to play cat-and-mouse, I don\u2019t want to discuss it. I just want to do <\/em>it.<\/p>\n

I can hear the playful mocking in his voice when he calls, \u201cIf that\u2019s what you want, you just need to say it, Harlow.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stand, facing the street for several deep breaths. A car drifts by, its frame lowered so it almost touches the asphalt, stereo bass blaring, vibrating up through my feet. The car slows, and the man in the passenger seat lifts his chin to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next young freak I met was Red,\u201d <\/em>Too $hort raps from the car, his voice distorted through the crappy speakers.<\/p>\n

I square my shoulders, staring down the guys as their attention moves past my face to my chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took her to the house and she gave me head.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

At the lyric, the man in the passenger seat smiles lewdly, raising his eyebrows at the next line as if to ask me whether it\u2019s true, whether I <\/em>like to freak, and the car stops, idling in the middle of the street as if the driver expects me to jump in and party with them. I want to walk to my car but feel trapped between these guys and the cocky asshole behind me.<\/p>\n

Finn steps out of the house, pulling the dishrag off his shoulder as he comes to stand with one shoulder in front of me, and stares down the men in the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fuck are they looking at?\u201d he growls under his breath.<\/p>\n

I no longer care about the guys in the car. I\u2019ve never had a man other than my father take a protective stance around me. The boys I\u2019m used to would just pretend they didn\u2019t see the car at all, or anxiously whisper-hiss that we should get back inside. Beside me, Finn is huge. I\u2019ve never seen his skin in the sun, but the sun has seen him <\/em>a thousand times. I\u2019m tall, but he\u2019s inches taller, and nearly twice as wide. His chest is tanned and bulky, clear of a single tattoo, but marked with the occasional tiny scar. A snag here, a cut there. He seems larger than life on this street full of salty surfer boys and skinny thugs.<\/p>\n

The car accelerates with a rumble, driving off down the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose assholes wouldn\u2019t know the first thing to do with you,\u201d he says quietly, looking me over as if I\u2019d been handled. And with that look, I see the same expression he gave me last night\u2014possessiveness, interest, hunger\u2014as if I\u2019m not quite what he\u2019d assumed . . . and that, maybe, he liked it.<\/p>\n

My heart is hammering wildly and\u2014with the pulse of adrenaline in my blood\u2014even more than before I want to go inside with him and let him take over every single thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay yes. I\u2019m here to finish what we started.\u201d<\/p>\n

He waits, thinking. For the first time, I realize he\u2019s not wearing a hat. I can see his eyes in the sun\u2014r<\/em>eally <\/em>see them, without shadow or the diffused light filtered through the heavy marine layer. I find that I like the way he studies things, especially me.<\/p>\n

His eyes seem so much smarter than his mouth.<\/p>\n

Case in point: \u201cA girl like you is way more trouble than she\u2019s worth,\u201d he says with a little smile.<\/p>\n

God, he\u2019s such a dick. But the twinkle in his eyes tells me he\u2019s pretty fucking happy I\u2019m here, and the truth is, he can think I\u2019m a high-maintenance diva as long as he\u2019s able to make me forget for a little while. <\/em>\u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can have sex, that\u2019s fine. But just so we\u2019re clear, that\u2019s all it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

I laugh. \u201cI\u2019m here for sex, not some deep bonding ritual.\u201d<\/p>\n

He makes a gentlemanly sweep of his arm, indicating I lead us both inside.<\/p>\n

It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust once I\u2019m out of the bright sun. Finn closes the door behind him, leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest. I turn away, pulse tripping in wild throbs in my neck, trying to calm my thoughts as I pretend to survey the room. The sheer unexpectedness of it all catches me off guard, and for a beat I forget to be nervous.<\/p>\n

Light shoots in through the oceanside windows, causing slanted shadows to be cast across the acacia wood flooring throughout the living room and small dining room. The furniture looks vintage, but refurbished, and surprisingly well coordinated. The couch and chairs are various shades of blue. A large Aztec woven ottoman serves as a coffee table. A few framed photographs stand on a side table adjacent to the sofa, and there is a small urn with twisting bamboo growing in intricate curls on a stunning multi-tone wooden dining room table. The table\u2019s made from random cuts of wood, light and dark wood intermingling, and although the long side is smooth and polished, the jagged edges of the short sides give the table a striking, artistic feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOliver surprises me,\u201d I say. \u201cThis place doesn\u2019t look like a bachelor pad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finn laughs. \u201cHe\u2019s tidy.\u201d<\/p>\n

I glance at the dish towel draped over his shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re doing dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a little one-shouldered shrug, he murmurs, \u201cI\u2019m tidy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Ansel is the slob?\u201d I ask with a smile. My heart is beating so hard I can hear the whoosh of it in my ears. I miss the ease of conversation after tequila. His brows pull together, and I clarify: \u201cOne of you must be messy . . . based on my completely sexist statistics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, he\u2019s the biggest neat freak I know. Perry is the slob. There goes your theory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course she\u2019s a slob. She\u2019s the Beast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finn stays quiet, his expression unreadable. I don\u2019t exactly expect him to start bashing one of his best friends, no matter how horrible she might be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you still in town?\u201d I ask finally. \u201cI thought you never missed a shift at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smooths a hand down his mouth, over his chin, holding my gaze for a beat. \u201cYou seem to always be present for the exception to that rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not really an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d He takes a couple of slow steps closer to me. \u201cWhy are you <\/em>here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we clarified that outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what <\/em>you\u2019re here for, but not why<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy . . .\u201d I stop, changing my mind against telling him what I\u2019m really doing here. Too heavy. Too much. \u201cI just wanted to get out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brows draw together, and more questions seem perched on his tongue, but instead of asking them, he holds his hands out, taking one last step closer. Palms up, he moves his hands in a seesaw gesture. \u201cFinn . . . shoe shopping . . . Finn . . . shoe shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you won.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gives in to the smile he\u2019s been fighting. \u201cTell me why me<\/em>. You\u2019ve got a city full of rich kids waiting for you to climb between their sheets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heat seeps into my bloodstream and he reaches out, toying with the strap of my dress. \u201cNone of them are any good,\u201d I admit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, really?\u201d He doesn\u2019t sound at all surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been with a guy who made me come. Without my help.\u201d<\/p>\n

I ignore the smug tilt of his lips when I say this. At least, I try to hide the way I\u2019m shaking inside, so desperate for the sensation overload that happens when he touches me. But maybe he should <\/em>see. Maybe it\u2019ll make him want to outdo himself today.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, just to be clear,\u201d I whisper. \u201cI\u2019m using you for sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finn reaches behind me and I feel my eyes falling closed, my senses rising in anticipation of his first touch. He gently gathers my hair in his hands, barely brushes his fingers against the nape of my neck as he bunches the strands into a twist and closes a single fist around it. \u201cThen start by kissing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s holding my head by my hair; I try, but I can\u2019t move any closer.<\/p>\n

I try again but he\u2019s holding me still, smiling darkly at my lips. I close my eyes and reach out, running my hands up his bare stomach and over his chest. His skin is impossibly warm. He\u2019s hard and smooth, nipples tightening under my palms, and he lets out a sharp hiss when I scratch my nails over them, loosening his hold on my hair. This feels familiar, and also not: This time the sex isn\u2019t rushed or cramped, drunken or spontaneous.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s intentional, and we have all afternoon.<\/p>\n

At least, I think we do. Uncertainty about his business here tickles my thoughts, but that evaporates when my hands move up his neck, and I brush my mouth over his. With a groan he slides his lips across mine, easing his tongue inside, and all at once it\u2019s fevered. He pushes me back, turning me, and we stumble down a hall, knocking against a wall, where he stills, pressing the length of his body to mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night I wanted to eat your pussy,\u201d he says directly into my ear. \u201cI still want it. I want you wild, squirming all over my face. What do you think of that?\u201d<\/p>\n

I think it sounds like an excellent plan.<\/p>\n

As Finn pulls away and tugs me down the hall, I count three bedrooms\u2014three tiny <\/em>bedrooms\u2014with his at the end, on the street side of the house. It\u2019s pretty empty, other than a full-size IKEA bed against one wall and matching dresser against the other. Finn\u2019s suitcase rests just next to the closet door.<\/p>\n

Removed from the sun streaming through the windows, this side of the house is cool, and we trip in and stop, only inches apart. His warmth grows and ebbs with each of his heavy breaths. I\u2019m practically gasping, my heart is thudding so hard.<\/p>\n

I almost never feel intimidated\u2014and I\u2019ll be damned if I ever let a guy get the upper hand\u2014but if there is an alpha dog in this room, it isn\u2019t me. Tossing the dish towel back over his shoulder, Finn lets his eyes move from my mouth, to my neck, and lower. My nipples harden beneath my thin dress, and he licks his lips, humming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to tie you up this time,\u201d he tells me, slipping one strap of my dress off my shoulder. With his lips trailing across my neck, he asks, \u201cYou into that?\u201d<\/p>\n

I blink up to him, a little caught off guard. I . . . migh<\/em>t be<\/em>? I\u2019ve never been tied up. But to be completely honest, I\u2019m not all that surprised Finn wants this. In Vegas, and again in Canada, he was rough and tender in equal, drastic measure. He spanked me, pinned my hands over my head, and withheld orgasms, only to push back inside and kiss me so tenderly I came with a scream. And then he pulled out and made me come again with his mouth.<\/p>\n

The first night we were together, we only had sex one time before we passed out cold, but he made it last three hours. Finn likes to call the shots, and right now, I\u2019m going to let him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time you showed up unannounced, I was just down to fuck,\u201d he says. \u201cToday, I think I want to savor this. Unless you\u2019ve got somewhere to be?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shake my head, closing my eyes. It feels so good to just put it all in his hands. To shrug away every single worry and let him tie me up, eat me out, fuck me until I can\u2019t walk. I don\u2019t know him well enough to trust him with anything else, but I trust this man with my body.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d he asks with a tiny edge to his voice, ducking to meet my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I say, eyes fluttering open and my voice coming out thick before I clear my throat. \u201cI don\u2019t have anywhere else to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nods, walking over to the closet and pulling a length of red rope from a high shelf.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just happened to have rope <\/em>in the closet?\u201d I ask, my voice high and reedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t want to leave it in my truck in case someone took it.\u201d He grins at me. \u201cThis is really nice rope.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty sure few people in Pacific Beach would have any idea that the rope in the back of a pickup truck is r<\/em>eally<\/em> nice rope, <\/em>but I can hardly complain. I\u2019m glad he didn\u2019t have to leave the room to go get it.<\/p>\n

But when I look down at it, this rope doesn\u2019t seem like something he\u2019d use on a boat. It\u2019s soft, has the sheen of silk.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou carry silky rope around in the bed of your pickup? Should I Google you, Finn?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughs a little, dropping it at the foot of the bed. \u201cI was pretty sure I\u2019d get you naked while I was here.\u201d He lifts his chin, silently telling me to do just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow confident of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrow flickers up, as if to say, W<\/em>ell? <\/em>and he pulls the towel from his shoulder, walking a slow circle around me as I pull my dress up and over my head. When I slide my underwear down my legs and step out of them, I feel a whisper of fabric against the back of my thigh.<\/p>\n

And then a sharp pop against the exact same spot.<\/p>\n

With a gasp, I turn and gape at him. He\u2019s snapped the towe<\/em>l <\/em>at me, like a fucking teenager in the kitchen. The sting turns warm, making me more aware of the cool air in his room.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome here,\u201d he says, ignoring my surprised expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to whip me with a dish towel<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right, I\u2019m not.\u201d When I start to take a step closer, he snaps it again, barely grazing my hip. \u201cI\u2019m going to tease you with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to just getting naked and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He pops me again, this time on my upper thigh. \u201cYou came to me, not some skinny-dicked kid in Del Mar. And I\u2019m doing this how I want.\u201d His eyes soften. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I\u2019m going to leave you needy, sweet thing. I wouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I exhale a jagged breath and nod. Whatever he wants to do . . . it\u2019s why I\u2019m here. I close my eyes, giving in to the semi-drunk sensation I get when I\u2019m this close to him, and he\u2019s the only thing I can sense in the room.<\/p>\n

He wraps his fingers around a small lock of my hair and glides them down to the end, tugging gently. \u201cLook at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I blink up to him, eyes wide and focused on nothing but the bow of his bottom lip, the appearance of his ironic little smile as I wait to hear what instruction comes next.<\/p>\n

\u201cKiss my neck,\u201d he whispers, so I do. I stretch on my toes and press my lips against his pulse point. It\u2019s an excuse, maybe, to see how I affect him and whether his blood trips the same way mine does when we are this close. But his pulse is a steady and slow dum . . . dum . . . dum <\/em>beneath my touch. \u201cLick me.\u201d His fingers slide up my neck and over my necklace, pressing into my scalp and gripping handfuls of my hair.<\/p>\n

My tongue sweeps out, just barely touching his skin, and he groans, a low, hungry sound. He tastes like salt and air, as if the ocean wrapped around him when he was small and never let go.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo lie down.\u201d His fingers release me but his gaze doesn\u2019t. Right now, I remember that Finn is ten years older than me; I must look wide-eyed and na\u00efve. I wonder if he has any idea the extent of my inexperience with lovers like him. \u201cI\u2019m gonna tie you up and kiss that sweet pussy for a while. I want to hear you say my name when you come on my lips.\u201d<\/p>\n

I back up to the bed and then turn, moving toward the middle. Having grown up on the beach, I\u2019m used to being in bikinis around people, but Finn and I have only ever hooked up in the dark. It\u2019s a little weird to be completely naked\u2014 with him mostly clothed\u2014and crawling on my hands and knees on a bed in broad daylight.<\/p>\n

When I kneel and wait for him to join me, he shakes his head. \u201cLie back. Close your eyes.\u201d At my suspicious expression, he says in a quiet, deep voice, \u201cYou want it or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before I do what he says, I blink down to the worn button fly of his jeans, faded and soft over time and now distorted with the shape of him, hard beneath. He\u2019s always made sure my body was ready, and I know that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing, but the threat of panic and fear lingering at the edges, and my need to get lost in something other than my own thoughts, makes me impatient.<\/p>\n

He sees where my attention has gone and rubs the heel of his hand down the thick line of his cock, gripping it. \u201cYou\u2019ll get it in a little bit. Lie back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pillow is full and hard, but the cotton comforter is soft and warm against my bare skin. Between my legs, the mattress dips as Finn climbs up from the foot of the bed, his palms smoothing up my shins.<\/p>\n

Finn drags the length of red rope up over my torso, coiling it around his hand. Reaching behind me, he slides the center of its length under my body and then crisscrosses it back and forth down across my torso. Looping it around one hand he coils it up one arm and then back over my chest to the other side. Wrapping it down around my other arm, he\u2019s softly bound my arms so each of my wrists stays at the sides of my hips. In the center, just below my belly button, he ties an intricate\u2014and beautiful\u2014knot. I watch him the entire time; he\u2019s focused and careful not to bind me too tight. I can tell, too, that he loves what he sees. When he\u2019s done, he sighs, running his hands up over my hips and across my stomach, my breasts, my neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea you were into this,\u201d I whisper.<\/p>\n

He shrugs a little, but doesn\u2019t say anything. My breasts are displayed on either side of an X across my breastbone, and the rope is soft but sturdy; I can feel it pressing into the tender skin all along my torso.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it too tight?\u201d he asks, drawing a finger in a small circle around my nipple.<\/p>\n

I swallow back a gasp. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hear genuine concern in his voice. I can tell from his trembling hand, intense gaze, and the pressing shape of his cock beneath his jeans that Finn likes this. A lot<\/em>. But it matters to him that I do, too.<\/p>\n

And fuck, I do. I don\u2019t mind having my arms pinned at my sides as much as I thought I would. And I feel everything:<\/em> the silken slide of the rope as I wiggle a little under his inspection, the cool air over my breasts, the thudding echo of my pulse in my neck, chest, between my legs.<\/p>\n

I forgot how rough his hands are, calloused from constant work\u2014rough and so huge he covers much of my body as his splayed fingers slide up my legs to my inner thighs, spreading me.<\/p>\n

I resist, and he makes a quiet tsk <\/em>sound, easily overpowering me as he shakes his head. He\u2019s not looking at my face, he\u2019s looking at me, there<\/em>, between my legs.<\/p>\n

I like to consider myself a pretty progressive woman\u2014lots of talk about being comfortable with anything and trying everything once\u2014but mostly, so far, it\u2019s only been theory. At twenty-two, I\u2019ve never had a lover who was experienced enough to be slow and force me to still under his acute attention. I\u2019ve never been with anyone who was confident enough to be still and calm while he just looks <\/em>at me. I\u2019ve certainly never been tied up. And I\u2019ve never had someone savor me the way Finn is right now, not even the Finn I thought I knew from before.<\/p>\n

He settles, propped on his elbows between my legs, and kisses my thigh, looking up the length of my body at the red rope against my skin. \u201cYou look amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I whisper out a raspy \u201cThanks,\u201d watching rapt as he bends, lips parted. And, God, I believe him.<\/p>\n

He groans a split second before he makes contact, and when he does it\u2019s like a bomb goes off inside me. Something seems to break loose with the wet slide of his tongue. I fall back, arms stiffening in their hold, back bowing off the mattress so I can arch closer. I know now that I haven\u2019t just been waiting for this since last night; I\u2019ve been waiting for it every second since I last felt his tongue between my legs. His mouth is warm and strong. Kissing there like he would my mouth, small kisses and gentle licks release my first cry, and he grunts, pushing his tongue up into me and just . . . losing <\/em>it.<\/p>\n

Finn was always borderline rough and clearly wanted control the two other times we were together, but this . . . this is different. It isn\u2019t just the rope around my arms or the way he has me pinned beneath him. It\u2019s the way it feels like we\u2019ve crossed into a different space\u2014before it was just a one-time thing, a two-time thing, just sex. But this time, it\u2019s like he\u2019s peeling away the layers to show me a secret side of him.<\/p>\n

For a flash, I\u2019m aware of how loud he is, sucking and smacking, and how loud I <\/em>am, crying out and saying his name and other garbled words\u2014but I can\u2019t hold on to the inclination to be self-conscious. I can\u2019t because with the vibration of his groan spreading through me, and the way he uses the knot at my belly to rhythmically pull me against his mouth, I\u2019m coming so soon, so hard it claws up my thighs and explodes like heat and wet and pure fucking bliss, sliding silvery all along every inch of my legs. My skin feels flushed and electric, and I can hear my own hoarse cries echo sharply in the mostly empty room. Finn keeps going, diligently working his mouth over me, but I\u2019m gasping as I come down, my legs trembling and weak. I want to push them together, but his hands spread across my thighs, holding me open, pressing them flat to the bed.<\/p>\n

He grunts out a No <\/em>and reaches beneath me with one hand to deliver a sharp smack on the outside of my thigh.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m too far gone to be shocked. When he spreads his hand over where he\u2019s just struck me, and rubs his rough palm in slow, soothing circles as he hums, I immediately want the sharp crack again <\/em>because of the way it melted into delicious heat under his sweeter touch.<\/p>\n

Finn is watching me, his lips pressed gently against my clit, concentrating his gaze on my face. He pulls away just enough to whisper, \u201cTell me how that felt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does he mean the spanking or the mind-numbing orgasm? Or the way I can barely move after he made every muscle in my body clench? Regardless, the answer is the same.<\/p>\n

Blinking, I open my mouth, slowly stringing the words, S<\/em>o . . .<\/em> fucking . . . good<\/em>, together in my head. Before I can get them out, he smiles against me, returning to the maddening kisses, the licks and tugging on the knotted rope. I let the words and every thought in my head fall away and push into him, circling my hips closer to his mouth.<\/p>\n

My face feels hot, my cheeks flushed. The rope tickles along my skin, pulling up and down in a rhythm that matches the teasing flicks of his tongue. My nipples are hard, aching, and I want his fingers to find them, his mouth to find them. I want him everywhere at once. I feel heavy and desperate, my entire world oriented by where he\u2019s touching me and where he\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

I must be saying something because the sound of his voice breaks through the fog. \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d he says, murmuring softly. \u201cFuck, look <\/em>at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m looking at him<\/em>. His soft hair is between my legs and his eyes, those fucking eyes are staring right back at me, waiting. He curls a finger inside and bends his head to continue sucking, and that\u2019s all it takes. My back arches off the mattress and I cry out, falling to pieces again inside his web of silken rope.<\/p>\n

I feel like melted chocolate poured across this bed and moan quietly when Finn\u2019s hands smooth up over my belly, gently unfastening the knot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may tingle a little when I take it off.\u201d He kisses where the knot was, where there\u2019s now an indentation of what almost looks like a flower on my skin. \u201cIt\u2019ll be sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d I say on a long exhale. And it does; as he unwinds the soft rope from my arms, reversing the intricate crisscross pattern across my body, I can feel the air hit the delicate lines on my skin, but only for a split second before Finn\u2019s mouth slides along the same path, licking, kissing, soothing everywhere it feels so sensitive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s overwhelming how good this feels, and how gentle he is. When my hands are free, I slide them both over his shoulders and up his neck, holding his face to my chest as he licks and sucks at the rope lines beneath my breasts.<\/p>\n

Finally, he pulls my nipple into his mouth, tongue circling. \u201cSo fucking good,\u201d he murmurs, switching to my other breast, fingers ghosting along the fading lines.<\/p>\n

His hands find my wrists and he guides my arms over my head, looping the rope around them again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay?\u201d he whispers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bound like this, I can leave my arms over my head or loop them around his neck. But for now I leave them where they are and relish the feel of the comforter beneath my back as Finn grips my hips and drags me to the foot of the bed.<\/p>\n

Reaching between my legs, he strokes me with two fingers, making a V as he slides over my clit and then inside, repeating the pattern again, and again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so damn warm.\u201d He bends, kissing my hip.<\/p>\n

Finn pulls away and steps back so I can watch him push his jeans and boxers down his hips, kicking them onto the floor. He grabs a condom from a box in the top drawer of the dresser but doesn\u2019t put it on yet.<\/p>\n

Instead, he climbs up on the bed, straddling my chest. Above me, he feels like fire, the heat emanating from his skin unlike anything I\u2019ve ever felt. I feel like I\u2019ve grown extra nerve endings over the parts of my body that were covered by rope.<\/p>\n

He braces a hand beside my head, gripping his cock with the other. \u201cKiss me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the broad head of his cock touches my lips, I let my eyes fall closed at the sound of his groan. I love the tight flare of the crown, the taste of him. I lick around the tip, opening wider when he slides more into my mouth, rocking just in and out while I play, getting him wet enough to slide easily past my lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou like it?\u201d he asks, voice rasping. \u201cThe feel of my cock on your tongue?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, I open my eyes to see an expression on his face I\u2019ve never seen before: frenzied adoration, as if he\u2019s never seen anything more amazing in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never came in your mouth,\u201d he says quietly. \u201cI kept thinking about it, but then I always ended up wanting something else instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Backing away, and proving the point he just made, he straddles my hips as he tears open the condom and rolls it down his length. If this was a movie, I would rewind and watch those three seconds again and again. I like the way he looks down as he puts the latex on, gripping himself, reaching down absently to run his palm across his balls. With a little growl, he moves the rest of the way down my body and stands at the foot of the bed, between my legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWrap them around my waist. Hold on to me with your legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

I do everything he says because I don\u2019t know anything else but that I need Finn inside me right now. He holds his cock straight and rests one palm on the mattress beside my hip, sliding the head just in.<\/p>\n

Just out. Just in.<\/p>\n

Watching me with his lips parted, eyes heavy, he pulls just out again.<\/p>\n

I groan, pushing my head back into the mattress and gritting my teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like seeing you so impatient,\u201d he whispers, bending to kiss my collarbone. \u201cYou have any idea how you look right now? Dripping wet all over me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He knows I don\u2019t have words and doesn\u2019t really seem to expect an answer as he pushes in, inch by inch, reaching down to circle his thumb around my clit, murmuring, \u201cAh, ah, ah, don\u2019t come yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when he pulls back, he barely takes a breath before thrusting back in and then I know it\u2019s on<\/em>. He gives me all of it, his hard thrusts and those low, animals sounds he makes with every one. His hands, so big, curled around my body, holding me steady as he fucks so hard.<\/p>\n

I relish this man telling me to wait.<\/p>\n

W<\/em>ait.<\/em><\/p>\n

Not yet, Harlow. Don\u2019t you fucking go without me. I said wait<\/em>. I\u2019m close. I\u2019m so fucking close.<\/em><\/p>\n

He pulls out just when I\u2019ve almost burst into a thousand tiny pieces, and then he eases back inside, whispering, \u201cWanna come?\u201d against my neck. And I do. I do, please please, <\/em>I\u2019m begging, and I realize it only on the second, maybe the third please, <\/em>and he loves it, I can tell, because he\u2019s wild again, and for a tiny, frantic pulse I\u2019m startled by the memory that there<\/em> is something bigger than this. <\/em>I squeeze my eyes closed and fall back into feeling like there isn\u2019t anything else in the world but Finn and the way he makes me feel.<\/p>\n

Rational thought vanishes as quickly as it peeked in, and I\u2019m screaming as he moves back into me, grinding, grinding, grinding until I come. His palm is cupping my ass to pull me into him, his lips are on my shoulder, and his cock is so deep inside I don\u2019t think I ever knew I could feel so full.<\/p>\n

Finn jerks over me, his body tense as he groans against my skin. I feel the twitching of him inside me, the pounding of his heart between us\u2014or is it mine?\u2014I can\u2019t even tell anymore. I have no idea where he ends and I begin.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure which of us is more exhausted. Finn did all the work, moving over and into me, pushing and pulling me where he wanted, and yet I feel totally drained. My legs are heavy, my bones composed entirely of rubber. I could sleep for days.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s exactly why I\u2019m here.<\/p>\n

At some point Finn has unbound my wrists, rubbed his thumb along the faint red marks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese will fade,\u201d he says, examining them, a hint of regret in his voice. \u201cProbably within an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding, I close my eyes, count to ten, and then move to stand. I begin to dress, feeling his eyes on me from the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, Harlow. You don\u2019t have to rush off,\u201d he says, his voice thick and sleepy. The sky outside is deep lavender post-sunset. \u201cOliver won\u2019t be home until late.\u201d<\/p>\n

I open my mouth, saying, \u201cI should . . .\u201d and pointing vaguely north, toward home.<\/p>\n

He nods, watching me put everything back on before he pats a heavy hand on the bed. \u201cHarlow, you shouldn\u2019t run off.\u201d Pushing to sit at the edge of the mattress, he says, \u201cStay. Let me . . . fuck, I don\u2019t know. Set up a bath for you, or . . . just stay here. It was intense. Wasn\u2019t it intense?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was. It was so intense that I\u2019m suddenly second-guessing everything that brought me here.<\/p>\n

As I gather my things to leave, I\u2019m not sure if being with Finn is an escape, or a new dangerous obsession.<\/p>\n

~*~*~*~*~*<\/p>\n

AHHH! Farlow! We ship it, do you? We hope you loved this naughty chapter and can’t wait to share more. Help us get word out by tweeting, posting, rah-rah’ing whenever you’re inclined. We do love you all so much for your support so far!<\/em><\/p>\n

xoxo,<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hello our loves!! We are so thrilled to share chapter three of DIRTY ROWDY THING with you today! Thank you all for your preorders and RTs and FB posts and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201,204,230,457,1],"tags":[239,433,493,266,449,450,464,463,256,425,466,465],"class_list":["post-2781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","category-blogs","category-book-news","category-extras","category-uncategorized","tag-contest-2","tag-dirty-rowdy-thing","tag-extras","tag-fangirls","tag-finn","tag-harlow","tag-nsfw","tag-preorder","tag-sublime","tag-sweet-filthy-boy","tag-we-love-you","tag-we-need-sleep"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}