“Let’s do it. Excuse me.” Rafe stood directly in front of her and held out his hand.
“Oh, sorry.” Sloan stood, confused about what exactly was going on until Rafe took a seat on the bed. She almost jumped when his hand came down on her waist, but she didn’t hesitate when he guided her down so she was sitting between his legs. The heat from his body surrounded her, sending goosebumps over every inch of her body. It took a few moments for her to remember how to breathe, but by the time she figured out the simple mechanics of in and out, he’d pressed play on the next episode. As the host, Emry, explained the premise of the show over the title cards, Rafe’s arms wrapped around her.
“So, what’s the appeal of this show?” he said in her ear.
“It’s mindless, I guess,” Sloan replied. Her voice had that funny lift to it again. “They literally just sit around and talk, and drink, and make out, and sometimes they do these challenges which just lead to more making out. They go on ‘dates,’ but really they just walk four feet outside of the villa and have a picnic.”
“Ah, okay. Do you have a favorite couple?” Rafe asked.
“I like—” Rafe’s hand started to move across her stomach. She swallowed the tension rising in her throat and gave the whole speaking thing another try. “I like Poppy and Jack. I think they’re going to win the prize money, but Sadie and Max are my favorite.”
“Interesting. By the way,” Rafe’s lips pressed against her shoulder and it took everything in her not to moan. “You’ve kissed two people now.”
“You’re right. I have. I didn’t forget, I just—”
“I understand. I just need to leave a stronger impression. I’ll stop talking now so you can enjoy your show.” Sloan’s eyes snapped open. She didn’t realize she’d closed them the moment his mouth touched her skin. She tried to focus on the argument Sophia and Clara were having over whether or not Sophia was flirting with Paul during the last cocktail party, but all of her senses were preoccupied with the feeling of Rafe’s fingers slipping under the hem of her tank top. His fingers ghosted high over her skin, higher, cupping the underside of her breast and over her nipple.
Sloan gave up trying to watch the sexy singles in action and let her head fall back. Rafe’s lips continued moving over her skin, hitting that certain spot where her neck and shoulder met. He sucked on that spot, nipped it lightly with his teeth and Sloan moaned. In the back of her mind, she remembered the one time Drew had accidentally found that spot and how quickly he’d moved on. He never tried to find it again. As if he knew her mind was wandering to a bad place, Rafe’s other hand slid between her legs. She was already wet, but a fresh wave of arousal made her clit ache as he moved the fabric from her underwear and her shorts around in slow circles.
Rafe scooted closer to the end of the bed, impossibly close to Sloan. She could feel every inch of him, thick and hard, pressing up against her ass. She wanted more, she wanted to touch him. She turned her head to kiss him, but their lips only met for a moment before Rafe pulled back a bit. His hands were still in place, one between her legs and the other over her breast, but for a moment they both stopped and just looked at each other.
“I want to kiss you again,” Sloan breathed. Rafe didn’t reply at first, and she watched as the corner of his mouth tipped up in the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. He slowly released her and moved on the bed so she was no longer between his legs. Disappointment flooded through her in the few seconds it took for him to move closer again. She let him guide her down to the bed, so she was laying across the foot of the mattress on her back. He loomed over her, those blue eyes catching the light from the T.V. as he slid his hand down her stomach and back between her legs.
“Then you should be kissing me,” Rafe said. All on its own, Sloan’s hand found its way into Rafe’s thick red hair and pulled him down to her. Sloan wanted him so bad. Both of their mouths parted and their tongues slid together in the most delicious way.
Rafe had to know how good of a kisser he was. He had to know how good he was making her feel. Between her legs, his magical fingers pushed the layers of her clothing aside. She was soaking, dripping wet as he parted her slit. He teased her, drawing his fingers all around her pussy, around her clit, but never pushing inside the way she wanted him to. They went on kissing, his hard-on pressed against her hip, his fingers exploring, exploring, never finding their proper destination.
Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, Sloan took matters into her own hands, so to speak. She reached down, covering Rafe’s fingers with her own and guided him to her opening. He held back though, not pushing inside. Instead, he broke their kiss and looked down at her.
“Not moving fast enough, huh?” he teased.
“No, I just want you,” she said truthfully.
“And we are on a time limit. Let me give you what you want.” His lips were on hers again and then he gave her exactly what she wanted. Two long, thick fingers filling her up. She knew there wasn’t enough time and, even with floors and closed doors between them and her kids, enough privacy for him to give her everything she wanted. Still, with the way he worked his hand, deftly moving in and out, grinding the palm against her clit, she knew this was just a preview of what he could do to her. She’d have to make time for him to show her.
Sloan came, hard, gripping onto Rafe’s wrist as a forceful tremor raised her hips off the bed. A stream of “Oh shit”s and “Oh fuck”s coming from her mouth. In the distance, Sloan could hear one of the contestants reading off a text they’d just received from the producers. A new boy was entering the villa.
6
“You can’t ask me to make such an important decision and then rush me.”
“It’s easy,” Avery said. “Just pick your favorite animal.”
“Did you pick your favorite animal?”
“No, but I picked the best animal for me to be. Now you have to pick.”
“I’m going to pick, but you should know, with all this pressure, this isn’t my best and final answer.”
Avery cocked her head and batted her eyelashes. “You never know until you try.”
Rafe was nearing the end of his fourth day flying solo with the girls and he’d already learned a lot. Like Addison was very thoughtful and introspective, except for a good two hours of the day where she turned into a pure ball of energy who really liked to run into solid objects, like Rafe and the couch. She also really liked smelling things, which made sense to him.
He always tried to remember that kids were experiencing so many things for the first time, like what the inside of his motorcycle boot smelled like. He imagined this would become a very interesting party trick when she started school in a few days. They were both pretty fucking smart, ahead of most of the six year olds he watched over in the past, with the exception of Hope, who was clearly the most intelligent member of his family.
Avery was louder, but hilarious enough to offset her volume. She was also either the most clever child he’d ever met or a bit of a sadist. Time would tell.
“A bald eagle.”
