Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
He leans closer, brushing his lips lightly against my temple as he speaks. “You’re something else, Pippa,” he murmurs, his voice low and intimate. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
He rests his forehead against mine, and we stand that way for a moment, just drinking each other in, until the shrill squawk of a seagull reminds us that we’re not the only living things in the world. We break apart suddenly.
We explore the lighthouse grounds, me taking photos, and him teasing me relentlessly. The chemistry between us is effortless, electric, and undeniable. Every touch, every glance, and every playful shove reinforces the tension that’s been building between us since the moment we met. I thought after last night, some of that tension might have drained away because we got the worst of the pent-up desire out of our systems, but if anything, it is stronger now than before.
At one point, I catch Rhett staring at me when he thought I was not looking. Really staring, and I feel a shiver run through me, and the world narrows to just us again, surrounded only by nature, the wind, the waves, the cliffs, and the crazy spark between us. It’s not just in his eyes’ desire. It’s curiosity, admiration, and something dangerously close to … It can’t be. Of course, not. I shake my head, teasing to mask the heat in my chest.
“What now? Are you trying to decide where to hide my body after you murder me?” I ask tartly
He lifts a finger and trails it down my cheek, leaving little sparks of fire on my skin. “I was born to scowl, baby. That was just me, enjoying the view.”
We walk back toward the car slowly, and I can’t stop thinking about how different everything feels with him. How safe yet thrilling, comforting yet unpredictable it is. How impossible it is to want anything more than this moment, and yet how it is also impossible not to want more of him.
The drive back is quiet at first, each of us lost in thought. I feel the tension from last night still simmering, a delicious heat under everything, and I can’t help but smile.
By the time we pull back into the driveway of his house, the sun is high in the sky, hot and bright. I step out of the car, feeling the salt air clinging to my hair, and glance at Rhett. His eyes meet mine, dark and unreadable, and I feel that pull again, that magnetic draw that’s been impossible to resist since the moment we met.
“Thanks for today,” I say softly, looping my arm through his as we walk toward the house. “It’s been perfect.”
He smiles, glancing down at me. “Perfect, huh? I like the sound of that. Just remember, it’s not over yet. New York and I have a lot more in store for you.”
I grin, letting myself be pulled along, my heart light and racing, knowing that whatever comes next, whatever adventures, flirts, and challenges await, I’m ready to face them with him. And for the first time in a long time, I feel … free.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Pippa
We don’t even make it to the bedroom. He rips my clothes off and takes me on the long white marble table in the breakfast room. The sex is fast, furious, and thrilling. There is almost a desperate quality to it.
“Food. I need food,” I whisper afterwards.
Rhett opens both doors of the fridge, gazes at the contents inside for a few seconds, then closes the doors. “Let’s have lunch out. There’s a lovely little restaurant a five-minute walk away. I think you’ll like it. Afterwards, we could spend a bit of time on the beach if you want.”
“Let’s go,” I say.
I run upstairs and change into my swimsuit, then put my clothes back on over the top of it. I add a large towel and a bottle of sunscreen to my cross bag. Rhett appears in the doorway to see if I’m ready, and he looks even hotter than he did earlier, if that’s even possible. He’s wearing a white polo shirt and navy-blue shorts. He has a pair of sunglasses on his head and a towel slung over one shoulder.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod, not trusting my voice to come out even right then. I follow him down the stairs, and once out in the bright sunshine, we walk along the row of beachfront mansions.
I pay more attention to them now that I am on foot, and I see pools, tennis courts, the works. I still can’t believe that people not only live like this, but these aren’t even their real houses. They are just their holiday homes. We reach the end of the row of homes and come to an open stretch of beach. The rest of the beach has been quite deserted, but here, it is fairly busy, lots of people lying about on the sand and swimming in the sea.