Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
I knew about cars, but I’d never been hands-on in repairing them.
Finley tugged me closer, and his unbridled enthusiasm caught on as I bounced briefly on my bare feet. When he noticed my lack of foot coverings, Finley detoured to a bag hanging on a peg on the wall, releasing me long enough to rifle through the contents. He emerged victorious with a pair of thick black socks.
“They’re clean,” he assured me, those dimples assaulting my senses as he knelt at my feet. “Now lift. I don’t want you getting cold.”
Even with climate control, the garage floors were cool, not that it was enough to bother me. Still, I didn’t argue as he lifted my right foot, and then my left, dragging the thick socks almost to my knees. It was only as he adjusted the elastic on one that he seemed to notice his proximity to my vagina, barely hidden under Hunter’s shirt.
Finley’s hands tightened on my thighs as his gaze darkened and he breathed deeply. “Fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes as if that would help. “You’re a temptation I would follow into hell and beyond.”
I completely forgot the plan to move slowly as I was hit with an urge to thrust my hips until his mouth landed right on the ache in my core. All I could think about was the scrape of his beard on my thighs, and the flick of his tongue across my clit, as he buried his face between my?-
With a startled growl, Finley launched to his feet. “Whatever you’re imagining, darlin’,” he winced, “please stop. Your scent is…” A choked desperate sound spilled from his lips and I shuffled back a few steps to create space.
I’d put the restrictions in place by telling him to earn my trust and repair the chasm between us, and yet here I was, flashing my needy vagina in his face like a selfish asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I said, shame coating my cheeks in heat. “I’m not making this easy on you-I should go and put a few more clothes on.”
As I turned, Finley lurched forward and caught my hand, twirling me back into him. “No. I don’t want it to be easy.” He pulled me closer. “I don’t deserve easy, and more than that, I know that all of this buildup is only going to make it that much sweeter when I finally win you back. Keep making it hard, Em. Please.”
I would challenge any damn shifter in the world to be able to say no to Finley when he was like this. “Okay, I can do that,” I told him.
He kissed my cheek, and then moved to press another to the corner of my lips, before he released me and steered us back to the cars.
For the next two hours we worked in comfortable companionship, our conversations casual as we discussed our favorite vehicles and dream cars. “I’ve always been into the bigger trucks and off-roaders,” Finley told me, leaning into the open hood. “While the track gave me a newfound appreciation for speed and competition, I’m the one you want with you if you’re heading off the beaten track and need to push your car’s suspension to its limits.”
“I’ve always been into bikes,” I said, handing over the tool he needed before he even asked. “Which had a lot to do with availability, speed, and price. The way I feel when I’m surrounded by these super and hyper cars indicates that maybe I just love anything with an engine that goes fast.”
Finley tilted his head to the side to meet my gaze, and in the dim lighting his expression was wreathed in amusement. “We need to race again,” he said. “This time just you and me.”
The very thought had a jolt of excitement in my gut. “You want to get your ass kicked again?”
He threw his head back and laughed, his hands still buried in the engine. “Famous last words, Emmeline. I think I’ll take that challenge. Name the place and time.”
I found myself chuckling with him. “I’m ready whenever you are. Not this week, though, right? Kel told me you’ve got a road trip for hockey…?”
That sobered him as he returned his focus to the engine bay. “Yep, we’ve got three away games, which means we’ll be gone Monday through Friday.”
Before he could look my way again, I forced my features into calm, unbothered lines, which turned out to be a waste of energy. Finley noticed immediately. “We can stay if it upsets you,” he said, and I got a hint that he kind of hoped I’d make them stay. “It’s just hockey, and we’re top of the division.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Absolutely fucking not. I can survive a few days without you both, as long as my bond with Kellan handles the distance.”
Finley released his hold on the car and took a step toward me. “You shouldn’t have to survive. Come with us.”
He paused in front of me, and I was about to agree before I remembered one glaring issue: “I can’t leave without Talon. His is the newest bond. And on top of that, our connection remains slightly frayed and patchy.”
Talon’s bond did filter through bits and pieces of his emotions, but it wasn’t as strong as with Hunter and Kellan.
The bear shot a frustrated glare in the direction of the hidden doorway. “Annoying motherfucker,” he mumbled under his breath. “But you’re probably right, which means we should just blow off these games and stay here.”
I pressed my hand to his chest in the hopes of reiterating how serious I was. “Not a chance, Finley Thornton.” His nostrils flared as he stared down at my touch. “You’ve already missed too many games because of me. It’s not fair to you or your team for you guys to just blow it off. We can chat on the phone daily, and I’ll watch your games on the sports network.”
He didn’t look convinced, and I was too tired to argue more tonight. “We can talk about it tomorrow,” he finally said, before he glanced at the clock on the wall, which read two a.m. “Or today to be more accurate.” He patted my hand on his chest. “Go to bed, Ice Queen. I’ll clean up and get some rest too.”
“Will you sleep?” I asked, noticing the fatigue on his features. “I can sit with you.”
His stare was penetrating, and at first I thought he’d refuse until he said, “Yeah, okay. I’d like that.”
In my relief that he wouldn’t be alone, I was hit with another thought, one that might not go over so well. “Uh, I have a bit of an extreme idea that might help both of us and someone else.”
Finley didn’t even ask for any further clarification. “Works for me. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll meet you… where?”
Forcing myself to remain calm I said, “In the containment room.”
His eyes widened, and when his gaze flicked toward the door, I all but held my breath until he sighed. “Yeah, let’s do it. Might as well get used to that bastard being around. See you in a minute, Ice.”
While Finley disappeared to clean himself up, I raced up the stairs to pull blankets and pillows from the hallway storage. By the time I’d returned to the garage, arms filled, Finley was waiting in a pair of sleep shorts, and he hurried over to take the bedding from my arms.
I opened the door and strode through first, unsurprised to find Talon already at the bars, as if he’d been waiting for me all along. The fluttering in our bond flared as I drank in the sight of him after days of being apart. When his chest rumbled, I couldn’t stop from rushing forward, Finley’s protests lost as I hit the bars and reached for the dragon.
“Sweet Honey,” Talon breathed, the growl of his dragon following again as he snarled, “don’t take another step closer, bear. Give me this moment with her.”
I breathed in his scent as he held me close, and even with the bars between us, I was comfortable in his touch. “You took too long to return to me,” he rumbled, inhaling deeply against the top of my head. “I almost broke out again.”