Page 50 of Quiet Longing

Though, surely, the kiss meant he was on board.

“Right, now I just have to find Derek and Milly,” Aidan said, glancing between Rhys and me. “They’re probably hiding together as well, smooching away in a quiet corner just like you two.”

Ah, hell. Was it that obvious we’d been kissing? Self-consciousness trickled in because if Aidan knew, then there was very little chance he was going to keep his mouth shut. Everyone else would find out, and Derek was probably going to give me one of his disappointed looks.

Just wonderful.

12.

Rhys

Still convinced I’d hallucinated the last twenty minutes with Charli, I almost let her leave the room. I came to my senses just in the time to grab her hand and pull her back.

Aidan had gone off in search of Derek and Milly. She turned to me, those gorgeous hazel eyes expectant and a little self-conscious. I remembered her right after she’d blurted her idea for us to have sex, to lose our virginity to each other so it was no longer hanging over us. There’d been a vulnerability in her voice like she’d wanted to snatch back the words as soon as she’d uttered them. An affection had spread through me. I’d wanted to tell her she didn’t ever need to feel there was anything she couldn’t ask me. I was so gone for her at that stage I’d grant her anything she asked for. But I couldn’t grant her this, at least not on the terms she suggested.

A few strands had fallen free of her hair tie, and I brushed them aside, savouring the feel of her silky skin. “The answer is no, by the way.”

She blinked, her eyelids fluttering as she realised what I was referring to.

“Ah, well, okay,” she swallowed thickly. The thread of disappointment in her voice made something tighten in my chest. “That’s fine. Sorry. It was a stupid idea.”

She tried to pull her hand away but I held firm. “It wasn’t a stupid idea. I’m just not going to make some meaningless agreement to have sex with you, Charli. I want you but only if you want me, too. Not because it’s something to get out of the way, but because we’re both so consumed with wanting that we can’t resist getting lost in each other.” I stared at her, and ahazy look came over her eyes. It was almost impossible to resist kissing her again when she looked at me like that. Pulling back a little, I cleared my throat. “Besides, the lads might rib me about being a virgin, but I don’t care. I’ll have sex on my terms, not on anyone else’s.”

Charli blinked like my words had put her in a trance. To be honest, I hadn’t known I had those sorts of words in me, but she had a way of bringing them out.

“Wow, um, okay.” Her chest rose and fell, and she looked a little overcome. Her eyes came to mine, her lashes fluttering, colour high in her cheeks. “In spite of what Derek and Aidan seem to believe, I’m typically not very good at being forward with guys I like. So, just to be clear, I do want you, Rhys.”

Seriously, this had to be a dream. She was too perfect, too gorgeous and sexy, and so fucking lovely. My home life was a mess, and I was still worried about Mam and how Dad was going to react to being served divorce papers. Not well, I expected. Being with Charli felt like an escape from all that, one that almost seemed too good to be true. But it wasn’t. It was real. I knew from the sounds she made when I kissed her that it was real. From the way her skin grew flushed and her breathing quickened. How her hand had slid down my body, seeking to touch.

I stepped towards her and kept stepping until I’d backed her into the wall. She gasped when my hands went to her neck, softly caressing before I brought my mouth to hers. I kissed her with confidence, my tongue sliding along hers while my thumbs caressed her throat. She turned pliant beneath me, her arms going around my waist and pulling me to her. I was rock hard, her full breasts pushing into me from beneath the hoodie,my hoodie, and I wanted nothing more than to tear it off and kiss them, run my lips and teeth and tongue over what I knew would be the most perfect tits.

“I like you in this,” I rumbled between kisses as I plucked at the soft material.

She sighed like the statement affected her and continued kissing me, practically melting into me.

Earlier in the pool, it had been torture to feel her moulded to my back as she clung to me. I also had a hard time keeping my eyes to myself, which was how she caught me staring.

“You’re so sexy,” I murmured when I came up for air again. “Tell me what feels good.”

“You.This. Just keep kissing me,” she replied, breathing heavily. I happily acquiesced then groaned when her delicate fingers wrapped around mine. She guided them down then up under the hoodie before encouraging me to cup her full breast. Lacy fabric scraped at my palm, and I could feel her beaded nipple beneath. It was a miracle I hadn’t come already just from kissing her. I loved how she smelled, like coconut, honey, and almonds. I loved how she tasted, how her skin felt.

I wanted to stay in that moment and never return to normal life.

I was barely aware what was happening when she took my other hand and guided it between her legs. Fuck. She only wore thin leggings, and the urge to slip beneath them and feel if she was wet was overwhelming. I’d never touched a girl this intimately, and I wasn’t entirely sure what might feel good to her, so I rubbed my thumb back and forth the same way I’d been rubbing her throat. She seemed to enjoy it. A sharp hitch of breath, followed by a quiet whimper, her tongue battling with mine as she tugged me closer. I moved my finger experimentally, loving every time she made a sound of encouragement.

I wanted to make her come. I’d watched a fair amount of porn, so I wasn’t completely clueless, though I did sense porn wasn’t entirely accurate or in line with how real sex went. The idea to lower to my knees, tug her leggings down, and put mymouth on her entered my head. I almost did it when suddenly there was the sound of the front door opening downstairs.

“We’re home!” Derek’s mam called out.

Charli and I broke apart. Once again, both of us were breathless.

I began to move away when she caught my hand. “Let’s go to my room. No one will come in there.”

My look was apologetic, devastated. I didn’t like getting her this worked up and then leaving her hanging. “I can’t. Derek will look for me.”

She blew out a breath, seeming frustrated. Something hot and possessive simmered within me. I liked that I could make her that way, turn her on so much she was willing to invite me back to her room. I liked even more that she seemed to want me just as badly as I wanted her. Whatever strange twist of fate had brought this girl into my life, I couldn’t say. All I knew was I already felt a lot of things for her. Things it probably wasn’t smart to feel, given she’d be leaving to go home in a few weeks.

She looked disappointed again, and I couldn’t help being satisfied by that. “Okay, well, are you working tomorrow? We could go somewhere. Maybe grab food and see a movie?”

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