Finn (The Moore Men, #1)

by Ashley James

“Do I really have to learn this?” Ash asks, the sweat along his brow glistening under the late morning Texas sun. “Surely, I can walk to where we need to go on the property.” “Yes.” I fold my arms over my chest, stance wide as I rethink my decision to hire Ash. “It’s a basic skill everybody should know how to do. What if you find yourself stranded, and a horse is the only option?” His eyes narrow as he asks, “In what situation would I be in where horseback was my only option?”

The way he doesn’t use any emojis and his favorite form of punctuation seems to be a period trips me up. Like, is he mad at me? Annoyed by me texting him? Hate my guts? Or maybe he’s just an eighty-year-old man trapped inside the body of a…thirty-year-old? I guess I don’t even know how old he is, but he’s certainly young enough to use emojis.

He hums. “Yes, daddy.” “Stop that,” I growl, opening the fridge and scanning what’s inside. “Why? I think you like it.” “I do not.” Lie.

“Had to wash these after I jizzed all over them this morning.” “Excuse me?” My stomach flips. There’s no way I heard him right. He snorts. “I mean, can you blame me?” His hooded, glossy gaze shamelessly drags up and down my body before he adds, “Look at you.”

Good, he’s gone. Fuck him. Fuck her. And most of all, fuck me for being such an idiot.

It happens so fast, I don’t have any time to prepare or even anticipate it coming. In the blink of an eye, she throws her wine directly in my face, soaking my shirt and getting into my eyes and my mouth as she rises from her chair. “Fuck you, Finn,” she shouts, garnering the attention of everybody in the room. “You really need to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror if you truly believe we were casual. God, you’re a fucking prick.”

“My mommy,” he says again, this time his eyes finding mine. “I don’t have one, and how cool would it be if you were?”