Beneath the Moon and the Stars (24 page)

Finn suddenly got up, carefully ensuring he didn’t tread on her as he did so. ‘I’m going to bed, I have to be up early tomorrow to look after the groom and deliver my best man speech.’

She wasn’t sure who he was speaking to, Casey didn’t even respond and she was too busy clinging onto the floor. He disappeared from the room, but came back moments later holding a blanket, identical to the one that she had been wrapped in that day she had woken up in the garden. She lifted her head a little in confusion. So Zach and Finn had either shopped in the same place, or Finn had covered her and Zach had lied about it.

Finn covered Casey carefully, tucking him in, and Casey stirred.

‘Thanks mate. I still love you.’

She saw Finn smile. ‘I love you too.’

Casey giggled, as he drifted back off. ‘And do something with that over there.’ He waved in her general direction. ‘Don’t leave her there all night, she’ll get cold.’

‘Don’t worry about her, I’ll sort it.’

He ruffled Casey’s hair affectionately and turned and picked her up in one easy, fluid movement.

She closed her eyes as the room span around her, then clung to him as she felt him take the stairs.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Taking you to bed.’

She heard the gasp of shock escape her lips before she could stop it. ‘You are not. You can’t expect me to sleep with you just because I’m drunk and you’re horny, I mean because you’re drunk and I’m horny.’

‘You’re horny?’

‘Yes, but I’m not going to jump into bed with you because of it.’

‘Love, I don’t expect you to jump anywhere tonight, you’re a drunken disgrace.’

‘I am not.’ She surprised herself then by nuzzling into the side of his neck. Her brain didn’t seem to be in control of her own body anymore, her limbs responding without any prior consent from her. She watched as her arms wrapped round his neck.

Seemingly unperturbed by this sudden show of affection, Finn continued to the top of the stairs. ‘So when you’re drunk, you have high moral standards. I must remember that when I want to get into your pants.’

‘I do not have high moral standards.’ She really didn’t. If Finn started to make love to her now, there wasn’t a single bone in her body that didn’t want it or would stop it. But she had obviously turned argumentative and stubborn all of a sudden.

Finn manoeuvred into the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. ‘You don’t? So I can get into your pants?’

Joy felt her toes curl with delicious anticipation. ‘Yes please.’

He smirked as he pulled off his T-shirt and she was embarrassed by another gasp that fell from her mouth. He was magnificent.

‘Here, let me help you get undressed.’

Finn pulled her T-shirt over her head and, feeling like a kid at Christmas who was about to unwrap the best present of all, she quickly reached for the belt on his jeans. He stopped her.

‘Joy, I’m not sleeping with you.’

‘We don’t have to sleep.’ She waggled her eyebrows in what she hoped was a saucy way. In the back of her mind, her dignity was slapping herself on her forehead and groaning with disbelief.

‘I’m not going to make love to you because you’re drunk and I would have to be a complete arsehole to take advantage of you like this.’

‘You’re drunk too, I could take advantage of you.’

‘That’s a really tempting offer.’ He was teasing her now but she didn’t care. ‘How about we take a rain check.’

‘My dad used to say, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”’

‘That’s a good point.’

She watched as he took his jeans off, enjoying his thighs and hips and the obvious bulge behind his pants.

He came back to the bed, eyeing her. She swallowed.

‘Are you getting undressed or are you sleeping in your jeans?’

Embarrassed, she wriggled out of them. He didn’t take his eyes off her for a second. He knelt next to her on the bed. God, she wanted him so much.

‘Now… budge over, I can’t fit in to the bed unless you do’

Stunned, she did as she was asked. She watched as Finn got into bed next to her, her heart hammering, her palms sweaty. He turned the light off and rolled over to face away from her.

‘Goodnight Joy.’

She stared at his back for a moment, then huffily rearranged the duvet over her.

‘Comfy?’ asked Finn dryly.

‘Yes.’

‘Good.’

A few minutes later, to her utmost annoyance, Finn was snoring softly.

*

Joy woke with a start and stared straight into Finn’s eyes. Just a single look from him melted her insides. She couldn’t tear her eyes away and the desire to have him crashed over her in waves. She was falling for this great beast of a man and she knew he was falling for her too.

‘You’re in my bed,’ Finn said, quietly.

‘Yes. How are we doing with this whole friends thing?’

‘Not good.’ He ran a finger down her arm.

She swallowed. ‘No me neither.’

‘You know if we just shagged each other, we’d get over each other very quickly and we could just get back to hating each other again.’ He laughed, clearly trying to disperse some of the tension in the room.

‘That sounds so tempting – but if we hated each other, I’d miss playing Jenga and The Cube with you, I’d miss the dancing and you holding my hand when times get tough.’

Shit, where did that come from?

Finn’s eyes softened. ‘I will always be here for you.’

Her heart swelled and without a moment’s warning she suddenly found herself kissing him. Taking her face gently in his large hand, he leaned forward and kissed her too. Her heart exploded in her chest as his lips moved gently against hers. But as her breath shuddered through her lips, the kiss suddenly changed. It was urgent, filled with need. He moved to roll on top of her then paused.

‘Sorry,’ he mumbled, leaving her confused as he kissed her again, rolling her on top of him, instead.

His hands trailed down her ribs and then back up, running his fingers through her hair. She felt her body quiver under his touch as his hands moved towards the top of her pants.

But as quickly as it started he frustratingly pulled away.

‘Damn it, I have a wedding to organise, for my gay best friend apparently. I haven’t got time to get into this with you now – and believe me, I really want to get into this with you – but my duties as best man are unfortunately going to have to come first.’

Joy sighed with frustration and rolled off him.

‘Look, this isn’t me being an ass and changing my mind again – this is me genuinely not having enough time.’

‘I know, it’s ok.” She hesitated for a second. “Why did you apologise when you were kissing me? You rolled on top of me and rolled straight back off again.’

‘I… didn’t want you to feel trapped or scared by me being on top.’

She stared at him with a huge lump in her throat. And then rolled on her back groaning with frustration. ‘You are making it impossible for me to hate you, you do realise that.’

She climbed out of bed and got dressed as Finn watched her.

‘I guess I’ll see you later.’ She fastened her jeans and pulled her T-shirt over her head.

He climbed out of bed and caught her hand. ‘Come to the wedding with me today.’

‘I was supposed to be going with Zach.’

‘Seriously? Still?’

‘Well I’m not now after his little stunt the other night but I don’t think it’s fair that I go with you instead. That’s kind of rubbing his nose in it. That kind of feels a bit nasty and I’m not that person, especially if he has fallen for me, which I doubt. But just because he’s a bit of an ass, doesn’t mean I want to hurt him.’

‘Ok, ok.’ He held up his hands in defeat. ‘Will you at least dance with me?’

She smiled. ‘That I can do.’

He kissed her again, just briefly this time.

‘Go take care of your friend.’

He nodded and quickly left the room.

*

Casey sat on the chair with his head in his hands. It was ten past one and he was supposed to be marrying Arielle at one. Finn was outside now, placating the crowds in the beautifully flowered marquee. Everything was perfect out there, his mum had ensured that. The big, expensive country hotel with the salmon and duck canapés awaiting the guests as soon as the ceremony had finished. The welcome drinks of Pimms and lemonade, Buck’s fizz and the finest champagne. The gold chairs positioned either side of the aisle, the flowered archway, the violinist and harpist ready to play the fateful ‘here comes the bride’ or whatever else that Arielle had chosen for her big day. The dress, the photographer, the videographer, the waiters and waitresses, the chocolate fountain, the five tiered cake, the fairy lights that adorned the trees. He felt sick, physically sick.

There was a knock on the summer house door, where he had sought refuge, and Zach walked in.

‘How you doing mate?’

Casey stood. ‘I can’t do this, I can’t.’

Zach moved to straighten Casey’s bow tie, watching him carefully. ‘Any reason you want to tell me?’

Casey sighed. ‘Zach, I’m gay.’

‘I know. That’s why I’ve been trying to persuade you for the last few months to call off the wedding, why I’ve been all but pleading with Mum to lay off you.’

‘You know?’ Casey was incredulous. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I figured you’d tell me when you were ready, preferably before you walked up the aisle and married the bitch from hell.’

‘Zach, what am I going to do?’

‘Well you can slip out that window there and run as fast as your scrawny legs can carry you. I’ll give you a ten minute head start then go out and tell everybody the wedding is off.’

Casey laughed, sorely tempted. ‘No, if I’m going to cancel the wedding, I need to do that myself. Mum will be heartbroken.’

‘Yes she will, but you can’t marry Arielle just to keep her happy.’

‘I can’t break her heart either, she’s so excited, so happy for me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her smile.’

‘I know but if she knew the truth, that you’re considering marrying someone just for her, she would be even more hurt.’

‘I know but…’

Just then there was another knock on the door and his mum came in. She was flushed with excitement and worry. She was beautiful, dressed in a pale blue suit, which matched her eyes exactly. The only woman he had ever loved. He couldn’t do it to her.

‘Caz, you ok?’

‘No he’s not Mum, he doesn’t want to marry Arielle,’ Zach spoke quickly and Casey glared at him.

Real hurt flickered in his mum’s eyes and her hands shook as she smoothed out his wayward hair. ‘Then we’ll cancel it,’ she said simply.

He gathered her close, resting his head on her shoulder a minute. ‘It’s fine Mum, it’s just nerves. Come on, let’s go face the hordes.’

He took her hand and stepped out into the sunshine, ignoring his brother swearing under his breath as he followed them.

*

The wedding was one of the strangest that Joy had ever attended. During the ceremony Casey looked genuinely terrified, Arielle looked bored.

At the point where the registrar asked if anyone here present knew of any reason why they shouldn’t get married, almost every single one of Casey’s friends shuffled awkwardly. They all knew, despite his best intentions, they knew. To her consternation, several men on the bride’s side also shuffled awkwardly as well. It seemed, even to her untrained eye, that Arielle had been spreading herself a bit thin, or spreading her legs a bit too wide.

The ceremony was over quite quickly. There were photos taken both of Casey and Arielle barely cracking a smile and then it was onto the reception inside the hotel.

Her brain was a whirl of emotion. She felt for Casey and what he must be going through, standing up in front of hundreds and declaring his love for someone he couldn’t stand. And with the rejection from Finn the day before, he must be miserable.

She kept seeing Rose wandering around and she honestly didn’t look happy either, maybe because her husband wasn’t there to see the happy day, maybe because she didn’t want Arielle as a daughter-in-law or maybe because she could obviously see that Casey was so unhappy.

Zach kept passing her glances that ranged between the guilty hound dog look, to big friendly smiles and even the odd look of lust and desire too. The man just didn’t give up, and with a few drinks inside him he was as randy as a dog.

But the final cherry on the top of her trifle of emotions was Finn. The kiss in his bed that morning, the way he had touched her, held her. How much she wanted him. The glances they shared throughout the day were hot – it sizzled and sparked between them. But he was keeping a respectful distance, at least for now.

The band started playing some slow number and those guests on the dance floor that weren’t in a relationship awkwardly moved off it and those that were, clung together, obviously very much in love. Her parents loved to dance, she remembered that. And how they would look at each other as if no one else existed.

A strong hand was suddenly on her back. She looked up into the warm grey eyes of Finn.

‘Dance with me?’

She allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor, feeling that delicious surge of lust slice through her at his touch.

He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her gently against him, as she leaned her head on his chest.

‘We’re rubbish at being friends,’ she said, feeling his heartbeat thunder against her ear.

‘I know. Are you staying here tonight, many of the guests are?’ Was that an invite?

‘I have to be back for Darcy.’ She leaned her head against him again, listening to his heart, feeling his warmth.

‘I have to get back for Billy, so we can share a cab back if you like.’

‘Ok.’ It was a small thing but she liked the companionship of it. He wanted her and maybe he wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, but with time he might be persuaded to risk his heart on her. And she had time. She had decided for the time being at least that Bramble Hill was worth sticking at. The residents were less than welcoming, but she was determined to win over at least one of them.

The song ended way too soon for her liking and Finn kissed her fondly on the head.