by Bella Jewel
“Well, you just met Beckett, there are more where that came from.”
I pretend to fan myself and Gabby laughs, then her face goes a little softer and she leans in close. “Rhett told me what happened out there a few days ago. I’m really sorry.”
I feel the smile disappear off my face. “Thanks, it has been tough.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay, it’s so important. He has worked so hard to get that place up and running, if you all left it would ... it would destroy it before it even began.”
Well damn.
I’m feeling a little guilty for being so upset at Rhett now.
No wonder he’s pissy.
I would be, too.
It’s his life’s work, after all.
“You don’t happen to have a break coming up, do you?” I ask Gabby.
“I do. Go over to Eve’s and I’ll come over, I just have to finish this up.”
I smile. “Sounds perfect.”
I’m more than happy to go back over and chat to Eve.
In fact, all of these girls are great.
This place ... It’s just something else entirely.
Like a different world where good people exist.
I could stay here forever.
13
“So, Rhett is being a jerk?” Gabby asks, sipping her coffee after taking a bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah, I get it, so I’m trying not to get too upset about it but I also never meant to hurt him, he has to know that. We didn’t mean for anything bad to go down. We weren’t trying to run his business into the ground. We’re not that vindictive that we’d do something so awful.”
Gabby pauses. “He knows that. Rhett just doesn’t deal with things all that well, it’s something you get used to. He gets angry, that’s how he expresses himself when things are too much. If you want any advice from me, give it back to him. Don’t let him walk all over you, always fight back because he will come down from it and he will realize what he has done wrong.”
“Oh, believe me, I fought back.”
Gabby laughs. “Good girl.”
“I don’t think that’s all it is, though. I did accidentally see something and I think he’s worried I might talk.”
I know I’m taking a risk here, because I know if Gabby tells Rhett what I’m about to tell her, this could all blow up, but the only way I can try and find out what Rhett and the guys are up to, and if they may have had some involvement in all of this, is to ask the one person who knows him best these questions. So, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
“You saw something? Like what?”
I hesitate, glancing at Kara. She nods.
“The thing is, I didn’t tell him I saw it and I don’t want to cause problems if he finds out ...”
Gabby puts a hand up. “I won’t say anything, he’s my best friend but I’m not a snitch. You can tell me.”
God, I hope the vibe this girl is giving off is right.
I swallow and then tell her everything I saw that night at the house the night Taj died. She listens intently, and when I’m done, she gives me a small smile. “Look, I shouldn’t be telling you this because technically you’re guests of his and if I tell you, it could potentially ruin everything he has created, but I’m going to trust that this will stay between us?”
I nod. Kara nods.
“Before the ranch retreat, it was just a ranch. The guys operated a lot of things in and out of that place, not all of those things were legal. They’re ... god, how do I put this, they’re not bad guys so please don’t think they are, but they have their fingers in a lot of pies and they do a lot of selling and buying that isn’t always above board, so to speak. I know this because they’re currently doing business with the club.”
Oh.
Well, I mean that makes sense but ... they trade illegally? Come to think of it, they do look like they’ve done a few things in their time that are probably not the greatest, but why would you risk everything by starting up a business that could fail if someone found out. I mean, they were doing it right there in the house ...
“I’m not judging, what they do behind closed doors is none of my business, my only thing is I saw it, quite freely and what I saw was pretty intense. It could ruin his business if the wrong person saw it, which makes me wonder if Taj saw something he shouldn’t have ...”
“No,” Gabby says. “I will tell you something and I’d put my life on the line I believe this so wholeheartedly, those guys have done some bad shit, but they would never, ever murder an innocent person for seeing something they shouldn’t have. They’re not monsters.”
Her voice is firm, unwavering. Her eyes are fierce. What she’s saying, she’s saying with fact, with determination and belief.
I trust her.
“I didn’t think so,” I say, “and I’m sorry if my question upset you, but ...”
“Taj was our friend,” Kara finishes, her voice slightly shaky.
Gabby’s face softens and she nods. “I get that, and I know you’re just looking for answers, but I promise you that those guys had nothing to do with what happened to your friend. What you saw, it had nothing to do with the retreat. Rhett needs to be more careful, which is why I think you need to tell him that you saw everything. The one thing I don’t want to see happen, is for him to lose everything he has worked for.”
I shake my head, hesitant. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea ...”
“Trust me, Rhett likes you and I think if you tell him, it’ll be a good thing. He won’t react how you think, just talk to him.”
She’s wrong, though.
Rhett did like me, now he’s angry because he blames me for everything going bad.
I don’t say that, though.
I just swiftly change the subject and enjoy the rest of the morning laughing and chatting with these girls.
I have my answers.
But they’re not necessarily the answers I was looking for.
I’m back to square one.
With no idea what direction to take next.
“I’M GOING TO FIND RHETT and chat with him,” I tell Kara, pulling on my boots later that night. “I think Gabby is right, I think it’s the best thing to do.”
Kara nods. “I agree. I’m going to keep digging and figure out if I can find anything that might give us some answers on Taj and who might be involved. Let me know how you go with Rhett.”
I nod and get a coat, because it’s raining out.
I pull my hoodie up and over my head and then make the walk toward the main house. I haven’t spoken to Rhett since I got back from in town, in fact, I haven’t even seen him but it has been playing on my mind. I do want to apologize for the fact that we all did something stupid, but I’m also not going to let him treat me like crap because I don’t stand for that shit. He has no right to take it out on me, and he needs to know that.
I’m certain it’ll be a splendid conversation.
I reach the house and hear the men chatting inside. I walk up the front steps and bang on the door, it is Madden who comes to it. “Lei, you good?”
“Yeah, I was wondering if Rhett was here?”
He looks to the side and then turns around, glancing back at something.
“He’s occupied.”
Oh. Right. Occupied.
“Oh, can you tell him I came by then?”
I go to step away when I catch a glimpse of what Madden was looking at behind him. All the guys are sitting in the living room, drinking and laughing. Rhett is on the sofa and there is a woman next to him, her legs over his lap, laughing with a drink in her hand. She’s gorgeous, I mean the kind of gorgeous he spent the last week tell me wasn’t what men were looking for.
I’m not jealous because she’s beautiful, no, the pain inside is because yet another person has fed me bullshit stories.
I turn on my heel without saying another word to Madden and rush down the front steps.
It’s pouring out now, but it doesn’t stop me from running
out into that rain and picking up into a jog so I can get back to the cabin as quickly as possible.
“Lei!”
The sound of Rhett’s voice cuts through the thundering rain. I stop, turning toward him. He’s got a flashlight in his hand and is soaking wet by the time he reaches me.
“What are you doin’?” he asks, stopping, looking so god damned perfect in the rain it makes me hate him even more in this moment.
“I was coming to see you, but I can see you’re otherwise occupied. You know, I think we made the wrong choice staying here, I’m going to leave in the morning.”
“Why are you so fuckin’ angry all of a sudden?”
He honestly can’t see why?
“Because I was in there with a girl?”
That stings.
“It’s not about the girl, it’s about the fucking lies,” I yell. “The entire time I’ve been here, you’ve been after me, doing things to me that I’ve never experienced in my life, saying all this bullshit, but you know what, I just realized you’re exactly the same as every other man out there. You’re a god damned liar.”
“Don’t fuckin’ call me a liar, everything I said was true.”
“Then why, the second things get tough, are you in there with another woman after telling me all the crap you have been?”
He pauses, because he has no answer to that. I knew he wouldn’t.
“Exactly,” I laugh bitterly. “You remember asking me why I didn’t believe anything you said to me, this is why. You’re no different to anyone else in my life. You’re exactly the same as all the rest of them. God damn, it’s men like you that made me the way I am today. Fuck you, Rhett, for letting me believe for a single second that you actually wanted anything from me.”
I turn and go to run off again, but his hand lashes out and catches me by the wrist. He swings me so aggressively toward him that I have no choice but to fall into him. His arms lock me in and even though I struggle, I can’t escape his grips.
“Listen to me and listen to me good, you’re wrong. I meant every fuckin’ word I said to you. That woman in there, she’s a friend. That’s it. What you saw isn’t what you think. I’m angry, I’m disappointed about what happened, but I’m not a fuckin’ liar, Lei. When I said you’re beautiful, I fuckin’ meant it.”
“Stop,” I croak, my forehead falling to his chest because I’m too tired to fight him a second longer.
“When I said I wanted you, I fuckin’ meant it.”
“Rhett ...”
“No, you can tell me a lot of things about what you think you know about me, but you do not tell me that I’m a fuckin’ liar. I want you, Lei. What do you need me to do to prove that?”
“Stop dismissing me because you’re angry,” I murmur. “That isn’t how you treat someone you care about.”
“Done. The next part I’m goin’ to need to show you inside.”
I pull back and blink up at him. “The next part?”
He grins down at me. “You didn’t think I was lettin’ you go back to your cabin tonight, did you?”
Oh boy.
He leans down and scoops me up as if I weigh nothing and walks back to the house with purpose. When he barges through the front door, and everyone turns to stare at me, my cheeks burn. Oh god. When the guys cheer, I bury my face into Rhett’s chest and pray that the world ends right now so I don’t ever have to face them again.
Rhett walks down the hall, kicks open his bedroom door, and then places me down before turning and shutting it. It’s when the locks it and looks back at me, his eyes dark and hungry, that I know tonight is going to change my life. I’m not sure what about his expression tells me that, but oh god, I feel it right down to my toes. Rhett is going to do things to me I’ll never forget.
And I can’t bloody wait.
14
“What are we doing?” I whisper, legs either side of Rhett’s hips as he sits on the bed with me positioned on his lap.
He has removed my clothes right down to my bra and panties, and as he pushes my wet hair off my face, I can’t help but feel suddenly terrified about what’s to come. He leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips before murmuring, “You’re goin’ to sit here on my lap, rubbing against me, until I can feel your pussy get so wet it warms my dick, only then are we goin’ to go further. I know this is your first time, and I want to rip your clothes off and fuck you so damned hard, but I’m not goin’ to do that.”
I swallow, body shivering. “Do ... do I do something?”
“No, sweetheart, I’ll do all the work. You just sit there and enjoy it.”
Oh my.
Oh, sweet lord.
This is only the beginning.
Rhett’s mouth finds mine and he kisses me, soft at first, gentle touches of his lips against mine. His beard tickles my face, and it takes everything inside me not to reach up and curl my fingers in it, frantically tugging him closer. I want nothing more than to have him inside me, but at the same time I want to enjoy every damned second of this. I want to relish in every feeling, every touch, every kiss. So I’m not going to make it go any quicker.
His kiss deepens until we’re interlocked in a way that makes me weak in the knees. I kiss him so hard my mouth burns and my tongue aches, but my god, feeling his cock rise beneath me, feeling the way it brings my body to life, I don’t want it to end. I want to stay here forever, in this exact position, and never leave. I kiss him until all the breath has left my body and I can’t take another second, only then do I pull back, and it’s not because I want to, it’s because I’m going to explode if we do this a second longer.
Our eyes meet and he moves his hands up and down my back, until he finally stops at my bra. He unclips it and slides it off, then he leans back and stares down at my breasts. He has seen them before, at the river, but it wasn’t like this. This is raw. Open. I don’t have giant boobs and they’re a hundred percent natural. They’re still pretty perky, I am only young after all, but they’re certainly not the big ones I see on all the other beautiful girls. Still, they’re full and I like them. Rhett stares at them, and for a moment, I get into my head and wonder what he’s thinking, but then I take a look at his face and the lusty expression and know that he’s staring at me with lust.
Pure, raw, lust.
He reaches around, taking one in his hand, where he gently cups it, flicking his thumb over my nipple. I shiver and bite my lip, watching his big hands caress me. Then, he tips me back just a little and leans down, putting his lips on me. The sensation is out of this world, and I find myself crying out in shock and pleasure. It tickles and it feels warm, nice. I think I might just like this.
With his free hand, Rhett takes my hip and encourages me to rock against his cock. I let him guide me, following the movement he creates for me as he rocks my body back and forth. A pleasure begins to build as the hard ridge of his dick rubs right against my clit. I moan and he uses his tongue to flick against my nipple. The sensation is incredible, and together, it brings me to an orgasm even better than the last.
I cry out, clutching him, my body trembling with the most sensational feeling I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
Only when that shaking subsides and my moaning stops, does Rhett release me from his mouth. He looks at me, his eyes hooded and his expression hungry. If that was just the beginning, I can only imagine what he as in store for me. I can’t wait to find out. I lean forward, feeling confident, bold, and I press my lips to his neck. I want to taste him, too. I want to breathe him in, put this moment in my mind forever.
I suck on his skin, just a little, and he tastes slightly salty, and I swear, I can taste rain drops on his flesh. He growls and pushes me back, warning me in a low tone, “You gotta stop doin’ that, honey. I won’t last and I’m goin’ to make this one go all night.”
Oh my.
He launches me onto the bed suddenly, taking me by surprise. I land on my back and his big body comes down over mine, he goes in for a deep, intense kiss and then h
e moves down my body, hooking his fingers into my panties and dragging them down my legs. I close my eyes, feeling a little unsure as I lie before him naked. I want to know what he’s thinking and, at the same time, I really don’t. This feel so much more vulnerable than it did at the river. Like he’s really looking this time.
His hand starts at my breasts, and he growls, “Open your eyes. You won’t believe my words but you’ll trust my expression. See how much I love your body.”
I open my eyes, my heart exploding as I watch him.
His eyes don’t leave my body and he’s right, the expression on his face is that of a man pleased. He likes what he sees and he’s making sure I can see it. He leans down, pressing his mouth to my stomach, and the urge to close my eyes again is strong, but I don’t. I just watch as he drags his mouth down my flesh until he reaches my pubic bone. Then he looks up at me. “You ever had a man put his mouth on you?”
I shake my head.
“You’re about to.”
Before I can say another word, he moves his mouth down ... down, down, down until he’s right between my legs. I close my eyes, nerves racing around in my tummy. I have to ask myself, did I wash enough? Am I clean shaven? Should I have touched it up a bit more? Does it smell good? Bad? I have no idea. All I know is his face is right there, and he’s about to do things to me that I’ve never had done before.
His tongue slides out and when it grazes over my clit, I freeze, eyes widening. I gasp when he does it again, only this time the pressure is a little more intense and firm, and oh, does it make my body explode with a thousand different sensations. I’ve never felt anything quite like this in my life, and I want more. So much more. My fingers curl into his hair as he continues to devour me, his tongue doing wicked things.
I cry out as an orgasm finds me, and it’s hard to believe that every single one he gives me is better than the last. It’s hard to believe anything in the world could feel this damned good. He lifts his mouth from me, eyes meeting mine, and seeing him down there between my legs makes me tremble. I want more, and I want it right now. My body is screaming to feel every inch of him, to know what it’s like to have a man like him inside me.
