Page 105 of One Little Lie
I shake my head again, trying desperately to get myself under control. I’m not usually an emotional basket case, so this is new for the both of us.
Emotions overwhelm me, and I need to change the subject, but with his face pressed so close to mine, he’s all I can think about.
Then I remember why we’re here.
“Give me a word, Hatty?”
My words are a whisper in the night. A plea to let go. A promise to take care of him.
“Forever.”
His lips descend onto mine, but this time he’s gentle. Slow. Methodical in the way he kisses me. His hand still maneuvers me how it pleases him, and there’s no doubting who is in control, but he’s tender in a way I haven’t experienced yet.
Where all his other types of kisses turn me on, this one wraps a vise around my soul and squeezes just tight enough to let me know it belongs to him. Forever.
His tongue glides down the column of my neck as he whispers words. Words like mine, and forever, and need. Words that tie me even closer to this man. Words that have my belly quivering before he’s even really touched me.
“I love you, Rylan. Forever.”
His hands slip beneath my shirt and ghost up my sides until he’s palming both breasts. With his thumb flicking back and forth, my nipples peak instantly.
“I love you so much,” I reply with a gasp.
His fingers trail down my stomach and have just breached the band of my shorts when someone coughs. Hatty growls while I squeak and try to pull away, but his finger gets twisted in the belt loop of my shorts, and I tumble into him.
He catches me while glaring over his shoulder.
“So, ah … just wanted to mention that we installed security cameras in here yesterday. They’re monitored by an Envision team. I can ask Ash to turn them off, but then—”
“No,” Hatty barks, but Seth just laughs.
“Yeah, I figured as much. You two are going to need to set aside a lot of bail money if this is how your relationship is going to go.”
I can hear his chuckle all the way down the stairs.
“What the hell is wrong with us? I’ve never had sex in public before. Not once, until you,” I accuse.
Hatty finally untwists his hand from my shorts but hauls me close to him again.
“New rule, Rylan. I don’t want to hear about any other nut monkeys you’ve been with. Got it? From now on, it’s only me.”
“Well, it was only you and Matthew anyway, so—” He cuts off my words by bending down and biting my lower lip. Hard.
“I don’t want to hear about anyone else. If there’s something you like, tell me. If there’s something you want to try, show me. In terms of sex and love, and everything in between, I only want to hear about us.”
“Okay,” I reply breathlessly. Then my mind goes into overdrive. “How many people have you been with?”
Hurt flashes across his face before he schools his features. “Too many,” he finally admits. “And only ever once.”
“You’ve only had one-night stands. This whole time? So, you’ve never had a relationship besides me?”
“It didn’t seem fair. I couldn’t give someone else my heart when it’s always belonged to you.”
“But you … you know, with a lot of women?”
“I wouldn’t say a lot, but I wasn’t celibate if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jealousy unfurls in my gut like an angry mob, and I suddenly understand his new rule.
