Craft Beer & Roses

Chapter 9

The sun had nearly risen to its full height in the sky when Aviva opened her eyes. She attempted to roll over, but her efforts were hindered by a heavy weight around her waist. Finn stirred beneath her, long lashes grazing the tops of his cheeks.

Oh shit...how long have we...

Judging by the dusky light of the day, it must've been at least six or seven in the morning. People would wake up soon if they hadn't already. She looked down at their current position, a frown catching on her lips. Aviva didn't know why things were seemingly easier with Finn, let alone why his arms were so damned comfortable. What she did know is that if anyone caught them up there, it'd be hell.

Reluctant to leave the warmth of her muscular blanket, Aviva slowly placed her hand on Finn's chest to gently shake him awake. He groaned irritably, arms tightening around her by a fraction. She flushed as his large hands lay just above the curve of her full bottom beneath her hoodie. She hadn't worn any pajamas last night, having felt too exhausted to bother after her shower; the only barrier between them was the thin, silky layer of her favorite panties. The heat from his hands against her bare skin made her stomach clench with need.

If he could just slide them a little lower, then maybe...

Aviva shook her head, rapidly blinking the wayward thought from her brain. She hadn't been with anyone since her breakup, choosing to focus on herself before diving in between the sheets with someone new. She blamed her line of thinking on that, reasoning out she'd simply missed the feeling of intimate touching. It was a natural human reaction and absolutely nothing more than that.

She huffed to herself and jostled Finn again, more aggressively. "Finn!" She whispered harshly.

"W-what...?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Finn, it's morning! We need to go back downstairs!"

"Mmm...no, I like it here..." Aviva flinched as he held her closer, hands venturing dangerously lower. Before she could allow herself to relax into him again, she jolted back and flicked his forehead.

"OW!"

"Everyone will be up soon!"

Finn released his hold on her, massaging the middle of his brow to soothe the dull pain. Aviva tried to ignore how much colder it felt without him wrapped around her.

"Well I'm awake now. Are you happy?" Finn muttered. He sat up fully, movements sluggish from their rest.

No, I'm not.

"Yes, very." She lied; she'd rather stay there all day if she could. "We need to go before people find us..." Aviva slid across the bench and gathered her things before standing in front of him.

"Right." Finn stretched his arms to the sky, yawning loudly. "Are you feeling better?"

The question surprised her. "Huh?"

"Did I make you feel better?" Finn asked again, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

The truth was that he did make Aviva feel better. It was a little alarming how good he was at it. Though a part of her still dreaded having to see Suresh again, she knew she couldn't avoid him forever, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Oh...yeah, actually...thank you, Finn."

"You're very welcome, Aviva." He rose to his full height, this time pushing his broad chest forward to stretch out his back. She wondered for a moment what it would feel like to run her nails down the chiseled planes of his abs.

No! No, no, no, stop that. My God, Aviva, it's not even been a week! You are having a cold shower as soon as you walk through that door!

She forced herself to look away.