“My earlier offer still stands.” My fingers brush the hair from his forehead, and I swallow hard. “The offer of my king-size bed. I’d love nothing more than to wake up with you, Rhett.” Time would need to stop for me to forget about what it feels like to have his lips on mine for longer than a quickie at his place. Waking up with him? I already know it would change my life in more ways than learning to share blankets.
He kisses me again, harder maybe than he intended, but I don’t mind one bit to see the effect I have on him. To know I’ve been on his mind and under his skin so much that he loses all that restraint is a powerful thing.
“If I say yes,” he whispers against my lips. “I can’t promise more, darlin’. I want to be upfront with you.”
“I wouldn’t want you to make a promise that you’ll break.”
“I’m still a mess on the inside.”
His confession has me pause. How could he be more of a mess than me?
This time, I press my lips to his and bite at his bottom lip. He gasps, and I want more of that sound. “Everybody is. We all just deal with the mess in different ways. If we don’t try to clean it up or even shove it under the bed for a while, we let life pass us by. No promises need to be made except that we get naked for longer than ten minutes this time.”
Rhett doesn’t let me go. His hands still cradle my face like I’m a delicate treasure, and while I appreciate the tenderness, I want him to just be himself and let it all go. We can enjoy each other and worry about the mess afterward.
“Okay.”
A laugh slips out at the way he just agreed to share my bed. Like I offered him pancakes for dinner, and he accepted the choice because he just likes pancakes.
“Okay,” I echo, and he finally laughs. “Do you want to follow me home?”
“Yeah.”
We kiss more before I finally push him off.
“Get your stuff, cowboy. If we don’t stop kissing, we’ll never make it home.”
He shrugs as he gathers his phone and keys while turning the lights off.
“That’s not as bad an option as it sounds. I like kissing you.”
We exit the office, and Rhett guides us to the side exit. We stop next to my Jeep, and he opens the door for me. With a quick kiss, I jump in and wait for him to get in his truck and follow me.
Once we’re both driving and I’m heading for home, I remember my dad is likely still awake, and I should give him a heads up. He picks up on the first ring.
“Hello, favourite son!”
“I’m your only son.”
“Still my favourite.”
We do this every time, and I’ll never admit I love it.
“Listen, Dad… someone is coming home with me. Could you not be in the living room in about five minutes?”
“Ahh, say no more, I’ll take myself and the cooking channel to my room.”
“Thanks, Dad. I just don’t think he’s ready for that explanation right away.”
Glancing in my mirror, I smile when I see he’s still right behind me.
“Is it Rhett?”
“It is.”
“Say no more. I’m on it. See you for breakfast.”
He hangs up before I can tell him that’s unnecessary, and a moment later, I’m pulling into my driveway behind my dad’s car. Rhett pulls in beside me, barely, on the two-car-wide driveway.
