Page 18 of When You're Home
Rhett stared at the bathroom door for a few beats as he considered her proposal. But instead of joining her, he decided to get everything ready for the night. He set about turning down his bed and rearranging the pillows. He wandered into the hallway and grabbed an extra blanket from the linen closet, then he detoured into Maddie’s room to steal a phone charger. He set everything down on Tori’s side of the bed.
He glanced back at the bathroom door. He could hear the water hitting against the tile of the shower, and he could see the steam swirling around the bathroom through the slightly ajar door. As tempted as he was to join her, he quietly snuck out of the bedroom and headed downstairs instead.
He grabbed two water bottles from the fridge, then set to work programming the drip side of the coffee machine for five a.m. Satisfied he had thought of everything, Rhett quietly made his way back upstairs to his room. He found Tori’s phone in the pocket of her cover-up. He plugged it into an outlet on her side, then grabbed his own phone and set an alarm.
He made his way into his closet and fished out a clean pair of boxers and sweats for himself, plus an old lacrosse club T-shirt for her. He hit the lights of the closet and turned around to find her staring at him from the bathroom door.
The sight of her soaking wet body wrapped in nothing but a towel—his towel—sent a spark of warmth through him. It didn’t matter that they’d just spent the last hour naked together in the hot tub. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“How was your shower?” He smiled.
“It was unexpectedly lonely in there,” she replied, cocking an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” he responded quickly. “Of course. I just realized I forgot to do a few things downstairs. Come here,” he prompted, lowering his eyes to meet hers. The last thing he wanted was for Tori to start overthinking things again.
She padded across the carpeted floor toward him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her body as close as physically possible. She melted into the hug and let herself be supported by him.
He recognized it immediately. After a day of stress and surprises, Tori had finally gone soft. Her armor was off. He leaned down at the same time that she lifted her chin to him, each searching for the other’s lips. He kissed her gently, savoring her, committing this moment to memory. After ten years on and off, he had enough sordid memories to fuel a lifetime of fantasies. But it was moments like this, moments when she wasn’t radiating tension or trying to push him away, that he cherished most.
He let his hand wander as he deepened the kiss, weaving his fingers through her soaking wet hair. He knew that she was raw enough right now that she would let him take care of her, and he intended to take full advantage.
“I’ll go find a brush for you in Maddie’s room,” he offered when his fingers caught a tangle in her hair. She smiled against his lips and nodded. He ducked back into his little sister’s room and found what he was looking for. Tori was just slipping his shirt over her head when he walked back into the room.
“Are you going to be warm enough?” he asked, handing her the hairbrush and running the back of his hand against her bare arm.
Tori rolled her eyes. “It looks like someone already got me an extra blanket, so I think I’ll be fine.” She obviously knew what he was up to, but she didn’t call him on it or show any resistance.
“Alarms are on, coffee is set, and I got you a water,” he ticked off. “Let’s go to bed, beautiful.”
He watched her crawl under the covers and make her way to the middle, wrapping the extra blanket around herself in the process. Rhett flicked off the bathroom lights, then the overhead light, casting the room into darkness before climbing into bed to meet her.
Their legs connected first, followed by their lips. He kissed her slowly and deeply. He was lost in the taste of her, in the feeling of her in his arms. They could spend the rest of the weekend in bed just like this, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
Tori swiveled her hips. He could feel her bare lower half rub against the fabric of his sweatpants. She placed her palms on his bare chest: an invitation. He paused. He was up for it, but he knew she was exhausted.
“We can just sleep, V,” he whispered to her through the dark. “I know we have to be up super early tomorrow.” She dug her nails into his chest and ground her hips harder against him in protest.
“I know. I’m so tired,” she admitted quietly. “I just need to feel you inside me tonight.”
Rhett sucked in a breath at her confession. He had been so wrapped up in making her feel good—in making her come hard enough to forget all the bullshit from earlier in the day—that he hadn’t realized they hadn’t had intercourse. He couldn’t leave her wanting. Tori never admitted to needing anything. He pushed down his sweatpants and boxers in one fluid motion, desperate to fill her request.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he demanded, finding the hem of the T-shirt she had just put on and lifting it over her head. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
Instead of answering, Tori took his lower lip between her teeth and bit down. She slipped her hand between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his already-hard erection. She teased him with feather-light touches, her thumb rubbing back and forth along the crown of his dick. She grasped him tighter and pushed her hips forward, tracing the tip of his penis back and forth against her bundle of nerves. Another minute of this and he would be blowing his load before he could even get inside her.
“What do you want?” he croaked as she continued to use him like a joystick against her clit. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it. She was so soft and open to him right now. He needed to hear the rawness in her voice.
“I want you. I want you inside me,” she purred. Her voice was breathy and filled with desire.
“Say it again.”
“I want you, Rhett. I want you so damn much.” Tori peppered his neck with kisses as she continued to rhythmically grind his length against her center. He felt her line him up. He was right there. He was so close. But then she stilled. “Do we need a condom?”
Rhett froze. He was very much aware of the underlying question that lingered between them. They had already talked about Chandler multiple times that day, but they hadn’t talked about this. An unplanned trip home meant he hadn’t made his usual detour to the quick clinic near campus. She must have noticed his distress because she shifted her weight and crawled up toward his ear.
“Hey, come back to me,” she summoned. She released her grasp on his dick and ran her fingers through his hair. He could feel her breath warming the skin on his neck as she tried to comfort him. “It’s okay. It won’t change anything if we need it. You’re still getting laid,” she added with a smile.
Goddamnit. He froze for one second, and now she assumed he was barebacking it with Chandler.
