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His slam of the door behind them had it rattling. The noise made her jump a little, but Eric didn’t even seem to notice as he paced back and forth. Rhianne was starting to get seriously concerned. He was hurting, and she yearned to help him.
“Hey.” Standing in front of him got him to stop and look at her. She started to put a hand on his arm, but the way he’d reacted to that woman gave her pause, and she held back before making contact. “What happened back there? With whatshername, the Texan? What did she say that upset you?”
She thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then he exhaled between his teeth.
‘“Ooh, look at you. These shoulders. Those biceps.’ Stuff like that,” he grumbled.
Rhianne could see this was about more than just that one woman and her wandering hands, that it had happened before, but she also couldn’t see why it was bothering him so much. “Not to sound crass, but you must be used to being hit on, looking like you do?” she commented.
There was no denying that he was attractive. While his height and breadth of shoulder drew the eye, it was the light in his brown eyes and the quirk of his smile that held it.
“Thanks?” There was none of that light-heartedness to Eric now, though. Rhianne sat on the bed and Eric gazed down at her. “It’s not about being flirted with. I have no problem with that. But Leandra flat-out said that she liked that I looked dangerous.”
Eric drew his shoulders straight and tipped back his head. His muscles flexed. Rhianne thought she was beginning to see.
“I don't like being fetishized by women who want someone to knock them around,” Eric gritted out.
“Okay, but…” Rhianne said tentatively, “…it sounds like it’s just a fantasy. Women wanting a thrill, you know? Like riding a rollercoaster. It’s fun because it feels daring even though you know it’s safe.”
“I get that,” Eric said, sounding frustrated, “but that doesn’t mean I enjoy being treated like I’m some kind of wild animal. And it’s not just the way I look. When people find out what I…” He snuck a glance over at the lamp with the bug, “…used to do,” he continued, deliberately vague, “they either run away entirely, or they’re way too into it. Either way, it makes my skin crawl. I try to be a nice guy, you know? Fun, easygoing, joking around. Anything to get people to see me for who I am and not just what I can do. But then Little Miss Texas starts feeling me up, and I’m back at square one. Just a wild animal after all.”
Oh. Rhianne sat back cross-legged, leaning against the headboard. His honesty touched her. Would she have admitted to that if she were him? She doubted it. She hadn’t been that open in the past, that was for sure. She moved across the bed, patting the space beside her so Eric could sit comfortably, his back supported by the headboard too. After a moment, he did, his long legs stretched out.
She was careful to give him space. She chose her words with care too. “You know, your size is one of the things I find attractive about you.”
He inhaled a ragged breath, showing her that her words stung.
“No—” She shook her head and held up a hand. “It has nothing to do with you being dangerous or anything like that. Let me try to explain.” It wasn’t easy for her to put feelings and emotions into words. “It’s more to do with me knowing for absolute certain that you have my back. That you’re big and strong, so I don’t always have to be the strong one. I’ve never had that before.”
“Oh.” Eric shoved his wayward rust-red curls back from his forehead. “I see. I think. But then that makes me ask what youhavehad before. I know there was something—before we…got together, you didn’t seem to be too keen on the whole ‘relationship’ thing.”
The light in his brown eyes was soft and inviting and before Rhianne knew what she was doing, she was telling Eric all about Jeff, about letting her guard down with him, of hoping and planning, finally starting to believe that a relationship was going to work out for once…and then finding out that he was cheating on her. She kept the details vague, always aware of the possibility of someone listening in through the bug, but it still felt surprisingly good to be so honest with Eric.
The rueful twist to Eric’s mouth when she finished mirrored what she thought hers was doing, and she couldn’t stop the bubble of amusement that rose up. Within seconds, it was a full-blown laugh, releasing a lot of tension and even toxins she’d carried for so long. And the best was that Eric laughed along with her, perhaps finding some release of his own too. That they were sharing something so deep and personal, intimate even, added another layer to the exchange.
“Oh my.” Rhianne reached over to the table on her side of the bed and plucked a Kleenex from the little box there. She dabbed at her eyes. “I’m a mess. And we’re both a bit of a mess when it comes to getting close to people, right?”
“Here.” Eric took the tissue from her and wiped under her eye, his touch gentle. “You’re perfect. And I have no problem being close to you.”
He might have just been teasing, making a play on her words, but when Rhianne raised her eyes to his, the serious light in them seared her almost as much as his touch had earlier. She still felt it now, his hands at her breast, his strength and skill evident even though his touch was gentle…and so goddamn arousing. Before she could think herself out of it, she leaned in for a kiss. Eric met her halfway.
Did she push herself or did Eric tug her? Rhianne couldn’t have said, but within moments, she was on top of his hard body, his arms strong and tight around her back. Her lips opened under his for his tongue to tangle with hers, and she shivered when he stroked the small of her back over the shimmery fabric of her top. He slid his hands underneath her blouse to touch her skin and it brought each nerve ending to life, sending zigzags of electricity arcing through her.
Eric drew back a little, but she couldn’t wait, didn’t need him to stoke the flames of her passion. Not this time, not when need coiled in her, tight and fierce in her lower stomach. Rhianne threw a hand around his neck. “Don’t you dare be a gentleman,” she warned him.
“Rhi…” Her name, murmured against her lips, sounded like a groan torn from the depths of his soul. “I couldn’t if I tried. Not when what we did earlier is still playing on a loop in my brain. But are you sure?”
She nodded. Eric quickly wrapped one arm around her waist and picked her up, depositing her in the center of the bed. He gazed down at her, seeming to drink her in, then leaned down to slowly unfasten the tiny buttons on the bodice of her dress. He pushed the fabric open, sliding his palms over her breasts, then dragged a lazy finger along the exposed skin at the edge of her bra, making her arch her back with need.
"Do you like that?” Eric asked in a whisper, his eyes locked on hers.
Rhianne bit her lip and nodded.
“Good. Then I think you’re going to like this even more.”
He peeled the dress off her body, tracing kisses along each patch of newly revealed skin, until she was in nothing but her bra and panties.
“You’re taking too long,” Rhianne managed in a husky growl. With a quick flip of her wrist she removed her bra then wiggled out of her panties, leaving her naked beneath his predatory gaze.
