“You’re confused.”
“No, I’m tired of being poor little Raven,” I correct.That’s the heart of the problem, isn’t it?No one takes me seriously, and why should they?When have I ever given them a reason to take me seriously?“Everyone else makes decisions for me or decides what’s best for me because they don’t think I’m capable of doing it myself.I’m tired of being infantilized and treated like a child.And that’s my fault for allowing it to happen.I let my dad coddle me.I let myself be the spoiled little rich girl.I let myself get to a place where I’m almost twenty-two and have no real-world experience.I put my dream before everything, and this is the result.”
Rhys pushes away from the door and strolls toward me.“You aren’t a child, songbird.You aren’t a spoiled little rich girl.You’re allowed to have dreams and throw your heart into them.Your dad didn’t spoil you because he thought you weren’t strong or capable, he spoiled you because he loved you.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?”He sits on the ottoman in front of me, putting us at eye level.He’s so close that I can see the flecks of gold in his eyes.“Your dad didn’t leave you the company to force you into running it.He left the company to you because, out of everyone, he trusted you to make the best decision for the company.He knew you wouldn’t be blinded by greed or driven by your own self-interests.When the time comes, you’ll make the decision that’s best for the company.”
He’s right, I know he is.
“I feel like I know nothing,” I sigh.“I’m tired of being protected from everything.”
Tell me what you’re keeping from me.Please.
“Brant kept you close because it’s so goddamn easy to keep you close,” he says, watching me intently.“God, princess.You light up every room you walk into.There’s just this innocence about you that people want to protect.We’re drawn to your light because it shines like a fucking beacon in the dark.”
“Rhys,” I whisper, my heart thudding against my ribcage so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
“We want to preserve it becauseweneed it.Because this world needs it.But you don’t owe the world anything more than you want to give it.You do enough just by existing.You don’t have to prove anything to anyone or be enough for anyone but yourself,“ he says.
“I want…” I start to utter the confession, swallow it back, and then start again.Once.Twice.I’m like a music track that keeps skipping, caught in the same cycle.I repeat the same snippet, unable to move past it.I want… I want… I want…
“Tell me,” Rhys says, freeing me from the loop.
I take a breath and move past the cycle.“I want to be enough for you.”
“Fuck,” he growls, his pupils flaring.“You think you aren’t already?Say the words, and I’ll show you how wrong you are.”
“I…”
“Say them.”
I’m not sure if it’s a demand to give him what he wants or a plea to set him free.Either way, I can’t resist it.I can’t resistthis.We were both kidding ourselves if we thought we could.We knew the minute he agreed to let me stay here where this would lead.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what he’s keeping from me.
He’s my Kryptonite.I think I might be his too.
“I need you,” I whisper, shaking with the profundity of that statement.Idoneed him.Like air or water or hope.I’ve needed him for three years and have been drowning without him for just as long.He’s my port, my anchor, the one damn thing in this world that makes sense to me.
He lifts me off the couch into his lap, his strong arms engulfing me.The pillow lands on the floor beside the ottoman as my legs encircle his waist.I wrap myself around him like a koala bear, clinging like I don’t intend to ever let him go.Maybe I won’t.Maybe I’ll stay right here forever.
His lips land against mine, one hand plunging into my hair to angle my head.Bliss ignites fires in my veins, sending smoke signals straight to heaven.This is what joy feels like.It’s his lips against mine, his predatory growl vibrating against my chest.It’s his hard body against mine, one hand on my ass.He ruins me with a single kiss, and oh!The pureecstasyof it.
“You taste like sugar, sweet Raven,” he mutters against my lips.“I’m not going to be able to keep my mouth off you now.”
“Good.Don’t,” I gasp, running my hands all over his back.His shoulders are so broad.It’s strange.I’m tall and curvy, but on his lap, I feel small and dainty.Even though he’s beneath me, his sheer size still overwhelms me.Heoverwhelms me in the best way possible.
His tongue tangles with mine, and my mind ceases to function.He’s heat and liquid steam, setting off explosions in places I didn’t know existed.I thrust my hands into his hair, gasping as my entire body seems to surge to life at the same time, clamoring for attention.My clit throbs, my nipples aching.I squirm on his lap, overwhelmed with the urge to move.
His teeth clamp down around my earlobe.The sting sends a jolt straight to my clit.
“You keep wiggling like that, I’ll have you naked in two seconds, songbird,” he says against my skin, his voice gritty.“I’m hanging on by a thread here.”
“Cut it.”I’m not sure where the demand comes from.Years of pent-up desire, maybe.But it comes out powerful, and confident.I’m a mess of competing desires, aching to go places I’ve never been, but I’m not unsure or hesitant.I made my decision.There is no going back now.
He nips my earlobe again, his stubble scraping deliciously at my skin.His fingers tug at my hair, sending chills throughout my system.His other hand skims across my ass as he grips me hard, holding me in place.“I hope you’re ready for me, sweet Raven.You’re mine now.”
