by Lindsey Hart
“We shouldn’t go to dinner,” she panted as she stepped back, putting a foot of space between herself and the most incredible kiss she’d ever had. Okay, if she was honest, the sex thing… that had been the best she’d ever had too. Ever. In her life. And not just because she’d been buzzed. Rhett might just have the nicest- shlong- she’d ever encountered too. Her lady bits shivered thinking about it. The rest of her body shivered right along.
“Shouldn’t?” Rhett’s eyes darkened. He gave her one of those dusky, smoldering looks that every female on the planet should have been powerless to resist. How was it not illegal to have eyelashes that long?
“Shouldn’t,” Bella repeated and holy shit, was that really her voice all husky and dusky and sexy sounding?
“So, let me get this straight…” Rhett shook his head and he actually looked confused. “You gave me your address, came home, changed and put your hair up. Didn’t tell your roommate not to run me off, who by the way has legs thicker than damn tree trunks- does he eat whole chickens every single meal- how many chickens have to die every day to feed that guy? And now you’re changing your mind about dinner because we shouldn’t?”
“I can change my mind, can’t I?”
“Sure, you can.” Rhett crossed his arms and his muscles did that same bulgy thing that John’s often did. Did the guy even realize that he might not be as stacked as John, who probably did eat sixteen chickens a day when she wasn’t around to see it but he was even more devastatingly attractive? He leveled a hard gaze at her. “But are you really going to? I’ve already made a reservation at this little diner that I’m told is amazing. Are you really going to stand them up? A little mom and pop shop that probably depends on business from people like you and me to keep from going under? They rely on their customers to stay open so that they can compete with huge soul-crushing box chains that serve shitty microwaved food. That really would be a travesty.”
Bella pressed her lips together so the giggle welling in her throat didn’t have a chance to escape. “I can’t believe you just said the word, travesty.”
“What’s wrong with travesty?”
“This isn’t the eighteen hundreds.”
Rhett’s eyes danced around. “Yeah. I noticed.”
“Well- it’s- I don’t know. I was going to try and talk you out of this inside because the second I opened the door I realized what a mistake this was.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“I see.” Rhett dug the toe of his grey leather shoe into the concrete. His legs looked incredible with those sinfully worn-in jeans and that fucking t-shirt that displayed every single ab and pec and flex and shift of his glorious man muscles. He sent a tiny pebble skittering along the parking lot’s surface.
“Can we please just call this off? Can you go back home, and I can pretend that none of this ever happened?”
The way Rhett was looking at her- it was the kind of look that said she was more than just a drunken hookup when he probably needed it to get back up on that horse after being kicked big time. He was looking at her like he was there because he didn’t want round two. Or that he did, but he also wanted something more, something deeper, and no guy, and she’d dated a few over the years, had looked at her like that. Like they cared. It scared her senseless.
Rhett shifted. Of course, his t-shirt shifted too. Bella kept her eyes trained above the waist. There was no point in torturing herself, or worse, risking the chance of spontaneous pregnancy. But she couldn’t not notice the huge bulging outline in his jeans again. “Is that what you want?”
Bella forced herself to nod.
“Alright then.” Rhett crossed his arms, which caused his muscles to bunch and hunch and do all those crazy shifting movements underneath his bronzed skin. Skin that she desperately wanted to caress again because it was so, so soft, even if he was a dude. He didn’t just have the biggest- er- thing she’d ever experienced in her life, he had the softest skin.
Damn it. Now my ovaries are hurting. They weren’t the only things throbbing. Bella’s nipples, her freaking nipples, actually hurt they were so hard. She was running the risk of having them pierce through her lace bra and through her dress. Okay, so maybe her vajay hurt a little too. Because thinking about Rhett’s perfect man meat sent off a chain of chemical reactions that would shame the devil himself. Maybe shame wasn’t the right word. Maybe more like thrill… That is way too much. Way over the line. Stop thinking about his pointy stick. Stop thinking about his pointy stick doing things to my bat cave. Damn it, I am so screwed. No, I’d like to be screwed. That’s the whole point.
Bella gave her messed up head a shake before she screamed in frustration at her own inability to not be a lusty filled horndog.
“You’re staring at my dick,” Rhett said casually as if they were discussing the weather. His eyes darkened again, and those thick eyelashes swept down, giving his already scorching eyes that sexy bedroom look. “Maybe you don’t want to go to dinner because you’d rather be dinner.”
Bella tried to protest, but all she could do was splutter. Finally, she gathered herself enough to choke out an intelligible response. “Did you not hear anything this entire time?”
Rhett gave her a barely guilty look. The barely and the guilt were definitely forced. “Over the line?”
“Yeah. Really over the line.”
Rhett’s voice was dark and dusky. “Why do I get the feeling you like going over the line?”
“I- I don’t.”
“So, me eating you out in the backseat of that rental in some privately secluded area where no one is going to see us or ever find out, isn’t what you really would rather be doing tonight?”
“I- not- not if that’s all we’re doing.” She could have smacked herself in the face. What the hell is wrong with me? Honestly, she didn’t know. She’d never been like this with any guy. Ever. She was normally poised, full of grace. Controlled. Not exactly hard to get, but she didn’t just sleep with anyone.
Screw Rhett and his seducing dick. Except the problem was that she seemed in imminent danger of doing just that.
Because her nipples were now shards of glass. Her panties were absolutely drenched. Her nether regions were quivering. She was eighty percent there to an earth-shattering climax already and Rhett had expended approximately three percent effort to get her there.
“You’re right it was over the line.” Rhett swallowed hard. He somehow managed to keep a straight face, though Bella had the impression he knew all about what was going on in her lady bits and was somehow laughing at her. Cock-laughing. Was that a thing? “I’m sorry. That’s what I came here to say. That’s what dinner was really about. I wanted to thank you for taking pity on me, nearly getting puked on a few times, and uh- all the rest. I’m sorry too, for what I said after and for uh- not having a little more control. That wasn’t me. That’s not who I am.”
“Yeah. I got that.” Bella swallowed hard. It felt like she’d just ingested a damn brick. “Thanks. I do appreciate that you took the time to stalk me, fly across the country, get yourself marked for life, and come all the way here just to apologize.”
“It probably is completely inappropriate that I’m here.”
“We should let the past be the past. We- er- had a good time. We can forget about it and move on like adults.”
Rhett nodded sensibly. “My mom would be horrified if she found out.”
“My family would disown me and despite everything I do and say, I really like that last remaining thread that our relationship is hanging on by. I don’t want to sever it completely.”
“Okay.” Rhett stuck out a hand. Bella eyed like it might be a snake about to spring on her. Maybe, despite everything she said, she wanted his snake to spring on her. “Friends?”
Bella hesitated.
She waited.
Her hand remained at her side until things got really, really, incredibly awkward. Rhett still kept his hand out like a gentleman. He never broke ey
e contact and his orbs burned right into her. Her stomach dropped out.
She should have been smart, but her past relationships with family, friends, and definitely men, proved that smart wasn’t exactly the best word to describe her. She couldn’t let him walk away.
“Not a chance.” Yeah. Okay. She really had no brain at all. Either that or the massive rush of blood straight to her crotch area had drained it of all functionality. Her body remembered all too well what Rhett felt like pressed up against her, on top of her, inside of her. There was no way she was letting him leave. “Unless it’s friends with benefits, and by benefits, I mean- doing- uh- what you just described in that really inappropriate scenario involving your rental.”
Rhett paused for a moment, stunned before a leisurely grin bloomed over his far too handsome, irresistible face. “I hope it also involves a few other… choice parts,” he said before he extended his hand again.
This time she shook it.
Hell- here I come. Hopefully what everyone said about the devil playing the best tunes was the truth.
CHAPTER 10
Rhett
Okay, so maybe Bella was right. Maybe what they were doing was crazy. Maybe their families would both be so disappointed. Maybe they both lived in different cities and his coming all the way across the damn country and getting inked just so he could say two words to her again, was crazy. Maybe it was definitely, completely, thoroughly wrong, but damn, as he carefully navigated his rental to the city limits and darkness descended, the energy crackling in the car between them like frantic static felt really, really phenomenal.
He kept his eyes on the road, instead of on all the inappropriate places he could have looked, like the beautiful creamy swell where Bella’s breasts peeked out above her dress, her shapely legs and the expanse of thigh as her dress rode up a little higher than normal because she was sitting down. He kept his eyes on the road, even as his hands strangled the wheel and his cock refused to behave. If Bella snuck little glances his way, which he was sure she did, even though he didn’t actually catch her doing it, she probably noticed the giant bulge he had no hope in hell of hiding.
Not that he should.
They were driving somewhere to- uh- take things past first base.
Unless she changed her mind.
And they just talked.
Which would be okay too.
“If you turn right there, that look like the road will go out into the country.”
“Oh?” Rhett’s hands moistened a little- okay a lot- on the wheel.
“It’s gravel. It has to lead somewhere.”
“Yeah, probably straight into someone’s yard.”
“There are farms and acreages all over the places.”
“That’s exactly my point. Unless you like having an audience.”
Bella let out a little tsking noise between her teeth that was both adorable and adorably pissed off sounding. “No, I don’t want an audience. I mean, generally, when there are a bunch of farms and shit, there are usually roads that interconnect and go into old farmyards with abandoned houses and trees and whatever.”
“So, you’re looking for one of those.”
“I guess.”
“They’re dangerous you know. They could cave in around us. Maybe you like taking risks.”
She turned to him, her gorgeous eyes flashing. “You’re an asshole, you know that? Or no. Maybe not an asshole. Probably an asshat. That definitely describes you better.”
“What’s an asshat?” Rhett asked, unable to keep the amused tone out of his voice.
“It’s- uh- well, someone who acts like an asshole, but like- uh- dumber I guess.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the thought you put into that. It’s a nice sentiment.”
Bella actually giggled as Rhett turned down the gravel road. He might as well do what she wanted. He didn’t care where they were going. In truth, he just wanted to get there. Maybe he was an asshat. Or was there a word for someone who was currently ruled by their giant fucking erection? Oh right. A dickhead. That term was incredibly accurate at the moment.
Bella shot him an I told you so look after they traveled down the road, past a farmhouse, then another, and another, eventually ending up near a copse of trees and a tumbling down farmhouse that was probably a century old.
“This is good?” There was an ancient dirt road that ran past the house. The road was deserted for miles around, the last farm they’d passed at least ten minutes away. There were no lights in any direction. The night was incredibly still and silent after the noise of the vehicle died away. Dust motes undulated in the headlight’s beams until the auto function finally cut out and they were plunged into darkness.
“I guess it’s as good as anywhere.”
Rhett shifted. He unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to find a comfortable position. It was made harder by the fact that the rental was a pretty tiny sedan and he wasn’t exactly a compact human. “It’s actually pretty romantic.” He paused and nearly blushed at the way his words came out. “I can almost hear the crickets. At least it’s a nice night.” Okay, that was equally as stupid sounding.
Bella’s eyes finally swept to his face. Her incredibly kissable, utterly delicious lips were parted just a fraction. Her eyes were wide and dark and glistening, her skin pale and flawless in the small glow of light the moon provided. The nearby trees sent dappled shadows racing over and across the car. That crazy static energy filled up the car and Rhett nearly groaned as he felt it sweep through his bloodstream. His skin prickled.
He might have been drunk the first time, but he remembered every single detail.
Every single vivid detail.
“So- um…” Bella blinked. “We’re really going to do this, in the backseat of the car, like a pair of horny teenagers who’ve been told by their parents that they have to remain virgins until they get married at the age of thirty, produce two point two kids, have a cat and a dog and a brand new vehicle every other year, and oh, a white picket fence?”
Rhett grinned because Bella smiled to soften her overly sarcastic words. He liked that she was witty and had that dry sense of humor. He freaking liked it a lot.
A whole lot of places that were already throbbing like hell, throbbed a hell of a lot harder. The summer night was warm and sultry and that’s what the inside of the car felt like. Hot. Sticky. Chaffing. In an incredibly undeniable sexual way of course.
“We could do like I said and go explore the house.”
“That house?” Bella’s forehead wrinkled incredulously. “That house looks like it’s going to fall down if a hard wind kicks up. The roof is half caved in.”
“You’re right. It looks pretty bad.”
“And that’s really gross. It’s probably infested with rodents and raccoons or home to a fucking bear or something. We’d likely get eaten.”
“By the hordes of mice?”
“Definitely. One mouse is enough. If they bite you, they’re full of disease. Their poop and pee are really bad to inhale too. They can give you Hantavirus.”
“That sounds made up.”
“It’s not. I swear.”
“Good to know.”
Bella blinked. “You’ve obviously lived in the city your whole life. Didn’t you ever go camping as a kid?”
Rhett swallowed hard. He debated about throwing something sarcastic and witty back at her, but instead, he opted for the truth. Which was surprising given that he never really talked about any of that with anyone. Including Sarah. In hindsight, that really wasn’t all that shocking.
“Actually, I didn’t go camping much as a kid. My mom raised me. She was by herself. We didn’t have a lot of money. She couldn’t afford to send me to camp or take me anywhere really. She did what she could though. We made tents in the living room and forts out of boxes and everything. I didn’t really feel like I was missing out.” A heavy loaded silence settled over the car. Rhett expected Bella to say something soft and sentimental and meaningful, given that her face
had changed, but instead she shook off the look that was so close to pity it made his stomach hurt, and offered him another sarcastic beautiful grin.
“And so when you got rich, which you obviously did, given that my sister was with you and all, free riding your ass- er- maybe other things too- okay, maybe that’s inappropriate but you probably bought your mom a huge house with all the fancy trimmings, a brand new car, and took her on a five-star vacation for a month to some exotic locale, which was a hell of a lot cooler than any camping trip and certainly didn’t include things like Hantavirus and mice.”
Rhett couldn’t help it. He laughed. He laughed so hard his shoulders shook and his eyes teared up and his stomach muscles hurt. Other things hurt too, but he pointedly ignored those. “I guess that I did,” he admitted. “Pretty much all of those things. She deserved it. She worked hard, incredibly hard, to support us. Always had to put up with me too.”
“You were probably a good kid.”
“I was and I wasn’t. Like all boys I guess.”
“My parents wished I was a boy. They never said that, but I knew. They had my sisters and they tried one more time for a boy since my dad always wanted one. I felt like I was a disappointment right from the start. And then, my personality really made itself clear.”
Hearing Bella say those things was like a punch in the gut. It was pretty damn clear that her rebellious streak might have a lot more to it than just wanting to defy her parents and piss them off at every turn. Her walls might be thick to protect more than just her principles and her sense of style.
“Oh. I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure they loved you.”
“Of course.” Bella shrugged. “They’re my parents. I think they have to.”
“I wish that was true. I think there are a lot of people out there that don’t love their kids like they’re supposed to.”
“I know they love me but I also know that my dad was disappointed. I think you can still love your kid and wish they were something else or acted in a different way. My parents don’t get me at all. They never did. My dad wished I was a boy and my mom wished I was more of a girly girl, like my sisters. I just felt trapped somewhere in between in this no man’s land for so long. I guess I still do, but now it’s so out of control and I’m so far gone with this,” she looked down at her tattooed arms, “that they’ve probably given up completely.”