Page 115 of Against The Tide

For a short while, he continues swaying me to that same tune he hummed when we danced on the boat. The anxiety that’s been building since we arrived at the party slowly ebbs away until I’m the most relaxed I’ve been all of today.

“I know you’re happy at the ranch,” he murmurs, still holding me close, moving us around in circles.

“I am, and Iris loves it too.”

His hold tightens around me, and as though it can sense what’s coming, my heart begins to beat faster and faster as we spin again, and his lips find my ear. “Do you think she’d love my place? As a home.”

The question comes as a surprise. The most we’ve spoken about my housing plan was that once my contract with the Silverlark Harbor aquarium was signed, I’d look at the options available. Of course, when I spoke to Jo about it, she was adamant that the ranch was our home now and that I shouldn’t waste my time looking for another.

Slowly we come to a stop, and when I find his gaze, he smiles. I expected to find some kind of demand for an answer, and a part of me was starting to panic about what to say.

“You can tell me if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone, least of all you, Doc.” I take a deep breath, pushing away the thoughts of what everyone else would like or think before I answer, “Yes, she would. I think she’d love any place if you were there. Home isn’t really a physical place, is it?”

“Not entirely, no.”

“She loves you, Rhett.”

“Enough to live with me?”

I nod, unable to vocalize anything further because I’m completely overwhelmed by the conversation. I didn’t see it coming.

“And you?” He audibly swallows, making it very clear that he is also feeling the magnitude of his question.

“Yes.”

“Would you like to move in with me?”

It’s been a strange couple of days, and I’m pretty certain that my sanity and senses have abandoned me. But still, nothing would change my answer as I nod. My insides are a mess of butterflies and knots. My chest aches with the push and pull of recent events.

“I’ll have to talk to Iris about it, and Jo. I don’t want to overwhelm either of them or abandon Jo.”

“I know, and there isn’t a timeframe on this. It’s just…” He pauses as footsteps sound from the steps nearby. “I realized something today. As silly as it may sound, I guess the whole situation and the will…it made me think about tomorrow and the day after that and every morning and night after. Rowan’s right—I’m not exactly getting any younger, and I want to give you everything.”

“I know,” I murmur, trying to breathe through all the emotions and feelings swelling in my chest.

“I want to whisper good night when you’re falling asleep beside me and wake up with you curled into me because you’ve kicked off the sheets in the middle of the night but now you need my body heat to keep you warm.”

“You’re always so damn hot,” I laugh because it’s true.

He gets so warm during the night that it’s like having a human water bottle beside me.

“Thanks,” he snickers back. “I do think I’m…pretty fucking sexy.” Running his fingers through his hair, he slicks it back with a wiggle of his brows that sets me off in a fit of schoolgirl giggles. “And that laugh…”

The air leaves my lungs as his hand slips through the slit of my dress, tracing up my bare thigh to my hip where his fingers knot around the side of my lacy underwear. My breaths shallow with the stutter of my heart and the heat that courses through me from his touch.

“I want to hear that gorgeous laugh every damn day I have left in this world,” he whispers over my lips, eyes flitting between mine as he pulls me flush to his body.

Hand roving down to my ass, he drags my panties down with it as he takes us into the shadows of the terrace, tucking us into a walled corner semi-secluded by all the potted topiaries. Kneading my tender flesh with one hand, he kisses me deeply while the other tangles in my hair. When I threaten to slip down the wall, he presses his thigh between my legs, holding me up as he devours my kiss with low groans and sharp inhales.

Before I can get my wits in check, Rhett’s got my hand laced with his as we race up the stairs and back inside. We manage to navigate the room all the way to the triple-width double doors that lead out toward the cloakroom. I’m calling up our car from the valet at the front desk while he grabs our coats and lets Rowan know we’re heading back to the house.

“Fancy seeing you here,” the cold, familiar voice bites from behind me, and my already racing heart begins to pound harder and harder as I turn slowly to come face-to-face with my living, breathing nightmare.

There’s a fraction of a second where I cower away from the dark gleam in his eyes. The way they crawl up and down my body makes me shiver. But then it dawns on me that I have nothing to be scared of. If anything, he’s doing me a favor by breaking the terms of the protective order.

“I was just leaving,” I tell him as I try to put enough distance between us while I walk past him.