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“Because I don’t know where you live, angel. You fell asleep before I asked, and I didn’t want to bother Weston. If I interrupted him and Aspen again tonight, I’d probably find myself in a shallow grave come morning.”
The breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding rushed out of my lungs in relief. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh,” he chuckled. “You were awfully quick to jump to the conclusion that I made assumptions about you because of where you work.”
“It happens sometimes.”
“What happens?”
“Guys figure that I’m a certain kind of girl because of where I work,” I explained. “I’m probably just feeling overly sensitive because I had a male customer yesterday who asked me if I was a bad gir
l. He didn’t wait for me to answer before he told me I must be one since I worked in a place like Dirty Players. And then he made it clear how much he likes bad girls."
I was rambling and it didn’t occur to me that it was a bad idea until Rhys abruptly dropped my hands. He yanked his phone out of his pocket, jabbing his finger at the screen while he muttered to himself.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a note to myself,” he murmured distractedly.
“A note to do what?”
His eyes pierced through me when they lifted to meet mine. “To go through the security tapes so I can figure out the name of the guy I’m going to kill.”
5
Rhys
I was tempted to put in a call to Xander right then, but some part of my brain was still functioning rationally and it told me to calm down so I didn’t frighten my angel.
To my surprise, she snatched my phone from my hand and glared at me. “You’ll do no such thing! I can take care of myself and conjugal visits are not on my list of things to do before I die, so I suggest you curb your murderous impulses.“
My head fell backwards as I roared with laughter. Damn, she was feisty, and so fucking adorable. All of the anger drained away, replaced with warmth and the sharp bite of lust. Bringing her to my home was probably a stupid idea, especially since I was trying to go slow and convince her that she was more than just one night for me.
I could have easily found her address by looking at her license, but the need to have her in my space—our space—had taken on a life of its own and steered the car to my home.
Still smiling, I leaned in and kissed her cheek, ghosting my lips over the cute smattering of freckles. There was a flash of disappointment in her eyes when I retreated and I fought the desire to grin in smug satisfaction.
I reached in and unbuckled her, then took her hands to help her from the car. “I have a big guest room you can sleep in, with your very own bathroom. Do you work tomorrow?”
Macy hesitated, her intense green eyes studying me, then she nodded. “Three to close.”
I stifled my sigh of irritation and silently vowed to get her away from that fucking job as soon as possible. Taking her hand, I guided her from the driveway, up the twisting path to the front door. “A friend of mine will be taking care of your car. I’ll drop you off at work and pick you up tomorrow night.”
Macy stopped and tugged at my grip, but I kept going until we reached the porch and then used my fob to unlock the door and usher her inside. “First of all,” she sputtered. “How the hell are they getting my car without the key and what makes you think they won’t steal it? Second, I don’t need a babysitter. I’ll get myself to and from work all by my itty bitty self.” She ended with her tone dripping in sarcasm.
I pulled her into my embrace and stared down at her face, momentarily stunned silent by her beauty. When she started to wiggle, attempting to get free, I broke out of the fog. “First of all,” I mimicked without snark. “I completely trust the person retrieving your car and as for how they’ll get in, don’t worry about it. Second,” I hurried on when she attempted to speak. “No way in hell am I letting my woman work at a place like Dirty Players without making sure she is safe.”
Macy rolled her eyes, but a sweet shade of pink tinged her cheeks. “I’ve done just fine for the last year, Rhys.”
I bowed my head and brushed my lips over her forehead, nose, and cheeks. I carefully avoided her lips, afraid that one taste would snap my control and I wouldn’t be able to stop. “But, you weren’t mine for the last year. I protect and cherish what’s mine, angel.”
Her jaw dropped a little as she stared up at me, her blush deepening. “Yours?” she reiterated. Her eyes melted into liquid emerald and I scooped her up into my arms before I did something stupid, like kiss the fuck out of her until she agreed to let me take her to bed.
“Yes, angel. Mine,” I confirmed as I stalked into the den at the back of the house and took a seat on one of the grey, soft leather couches. I shifted her carefully, trying to keep her from sitting on the hard bulge in my pants.
“This is crazy, Rhys. I just met you a few hours ago!”
I shrugged, completely unconcerned about her argument, then my lips turned up to form a naughty smirk. “You’re the one who is consumed with thoughts of fucking.”
Macy gasped in outrage. “I am not!”
“Your smartass comment about conjugal visits said otherwise.“ Before she could rebut my logic, I changed the subject since who she belonged to wasn’t up for debate. “I’m assuming that working at Dirty Players is not your dream job. What would you like to be doing?” An idea sparked. “You could come work at my company, you know. I’d find a place for you.”
Macy’s head reared back so she could look me fully in the face. “There you go again, putting me in the ‘paid companion’ category. I will not be your booty call with a salary.”
I closed my eyes and sighed in frustration. As much as I loved the fire inside her, I didn’t want it aimed at me. “I didn’t mean anything of the kind, Macy.” It was clear that she disliked her job. We both had the same goal—to get her away from it. So why was she balking when I offered a perfectly reasonable solution? I knew she was sensitive about how people perceived her because of her employment, but it clearly ran deeper than I’d initially thought. “I won’t pretend that I don’t love the idea of having you close every day, knowing you’re safe.” I grinned, hoping to lighten the mood. “Nor will I pretend that I didn’t picture fucking you on my desk.”
Her mouth quirked up in a half smile, humor returning to her eyes.
“But, since you have burst my little fantasy bubble,” I quipped. “Tell me what your plans are.”
Her gaze slid away and that pretty blush returned to her cheekbones. I was going to take full advantage of that tell, she wasn’t very good at masking her emotions and her fair skin gave away a lot when it colored.
I took her chin between my thumb and index finger, turning it back to me. “You can tell me, angel.” I smiled encouragingly.
“Um, I want to be a writer,” she muttered. “Young Adult.”
The minute she said it, I could see how right it was for her. With her fun and spicy personality, I could only imagine the stories she would come up with. And something told me that I wouldn’t be surprised how talented she was once I got to read something of hers.
“Have you finished anything?” I was genuinely interested and it seemed to unlock a door she’d been hiding behind. She immediately launched into an animated explanation of the books she had completed. Her expression fell a little when she admitted that she had received rejections for one book and she’d been waiting months to hear about another two.
I soaked in every word, not only because I wanted to know everything about her, but because I loved listening to her talk. When her eyes started to look heavy, I checked my watch. It was after one in the morning. I hated to move from my very comfortable spot, but I reminded myself that we had the rest of our lives to cuddle and get to know each other.
With one arm under her legs and one behind her back, I easily held her to me as I stood. “Let’s get you to bed, angel.”
“I can walk,” she protested, even as she snuggled deeper into my embrace.
“Just let me enjoy holding you,” I murmured as I kissed her forehead. She was so tiny compared to my large frame that I felt like I was carrying a pillow. A very sexy, beguiling pillow.
Once we reached the guest room, I set her down beside the bed and reluctantly let her go. “The bathroom has a large Jacuzzi tub if you’d like to relax in a bath first.” Pushing that image away was a monumental feat. I looked at her clothes and remembered that she had nothing else with her. “I’ll find you something to wear.” Swiftly, I went to my room and grabbed a T-shirt. She would swim in it, but if I couldn’t be wrapped around her all night, I wanted her wearing my clothes. Lucky fucking shirt.
I also retrieved a new toothbrush from a dr
awer in my master bath before returning to her. I handed both items to her and backed away a few inches. “I’m right next door”—I gestured to a connecting entrance between the two rooms—“if you need anything.” She nodded her thanks and my feet were like cement blocks as I trudged from her room.
After getting ready for bed—wearing pajama pants I had to dig out of the back of my closet since I usually slept naked—I decided to look in on her and make sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed.
I knocked on the closed door and waited, then tried again. When I still heard nothing I assumed she was asleep, but a small part of me was worried that she might have slipped and fallen in the bath or been a victim of some other calamity. Flimsy excuse.
Quietly, I turned the knob on the door and pushed it open. Her light was still on and a hasty glance at her bed showed it was empty. “Macy?” I called, walking fully into the room. The bathroom light was on and the door was wide open, so I padded over to it. Just as I reached the entrance, I froze in mid-stride. Every nerve in my body coiled tight, unable to move. Except my cock which was rapidly growing and hardening.
Macy was just slipping my shirt over her head and before it fell, I got a glimpse of all that was underneath. High, rounded breasts that would fit so well in my hands, pink nipples that made my mouth water. A slender torso, nipped in waist, and a belly button that had my tongue itching to lick around it. Her hips flared out just enough to be perfect for a tight grip while she was thoroughly fucked from behind. Toned, sexy legs, and my jaw practically dropped to the ground at the sight of her smooth, bare pussy.
Son of a fucking bitch! I mentally screamed at the fucking garment that was hiding all that perfection. Macy gasped, penetrating the fog of lust surrounding me. At first, I thought she was going to yell at me, but the look on her face wasn’t anger. It was. . .astonishment and wonder as her eyes roamed hungrily over my shirtless chest. The green emeralds heated as they lingered over each of my tattoos and landed on my nipple piercing.
