“Depends on the sense of humor,” he fires back, dragging his lips across my collar bone, causing my breath to hitch.
Clothing really is optional, and I don’t wear much of it these days. Neither does he. Not when we’re still living like we’re making up for lost time.
My fingers slip into his hair as I turn, my lips seeking his. He kisses me hard, lifting me until I’m straddling him, too caught up in him to think about much else.
His phone goes off, and we both freeze, as he reaches over, lifting it from the table and glancing down at the screen.
I let him go, giving him a little space as he exhales like he’s relieved.
“She’s not calling in her favor, I presume,” I guess, pouring him a glass of whiskey, since we both need a drink when his phone rings.
Sarah’s the only one with his number.
There’s something liberating and confining about that.
“No. It’s still going to be a while. She’s just putting me at ease with a semblance of a timeline,” he tells me, putting his phone back down.
“Seventy-two. I watched her and paid attention. I set seventy-two traps for Herrin, and he never stepped into a single one until that last time. It’s honestly why I wasn’t even all that scared about you following me in,” he confesses, brushing my hair away from my face, opening up here and there.
I’ve really missed this part about Rush. It’s easier to get this guy when he’s not being the Rush everyone else expects him to be.
“She’s set over three thousand traps for her father. She said you never pin a man of power down until you’re ready to kill him, and you need to have control of the entire situation to pull that off,” he goes on, pulling me down to his lap.
“What happens when he steps into one? Will she really be ready?” I ask him, only having a little knowledge about the colossal fucking shit going down.
I really don’t want Rush anywhere near that shit. I want him far, far away. But I know he won’t do that, no matter how much he acts like he’s just doing it for Sarah’s favor.
“I thought so. Until I saw how you folded when you watched Herrin crack before your eyes,” he tells me, glancing down.
When my gaze meets his, and gives me a colder smile.
“I stopped fearing Herrin completely when I realized the sort of man Sarah’s father is. He makes Herrin look like a small fish. When you see someone as small, it’s hard to see them as anything else ever again. He’s the only man in the world she’s never seen as small. The odds aren’t in her favor, and I never thought I’d say that after working with her,” he adds quietly.
“Are she and Snake going to—”
His laughter cuts me off abruptly, and I look up at him.
He gives me a curious look before rolling his eyes. “Jude cared for her, but he doesn’t love her like I love you,” he points out like he’s bragging on himself.
“Some would argue that we’ve got an unhealthy relationship,” I remind him, even though I try not to smile.
“Some can kiss my fucking ass. I’ve worked too hard to let you go, and I don’t really care what non-murderous people think is healthy,” he informs me.
The things he says that shouldn’t make me smile…I should probably add that to my growing list.
He kisses my smiling lips, moving me to the floor and coming down on top of me.
“Snake doesn’t love her like I love you,” he says again, running his finger over my lips. “I set eyes on you, and I needed to know your every move.”
I don’t point out that it’s unhealthy, since I’m okay with the boundary pushing these days. It’s really addicting to be loved by someone as intense as Rush. I forgot what it felt like, and it’s even more intense than before after being alone for a month.
“Why are we still talking about Sarah and Snake?” I ask against his lips.
He decides we’re done talking as well, as he lifts me, the stolen moment getting stolen back by us.
“You have to stop looking at me like that if we’re ever going to get anything else done,” he says against my lips as he works my underwear off, the only thing holding him back.
Living like savages in prehistoric times, who only go out into their own time when they have to. Has to be better than playing pretend and playing by all the rules.
“I’m okay with this being a priority,” I assure him, causing him to groan against my lips as he pushes inside me.
He shudders like he does every single time he pushes in that first stroke, and my nails dig into his back.
I’m done trying to fit in with normal people. I don’t even need the adrenaline anymore. All I need is Rush.