After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she leans forward and swipes her finger on the dashboard. I frown until Ispot the small black spider dangling from her fingers. It scurries up the web to her hand.
“Hello, old friend,” she says as she twists her hand so the critter crawls onto the back of it.
“You are on speaking terms with this spider?” I ask.
Her lips twitch. “Think about it. They would form the perfect network of spies, going undetected in every room in the country. Think of the stories they could tell, the history they have witnessed, the good, the bad, and the ugly. People drop their mask because the spider can’t share their secrets.”
“Most women run from the room at the sight of a spider, not contemplate their usefulness in society should they become more intelligent and organized.”
Cleo’s lips twitch as she places it back on the dashboard. I turn onto the drive and pull the car into the garage just as a roll of thunder echoes in the thick clouds above us.
Cleo climbs out of the car at the same time as me. The unmistakable tip tap of rain drums on the roof.
“Wait here,” I instruct as I open the door and dart out into the storm. I stomp into the pool house, grab an umbrella, and snap it open before starting my return to the garage. My feet stall as I catch Cleo spinning in the garden, her arms stretched wide as the rain pelts her skin, soaks her hair, and plasters her dress to her body. My breath catches at the look on her face—free, joyous, and wild. She’s never looked more beautiful.
She pauses and blinks at me, the rain water clinging to her long lashes as I stride toward her. She eyeballs the umbrella, and her shoulders tense. I snap it closed and drop it to the ground before I reach her and cup her face. Her lips part and her shoulders relax.
My mouth lands on hers, a heated kiss in the cool rain. Her tongue tangles with mine as I angle her head back. She’s like putty in my hands—beautifully pliant, yet vibrating like a livewire. Touching her in the rain is like getting electrocuted; it’s addictive, seductive, and disarming.
I drag my mouth away from hers and we pant, dragging in much needed oxygen.
“I want my truth now,” I tell her. She knows what I want. What I need. She squeezes her eyes closed and a tremor runs through her body.Come on, firecracker, take that leap. I will catch you.
“Honor,” she whispers.
I frown. “My intentions right now are not honorable, but I promise you’ll enjoy them.”
Her mouth pulls into a sad smile. “No, Fox, my name is Honor.”
How apt. It suits her. “Honor,” I say, trying it out. “Thank you for trusting me.” I grab her hand and tug her toward the pool house. “Come on, girl who dances in the rain. Let’s get you warmed up.”
We pause in the living room, our soaked clothes dripping water on the floor. Electricity charges the air as we stare at each other, the air seeming to thicken as the moment draws out. Honor breaks it by lifting her dress over her head. I follow suit, my fingers clumsy as they remove each item of clothing. I can’t keep my eyes off her, and my breath catches when she removes her contacts, putting the full depth of her eyes on display.
She bites her bottom lip, her gaze tracing over my chest before slipping lower to my cock, which has spent the majority of the day hard. Most of it is my own doing, making her come apart for me in church was the most religious experience I’ve had in that building. At the lake, I hadn’t planned for it to go that far. She’s such a sensual creature, I find myself breaking all my convictions just to witness a smile on her face.
“Did you decide?” I ask, stalking toward her.
She tilts her chin in the air. “I can’t.”
I freeze just before I reach her. She can’t? I must have read her wrong. I thought she was ready. My jaw clenches as I take a step back. “Okay.”
She frowns. “Where are you going?”
My hand falls to my hard length and gives it a quick pump. “To take care of this in the shower.”
She slow blinks like she’s trying to understand, and her cheeks flush. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean Ican’t,I mean I can’t decide. You choose whatever feels right. Scripting it is going to make me panic.”
Thank fuck for that. I rush forward and lift her by the hips, encouraging her to wrap her legs around my waist. I carry her into the master bedroom with our lips locked together, stealing one of her greedy kisses that I fucking live for. I lower her body to the bed and lick and suck on her pert breasts before moving farther down. She laughs and squirms as I kiss her hip bones. Ticklish. Noted.
She’s still wet from her release less than an hour ago, making me groan as I settle my mouth on her clit. She jerks on the bed, so I pin her down as I manipulate the bundle of nerves until it’s swollen and she’s begging me to tip her over the edge. But I don’t want her sated—I want her desperate and mindless enough to take the edge off the pain.
“Fox, please,” she whispers as she throws an arm over her face from another denied release. I push one finger inside until I feel the resistance.
“Relax,” I coax as I work another finger inside of her. Fuck, she’s tight. She cries out when I feed her a third, but doesn’t move away or tell me to stop. She relaxes a little as I pump them into her slowly. With each pass, her legs fall open a little wider.
“Are you trying to kill me?” she snaps.Perfect.I rise frommy knees and back up out of the room. “Where are you going?” she squeaks with a look of panic.
“Give me a minute, I need to get a condom.”
