Secret Obsession (9 page)

Her next mission was to eat. It was almost noon, and she hadn't eaten since dinner the night before. And she'd had one heck of a workout.  The house was quiet as she made her way to the kitchen. As usual, there was a covered plate waiting for her filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns and Canadian bacon. She ate breakfast alone while sitting at the large family table. Things were so different than when she arrived. At the beginning of the month, she felt like running away. Disconnected from her parents, her new step family and not having any friends to speak of, she felt miserable alone. Well one flat tire turned her world on its axis, and now she didn't know what would come next.

Her father was taking more of an interest in her, which would be wonderful if she wasn't hiding such a huge secret from him. But, oh what a secret. Her body grew hot at the thought of being with Finn. The way he ravaged her was nothing short of earth shattering. The way he claimed her as his, there was no denying it. His name was invisibly tagged onto her soul. A part of her forever. No matter what happened.

After breakfast, she went in search of her man, smiling inside at how that label made her feel. She was disappointed to find that Finn wasn't in the barn. She hopped on one of the three-wheelers that the ranch hands used, and headed out to find him. She rode through the middle of the property hoping to locate him faster. Rays from the sun shone hotly against her skin as she powered through the tall blades of grass. She slowed her speed when passing the horses, not sure if the roar of her motor would spook them. When she finally spotted Finn, he was in a grassy field near the edge of ranch, propped up against a cedar tree with a sketchpad and colored pencils. Ed McCain was streaming from the speaker of his truck, and he smiled when he saw her approaching.

Raven parked her ATV, and jumped off. Stalking towards him like he was a skittish, wild creature. He laughed at her silly posture, raising an eyebrow as she crept closer.

"What are you doing?" His chuckle deepened when she put one finger over her mouth to shush him.

"Quiet, I'm sneaking up on you."

"Oh yeah, I hadn't noticed." He put his pad down to make room for her on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she hugged him close. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent, and placing light kisses on her temple.

"So what are you working on?" She reached for his drawing.

"Today I was just free flowing. I did a little sketch of the grove of trees over there," he said, pointing to the spot he was referring to. Raven studied the sketch, impressed with his obvious skill and level of detail.

"Wow. This is really good Finn. How long have you been an artist?"

"Ah, I wouldn't call myself an artist, but I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon."

"Um, you are definitely an artist. This is amazing, and it's 'just' a little sketch? I would love to see the rest of your work. I can't draw to save my own life. Shoot, I can barely maintain my handwriting."

"Wait here," Finn murmured before heading to his truck. He returned with a blanket and a larger pad that showed signs of wear and tear, which he handed to Raven. Then he spread out the blanket, moving his tools onto it and motioning for her to join him.

"That is a collection of my favorite pieces over the years. This is what I usually do on the weekends if I'm not working."

Finn watched as she poured through his work. It was strange to see her so enthralled by his talent because he had never shared that part of him before. He reached over, pushing the hair that was framing her face behind her ears so that he could see her better. He couldn't believe that she had made such an enormous impact on him in so little time.

"So what are your hobbies?" Watching her peruse through his sketches produced a burning desire to know more about he; this creature of so many moods.

"Of course you know I'm a dancer. I used to teach dance lessons part time and choreographed routines for the cheerleading squad. But that's more along the lines of a profession for me. As far as a hobby, I'm not as talented as you are at art, but I do write music. I used to help out a friend who was part of a band. I would take her poems and turn them into songs but that was the only time I did it for show. Usually I just write them and they never leave my notepad."

"Wow. So are you going to write a song about me?" he only half-joked. Truth be told, he would love for her to write a song about them. Raven seemed to bring out whatever romance he held within his soul.

"I suppose I could be inspired to do that," she joked back.

The pair continued to talk and share bits and pieces of their past. While they were very different, there seemed to be some common ground between them. They liked the same foods, Italian being their favorite, and had the same taste in movies. Music was a different story. Raven concluded that Finn was two steps away from being Willie Nelson, where she had a more eclectic collection of tunes. As they talked, Raven continued to look back at certain sketches that caught her eye.

"These are amazing. You are amazing," she said with complete adoration. She placed his drawings to the side, angling herself so that they were face to face. She traced the rugged outline of his jaw, taking in his beauty. Not only his looks, but also the goodness that she saw in his eyes. The man that she had written off as aloof and boring, was really deep and sensitive. If she wasn't falling for him before, she knew she was now.

"Thank you," he whispered, letting her continue her explorations. "I think you're pretty amazing too. You make me feel incredible."

Snaking an arm around her, Finn slid his hand through her hair, guiding her to his lips. This time their kiss was slow and soft. Finn wanted her to know that he needed her for more than sex. They had a free pass to do as they wished for the weekend, but at that moment all he wanted was to hold her under the warm rays of the sun, while the gentle summer breeze danced across their skin.

After a long day spent out in the hot sun, they both were tired and in the mood to relax. That night, they settled on the couch in front of his big screen TV to watch a movie. The day had been spent with them both sharing memories from their childhoods, and learning more about each other. Finn had taken Raven all around the ranch, showing her exactly how their business was run, and explaining all the changes her father had implemented to make things better. That made Finn think about their future as a couple.

"What do you think your father would do if he found out about us?" That question had been weighing on his mind all day. Raven sat up from her cozy position in his lap and glared.

"He would kill us. Both of us. Why would you ask that?"

"It was just a question. I mean, you can't think that we can do this forever."

Raven let out a long sigh. "You're right, I guess. I hate the thought of my dad finding out. I can't imagine that he would be happy about it."

"Well, I think I should have a talk with him." Finn's voice held a steady confidence. Raven slid out of his lap and she recoiled at his suggestion.

"Finn! What would you say? What if he forbids me from seeing you? What if this causes a rift between our parents? Have you thought it through?" She was highly agitated, on the verge of panic. Finn sat quietly. He gathered his thoughts before he continued.

"I have thought it through, and I think that coming clean is a better alternative than getting caught. And we will get caught, eventually. Unless, this is just something to kill time for you. Some sort of game," he edged her on, hoping to finally get her to open up about her true feelings.

"I told you this means more to me. How could you say that?" She wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to hold in the hurt that his words caused. Finn immediately felt bad for goading her.

"Sorry Ray, I just don't understand you. You say that what we have means something to you, but you clam up whenever I talk about our future. I don't like the sneaking around. It feels wrong. I mean, yeah, it was exciting at first. But it's too much to look your father in the eyes every night at dinner knowing all the things that I've done with you. I'm a man Ray, and I don't want to hide how I feel about you. I would rather he be angry with me and know that I'm treating you well than be caught sneaking around like I'm ashamed. Do you understand?" His eyes implored her to reason, and he reached for her, wanting her back in his arms.

Raven’s brows knitted in deep thought as she absorbed Finn's words. As much as it terrified her for her father to know the truth, she agreed with Finn. She couldn't argue with him. The fact that he was serious enough about her to risk exposing their relationship made her feel warm inside, while his strong arms made her feel secure.

"I'm scared," she whispered her truth.

"I know, darlin', but I told you that I'll take care of you. Even if that means we have to get our own place or run away and start fresh." He kissed her gently on her temple.

"Oh God, I hope it doesn't come to that. I can't afford to start over Finn."

"I hope it doesn't come to that either, but I have money from my dad's will, so I'm good. As long as we are on the same page," he said. Raven took his hands in hers, and squeezed it.

"We're on the same page," she said with a weak smile.

They
continued like that for weeks. Pretending to be civil by day and then giving into their passion for each other every night. On the weekends they would find ways to stay away as long as possible, but it was becoming harder to do. Not only did they enjoy being naked and lustful, but they truly had a good time together.

On one rainy Saturday evening, Finn broke up their routine.

"Let's go out."

Raven looked up from her kindle and pulled her ear buds out to make sure she’d heard him correctly.

"Come again?"

Finn eased into her room and closed the door.  "I want to get out of the house. Aren't you bored to death?"

"Well, I'm still breathing, but I am bored. What do you want to do?"

"Let's go to the bar or something."

"Are you sure?"

Raven had grown increasingly concerned that they would be found out. She wanted to spend as much time with Finn as she could, but not at the risk of disaster.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Neither one of our parents have ever stepped foot in Dusty's and I doubt they're about to start now, darlin'."

"Really, darlin'?" she said mocking his twang.

"You know you love my voice. I'm gonna have Buck pick me up. Meet me there."

Raven was still smiling after he'd closed her door and gone. She knew the moment he left the house; the air had changed, and she sensed that his energy was gone. That's how in-tune with him she had grown.

She put away her reading tablet to search her closet for what to wear. A small giggle escaped when she came up with an idea. Finn would love it.

Finn
sat at the bar with Buck but he hardly heard a word that his friend said. He worried for a moment that Raven would chicken out. It had been almost an hour since he expected her to walk in and she still wasn't there yet.

"So that's when I asked the cow if she wanted to hang out sometime," Buck said louder than usual.