Page 60 of One Wild Wish

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

RACHEL

I couldn’t be sure how long I sat there. A light drizzle fell, my harried pulse slowing as the cool liquid drummed on my head, my arms, my legs. My jean jacket soaked through quickly, my sundress and leggings sodden. I didn’t care. Jimmy had ended things. He’d called me on my erratic behavior, had admitted how hard he’d fallen for me, then he’d driven away.

With my heart.

It was all clear, suddenly, how I’d let us derail. Jimmy had apologized for his abrupt behavior, had asked for a chance to explain, but I’d clung to his indiscretion, allowing it to taint my mind. All to make pushing him away easier. I’d sabotaged our relationship from the start, holding back, taking instead of giving, so many stupid fears feeding my actions. But I was unprepared for him to end things, each word cutting deeper than expected. Watching him drive away had been worse, my chest caving the farther he got.

And I needed to get him back.

The rain pounded the pavement, tires spraying water as cars rushed by. I wrapped my arms around my legs, lay my chin on my knees. I wouldn’t move from this spot until Jimmy returned and I apologized for my cowardice. I’d live here, if need be.

An eternity later, a familiar voice, deep and rich, said, “Rachel?”

My head snapped up. Jimmy’s hair was as soaked as mine, his clothing, too. We stayed immobile, as though the sky hadn’t opened up, dousing us with its fury. I dragged a hand across my face, unsure if tears were mixing with the rain.

This time I didn’t hesitate.

“I’m so sorry. I want you. I want to listen to you, understand you and your life, and I want us. I was scared and stupid, too many family issues holding me back.” My words fell as fast and hard as the downpour. “Yes, hearing you dismiss your mother like that and getting angry at me was hard, but I don’t know what you’ve been through. It was wrong of me to judge. And you may be frustrated with me, tired of my games, but I’m done playing. I think about you all the time, wondering what you’re doing. Hoping you’re thinking about me. You made today perfect, and I ruined it. And I’m just—”

“Ray.”

My heart hitched. He’d called me Ray. Not Rachel. It could have meant nothing. It could have meant everything. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling.

Then he said, “Get over here.”

My belly dipped and I jumped, opposing forces that had me shooting into his arms. We clawed at each other, everything soaking wet. Our mouths, wet. Our clothes, wet.

Salty tears dripped over our lips. “I’m sorry,” I said against his mouth.

“Shut up, Sunshine.”

We broke apart, long enough for him to grab his pack and helmets, then we ran upstairs. He slammed his apartment door behind us as we toed off our shoes. We left puddles in his living room, his bedroom, until we were in his bathroom, the showerhead spraying against the glass walls. We walked in clothed, and his hips pinned mine to the tiled wall. His cock was hard as granite in his jeans.

“You’re shaking,” he said, forehead pressed to mine.

Warm water sprayed over his head. I was still cold, my clothes locking in the chill, but the quiver in my limbs was all Jimmy. And we had too many layers between us. “I need you,” I said.

His nostrils flared. Eyes locked, we struggled with his T-shirt, the fabric suctioned to his body. We tossed it over the shower door, and it landed with a wet squiltch. My jacket and dress went next, leaving me in leggings and my bra, and him in jeans. His nipple piercings and silver chain rose with his shallow breaths.

We paused, not touching, ribbons of water dripping along Jimmy’s cut shoulders, over his tattoos, down his defined chest. So beautiful. So not what I’d pictured as the object of my desire. An image I was happy to overhaul.

My tears leaked again, the burn building as I acknowledged the mistakes I’d made. I placed my hand over his heart. “I won’t let you down again, but…I’m scared. I feel so much with you.”

His eyes searched mine—blue and gray, hard and soft. His dark hair was slicked back, those full lips inching closer. He kissed my cheeks, smoothed my tears with his wet thumbs. “This is how it’s supposed to feel. Kind of terrifying. And we still have stuff to talk through…but I want you, Ray. I’m all in.”

I reached around him and dragged my fingers down the grooves of his slippery back, knotted muscles shifting below my fingers. “Are you sure? I can be kind of anal. I mean, I like things tidy, and if we’re serious, you’ll have to meet my family.”

He pressed a finger to my lips. “I love anal, so that’s not an issue.” He winked. Such a bad boy. “Tidy makes messing things up more fun. As for us—I would love to meet the woman who raised you. I may look like a thug, but I can be charming.”

He sure could.

“Now get out of those leggings so I can fuck you in this shower.”

He could also be dirty.

We peeled off our layers, adding them to the river rising on his bathroom floor. His large hands gripped my ass and lifted as I wrapped my legs around his hips, all that male power pressed between my thighs. Power I had to touch.