“Fuck off, leprechaun!” I held up my middle finger, laughing and panting. I had almost made it back to the bench Finn had designated as home base—and I refused to be caught.
Just as the bench was in reach, he grabbed me by the middle and lifted me right off the ground. He walked me to the bench and deposited me on my bottom. Bending in half, he braced his hands on his knees and panted in my face.
“Jaysus, Iris, you’re outta shape.”
I laughed and fell to my side. My heart hammered away in my chest. I should have gotten up to cool off, but now that I was down, I wasn’t eager to hop back up.
“Didn’t I hire LSS to keep the stalkers away? In what scenario am I running from one?”
Long Shimmering Satin
Finn paced in front of the bench, his hands on his hips. “I’m preparing you for the unexpected. What if I stop to tie my shoe, get distracted by a squirrel, and your stalker takes advantage of that moment to snatch you?”
“I don’t think my bodyguard should be admitting this is a possibility.” Finn was so fucking funny. He reminded me of a combination of Adam and Roddy. A natural friend.
He stopped and placed his hands on his hips. “I would get you back.” He shook his head like he was disgusted with me for doubting him. “Do you truly believe I would let your stalker just keep you?”
I snorted with laughter, which only set Finn off. He was supposed to be this big, intimidating bodyguard, and I guess he was at first glance, but once he opened his mouth, he was nothing but a ridiculous goofball.
“I really can’t picture you in the army,” I said.
He stood at attention and saluted me. I jumped up from the bench and curtsied because it just felt right. Finn dropped his serious expression and reached out to give my ponytail a hard tug.
“I prefer to give the orders these days, but I still know how to take them from the right person.” He waggled an eyebrow as if I wouldn’t have understood the double entendre otherwise.
“Oh, shut up.” I started down the path, my hands on my hips, still breathing a little harder than normal. Finn fell in step beside me, filling every second of silence with his voice. He was an expert at small talk, chatting away about nothing important without being banal.
In the distance, umbrellas and café tables caught my eye. I nodded toward them. “Are we going to run into any surprises today?”
Finn fell silent, following my line of sight. We were nearing the coffee shop where Vanessa had just happened to be sitting. He rubbed the back of his neck and hummed. “Uhhh...no, no surprises today. That was a mistake.”
“Was it?” I canted my head in his direction. “So, no more groping your rich, very married client in public?”
“It’s done. No need to worry your pretty little head.”
He was being lighthearted, but it was clear Finn didn’t want to discuss Vanessa anymore. If he said it was done, then it was. As long as I wasn’t put in that awkward position again, we were golden.
“Aw, you think I’m pretty?”
“Yeah.” He hooked an arm around my neck and tucked me into his armpit, giving me a gentle noogie with his fist. “A pretty feckin’ big headache.”
He had me laughing the rest of the way back to my place, keeping his arm loosely slung around my shoulders. Even though his stance was casual, he remained alert the whole way, doing the bodyguard thing. As much as I had bucked against having a bodyguard in my life, I didn’t deny it made me feel more secure.
“Were you expecting company?” he asked.
“No…why?”
His narrowed eyes were focused on my stoop, where a large man sat on the steps, peering down at his phone. That neat hair and those broad shoulders were unmistakable but didn’t make sense. We were supposed to be taking a day or two to think. He hadn’t contacted me, but he’d only dropped me off yesterday. Still, I hadn’t expected him to just show up. I guess he was done thinking.
“Ronan?” Finn sounded just as confused by his friend’s presence as I was.
Ronan’s head jerked up, spotting us approaching. Finn’s arm dropped from my shoulders, but not before Ronan homed in on the gesture. Twin lines formed between his pinched brow, gaze darting from Finn to me.
He stood, waiting at the base of the steps. Somehow, he’d grown over night. I didn’t remember him being seven feet tall, but he seemed to be when I stopped in front of him.
“What’s up, brother? You got my text that I was running with Iris, right?” Finn asked.
“I did. I thought you’d be home by now.”