13 #2
"Sounds good." Rhys opened the door for her, and she walked into the marble-tiled foyer ahead of him.
She stopped just inside and leaned against the door.
Being alone with him again made her aware of how much she wanted to continue what they'd begun the day before.
With her mind satisfied that she was indeed a free, single, and unencumbered woman, her body was ready for the next step.
"Rhys."
He turned around, and Rhett let out a tiny sigh as how good he looked. The dark wash jeans were back, this time paired with a silvery-gray dress shirt with a darker gray pinstripe. His hair was loose over his shoulders and tumbled down to his chest. Damn.
She came back to herself with a start and saw that he was watching her with a question in his eyes. Time to make things right. Time to let him know she wasn't averse to more kisses, or anything else he might want to do.
"Rhys, I'm sorry I ran out on you yesterday."
"Rhett—"
"No, please let me say this. Nothing you did made me leave.
In fact, everything you did made me want to stay.
" Did she really just say that out loud?
But instead of being embarrassed, she felt a glow of satisfaction.
It was the first time in her life she admitted to a man that she wanted him, and she liked it, especially the hot light it brought to his eyes.
After a deep breath that pulled his shirt tight across his chest, Rhys walked forward and stood close in front of her. "That's good to hear. I was afraid I might have come on a little strong."
"No." Rhett smiled and shook her head. "It was just me.
I seem to have needed a little time to convince my subconscious that I'm not a married woman anymore.
" An almost inaudible laugh shook her shoulders at his nonplused expression.
"Sounds nuts, right? But those were the first kisses I've had from anyone but Todd since I was a teenager. "
"Well, then." Rhys leaned his forearms on the door on either side of Rhett's head. "How were they?"
Head tilted to the side, Rhett pretended to consider the question. "Not bad at all." She bit the inside of her lip to hide a smile when he stared at her open-mouthed.
"Not bad?"
"I said not bad at all," she clarified. "But there wasn't a lot to go on. They weren't all that long."
Oh, she was going to kiss this man again, and this time it wouldn't be the feather-soft brushes he'd given her yesterday. No, this time she was going to get deep, long, toe-curling mouth action, even if she had to initiate it herself.
It was obvious when Rhys realized she was playing with him. A slow, tantalizing smile and a certain glint in his eye, and Rhett's knees went weak.
"Are you trying to say I'm too fast? Because we can work on that." Still wearing that wicked smile, he leaned closer. "The last thing I want to do is leave you unsatisfied. If you like, I'll go try to scare up a stopwatch so you can—”
Everything else ceased to matter when he told her he didn't want to leave her unsatisfied. Tired of playing, she threaded her hands through that gorgeous hair. "Oh, God, will you quit talking?" With no further discussion, she pulled his mouth to hers.
Yes, Rhys had gotten the hint, all right.
Gone were the sweet, seductive kisses from the day before.
This time he made love to her mouth with his, teasing her with his tongue, nibbling her lips, kisses that made her aware that this was the prelude to her total surrender.
His hands grasped her hips and pulled her tight against him, wringing a moan of anticipation from deep in her throat.
Days, weeks, months later he drew back and stared into her eyes.
"Not bad?"
"Friggin' awesome," she managed.
He laughed softly. "You're pretty friggin' awesome yourself." Leaning forward he kissed her again, this time deep and tender, a kiss that ended with him pulling her upper lip between his. "I'm afraid I have some not so great news, though."
"What?" She blinked up at him through the tangles of her bangs.
"When Ross rang yesterday it was to tell me there's been a cancellation at Canterbury, so we're going in early to record the new album.
The good news is that we've got four weeks instead of three.
The bad news..." He sighed. "The bad news is that we start in the morning.
I'm leaving for Vancouver this afternoon.
In fact, I leave for the airport in less than an hour. "
Disappointment crushed her chest and made it hard to breathe. But she tried to be an adult about it and nodded. "Okay. But I thought Canterbury was in England."
"What? Oh." Rhys smiled and brushed his lips across her jaw.
"There is a Canterbury in England. But this is Canterbury Recording Studio in Vancouver.
" His hands framed her face and his smile disappeared, replaced by a blazing desire so strong it stopped her breath entirely for a moment.
"Christ, Rhett, you don't know how badly I want to be naked with you right now. "
The involuntary clench of muscles between her legs made her utter a little moan.
"Baby, you're going to have to stop making those noises that make me think you'd sound like that when I have my face between your thighs. Damn, I want to taste you." He ran the tip of his tongue over her parted lips. "But there's not enough time to do all things I want to do to you."
"Say more things like that," she panted.
"Like that, do you? You like me telling you how I'm going to spread your legs wide and lick and suck you until you're screaming?
How I'm going to slide up inside you so far and so hard that...
Fuck," he growled. "Not now, though. I don't want it to be rushed or hurried. I want to take my time with you."
If he pressed against her again she was going to come, with nothing more than his kisses, the feel of his body, and those deliriously naughty things he was saying. "You'll be gone for four weeks?"
"Yes. Damn it." His mouth rested on hers, not really a kiss, but a touch that sizzled to the tips of her fingers.
"Ever heard of phone sex?"
Rhys froze for a moment, then his lips curved against hers. "Ever heard of video calls?"
Yeah, she was going to have to buy a laptop. No way was she going to consign the glory of Rhys to the small screen of her cell phone.
"When are you leaving for the airport?" Rhett pressed soft kisses to his mouth, which prevented him from answering for a minute.
"My ride will be here at one," he finally said.
Rhett took a deep breath. "Ever heard of second base?"
A groan came from deep in his chest. "Ever heard of blue balls?"
"What's the female equivalent of that? 'Cause I'm already way ahead of you."
He pulled back and looked at her, breathing hard. In a swift move that surprised her, he pushed away from the door. "Fuck it," he declared. And he took her hand and pulled her toward the curving staircase that led to his bedroom.