"Leah, five minutes I'm away smoking with Troy and you came back with a surprise on your side. I thought we discussed this when you were six when I particularly warned you not to pick up strays on the side of the road."
Jalin took a glance at Finn, who was staying in bed, surrounded by nurses.
Finn got nervous when he saw Jalin. I had to hold his hands to make him stop trembling.
I didn't think he was afraid of Jalin, who looked perfectly harmless to anyone. I guessed it had something to do with the uniform that Jalin was wearing.
I noticed that Finn got nervous whenever he saw people in military uniform.
"How are you going to explain this to Lucian, may I ask?" Jalin pointed at Finn and asked me.
"He doesn't have to know," I mumbled.
"Oh, great." Jalin said, "Let me know if your plan is going to work. And please do call me when he finds out that there's a man living in his beloved sister's bedroom. I want to see the look on his face."
"Jalin... please..."
"OK, stop right there. You can't possibly try to pull your puppy eye trick on me three times a day. Once or twice a day, I can deal with it. Definitely not three times."
"He's injured and he needs our help," I said.
"People get injured all the time, Leah. You can't try to save all of them."
"I don't want to save all of them. I just want to save one of them." I got so emotional that I squeezed Finn's hand.
He was obviously in pain, but he didn't withdraw his hands.
"Sorry," I apologized to him, trying to take my hands away, but to my surprise, he wouldn't let go of them.
My heart was throbbing.
His hands were freezing cold. I wondered if it was possible to warm them up with my body temperature.
"Ah. I can't watch this, Leah." Jalin rubbed his forehead and said. "This is exactly like what it was five years ago, with you showing me a boy like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his magic hat. And the next thing I realized boom, you two were married. And, boom, he broke your heart. Please, Leah, listen to me..."
"It's 4:30 in the morning. Even if you want to send him away, we have to wait till it's morning. Now, go get some sleep. You'll have a really busy day in the morning," I said.
"Or I can just go back to my room and shoot myself," Jalin sighed. "Leah, I'm not leaving you with a man..."
"...who's got plasters all over his body. Look at him, he's like a mummy. He couldn't even move his legs, Jalin. Don't worry about us."
"Oh, great. So you and he are 'us' now," Jalin crossed his arms, looking vexed.
"Come on, Jalin. I'm tired. I need to get some sleep. In 5 hours, I will be showing up for my first board meeting in the company. I really need some sleep," I said.
"OK. But if Lucian asks me, I know nothing about you and your new pet." Jalin narrowed his eyes. Then, he gave Finn an "I am watching you" look and walked out of my room along with all the nurses.
The room was finally quiet with me and Finn alone.
"It has been a really long day," I mumbled and stretched out a bit. Finn still refused to let go of my hands.
"Do you want me to sleep next to you, Finn?" I asked. "So I can hold your hands?"
Finn didn't say anything but stared at me with fear.
"Finn, you're my friend. I want to help you. If there's anything you want me to do, you can just tell me." I leaned against the bed and stared at him.
Finn struggled for a while and eventually asked, "Are you going to leave me? In the morning?"
"Yeah. I'm going to work. I've got a new job and I have to show up for a meeting," I said. "But I'll be back around noon and we can have lunch together. Is that OK with you?"
Finn looked doubtful, holding my hands more tightly.
"OK. So, you can come with me to the company tomorrow. I'll have a meeting and you can wait for me in my office. I've got lots of flowers there, so maybe you can help me to water my plants," I winked at him.
"Flowers..." Finn mumbled in a soft voice. He looked lost in his thoughts, with his eyes looking into a distant void of the past.
"I like flowers..." he whispered. His lips curved in a perfect angel. The wolf in me was unrested. I knew she wanted me to lean forward and steal a kiss from him.
I could easily do that and technically speaking, I could do it because, well, I purchased him.
But thank Moon Goddess that the human being part of me still remained conscious and rational. I couldn't just kiss a total stranger in my bed. It would be highly inappropriate. It would be very bad. It would be...
Just when I was trying so hard to persuade myself not to join the dark side, Finn suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
I was petrified.
Being kissed by him was the best thing that had ever happened to me so far today.
Well, it was actually so far the best thing that ever happened to me in my life!
His lips were so soft and his kiss was so different from all the kisses that I had ever had in my life.
Well, I had only been kissed by Lucas before I met Finn, so yeah, his kiss was so different from Lucas'.
As our eyes met, I could see the longing in his gaze. Slowly, I leaned in, feeling the warmth of his breath on my lips.
Our mouths met in a soft, almost playful kiss, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings.
Then, he slowly stretched out his arms, wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer as our lips moved in unison. The sweetness of his taste sent shivers down to my spine, and I knew at that moment that I never wanted to let go.
With each passing second, our kiss deepened, and our bodies melded together in a blissful embrace. I could feel his heart beating against my chest, matching the rhythm of my own.
As I finally pulled myself away, I looked into his eyes, seeing love and my image reflected there. I realized that the kiss was just the beginning of a lifetime of passion and affection.
Thank Moon Goddess, I finally got the only thing I had ever wanted from a man -
Tenderness.
The next morning, I was woken up by a sudden blast of light.
I rubbed my eyes and saw Mr. Carson, my Father's butler, standing in my bedroom, drawing up the curtains.
"Good morning, Miss Leah." He greeted me with a big smile on his face. But his smile froze as soon as he saw Finn, who was sleeping next to me.
"Miss Leah, I hope this wouldn't be so inappropriate and I'm sure that I'll regret asking this question for the rest of my life, but if I may... Why is there a man in your bed?"
I bounced off the bed and pulled Mr. Carson out of the bedroom.
"He's my friend Finn. He's living here from now on. He's injured and I was taking care of him last night," I replied. "It's just for one night. I will find him another place to stay. So you don't need to worry about it."
"Another place... Listen, Miss Leah, may I remind you that your husband, Alpha Lucas, hasn't signed the divorce papers yet? So, I don't think it's appropriate for you to sleep with another man in your bed."