Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The cold air felt like a sucker punch to her lungs, making them instantly wheezy, when Lily followed Rush outside, but she ignored it. She’d slipped past her family, grabbed her coat from the rack, and flown down the steps after Rush, her pulse drumming as hard as her heels against the pavement.
Rush stood at the end of the driveway with Theo and Davis. Even in the soft glow of the Christmas lights, Rush’s face was set in harsh, no-nonsense lines. Tucker was nowhere in sight, but Rush was clearly still in sheriff mode.
It was hot. Very, very hot.
Theo, looking very debonair in his dark suit, spotted her first and stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Lily. I don’t know how he got in. He wasn’t on the guest list.” Theo glanced at Rush. “Grant always said you were solid under pressure. He was right.”
Lily blinked. “Grant…”
Theo’s brows rose. “My brother. You met him at the wedding, remember?”
Her stomach swooped. Grant Clairmont. Rush’s buddy in the Marines—the one who’d pulled him to Northfield in the first place. She’d met him at Amber and Theo’s wedding, of course, but somehow she hadn’t connected the dots when Rush mentioned him.
She shook her head quickly. “Right. Your brother. I did meet him.” She managed a quick smile. “But this wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”
Beside him, Davis—quiet and steady as ever—put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You okay?”
Her chest still felt tight, but she nodded. She really did love those brothers-in-law of hers, handsome and protective in their own right. “I will be. Thank you. Both of you.”
Rush stepped forward then, pissed and protective at once, and her stomach swooped because that look really, really did it for her.
Theo and Davis exchanged one of those silent glances that spoke volumes before backing away toward the house, wisely leaving the two of them staring at each other.
And then it was just Lily and Rush, with music and light drifting from the house.
The set of his shoulders should have been a warning, but that slow, liquid honey slid through her body again, absorbing his energy and giving it back.
She walked straight to him and laid her palms flat on his chest, feeling the tense muscles and the thud of his heart under her hands. Just that. Just lightly rested her palms against his hard body and let him feel her calm.
And desire.
He looked at her, his gaze sharp. “Come home with me, Lily.”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
They walked in silence to his truck, the tension between them an electric charge ready to go off.
Rush opened the door, and her satin dress caught at the knees, forcing her to hike it high before getting in.
When she turned, he was in the driver’s seat, his stare fixed on her bare, smooth thighs, hunger carved into every hard line of his face.
“Rush,” she whispered, pouring every bit of longing into that one word.
That was all it took.
He was on her instantly, cradling her jaw and kissing her hard, pinning her back against the leather seat with the solid weight of his body. His mouth was rough and consuming, his tongue hot and insistent until she was arching beneath him, almost lying down, trying to drag him even closer.
The taste of him—whiskey, heat, and relief—made her dizzy.
It wasn’t enough. It never was with him.
His hands slid down, rough palms cupping her ass and hauling her into his lap. She straddled him, the satin of her dress riding higher until it barely covered her hips. The thick press of him strained against her core, and Lily rocked greedily, a moan tearing from her throat.
“Please,” she gasped, grinding down against him. Her thong slid into her folds, giving her even more of the delicious pressure. She shuddered, heat shooting through her as she moved restlessly.
“Goddamn, Lily,” he gritted out, shoving her dress higher and finding the thin scrap of her thong. One sweep of his fingers through her slick heat, and he groaned. “Fucking soaked for me.”
“Yes,” she panted, shuddering. She was drenched, aching, and she wanted this man branded into her bones.
She whimpered when he pushed two fingers inside, her body clenching greedily around him.
His thumb pressed down on her clit as he pushed deeper, the slick sounds almost obscene and unbearably erotic in the small cab.
He leaned back far enough to dip into the low scoop of her dress, pushing the satin aside to bare more of her breasts. His head dropped to scrape his teeth on the inside curve.
“What the fuck is this?” he grunted against her skin, licking and nipping.
Startled, Lily looked down—and let out a shaky laugh. The damn nipple covers were still stuck in place, stark against her rosy-pink skin while Rush bit and sucked around them.
“Nipple covers,” she gasped, trying to pull them off.
He batted her hands away with a grunt. “Let me,” he muttered, tugging each one off. Then he was back, hot and relentless, latching onto her now bare nipple while she melted against the steering wheel, content to let him take his fill. “I love your tits,” he groaned.
His hair slid silkily through her fingers when she tugged him closer, offering more.
Rush groaned, shoving her down harder on his cock and latching deeply onto the opposite breast, sucking hard enough that Lily felt the corresponding pull between her legs.
She held him to her and ground down, chasing friction until the truck rocked faintly under their rhythm.
“Rush,” she gasped.
His hands spread her thighs wider, dragging her closer. Then he was there, bold and proprietary, touching her in a way that made her knees weak, pushing straight into her dripping wet pussy.
“Oh, God,” she moaned as he withdrew, stroking over her clit next, firm and agonizingly slowly.
“Look at me, angel,” he demanded.
She forced her eyes open, meeting his while his hand worked her—one finger, then two, stretching her, thrusting slowly and deliberately while his thumb stroked mercilessly on her clit.
Then he eased away, and she nearly moaned at the loss.
Rush held his fingers up, glistening in the dim light, his gaze never leaving hers, and painted her wetness across her nipples before dipping his head again.
His groan vibrated through her chest as he sucked one nipple deep into his mouth, his tongue swirling over her hungrily.
The filthy sound of it had her clawing at his shoulders, rocking against him helplessly. “Please,” she whispered, digging her nails into his shoulders while she rode him harder.
“You want it here, Lily?” he growled against her breast. “Right fucking here in my truck where anyone could walk past and see you getting fucked?”
Her breath hitched. “Yes,” she gasped, beyond caring. “God, yes, right here. Now.”
He jerked his belt buckle open, the clang loud in the stillness of the night, and yanked down his zipper.
Her heart pounded as she shifted higher on his lap, satin riding to her waist, her thong shoved aside, bare and wet, and ready. She felt the thick, blunt head press against her entrance, and a shudder rippled through her.
Her body clenched in anticipation, every nerve stretched so tight, waiting for him to push inside her and make the ache go away.
But before she could beg again—before he could drive home—her lungs betrayed her.
The gasp that should have broken into a moan caught in her chest, seizing viciously and stealing the moment.
Her chest locked tight, and panic flared in her. She jerked, clutching at her chest, and curled into him, trying to force air into her lungs.
“Lily.” Rush froze. He pushed her back, searching her face. “Fuck,” he swore viciously.
She gasped, clawing around the seat for her bag. Her inhaler. Inside. She didn’t take her purse when she left the party.
“I’ve got you,” he said firmly, already shifting her off his lap. “Don’t waste the air you’ve got.”
Panic was setting in. Black dots danced at the corner of her vision. She closed her eyes, unable to look at Rush when he realized she didn’t have her inhaler with her.
“Breathe,” he said roughly, pushing something between her lips. “Hold it.”
She puffed again, holding it until her lungs felt like they would burst, either from lack of oxygen or the medicine seeping into her, and stared at him.
He held her gaze unflinchingly. “That’s it, angel. One more.”
She wheezed in a breath and coughed. Rush rubbed her back in soothing circles while she repeated her mantra until her chest loosened.
I am a still lake, not a stormy sea.
“That’s it,” he murmured, pulling her into his chest. “I’ve got you.”
Gradually, the tightness eased, and Lily sagged against him, trembling. “Where—?” She gestured toward the inhaler.
“I picked one up after the cabin,” Rush said, holding her gaze steadily. “For you. In case this happened and you didn’t have yours.”
A few tears spilled down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb before leaning back with a heavy sigh. His belt was still undone, his skin still flushed and hot to the touch from everything they had done.
“I’m so sorry,” Lily said, shame burning her throat. Tucker’s voice filled her head. Too much work. Too fragile. “I left my purse inside—I should’ve been more careful.”
“Hey.” Rush tipped her chin up, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “Don’t apologize.”
Her eyes filled again, tears spilling hot down her cheeks. “I feel so stupid. I’ve had asthma my whole life. How could I forget I need my inhaler?” She tried to duck her head, but Rush held her steady.
“Because you’re human,” he said simply. “It happens. That’s why I picked up another one, just in case. You’re not a burden, Lily.”
Something in her chest wrenched. “But don’t you see? I feel the same way about you.” She let that sit with him the same way his words had landed with her.
Rush’s hand dropped. He stared out the windshield, his jaw clenching. “Forgetting an inhaler and letting a woman drown are not the same thing,” he said flatly.