Chapter Sixteen
Brynn
As we stepped into the entryway, Rett slipped past me, and walked into the kitchen. He reached up to one of the high cupboards and pulled down two tumblers, filling them from a pitcher in his refrigerator.
"Here," he said, extending one in offering. "You look hot.”
I grinned at the double entendre and accepted the glass of water. "So do you," I said teasingly.
He lifted his chin at me in acknowledgment and pushed himself up to sit on the counter, then took a sip of his water. I watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed, and I realized I was staring at him.
He set the glass on the counter and looked back at me. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said. Everything, my mind screamed.
He slid off the counter, and stepped towards me like he had heard what my mind was saying rather than my lips. "What are you here for?" he asked, his eyes darkening.
What was I here for? Each time that we came together in the past, it had been on impulse.
But this? This was the light of day. Both of us perfectly sober. This was deliberate. This was something else entirely.
"Are you going to make me beg?" I said thickly.
He moved closer, snaking his hand around my neck and sliding his fingers up into my hair. He closed his hand, gathering up a fistful of my hair. "Is that what you’re here for?" he asked.
"I think so," I moaned. Why did I seem to always lose my dignity when it came to him? I inhaled the smell of him with relish, the clean scent of his exertion and that other scent that was undeniably his.
"If that's what you're here for," Rett breathed, drawing closer to me. "If that's what you want... then kiss me."
I tilted my head, straining forward, but he had me by the hair, I couldn't move. I opened my eyes and looked at him feeling the sting on my scalp. And I watched his eyes darken even further as he held me immobilized.
I bit my lip, and he responded with a soft growl. Still holding on to my hair, he reached down and grabbed one of my wrists, then the other, and walked us backwards against the wall. It was a perfect imitation of what he'd done the night of the prowler, except this was deliberate instead of rushed and accidental. It was almost like we were moving to some sort of perverse instinctive choreography.
He pinned my arms over my head, pressing my body up against the wall. "Kiss me," he said again.
I tilted my chin and met his eyes. "I can't move," I told him breathlessly.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine again. Once more my vision was filled with the green of his eyes, and I could feel the electricity swirling between us, fizzling and sparkling,
And then something in the air changed. Like something sliding into place. His green eyes opened wider, almost in shock. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
I exhaled, long and slow. He had me trapped, pinned, completely at his mercy, and yet? "Yes," I said.
At that, he leaned down and finally kissed me, slow and deep and melting. I surrendered to the feel of his mouth on mine, meeting the slide of him against my teeth and the eager exploration of each other's mouths. He pulled back, taking my bottom lip in between his teeth, then met my gaze again, biting down as he watched me. I winced as the pain grew sharper and he backed off the pressure, just slightly, holding me right at the very edge of pain.
"Do you trust me?" he asked again.
I caught my breath. It was different this time. I knew instinctually that this was a point of no return. "I do," I repeated, because I did, but I also knew that he was trusting me with some dark knowledge that he'd never shared before.
I was intrigued. And honored. And curious.
And deeply turned on.
When he let go of my arms again, I ran them up his body. The feel of him was familiar, but this was all different. The air was changed. Charged. I squirmed, feeling unsettled, and that thrilled me though I had no idea why.
I was practically gasping.
He looked at me, up and down, and though I wasn't afraid of him, all of a sudden I was aware that I was not the one in charge here.
He let his eyes rake down my body. I felt my nipples harden under his gaze and he licked his lips and smiled.
"Give me your hand."
I gave it to him.
He turned it upward and ran his finger in a light circle around my wrist, his gaze intent and focused. "I'm going to tie you up," he said, flicking his eyes up to mine. "That okay with you?"
I blinked. This wasn't what I expected. But it made perfect fucking sense. I swallowed and licked my lips, remembering how it felt to be held down. "Maybe," I exhaled. Then nodded. "Yeah. I think it is."
His eyes darkened and he twined his fingers in mine. "Come with me."