15. Chapter 15 #2
His grin is pure cheek. “I’ll search for it later when my lungs reinflate. It will have to be a very thorough investigation, but I promise to find all your buttons.”
I have no doubt he can do exactly that.
Five minutes later, I’m on Reno’s soft bed. His cottage mirrors mine, living area and kitchen at the front and bedroom with en suite at the back.
After carefully cleaning me up with a warm cloth and making me drink some cool water, he nestles in beside me and rolls my body to face his beneath the covers. “How are you feeling, Juliette?”
I love hearing my name in his deep voice almost as much as I enjoy him calling me dream girl .
“Tired and very satisfied,” I report.
His big hand is gentle, brushing my hair away from my face before cupping my cheek. “You are always beautiful, but you took my breath away when you came.”
I seem to be losing my own breath right now. “Thank you,” I murmur, turning my face to kiss his palm.
“I’m serious. You are absolute perfection.
Such a good girl for me.” He presses kisses all over my cheeks, nose, and forehead before he continues.
“I like everything about you, but especially your pretty smile. You could brighten up a rainy day when you smile.” I am flabbergasted, utterly overwhelmed at his sweetness.
Of course I’ve had aftercare from partners before, but this is different. More than just making sure I’m okay physically. This is… after-praise ? Yeah, that’s a good term for it, and I’m a fan.
Ignoring that niggling feeling at the base of my brain that tells me this is dangerously intimate, I snuggle closer to his naked body and wrap an arm around his waist. Reno runs his fingers through my long hair as he continues to whisper his pretty words against the top of my head.
After a while, he leans back and lays a kiss between my eyebrows. “I better go get our stuff from the porch. My wallet, your bag, our clothes. Before I fall asleep from exhaustion,” he adds with a self-deprecating chuckle. “Be right back.”
He rolls from the bed, and I’m in a tailspin. As soon as his warmth leaves me, I miss him. And that’s… whew . I don’t know what it is, but it’s not great. While my heart is warning me not to sleep in this man’s bed, my body is screaming the opposite.
Falling asleep in Reno’s arms is a horrible, wonderful idea, and I practically drool on myself as I watch his fine ass stroll to the sliding door. He is the perfect man, physically and... No, Juliette. You have to protect yourself.
Because I can already feel myself getting addicted to Reno Swain, and that could be perilous to my heart. This—whatever it is—will end in eleven days, and then I’ll probably never see him again. It’s best to lay out some ground rules.
Yes, rules. That’s exactly what we need.
My resolve dissipates when he returns with our things, giving me a full frontal view. And let me tell you, his frontal bits are just as amazing as his behind .
Is he hard again? Already?
That’s some serious book-boyfriend-level shit.
Of course, I’ve written about almost instantaneous rebound times for men in my romance stories, but in real life?
Yeah, that’s usually not a thing. Even in college when the guys were young and raring to go, there was at least an hour turnaround between sexy times.
As Reno sets our clothes and my clutch on the dresser, I sit up and hold the sheet over my chest. Like he hasn’t seen everything already , the smartass part of my brain drawls. But I feel like I need that extra layer of protection to work up my courage.
Also, my nipples could cut glass right now. So there’s that.
“What’s wrong, dream girl? You need to use the bathroom?”
“No, I—Yes, actually,” I say, scrambling from the bed and dashing into the bathroom. Chickenshit.
After using the toilet, I wash my hands and regard myself in the mirror. My hair looks like a family of squirrels has made their forever home on top of my head, and scruff burn reddens almost every inch of me. There’s something to be said about a man who’s thorough.
I find a hickey on the side of my right boob, and when I turn, I notice finger-shaped bruises dotting my ass. I’ve been thoroughly used, and I have absolutely no complaints about it. Because Reno made sure I was satisfied before letting himself come.
After finger-combing my hair, I find a bathrobe on the back of the door, sling it on, and sigh. It smells like him. Black currant and bergamot are underlined with a hint of something sweet and rich. Maybe vanilla?
Trying not to inhale too much to avoid the temptation of his man smell, I tie the sash around my middle and march out into the bedroom.
Reno is reclined back on the bed looking tastier than a whole bag of cherry Starbursts, one hand propped behind his head. His biceps bulge, and he grins at me.
“You look adorable in my robe, Juliette.”
“I look like Dopey,” I retort, holding up my arms to reveal the sleeves that hang over my hands.
“Dopey is my favorite dwarf.” His eyebrows pinch together. “Why are you standing at the end of the bed like that?”
“I, uh, I think we need to set some ground rules for our… arrangement.”
He nods, sits up, and holds out a hand for me. “Of course. Come sit by me.”
Ohh, this is not good. Being within touching distance of this man is a temptation I don’t need when I’m trying to be all strong and poised and shit. But I do it anyway, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him.
While Reno rolls my sleeves up, I start. “I think we can both agree this is temporary, right?”
His eyes flick up to mine as he continues adjusting the sleeves. “Yeah,” he says warily.
“Because neither of us are looking for anything serious.” He nods his agreement, and I continue. “So I was thinking that spending the whole night together might send… mixed signals?” It came out as more of a question than a statement.
He frowns for a second before bobbing his head once. “I understand. For me, sleeping in the same bed is something I’ve only done with a girlfriend.”
I’m struck with an odd sense of jealousy, and I inwardly scold myself. Don’t think of him in bed with Leia, Juli. Just don’t.
“Right,” I say, forcing cheer into my voice. “And that’s not what this is about. We’re just… casual.” I flip my hand over, palm up, to demonstrate exactly how not-serious our fling is. And how I absolutely do not want to climb on top of Reno and use him as my own personal body pillow all night.
“Riiiight,” he echoes. “So rule one is no sleepovers. What else?”
My sex-sated brain can’t think of anything else, so I deflect. “Do you have any rules you want to make?”
Reno fingers a strand of my hair almost absently. “Maybe we should limit talking about our personal lives. I mean, besides what we’ve already shared.”
I feel slightly guilty that I haven’t told him I recognize him, but I brush that away. The life of a professional athlete is rigorous and stressful, and if he doesn’t want to talk about it while he’s on vacation, that’s fine with me.
“Agreed. That will be rule two,” I say, and how did my hand end up on his chest? I rub the hard muscle of his pec. “What about when you leave here in eleven days? Should we stay in contact with each other once we’re both back home?”
Reno’s forehead furrows, his dark brows inching together. “I’d like to know you made it home safely.”
Dammit to hell, why does he have to be so sweet?
“I can text you to let you know when I get home.”
“And after that?” he pushes, those green eyes glued to my face.
I think about the distance between where we live. There are probably a thousand miles between Denver and my hometown in Texas. The last thing I want is another long-distance relationship—especially not with a hockey player.
“I think things could get confusing and complicated if we stay in touch,” I tell him honestly.
His lips twist to the side. Is that disappointment I’m reading there?
I think it is because I’m feeling a twinge of it myself.
And that’s why continuing to talk to him would be a very bad idea.
Reno Swain would be too easy to fall for.
Because despite what I try to tell myself, he’s exactly my type.
“You’re saying you don’t want the random guy you met on vacation to keep calling and stringing you along?”
I give his shoulder a playful push. “Maybe I’d be the one stringing you along,” I tease with a flip of my hair. “I’d leave you completely heartbroken, mister. ”
Reno laughs and hauls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him. “I have no doubt you would, dream girl.” He toys with the belt holding my robe closed. “So I know we won’t be spending the night together, per rule one, but are there any rules against me giving you a two-fer in one night?”
He looks expectantly at me as he unties the robe and slides his warm hands inside, around my waist. He’s fully hard beneath me, and my body responds in full force with perky nipples and an even perkier vagina.
“I have no problem with that.”
His grin widens and lights up his face before he flips me onto my back and pounces.
Yes, this man could easily become an addiction.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch,” Reno says at my back door. He insisted on walking me “home” after round two, even though my cottage is only a few steps from his.
“Sounds good,” I say, rising up onto my toes to kiss his cheek. “Let me throw on some pajamas right quick so I can give you your robe back.”
“Nah, it’s okay. There’s another one in my closet if I need it.” His hand cradles my face, and he leans in for a long, slow kiss that makes my knees weak.
“Beach tomorrow afternoon?” I ask.
“You in a swimsuit? Yes, please.” He pats me on the butt. “Now get inside before you make me want to break rule one.”
Reno waits for me to unlock my door and then hands me my clothes, shoes, and bag.
I give him one more peck on the lips before going inside and sliding the door closed.
He stands there with his hands in the pockets of his low-slung shorts, which he threw on to walk me to my cottage.
He’s commando, giving me a primo view of his imprint.
His head bobs toward the safety bar, reminding me to engage it, and I do, but my eyes don’t leave his. I want to say screw rule one and invite him inside, but I know that’s only asking for trouble.
So I close the vertical blinds, ignoring the ache in my gut when I can no longer see him.
Rule one is an asshole.