Page 1 of When You're Home
Prologue
Tori
Toriknewshe’dfindhimouthere.Shefelthiseyesdrillingintoherassoonasshesteppedoverthebrokenspotinthefencethatconnectedtheiryards.Rhett’slong,tonedbodywasspreadoutonapoolchair.Hereyesscannedthelengthofhimunnecessarily.Shealreadyknewtheanglesandcontoursofhisformbymemory.Hewasbarefoot,wearingnothingbutapairofjoggersweatpantseventhoughitwasearlyspringinOhio.Hehadprobablyplannedtoclimbintothehottubafterhetextedher.Heclearlyhadn’texpectedhertoactuallycomeover.
“Are you sure about this, V?”
Tori walked toward him, steeling herself and finding the courage to close the gap between them. Her chest tightened with anticipation as her eyes continued to adjust to the dark. She could just start to make out his features.Chill, she scolded herself. She hated the way her body betrayed her in his presence. She needed to keep it together long enough to lay a few ground rules before anything happened tonight. Tori swallowed hard, willing her voice not to shake as she answered his question.
“Oh, I’m sure,” she confirmed. Two and a half years apart was long enough.
Rhett had never stopped pursuing her, not really. They had dated all throughout high school, then she broke up with him before college. They had fallen into a miserable pattern anytime he was home in Hampton: They would hang out, and he would play the part of the platonic, protective best friend. But eventually he’d get frustrated at the reminder of what they once were, and he’d shoot his shot.Sometimes it was just a cocked eyebrow and a suggestive smirk. Other times it was a lingering, heated pause before he told her goodnight. Tonight’s attempt came in the form of a suggestive text.
Tori usually resisted his advances. Every now and then, she flirted back and teased him, but only when she was feeling lonely. She had never actually reciprocated until tonight.
Tonight she wasn’t teasing. He had texted her a few hours after they got home from their shifts at Clinton’s Family Restaurant, just like she assumed he would. And tonight she actually responded to his advances. Now she was here, standing in front of her ex-boyfriend on a frigid March night, curious to see just how much of her resolve had dissipated.
“Why now?” His question cut through the night, snapping her attention back to the moment. He lifted his arm toward his head, running his hand through his dark, wavy hair. His voice was deeper than normal. She knew he’d been drinking. She also knew he was laying there and questioning everything. Rhett was way too analytical to just go with the flow: He’d been like this since they were kids. He needed to understand the rules to whatever game they were about to play. He needed to know how to win.
“Don’t question this,” she insisted, sauntering over to him. She watched for his reaction as she approached, but he didn’t move a muscle. She was going to have to make the first move.She joined him on the lounger, spreading her legs wide to straddle his lap. As soon as their bodies connected, he sat up and circled his arms around her waist. She purposely lined up her core with his erection. She let her fingertips brush the outline of his bare stomach. Rhett sucked in a sharp breath in response to her touch.
“Because this? Whatever this is between us? I miss this. I miss us together.” Tori shifted her hips forward, applying the slightest edge of pressure against his groin. She knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the contact. It was a tease as much as it was an invitation. Her body practically vibrated because of the proximity. One quick movement, one ragged breath or deep exhale, and their lips would touch.
“What are you saying, V? You want to get back together?”
There was hope in his voice. Tori knew she had to nip that in the bud. She shook her head slowly, letting the hair that had fallen out of her messy bun brush against the tops of his shoulders.
“We can’t. You know that, and you know why,” she reminded him. “But I still want you.”
Emboldened by the solidness of his erection between her legs, she found the dip of his collarbone with her mouth. It was one of her favorite spots on his body: the deep valley on either side of his neck where tight shoulder muscles gave way to soft, delicate skin. She couldn’t resist breathing him in, inhaling the familiar scent of salt, sandalwood, and a hint of something spicy. Something distinctly Rhett.
When he didn’t respond, Tori squeezed her thighs against his lap for emphasis, just in case he needed a bit more clarification about what she was asking for tonight.
His body tensed underneath her, and she prepared to be ejected from his lap. She knew he wanted more than she was willing to give him. After everything they’d been through together and apart, would this offer be enough? Would he say yes to just tonight?
Rhett wove his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck, then pulled her head back to stare into her eyes. “You know you can have me anyway you want me.”
Tori’s vision had adjusted enough to the darkness that she could see the desire in his gaze. His blue-grey eyes were stormy, his hunger palpable. His answer was written all over his face: they were doing this.
Were they really doing this?
She didn’t know how they could stop if they started back up, but she also felt powerless to the wanting that coursed through her body whenever she was around him. It had been two and a half years since they had been together, and it was evident Rhett hadn’t just gotten over her when he went away to college like she assumed he would. She had no idea how this was going to work, and she knew there was a good chance they were both going to get hurt in the end, but she was willing to risk the pain if it meant they could be together tonight.
Prologue
Rhett
“Tori…”Rhettgroaned,floppingbackontothemattressandlettingoutalongexhaletotryandsteadyhisbreathing.Heraisedhisarmtohisforeheadandletitrestacrosshiseyes.Ananxiousnessstartedtocreepbackintohisminddespitetheexplosiveorgasmthathadjustrippedthroughhisbody.Hestillcouldn’tbelievethiswasreallyhappening.Itwasalmosttoogoodtobetrue.
After almost three years of floundering in the friend zone, he had somehow convinced the love of his life to be with him again. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. They weren’t technically together, and Tori had been upfront with him that this was all temporary. First she said it was just for the night. Then she insisted it was just for the weekend. But they had spent the last seven days entwined in each other’s arms, and that in and of itself was a miracle in his mind.
Rhett shoved off the bed and headed into his en suite bathroom to take care of the condom. He tied it off, tossing it into the trash can before washing his hands.Good riddance. They never had to use condoms in high school because Tori had an IUD and they had been each other’s first and only. He was annoyed they were necessary now.
Condoms aside, the last week had still been better than anything he could have dreamed up. They spent their days working alongside their friends at Clinton’s, then they spent their nights wrapped up in each other’s arms in his bed. But tomorrow was the last day of spring break, and that meant whatever they were doing was about to be over. He was dreading it. He didn’t want it to end, but he didn’t know how to broach the subject with her either.
Rhett walked slowly back to bed. Tori had taken up residence in the middle of the mattress and was spread out like a starfish, her dark blond hair fanned out behind her. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn’t sleeping. She had a mischievous smile on her pouty, swollen lips.
This girl, Rhett thought to himself affectionately. He loved so many things about her: the way she lit up like a firework when he challenged her. The way she cared for her dad and the kids she volunteered with at camp. The way she prided herself in her independence. The way she could be so open and warm when she wasn’t pushing him away.
