Chapter 29
Rhys
Ishould have tied down Fallon with the rope I keep in my flat. She had no business being out in that pouring, freezing rain. She’s more stubborn than I give her credit for.
But I also like that about her. She sticks to her guns. No pun intended.
Now she’s standing in front of me naked and shaking, and I’m feeling all kinds of things I shouldn’t be feeling. This is supposed to be fake. For me. A compromise to keep her quiet.
Her wide eyes flick over me like she’s guessing what happens next between us. Like she’s not sure what she wants to happen next.
She’s not a virgin, I’ve established that. But she didn’t consent her first and only time. I don’t know if she can or will consent right now. She’s just come off being very sick, and all I see is a vulnerable woman who’s shaken up.
In my twenties, I was careless with women’s hearts. I’m not that man anymore. I’m all for getting worked up and tearing each other’s clothes off. But not like this. I need to leave here tonight with my dick dry. Okay, it’s hard and leaking.
Fallon needs to know I’m leaving her untouched because it’s best for her. Especially if she was forced her first time.
I strip off my soaked jacket, grab her gently by the wrist, and steer her into the bathroom. I twist the shower knob until the water runs hot and steam curls from behind the curtain.
“Stay in there for twenty minutes,” I tell her, my voice raw and lethal.
She hesitates. “Where will you be?”
I have to walk out of here and bury this want deep enough that it never claws back up.
Never? God, I’m not sure.
“Where do you want me?” I ask because I’m an idiot.
She tilts her head, soft and certain. “Right there.”
“Watching you?”
“No.” Her lips quirk. “In the shower with me. I’m your girlfriend.”
My fucking feet are rooted to the floor. I’m holding myself back by sheer force of will.
“Fallon, it’s not the right time for us to get physical. Love, I think you’re seeking comfort, and you’ll do anything to ground out the panic you’re going through about the plants.”
“You…you don’t find me attractive, do you?” She rips a towel from a stack piled on a shelf above the toilet to cover up.
Christ, the last thing she needs to top off this night is rejection. I step toward her, my voice a low growl, and say, “Unzip me.”
Her throat bobs. “Unzip you?”
“My pants, Fallon. Unzip my pants and take out my cock. Penis, if you don’t know the word.”
“I know the word cock,” she says rather abruptly, her breathing ragged. “Are we—”
“No. You’re not ready. But I want you to see and feel how much I want you.” I’m about to bring her hand to the ache between my legs, but she reaches for it first.
Then she lowers my fucking zipper. “Like this?”
Christ…
“Aye. Just touch me.” I grip her chin. “Only if you need to know the truth.”
A force I can’t control has me shoving my pants down to just below my hips. Her hand reaches into my briefs, and shaking fingers close around my length.
“Oh my God,” I mutter and lower my head closer to hers.
“Wow, that’s…” She stops, and I honestly can’t wait to hear what clinical term her brainiac side will label my big throbbing dick. “That’s fucking huge, Rhys. Will it fit?”
I snort a laugh and press my hand on top of hers for a final squeeze. “It will fit. You’ll take every inch of me like a good girl. When you’re ready. When it’s right. When I’ve got you so crazy, you’ll sink to your knees and take this hard cock into your mouth.”
She moans, and I want so much to feel her silky lips around my cock. But I don’t dare cross that line right now. I have too much respect for her.
I’m only recently figuring out I have feelings for her. Real ones. But my life is complicated and dangerous. I don’t know what to do with her when I’ve fulfilled my promise to be her date during all these holiday events.
“Do you… Do you find me attractive?” I ask, needing some comfort of my own.
Her eyes roll so hard, it must hurt.
“You’re stunning, Rhys.” She goes quiet and frowns for a moment. “But…”
“But…what?”
Swallowing, she says, “I don’t really like your long hair.”
“Then I’ll cut it. Now, get in that shower, Fallon,” I grind out with a little more force because I’m hanging on by a thread.
She lets go of my cock and steps back, her eyes on me. “Thank you.”
“I told you not to thank me for—”
“Not the garden.” She holds the towel tighter against her chest. “For this. For being a good man. And walking away, because you’re right, I’m not ready.”
Before I can respond, she drops the towel and steps behind the curtain.
It would be my luck that she has the nicest fucking arse I’ve ever seen.