Page 12 of Time to Stirrup Love (Harmony Glen #10)

He hadn’t forgotten the way her curves had felt pressed against him when he was protecting her from that lightning storm.

How close she was, how she smelled and how much he wanted to kiss her.

And do other things to her, but if he thought about those other things, he’d get a hard-on and that’s the last thing he needed in this moment.

“How was your dinner last night? I interrupted it when I stopped by,” he said, trying to make conversation, something he was out of practice on.

“You didn’t interrupt my dinner. I did go shopping at the farm market. Got some eggs…”

Finn shuddered when she said eggs and tried not to picture the chickens. “Oh, yes?”

She was staring at him quizzically. “Don’t like eggs?”

“Nope. If they’re blended into something I’m fine, but…nothing from a chicken.”

“Are you allergic?”

“Nope. Just nothing from a chicken. I can’t stand those feathery little fuckers.”

A smile twisted on her lips, her open eyes sparkling. “Are you afraid of chickens?”

“Cocks in particular.” His eyes widened as the words left his mouth.

“What?” Margaid started laughing, holding her stomach, and he realized what he said and how it sounded.

He groaned and rolled his eyes. “Roosters.”

She stifled her laughter. “It’s not that I’m laughing at your fear. It’s valid, it’s just…the way you said it.”

“I know,” he grumbled. “Is being afraid of roosters and chickens a real fear?”

He wanted to get off to topic of cocks and his fear of them.

“Of course, it’s a valid fear. Alektorophobia.” She sighed. “Sorry for punting you with my weird random facts. I tend to bore people with them.”

“No, I like them.” Which was true, he did. “So, what’s the fear of monsters called?”

“Teraphobia.”

“Well, that makes a bit more sense than alektorophobia. Teraphobia sounds like it belongs to monsters. Alektorophobia sounds like you’re afraid of people named Alek.”

She cocked her head to one side. “I suppose it does.”

“Do you have an irrational fear?”

“Arachnophobia, not really that weird, is it?”

“Spiders?”

Margaid nodded. “I get paralyzed when I see them. There aren’t any…spider monsters in town are there?”

“If there are I haven’t met them yet,” Finn quipped. “But after the Great Revelation, monsters were welcomed here, and we’ve just made a home for ourselves.”

“Making a home sounds nice. The closest I have to that is probably California. It’s the longest my mother and I stayed in a state, but I haven’t had or felt at home in years.

” There was a hint of sadness to her voice, a bit of longing, and he found that incredibly endearing.

It was sort of the way his dad used to talk about Manx or the way Sven and Magnus would talk about their old Viking settlement in Norway, long gone.

He was lucky that this was always where he belonged. This was his home and he forgot that other people didn’t have that connection. Some people were just transient, whereas he was glad to be here.

Even if he mostly kept to himself around town.

“What else did you buy?” Finn asked, trying to change the subject.

“Some veggies and cheese. Uh, usual stuff.” She was gnawing on her bottom lip and looking sideways.

“What else did you buy?” Then he sat up straighter. “Oh no, you didn’t buy one of those crocheted phalluses my mother is insistent on making.”

He thought back to when he walked up behind Pearl and Margaid and saw Margaid squeezing that chenille cock. He always thought those things were ridiculous, but when he saw Margaid handling it, he did picture her hand on his.

Stroking it.

He shifted, crossing his legs and trying to ignore that mental image of Margaid.

“No,” she chuckled. “I did buy a crocheted creature, but not a penis.”

“My mother has witchy tendencies, she charms those little creatures she crochets,” he grumbled.

“That explains the weird dreams I had the other night.”

He chuckled. “Probably.”

“I wanted to support Pearl and Hetty’s business. I like your family, Finn.”

“And?”

“And?” she asked.

“What about me? I know we didn’t get off on the right foot…”

Pink burned bright under her freckles. “I do like you, Finn. Quite a bit.”

Electricity ran through his veins, his pulse thrumming. “I’m glad you do. I like you as well.”

And he couldn’t believe he was admitting that to her.

What was it about her?

“Well, I’m glad we’ve established that.” She ducked her head and tucked a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear. He wanted to reach out and run his finger through her hair, but he resisted.

One thing he knew, he couldn’t sit here all day or he might not be able to control his compulsion to carry her off to his underwater kingdom. Not that he had one, but according to ancient legend that’s what his kind did. And honestly, that’s what he wanted to do right now.

His phone vibrated and fished it out of his pocket, reading a frantic text message from Pearl about some missing inventory.

“Drat,” he muttered.

“Is everything okay?”

“No. Issue at the store. I think I need to take care of it. Text me when you’re done, or Phineas can, and I’ll swing by to take him home.”

“No need. I can take Phineas home,” she offered.

“Thanks.” He slipped his phone into his pocket. Annoyed that his time with her was cut short, he decided to do something completely out of his comfort zone. “What’re your plans for dinner tonight?”

Her eyes widened. “My plans?”

“Yes. If you’re not busy, I’d like to invite you over for dinner at my place.”

She smiled sweetly. “I don’t have any plans.”

“Good. About six?” Suddenly he was sweating. He could feel it foaming on his coat. He was glad she couldn’t see it. It had been a long time since he asked a woman out. Actually, he’d never really been on a proper date. Usually, it was a hookup. He wasn’t even sure he knew what a date was.

“Six is great.” And she blushed again, which was absolutely adorable.

“Great. I’ll see you then.” As he clambered back up to the trail, he started to panic because yes, he was a pathetic grown-ass monster who had dinner every night at his mother’s house. He had no idea how to plan an impromptu date night. Or make it romantic.

Now, he was seriously panicking. He galloped down the trail back to his truck and headed straight for the shop. Pearl was waiting and he helped suss out the missing inventory, and then sat down in the small office to figure out how to go about planning a romantic date.

What helped him think was to make a list. So he did. Laying it out step by step. Except, he couldn’t get past step one, which was dinner.

“What kind of list is that?” Pearl asked, laughing at him as she leaned over. He didn’t hear her come in.

Finn jumped and covered it with his hand. “Don’t snoop.”

Pearl forcibly removed his hand. “Step one, dinner. Step two, candles. Oh my gosh, did you ask Dr. Davis out?”

Finn sighed. “I hate that you’re so intuitive. Yes, I did ask her out for tonight, but…I don’t know where to start.”

Pearl perched on the corner of his desk. “Would you like my help?”

“Yes.”

“Good, because I was going to help you anyways. First things first, groceries, maybe a trip to Ogram’s for some fresh produce and the bakery for baked goods. Oh, and we need flowers. Maybe Dazy can hook us up or check out the florist shop too. Then I’ll help you cook and pick out your outfit.”

“My outfit? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“It’s a date, Finn. You want to sweep her off her feet.” Pearl grabbed his hand. “Come on. Mom can handle the shop. Let’s go shopping.”

Finn groaned, but let Pearl drag him out. He was glad she was offering to help him, because clearly just writing a list with the word dinner and candles was not good enough.

Not by a long shot.