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“It’s nothing against him,” I explain. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to see my mom with someone new. I still miss my dad, and I almost feel like the memory of him has faded away. And with this new boyfriend… It’ll be like he never existed.”
“Maybe talking to her might help though,” he offers. “If she understood what you’re going through, it could be easier for the both of you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know how to bring it up to her. Everything about my dad and his death… All of that is kind of off-limits here. We don’t really talk about it.”
The furrow in his brows deepens as the beginning tunes of “The Rockafeller Skank” play in the background off of my TV set.
“Anyways,” I say, cutting into the worrying tension spilling off Rhylan. “I just need to get through dinner tomorrow.” I smile at him as his face softens and a smile peeks through. “What about you? What are your plans for the weekend?”
“I have a meeting with my publicist for lunch tomorrow about some charity event next month,” he answers, his thumb running over the indent between Angus’s brows.
“What kind of charity?”
“For the cancer center at the children’s hospital,” he answers. “Apparently, they took a liking to my car and asked me to bring it in for some pictures with the kids.”
The inner corners of my brows turn up as an audibleawsound squeaks through my lips. “That’s so sweet.”
He chuckles. “It’ll be nice to see the kids.”
“I never really tell anyone this but my cousin Walter has been in remission from melanoma for the past eight years. My aunt and uncle caught it early, and he had a good prognosis since it’s a pretty mild form of cancer, but it was a pretty big scare considering he was only thirteen when they found out.”
He smiles, his grip on my shoulder tightening as I lean closer into him.
“It’s really nice that you’re doing this,” I add.
“I wish I could say that I was doing it for the charity part,” he says, somewhat strained. “But Shana digs up these events, and I usually just go wherever she points to.”
“Well, I still think it’s nice that you’re using your fame for good.”
He looks at me, his eyes almost twinkling as a small smile curves at the edges of his mouth.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing.”
“I feel like it’s something.”
After a beat of silence, he lowers his head, the tips of his hair tickling my cheek. “I was just thinking that when you say things like that, you make it seem like I’m a better person than I actually am.”
I shift on the couch, turning to face him as I tuck my feet underneath my butt. “What are you talking about, Rhylan? Youarea good person. I don’t know how you can think that every bit of you isn’t made up of kindness and consideration.”
“You sound like a motivational poster,” he jokes through a side-eyed smile.
I shove at him, my hand pushing against his chest as he moves to cover it with his. He brings my hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it as he threads his fingers through.
“I’m being serious,” I say, my voice lowered. “Rhylan, you’re a good person.”
“Thank you,” he whispers.
His hand untangles itself from mine and moves to my cheek, cupping it as his thumb runs along my lower lip. He leans in to kiss me, his movements slow and cautious, while my hand reaches for his waist, pulling him closer to me. Our lips mold together softly, as if we’re taking our time and he’s wanting to discover every part of me, inch by inch. While our previous kisses felt rushed or urgent, this is the complete opposite. I don’t feel an ache that dissipates as our lips move together. Instead, it feels like a warmth blooming through my chest that Rhylan had planted there.
As his hands roam down my back and mine graze over his chest, he moves to hover over me, laying me down as I sink into the cushions. Our movements become heated as I hear his breathing become rapid, matching mine in equal rhythm. As my hand dips under his shirt, my fingers tracing the hard muscles of his stomach, we’re interrupted by the sloppy wet kisses that Angus showers us with.
“Angus!” I shriek as Rhylan pulls away. He sighs, his head lowering onto my chest as he nuzzles into my sweater.
“I think someone’s a little jealous,” I whisper, my hand reaching to pat Angus as he patiently waits for Rhylan to climb off of me.
TWENTY-FIVE
