Page 23 of Wreckin' Amethyst

“You probably should, yeah. But I have a feeling you’re not going to.” The boat rocks gently, an easy lapping of water isolating us from the world beyond. “You’ll be surprised to know we aren’t as innocent as the media likes to think. Carter has a few skeletons in his closet and a side he keeps hidden deep behind his barricade of control. You should give him a chance.”

“A chance for what?!” I push upright and spear Myles with a narrowed look. He doesn’t answer, shifting a meaty arm beneath his head to focus on the sky all of a sudden. The sun has dipped behind the horizon of trees, drawing the impending darkness closer. Whispers of unforeseen promises linger, as if tonight not only has the potential to change my opinion of Myles, but to question many of the rules I live by. I’m a traitor to myself at this point, and becoming increasingly unsure of how far I’ll go to prove it.

“What would it take for you to trust me?” his voice sails around with the fluidity of rolling waves, his aura too calm for me to deny.

“A PI who isn’t afraid to give me the answers I’m looking for,” I snorted and turned my head away so Myles couldn't hear me. It wouldn’t do him any use to know of my past, regardless of how many ‘skeletons’ he’s had to bury on Carter’s behalf. With my back turned on him now, I hear Myles sigh which causes the boat to rock slightly.

“Okay, how about this - give me something real. One truth about you and I’ll drop the subject.” Myles draws me back down into the crook of his arm. I mold into his side, pressing against the firmness of his cotton shirt. When was the last time I was fucked by someone I actually desired, as opposed to someone I was in turn fucking over? Myles takes my silent insight as hesitation. Brushing the hair back from my forehead, he places a gentle kiss there and I swallow. Fuck, this is rapidly spiraling to a place I’m not prepared to go. “There’s no prying ears out here, Amethyst.”

“When I was a kid, every Christmas and birthday my parents would ask what I wanted. And every time, I gave the exact same answer.” I grin against Myles’ bicep. “An adventure.I never cared for dolls or toys, or whatever the other kids at school had. From a very young age, I collected memories like treasures. Craved the thrill of traveling without a map, finding the best pancakes in some tiny off-road diner, exploring the forest and happening upon a waterfall. Every moment was precious because you know you could never find it again if you tried.”

“Your parents sound like incredibly special people,” Myles muses. My smile fades, my voice dipping.

“They were.” For a long while after, no words are exchanged and I’m thankful for it. I didn’t want Myles’ sympathy, just as I hadn’t wanted to offer him so much of me so easily. Now the pandora’s box of my memories has been opened, I delve through images appearing behind my closed eyelids, lulled by the steady breathing of my companion and the gentle rock of the boat. Had my parents still been around, they most likely would be encouraging me to give into Myles. I’d probably be in agreement. By the time he speaks again, a blanket of navy blue has coated our view, pricked by glimmering stars.

“Can I make an observation?”

“You can try,” I snort. Myles moves so suddenly, I drop into the empty gap his body had created before hands grip my sides. Tossing me upright, I’m dumped in his lap, legs straddling his waist. Amber eyes, highlighted by the lantern, peer into mine with mirth crinkling their corners.

“Screw it, let’s raise the stakes. I’m going to make an observation, try and read you in the way you decipher everyone else within moment’s of meeting them.” I raise a brow. Carter must have told him about the interviews. How I defended his best interest. My cheeks flame. “And if I get it right, you’re going to reward me with a kiss.” Myles beams. If he were a puppy, his tongue would be out like Pig’s when I’m scratching her belly.

“I didn’t take you for a gambling man,” I smirk.

“I reckon, with you, it’s the only way I’m going to stand a chance.” Cold, dark feelings are chased away by his boyish appeal, the fingers at my waist drawing small circles over the black tank top. “Do we have a deal?” I incline my head, chewing on the inside of my lip. Myles studies me a moment further, delving deeper into my purple eyes than I expected. Then, he inhales.

“It’s not the luxurious life, or even the money you despise – it’s the person who uses that wealth in the wrong ways or for personal gain. Am I right?”

A cocky, lopsided grin captures Myles’ mouth as I sit in disbelief. He can’t have figured me out that quickly. I didn’t let him anywhere near close enough. Before I allow myself to consider what else he’s seen, I lean forward to place my lips against his, only to be met with the palm of his hand.

“Not so fast,” Myles chuckles. My mouth remains plastered to his hand, stunned he would deny the one thing he’s been after this whole time. Well, maybe not the only thing. “I want my reward to be presented in the purest form.” Removing myself from his personal space, I cock my head. “Lose the contact lenses.” The air whooshes out of me on my next breath.

“I…can’t,” I frown, although it’s more that I won’t. Myles is asking for more than a brief connection of our mouths, he’s asking for a piece of me.

“This once, I think you can,” Myles implores. Serenity fills his expression, but it’s not enough. “I want to look into your eyes as I kiss you and know I’ve had something special. Something no one else has.” I snort.

“I’ve kissed many, many, many-”

“I mean your trust,” Myles hastily interrupts. “I want to know if you trust me enough to let me see you as you are. No more hiding.”

“You want my trust,” I shimmy an inch closer. Myles’ breath fans my face, his nod slow and sure. Toying with the collar of his shirt, I smile. “Then you’ll need to work harder.” Closing the distance, my mouth connects with his and this time, Myles doesn’t deny me. He admits defeat, for now, but it’s hard to believe either of us are currently losing. Teasing his lips with a gentle press, a soft touch, his hand slips to my nape and pulls me closer, taking the reward he earned. Fuck, he tastes better than expected.

Desire surges through my veins. His touch coaxes me to forget, to live for the moment. We mold together, our rushed kiss verging on desperation. My back arches, my chest pressing against his. A battle of wills take place, crushing of lips and eager tongues. Working me with a multitude of experience, I relinquish control. Very briefly.

His tongue delves into my mouth, drawing out mine to intertwine. To dance, to savor. Hands wonder, hips rolls. The intoxicating scent of passion invades my senses. A fire ignites in my core, aided by the hardening of Myles’ crotch against my center. It would be so easy to have him. Take him to the hilt and leave my screams to mingle with the night. The very thought causes a shiver to roll the length of my back, a whimper to be lost to his possessive groan.

Cupping my cheek, Myles lies back when I finally catch myself following too eagerly. Pushing against his chest, I remain sitting upright, panting. My lips are swollen, tingling. Our eyes capture each other with a new height of intensity as the air shimmers with an invisible, yet undeniable energy. Somewhere within the pit of my soul, I manage to find an ounce of rationality.

“Be that as it may,” I breathe in a voice foreign to my own ears. Filled with deceit and yearning. “I made a decision long ago to prevent greedy, rich men like yourself from getting everything they wanted. Even if, in some twisted turn of events, that happens to be me.”

I expected Myles to shove me aside, speedily return us to shore and leave me stranded. Or to at least give up his hopeless pursuit. Sitting upright with all the grace of a feline, his breath fans my face, his amber eyes exploring mine once more.

“You’re not an object I wish to possess. You’re a rare and stunning jewel, just like your chosen name. To own you,” he threads his fingers through a strand of my hair, “would be a crime.” If there was a way to sucker punch me without warning, Myles just found it. My mouth opens, my mind reeling for the response.

“Then what is it you want, Myles Hudson?” I shudder again, and not from the lowering chill of Autumn.

“I want my name to always be a breathy whisper on your lips.” Myles skates his lips over my mouth, following the line of my cheek. “I want the honor of being your first thought when you wake in the morning.” He kisses my jaw, bringing his mouth to my ear. “I want to be the one you confide in, the one you finally trust with your secrets. With your body. I don’t want you to belong to me, but I’ll do whatever it takes to be yours.”

Words fail me. Thoughts evade in a rush of adrenaline. Could it be so simple? Can I bend to this man’s will so easily, after all this time? When his mouth makes its leisurely way back to mine, my body is languid. Lost to possibility, drowning in a sea of amber and desire. Arms band around my back, holding me upright when I’m sure I’d otherwise melt into a puddle. Sharing the same breath, the same thought, we close the miniature gap between us as a blaring sound penetrates the air.

---