Page 99 of Like You Want It

He nods, reaching high with his staple gun to get the lights snug and in place. “Perfect.”

In the process, his shirt lifts up slightly, and I can’t help but stare at the sliver of abs that I see underneath.

I turn away quickly, focusing my attention on Fin’s dog, Maxie, who has been waiting patiently for attention as we’ve maneuvered around her. I squat down and give her a few pets, and she rewards me with a fat lick to the face, which makes me laugh.

Standing back up, I turn to Fin and try to focus on the task at hand. “Alright. Projector and screen are up. Chairs are here. Table is set up for food. Rob Lowe is standing proudly in the corner, ready for pictures.” I gesture to the life-size cardboard Rob that Dina managed to find in a movie shop in Downtown LA. “Popcorn machine?”

“In the garage.”

I bob my head. “Well, I think we are about as ready as it gets. The pizza is ordered and scheduled for right before she’s supposed to get here. And as far as I know, everyone is on their way.”

“Carly?”

“Hm?” I look over at where Fin stands, leaning sexily against the sliding door that leads into his kitchen.

“Thank you. For doing all of this.”

I beam. “Well, it’s for Susie. So…” I shrug.

He just watches me, and I get the feeling he’s searching for something. An answer to a question that hasn’t been asked.

And I think he finds it.

Because he steps towards me, cuts the distance in half, so he’s just inches away. His hand comes up and fingers my hair, which is in a French braid down over my right shoulder.

“I’ve never seen your hair like this before,” he says.

My whole body floods with goose bumps as his fingers flirt against the skin on my neck, his palm resting flat against the back of my head. And then he pulls slightly, as if to bring my face closer to his.

My eyes drop to his mouth, and he takes that miniscule motion as an invitation. He steps into me, presses me slowly back against the empty wooden patio table that still needs to be decorated, and lifts me up so I’m sitting on it.

He steps between my spread thighs, his hands braced on the table on either side of my hips, and he places his lips ever so lightly on my neck, brushes his nose delicately against my skin.

“You’re all I can think about,” he whispers, placing a single kiss below my ear. “The only thing on my mind, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.”

My eyes are closed and I tilt my head back, my brain foggy and my only focus on the desire pooling between my legs and quickly racing through my body.

“Fuck,” he whispers, pressing into me. “I want to take you into my shower and bend you over the bench.”

The shower.

Visiting Susie’s parents.

My eyes fly open.

As much as I want something to happen again between me and Fin, I still don’t know where we stand. And I need to talk to Susie.

It takes everything inside of me to say what I say next.

“Susie.”

My use of his sister’s name has him pulling back, his expression pinched.

There’s an awkward pause, and I realize I need to say something to explain.

“I really care about your sister, and as great as this might be, whatever this is, I need to know that I won’t be hurting her if I… if we… do anything else.”

He steps back, his hands clasping behind his own neck, his elbows pointing forward. Then chews on the inside of his cheek, returning to the spot he was in before, leaning against the door.