Protecting Love (LarssonSiblingSeries #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN*

Betty

I can still hear Katy Perry's voice in my head from last night, having sealed two VIP tickets to one of her shows here in L.A. Laine and I were right at the front, the barriers keeping her adoring fans at bay while we sang our hearts out and shook our butts until our legs got numb. I forgot how to speak when she mentioned my name and felt totally star struck when she gave me a wave from the front of the stage. I'm hoping somebody caught it on tape, so I can boast about it in years to come.

If anything else, it was just nice to see my sister let her hair down after a tiresome few days of nonstop crying and worrying on her part that Trevor was coming back to take George. We don't know if he went back to England or if he's staying here, but he seems to have disappeared for a while, not even contacting Laine to ask about George.

Good riddance is what I say.

I listen to Laine telling George all about our adventures last night while she feeds him in the living room. It's nice to chill on the bed for a few minutes as my schedule has been pretty gruelling and I'm beginning to feel the tiredness settle in. Not that I'm complaining. I'd live off two hours of sleep a day if it meant I could keep these incredible opportunities.

"Oh, hey, Finn," Laine says, and I swallow my tongue. Finn's back?

I jump off the bed and hop from foot to foot, deciding where to hide. I don't want to see him yet. I'm not emotionally strong enough not to blubber everywhere. While I'm trying to get my body through the mini-breakdown, I'm experiencing I hear Laine tell him I'm in his old bedroom, not giving me enough time to hide under the bed before the door handle moves down and his massive body is filling the space.

And if he doesn't look good enough to eat.

I'm screwed.

Picking up my integrity from the floor, I attempt to stand tall, pulling my mouth into an easy smile. Easy, being the important word. It's anything but when I get a look at his gym shorts tapering around his thighs and the baggy grey hoody covering the steel like muscle I know is hiding under there. It's my favourite look on him, and I swear he's done it on purpose.

"Hey you," he says, voice thick from tiredness.

I look everywhere but him. "How's it going?" You bloody annoying gorgeous can't stick to one woman man.

"Good. You been missing my calls on purpose?"

I pull my nighty higher when I see his glistening brown eyes shift there. "You been missing mine?"

I see guilt pour into his expression and I get an abnormal amount of satisfaction from it. "Not intentionally-"

I cut in. "Don't you worry, I got the memo loud and clear. Just a shame you have to use someone else to do your dirty work for you."

"Come again?" he quizzes.

I shake my head and lift my eyes to the ceiling. "Okay, Finn. If that's the way, you want to play it."

"I'm not playing at anything," he gives off a shaky laugh. "I just flew in ten hours on a plane, excited to see you and you're giving off a bitchy vibe, acting all passive aggressive. What did I miss?"

"Nothing," I'm not going to spell it out for him, also I know hearing the truth is going to leave a sour taste in my mouth. "You must be tired. Do you want some tea? I'm making a cup of green."

"Not right now. I wanted to spend a bit of time with you, to explain why I left in such a hurry and how much of a weight it was to tell you about Kaine."

I feel too hot all of a sudden, not liking the tension in the air and the anger bubbling away in my stomach, I head for the door, yanking it open so hard I hear Finn groan behind me when my elbow jabs his stomach. It's pure muscle. I bet he didn't feel a thing.