Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 101 **

Maya

After having sex with Finn, I topple down on his broad chest, and he strokes his massive palm over my back in a tender fashion. No one is making a move to head for the shower, and my cheeks burn as I count the number of bleached scars on his muscular arm.

Shit, why can't I get him out of my head?

I'm trying my best to resist falling in love with Finn again, but I think the feeling never left. We had plenty of sex in the past, cuddles, and steamy moments, and I enjoyed riding his cock tonight. Yet it isn't those things that make my heart pound; it's the small intimate things he does, like caressing my skin after having sex.

Finn is a gentleman, and although he takes charge in bed and resembles a white-haired fairy version of Jason Momoa, I know he would do nothing I didn't like. The man is a total catch—I'm well-aware anyone else would throw themselves into his arms, but I can't do that.

There are too many reasons I should pretend my heart doesn't race around him…

Finn is kind, and he is younger than me, hotter too, and I would be foolish not to think this thing between us isn't temporary. It is only a matter of time before a prettier, younger girl comes along and steals him away from me—the mate-bond hardly matters; I rejected my first mate.

I can't deny that I enjoy being with Finn, though. I love the attention he gives me and how small I seem in his powerful arms. He is attentive, and he asks all the right questions. Finn is my safe place, someone I can trust, and my heart is well-aware of it too.

"You're quiet tonight..." Finn's chest rumbles, and I sink into him, closing my eyes to relish his scent. He doesn't smell like this world, and his strong heartbeat brings a sad smile to my lips.

My chest constricts. "I have nothing to say."

His fingers brush through my hair lovingly, and I dig my face further into his naked chest, praying I can die there and never leave his side.

Like a mole, I explore him and shove my nose into the tight space between his two pectoral muscles. And Finn responds by chuckling and kissing the top of my head.

"Lies," he murmurs, stroking my skin. "You were thinking about us, weren't you?"

My heart skips a beat. "How can you tell?"

Another chuckle. "Because I know you, Maya. You're the master of overthinking things."

My lips curl. "No, you were the one overthinking in the past. You had so many reasons not to get serious with me—what changed?"

"A lot of things," Finn hugs me closer to him, taking a deep breath to inhale my hair. "I realized life is too short, at least human ones, and if I didn't find you, then I would regret it for the rest of my life."

My voice is barely above a whisper. "Why would you regret it?"

For a moment, he embraces me as if his life depended on it. As if I would disappear in the blink of an eye should he not put all his emotions into our hug. I love it. It feels like we are melting into each other, holding each other's souls.

"Because everyone would regret not being with the love of their life. No one compares to you, Maya, and no one has ever affected me like you."

No, it's not fair!

Please stop telling me nice things because we won't work!

Tears swell in the corner of my eyes, and I sob into Finn's chest. My eyes sting from salty tears, and I wrap my arms around him as tightly as I can. Love is cruel because I can't see Finn being happy with an aging human.

"Please don't tell me any more of your beautiful lies, Finn. Only the truth. My heart can't handle false promises and love declarations."

"They aren't false," Finn murmurs into my ear, kissing the tip of it and making heat rush to the area. He seems to find my reddening skin amusing. "I might not know your favorite color or what TV show you watch on a Friday night after a long day at the office, but I've seen your soul, Maya, and I fell in love with it."

I shyly give him my favorite color. "Blue."

"Like my eyes?"

I blush, nodding into his chest. "Yes."

Finn chuckles. "You're cute."

He drags me up to his face and kisses me hard, making me go down in flames.

God Lord.

One minute with this man, and I'm already reduced to being a teenager again. I can't stop it, though. Finn makes my heart young again, and the emotions I hold for him are so intense, so darn strong, that simply looking at him sends my mind on a trip.

I place my hands on his shoulders, tasting his tongue until we are both out of breath.

With admirable effort, I lean back, meeting his roaming eyes. Finn looks amazed, and my heart dances inside of my chest.

Why does he always have to look so goddamn sexy?

Finn stares at me for several seconds, looking like he wants to say something, something humorous. Instead, he kisses my lower lip, softer than before and a lot more affectionate.

I sit perfectly still, touching my lips in shock as he leans back. His lips curl as he props his head on his pillow, examining me with silent tenderness zapping in the air. Lightning surges between us, and I drown in his eyes, overwhelmed by him.

After many intense minutes, Finn speaks. "I will never tire of looking at you. You're gorgeous."

I swallow thickly at his words, averting my eyes. "Beauty doesn't last."

"But love does."

My brain stops functioning, and I peer down at him, searching his eyes for any clue of dishonesty. Finn only smiles at me, and my lips quiver because I want him. I want him so severely it's physically painful to observe him naked in my bed.

"Love, huh?" I ask. "You wanna hear a secret? I don't believe in love—passion and infatuation, yes, but true everlasting love? I have yet to experience that for myself."

Finn grins. "Do you mean to tell me you don't love me?"

My lips part, but I find myself unable to speak. My heart is pounding, my cheeks are flushed, and my head is screaming: Finn, Finn, Finn! So, I guess the fairy has a point.