Chapter 46
Rhys
“Hiii…!”
I looked up at that feminine greeting, ready to smile up at Katie. Part of me hated leaving her in the toilet line, especially after that kiss. My lips were still tingling as I turned to smile at her.
No, them.
Three girls came teetering over, their heels getting caught in the gravel floor of the beer garden with broad grins on their faces.
“Hi, handsome.” I looked down when a hand landed on my shoulder, letting out a growl as soon as she made contact. No, that was Bronson. My boy stuck his head up and made a sound to warn the girl away. “Oh! Didn’t see you there, fella. Aren’t you a cute doggy?”
How fucking drunk was this girl? Bronson was giving off touch-me-and-die vibes, and yet she was reaching out to pat his head.
“He’s not friendly,” I snapped.
And neither am I, I thought. I’d caught sight of the girls when Katie and I walked in. Some women are like big cats. They size up their prey, assess the odds, and then pounce when they think the time is right. I don’t necessarily have a problem with women being forthright, but when I walked in with a girl on my arm? That shit was not cool.
“Right, so I’m Ashley.” I did not give her my name, instead watching her pull up a chair and wedge herself into a spot between Rhett and me. “This is Tracey and Tammy.”
She gestured to her friends, but I didn’t take any notice. My eyes, like Bronson’s, were trained on the back door. I did not want Katie walking out here and seeing these girls sitting in a spot where only she belonged.
“And you…”
For once, Rhett’s bluntness was going to work in our favour. He was about to give the girls their marching orders when the back door opened. Bronson jumped to his feet and then let out a bark, announcing Katie’s reappearance.
“Is that your sister?” Ashley asked, and I did not like the sharp edge to her smile at all. “That’s some dress?—”
“That’s my girlfriend.” I didn’t know if I had the right to put that label on what we were yet, but I wanted to. Bloody hell, I wanted to.
“Our girlfriend.” Garrett was all sweetness and light until you crossed him and then the bull’s horns came out. I could almost see the steam blowing out his nostrils right now. “So we’re going to need you ladies to go back to your table. Now.”
“What?”
The girls were moving far too slowly for my liking, my muscles tensing in response. Katie took a tentative step towards us, but no more, and that’s when I realised how this must’ve looked to her. Like we were actually interested in talking to these strangers, when in reality, it was the complete opposite. The way her spine straightened and she forced herself to walk over with her head held high, I was glad to see it, no matter the reason why.
“Hey, babe.” My arm snaked out and I pulled Katie down on my lap the moment she got close. Her body slotted in against mine and she felt perfect in my arms. I nuzzled the back of her neck, breathing in her perfume, and her involuntary giggle helped ease the tension in my chest. “Everything OK? I got you another wine.”
“Perfect.” She turned around to face me and that had my eyes dropping down to her lips, tracing the shape of them as they began to curve into a smile. “And thank you. Did you want some money?”
“No money,” I replied. “Just a kiss.”
Let them see what you are to me, I thought silently. Let me show the damn world how much I’ve wanted to toss up the hem of that dress since the moment I picked you up and buried my face between your thighs. Let me show the world that you’re mine.
For a moment, I felt like Katie had read my mind. The look in her eyes couldn’t be anything else, could it? Her arm went around my neck and her head dropped down as her lips touched mine. I took over, my hand sliding up her neck and forcing our mouths to collide. The world fell away because I couldn’t focus on the noise, the other people, not when she was opening herself to me. Soft, soft lips and a tentative little tongue, that was followed by her little squirm on my lap, had my hands slapping down on her thighs, stopping her from moving. I was so damn close to the edge.
“My turn now.”
I blinked, my hands moving too slowly because Katie was plucked out of my arms and then tucked against Rhett’s chest as he settled her on his lap.
“So you’re serious?” Ashley looked like she was smelling someone else’s fart, her lips curling as she jerked herself to her feet, the other ladies following suit. “Fucking freaks.”
“Well, that worked perfectly,” Garrett said with an air of self-congratulation. “Hang on, you better kiss me too. Tracey, or was it Tiffany, is looking this way.”
Rhett dipped Katie expertly and Garrett moved in, just like I imagined he did the afternoon when the three of them got together. His hand collared her throat as he claimed her lips, making clear to everyone who she belonged to.
This was going to work. I had no basis for coming to that conclusion, but I felt it like a kick to the gut. She was ours. Katie belonged to each one of us, and we just needed her to realise it.
When Garrett let her go, Katie blushed, seeming to realise we’d created a bit of a stir in the beer garden. It wasn’t just Ashley and her little posse, but other people turned to stare as well, and I didn’t like that. I both wanted to shout about what we had to the rooftops and protect it, like what we were building was a fragile flame, needing shelter from the blow of hostile winds. Katie seemed to feel the same way, wriggling out of Rhett’s grip to slide back into her seat.
“So, have we dated enough yet?” she asked, daring to glance sideways at the venue. “Do we need to hang out here for a set amount of time, or…?”
“Or…?” I prompted, my eyes locking with hers. “What did you have in mind, Katie?”
“Nothing involving action figures or the produce drawer,” she replied hastily, before looking at each one of us in turn. “But everything else? Yeah, that’s on the table.”
I grabbed my drink and drained it in one mouthful, taking her hand in mine. My keys were tossed at Garrett.
“You’re driving my car.”
“Why the hell am I driving?” my best mate snapped.
“Because you two enjoyed an afternoon of naked yoga with our girl, while I worked. I need to get a few runs on the board with our girl to level the playing field a bit.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Katie asked with a giggle as I dragged her to her feet and then spun her around in a circle.
“It means I get to make out with you in the back of my car while Daddy Garrett drives us home,” I replied and then tugged her towards the car park.
“Bronson, you’re with me,” Rhett said, the dog wagging his tail and reluctantly following him towards Garrett’s sedan. B Dog wanted to be with his girl right now, but what I intended to do was not safe for children or small animals.
“Rhys, what?—?”
She gasped as I pushed her up against my car. My hand slapped down on the glass above her head.
“This,” I said, my free hand sliding down her throat, just to thumb her pulse. That rapid drumbeat reassured me that she was feeling it, just like I was. “Just this.”
Away from the prying eyes of the other drinkers, I could take my time, reacquainting myself, learning her lips. The way she parted them all too quickly, as if she was hungry for this as much as I was. The little whistle of her breath through her nose as she sucked it in, right as her hands clung to my shirt front. I wanted to kiss her breathless, if just to see her pull back and take a breath, staring up at me with eyes dazed.
“Alright, lovers.” Garrett appeared by the other side of the car, tossing the keys in the air. “Get in and try not to get us pulled over for public indecency.”