8. Rhett
Isauntered down the dimly lit hotel corridor, my tuxedo jacket slung carelessly over my shoulder. The faint smell of Scarlett’s perfume still filled my head, teasing me with the memory of that kiss. Jesus fuck, that kiss... Electric doesn’t even begin to describe it. The feel of her lips on mine, the way her body melted against me, had me aching to do it all over again.
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I replayed the moment in my mind. The look of surprise on her face when I’d pulled her close, those gorgeous blue eyes widening before fluttering shut in surrender. And the way she’d gripped my lapels, like she was drowning, and I was the only thing holding her up. I savored the memory of her ragged breaths mingling with mine as our tongues tangled. The confusion on her face when I’d stepped away was solid gold. Yeah, she wanted me. No doubt about it.
It was such a shame she’d left the party early. Chickened out, more like. The game had really only just begun, and she’d fled. Now I had to think of a way to get her alone again, to see just how far I could unravel her meticulously maintained control. A hungry grin spread across my face as I imagined backing her up against the wall, my hands roaming over the lush curves she tried so hard to hide beneath those severe pencil skirts...
My dick twitched at the thought of it, and I knew what I was going to do the minute I got to my room. Have a long hot shower, jerking off while imagining Scarlett was there with me.
As I approached my door, the sound of muffled muttering caught my ear. Glancing down the angled corridor, I froze.
There, kneeling in front of a room door, was a woman in a slinky sapphire nightgown. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in luscious waves and her feet were bare. On the floor next to her was a metal bucket. The sight was enough to make me think of Scarlett, but when she turned her head slightly, revealing that delicate profile, my pulse leaped.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Scarlett’s head whipped around, those blue eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment as she realized it was me. For a moment, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen in place. Then she jumped to her feet and crossed her arms over her breasts. Pushing them up. Being a simple human male, my gaze dropped to the movement and my dick stirred some more. Christ, the woman was sex on legs. “What the fuck are you doing here? Stalking me?”
“Get over yourself. I’m staying here.”
“You have a giant mansion ten minutes down the road. Why can’t you stay there?”
“Because I’d rather remove my eyeballs with a spoon than spend any more time than absolutely necessary with my parents.”
We had a stare off for a few moments, each waiting for the other to back down. Not on your fucking life. Standing in a low-lit corridor with Scarlett Wright wearing nothing more than a slinky nightgown was not an experience I was going to cut short. “Care to explain why you’re loitering around, barely dressed?”
“Fuck you. It’s not like that.”
“Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looks an awful lot like you’re breaking and entering.” I took a few lazy steps closer, unable to resist the urge to close the distance between us. She was so incredibly annoyed, which was, of course, unbelievably hot. “How about you enlighten me?” I was close enough now that I could see the ring of dark blue around her eyes and hear the breath catch in her throat.
“If you must know, I stepped out to get some ice?—”
“Overheated, were you?”
She made a strangled sound in her throat that had me holding back a shit-eating grin. “You want to know, or not?”
“Sorry. Go ahead.”
“It was only meant to take thirty seconds and I don’t have a robe or anything. Or slippers. I didn’t think to bring any because it’s not that cold at this time of year, so now I’m walking around barefoot, and it is actually a bit cold.”
Babbling. How fascinating. I leaned against the wall, folding my arms and watching her as she got more and more tangled up.
“When I came back, my door had closed.” She gestured to the door. “And this stupid antique key won’t turn in the lock, so I can’t get in. Of course, I can’t go down to the lobby like this, so I don’t know what to do.”
The breath she took to try to calm herself down pushed her perfect tits up, and there was no mistaking the fact that her nipples were hard.
One of two things was about to happen. I was going to be the gentleman and let her off the hook by going back to my room. Or I was going to fuck her right here in the hallway in the next five seconds. “Let me see.” I stepped in front of the door, and she took a hasty step back, her eyes widening in fear. I couldn’t tell if it was for me, or herself, but it was enough to make me hesitate. I dragged my gaze from her to the key, sitting stiffly in the lock. Jiggling it did nothing, so I used all my strength to pull the door as tight as I could and jiggled it again. I could feel it give way, so I turned harder and over it went. The lock snapping open was freakily loud in the quiet of the hallway. “There you go.”
God fucking dammit. Why did I have to choose right now to be a gentleman? Without another word, I turned away, walking back to my room and pulling my hotel key from my pocket.
I let out a long breath as I closed the door behind me, dropping my tuxedo jacket onto the plush brocade chair. The encounter with Scarlett in the hallway had left me achingly hard and desperate for relief.
Undoing my cufflinks with slightly shaky fingers, I tried to push the image of her in that slinky nightgown from my mind. Those luscious curves spilling out of the silky fabric. Her nipples pebbled from the chill air. The way she’d looked at me with that mixture of embarrassment and defiance when I caught her in the hallway. Christ, I could have taken her right then and there against the wall.
Gritting my teeth, I shrugged out of my dress shirt and tossed it aside, my hands already working at my belt buckle. Just a few minutes alone and I could take the edge off.
A loud banging at the door made me freeze, my hands stilling on my belt. Muttering a curse, I quickly did up my belt again and stalked over to the door, yanking it open with more force than necessary.
And there she was, standing with her arms crossed over that nightgown like a siren calling to the depths of my desire. Those blue eyes bored into me, equal parts fire and ice.
“I’m so fucking sick of you.” Her voice was low and husky, with a tone that went straight to my groin.
“Likewise.”
She took a few steps into the room, and I backed up hastily, my whole body on fire.
“You want to know why I’m sick of you, Rhett Rivers? It’s because you’re nothing but an arrogant, entitled playboy who thinks he can get away with anything. You waltz in here, oozing charm and confidence, acting like the whole world should bow down to you.” She poked a finger into my chest, her eyes flashing with anger.
The scent of her perfume surrounded me as I stood there, momentarily stunned by her outburst. This woman was going to be the death of me. I could feel it in my bones. And somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“I know exactly the kind of man you are - shallow, callous, and only out for yourself. And I want no part of it. So, you can take your charm and your arrogance and your…and your hotness! And you can shove them where the sun doesn’t shine, because I’m not interested.”
Snap. That was the last thread of my self-control. Her eyes were blazing and her chest heaving. She looked like a fucking goddess. I was rock hard.
“Right. I’ve had enough of this. You want it or you don’t. You can’t come in here lit up like that, looking like that, and expect to get away easily. No more games.” I took two steps forward, my pulse leaping when she scurried backwards until her back hit the wall. “I’m gonna give you one last chance.” Crowding her in, I put my arm on the wall above her head and reached for the door, swinging it wide. “You’ve got five seconds to get the fuck out of my room, or I’m going to drag you to my bed and rail you so hard you forget your own name.”