He swept his lips across hers.
Tenderly.
The wind blew.
The earth rumbled.
He stepped back long enough to grab one of the clean blankets he knew his father kept there and spread it out on the ground.
He got onto his knees and stretched out his hand to the girl who stood fidgeting at the edge of the blanket.
Black hair framing her gorgeous face. Her spirit running manic in the space.
She tugged off her boots. They thunked against the ground as she dropped them, and then she climbed down to her knees in front of him.
He reached out and slipped the spaghetti strap off one delicate shoulder.
He pressed his mouth to where it had been.
She shivered beneath his caress, and her fingers trembled when she reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt so she could pull it over his head.
Her eyes raced to take him in, same way as his lingered and searched, wanting to memorize every inch of this girl.
And they undressed each other that way.
Reverently.
Relishing every second. Every beat.
A soft, seductive exploration.
He laid her back on the blanket, the girl spread out, her hair a black halo that billowed around her head. Her pretty tits jutted with each heave of her breaths.
Lust consumed him.
But it was more than that. Bigger than anything he’d experienced before.
Kneeling, he edged forward and set his hands on her knees as he stared down at her.
Lost.
Taken.
Found.
“It means something, Violet. It fuckin’ means something. Pretty sure it means everything.”
He climbed over her and pressed into her tight, sweet body.
Bliss. Bliss. Bliss.
He groaned, and she whimpered as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. “Yes.”
He gathered her up.
And they both let go.
Gave themselves over to the song of their souls.FifteenRichardRhys’ car roared down the desolate road. Flying through the night, hugging the corners tight.
While I shook. My damned knee bounced at warp speed. Agitation boiling my blood and setting fire to my veins.
Motherfucker’s words banged through my mind.
“It’s time she moved on, and I’m going to see to it that it’s with me. Nothin’ you can do about it.” Knew it made me a prick that I couldn’t let her go. That I hadn’t in all this time. That in my fucked up, twisted mind, that girl had still been mine.
No matter what I’d said.
No matter the lies that had been told.
No matter the mistakes that had been made.
Had she really fallen for that bullshit?
Believed that I left her to chase down a dream? That I wanted that life more than I wanted her?
Fuck that.
But what was she supposed to believe?
Curiosity rippled through Rhys as he slanted me a glance. “You’re lucky I love your mopey ass so much. You’re about the only person in the world I’d crawl out of bed for in the middle of the night. Well, that and a text for a little Rhys-style lovin’.” Dude waggled his brows.
“So, me and half the female population? I feel super special. Do I even want to know how many numbers are on your phone?” I tossed out.
“Not unless you feel like fallin’ into jealousy. I mean, I know it’s hard to be friends with a god like me, so I should probably keep that information on the down low. Out of the goodness of my heart, of course.” He cracked a grin.
I shook my head. Dude almost managed to pull a laugh out of me.
But it was stunted.
Gloom came off me in plumes of thick, black smoke.
Rhys’ inquisition turned speculative when he caught my mood.
“Care to tell me what you were doing over at Violet’s in the middle of the night? Pretty obvious you weren’t there to get a little of your own lovin’ with that forlorn destitution on your face. Hell, you look so pathetic, you’d think you’d been sentenced to blue balls for life.”
Sounded about right.
“You get your ass tossed off the property? Cockblocked? Or did she look at your ugly mug and come to her senses?” he razzed.
I rubbed my sweaty palms down my jeans. “Was only over there in the first place because Emily convinced me to go with them to check out the wedding venue.”
Didn’t take a fuckin’ psychology degree to know my little sister was angling for something. What, I couldn’t tell. Like Vi and I were just gonna somehow be friends?
Our pasts nothin’ but water under the bridge?
Not possible considering I’d already burned that bitch to ash.
“And it lasted until two in the mornin’?” The question was nothing but sly supposition.
Agitation taking me whole, I looked out the passenger-side window to the blur of landscape flashing by. “Daisy fell out of a tree and broke her wrist. Drove them to the ER. Couldn’t ignore that.”
Worry filled the cab.
“Well, fuck me,” he wheezed.
Nah. I was the one who was fucked.
“She okay?”
I blew out a slow sigh. “Toughest little thing ever. Think she would have pretended it didn’t hurt a bit until it healed wrong if Violet would have let her get away with it.”