Fin held onto his shoulders as she was suspended in his arms. “You know.”
His eyes softened. “I do.”
“Should you be lifting me?” she asked.
“I’m fine, honey. It was just a scratch.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She blinked them away as Kyle looked at Rachael standing to her left. “You remember Rachael, don’t you?”
He gave Rachael a wink. “How could I forget?”
High colour hit Rachael’s cheekbones, and Fin smothered a laugh. Clearing her throat, she looked pointedly down at the ground.
Kyle ignored the silent demand to put her down. Instead, a cheeky glint lit his eyes as he arched a brow at her. “Where’s my penguin?”
Laughter bubbled out of her. “Are you serious?”
“You’re holding out on me, honey. I’ve never seen a penguin before. I was looking forward to having one of my own.”
“I don’t believe you. You haven’t been to Penguin Island?”
“That depends.”
She raised a brow. “On what?”
“Are you going to take me?”
Fin chuckled and pushed at his chest. “You can put me down now.”
She slid slowly down his body as he let her go. Reaching for her hand, he grabbed hold. “What are we doing today, ladies?” He looked at the bags Rachael clutched in her hands. “Shopping?”
“Brooks!”
Kyle turned and Fin peered around him, seeing a car parked farther down the road. One guy was leaning his back against the passenger window, another was resting his forearms over the open car door on the driver’s side. Both were looking at them.
He waved them off and turned back to look at Fin and Rachael.
“We’re taking Fin out tonight, so we needed to get her something to wear,” Rachael said in answer to his question.
He looked at Fin, the bright midday sun shining through his golden brown hair. “Out, huh?”
“Maybe,” she mumbled.
“We’re going,” Rachael said firmly. “Fin needs to get out.”
“Where are you off to?”
Fin sighed as Rachael told him.
“Hurry up, mate!” came another shout from the car.
Letting go of Fin’s hand, Kyle turned around and waved off their impatience. “Gotta get going,” he told them and took Fin’s chin softly in his hand until she was looking at him. “Take care of yourself, honey.”
“Of course,” she murmured.
He nodded at Rachael and walked off.
“Oh, Fin?” he called out. Rachael and Fin, already walking off in the other direction, stopped and turned. “I’ll call you, okay?” he shouted, walking backwards. “You can take me out to Penguin Island like you promised.”
She shook her head, fighting a smile. “I didn’t promise you anything,” she shouted back.
Kyle grinned. “Are you sure about that?”
Reaching the car, he swung open the door as his friends hopped inside the car. He gave a brief wave before disappearing.
“Kyle’s huge,” Rachael announced. “And hot,” she added.
Fin looked at her. “Don’t go lusting after a soldier, Rachael. They’re not good for your health, particularly that one. I hear his package is footloose and fancy free.”
Rachael grinned and linked her arm with Fin’s. “Of course it is. Now. But that’s only because he’s waiting for the love of his life to just happen along.”
They started walking down the street. “And that’s you?”
“Well … yes,” she conceded. “Though by the way he was looking you over, it could possibly be you. Don’t be greedy. You have Ryan and he’s the hottest of the hot.”
“I don’t have Ryan,” she pointed out.
Rachael stopped them both and looked at her. “What are you talking about? You’ve always had Ryan.”
“I haven’t. The Army has.”
“Fin.” Exhaling irritably, Rachael looked away for a moment before meeting her eyes. “You’re his heart. You. That’s his sacrifice for whatever demons he’s carrying around inside him. But he needs to wake up and realise that it doesn’t matter where he is, or what he does, you’ll still make being together work, because both of you share something that is so far beyond love it won’t ever die.”
“What about in here?” Kyle said.
Ryan stopped in front of the open deck nightclub he was walking past with Kyle, Tex, and Galloway. He was already unsteady on his feet. Alcohol had done its promised job tonight, and he was almost numb. He just needed one night without having to feel anything.
Putting his hands in his pockets to keep himself balanced, he looked at Kyle. “This place?” he shouted over the loud music. From the street outside, the beat was already thumping through his system. “Are you high?”
Kyle gave the club a once over. “If I was, I wouldn’t be here with you girls.”
“Yeah? Where would you be?” Galloway asked.
Kyle paused and looked at him. “Fucking of course. That’s my high.”
“Fucking anything that moves,” Tex muttered.
Kyle raised a brow, insulted. “Just women, a**hole. Tall ones, short ones, slim ones, curvy ones.” He licked his lips and grinned.
A group of girls sat on the deck talking and laughing. One of them broke the huddle and glanced their way. She winked as she brought a glass to her mouth.
“Jesus,” Kyle muttered. “Yep. This is the place.” He nodded towards the entrance. “Time’s wasting.”
Galloway followed Kyle’s line of sight and frowned. “Hey, isn’t that Laura?”
“Laura?”
“Yeah, you know … Jake’s cousin.”
Goddammit. The numb haze floated away at the mention of Jake’s name, ruining all the effort he’d put into drinking so he could forget. Laura’s eyes widened when he looked her way. She glanced quickly towards the bar and following her movement, he froze.
Fin stood there looking like nothing he’d ever seen before. His breath lodged in his throat as his eyes wandered over her. She was wearing a skirt that shimmered under the bright lights of the bar. Her beautiful long legs—the ones that felt like heaven when they wrapped around him and squeezed—were on display to the world, and her top? Fuck. Was it a top? Whatever the f**k it was, it exposed a long V of her chest that made him hard instantly. He wanted to drag her away, lick his way down that tantalising display, and then rip that thing in two.
Tex said something that had Kyle and Galloway laughing, but he couldn’t drag his eyes away.
“… right, Kendall?”
Kyle elbowed him.
“Huh?” he muttered.
“Nothing,” Kyle said with a roll of his eyes.
When the guy standing next to Fin at the bar leaned in and trailed his finger seductively over the line of her collarbone, blood roared in his ears. He was saying something to Fin that had her leaning close to hear.
“Fuck,” he growled.
His face grim, Ryan ignored his friends and started for the door.
“Looks like we’re going in!” Kyle shouted.
“Good one, dick. Look at the bar. Fin’s here,” Tex told him.
“I know,” Kyle replied, smug. “I had it on good authority she would be.”
“So look at the guy she’s standing next to. Don’t you recognise him?”
His brows flew up. “Should I?”
“He’s in all the photos we saw of Fin.”
“Christ, Galloway. I’m busy looking at her in the photos, not raking my eyes over whatever a**hole is standing next to her.”
“That’s Ian,” Galloway growled.
Kyle’s eyes flew to the bar. “Oh fuck,” he breathed.
Ryan winced as the lights strobed painfully, but he kept his eyes on Fin as he pushed through the crowd of people.
Ian noticed him first. Glancing over Fin’s shoulder, he gave Ryan the once over and his jaw ticked. Ignoring him, Ian smiled down at Fin and Ryan wanted to punch it off his face.
“Fin.”
She turned slightly and her eyes, having done something that made them smoky and sexy, widened when she saw him standing there.
“Can we talk?”
Fin blinked. “Now? Now you want to talk?”
He nodded at the clarification. Yes, he wanted to talk.
Ian took hold of her bicep, the gesture a possessive one, and smirked at Ryan. “Not really the best time for talking, is it, Kendall?”
Ryan gave him a murderous glare. Did the man have a f**king death wish?
“Ryan.” Hearing Fin’s sweet voice, he wiped the anger from his face before he looked at her. She shook her head at him. “There’s nothing to talk about. I get it. Really, I do. But I apologised. I asked you to come back and after two weeks, you see me standing with Ian and you decide we can talk now?”
“Yes, dammit. You needed time to cool off.”
“Fin.” Ian’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, crowding her. “What are you talking about?”
Fin shrugged off his hold. “Nothing, Ian.”
Ryan looked between the both of them. Ian’s body was tense, jealousy obvious in his flushed cheeks. Hell, Ryan was just as bad. His hands had curled into fists. He all but cracked his knuckles and growled at the guy.
“Are you two back together now?” Ryan asked Fin.
“No,” she said firmly.
“Maybe,” Ian said over the top of her.
With the noise at the bar getting louder, Ryan only caught Ian’s response. He flinched, hurt welling inside him. “Really? After what happened between us, you’re just running back to him?”
Ian’s nostrils flared. “Wait. You f**ked him?”
Fin pressed her lips together.
“Don’t you speak to her like that!” Ryan snarled, jabbing his finger angrily.
Fin focused her gaze over his shoulder. “Hi, Kyle.” Her attempts at forcing a smile fell flat because it didn’t reach her eyes.
“How long have you been f**king him for?” Ian ground out. “All those times he was staying over at your house when we were still at school—were you f**king him the same time as me?”
With vision blurred by rage, Ryan heard Kyle mutter, “Oh shit,” as he cocked back his fist and slammed it in Ian’s face. It hit with a hard, satisfying crack, and Ryan growled with pleasure as Ian staggered backwards.
“Kyle, do something,” he heard Fin plead.
“Fuck no. Didn’t you just hear what that a**hole said to you? I’m taking a turn next.”
Ian rushed forward, fisting Ryan’s black shirt in his hands. “You bastard!” he yelled in his face. “Stop doing this to her. Can’t you see? When she sees you, all she sees is Jake and it’s f**king killing her! You hanging around is just a lousy reminder of what happened to him. Leave her the f**k alone or she’ll never get over it. Let her move on, for fuck’s sake!”
Ian shoved him away and Ryan staggered backwards, shock stealing his breath. Fuck. Ian was right. The a**hole was f**king right. He had to let her go. Let her heal. Live without her. Alone. He was always so goddamn alone.