“Ask me that again.”
I swallowed, rolling my lips to rid them of their dryness. “Am I safe with you?”
“Yes.” There’d been no hesitation that time.
“Do you feel safe?”
“Yes,” I replied honestly, with a quickness that was mildly concerning. No matter, I didn’t feel as if he would hurt me.
He grinned, obviously pleased by my answer. His thumbs continued to draw invisible patterns into my skin, and I began to feel antsy, an ache I hadn’t felt in a long time making a gradual return.
“I need you to think about this next question. If your answer is no, this can end right now. If you say yes, I’m taking you home.”
“O…kay.”
“You want me.”
My brows furrowed, I blinked in confusion. “Is…is that? Wait. That didn’t sound like a question.”
“I just need a yes or no.”
“Are you being serious?”
Again, without hesitation. “Yeah, I am.”
That confirmed it. Rhett Sullivan was insane. I glanced down at the tattoo on his right hand, the dark shading of a wolf contrasting with his tan skin.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew what he was really asking. I had a flashback to that morning when Emery said he’d be my summer rendezvous. That didn’t sound like the end of the world.
“Yes…?” It came out as more of a question, but that was confirmation enough for him.
“Nova,” he said my name with a softness that still conveyed the command beneath it.
I raised my eyes to his, caught off guard when his mouth pressed against mine, tongue sweeping across my lower lip. I was not a huge kisser, but I went with it, granting him the access he was seeking and found myself pleasantly surprised.
His kiss was hard and confidant. I matched his tempo, thinking absurdly if I was doing it right. My hands found their way to his broad shoulders, his body pressing closer to mine, jeans rubbing against my apex.
My chest tightened, nipples hardening. A small moan slipped from my mouth, and he stopped, breaking our connection.
“Not like this,” he stated, his smooth voice sounding almost as normal as usual except for a slight rasp. I pulled my dress back down to hide the rapidly growing arousal that had gathered between my legs.
“I wouldn’t of,” I lied, attempting to be as cool and collected as him.
He clicked his teeth at me. “Nova.” He reached out and pinched my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “I know your pussy is already wetter than it’s ever been. I could fuck you right here and now and when I’m done you won’t even remember your name, but then I couldn’t do half the things I wanted.”
How was I supposed to reply to that? My body was on fire. Good Nova, the me who needed to be sweet and pure was already blushing, telling me to keep my mouth shut.
The real me wanted him to do as he’d just described, and then do it again later.
“I can see you’re thinking too much into it.” He laughed softly and offered me his hand. “Don’t worry, my dicks’ going to fill every fuckable hole you have, but I’m going to feed you first.”
“I’m not sure what to say to that,” I admitted, letting him help me down.
“You don’t have to say anything. Just eat the food and then spread your legs. If you’re able to speak after that, I’m not fucking you the way you deserved to be fucked.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mumbled, slipping back into the car.
As we descended back down the long road that brought us to the peak, I busied myself by replying to Em and Annika’s text.
“What would you have done if I said no?” I asked.
He reached across the center console and took my hand “I’m not someone who hears that very often.”
My mind raced with all the implications behind his words. I was an observer, a thinker, and then a reactor. Never one to rush into things or be blind-sided, everything about him—us—went against that. This felt somewhat surreal, like the segment of a dream, one I couldn’t determine the nature of.
CHAPTER NINE
NOVA
When Rhett said he’d take me home, he had been being literal.
But before returning to his secluded estate, we had to drive through town. The Westfield lodge was on one side of the lake and the peak another, which got me thinking.
“The cabin is more of a summer property. So, how long are you here for?” I asked, propping my elbow on the window.
“Until the beginning of September.”
I did the math in my head. I’d gotten back two weeks after the fourth of July, three weeks ago now. That time would fly. On one hand it assured me this would be all about sex. On the other, it was all about sex.
This was good.
I felt him looking at me every so often, but my attention wavered between my phone and the passing town. His car was doing a good job of drawing attention to us. With the windows down everyone had a clear view of who was inside.