My words set Rhys into motion. In three short steps, he’s against me, backing my legs into the bed and stopping me from escaping. His hands wrap around my neck, caressing me and his thumbs ease my face up to him. His grip may be gentle, but his kiss is not. When his lips meet mine, I’m defenseless. I melt into him and every ounce of resolve I had left, melts away.
He eases me back onto the bed, his lips never leaving mine as his hands roam my body, tenderly, as if he’s reacquainting himself with me. My skin feels like it’s on fire. For a brief moment, I forget that Rhys walked out on me a year ago. And then a distinct clicking sound registers. I can feel the cool metal against my skin, and I know exactly what’s happened. For good measure, I try to move my hands, but they’re bound. To the headboard, by Rhys’ cuffs.
“Now that I have your attention,” he kisses me gently one more time before slipping off the bed and propping himself against the dresser, his arms crossed over his chest again.
“Rhys Mitchell, uncuff me now. Or I’m going to start screaming and cause a scene. Is that really what you want, Officer?” I hope that my reference to his career is enough to convince him to let me go.
“No. You and I are going to have a little talk first. Then, when I’m done, I’m going to fuck you like I’ve wanted to do since you disappeared.”
“I don’t want to fuck you, Rhys, I want to fucking kill you.” I can feel the tears threatening to fall. “You fucking left you asshole.” I move my legs and attempt to kick at him, but he’s just out of my reach.
“I didn’t leave. At least not the way you think I did.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“You can believe whatever you want. For a year you’ve hated my guts. Enough that you wrote a fucking story about it. You shared your hatred for me with the entire world. All based on a misconception at that.” His words are so harsh that I can feel his anger behind them.
I shake my head over and over, “No, you left. I was in the shower, you said you’d be right in. I waited. When I came out, you were gone.”
Rhys runs his hands through his hair, causing his neatly spiked locks to spiral into chaos. “KJ, I told you I had a call and needed to run. You answered me. You said ‘okay,’ I assumed you heard me.”
“No,” the first tear falls, and I curse inwardly. I don’t want this man to know how he’s wrecked me. “You never said you were leaving. Besides, where could you have possibly had to run off to at eight in the morning that couldn’t wait five more minutes for a proper goodbye?”
“Work K – work. I’m on the SWAT team and they needed me, there was a situation. I needed to go. I had every intention of trying to call you. Shit, I did try, but you were gone. I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t walk off and leave you that day. I told you I was coming back, that I’d call the hotel and get in touch with you. You left before I could.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
Rhys walks over and sits beside me on the bed. When he reaches out and wipes a rogue tear from my face, the damn breaks. “This is so stupid! You were supposed to just be a one-night stand. A way for me to get over my sleezball ex-boyfriend. But no, you had to stick around for a day or two. You wanted to get to know me. I thought it was more than sex, and I wanted to believe, in the back of my stupid little mind, that maybe we could be something. Even if I don’t live in the same state. I’m so fucking stupid. Tell me something, Rhys, would you care – if I had never written the book?”
He shrugs, “I’ve spent a year trying to forget you.”
“I noticed,” I snap sarcastically. “You didn’t recognize me when you pulled us over, you ass face. Mission accomplished, you forgot all about me.”
“Alright, no. I didn’t recognize you when I pulled you over. But not because I’d forgotten about you. I said I tried, but I failed. You cross my mind more than I care to admit. When I did realize it was you, I remembered how pissed I was at you for leaving me. I thought you ran off without a word. So, I can’t say I was all that thrilled to see you again either, especially since I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about you to save my life. It had been a long day. Your hair was pulled back, it’s darker than it was then and you, I don’t know…you looked different. When it clicked, I was in flight or fight mode – I wanted to save face and get the hell out of there. Christ, in reality, I’d been looking forward to this weekend, hoping you really would show up and I could work things out with you.”
“You were only supposed to be a weekend fling,” I mumble through the tears.
“But it was more than that, KJ. I know it, and you know it. I’m not the type of guy who has a string of one-night stands or casual sex partners. I’m usually looking for someone I connect with, to form some kind of emotional intimacy with before things get physical. The minute I laid eyes on you, I felt it. Whatever I’d been searching for, as stupid as this sounds – I felt like I found it when I saw you.”
I know exactly what he’s talking about. For an entire weekend, aside from the few hours I’d spent at the signing, Rhys and I were together. He doted on me and worshiped me. In more ways than one. We never left each other’s side. “This whole time, I thought that you felt whatever it was, and it scared you – so you bolted.” It’s the entire reason why I didn’t try to contact him after.
“It did scare me. Not like you think though. I was more worried about you kissing me goodbye after you got your tire fixed and not looking back.”
“And what about all the other women Rhys? You claim you were so hung up on me, but what about all the women you’ve paraded around with? I’ve seen your Facebook, I’ve seen the nights you’ve spent out on the town and the photos you’ve been tagged in with all these other women.” I shouldn’t give a damn, especially not when I’m sitting here, holding back the truth. But watching all the fun he’s having on social media while I’m being the responsible one? It’s made me a lot more angsty than I realized.
“I never said I was a saint. For a while, it was about trying to get you off my mind. Do me a favor though, don’t assume that just because I was having fun – that I slept with a bunch of women. There were a few, yes. I’m not a man whore though.”
“And if I don’t believe you?”
Rhys shifts, settling in beside me, cradling me - with a soft kiss on my cheek. “I’ll have to make you change your mind.” He smirks.
“Now, will you uncuff me? This isn’t exactly comfortable,” I plea. I can’t do this anymore. I need to get away and breathe before the walls close in around me.
He nods and pulls the key from his pocket, unlocking the cuffs and freeing me. I try to move quickly, but before I can retreat, he has my wrists in his hands as he brushes his thumbs over them – massaging the feeling back into my hands.
My mind is screaming for me to separate myself from him. A few minutes to process everything that he’s said, a feat that is impossible with his body so close.
“Don’t push me away,” his voice comes out in a whisper as he leans closer and presses his lips to mine.
My heart is racing, and my thoughts are scattered.
With all the strength I have in me, I put my hands between us and push back. “I need a minute,” I tell him, bravely.
He sighs with a nod as he rolls onto his back, letting me go.
Fleeing to the balcony for fresh air seems like the best thing to do. The spring air envelopes me as I play back all of Rhys’ words in my head. Sometimes the past can’t be undone, and what I’ve kept a secret is not something he will ever forgive. Even if we work out this misunderstanding, there’s no chance for us. I’ll have some closure, but I’ll require a lifetime to deal with the outcome of one single weekend.
Would things be different if there was no misconception?
I’m alone long enough that the night air begins to cool my skin ever so slightly. But if I thought he would leave me out here until I figured things out, I was wrong.
The door slides open, and he steps out, immediately wrapping his arms around me, pressing me to his chest. Like that, rational thoughts begin to slip away. Again. He distracts me, often in the most delicious ways.
“I want you,” he whispers as his hands roam my body, skimming my bare shoulders, toying with the zipper on the back of my dress before descending and squeezing my ass cheeks through the fabric. When his fingertips trace the back of my thighs and dance along the hem, I can’t fight back the shudder of anticipation.
His lips land on mine and somewhere in my subconscious I know I should stop him. There is so much more than we need to discuss but as his hand slips underneath my dress and continues upward to my core – my breath hitches and I moan into his kiss as he explores my mouth with his tongue. He lets out a growl the moment he discovers the naked skin hidden beneath my skimpy dress.
I know at this point, there’s no stopping. Even when he pulls back for a moment, eliciting a whimper of protest from me.
With a raised brow he questions his little discovery.
“I didn’t want the panty lines,” I offer a weak explanation. The truth is, I felt bold – empowered even, knowing that I had nothing on underneath. It gave me the edge I needed to remain confident around Rhys. A tease of sorts. Even if he had no idea.
His fingers sweep along my flesh and find my swollen bundle of nerves, “This, is mine,” he claims before slipping his fingers inside and smothering me in a fierce kiss.
I arch into him, silently pleading for more. He complies, working his fingers in and out while stroking my clit until my toes curl. My head falls onto his chest, and I let out a climatic scream into the night as my body convulses in pleasure. It doesn’t matter that we’re outside where anyone could see or hear us. In my head, it’s only Rhys and me.
“Fuck, I’ve missed that.” Rhys kisses my forehead gently as he removes his fingers. “And, I think we’re both overdressed,” he says as he lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. My dress bunches at my hips, exposing my sensitive core and giving me room to grind against his fabric covered erection.
“Christ, KJ,” he fumbles his way back inside, collapsing back on the bed with me on top of him.
“Problems, Officer?”
He lifts his hips while pushing mine down harder. “Does this feel like a problem to you?” My head falls back as his shaft hits my clit and an aftershock rolls over me. “Take the dress off KJ, before I rip it off.”
I have no reason to doubt that he would tear it from my body. As sexy as that image is – I don’t want to explain to Zoey why the dress she lent me is ruined, so I opt to with removing it like someone with more patience than I’m feeling right now. “You’re going to have to help,” I move quickly, turning my back to Rhys and straddling his thighs, so he has a better view of the zipper that sits just out of my reach.
Suddenly his urgency to rid us both of our clothes dies as he slowly and torturously, drags the zipper down my spine, tracing its path with gentle kisses. When he stops, I tug it over my head and toss it to the floor.
Catching my reflection in the mirror over the dresser in front of us, reality creeps in. Exposed in this light, I notice the faded stretch marks and the fullness of my breast that didn’t exist when we were here before.
If he notices the changes, he doesn’t mention it. Instead, Rhys moves my body off his and kneels behind me, pressing his bare chest against my back. Cupping me in both of his hands, he gives each nipple a pinch while burying his face into my neck, nipping, and kissing my skin. The erotic image we’re creating pushes my self-conscience thoughts away.
His left-hand moves south, teasing me again – while his right-hand grips my shoulder and gives me a gentle push forward. I take the cue and present myself to him on all fours. “Gorgeous,” he mummers and his hands disappear from my skin. I hear the clank of his belt, the hiss of his zipper and the rustle of fabric as I impatiently wait for what’s next. When I glance up into the mirror again, Rhys has his pants around his thighs and his length in his hand, working it slowly as he leans closer to me. He runs his cock though my wetness, once, twice, before nudging gently against my entrance and retreating. My frustrated growl elicits a chuckle from Rhys as he repeats his actions again. This time when his cock meets skin, I quickly press back against him, forcing him right where I want him.
He gives in and slides home, filling me completely.
“Oh, God,” I gasp in pleasure.
“Fuck, yes.” Rhys smacks my ass then groans when I pulse around him. “KJ,” his voice comes out strained, “Baby, I need to fuck you. Hard. Fast,” he pants, clearly fighting back the urge to do so without knowing that I’m on board.
“Yes, please.”
That’s all the permission Rhys needs before he begins to pound into me, over and over again. He works my body into a pleasured frenzy with each thrust and when he reaches around adding his fingers against my clit, rubbing, and pinching ever so slightly – I know there is no holding back. My whole-body tingles as my second orgasm of the night takes over. Somewhere in my haze, I hear Rhys curse as his pace quickens and then he’s gone. I feel his hot release spill against my spine as I collapse into a heap on the bed. His body covers mine, his cock still pulsing between us as he places a kiss on my shoulder.
“Wow.”
A hum in agreement is all I can manage. Rhys Mitchell has once again made me thoroughly spent.
As I fight the urge to give into post-coital bliss and sleep, I feel Rhys slip from the bed and hear water running from the bathroom. Minutes later he returns and swipes a warm washcloth across my back, no doubt wiping away his mark from my skin.
When he’s done, he nudges me gently, “You might be more comfortable if you moved up here where the pillows are.”
I whimper in protest, moving my weary body, laying my head on the fluffy white down pillows, and firmly ignoring the urge to lay my head on Rhys’ shoulder instead. My heavy eyes drift closed.
“I’m sorry.” His whispered confession shocks me, forcing me to open my eyes and look closely at the man lying next to me. “Maybe I could have done something different, and we wouldn’t have spent a whole year apart with you hating me and me trying to forget you.”
“I don’t really hate you, Rhys,” I couldn’t. I didn’t have it in me to hate the person who gave me the most precious gift in the world.
Guilt slowly rises as I think about the secret I’ve kept. This, will be over the minute the truth comes out.
I know in my gut that I should tell him. Right now. While we’re laying it all out on the line. Maybe if I was a better person, I would. Instead, I hold back and try to push all the details from my mind.
Somehow, I end up in Rhys’ arms as his hands trace lazy circles across my back. “I want more from you this time. A chance to see where this goes.”
I’m no fool. A relationship built on a lie will lead us nowhere. Will telling him the truth make him want to stick around out of obligation or some kind of twisted sense of honor? Or, even worse, there’s a chance he’ll crush my heart once and for all when he runs away. I can’t expect him to take responsibility for something that he didn’t have much of a say in. At least, that’s what I try to convince myself as I drift off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, I wake to Rhys sleeping soundly beside me.
I’ve been here before.
Back then I was hungover, in his rumpled dress shirt and missing my panties. That’s where it all went downhill. He had somehow gotten my drunk ass back to my room, took care of me while I tossed my cookies and tucked me into bed like a gentleman while he slept mostly clothed on top of the blankets beside me.
This time, he’s wearing a little less. His chest is bare. The sheet is tangled around his thighs, low enough to let me know that he’s only wearing those incredibly sexy Calvin Klein’s he loves so much. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, look it up. Seriously. Those underwear are like Victoria’s Secrets on a man. That good.
I tried everything to fight off Rhys last night, and yet here I am again. Wrapped up in a sheet with his scent on my skin. I wanted to be angry with him for leaving. Debated setting him straight and telling him about what’s waiting for me back home but when he started talking about what we had…when his lips touched mine…all rational thought went out the window.
The moment I saw him again Thursday afternoon, my body came back to life. It didn’t matter that he seemed to be unable to recognize me. Or that he wrote that silly ticket for speeding. Deep down, I felt like someone had jolted my heart back into rhythm.
Then he carried me through the hotel like a caveman and tucked us away in my hotel room. Rhys knew exactly what he was doing as he took control of my body.
In the light of day, last night’s guilt has been replaced with a hint of anger and resentment. And admittedly, a bit of longing too. My heart may want to see where this goes, but my mind – my mind has a better plan. It’s time to give Rhys Mitchell a little payback and enjoy this while it lasts.
I’ve never been one to play games when it comes to sex or relationships. Right now, though, I’m using the only leverage I have, to cope. Instead of doing what’s right, I’m doing what’s fun. Consequences and regret be damn. When this weekend ends, I’ll walk away from him completely. Once and for all. Without telling him the truth. I refuse to trap him. It’s not right. He has too much going for himself, too much life to live. So, I’ll give him all I have for the weekend and leave. It’s for the best.
We all have our crosses to bear. This one is mine.
I sigh and notice Rhys’ lips twitch. His eyes flutter open and I’m awestruck at exactly how gorgeous his face is. When he locks eyes with me, he smirks.
“Morning.”
The sound of his sleepy morning voice has memories from a year ago playing in my head like a movie reel. The way he whispered in my ear as he woke me up with his cock in my… No! Not going there. I may have given in last night, but I’m not going there with him again today.
“Uhm, hi.” I can’t help it, my eyes roam his body again, and I notice his morning wood.
“Like what you see?” He moves slightly and tries to discreetly adjust his hardened length. “So, are we good now? I’ve had a shoot to get to, but I want to see you again.” I can tell by his tone that he’s thinking things are okay. Something about his confidence in the situation makes my plan even sweeter.
Oh, Rhys, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.