Chapter 19 #3
I could only moan in response, pushing back to meet every thrust. The angle had him hitting a perfect spot inside me over and over, and when his hand slid around to rub my clit, my second orgasm started building fast.
“Come with me this time,” he ordered, voice rough. “I want to feel you squeezing my cock.”
A few more brutal thrusts and I shattered again, crying out his name. He followed right behind me with a deep groan, burying himself to the hilt as he came hard inside me.
For a long moment, the only sound in the cabin was our ragged breathing. He stayed buried deep inside me, pressing soft kisses along the back of my neck as we came down from our highs.
Finally, he pulled out slowly and turned me to face him. His thumb brushed over my flushed cheek, surprisingly gentle.
I leaned into his touch for a moment, still catching my breath, before the warm trickle of his cum running down my inner thigh brought me back to reality.
“I, um… I need to clean up,” I said softly, cheeks heating.
Rhys’s mouth curved into a lazy, satisfied smirk. “Bathroom’s right there.” He nodded toward the door on the other side of the cabin but didn’t step away immediately, stealing one last slow kiss before finally letting me go.
When I stepped out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later, I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I should head out. Jasmine’s probably wondering where I am.”
Rhys nodded, but instead of stepping back, he moved closer. His hands settled lightly at my waist, stopping me from brushing past him. “Before you go,” he said, voice quieter than usual, “there’s something I need to clear up about yesterday.”
“Rhys, it’s okay, we already—”
He lifted a finger to my lips, not forceful, just enough to stop me. “I know what we said,” he murmured. “I just didn’t say my piece properly.”
I went still.
“Not telling you about the plan… it wasn’t because I didn’t want to,” he continued.
“And it wasn’t because I don’t trust you.
It’s like I said yesterday. The fewer people who knew, the better our chances, and the safer everyone would be.
But, if I’m being totally honest, you were actually the main reason I kept you out of it. ”
My brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”
He held my gaze for a second before answering. “If something went wrong, I didn’t want you anywhere near it.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“It’s not rational,” he added, almost under his breath. “But ever since I met you… you’ve really gotten under my skin. And now, with all the crazy shit that’s happening here…” He shook his head slightly. “Keeping you safe is the only part of this I don’t second-guess.”
“You could’ve just told me that,” I murmured.
“Yeah,” he said, a faint, crooked smile tugging at his lips. “I know that now. And I know I fucked up by not telling you about the plan, because it upset you so much.”
“I wasn’t that upset,” I murmured.
He huffed out a quiet laugh, eyes flashing with amusement. “You looked like you wanted to kill me yesterday.”
Heat crept up my neck. “Well, okay, I was pretty pissed,” I said. “But I didn’t feel like I had any right to be upset.”
“You had every right.” His hand lifted, fingers brushing lightly under my chin, tilting my gaze back to his. “I’m sorry. I should’ve handled it better.”
“Thanks,” I said softly. “I could’ve handled things better too. So I’m—”
He cut me off again, pressing a gentle finger to my mouth. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry,” he said, smiling faintly again. “I’m the bad guy here. Not you.”
I smiled too, head slightly shaking. Then my gaze slid back to the clock. “I really should go. Jasmine might be getting worried.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Rhys stepped back. “I’ll see you later. Hopefully.”
“Yeah, I…” I trailed off as something suddenly occurred to me. “Oh my god, I just realized. I’ll have to walk all the way to the bathroom block by myself.”
“Shit.” He dragged a hand over his jaw. “I didn’t think of that either.”
“Well… I guess I’ll just have to suck it up and do it,” I murmured, pulse picking up.
Rhys shook his head. “I’ll walk you down to the end of the path.
Hardly anyone comes up here, so it should be fine,” he said.
“That’s most of the way. Then it’s a straight shot to the bathroom across the clearing.
I’ll hang back behind a tree and keep an eye on you until I see you step into that bathroom.
And if I see any sign of another person coming your way, I’ll be there before they can even get close. ”
“But then everyone will find out you’re still alive. Your plan will be ruined.”
“Worth it,” he said. “But it won’t come to that. Whoever the killer is… they’ve never been active during the day.”
“Yes they have, they—” I cut myself off abruptly. “Oh my god. I was about to say you were killed during the day. But you’re looking pretty damn good for a dead guy.”
Rhys laughed, the sound low and easy, like none of this was as fucked up as it actually was. “Yeah,” he said. “Funny how that works.”
Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my mouth.
“Come on,” he added, jerking his head toward the door. “Let’s get you to Jasmine.”
The air outside felt cooler than I expected, brushing against my flushed skin as we stepped onto the path.
Rhys stayed close, his presence steady at my side as we walked.
Every snap of a twig and every shift of leaves still registered somewhere in the back of my mind, but none of it scared me anymore.
The usual sharp edge of panic was gone, dulled into something quieter.
Because Rhys was here. Protecting me.
We reached the end of the path too quickly.
“This is probably as far as I can go without being seen by the others,” he said, stopping just short of the clearing. “But if you want me to come all the way, just say the word. I’ll do it.”
My gaze flicked out across the open space. The bathroom block sat on the other side, still and quiet.
“I can make it,” I said, lifting my chin. “It’s not far.”
Rhys nodded, squeezing my arm. “Remember, I’ve got eyes on you the whole way.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a faint smile. “I’ll see you later.”
With that, I stepped out into the clearing. The distance felt longer than it ever would have before the killer showed up here, but even as my pulse picked up slightly, it never tipped over into fear.
Because I could still feel it. That steady awareness of Rhys behind me. Watching. Ready to save me.
It was… nice. After days of constant fear and tension, of waiting for someone to jump out of the woods with an ax, the shift was almost disorienting. My shoulders loosened, my breathing steadied, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like prey.
I reached the bathroom door and pushed it open, stepping inside. Maren and Grace were both standing near the sinks, mid-conversation. They looked up at the sound.
“Oh, hey,” Maren said. “Are you looking for Jasmine?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“She’s in there,” Grace said, pointing toward one of the cubicles. “She said her stomach wasn’t feeling good. She’s been in there for ages.”
“We didn’t want to leave her on her own,” Maren added with a small shrug. “Just in case.”
“That’s really nice of you,” I said, offering them a quick smile. “I’ve got her now, though. You don’t have to stay.”
They both looked relieved.
“Okay,” Grace said. “Tell her we hope she feels better.”
“I will.”
They headed out, the door swinging shut behind them. The second it clicked closed, the toilet cubicle door creaked open, and Jasmine stepped out.
“I’m sorry I took so long,” I said, hurrying toward her. “We were talking, and—”
“No, oh my god, I’m sorry!” she cut in, shaking her head. “When I came up with that distraction plan, it didn’t even occur to me that you’d have to walk down here all alone. I only realized when I got in here and sat down.”
I waved a hand. “It’s fine. Nothing happened.”
“Well, yeah, obviously. But still…” Her gaze narrowed slightly.
“You look really freaked out. Your face is totally red, and you’re breathing like you just ran a marathon.
” She paused for a beat, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Just take long, deep breaths for a minute, okay? You’re totally safe now. ”
If anything, that almost made me laugh. Because she was wrong. Not about being safe. Just about why I was breathless with a flushed face.
“I’m honestly fine,” I said, forcing my expression to settle. “I just worked myself up a bit on the walk over.”
I turned toward the closest sink, reaching for the tap more as something to do than anything else. But even as I focused on the running water, my mind kept drifting back.
To the path. To the way Rhys said he’d be watching. To how, for a few minutes out there, the terror that had become a constant presence in my life had just… vanished.
And that was the part that really stuck with me. Not the danger. Not the plan.
Him.