“Aye, that’s what I’m saying.”
She swallowed and looked forward again. “Okay. Don’t be alarmed, but I have to step back and reframe things. I assumed all along I was a side trip for you, a temporary distraction while you were in town.” She smiled over at him to soften her words. “And I’m totally okay with that. The chemistry between us is off the charts. And, yes, I like you too. You’re smart, funny, and caring.”
“But?” he asked, sitting completely still.
She nodded her head, acknowledging a “but” coming. “ButI honestly hadn’t considered anything beyond these two weeks. And it certainly never crossed my mind that a relationship might be something you wanted to pursue.”
“ThatIwanted to pursue?” Fin’s brow furrowed. “What about you, Alexis? How doyoufeel?”
“I have no idea how I feel!” she exclaimed. “You’ve completely caught me off-guard, and I don’t know how to process this. I mean, how would it work anyway? You’re leaving to go back to your Hollywood life, and… we don’t even live in the same country.”
“Ah, lassie, those are merely details. What I’m more concerned about is if you feel the same way.” Fin adjusted himself in his seat. “All right, you’re a logical thinker, let’s approach this in a way that works for you.”
Fin held up a finger. “We know the sex is phenomenal, so we can tick that one off.” He gave her a wolfish leer before raising a second finger. “I’m assuming you also like me because you’ve spent a good deal of your week with me, and I don’t see you as someone who would waste her time.” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.
“Maybe I’m just using for you sex,” she blurted.
“Always a possibility,” he calmly replied. “But we talk about deep, meaningful topics of substance, and I don’t think you’d do that with someone whom you were just using for sex.”
Alex made a show of looking over her shoulder and changing lanes. She was fine in the lane she was in, but the action gave her more time to consider the situation she found herself in.
“Yeah, okay, I like you too. We talk about deep things. You have a beautiful mind.”
He grinned at her flippant response and raised a third finger as his face sobered. “All right. Now a serious question. Is my fame a problem?”
Alex exhaled harshly. “I’ll be honest, it’s a tad overwhelming. Not just the dealing with the public, but the idea of actually dating the guy who’s in the movie I’m watching and is known as the ‘Hottest Man Ever.’ It’s a bit surreal.” She paused as she considered the past week. “But this week, there’s been less… interaction than I expected. So, I think the jury is still out on that one.” Alex couldn’t believe she was having this conversation, much less genuinely considering a relationship with Finley McAlister.
“Fair enough. And I’ll be honest with you. The intrusion comes and goes. This week has been fairly light, given the promotion we were in town for. I’ve experienced both more and less disruption.” He shrugged.
Fin sat quietly for a moment while Alex navigated among the cars on the freeway. Sunday was a light day for traffic in Houston and she was glad for it. Discussing this topic during rush hour likely would have resulted in a fender bender.
“Now the hard question,” he spoke again. “Take away everything else… my career, your career… do you think we could be more than just ‘friends with benefits?’” Fin made air quotes with his fingers as he spoke the last words.
She looked over at him then. The look in his eye told her he wanted her to say yes, but was already bracing himself for a no. Alex looked back at the road. How had she come to care about his feelings so quickly?
“Fin, I’m not saying no, but I’m in a state of shock right now,” she began. “Most of the men I have dated have attracted me with their brain or their body, never both. Based on that, I’d say there’s potential for something.”
From the corner of her eye, she could see him sitting motionless, waiting for her to continue. “The sticking point is this: you sound like you’re in a place in your life where you’re ready for that type of commitment. I’m not.” She raised one hand in a half-shrug. “It’s not even on my radar at this time, which is why I’m reacting like this. I love my life right now as it is. A serious relationship was always an ambiguous concept that might or might not happen sometime in the far future.”
Alex thought about Fin’s stipulation to put her career to aside for the moment and continued, “As for ignoring my career, I can’t. My job… my career… it defines me. Everything in my personal life revolves around what I do for a living, and I can’tomitthat piece when thinking about the future. I mean, I’m fixin’ to launch a career-making project that will consume every bit of my time in the next year at least. It’s a terrible time to enter a relationship. I’m just…” Alex stopped and breathed for a moment. She could feel herself getting emotional. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now. And, frankly, I’m feeling a bit trapped having this conversation in my car.”
Alex wiped her eye at the tear that threatened to escape.Damn it, she thought,don’t fucking cry!
Fin reached over and squeezed her leg. “You’re right, I’m adunder heidand my timing is terrible. I shouldn’t have brought it up where you wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
Alex snorted, “I’m pretty sureIbrought it up when I asked why you were so quiet.”
They rode in silence for a few moments before he spoke. “What exactly are you fixing?”
A laugh erupted from her. “Right. I meant I’m about to launch my project.” She inhaled deeply through her nose. “Look, my perception of ‘us’ just got knocked off its axis. Can you give me some time to absorb what you’ve said? Just give me a day or two to realign and let’s talk about it then. Okay? I’m not putting you off, I just… need a moment.”
“Nae bother… I mean, no worries,” he corrected himself. He gave her leg another squeeze and faced forward in his seat again. “I’m meeting with Mac tomorrow and will be busy with Addie afterward. Why don’t we reconvene on Tuesday?”
Alex giggled. “You sound like a businessman setting up a sales meeting.”
Fin beamed at her. “You must be wearing off on me.”
“Tuesday is volleyball night. You want to set a date for dinner on Wednesday?”
