Page 17 of Tempted to Rebel

My lack of dating experience means, however, that aside from my ex-husband, I haven’t really been with anyone long enough for something as cheeky as a trip to Makeout Point.

We park at the midway point, as far away from the other cars idling along the ridge as possible. There are only a few hanging around, but two of them are fogged up on the inside and one is rocking. I’d rather pretend they don’t exist than admit that whatever they’re doing might actually be something I’m curious to try.

Good girls don’t fantasize about having sex inside a Ferrari.

Rebel stretches lazily once we’re parked and settles into his seat. “Never took you for a Makeout Point girl, either,” he muses, a smirk on his lips. He reclines the seat and pats his lap. “Climb on over, beautiful. I want to feel you.”

Okay, maybethisgood girl indulges the fantasy a little.

My body is on fire before he even touches me. Somehow, I manage to swing my body over the console and settle onto his lap, straddling his waist while leaning across his chest. He hums happily and plants his hands on my hips, grinning up at me with boyish charm. He flicks the hair from his eyes and rubs his palms up and down my waist, slipping his hands inside my shirt to touch my skin. His fingers are cold, making me shiver as goosebumps trail down my arms. Kissing my wrist, he pins me with a heated stare.

“You’re beautiful, Celia.”

I bite my bottom lip, my nerves ratcheting higher. “Tell me something else.” I’ve always been known within the bratva asthe pretty one, and I’m starting to think that beauty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It makes it easier to run a fashion businesswhen people want to look like me, and it makes it easier to attract men like Rebel when I doll myself up in kitten heels and a little black dress, but tonight, I don’t want to be pretty.

I want to feelreal.

Rebel studies me for a moment, suddenly cupping my ass. “You’re a know-it-all.”

Gasping, I smack his chest. “What! I am not!”

“Youare!” He grins. “You always think you know everything, and I get it. You’re used to calling the shots, or whatever. You wanna be Miss Independent.” He slides one of his hands up my waist until he reaches my chest, gently tapping the space over my heart. “I know your ex hurt you, but I’m not—we’renot him. None of us want to control you, baby; we just want what’s best for all of us.”

The electric buzz in the air fizzles out, my happiness fading fast. I sit up, rocking back on Rebel’s obvious erection with the movement, and force myself not to focus on how hot and hard he is beneath me. I cross my arms over my chest, forcing Rebel’s hand away. “How is locking me in a cage not about being in control? How is forcing me to my knees in front of a crowd of people not about control?” I shake my head. “You say one thing, but then you guys do the opposite. You only want me if it fits inside your perfect parameters.”

Rebel raises an eyebrow. “Sounds pretty fucking familiar.”

Warmth blooms across my cheeks as I blush at being called out so easily. “That’s not true.”

Except…Aren’t I the one pushing them out of my life because I don’t think they fit within it?

I cringe, pursing my lips. “Okay, maybe it’s a little true, but?—”

“No buts. Celia, baby, if we’re going to make this work between us, betweenallof us, you’re gonna have to relax those boundaries and let us in. All this fighting? It’s only gonna hurt.That’s all Rage wants, you know, for you to accept him. Every time you tell him no, he’s gonna hold on tighter and tighter until one of you breaks.”

Rebel sits up and wraps his arms around my waist, tilting his head back to gaze up at me. His eyes reflect the glowing city behind me, burning with warmth that burrows deep in my chest and wraps around my pounding heart. “I don’t wanna have to put you back together. I want to keep you just as you are, whole and healthy and full of life. Because youarebeautiful, and not just for that ass.” He squeezes my butt and grins wickedly. “You’re beautiful because you’re so fucking stubborn and headstrong and out of my goddamn league. I could throw my whole life away just to see where your light shines next.” Nuzzling my jaw, he skims his lips over mine. “You’re dynamite, girl, and you blow me the fuck away.”

Tears pool in the corners of my eyes, my heart swelling with emotion I don’t dare name. Falling for Rebel is bad news. I’m supposed to be running away right now, not straddling his lap in a Ferrari!

It’s like he reads my mind. “You wanna run away and start a new life?” He smacks my ass. “Start the engine, baby, and let’s roll.” Rolling his hips for effect, he moans unabashedly, shuddering as he drags in a lungful of air. “But if you want to stay and build a life here—with us—it won’t be easy, and we’re all gonna have to learn to give a little on these boundary things, but it’ll be so goddamn worth it.” The conviction in his voice settles into my bones, giving me strength I hadn’t known I needed.

Could we actually make this work?

“Soplease.” He lifts my t-shirt shirt and bends to press a gentle kiss to my chest, directly over my heart. “Stop running. Let us love you—letmelove you.”

My heart hammers loudly, willing me to fall. To let go. To say,fuck it, and give him what he wants.

Because in the end, I might want it, too. More than I’ve wanted to admit.

With Rebel, I can picture the future I’ve always imagined.

Cupping his face in my hands, I let myself fall—leaping headfirst alongside the lightning beat of his heart, against the hard lines of his body, and into whatever comes next. Our lips crash together, and the groan reverberating inside Rebel’s chest leaves me buzzing from the sound. “Do that again,” I rasp, my eyes fluttering shut as his teeth skim my jaw.

He chuckles. “Oh, did you like tha—oh, fuuuuck.”

As I grind down on top of his iron-hard length, he moans loudly, flopping back onto the seat to gaze up at me through half-lidded eyes. Biting his bottom lip, he thrusts up, smirking when I gasp. “That’s it, baby, take what you want. I need you to feel good.” Cupping my breasts, he squeezes, massaging them and pinching my nipples between his knuckles. The thin red lace bra doesn’t hide anything, and within seconds, he’s rolling my nipples into hard peaks. I keen as pleasure ripples through me, soaking my panties and making me writhe that much harder on top of him.

Rebel curses under his breath, both of us panting. “Fuck, baby,fuck.”

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