“Yes.”
He slowly parts my legs, and a soft grunt bursts from his throat. “God, you’re fuckin’ beautiful as ever.” Sure hands slide cautiously toward the crux of my thighs, every so often, pausing. Giving me time. Letting me feel him. Reminding me to trust him.
Anticipation has every one of my senses heightened to the point I don’t know how much more of it I can take… and at the same time, I don’t want him to ever stop.
The hitch of his breath is a thunderclap to my soul, the slide of his tongue along the flesh of my thigh the most exquisite torture. Tension coils within me as his fingers ghost over my pussy, carefully, cautiously exploring. “I’ve missed you, Noah. Missed the way you ache for my touch. Can I keep going?”
I suck in a strangled breath. “Y-yes.” He doesn’t hesitate after that, and the slow drag of his thumb grazing over my clit makes me moan. I begin to shake as his finger slowly slips inside my body. My pussy clenches around it, and I whimper aloud, hardly able to contain the words that want to spill from my mouth.
“You okay?” The rough rasp in Rhett’s voice speaks of his level of concern, and I quickly nod.
“I need you so fucking much. Need anything you’re willing to give.”
His soft chuckle has my heart thrumming. “Noah, I’ll give you everything I have.” The wet glide of his tongue over my clit has my hips bucking, then when it flicks away, my body chases that sweet relief. A moment later, he exhales, soft breath coasting over the sensitive bundle of nerves only a split second before his lips close over me.
“Oh, fuck.” I jerk against the restraints, my head lifting from the pillow as my spine bows from the sheer pleasure of his tongue flicking over my clit. “Fuck, Rhett.” I gasp as the coiled tension within me begins to unfurl. My heart is stampeding inside my chest as the orgasm begins to crest. There’s no stopping it. Euphoria flows through me as I’m met with pulse after pulse of pleasure.
Aftershocks are still rocking me when I frantically pull at the rope. “Can you untie me? I want to touch you. See you.”
The bed dips, and the knots securing my wrists to the bed rails loosen. And a moment later, my arms are free, and Rhett tugs the blindfold from my eyes.
His dark gaze scans my face, and I know he’s searching for any indication I’m not okay. “I need you.” Greedy hands tug him down to my body and hold tight now that I can. His mouth crushes to mine, taking usback to a place where it’s just him and me. “Wanna be yours again.”
“Noah,” he heaves out on a ragged exhale, “you were always mine.” A second later, the head of his cock nudges at my entrance. It’s immediately coated with my arousal. “Fuuuck, I’ve missed you.” His dark eyes bore into mine, seeing more than just a broken girl. I’mhis.“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Emotion ravages me at the same time desperation to forget there was ever anyone but him surges through my veins. Fingernails claw and teeth nip as I take back my sanity and everything I lost in the years we’ve been apart. Breath stuttering as my body stretches around him, I throw my head back, savoring the feeling. There’s a wild yearning rising that hasn’t been nearly satiated.
He swallows, stilling as he fully sheaths himself. My lips part, and I stare, dazed, into his eyes, my body remembering the overwhelming feeling of fullness when every inch of his cock is inside me. Kissing me slowly, he mumbles, “This is the way we were always meant to be.” His lips and tongue coax mine into a wicked, fated dance as he begins to move, supplying a drugging rhythm that has me clinging. I wrap my body around his like I’m trying to crawl right inside his skin.
Heat builds between us, bodies slick and moans of pleasure tumbling unchecked from our lips. Tears leaksteadily from the corners of my eyes as he takes back what was always rightfully his, and I reclaim the pieces of myself that I lost. He picks up speed, reciting words of praise that I hardly know what to do with but have my heart filling to bursting.
“Come with me, Starlet.”
NOAH
31
I’m fasteningmy earrings in the bathroom mirror when Rhett steps inside and envelops the space behind me. Our eyes connect through the reflection, and the sadness in his lingering stare is enough to make me turn toward him. “What’s wrong?” I finish the second clasp as my gaze trails down his frame, then back to his face. Today is hard on him. August fifteenth. His birthday. And the day he lost both his parents.
For the past week, I’ve been nervous about how he’d react to my surprise dinner plans, wondering if I overstepped by making it a family get-together. But after how amazing he’s been, I wanted to do something nice for him. In hindsight, it might not have been the brightest idea. “Do you need me to call Jo and cancel? I’m sure she’d understand.”
Closing the distance between us, Rhett wraps hisarms around my waist and draws me into his chest. “No, of course not. Today is just”—he exhales a sharp breath—“a little tough. Not only for me, but all the Rivers family.”
I pull back slightly, just enough that I can tilt my gaze to his.
“I’m glad I get to spend it with you.” His lips greet my forehead, and I melt into him. Things between us have reverted to how they used to be for the most part—effortless and right. When I’m in his arms, it’s as easy as breathing, and I canalmostforget the dark cloud hanging over our heads.
On the counter behind me, my phone alarm blares, alerting me that it’s time to leave. Tearing myself from Rhett unwillingly, I reach over and switch the obnoxious sound off. “We should probably get going.”
Rising to my tippy-toes, I press a kiss to Rhett’s cheek and then move toward the bedroom.
“Noah. Wait.” His fingers cup my arm, and his eyes narrow. Defeat mars his brow as he draws in a breath before dropping his shoulders. “Before we go, I need to tell you something.” Rhett takes my hand and leads me toward the edge of the bed before gesturing for me to take a seat. My heart rate quickens as I take him in. He’s nervously tugging at the collar of the white tee under his open check-patterned shirt.
“Rhett?” I gently press. “What’s wrong? You’re freaking me out.”
Dropping to his haunches before me, he takes hold of both my hands and captures my eyes in his Belgian chocolate gaze. “A few weeks ago, before your wedding, I found something out. Something I’ve been avoiding ever since.”
His grip tightens on my clammy hand as a litter of possibilities runs rampant in my mind. A pounding pulse rushes my eardrums, and I fight back the shake beneath my skin.
