Page 40 of Anywhere

“Na, me runnin’ days are done. I’ma gonna go shower,” Rhys said casually as if the electric connection between us wasn’t coiling and sparking like a goddamn storm. The air was almost shimmering as it swirled in loops, trying to pull us closer.

He took a couple of strides, then looked over his shoulder at me. “In case dat wasn’t clear, dat be an invitation,” he said and smirked.

My long strides ate up the ground before my brain registered what he said. I felt more nervous now than at fifteen when I had sex for the first time. We didn’t speak another word back to the castle. My eyes stayed firmly ahead, but his presence was all-consuming. Every one of my senses was overloaded. The scent of his skin, the sound his kilt made as he walked, and the memory of what he tasted like on my tongue.

This was a complete loss of my sanity. Something I never wanted, and yet here I was, practically dragging Rhys to his room. All I needed to do was grab his arm and run to complete the image.

Fear gripped my chest as Rhys opened the door to the castle, and we stepped inside. What if I lost myself completely to this man? What if I stopped wanting the things I dreamed about and handed myself over like a lapdog, a slave for his every whim and pleasure? There was no way for me to know what would happen once we did this. That connection had not been anything like what I was expecting, and so far, no one had been very forthcoming with answers that made sense. What would happen once the binding ritual was performed? It was obvious we couldn’t trust what was in the history books.

Rhys pushed open another door, and I suddenly realized where we were. My feet froze at the threshold of the bedroom. I was a type A personality, always in control of every aspect of my life. At least, I thought I was. My gaze flicked up to Rhys, who stood holding the door and looking as confused as I felt.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I said and stepped back from the room, even though every molecule in my body screamed to step inside.

Rhys crossed his arms and leaned against the open door, and even though his eyes stayed calm, I could feel his energy shift to annoyed.

“What be wrong? I taught we just agreed ta try fir real, ta put da past in da past.”

“I can’t lose myself to you,” I said. “I don’t want to lose who I am to become this triad.” My gut pulled painfully at the hurt look on Rhys’s face.

“Aye, I see. So da dance beings again? Ya know, I dinnie think I wanna be on dis ride no more meself. At da next ritual moon, I will be acceptin’ your rejection. I dinnie wanna play games.” Rhys stood straight and backed away from the door, his hand ready to flick it closed in my face. “Fir da good of us both go home, Rook. It be clear yer no interested in a compromise. It cannie all be me dat is givin’ somethin’ up. It be obvious dat wat yer wantin’ is always gonna be yer priority an fuck everyone else.” He shook his head. “Dis is no’ gonna work.”

A new fear filled me, one that had my hand stopping the door before it could close. I should’ve been terrified that this meant never getting to travel and sing again. Instead, I was scared of never seeing his face again. The inner workings of my emotions were mystifying even to me. I couldn’t let him close the door. It felt final like I’d lose my last chance to make this right, and I didn’t know what to do.

He looked around the edge of the door. His eyebrow raised as he stared at me, standing like a statue with my arm propping the door open.

“What da feck are ya doin’?”

A growl left my chest as the inexplicable power tied to our connection rose like a beast inside me. The door slammed open with a flick of my wrist, and I stepped over the threshold.

“You don’t get to dismiss me like that. I’m your number one,” I said and stepped close to Rhys.

His eyes flared, his own power coming to life. “Aye, den start actin’ like it.”

Whatever held me back before snapped, and just like at the pub, the only thing that mattered was having him for myself. The uncertainty and fear were wiped away with a need so strong that it burned like a fire and incinerated all other thoughts. Our lips crashed together as I grabbed his face and drove him back until he was trapped against the wall.

Rhys groaned in my mouth, and his hands gripped my ass tighter until there was no space between us. The only word to describe what I was feeling was frantic. I was frantic to taste him, not let him go, to find a way to make this work, and prove that I was the number one.

I slid a hand down his stomach and gripped his cock through the heavy kilt material.

“Ohhh, fuck,” Rhys groaned.

“Fuck, I want you,” I mumbled against his lips as I fumbled with the material, desperate to get access to his skin.

“Then stop talkin’ ‘bout it and make me yours,” Rhys said, his eyes daring me to walk away.

Pushing away from the wall, I looked around, unfamiliar with his room, and spotted the washroom. I grabbed his hand and made it as far as the door when a knock sounded. I almost shouted in frustration.

“Kinda busy at da moment,” Rhys called.

“Rhys, it’s Mari. I need ya,” Gregory said, his voice laced with panic.

Rhys pulled away and went for the door. “What’s goin’ on?” he asked, whipping it open.

Gregory was distraught and began talking so quickly that Rhys had to grab him and tell him to slow down so he could understand. His eyes were filled with tears as he ran his hand over his bald head.

“She’s gone.”

“She goes out all da time. Why are ya so worried?” Rhys asked.