Chapter Twenty-Nine
Marissa
It’s been nearly two weeks since Rhenn left, and I haven’t heard a peep out of him. Not that I expected to, mind you. That was the arrangement, right? Yet, a part of me (the part that controls my heart) had hoped maybe, just maybe, he’d reach out to me. That maybe he’d find he is missing me as much as I miss him.
No such luck.
The first guests seem to be enjoying themselves. We’re filled to capacity on our first official weekend back in business. I’ve been working like crazy in the kitchen, preparing some of my favorite comfort food meals, partially for them, but the other part for me. They’re easy to make and require no brainpower. Considering I’m still not sleeping well, that’s definitely a plus.
“Marissa, I’m cooking dinner tonight,” Mom states as she enters the kitchen.
“What? Why? I’ve already started the prep for the chicken and noodles. The rolls are rising on the counter and the chocolate éclairs in the fridge. I don’t mind,” I tell her, cutting the last bit of homemade dough into strips.
“I can take it from here,” she says breezily, coming over and practically taking the knife from my hand. “Why don’t you enjoy a night off? You’ve been working crazy hours for the last several weeks. Everything is going well, so there’s no reason for us both to work this evening.”
She’s right, everything is going well. Once the construction phase was complete, the building inspector found no issues with the house and granted us immediate occupancy. After the walls were freshly painted, new bedding and towels placed in all of the rooms, and the fridge and freezers restocked, we were ready to reopen the Grayson Bed and Breakfast. Our first guests arrived last night, and we have one more couple due in the morning.
“I don’t mind, Mom. Why don’t you take the night off? You were the one who finished painting the downstairs,” I offer, reaching for the knife and heading to the dishwasher.
“I insist. Plus, I’m taking next weekend off to go visit the family in Jupiter Bay.”
Ahh, yes. The Fourth of July weekend trip to meet the rest of the family. I’m not going, of course, even though Mom seems to think it’ll be okay if I do. She’s already arranged for Free and Mrs. Gillenwater to cover the B&B for the weekend, but I don’t have the heart to tell her I just don’t want to go. Seeing my family? Yes. Seeing Rhenn? Not yet.
“Mom,” I start to argue, but she instantly cuts me off.
“Marissa,” she says in a mocking tone.
“You’re mean,” I grumble, making her laugh.
“I’m not mean. I just care about the health of my daughter. She’s been working herself to the bone lately, and I want her to relax. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how much you’ve been putting yourself into your work in hopes that you’ll forget about him for just a little while.” My eyes fly to hers. “I’ve been there, baby girl. I know all about working hard to escape memories.” Her eyes flash with the hurt and sadness she experienced at the hands of our father.
“Anyway, enough of that. All I’m saying is I know what you’re going through, and eventually, the pain starts to dull. The memories will start to fade and be replaced with new ones.”
The thought of slowly forgetting about Rhenn makes the pain that much more intense. I couldn’t imagine closing my eyes and not seeing his vivid smile.
“Tonight, you’re off duty. I’ll cover breakfast in the morning and lunch too. Hell, just take the weekend. See you Monday morning,” Mom says, making a shooing motion with her hands.
My mouth drops open. “What? You want me to take the rest of today and all of tomorrow off? Are you mad? Did you hit your head? Do you have a fever?” I ask, reaching for her forehead. “I’m calling Samuel!”
“Knock it off,” she insists, batting away my hand. “I’m fine. I just want you to relax. Is that so bad for a mother to want to take care of her daughter?” Then she bats those doe eyes and I know she’s got me.
“No,” I grumble.
“Great!” she rejoices, pushing me out of the way and continuing to work on the dinner I was preparing. “Go. Enjoy.”
I slowly turn and walk to the door, glancing over my shoulder to see if aliens have taken over her brain. She’s definitely acting weird, but it’s not like I can argue with her further. I mean, I can, but something tells me it will be pointless.
“Oh, Marissa? Before you go, will you take the stack of towels in the laundry room to room five?”
“Room five? I thought that couple wasn’t coming until morning?”
“Early arrival.” She doesn’t look up, just keeps cutting the few remaining noodles until the dough is all finished.
“Of course,” I mumble, heading into the laundry room to grab the stack of dark blue towels waiting to be delivered to room five. Stupid blue towel. Why does it feel like this color is mocking me?
I head up the stairs and down the hall until I’m standing before the closed door. This one is my favorite room, with its breathtaking views of the ocean. Knocking, I hear a distant, hoarse response. “Come in.”
“Fresh towels, sir,” I say as I gently push open the door, careful not to disturb the couple within. No one appears to be in the room, but the bathroom light is on and I can hear movement. I head over to the massive bed and set the fresh linens down on the bedspread. Since our guest is in the bathroom, I’ll leave them for the guests here. “Let us know if you need anything else,” I holler as I make my way toward the door.
“What if what I need is finally standing right in front of me?”
That voice.
I’d know it anywhere.
I whip around and find Rhenn standing in the bathroom doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looks…nervous. And so amazing. Freshly showered with a pair of khaki shorts and a polo that molds perfectly to his arms and chest. His blue eyes are bright, and even though they look a bit tired, they shine vibrantly like sunlight on a sapphire. And his mouth. Oh, that sinful, smirky mouth that reminds me of late-night kisses and wicked wet dreams.
My eyes return to his, my heart trying to pound out of my chest. “What exactly is standing in front of you?” I ask, my voice all crackly and gravelly.
Rhenn pushes off the doorway and strides my way with long, purposeful steps. When he’s right in front of me, I gaze up at him for the first time in nearly two weeks and a glimmer of hope bubbles to life in my chest. He smiles a soft, gentle smile and cups my cheek with his big hand. I almost tilt into his touch, but hold steady, needing to hear his words first.
And then he speaks.
“You. I need you.”
The tears start to fall as I reach for his shirt, pulling myself into his chest. “I need you too.”
His lips are urgent, hungry even, as they finally touch mine. I immediately open my mouth, his tongue diving inside, tasting and savoring. He smells the same, tastes the same, and the best part is – he’s here. I grip the back of his shirt, holding on tightly for fear he might disappear. Rhenn’s hands dive into my hair as he continues to kiss me as if I were the very oxygen he needs.
When we’re both breathless, he finally pulls back, guiding his finger along my jaw. Goose bumps pepper my skin as I release a shaky breath. “You’re here,” I whisper, still trying to wrap my head around it.
“I am. I have something I needed to tell you.” He stares down at me, so open and honest.
“What’s that?”
“I came back for the pancakes.” I look up at him, not really sure I heard him correctly. When he offers me a big smile and a burst of laughter falls from his lips, I find myself doing the same. The heaviness I’ve been carrying around with me just fades away.
“Is that all?” I ask, my smile mirroring his.
“No, that’s not all,” he says, pulling me flush against his body. His erection presses between us, hard and ready, and my own body instantly starts to react. Rhenn grazes his thumb over my bottom lip as he says, “I needed to tell you I love you.”
Another tear slips from the corner of my eye, but this time, out of elation. Joy. Happiness. And love. It’s followed up by a giggle. “That’s good, because I love you too.”
Rhenn grins widely before his lips claim mine one more time. I give in to his kiss, his love, and let it fill my heart. This man, this amazingly sweet, yet complicated man, just confessed that he loves me. Me. The quiet girl who works too much and would rather read than live the highlife. The girl who loves him with everything she has and wants to show him how much every day.
“I have other news,” he says without moving his lips from mine.
“There’s more? Don’t keep me waiting,” I answer, licking at his bottom lip.
He groans, tightens his hold on my body, and flexes his hips forward. “I talked to my boss, and it turns out, his brother is short-staffed here in North Carolina. They own a small apartment above the shop in Harriston, and as of this weekend, that’s where I’ll be staying.”
“Harriston? Like thirty minutes away?” I ask, my eyes wide with surprise.
“That’s the one, Angel. Do you think that you might be interested in, I don’t know, seeing where this thing goes?”
“Which thing are we talking about?” I ask, wiggling against his hard-on. “I’m pretty sure I know exactly where it goes,” I tease.
“Vixen,” he growls, taking my face in his hands and kissing me hard on the lips. “I like where you’re going with that, but believe it or not, that’s not what I was referring to. I mean you and me. Us.”
“Us?” I ask, already liking the sound of that.
“Yes, us. My hours might be a little crazy like yours, but I think we can make it work. Don’t you?”
I want to scream my approval, and almost do, but somehow, I keep it composed. “Yes, yes I do. I want to see where this goes. Us.”
He offers me a real smile, not that smirky one that makes me all crazy, but the real one that makes my heart sing. “Thank Christ,” he says, releasing a huge sigh of relief. “I was prepared for much more groveling. I even had a speech prepared.”
My eyebrows shoot heavenward. “You did?”
“I did, but since you’ve already agreed to be my girl, then we can skip to phase two,” he says, reaching around, grabbing my rear, and pulling me up and into his chest. My legs immediately wrap around him.
“Phase two?”
“I’m going to show you where this thing goes,” he declares with another hip flex. He walks me to the bed, lays his body down on mine, and kisses me with everything he has.
Rhenn proceeds to show me, not once, but three times exactly where his cock belongs.