AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But then she abruptly stood. “I’m going to lay out a little longer. Is that cool? Or do we need to head back now?”
I stood too and checked my watch. “Nah, we have a little time. We’ll head back in thirty minutes. Sound good?”
“That works. And Rhett, thank you for today. It was perfect and exactly what I needed.” She made her way back to the bow of the boat and positioned herself on her towel.
An hour later, I tied the boat to the dock. “I’ll get it all buttoned up later. Can you hand me the bags though?”
Bella tossed me her bag and the rest of the stuff we needed to take up to the house. She reached for my hand when she stepped off the boat, but her foot slipped. My fingers gripped her smooth skin right above the waistband of her shorts as I pulled her toward me before she could fall.
Our lips were inches apart. I slid one hand up her back to rest at the nape of her neck. Staring into her green eyes with the specks of brown and gold had me captivated. I’d wanted her for so long, and when her gaze landed on my lips, I refused to wait any longer.
“No interruptions this time,” I muttered before crashing my mouth against hers.
She opened for me when my tongue swept along the seam of her lips, allowing me to surge inside. Without ever breaking the kiss, I lowered her feet to the dock and turned, walking her backward so she leaned against the railing of the pier. Reaching up, I pulled her braid loose so my hands could tangle through all those luscious curls. She moaned as my one hand gripped her ass and pulled her tight against my desperately hard cock.
After another moment, I reluctantly broke the kiss. If I didn’t, I might have taken her right there on the fucking pier. And that would be a no-go. We needed to take this slow. I lowered my forehead to hers, both of us panting hard.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” I said as my gaze locked with hers.
She was quiet, and I questioned what her reaction was going to be. Her hooded eyes and the way her body responded to my touch confirmed she wanted me as much as I wanted her. But she was still silent. Maybe this was all too much, too fast. I took a step back and ran my hand through my hair.
She shifted on her feet and bit her lip. “I—um, I guess I’ll see you at the bonfire later?”
“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll see you there.”
We stood there for a beat, staring at each other like we could unpack the last seven years with just a look.
She wanted to say more. I could feel it, but she didn’t. Instead, she brushed past me to grab her bag and walked off the pier.
And I was left standing alone, wondering where the hell do we go from here?
Chapter Nine
Bella
“God, this guyis so pretentious,” Ashley said as she drove her car up to the gates of Jackson’s home. “He’s rich, but doesn’t work. A different girl every week. Pretty much a glorified playboy. Not sure why my brother is still friends with him.”
I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window, lost in my thoughts.
That kiss. And what the hell does it mean?
“Hello? Where did my best friend go? And what happened on that boat today?” Ashley prodded while maneuvering her car up the long, circular drive. “You’ve been extra quiet since you came back to the apartment earlier.” She parked the car and turned to stare at me, tucking her long blond hair behind one ear. “Spill. Now.”
“We kissed,” I said softly, turning to meet her gaze.
Her mouth fell open into a perfectObefore she grinned ear to ear. “Like a tender sweet kiss, or with tongue, or…?”
I rolled my eyes because only Ashley would have asked something like that. “It was a panty-melting, I want to rip your clothes off and devour every inch of you, type of kiss.”
“Oh—Ew.” She shuddered dramatically. “Not going to get that image out of my head any time soon.”
“Never mind. Forget I said anything. Let’s go.” I reached for the door handle.
“Wait, I’m sorry Bella. I’m listening. So… what happened next?”
I paused at her words. “Nothing. He pulled away rather abruptly. Didn’t say much, and I wasn’t sure what to say either.” I leaned forward, placing my face in the palms of my hands. “I just don’t know where we stand or what this means, and it scares me.”
“Rhett’s a man who puts too much thought into his words. He’s probably overthinking his own shit right now. But I bet he wants to find you tonight.” She shrugged.
