Page 63 of Rhett
He brought my fingers to his lips, kissing them. “I would never hurt you, Nova.”
“You already did by rejecting me because of my bloodline. I want to love and be loved, Rhett, but not with a man who believes I’m not enough because I’m a hybrid with a Hunter bloodline.”
Letting go of my hand, he rubbed his hand over his face. “God, I fucked this up big-time, all because I was too pigheaded to acknowledge the fact that I felt guilty about my sister Maggie’s death.”
I grabbed his hand when I heard the anguish in his voice. “Can you tell me about her?”
“She was funny, beautiful inside and out, intelligent, and stubborn.” His lips curled up. “She was older than me and thought I could do no wrong. Our parents died when we were young, so we only had each other. She was a lot older than me, so she took one dead-end job after another just to put food on the table. She wanted more for me, so when I decided to join the military, she had my back, unlike the naysayers who balked at a shifter joining the armed forces.”
“She sounds like a good woman,” I said.
“She was. It killed me emotionally when I got the call while serving overseas that she was killed.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”
“She was killed by Hunters while on a shifter full-moon run.” He rubbed his eyes. “I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. I failed at my one fucking job, and that was protecting her.”
“You can’t blame yourself for something completely outside your control.”
He nodded. “I’m coming to terms with that now, Nova. I’ve beat myself up for years, accusing myself of being a bad brother and Protector because Ishouldhave been there. Seeing how hard I was being on myself, Quinn made me realize that Maggie didn’t care if I was there or not when she died. She knew I loved her because when she was alive, I showed her that over and over again.”
I realized from his heartbreakingly beautiful words that when this man loved, he did so unconditionally and completely.What more could a woman hope for?
But there was so much I had to ponder tonight.
Should I give Rhett another chance?
And if I do, will that mean sacrificing my work?
My life as I know it?
The light in one of Bonnie’s rooms flicked on.
“It’s getting late,” I whispered. “I should go.”
He nodded before hopping out of the vehicle, then opening my door. He clasped my hand in his, and the sweet smell of pine filled my nose while we walked toward the house. Making it up the stairs, we stood by the front door, staring at each other.
“Thank you for sharing that part of you with me, Rhett.”
“I should be thanking you, Nova. I know how painful it was for you to tell me about your mother.”
“We’re starting over, right?” My lips curled up slightly.
“Yes, we are.”
He circled my nape with his hand. His touch set my skin aflame. Leaning against his fingers, I ached for more. He dipped his head, planting his gorgeous lips on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him as he deepened our kiss, coaxing his tongue into my mouth. He groaned, and I moved my tongue with his. My breath became ragged, my nipples strained against my bra, and warmth pooled between my thighs.
As he broke off our kiss, his breathing was heavy. “So does that mean that you’re going to give me a chance to redeem myself?” He reached over, brushing his hand down my back.
I’d seen another side of Rhett tonight, and I couldn’t lie to myself, I wanted to discover more about the man behind the mask.
“Yes.” I slid my arm around Rhett’s waist. “But I’m not making any long-term promises.”
“I don’t need promises.” He spoke in his quiet, rough voice. “I just need a chance to show you that you’re mine and that I’m yours.”
“Rhett…” I swallowed hard, biting my bottom lip to hide the emotion that had set it to trembling.
Catching my chin, he bored his eyes into mine. “I’m not pushing you, Nova. I’m just stating straight-up facts.” He released me, then stepped back, watching me closely, making me feel precious and beautiful.
