“Okay, I’m ready to talk,” she said as he settled in next to her on the couch.
“Okay.”
“First of all, I’ve enjoyed our time together. It’s been fun. And I’ve specifically enjoyed your company. To the point where the thought of not seeing you again makes me sad, which is a surprising development because I wasn’t expecting that. I assumed from the beginning this was a tryst that I’d tell my grandchildren about one day. You know, I hung out with that really famous actor for about a week and had a blast. Then we went back to the real world.”
Fin nodded and she continued. “My friend—you know Melissa—made some observations that gave me pause. I have issues with relationships and control. When I was still a kid, I swore I would never let romance derail me from what I wanted to do with my life… I would never sacrifice myself for a man. Melissa brought it to my attention that I have always controlled any relationships I had.Idecided if there would be a relationship andIwas the one to break it off. She also astutely pointed out that I intentionally picked men who had no chance with me because it made it easier to walk away when I was done.”
She paused to take another sip of wine and watched Fin over the rim of her glass. He lifted his glass as well and stared back at her, not saying anything. His warm gaze was encouraging, not judging, and gave her courage to go on.
“Now mind you, I can count the number of boyfriends I’ve had on one hand. And to be honest, those were more like casual, someone-to-do-stuff-with type things. Mostly, I don’t have the time or energy for it. I’m busy.” She shrugged.
“Aye, you are a rising star in your company and have ambitious plans,” he agreed.
Alex narrowed her eyes, searching his face for any hint of sarcasm. Not finding any, she continued, “I have lots of male friends. Men who stimulate me intellectually, but nothing physically. And I’ve met a few men who got me all hot and bothered physically, but I swear had the IQ of a black-eyed pea.”
He barked a laugh at her description.
“Fin, you’re the only guy I’ve ever met who does both.” Alex glanced at him before lowering her eyes and studied the glass in her hands. The smooth sound of a saxophone playing in the background filled the conversation void, and her face warmed with embarrassment as she ran out of steam. The sofa dipped as he moved closer. His hand came into her field of vision and he raised her chin up so she could see his eyes. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes.
“Alexis,” he murmured, “I ken what you mean, lass. You spoke of the intellectual connection. Obviously, we have that. And the chemistry is off the charts. For me, there’s another important factor… trust. I immediately trusted you. And I’m not one to do so lightly.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I trusted you straight away as well. And that’s uncharacteristic of me, too. I have lots of friends, but only a few who get the whole me. Most people only get pieces of me. Do you know what I mean?”
“Aye. I’ve seen it. You are good at compartmentalizing. You have your volleyball friends who get the athlete. Your adopted family,” he nodded toward Eddie and Gabe’s house, “who get the emotional vulnerability of you. And your lovers, who get the sexy, confident siren that you are. I do the same. For me, it’s survival in an unrelenting industry. Why is it that way for you?”
Alex huffed. “Probably the same. Male-dominated field in a male-dominated industry. You get protective of your inner sanctum when you realize no one treasures it like you do. And you build a tough outer shell to protect yourself. Even in college, I could see the differences in how professors treated me versus my fellow male students, and it changed how I dealt with the world. It’s like I’ve been fighting my entire career.”
Alex waved her hand. “Anyway, all that was to tell you I agree with you. We have something worth pursuing. But also to warn you: I’m not easy and I have hang-ups. I suspect I’m a pain in the ass. On top of all that, next year will be nuts for me. This week’s insane pace is my new normal for the next couple of months. And it’ll be only slightly less intense for the six months after that. I have no idea how we will manage a relationship with the schedules you and I have.”
She raised her hand and shrugged in a helpless gesture.
“Come here,mo chridhe.” He pulled her in for a hug. “We’ll work it out. Other busy couples do this all the time.”
“What does ‘mo-kree-eh’ mean?” she whispered, cringing at how she butchered the word.
“My heart,” he answered, his warm breath brushing her ear.
“Oh, my god. Panty-melter.”
“What?” Fin asked as he pushed her back and gazed at her face, his eyebrows raised.
Alex burst out laughing. “Your accent, your breathtaking Scottish sayings, calling me ‘your heart,’ and freaking Simply Red playing in the background,” she said as she pointed to the sound system. “Definitely a panty-melter of a moment.”
She watched him try not to laugh, but he couldn’t contain it.
“Come here, lassie. I’ll melt those panties right off of you,” he growled.
She squealed and made to get away, but wasn’t fast enough. Fin caught her and did exactly as he’d promised.
Hours later,Alex drew lazy circles on Fin’s chest, admiring the volleyball-themed charms dangling from the silver bracelet he’d placed on her wrist earlier. His thoughtfulness took her back to their earlier conversation. “You talked about trust being a major concern for you. Did that come with fame? Or was it because of something beforehand? Did someone hurt you, Fin?”
His hand on her hip tightened for a split second before relaxing. “My trust issues developed after I started my career. I had been in a few films and was starting to draw attention, especially around Scotland, but in general the reporters and paparazzi didnae bother with me too much then. They focused on my more famous costars. Except for this one.”
Fin went quiet and Alex raised her head off his shoulder and propped her chin on her hand, watching his face as he stared at the ceiling.
“To be fair,” he continued, “I have to give her credit for knowing her stuff. She latched on to me when I was a nobody. And now I’m not. So, she’s good at spotting potential, I guess.”
Alex continued lazily stroking his chest as the story of Fiona and Rodney spilled from him. When tears formed in his eyes, she wanted to pull him to her and kiss them away but held back. She sensed his need to tell the story in his own way, so she continued to listen and offer her touch as comfort.
