Worth the Weight (35 page)

She turned off her mind, not willing to lose this wondrous awakening that was tempting her to self analyze. Why think when
Finn
’s mouth was doing a torturous dance down her neck, skimming across her chest, teasing her tightening nipples.

Again, his words in front of the mirror came back to her, filling her with a boldness that excited her. She lifted his mouth from her tingling breasts and held his face in her hands, making him look up at her. She slowly shook her head from side to side. “Unh, uh,” she said. “You had your way, now it’s my turn.”

She found she wanted to be in charge of this session. Her learning curve over, her confidence restored, she wanted to hold the reins. The image of his horses brought her next idea.

At his questioning look she gently pushed on his chest, entangling her fingers in his crisp chest hair as she did, until he was on his back. She leveled up to her elbow, leaning over him. God, she loved his chest, so broad, so strong. She bowed her head in reverence to it, licking his nipple as she did
, receiving a shak
y exhale
of
approval. She took in the scent of him, the familiarity of it now a comfort to her. He smelled of hay and Clea’s kitchen and of course, Brut.

She sat up and slid one leg over his waist, sitting low on his belly, straddling him. Instinctively, she hunched her shoulders, trying to seem smaller, trying to minimize. Catching herself, she sat up straight, even arching her back slightly.

No hiding beneath
Finn
’s strong body this time.
She started
to rub herself against the rough hair that made a vee down
Finn
’s belly
, loving how it felt.
Looking down, she saw how her wetness moistened his hair, making it glisten in the bright light. The sheer eroticism of the sight made her moan.

His
hands slid up and down her thighs, the friction causing a delicious heat. She inched her way backward, rising as she did, so that she could grasp his erection in her hand. She stroked him with one hand as her other raked across his chest leaving white indentations in her wake.

“Jesus, Liz, put me inside you,” he hissed, but she wasn’t rushing. She took her hand from his chest and raised it to her own mouth, licking her palm several times while her eyes locked on his. She then continued to stroke him, able to slide along his length more easily, picking up speed.

His hands
slid
from her thighs to her breasts, teasing and taunting her as she was him. When a particularly playful tweak caused a gasp from
her
,
he said again
, “Put me inside you.” It was as close to begging as
she’d
ever heard from the proud man, and she decided to put him out of his misery. Or at least give him a different kind of misery.

When she pressed him against her core they both lost their breath. She eased him to her entrance, sliding him along her cleft, totally saturating him. She slowly lowered herself onto him, resting her hands behind him on his muscled thighs. She sat, back arched, head thrown back,
more
exposed
than she’d ever
been.

Woman on top, no big deal, right?
But would he ever know what it took for her to reveal herself to him like this? To invite his perusal of her body? When she glanced down, the look in his eyes made her real
ize that he did know what she’
d offered him.

“You’re beautiful when you ride me,” he said. He reached his hands out to smooth he
r hips then slid to her butt
. “You have such a great ass, Liz, perfect for this. Perfect for me to hold on to.” His hands began to knead her cheeks, rocking her into a forward motion that she quickly found and took over herself.

She leaned forward, letting her breasts hang down to find his waiting mouth. The suckling sounds he made spurred her own desire and her movements picked up speed.

The
force of her orgasm caused her
to pull
her breast from
Finn
’s mouth and arch back, small shrieks of delight
escaping her
. Shudders racked her body, her fingers bit into
Finn
’s waist and chest as she rode out the wave, only to be caught by another as
he
reached out and stroked her where their bodies joined together. He teased her with his touch until she could take no more, than allowed her to come down.

As her breathing began to reach normal, he grabbed her hips and bucked his still throbbing erection into her. “Ride me hard, Liz. Make me come,” he groaned.

She did.

And he did.

When she had thoroughly milked his body, she collapsed on top of him and he rolled them to their sides, facing each other. They gazed at each other, wearing dopey grins, waiting for sanity to return.

“Oh. We didn’t use a condom,” she said. She hadn’t noticed at the time. Surely
Finn
must have realized?

He held her close, tangling his fingers in her hair. “You’re on the pill, right?” he asked.

“Yes...” she said. But that wouldn’t be enough for
him
, not
after what Dana had done
. God, he wouldn’t think she was trying to trap him or playing some kind of game with him, would he?

“We’re fine then,” he said, kissing her forehead.

She realized that just as she had just put all her trust, all her faith
,
in
Finn
by baring her body to him, so had he to her.

Pulling
away from him slightly,
she took
his
face in her hands. She knew he loved it whe
n she held him like that. She’
d done it when they were dating years ago. She had held his face above hers that first night on his grandmother’s couch and had known, even then, that she would need to memorize every feature of his strong face. Felt sure that it was the face she would want to conjure up for the rest of her life.

She held that same face, now aged and weathered,
and played
with the idea that maybe this time she wouldn’t have to memorize it. Maybe this time she wouldn’t have to rely on memories.

“I love you,
Finn
Robbins,” she said. It was the f
irst time in her entire thirty-six
years that Lizzie said the words to a man, other than her father and brother, and yet they rolled off her tongue with ease.

He kissed her softly, so gently she wasn’t even sure his lips met hers. He rolled her over to spoon
,
as had become their routine.

His hand rested low on her tummy.
She
didn’t even notice.

Chapter Nineteen

√ Go over EVERY Annie Aid detail – AGAIN!

√ Call lawyer about partnership proposal questions

√ Get to-do list for Annie Aid to K&A

√ Get bottle of wine for each K&A

√ Send flowers to Sybil – and DON’T call her anymore

The week before the fundraiser was full of last minute details and duties.
Finn
and Lizzie found it harder to be alone, but find time they did. Their lovema
king took on a new sweetness, with
no more sense of urgency.

Lizzie once again went over the partnership proposal her senior staff had written, making notations and suggestions in the margins. With the partnership,
she
envisioned being able to work from home around three weeks out of each month, and travel to Detroit and various spots around the country to meet clients the remainder.

She decided to do it. To give up complete control and take on partners. Now, she just needed to figure out where that home office would be. Without a doubt she would be moving back to the Copper Country. But would she be moving in to
Finn
’s house right away, or would they wait until Annie had her operation and had gone through physical therapy? She knew she was welcome to stay at her parents’ house for as long as she wanted. Or maybe she’d sell her condo and buy a place on the lake up here. Something small, where she c
ould live and work for now,
then be a place where she and
Finn
could take the kids later.

Later? What precisely would be happening later? No exact words of the future were spoken between
Finn and her
, but there was a defin
ite understanding that they’
d
be together. Wasn’t there? He’d said he loved her and she’
d told him the same. Didn’t that mean he wanted to be with her beyond next week? Her inexperience in the relationship department left her wondering. She didn’t want to ask Katie and Alison. She hadn’t even told her two friends about
this
new, deeper
,
understanding. It still seemed so personal, so pure, she wanted to keep it to herself a while longer. After the fundraiser, when her parents returned, she’d sit them all down and tell them of her decision to move home and make
Finn
and his family a permanent part of her life.

She was thrilled with the success of the fundraiser, though not surpr
ised. Advance ticket sales had en
sured that not only would all the expenses be covered - and there were a lot, with chartering a plane to get all the athletes to the remote area - but would pay for Annie’s operation and future medical and physical therapy bills. Lizzie estimated that tickets bought the day of the event would help put a dent in the mortgage o
n
the farm so that the Robbins family would be on solid ground.

That she hoped to one day be a part of that family, she kept to herself.

The Friday golf outing and picnic had a huge turnout. Stevie’s pals manned the holes and caddied for the celebrity golfers. Stevie and Lizzie drove around the course in a cart during the tournament checking on things. Stevie was in heaven. He’d given the girl from the Strawberry Festival - again dressed in purple, Lizzie noticed - the coveted last hole to work, where the golfers tended to hang out and wait around after they finished playing. Stevie introduced the purple clad girl named Heather to Lizzie.

Lizzie had
Finn
bring Annie to the course just as the tournament was ending so she could meet the athletes that had come to her benefit, and so that they could meet her. Petey, of course,
acted like they were old buddies in front of the other jocks, flirting and teasing with Annie, much to the little girl’s delight.

Finn
seemed slightly dazed at all the events and attention given to the cause
, basically
tr
ying
to stay out of Lizzie’s way.

The Stanley Cup arrived on Saturday morning and was taken to the rec center where a line of people that swept around the entire building gathered to have their picture taken with the hallowed trophy and the hockey players of their choice.

Though he posed with the trophy when asked, Petey was careful not to touch it, bowing to the superstition that all pro players had. Never touch the Stanley Cup unless you’ve won it. He hoped to lift the trophy over his head in victory himself
someday
, so he
wasn’t
about to tempt the hockey gods.

Petey rubbed the Colorado Avalanche players’ noses in the fact that most people requested the hometown hero pose with him and the cup even though he’d never won the trophy. The Avs retaliated by flashing their championship rings in Petey’s face.

Lizzie soothed egos and gave Petey a warning and the afternoon progressed smoothly. Just another day of dealing with petulant men that made a living playing boys’ games.

Later that night,
Finn
, Lizzie and Alison all pulled into the parking lot of the rec center at the same time in their respective vehicles. Clea would bring Annie and Stevie later in the minivan. Lizzie and
Finn
had driven separately, figuring she may need to stay later than everyone else to see that her clients all had a good evening. The three each rounded their vehicles and smiled at each other.

“Lizard, you look great,” Alison told her friend.

Lizzie loved the dress she’d chosen for this special night. A periwinkle blue sundress with wide straps that crisscrossed her tan back. She’d worn her hair up to show off the back of the dress.

“She’s right, babe, you look terrific. Great dress,” was all
Finn
said, but his eyes told her more.
She
could see the hunger in his blue gaze. It made her shiver in the warm August night.

She waved the compliments away and turned to Alison. “No Brandt tonight?”

“He’s coming later. I came early to see if you needed any help.”