Page 2 of Making Home with You (The Rockport Beach #3)

Present Day

Sarah

I pull into Erin and Ryan’s driveway, but it’s late, nearly eleven p.m. on New Year’s Eve. I had no intention of arriving this late, but I ended up working a double shift at the bar forcing me to leave far later than I wanted.

I rushed home; showered, changed and packed my car and headed down to Rockport, making it here later than I wanted, but at least I’m here and not in Eddington.

I got a text from Erin about an hour ago telling me to meet her and Ryan at O’Loughlin’s, a local place I’m quite familiar with.

I grab my bag from the car and head up to the porch, grabbing the key from under the mat. I know Ryan would lose his shit if he knew Erin had stashed it under there for me, but the convenience factor outweighed one of them having to come home and let me in. We’ll explain it to him later.

I open the door somewhat cautiously since the last time I was here Ryan had that hired thug watching over Erin’s house. When I call out and no one answers, I walk in and toss my bag in their extra bedroom.

Digging out my makeup bag, I walk into the bathroom and run a brush through my hair. I add some makeup before quickly checking myself out in the full-length mirror.

I look decent, good enough if I happen to get hit on tonight, or better yet, maybe I’ll run into the guy I met at the pub last time I was in town. Maybe I’ll even be able to convince him to hit the bathroom with me again.

It’s been a few weeks since we had our tryst, and I’d be kidding myself if I said I haven’t thought about him. I’ve even wanted to confess to Erin what happened, but my fear of Ryan finding out and hunting the guy down stopped me in my tracks.

Living in Eddington without any friends, or normal people for that matter, has me wishing I was back in Boston or at least in Rockport. And I pretty much spent the ride here wondering when the hell my life is going to pull itself out of the shitter.

As soon as I graduated with my MBA, I moved in with Ryan in the hopes of landing my dream job, but after months of resumes and only a couple of interviews, I found myself jobless and back in Eddington.

I don’t blame Ryan for kicking me out, although I suspect it had more to do with him hooking up with Erin than with me not having a job.

Regardless of how it all played out, I’m even more determined to get out of Eddington. I’ve spent the last few weeks sending my resume to anything that requires a degree at this point.

I add another swipe of lipstick, and slide my feet back into my boots as I put the house key on my key ring.

It’s a decent walk to the pub, so I end up driving over there knowing my car will probably be left in the parking lot. Erin had already assured me that she would be our designated driver given that she’s pregnant and can’t drink anyway.

The pub is busy, crowded actually, and it takes me a few minutes to make my way to the bar and order a drink.

With a beer in hand, I find my brother and Erin near the back of the pub sitting at a high-top table with Ryan’s old partner Beck and a woman I assume is his fiancé.

I greet Ryan and Erin with hugs and Beck gives me a nod of his head and introduces me to Kelsey.

It’s nearly midnight and as I look around at the little group I’m with, I’m once again hit with the reality that I’m the fifth wheel. I roll my eyes and stop the shot girl as she strolls by.

“Anyone?” I ask, a smile on my face, knowing that despite being alone it’s better than being in Eddington.

“Me!” Kelsey yells out, bouncing up on her tiptoes as she tosses a hand in the air.

“I’m out, clearly,” Erin adds with a pouty face, but Ryan assures her he’ll drink enough for all three of them. Sometimes I wonder if he’s really cut out for this whole fatherhood thing.

“I’ll take one,” says a deep voice from behind and I watch the guy I fucked in the bathroom stroll up and kiss Kelsey and Erin on the top of the head, and shake hands with Beck and Ryan.

It takes him a second before his gaze falls on me and the shock on his face absolutely mirrors what’s on my face. I get that this is a small ass town, but the last fucking thing I thought would happen is currently happening.

As much as I wished I would run into him, I really didn’t want it to be in the company of my brother and his friends. There’s no way this is going to end well with how Ryan has responded to my past hookups. And to make matters worse, he is clearly close with my brother’s group of friends.

As I stand here, chewing on my bottom lip, taking in his muscled frame and shockingly good looks, I realize he looks even better than I remember. My memory did not do him justice and today he’s wearing a pair of slim-fit jeans and a tight gray sweater. Holy fucking shit.

Ryan calls my name and I avert my eyes from my mystery man’s rock hard body and my thoughts of what he would look like naked.

“Yeah?” I answer, my eyes blinking, swallowing hard as I try to clear my head and remove my what-the-fuck face.

“You okay? You’re being weird,” Ryan says and shakes his head not waiting for me to answer. “I don’t think you’ve met Finn. This is Beck’s brother, Finn O’Loughlin. Finn this is my sister Sarah.”

I reach my hand out and Finn takes it cautiously, my fingers grazing the inside of his wrist as he tightens his grip.

The jolt of electricity that moves through both of us causes my hand to remain in his longer than necessary.

And I can’t help but I wonder if everyone in this room can feel the sexual tension that is radiating between us.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, moving closer so he can hear me over the noise of the crowded pub, my hand still in his, and he glares at me.

I can’t stop the giggle that escapes my mouth, and when I look at Erin she gives me a serious side eye.

I have a feeling she knows something is up, but she wouldn’t dare say it out loud in front of all these people.

“You too,” he responds, but his tone is formal and his expression is almost angry. I wet my lips and give him a small smile, and I swear I see the corner of his mouth pull up on one side.

“Off duty already?” Kelsey asks as Finn takes down his shot.

“Surprisingly, yes,” Finn says, his eyes still trained on me. “But you know how that goes.” He shrugs his shoulders and signals the waitress for another drink.

We spend the next half hour chatting and laughing, and then someone announces we have ten minutes until midnight, and that’s when the conversation takes an unexpected turn.

“I swear to god if you two fuck in my bathroom again, you’re going to be banned from ever coming in here,” Beck shouts over the crowd and the music.

My wide eyes immediately make contact with Finn’s and for a split second I think Beck is talking about us, but then I watch as everyone looks at Erin and Ryan. His mouth is on her neck and she’s leaning into him with a cheeky smile on her face.

I’ve never been more mortified by my actions in my life. I can’t believe I’ve now had sex with someone in the same place as my brother. And by the stories that are pouring out of Beck and Kelsey, it wasn’t a one-time thing.

“Listen,” Ryan says, his tone assertive, but I know he’s not serious. “I’m not sure you can ban me from a place that I now own a portion of, and if we’re staking claim here, Erin and I get the ladies’ room. You can have the men’s room.”

Before the conversation can go any further, a five minute warning and a last call for drinks rings out before the new year. Kelsey grabs us all another shot and a glass of champagne, holding her shot up she calls out, tipping her shot toward me, “To a great year and to new friends.”

I put my shot back, setting the glass down on the table as I lean over to Erin, letting her know that I’m going to the bathroom.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she calls out, laughing and the look on Finn’s face nearly gives away that we’ve definitely done what she’s done. But even worse is the look on Ryan’s face that screams I shouldn’t be fucking anyone, let alone someone in a public bathroom.

I shake my head at her and make my way to the bathroom. The crowd of people is thick and with the buzz I now have going, I’m struggling to get through.

When I finally make it near the bathroom, a hand suddenly grabs hold of my upper arm, stilling me and I can feel the weight of Finn’s body pressing against my back. My heart begins to race as desire swirls inside me and I know that Finn feels it too.

“You could have told me who you were,” he says tightly, but breathlessly, his lips next to my ear as he walks me into the hallway with the bathrooms, his body still pressed into mine.

Turning around, looking up at him through my lashes I ask, “What fun would that have been? You weren’t exactly open with me either.”

“Your brother is going to fucking kill me. Kill me with his bare hands,” Finn groans, running a hand through his hair.

“He never has to know,” I respond, this time stepping closer to him as he moves us both into a corner at the end of the hallway.

“Do you have any idea…” Finn starts but stops quickly, again tugging a hand through his hair. “Your brother hates me, and this,” he says, motioning with his hand between us, “is only going to add another reason to the list.”

“Fuck him,” I say, rolling my eyes, hating the fact that Ryan can be so controlling. I don’t even live here, so the idea that this could carry on longer than the length of my visit is probably pushing it.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about our bathroom rendezvous turning into something more, but that was just boredom and the loneliness of living in Eddington. Or at least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself.

By now, my fingers are slipping into the waist of Finn’s jeans, and I watch him bite down hard on his lower lip. He sucks in a long slow breath and closes his eyes.

I press my body harder against his, pushing up on my toes so my mouth is next to his ear. I murmur, “Admit it, fucking me in that bathroom was hot. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about your…”

“Sarah, no,” Finn says firmly as he interrupts me, and I pull back feeling small and insulted. I duck my head away from him, but there’s nowhere for me to go. I’m trapped in the corner of this hallway with him as the crowd calls out a joyous shout of “Happy New Year!”

With his large muscled body looming over mine, Finn mutters, “Fuck it,” and that’s when his hand slips to my neck, his fingers gripping tightly, his thumb brushing over my cheek, as he leans down and kisses me hard.

I’m breathless for a split second and when my lips part to take in air, Finn’s tongue invades my mouth making me moan out loud.

“Goddamnit, Sarah,” he says, but the smile I feel against my lips tells me he’s anything but pissed off at me.

I laugh and pull him in for another kiss while the crowd of people still celebrates the New Year, knowing we only have a few seconds before this hallway fills with people and our anonymity is lost.

When we finally separate, both of us breathless, I tell Finn, “I have to get back to the table.” I’m feeling like I’ve been gone for way too long, but he shakes his head at me.

“Everything about this tells me it’s a terrible idea, but fuck me, I can’t walk away from you.”

I nod my head in agreement, feeling my heart race as Finn rubs his thumb across my bottom lip, and with his warm breath on my neck, he says, “I wanna fuck you in this hallway so bad right now.”

My eyes close and a soft groan falls from my lips as I murmur, “Then do it.”

Finn lets out a low chuckle, pulling me against his body. “Don’t tempt me,” he says, as he sucks at my neck. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Sarah.”

I feel my face grow hot at his words, and I swallow hard wondering if our one night stand has suddenly turned into something more.