Beah took a long time to respond to his suggestion. “I don’t know, Finn,” she said, twisting her hands together. “The last time we hopped into bed we ended up getting married and divorced within a year.”
“We were young and dumb,” Finn replied. “We’re older, wiser, less impetuous.”
“We started kissing in a lift and ended up naked ten minutes later,” Beah pointed out.
Okay, that had been pretty impetuous, but they were allowed one slip, weren’t they? “We’re not going to end up doing anything stupid, Beah.”
They weren’t going to confuse love and sex again, weren’t going to hand over their hearts and exchange rings and vows.
“But friends with benefits, Finn?” Beah sounded skeptical. “I kind of thought you were kidding last night.”
He never joked about sex. And especially not with her.
“Why not? We’re single, consenting adults who enjoy each other’s bodies.” So much. “We have art in common and Murphy’s in common. We’re both committed to the company and our careers.”
Finn braked at the red traffic light and turned his head to look at her, his curiosity caught by the strange look crossing over her face. It was a combination of guilt and determination, mixed with a healthy dose of “oh, crap.”
What the hell was that about?
“What’s the problem?”
Beah tipped her head, looking puzzled. “I’m not sure what you are getting at...”
Good try, Beah. “What aren’t you telling me? And don’t say nothing because I know something is up. We might not have seen much of each other over the years, Bee, but I know when you are hiding something.”
Beah slipped her glasses back onto her face and sent him a tight smile. She gestured to the traffic light, which had turned green. “Let’s move on, Murphy.”
Finn knew she wasn’t only talking about their trip but also the direction of their conversation. He also realized she wasn’t going to open up, and her reticence annoyed him.
His ex-wife seemed to have more secrets than Vatican City. And he didn’t like not being part of the inner circle.
By lunchtime, they’d visited the chapel, decided on a white chocolate and raspberry cake, and met with the florist. They were due to meet with the caterer to finalize the menu and had booked a string quartet. The wedding reception would take place in the ballroom at Mounton House, the only place they could find able to hold fifty-plus people at very short notice.
They were making progress, Beah thought, making notes on her iPad. Piper and Ben’s wedding was on track. All the bride and groom had to do was rock up and be happy.
Beah made a final note, looked up and noticed Finn wasn’t heading in the direction of Murphy International.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Detour,” Finn replied.
“I need to get back to work, Finn,” Beah said, twisting in her seat to face him.
“It’s only noon. We can be back in the office by two or three.” Finn’s placed his big hand on her knee and squeezed. “Come home with me, Bee. For an hour, maybe two.”
Beah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, caught between temptation and sensibility. If she did this, if she said yes, it would take whatever they had from a one-night stand to a fling, to something not so easy to dismiss.
Oh, she wasn’t going to allow it to go deeper than a brief affair, that wasn’t an option, but it would still be more than a heated, impetuous night.
She should think about this, work out the pros and cons.
Finn pulled over into an empty parking space, just a mile from the Charlestown Navy Yard, where he owned a condo on Constellation Wharf. He’d bought it, so she heard, shortly after their divorce, fulfilling his wish to live on the water.
“If you are unsure, I’ll do a U-turn and take you back to Murphy’s,” Finn told her, his voice low but his tone sincere. He rested his forearms on the steering wheel and turned his head to look at her. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.”
She was nearly thirty years old and nobody pushed her around, especially when it came to her body. “I’m perfectly capable of saying no, Murphy.”
Finn grimaced. “I know, Bee.” He shoved his hand through his hair, frustration jumping in and out of his eyes. “You’re not the young woman I married, but can’t you see I’m also trying not to be the jerk I used to be?”