“I guess that’s fair. And here I always thought my strong point was showing, not telling,” he said, his voice thick with desire I couldn't believe was being aimed my way. “One thing I do know though is that I’m not the kind of guy to take advantage of a woman in distress, no matter how much I want to sink my teeth into this delicate little bit of skin right here.” He brushed a thumb over the pulse point in my neck, causing me to hitch in a breath neither one of us missed, and he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, never taking his eyes off me.
I became lost to him, and I wanted more. “You don't sound like you hate me too much right now, Henry.”
“The only thing I hate is wanting you, because if I go there I'm going to get myself in a lot of trouble.”
“With Andy?” I guessed. “What? Is the guy in love with you or something?” I meant it as a joke, but a part of me wondered if there was something more going on here, which was why Henry clamped up every time Andy was mentioned in any negative light. Like he owed him his life, so he couldn't upset him or walk away even if he wanted to.
But Henry's unexpected puff of laughter and the shake of his head as he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and squeezed tightly told me I was way off the mark before he even uttered a word. “No. He only loves himself.”
“Then, why wouldn't he like it? Not that I'm encouraging something to happen between us or anything.” My voice had become a breathy whisper I barely recognised. A hum of want, need, and unmistakable lust.
Henry brought his face to within an inch of mine. “Oh, you're encouraging it, all right.” His eyes searched mine like he was trying to see into all the thoughts of my mind. “I've never met anyone like you.”
“Then, tell me why Andy has such a problem with you having a little fun.”
“Because I fucked his sister, she fell in love with me, then I broke her heart.”
My face fell instantly. The mention of him breaking someone's heart threw me right back to the moment Rob broke mine so easily, and that made my blood turn cold and all the light leave my eyes.
“Did you cheat on her?” I asked without any right to.
“Cheating is for fucking cowards. Do I look like a coward to you?” He held my gaze, not wavering or pulling away even an inch. His fingers flexed against my neck, making me suck in another sharp breath.
“No. You don't.”
“I didn't love her, Phoebe. I couldn't string her along anymore. It wasn't fair to any of us. Especially her.” He paused for only a second. “Does that make you think badly of me?”
“No. It kinda makes me want you more.”
His attention fell to my parted lips. “It looks like we both set ourselves some rules for this trip we're considering breaking. I won't tell if you won't.”
“You mean... keep us a secret?”
“Us,” he said a little breathlessly. “That's the second time you've said that today, and I can't deny I like the way it makes me feel when you say it.”
That brought a small smile to my face. “I'm starting to think you're a tease.”
“I'm no tease, angel eyes. I'm just being cautious with something I'm afraid I might break.”
“I'm tougher than I look.”
“I have no doubt.” He brought his hand from the back of my neck to brush his thumb along my jaw. “In that case, let me be clear for you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since the moment you bumped into me that very first morning. I don't think I've ever wanted to fuck someone the way I need to fuck you. I want my hands on every inch of your skin and all the places you keep hidden. I want my mouth there, too. I want my tongue to discover parts of you you’ve never touched before. Most importantly, I want you to want it just as much as I do.”
My stomach clenched, and my thighs instinctively pressed together as I looked up at him, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth. If an orgasm was ever produced through talk alone, I had no doubt Henry had been the one to hand it out.
“You have your rules, I have mine,” he murmured. “I'm ready to break them if you are because, quite frankly, not having you is killing me.”
He really feels it too,I thought while my heart pounded away in my chest, begging me to let go and have a little fun. To be the storm chaser for once instead of the take it slow girl I’d been accused of being.This is the test, Phoebe. This could change everything.
“But it would have to be just between us,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “You and me. The others can't know. I’m selfish like that, and if I'm going to have you, I want you all to myself. I want every touch I offer to belong to you and you alone. Your girls can't know shit about it, and I won't tell the guys a thing. If you're ready to stop being good and willing to letme show you how to be bad when no one’s looking, come find me later tonight.”
“T-Tonight?”
“Tonight.” He smiled softly, running his thumb over my mouth before trailing the tip of it over my tongue and then running it over my lips. “Take some time to digest what I've offered. If you need a distraction from everything you're running from, I'll be that for you. I’ll be whatever you need me to be. But… Phoebe?”
I blinked up at him, waiting.
“The end of this holiday, we're done. That's it.”
