Chapter Twenty-Two
KINLEY
CONFUSION AND pain consume me as I blink my eyes open. My head is pounding like someone is hitting me with a hammer, the room I’m sleeping in is not mine, and I’m in a t-shirt.
The spicy smell of Rhys is all around me.
Sitting up slowly, I look at the bedside table and see an open bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of water. The room is masculine with turquoise, gray, and white colors, and the curtains are still drawn over the window to block the sun.
Last night starts to come back to me in pieces. The last thing I remember is Rhys questioning me in the parking lot of the club. His dark brown eyes were really close to mine.
Slowly pushing myself to a sitting position, I reach over and take the pills and guzzle half the water. My mouth is like a damn cotton ball and tastes as bad as a sewer.
My cheeks turn pink as I realize I probably vomited. I drank way too much last night.
I was just so fucking mad and hurt. But I vaguely remember Rhys telling me he didn’t send anyone to my house. I do remember him apologizing for pushing me away.
Setting the bottle of water back on the table, I look down at the black T-shirt I’m wearing and lift the covers to see I’m not wearing any underwear. I don’t feel like I had sex. There’s no soreness or remnants of sex. Sniffing the air, I don’t smell like I had sex.
Looking around the room, I don’t see my dress anywhere, but my clutch is sitting in a chair next to the window. I crawl to the foot of the bed to see if my dress is discarded on the floor anywhere, but I don’t see it.
Oh God, I hope I didn’t vomit on myself.
I’ll be mortified if I did.
Tiptoeing to the door, I open it a crack and look down the hall. The house is quiet. Maybe he had to go to work. I’ll get cleaned up and call an Uber.
Looking over my shoulder at the chest of drawers across from the bed, I open the top drawer and pull out a pair of boxers and tiptoe across the hall to the bathroom. It smells like a fresh shower and Rhys’ body wash.
The person looking back at me in the mirror looks like a fucking raccoon with rabies. My hair is a bird’s nest, and all the dark makeup I put on for the perfect smokey eye is smeared across my face. I look like I’m wearing a damn burglar’s mask.
Half laughing at myself and half hoping Rhys didn’t see me like this, I twist my hair up on top of my head and turn on the cold water to wash my face. Next to the sink are a new toothbrush still in the package and a tube of toothpaste.
Pulling on the boxers, I knot the waistband and roll it down a few times, tucking the front hem of the shirt behind the band before I walk down the hall. As I get close to the kitchen, I still don’t see him, but I can feel him. He’s around the corner waiting for me.
Why does that make me so damn happy?
Poking my head around the corner, I see him leaning against the kitchen counter in front of the sink. His bulgy arms are crossed over his bare muscular chest, and his sweatpants are hanging low on his waist, the V of his stomach dipping behind the waistband.
Chocolate brown eyes bore into me, and he cocks his brow when he sees my head.
He’s so damn hot.
Clearing my throat, I walk past him, avoiding eye contact, and go right to the cabinet to get a coffee cup. The coffee maker is still where I left it, along with the pods, so I put one in the basket and start brewing a cup. I can feel his eyes on my back, so I break the silence.
Not turning to face him, I ask, “Do you keep new toothbrushes in the package for all the girls you have over?”
I won’t lie and say jealousy didn’t rear its ugly head when I had that thought while brushing my teeth.
He doesn’t answer. He’s waiting for me to turn around, but I’m not going to. My feelings are still raw from yesterday, and I don’t want to face him right now.
“I can’t find my dress. You know, I’m not a walk of shame kind of girl, if that’s what you’re doing. I’m not above wearing your boxers home.” The coffee maker gurgles and beeps, so I take the cup out of the cradle and set it on the marble to add creamer.
He’s still silent behind me, but I can feel his eyes all over me.
Fine, if he doesn’t want to talk to me, he doesn’t have to. “Just let me drink this one cup and I’ll call an Uber.”
That gets him.
“You’re not going anywhere.” His deep voice is firm and gruff.
Finally.
Turning to face him, I lean against the counter across from him. I blow over the top of my coffee and take a sip, my eyes meeting his. “Why was I in your bed? Did anything happen?”
He crosses the space between us and cages me in, his hands on the counter on each side of me. His safe, familiar heat and his scent wrap around me, my heart high-fiving my ribs with each beat.
Keeping space between us, he bends to bring his dark eyes level with mine, staring intently.
“Somnophilia’s not my thing, I don’t like the toothbrushes the dentist gives me at my checkup, so I usually toss them in a drawer in case they’re needed, I don’t bring women back to my home, that fucking dress is in the garbage because you’re never wearing it again, I like that you’re wearing my clothes, and if anyone is driving you anywhere it’s going to be me. ”
Oh my.
My heart is rattling a hundred miles an hour against my ribs as relief washes over me, but I keep my face indifferent as I stare into his eyes and take another sip of my coffee. “Where are my panties? And why was I in your bed?”
His eyes volley between mine. “After we got back here, you had to pee, and you thought it was funny to stuff the little scrap of lace you call panties into my pants pocket. You’re not getting them back, by the way.
And you were in my bed because I wanted to make sure you didn’t vomit again in your sleep. ”
My chest warms at the thought of him watching over me to make sure I’m okay. I fake an intentionally indifferent small shoulder shrug of acceptance while keeping my expression blank.
It’s fuzzy, but I remember leaning against his chest as he walked me across the hall and I hooked my fingers over the pocket of his pants to push my thong in while telling him he could have a souvenir.
I think he may have sat on the edge of the tub as I peed to make sure I didn’t fall over.
My cheeks flush red, but I try to ignore my embarrassment and take another sip.
One side of his lips twitches. “You remember that, huh?”
Taking another sip, holding his intense eye contact, I say, “I plead the fifth.” With a sigh, I cut my eyes over his head. “Did you take my clothes off?”
With a slow blink, I lower my eyes when I realize he’s not going to answer me until I look at him.
“Yes, I changed you out of that fucking dress.” His eyes narrow. “That wasn’t even a dress, it was an invitation, and the only person you’ll be inviting is me.”
A flutter deep in the pit of my stomach warms my center, and I continue staring at him. “Is that so?”
He lifts his eyebrows like he’s daring me to argue. “Yes.”
The hairs on my arm prick to attention as that warmth travels over my skin, heating every inch of my body.
Keeping the cup partly in front of my face as a shield, I remember what started all this in the first place. “If I recall, you want me to sit on the sidelines while you put work first.”
His eyes light up as he realizes something and lifts his head. “That’s what the baseball references were about.”
My heart beats harder, and I take a deep breath to steel myself for what I’m about to say. “I’m sorry, Rhys, but I won’t be second to work, or friends, or hobbies. My father always put my mother first before everything, and I won’t settle for less than that.”
With a small sigh, I look to the side and swallow the lump that is trying to form because it’s possible that he’ll be taking me home soon.
“It’s only fair that you know that at the start.
If it’s not something you can do, then I would like to go home.
” Trying to hide my feelings, I look down into my coffee.
“Hey.” His voice is soft, and he lets go of the counter with one hand and pushes a strand of wayward hair behind my ear as he waits for me to lift my eyes back up.
“I told myself the responsible thing would be to shift all of my focus to work, but after you left, all I could think about was you. You may be a distraction, but you’re also the most beautiful thing that’s ever happened to me.
” He takes a deep breath, and the air from his nose tickles my chin.
“I can do that, Kinley. I want to and will do that for you.”
A sigh of relief escapes my chest as tears prick my eyes. “Okay.”
He cups my cheek, his thumb sliding across my skin. “We need to get something else straight right now before I show you how I really feel about you.”
The heat traveling over my body is warming my skin to the point of combustion, and my heart is fluttering in my chest. With a swallow, all I can say is, “Okay.”
Taking the cup from my hands, he sets it on the counter to the side as he steps closer.
My head tips back as the heat of his body wraps around me.
“I will never send someone else to get you. I don’t care how much you’ve managed to piss me off or how pissed off you are at me. I will always come get you.”
Holy shit.
The hand on the counter wraps around my back, and my stomach presses against his hard length, sending all sorts of tingles right to my clit, and my arousal makes me slick.
His other hand grasps my jaw as he holds my eyes captive. “I will never lie to you. If I tell you I’ll protect you, I will fucking protect you.”
My nipples are peaked like hard pebbles and rubbing against his ribs. Sliding my hands up his back, my fingers travel across the hard planes and dips of his muscles.
The arm around my waist squeezes, and he squats to lift me and set me on the counter, moving between my legs, his hardness pressing against my sex. Wetness from my arousal is on his boxers, and I wonder if he can feel the heat of it through his sweats.
His eyes soften as he tilts my head and brushes a soft kiss across my lips. “I pushed you away, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
I nod again. “Okay.” It seems to be the only word I know right now.
Sliding his hand on my jaw around to my nape, his fingers fist around my hair and he pulls my head back. “I want to fuck you so bad right now. Please tell me you’re on the pill.”
My voice comes out breathy. “I’m on the shot.”
“Thank fuck, because I don’t want anything between us. I’m taking you bare.”
I nod and whisper, “Okay.”
He nods, and his lips crash into mine. The kiss isn’t gentle. His tongue sensuously glides across mine, consuming me. His arms claim me, and his kiss takes my breath away.
Time and place disappear as he makes me his with just his kiss. My body responds to him like a magnet finding its other half.
He lets go of my hair, and his hands slide down to my ass to lift me from the counter. My legs go around his hips, and my arms circle his neck as he carries me to his bed. His lips never leave mine.
Setting his knee on the bed, he lowers me onto the mattress, his forearms sinking into the covers on each side of my head to hold his weight. He rotates his hips and pushes his hard cock against my sopping pussy.
He swallows the moan that escapes my throat as one hand slides down my stomach to lift the giant shirt he put on me. When he finds my nipple and pinches it between his thumb and finger while cupping my breast, I moan again.
“Rhys.” I breathe into his mouth.
He breaks the kiss. “Arms up.”
I throw my arms up like I’m about to free-fall on a roller coaster so he can pull the shirt over my head and toss it to the floor.
He grins as his hand cups my breast. “I looked last night, but I just knew your nipples were going to be as pink as your lips.”
I grin back at him. “Cheater. You saw mine, now show me yours.”
With another grin, he dips his head to suck my nipple into his mouth, making me arch into him. “Oh, fuck.”
Letting the little bud slide between his lips, he sits back on his heels and curls his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, pulling them over my hips and feet. His eyes roam over my body. “Fucking beautiful.”
He leans over me, his fists sink into the mattress on each side of my hips, his eyes meet mine. “I almost beat the shit out of the guy you were dancing with last night, it wouldn’t have been pretty.”
I cock my eyebrow at him and smirk. “Then stop teasing me and stake your damn claim.”
He pushes himself up onto his knees and pulls his sweats down. His cock bobs out long, hard and heavy, and it’s pointed right at me.
Falling back over me, his weight on one arm, his eyes lock with mine as he lines himself up at my opening. “You’re mine, baby, don’t forget it.”
I don’t get to answer before he pushes into me in one swift stroke, stretching and filling me perfectly. I suck in a breath, and my fingers dig into the skin on his back.
Our eyes are locked together as he waits for me to adjust and starts to slowly move inside me. We moan in unison.
With each slow thrust, his cock head slides across my g-spot, then he rubs against my clit before he pulls out.
“God, you feel so good.” I breathe as I move my hips against him. “I’ve wanted this since that first kiss.”
He smiles. “Oh, baby, I’ve thought about this since the first time your smart little mouth sounded off in that bar.”
He grabs my jaw and kisses me again, his thrusts speeding up.
“Yes,” I mumble against his lips. The mounting pressure in my core has every nerve ending in my pussy tingling.
“I can feel you squeezing me.” He mumbles into my mouth. “Come on my cock, baby, I want to feel you come.”
“Oh, fuck.” His dirty talk is pushing me over the edge. I love it. “Rhys.”
He’s pumping into me harder and puts his weight on one arm as he reaches between us. His eyes are locked on mine when he pushes his finger against my clit, sending me over the edge.
“Yes, yes, yes.” I cry as I push my hips into him harder and grab his ass, pulling him into me faster. “Rhys!”
A growl rumbles in his chest as I pulse on his cock and his thrusts become fast and wild. He waits until I stop pulsing before he shoves into me with another deep growl, spilling into me.
Setting his forehead against mine, he slides into me a couple more times as he finishes. “Fuck, baby, that was.”
“Amazing. And overdue.” I finish for him.
He doesn’t pull out but gently grasps my jaw to kiss me. Peppering tender kisses on my lips, cheeks, and forehead. Touching his forehead to mine again, he starts to grow hard again. “I’m not done with you yet.”