Finn would be hurt.
She'd been so taken aback by the speed of events between the two of them, at how fast things had gotten out of her control, that she was scared. Terrified, really. Because hurting him had been the last thing she'd ever wanted. She opened her mouth to say so but at the sound of footsteps coming toward the kitchen, not hurried or rushed or trying to be stealthy, she whirled around, already knowing who she'd be facing.
Finn, of course. Still shirtless, face carefully blank, he strode to the table and picked up his forgotten keys.
Shit.
God knew how long he'd been there or how much he'd heard. It was impossible to tell by his expression since he was purposely giving nothing away.
Which really was her answer.
He'd heard everything.
"Finn," Jake said, taking in his shirtless state with a slight brow raise.
"Jake," Finn said, either not noticing the unspoken question from Jake or ignoring it completely.
Then they both looked at Pru, to their credit both doing so with a mix of affection and concern. With good reason, as it turned out, because she suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.
Go time, she thought.
"Pru," Finn said quietly. Not a question really but a statement. He wanted to know what was going on.
Oh God, this was going to suck. And the worst part was she'd started all of this with the best intentions. All she'd ever wanted was to fix a wrong that had been done to him, a terrible wrong that she regretted and had carried around until she'd been able to do something about it.
And she'd righted wrongs before, successfully too. But she'd crossed the line this time and she knew it.
And now she had to face it head on.
"Trust him, chica," Jake said from her phone. "He deserves to know and you deserve to be free of this once and for all. If he's who you think, it'll be okay."
And then the rat fink bastard disconnected.
"Pru?" Finn brought up his free hand and slid his fingers along her jaw, letting them sink into her hair. His expression was wary now, but that didn't stop him from standing in her space like they were a couple. An intimate one.
Her heart tightened. It'd been everything she'd ever wanted.
Only a few moments ago he'd been looking morning gruff and deeply satisfied. Now there was something much more to his body language and-Oh good Lord. He had a bite mark just to the side of his left nipple. She felt the heat rise up her cheeks.
"I have another on my ass," he said, his tone not its usual amused or heated when discussing their sex life. "We'll circle back to that. Talk to me, Pru."
Her heart was pounding, her blood surging hard and fast through her veins, panic making her limbs weak. She looked at her phone but Jake was long gone and in the reflection of the screen she could see herself.
She hadn't gotten away from last night unscathed either. There was a visible whisker burn on her throat and she knew she had a matching mark on her breasts.
And between her thighs.
Finn had brought her pleasure such as she'd never known, both in bed and out.
And now it was over . . . "I'm so sorry," she said. "I've kept something from you."
"What?" There was some wariness to his tone now, though he still spoke quietly. Willing to hear whatever she had to say.
She immediately felt her blood pressure shoot through the stratosphere.
"Just tell me, Pru."
Well, if he was going to be all calm and logical about this . . . She inhaled a deep breath. "It's about my parents. And their accident."
His eyes softened with sympathy, which she didn't deserve. "You never say much about how it happened," he said. "I haven't wanted to push. You don't push me on my dad's shit and I appreciate that, so-"
"It was a car wreck." She licked her suddenly dry lips. "They . . . caused other injuries." She paused. "Life-altering injuries."
His eyes never left hers. "And?"
"And I . . . got involved."
"You've been . . . helping them?"
"Yes, but only in the smallest of ways compared to the damage my parents caused."
He looked at her for a long moment. "That's got to be painful for you."
"No, actually, it's healing."
He looked skeptical.
"I had to," she said softly. "Finn, my parents are the ones in the car who killed your dad."
His brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? The man driving the car that hit him was some guy by the name of Steven Dalman."
"My dad," she said quietly. "My mom never took his last name. Her family was against the match every bit as much as his. She gave me her name, not his . . ." She trailed off when Finn abruptly turned from her.
He shoved his fingers into his hair and didn't say a word. She wasn't even sure if he was breathing, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. Off the sleek, leanly muscled lines of his bare back. The inch of paler skin low on his waist where his jeans had slipped.
The tension now in every line of his body.
She tried to explain. "I just wanted . . ."
Finn whipped back around. "Want what? To satiate your curiosity? See if Sean and I were as devastated as you? What exactly did you want, Pru?"
"To make it better," she said, throat tight. "That's all I've ever wanted, was to make it better. For both of you, for everyone who my dad . . ." She covered her mouth.
Destroyed.
"I see," he said quietly. "So that's what I was to you, another pet project like the others you collected and fixed their broken lives."
"No, I-"
"Truth, Pru," he said, voice vibrating with fury. "You owe me that."
"Okay, yes, I needed to help everyone however I could. I needed to make things right," she reiterated, swallowing a sob when he shook his head. She was losing him. "So I did what I could."
"I didn't need saving," he bit out. "Sean and I had each other and we were fine-" He stilled and his eyes cut to hers, sharp as a blade. "It was you. You got us that money that was supposedly from a community fundraiser. Jesus, how did I not guess this before?" His gaze narrowed. "Where did that money come from? Is that why you sold your childhood home? To give it to us?"
"No, the money from the house went to the others. For you and Sean, I used my parents' life insurance policy."
He stared at her. "Fuck," he said roughly and turned to go.
She managed to slide between him and the door. "Finn, please-"
"Please what?" he asked coldly. "Understand how you very purposely and calculatedly came into my life? Moved into this building? Sat in my pub? Became my friend and then my lover? All under the pretense of wanting me, while really you were just trying to assuage some misguided sense of guilt." He stopped and closed his eyes for a beat. "Jesus, Pru. I never even saw you coming."
Having her crimes against him listed out loud made her feel sick to her soul. "It wasn't like that," she said.
"No? You sought me out, decided I needed fixing, slept with me, probably had a good laugh over me telling you how much you meant to me . . . all without telling me why you were really here-to ease your damn conscience." He shook his head. "Hope you got everything in that you wanted because we're done here."
"No, Finn. I-"
"Done," he repeated with a terrifying finality. "I don't want to see you again, Pru."
And then he walked out, breaking the heart she hadn't even realized she had inside her to break.
Chapter 31.
#MissedItByThatMuch Weighted down by so many emotions that she couldn't name them all, Pru called in sick, letting Jake think she'd gotten her period and had debilitating cramps.
Since she'd never used such an excuse before, had in fact never missed work at all, she didn't feel in the least bit sorry.
Her ovaries had to be good for something, right?
She marathoned Game of Thrones and never left the couch. Every time her mind wandered to Finn, her heart did a slow somersault in her chest, her lungs stopped working, and her stomach hurt, so she did what anyone would do in the throes of a bad breakup.
She ate.
The next morning she was jerked out of her stupor when someone knocked on her door. She blinked and looked around. She was still dressed, still on her couch, surrounded by empty wrappings of candy bars and other varieties of junk food-the evidence of a pity party for one. She grabbed her phone but there were no missed calls, texts, or emails from Finn.
And why would there be? He'd been pretty clear.
He didn't want to see her again.
The knock came again, less patient now. She got to her feet and looked out the peephole.
Willa, Elle, and Haley.
Elle was front and center, her eyes on the peephole.
"I'm not feeling very sociable," Pru said. "In fact, I'm feeling pretty damn negative and toxic so-"
"Okay, listen, honey," Elle said. "Life sucks sometimes. The trick is not letting negative and toxic feelings rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them the hell out. And I've brought help in that regard." She lifted a bag.
Tina's muffins.
Pru opened the door.
Elle handed her the bag.
Haley handed over a very large coffee.
Willa smiled. "My job is to be supportive and get you to talk."
"Way to be subtle," Elle said.
Ignoring that, Willa hugged Pru. "Okay, so I missed the subtle gene," she said. "But you should know, we are unbelievably supportive."
"Even if I screwed up?"
"Even if," Willa said.
"I'm not going to talk about it," Pru warned, barely able to talk past the lump in her throat. "Not now. Maybe not ever."
Seemingly unconcerned by this, they all moved into Pru's apartment and eyed the scene of the crime.
Willa picked up an empty bag of maple bacon potato chips. "They make bacon chips?" She looked into the empty bag sadly. "Damn, I bet they were amazing."
"How did you know something was wrong?" Pru asked with what she thought was a calm voice.
"Because you missed Eighties Karaoke and didn't answer any of our calls last night," Elle said. "And you'd told me you wouldn't miss it unless Chris Evans came knocking at your door." She looked Pru over, her rumpled sweats and what was undoubtedly a bad case of bedhead hair. "And I think it's safe to say that didn't happen."
"It could have," Pru muttered and set the coffee down to dive into the bag of muffins. She started with a chocolate chocolate-chip.
Haley reached to put her hand in the bag and Pru clutched it to her chest with a growl that rivaled Thor's.
Haley lifted her hands. "Okay, not sharing. Got it." She turned to Elle and Willa. "I think we've verified the breakup rumor."
Pru froze. "There's a breakup rumor?"
Willa lifted her hand, her first finger and thumb about an inch apart. "Little bit."
Pru sank to the couch, still clutching her muffins. "I'd like to be alone now."