In the Firelight (19 page)

Frankie nodded at him suspiciously, then turned his attention back to Shea. “You look gorgeous…”

“Thank you,” Shea said cautiously.

Awkwardly, Frankie stammered for a moment and then practically fled.

“He wants you, you know,” Rhys chuckled, “so badly. Tell me you can see that.”

“Rhys, he’s like some odd cousin or something. It’s not what you think,” Shea argued and took a sip of her champagne. “Besides, he doesn’t get me,” she lifted her gaze to his and whispered in a husky, throaty tone. “You do… for now.”

Rhys licked his lips hungrily and groaned a little as she bit her lip. “I don’t want to be here. I want to be alone with you.”

A seductive smile touched Shea’s lips. “I can’t leave yet,” she softly said. “I promised Michelle I’d stay until the book auction is over.”

“How much longer is that?” Rhys asked with a fiery glint in his blue eyes.

“Um, it starts at eight-thirty.”
God, she couldn’t take her eyes off his lips. Watching him talk, watching him smile…

Rhys slid a hand from her back, dancing his fingers across the bare skin, so he could take a look at his watch. Then he glanced back at her with a naughty smirk. “We’ve got twenty-five minutes, sweetheart.” He nodded his head towards an open door that lead to the hallway. “Down the hall… now,” he gruffly commanded.

The stern command made Shea shiver and clench.

Steadied by his hands firmly holding her hips as he stayed close behind her, Shea carefully turned and walked down the hallway. Off to the right was a doorway, and Rhys tried the knob.
Locked
. They took a few more steps and tried another doorway a little farther down. With a quiet click, it opened. Rhys glanced wickedly at Shea, pushed her into the small storage room, and closed the door behind him.

His lips swooped down over hers, capturing a gaspy moan as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Christ,” he mumbled as he raised his head slightly, “you are so full of surprises, sweetheart. I was kind of trying to get you riled up, but I like this better.”

“Quit trying to piss me off, you bastard,” Shea whispered back at him.

“You’re just so fucking hot when you’re pissed. But you’re pretty fucking hot right now, too.” His lips captured hers again, plundering her mouth deeply, nipping at her swollen lips as he pulled away. “Honestly, sweetheart, you’re always fucking hot.”

“Not always…” Shea whispered breathlessly.

His lips trailed down across her cheek, down her neck, nipping and sucking as he found tender skin covering her collarbone. “Always… jeans, flannel nightgowns, long johns… this fucking dress. Yeah, always…”

Rhys reached down and slid one hand under her flowing skirt, pulling her leg up to his hip and pressing her back into the storage shelving behind her. His teeth danced across her shoulder, nibbling. Shea groaned loudly at the caress of his rough fingers skating across the bare skin of her thigh, dipping under her panties to grip her firm, round ass. He pulled her tightly against him, and she shuddered at the exquisitely painful pressure of his arousal against her wet and aching core.

He suddenly dropped her leg and slid his other hand under her skirt, finding the waistband of her tiny satin panties and pulling them down her legs, steadying her so she could step out of them. He lifted them to his nose and breathed deeply before tucking them into the pocket of his pants.

The cool air of the room touched her hot center and Shea whimpered with a building need. As he rose, Rhys unzipped his fly and released his cock, stroking it harshly a few times as he looked at her where she stood panting and shaking before him. Shea was hypnotized by his broad, strong hand as he squeezed a little, bringing forth a droplet of precum from the head of his dick. His thumb brushed across it, and he lifted his hand to place that thumb in her mouth. The salty richness caused a tightening throughout her body, and her fingers dug in his shoulders as she sucked on his thumb fervently.

“Fuck, baby,” he growled. “I want in that tight little pussy so bad. I need to get in there… right fucking now…”

Rhys reached down, grabbing both of her legs and lifting her up against the shelves along the wall, lining her up as he surged into her. Shea cried out against his neck. She was stunned by the sensitivity deep within her, and she could feel the pull of his hard, swollen length as he slowly withdrew, only to rush back in with a frantic force.

“Fuck, yeah,” Rhys muttered. “So slippery… you’re soaked, sweetheart. Fucking soaked for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Shea breathed with a gasp. Her brain had ceased to function, reducing her to frantic single-word responses. Slowly, the inflaming desire made even those responses impossible. He nipped her ear and bit down on the sensitive part of her neck just below her hairline. Rhys sucked hard against the skin as he pounded into her, scraping her bare back against the rough shelf behind her. His fingers gripped her thighs fiercely as he began to swell with his impending release.

“Come on, baby… fucking come for me… I need to feel you tighten around me. I need to hear you cry out. I need to feel your body jolt and flood my dick.” Rhys gritted the words out as he continued to pull out and then thrust back in hard and fast. Every nerve in her body was on fire and she began to shake violently as the pressure built and exploded.

Rhys groaned loudly against her neck as she convulsed around him.

“Fuck,” he rumbled, “oh, yeah… that’s it. So wet…”

The aftershocks bounced through her, firing off all the neurons in her brain and stunning her with the ecstasy of her shattering release.

“Oh yeah,” she heard Rhys mutter, “I love the sounds you make when I’m fucking you…”

With a few more deep strokes and a loud groan, Rhys spilled his hot release inside her.

Stopping quickly at the restroom so Shea could freshen up, they made it back into the main room just as the auction was starting. Shea could see Michelle nervously scanning the room. Relief and then obvious amusement lit her eyes as she saw Shea being led back in by Rhys. While she’d tried to tame it somewhat, her hair and makeup had become a bit mussed, and the wrinkles on her dress were just screaming out
I had sex in the storage room!
  It was evident that Michelle
surely knew, anyway. As much as she tried to ignore her friend’s smirks and narrowed eyes, Shea could almost hear the questions that were sure to come.

“So, where have you been, hmmm?” Michelle said under her breath as Shea sat down beside her.

Shea knitted her brows and looked over at her, with a very determined-looking shake of her head. Rhys sat beside her, spreading his arm across Shea’s back, his fingers softly skimming the bare skin right along her shoulder and completely driving her to distraction.

“I need more champagne,” Shea murmured as she stood, wobbling a little on the high heels.

Rhys stood also, as though he had every intent of escorting her.

Putting her hand flat on his chest, and immediately regretting it as her fingers practically burned his thick, sculpted muscles, she shook her head at him.

“No… stay…” She had to get away from him for a moment, to compose herself.

Rhys smirked at her. “Don’t take too long. I may have to come looking for you.”

And, just like that, with the sexy rumble of words he murmured in her ear, she was ready for round two.

Rhys watched her carefully make her way out of the main room towards the makeshift bar. This cat and mouse game was entirely too intriguing. Her feisty spark when he pissed her off, watching it melt into desire and experiencing the passion she released.

“So, Rhys…” Michelle said, moving to sit in the chair beside him. “How’s are things going? How’s that report coming along?”

Rhys looked over at Shea’s close friend with an instant wariness.
Danger
, his mind screamed at him. Her smile was friendly, not a hint of animosity or suspicion. In fact, outwardly she seemed to like him better than Shea did, but he detected an underlying agenda with her questions. He could feel the protective streak pouring out of her.

“Well, it’s getting there. A couple days, I’m guessing.”

“And then? You just… go away, huh?”

And there it was…

Rhys thought for a moment before he answered her. Not really even sure how to pacify her. In the end, she spoke first.

“She’s letting you in, Rhys. You may not see it, but this is a huge thing for her. She hasn’t dated, slept around, nothing for years. Not since Gavin.” Michelle suddenly stopped smiling, looking intent and fierce, in spite of her sweet-young-mother appearance. In a split second, she went all mama bear on him. “Don’t hurt her. Regardless of the short time you’ve known her… she doesn’t do this. With anyone. And the fact that she is with you is telling.”

Rhys knitted his brow. He didn’t want to hear this. It was so much easier to think she was playing him too. “Michelle—”

“She’ll be back in a minute, so I need to make this quick, but Shea is the most straightforward person you’ll
ever
know. She’s tough as nails and independent. But you’re in uncharted territory right now, buddy, and I have no idea how this is going to affect her. So, if you care—at all—you need to think long and hard about how you spend the rest of your time here. Don’t fuck up my girl.”

Michelle looked at him fiercely and patted him on the shoulder as he contemplated her words with an ill feeling settling in his gut.

“Nice talk, Rhys…” she said, and moved back to her chair as Shea slowly carefully made her way back from the hallway.

The guilt began to eat at him. The knowledge that he had to make this right. Even though Shea would hate him after it was all over anyway, after it came to light just why he was here to begin with.

Shea sat down beside him, her brow scrunched at the expression on his face. He did his best to smile at her, to look nonchalant and easy-going. But she clearly wasn’t buying it. That much was evident when she turned back to Michelle.

“Shell… what’s going on?”

Blinking innocently, Michelle smiled back at Shea. “What do you mean?”

Shea looked back and forth between the two guilty expressions.

“You know you don’t have to protect, me, right Michelle? I’m an adult.” Shea looked back at Rhys. “What did she say?”

“She was just looking out for her friend, sweetheart,” Rhys said softly.

“Dammit, Michelle—”

“Shea—” Michelle sighed.

“No, I’m not helpless. It’s sweet that you care, but I don’t need you trying to run interference for me.”

“Shea,” Rhys interjected, “she didn’t really say anything that I don’t already know.”

“And what
do
you know, Rhys? You barely know me at all. I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break when you leave.” She looked over at Michelle. “Yeah, I slept with him. A couple times, and it was fucking awesome. It’s about time I got laid. But I also know its fleeting. Whatever the hell this is, it isn’t something that will be here in a month. Or even in another week. I know that. I don’t need anyone handling me with kid gloves.”

With that, she stood and took a few steps towards the exit. Swearing under her breath, she stopped and kicked off the shoes, grabbing them as she stormed out of the room.