Page 53 of Crushing Clover

Rush’s truck rolled to a stop. He shifted into park and shut off the engine, then came to help me out before I had even undone my seatbelt.

“I can get down on my own. Your truck isn’t that high.”

“It’s called being a gentleman.”

He put his hands on my waist to help me down—his expression saying he wouldn’t tolerate an argument. It felt like I should be wearing a poodle skirt and saddle shoes. Ridiculous. Why did they keep opening doors for me?

“If you were to compare notes with other gentlemen, I’m pretty sure a lot of the things the three of you do to me isn’t very gentlemanly.”

His roguish grin made my breath falter. “You say that as though you disapprove.”

I shrugged. “I don’t enjoy it. Saint won’t even let me have an orgasm.”

When he gave me a little tug, I slid off my seat and down his body. He didn’t let go until my feet were firmly on the ground. The bell on my collar jingled, the sound high and pretty.

“You don’t even get yourself off at night, when no one is watching?” he murmured close to my ear.

“No.”

“Not even when your secret admirer pays you a nocturnal visit?”

“Nope. He doesn’t bother making it good for me.”

“That bastard.” His lips quirked.

“That bastard.”

Did that mean that my nighttime visitor wasn’t Rush, or was he covering his tracks?

He took my hand and walked me down to the beach. The day had turned windy and cold, which had cleared out almosteveryone who wasn’t here to surf. An expanse of sand stretched out before us, empty except for footprints. On hot days, this place had to be packed, but today it was almost a ghost town.

I shivered in my thin dress.

“Hold that thought.”

He jogged back to the truck and grabbed something from the backseat. When he came back, he handed me a hoodie. Going back to the truck had only taken a minute, but there was no way Saint John would have approved of him leaving me unsupervised in a public place the way he had.

“Not afraid I’ll run off?” I asked as I quickly pulled on the hoodie. It was a nice warm one, and the same blue as Rush’s eyes.

“Unlike Saint, I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”

“Because you trust me specifically, or because you’re a more trusting person?”

“A little of both, probably. Am I right to trust you?”

I let the hoodie’s sleeves dangle over my hands, enjoying the warmth. “I’m not going anywhere until someone makes me leave.”

“Even though you constantly have men pawing at you?”

“It isn’t exactly a new phenomenon in my life.”

Instead of that making him smile, he frowned. “You know, you do have a safeword. If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to fuck, you can say so.”

“It’s not so bad.” I shrugged. “Eventually, he might even let me have an orgasm.”

“A girl can dream.” He winked at me then brought me down to the water’s edge.

“I’ve never been to the ocean before.”

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