Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
“No!” It was an instinctive reaction, but I didn’t regret it. “It wouldn’t be as special a day if our entire pack wasn’t here.”
Finley nodded, and I was relieved when the strain on his features eased. “Okay, well, I’m relieved to hear that. Happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Em.” The smile he shot me was soft and knowing. “How are you dealing with the surprise? If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know what to do with a day dedicated to you.”
He’d hit right on the confused emotions coursing through me. It was uncomfortable to have aspects of this day centered on me, but I appreciated it as well.
“I’m touched,” I said, feeling an innate sense of gratitude, “that you all wanted to celebrate the day, even belatedly. It’s awkward, but in a weird way. Like… I’m not used to these strong surges of excitement and happiness and nerves. It’s like a fucking emotion-rave is in full swing inside, and I don’t know if I’ll cry, laugh, or throw up.”
Finley’s expression held understanding as he smiled. “Let them do this for you,” he told me. “It’s a day for them as much as it is for you. It will make all of them happy to shower you in love, attention, and presents.”
I chose to ignore the presents part, focusing instead on the way Finley had phrased that last piece of advice. “Them? Do you not want to be here, Fin? Because I would understand.”
Maybe. I had no idea really.
His expression shuttered, and I was taken by surprise when he pressed his lips to my cheek. It was a light touch, but it burned into my skin, and I barely managed to hold back my gasp.
“I don’t deserve to celebrate this with you,” he said, “but if my presence doesn’t upset you, then I want to be here more than anything. Your first birthday with the pack is… a gift for me too.”
The air was tinged in cherry-vanilla, and I had no idea what to say after that revelation. The relief I felt that he wasn’t leaving was far too strong for the emotional distance between us, but it wasn’t the day to deep dive into how fucked up I was. Nah, that could wait for tomorrow.
“Come on, Ice,” he said, and I was finally rewarded with those dimples and a full-blown smile. “Let’s not leave our asshole pack waiting any longer. They’ve been planning this surprise for a long time.”
I fell into step beside him, and weirdly, there was a sense of comfort and calm between us. “You’re sticking with Ice Queen,” I said, not sure how I felt about it now that his tone had changed. “And here I thought you were trying to mend bridges.”
Finley’s smile never wavered, and dammit… I was addicted to dimples. Just sign me up for life. “At first I told myself it was in reference to your icy heart, and how you could keep your true mates at a distance…”
Harsh but fair. “And now?”
“Honestly, I should have known all along that I’d chosen a name to represent one of my favorite places in the world. The ice is my peace, and all along, you were too. No matter how hard I denied it.”
Peace.
Fuck, if I could have chosen to be his anything, that would have been top of the list. “Do you know how to skate?”
I shook my head, my reply rough: “Nah, my mom wasn’t big on letting me out of the house. Or teaching me anything. Or allowing fun. I’ve never stepped foot on ice, except if I was in a city that snowed, and then it was just a pain in the ass as I tried not to slip on my way to work.”
Finley nodded as if he wasn’t surprised. “Yeah, I had a similar mother, but she let us out in our area. Mostly when she was fucked up on booze and additives. There was a lake out the back of our land, and during winter I lived out there. Fell in more times than I can count, after getting on there too early in the season.” In my head I pictured a little wet bear, and it was too fucking adorable.
“My mother hated me being around,” I told him. “Hence why she locked me in my room most of the time. If I hadn’t had that sneaky escape into the garage below, I’d have lost my mind long ago.” Mom had always been paranoid about me leaving the house, and I still had no idea why, or who she’d been hiding us from. The monsters were already inside.
“Our moms would have been friends, if they weren’t complete narcissistic assholes,” Finley said dryly. “But at least they’re both dead. Silver lining.”
A morbid but sadly true statement.
We were through the tunnel now, and I saw the others standing by an impressive lineup of cars, parked near the entrance to the track.
“Whoa,” I choked out as I took in the full scene, “this is incredible. It looks like a professional speedway.” I popped up on my toes for a better look. “You even have a drag strip and figure eight track. You’ve got it all.”
Finley chuckled at my enthusiasm, and could we just say
Christmas miracle at hearing Slade and Finley laughing today.
“Hunter designed and built this a few years ago,” he said. “He got sick of us racing in the streets, and having to deal with pissed off enforcers and council alphas. It’s been a weekend haunt ever since. Weather dependent.”
The weather was mild again today, with perfect blue skies and chilly winds but no snow. “Conditions look good for racing,” I commented, having no idea if that was true. I’d never done this in any sort of professional capacity. “I mean, once we get some heat into the tires.”
The four Porsche GT3 R’s in the lineup were from the garage, and already knew they were running semi-slicks. Unless we wanted to die, we’d need to warm them up first.
Finley’s wide-eyed and proud expression had me wanting to prance around with my damn fur puffed up. Apparently, all of his grouchy ways were forgotten with a few kind words and some dimples. I really needed to work out my fucking priorities here.
“Absolutely,” he said, unaware I was mentally beating myself up. “This is one of my favorite weathers to race in. The NA engines love the cool air.”
“Naturally aspirated love it as much as the turbos?”
That got me another slow, smirking grin, and my stomach intensely flip-flopped. “Turbos like it the most, but all engines perform better in cooler air.”
“Very true,” I said with a nod, sparks lighting up my veins. The car talk was turning me on, and more than that, it was Finley. The bear kept adding dirt to the chasm, and it didn’t feel quite as vast as before.
Finley held my gaze for a few long seconds, but before he could say anything more, Kellan noticed our presence and started bouncing and waving as he shouted for us to get our asses over there.
As we headed for them, I found myself saying, “We need to do this more often. Just hanging out and chatting.”
When he brushed his hand over the top of mine, a jolt ran through my body, and I choked back a gasp.