Page 12 of Rival Heart
I’ve been dealing with pop-ins over and over again. Old friends of mine that wanted to say “hi” and even older friends of my dad’s that wanted to see what I was up to. More like wanted to see if I was going to sell out or if I was moving back to town.
But they can pound sand. I don’t owe those guys any explanation. They sat back and watched my dad run his business into the ground and never said a word. Most likely because they were waiting like vultures in the shadows to pluck clean the corpse when he finally killed it.
I unlock the door and jerk it open, already fuming about who is there. My jaw drops when I see a gloriously beautiful Rebel Hawthorne standing there like some goddess of old. My eyes skim down her rounded figure in a slim-fit halter top dress that skims her thick hips and then flares out over her thighs.
“Uhhh,” I can’t get out anything but that. I’ve never seen Rebel in a dress and it’s a damn revelation. Floral watercolor, pink fabric that just clings to beautiful her. Her feet are dirty and bare, toes curled under her like she’s cold. Toes that are tipped with pale pink polish.
Not something that I ever thought I’d see. Rebel Hawthorne in a dress on my doorstep. With her arms wrapped around herself, and her high heeled sandals in one hand.
I peek around the door to check the time and wince when I realize that it’s practically midnight. I reach out for her arm and draw her inside. She shivers and her bare arms are freezing.
“What the hell are you doing out here so late?” I peek around the door and try to find her car. “Where’s your car?”
Her teeth chatter. It’s hot here during the day but at night? Even the desert gets chilly at night. I pull a blanket off my couch and wrap it over her shoulders tugging her to me, ignoring her token resistance. She sighs as her head lands on my chest and I rub her arms hard. She rests so perfectly in my arms, her head on my chest, the scent of her wraps around my senses and my cock jerks in my pants. I pull my hips back so I don’t scare the hell out of her. I want her… yes. But it’s too soon.
I never thought I’d see her again. Wasn’t really sure that I wanted to. But as soon as I had that first glimpse of her, all thoseold feelings came rolling back, stronger and wilder than ever. She brings out the best and the worst in me and the strength of my feelings for her scares the hell out of me. But at this point losing her scares me more.
“You didn’t answer my questions,” I growl, pulling her soft curves into me and inhaling a deep breath. Having her in my arms calms me. This is where she’s meant to be.
I am an idiot. How did I think that leaving here would wipe out all those feelings for her? She’s my heart and soul in a tiny little package. So delicate, so fragile that it terrifies me just having her walking around the world alone.
I shudder. Anything could happen to her and that would be the fucking end of me. I don’t think that I could survive without her.
She takes a deep breath and I feel her full breasts press against my chest, hardening my dick even further. My heart thunders in my ears and I almost don’t hear her answer.
“J-J-Jefferson was there tonight. And they were talking around me like I wasn’t even there.” My lips quirk up as her soft voice gathers strength and the tone tells me that she was more insulted than scared. “The bastards are pushing so hard and I don’t think I can avoid it anymore. Jefferson and my father started yapping about an announcement and I knew it was time to go.”
“So what do you want to do?” I hold my breath. Her answer here could change everything for us. Could give me a fighting chance to win her over and finally have the woman that I now know I will never, ever fucking forget. I will always want her.
Her firm chin lifts and she looks me right in the eye. Always so proud and strong. “I want to take you up on your offer. If you still want me to marry you… I will.”
I push back the triumphant smile that wants to wash over my face. Instead, I hold her tighter and sigh deeply. “I still want to marry you. Give me a few minutes and we’ll leave right now.”
Her head jerks and her mouth opens wide. “Uh… but what about booking a flight and all that? Why don’t we wait until morning to leave?”
I grip her arms tight. Ducking my head, I look right into her eyes and try to ignore the sweet curve of her lips and her warming skin under my fingers. No time for that right now.
“Because I don’t trust your father as far as I can throw him. It’s best to get this done as quickly as possible. He can’t figure out how to block you from your inheritance if he doesn’t have enough time.” Here’s where it gets a little complicated.
“We can take my private jet. We’ll make it there overnight and get married quickly. That way we can notify the attorney that’s in charge of your mother’s trust first thing in the morning and cut him off at the pass.”
“P-private jet?”
Flushing, I take a step back from her. “Yeah.”
“How come you have a private jet?” Her russet brows are scrunched and her cinnamon eyes narrow on me.
“Well, that’s actually a long story. I’ll tell you on the plane to Vegas. We can buy you some clothes and things there. I’ve got a buddy here in town and I’ll have him keep an eye on Rufus.” The big dog wags his tail along the floor, setting off a dust cloud that has both of us choking slightly.
Rebel smiles down at him and squats to her knees. “Hey, buddy. I haven’t seen you around before. Rufus? What a terrible name for such a pretty boy,” she croons, rubbing his head and smiling at him.
And just like me, my dog melts into a puddle at her dainty bare feet, whining and rubbing his big head up against her hip, almost landing her on the floor.
But she just giggles and pets him more. I don’t blame her. Rufus is a comedian. A crazy blood hound who’s half ears and nose. His liver coat shines even in the dim light. He’s a good-looking boy but he’s also a wuss which is why he was dropped out of the search and rescue training he was in and I picked him up. I shake my head and try to focus.
I pull out my phone and start making calls, moving away from her before I lose my mind and drop down to the floor, rolling her under me and fucking her hard into the floor until she’s screaming my name so loud that her dad and Jefferson can hear it miles away.
It’s gonna be a long night. A long, hard night.
