Tessa smiled up at him as she nodded. She never would have guessed the morning that she’d found the tattoo-covered tough guy sharpening a knife by her bed that he would end up being one of the few people that she counted as a friend.
“Well,” Charlie said, as soon as the door closed behind Jake. “I guess that just leaves the three of us for the rest of the night.”
Rhys didn’t say a word.
Tessa looked down at her hands.
“Anybody hungry?” she tried.
Tessa shook her head.
“Yeah…yeah. Me neither,” Charlie said.
The silence stretched on. Eventually, it became so tense that Tessa didn’t think that she could stand it any longer.
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one.
Charlie clapped her hands loudly, before standing up from her chair.
“Well, I guess I’ll just head off to bed then,” she said.
Tessa lifted her head, her eyes going wide. “Don’t let us run you off,” she said.
Charlie shook her head. “It’s cool. I usually go to bed at…” She looked over at the clock. Her brows pulled together as she frowned. “Eight o’clock.”
“Don’t be silly,” Tessa tried. Her chest constricted.
“No. I have a bunch of reading I’ve been meaning to catch up on,” she said, giving Tessa a wide smile. “And that’s best done in my bedroom…that’s all the way on the other side of the apartment.”
Tessa’s cheeks began to burn. Charlie seriously couldn’t think that all this tension was because Rhys couldn’t wait to jump her bones. It was obvious the man didn’t want anything to do with her. Wasn’t it?
“Behind a heavy wooden door,” Charlie kept going as she turned around and slowly strolled through the kitchen. “With excellent noise insulation.”
Tessa closed her eyes as soon as she heard Charlie’s door click closed, and immediately felt like a coward for not wanting to open them again. She’d never shied away from dealing with the consequences of her actions before.
Not until this moment.
But hiding from her problems wasn’t going to make them go away. She’d brought this all on herself. Rhys had every right to be angry with her. She’d lied to him, kept secrets. Big, important, world-shattering secrets.
The very least she’d owed him was a chance to speak his piece.
Still, it took her another full minute before she gathered up enough courage to draw in a deep breath and stand up from the couch.
When she turned around, she found his steely blue gaze was already fixed on her.
Crap.
Tessa felt some of her resolve falter. Maybe a head-on approach wasn’t such a good idea after all. There was a lot to be said for small talk. Tessa’s eyes clapped on the bulky white bandage that was peeking out of the cuff of his tight T-shirt.
“How’s your arm?” she asked.
“Fine,” he said without hesitation.
“Mason left you some pain pills if it’s bothering you,” she said.
“I’m fine,” he repeated.
So much for small talk.
Tessa forced herself to take a step toward him. And then another.
Rhys didn’t move. His flat expression didn’t change, but his eyes never left hers. Not even for a second.
“Okay,” she said, as much to herself as to him.
She knew what he was waiting for. The same thing he was always waiting for.
The truth.
Maybe it was finally time to let him in.
Completely this time.
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking another step closer. His mouth was a tight line, showing no sign of moving, so she kept going. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry that I never told you about Project Exodus or what I was planning. I only did it because I thought my silence would keep you safe.”
“I know,” he said.
“But in the end it didn’t matter. You almost died anyway, because of me,” Tessa said, moving all the way up to the window. She looked out on the illuminated city sprawling out below her.
“I didn’t die,” he said, just inches away from her side. “I’m fine.”
Tessa shook her head at his bravado, but didn’t look his way. It didn’t matter what he said, but she would never forget how pale he’d looked in the car, how slack his face had gone as he slipped in and out of consciousness.
She had no right to expect him to forgive her for that.
She fixed her gaze on a far off streetlight and swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I understand why you’re so angry at me. Hell, I’m pretty pissed off at myself too,” she said. “I’d apologize, but I know it wouldn’t even come close to making things right.”
Tessa’s lips began to tremble as she continued to focus on the flickering golden light. She drew in a shaky breath. And then another.
Rhys still didn’t say a word, but she could make out his profile in her peripheral vision. More than that, she could feel him. The intensity of his stare was almost more than she could take.
Eventually, her resolve cracked, and she turned toward him.
His eyes were the color of cold steel. His lips were tight. His breathing so deep that the wall of his chest nearly brushed against hers with every rise.
Hot tears began to prick Tessa’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Rhys.” The words tumbled out of her. “I’m so sorry.”
In the blink of an eye, his hand slid around the back of her neck, cupping it tight. He pressed her close as his mouth found hers.
He kissed her hard. So hard that everything else disappeared. The guilt and the pain were all pushed out. There was just Rhys’ heat and passion.
Tessa’s head swam when he finally pulled his lips away. Her brows pulled together as she looked up at him.
“Never talk like that again,” he said in a low whisper.
“But—”
“I’m angry, Tessa,” he admitted. “But not at you. Never at you.”
“Then what?”
“I’m furious with myself for not putting a bullet in Dylan’s brain when I had the chance.” He gripped her even tighter. “I’m pissed that I’m not holstering my gun, driving out to Boyd’s house, and putting him in the ground right now.”
Tessa blinked. “You’re not a murderer, Rhys.”
“But they are.” He swept back the hair from her brow with a shaking hand. “And the thought of them getting their hands on you makes me…”
“I’m too valuable to them,” Tessa said, shaking her head. “You know they wouldn’t kill me.”
“No,” Rhys said. “But you would.”
Tessa sucked in a sharp breath. “I never said—”
“You didn’t have to,” he broke in before she could lie to him again. “I knew the moment you said that you didn’t care about the cost, that the only thing that mattered was destroying any evidence of what you’d created.”
“I was talking about the storage unit,” Tessa tried.
“But that wasn’t the only thing you meant, was it?” He lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You can’t lie to me, Tessa.”
It was true. He’d know. Just like he always did. No matter her reasons for wanting to keep the ugly truth from him. It was better to just come clean.
“Honestly, I never thought much past burning the storage unit,” she admitted. “I figured if I got that far, I’d just run. I’d keep going until I was far away from you, from my family, from anyone that I cared about.”
“And if Boyd caught up with you?” Rhys’ voice was so tight Tessa thought it might crack.
She shook her head as a tear slipped down her cheek.
“I-I can’t ever let him take me alive,” she said, each word more frantic than the next. “You have to understand that. There are too many lives at stake. I barely made it out of there before Dylan broke me. They won’t make the same mistake again. They’ll find someone with
your skills. They’ll—”
“Hush,” Rhys said, pressing her flush against him. “I’m not going to let that happen, Tessa. I swear it. I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll make it so you don’t have to live your life always looking over your shoulder.”
“You can’t kill them in cold blood.” Tessa forced her head up. “Even if you succeeded, the police would throw you in jail for the rest of your life.”
“It doesn’t matter what happens to me,” he said. “You’re the only thing that matters.”
Tessa tried to pull back, but Rhys held tight.
“I can’t let you sacrifice yourself,” she said.
“And you think I could ever let you go?”
“Then there has to be another way.” Tessa shook her head, trying to clear it. “Maybe Ally was right. Maybe she could dig up something on Boyd that will finally stick. It’s worth a shot, at any rate.”
For a moment a hopeful spark lit up his eyes. “If anyone could do it, it’s her.”
“So you won’t go speeding off to kill Boyd in his sleep just yet?” Tessa asked.
“Just so long as you promise not to run off in the middle of the night.”
“Deal,” Tessa said, putting out her hand.
He ignored it and instead pivoted her up against the wall. His hand slipped down to her leg, gripping her thigh and lifting it high.
“But Charlie—” she started.
“Is all the way on the other end of the apartment. Remember?” he said.
Tessa wanted to glare at him. She really did. But he buried his face against the column of her neck before she got the chance. His lips and tongue played at the sensitive skin, and despite Tessa’s best intentions, her head fell back against the wall with a moan.
A moment later, she heard a stereo turning on. Even through the walls she could tell that it was cranked up pretty loud.
The sound was enough to bring Tessa back to herself.
“It’s not that big of an apartment,” she said.
Rhys let out a groan before lifting Tessa all the way up.
She gasped as her feet came off the ground. Acting on instinct, she wrapped her legs around Rhys’ waist, her arms around his shoulders.
“Put me down,” she demanded. “Your arm.”
“Is fine,” he said. “For God’s sake, you act like that was the first time I’ve been shot.”
Tessa’s eyes went wide. “It wasn’t?”
He smiled. A real smile. One that showed teeth.
She should have figured that the only time he’d ever really smile was when he was talking about taking a bullet.
“Not hardly,” he said.
He carried her to the guest bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. He walked her over to the bed and laid her down. He pulled off his shirt and let it fall to the floor.
“Better?” he asked.
“Y-yeah.”
Much better.
Tessa didn’t think that she would ever get used to the sight of his naked body. It would be like getting tired of looking at a Michelangelo sculpture.
Tessa ran her hands over his chest as he leaned over her, letting her fingers slide over the smooth skin, feeling the hard muscles beneath.
His fingers curled around the bottom of her shirt and lifted it above her head. Her bra came next. She didn’t wait for him to help her with her pants. Those she kicked off herself.
Rhys situated himself between her legs, and the mattress creaked under his weight.
Tessa certainly hoped that Charlie liked her music loud.
Rhys propped himself up with his good arm and caressed her side with his other. He pierced her with a stare. There was a sea of emotion in his eyes, and Tessa could barely hold her head above the waves.
“Do you have any idea what you mean to me, Tessa?” Rhys asked.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. All her words were gone.
“Let me show you,” he said.
Rhys skimmed his fingers over the plane of her belly, touching her with deliberate slowness that spun her head.
There was no rush in him this time, no desperation. He moved across her slowly, lowering his head to leave a trail of kisses where his hands had been.
“Rhys.” His name came out of her lips in a breathy rush.
“Yes,” he said. His tongue ran around the rim of her belly button. The hint of stubble on his cheeks grazed against her hypersensitive skin as his head dipped down lower. “Say my name again.”
“Rhys.”
He seemed to know just where to caress her, where to flick his tongue, until every inch of her body was strung so tight that she feared she might break.
She clung to his shoulders. Her back arched and he was nowhere near her good parts yet.
Dear God, if she thought that a bullet could slow him down, she’d been sadly mistaken.
A single finger slipped below the line of her panties, and Tessa’s mouth fell open.
Then he stopped.
“What do you want, Tessa?” His lips moved against her skin as he spoke, pushing her over the edge of reason.
Dear God. She could barely stand this. She tried to breathe, but her lungs refused to work, every inch of her was wrapped up in anticipation of his touch.
“You,” she said.
He slid his hand down lower, delving between her legs and teasing her clit. Tessa’s head fell back in the pillow as her fingers curled into the sheets.
“Good to know,” he said with a dark laugh, but his hand remained completely still. “But that’s not what I meant.”
“I want you to touch me,” Tessa whispered, feeling her cheeks begin to burn.
His finger moved in a small circle. “Like this?”
A moan escaped Tessa’s lips. But a second later he pulled his hand back.
Tessa growled—actually growled—in frustration.
She pivoted her hips up, practically begging for his touch, but Rhys steadied her with his other hand, keeping her flat.
“You’re not getting off that easy,” he said. Well, that much was obvious. “You know what I want to hear.”
“Please,” she begged.
He lowered his head and whispered against the silky material of her panties.
“Please what?”
The heat of his breath made Tessa writhe against the sheets.
Dear God, what would that wicked mouth feel like on her? The anticipation was nearly unbearable.
Tessa bit into her lip. She’d never talked dirty in her life.
But then again, she’d never been wound up this tight either. Every inch of her was practically screaming for release.
That, and deep down inside, she wanted to. She wanted to tell him exactly what she wanted. She wanted to beg him for it.
And then she wanted to get it.
“Please make me come, Rhys,” she said. “I want you to make me come.”
“That’s right,” he said, his voice thick with victory.
His fingertip pressed against her clit as he tore down the last scrap of cloth covering her. In an instant, his mouth took over, surrounding her with a warm, wet heat that obliterated the last logical thought in Tessa’s mind.
But he wasn’t done yet.
Two fingers pressed inside her, drumming against her inner walls.
Tessa repeated his name over and over as pleasure built up inside her. Her fingers bit into his shoulders, begging him for more.
This time he obliged her, pushing her on and on, farther and deeper until she wasn’t aware of anything but his touch.
And then just when Tessa didn’t think she could take any more, everything inside her shattered.
Her back arched. Her body tensed as she clenched tight around his fingers.
Rhys held her, guiding her back down to earth.
He waited until the worst of the trembling had left her limbs and her breathing had steadied before he pulled his mouth away. Only then did he position himself between her legs, and Tessa knew t
hat the night was far from over.
Chapter Twelve
Tessa felt like she had just closed her eyes and snuggled up in Rhys’ arms when a hard knock sounded against the bedroom door. She shot straight up, clutching the sheets in her fist.
Rhys didn’t seem quite as concerned. His arms stayed draped around her and his head remained on the pillow.
“Rise and shine, lovebirds,” Jake’s familiar voice called from the other side of the door. “Time to get going. Charlie and I pulled together some clean clothes for you so you don’t have to wear the torn, bloody ones.”
Tessa’s pounding heart slowed a touch. She looked down at Rhys. He still looked peaceful. “What’s he doing here so early?”
“It’s not early,” Rhys said, without bothering to open his eyes. “It’s already eight o’clock in the morning.”
Tessa’s mouth hung open.
“How is that possible?” she asked in an exaggerated whisper. “We just fell asleep.”
“Seven hours ago,” he said. He pulled her back down into his arms. “It just didn’t feel like a long time because you actually slept through the night for once.”
Tessa nestled her head in the juncture of his shoulder and chest. “How long has Jake been here?”
“I heard him come in about an hour ago with Mason.”
“And you didn’t wake me up?”
“You needed the rest,” Rhys said, wrapping both his arms around her waist “And I wasn’t ready to let you go yet.”
Tessa understood. For the first time in recent memory, she felt surrounded by contentment and peace. She wasn’t ready to give it up either.
Of course, some things weren’t up to her.
The knock came again.
“Wake up, lover boy,” Jake shouted. “You seriously aren’t going to make me come in there and get you, are you?”
Her face went white.
“Okay,” Jake said, when there was no answer. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Rhys skimmed his fingertips up and down the bare skin of her back.
“Don’t worry,” Rhys said. “Jake wouldn’t dare.”
“One,” Jake said, rapping another knock against the door.
“Really?” Tessa said in a loud whisper. “Because it sounds like he would.”
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