Rhett
By the time I drew up at the sprawling lake house, the hot anger clogging my veins had cooled a little. It was gradually being replaced by heat. The closeness of Chloe in her little red swimsuit was heating my blood in an entirely different way and making me hard as hell. There was no hiding my arousal as I got out of the car and rounded it to open the door for Chloe. She stood up, her eyes sweeping me from crotch to head, her cheeks turning pink. My slacks were impressively tented, and my clever little virgin obsession could tell how much I wanted her.
“Welcome home, sweetheart,” I murmured as she followed me across the paved turning circle.
I bought the lake house a few years ago to have a place to stay when I visited my father. I hated to stay at my childhood home. Too many dark memories lived in those walls. I watched Chloe walk into my house and knew I’d stop at nothing to keep her here. I wanted her to be the queen of my castle. I just had to convince her we belonged together.
“Wow. The other half live well,” Chloe muttered as she kicked off her flip-flops.
I was painfully aware that she was still dressed in her bathing suit with her lifeguard whistle around her neck. Her long hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, displaying every inch of her long, elegant neck.
I followed her through the open plan sitting room to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, enjoying her appreciation of my home. “You like it?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Good. Move out of your trailer and move in here.”
She stilled for a moment, her delicate, tanned shoulders hunching. “Sure, I’ll just move in here and pretend to be your girlfriend.”
“Who said anything about pretending?”
Chloe rolled her eyes, and I itched to haul her to me and kiss her hard until she no longer doubted me.
She walked to the large patio doors and stepped onto the terrace overlooking the lake. She whistled under her breath. I joined her at the railing, stopping close enough to press my arm against hers. I had to tell her everything I was doing to ensure we could be together. I had to share how I saw our lives playing out and how serious I was about my intentions. I knew her concerns. I understood them, even if they were way off base when it came to her and me. I opened my mouth to tell her when she spoke.
“I said last night that I know the drill with summer flings at Hill Crest, and I meant it. I’ve never been involved in one, and before you came… I’ve never been tempted.”
I stilled, curious where she was going with this. I had accepted I wouldn’t get further with Chloe until I laid all her worries to rest. Until I wasn’t her boss. Until it was clear I had no intention of dating anyone else. Until I had my ring on her finger. Yet, here was my little spitfire, upending my expectations once again. Her soft admission tugged at my heart harder than any dramatic declaration of love.
“I know the deal, and I don’t want empty promises. I do, however, want you, Rhett Sutton,” she said quietly.
Fuck. That hit me right in the heart, and I knew I was never recovering from this woman. This was it. I was done. I was hers, and if I had any say in the matter, she’d be mine for as long as we both would live.
Chloe’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, and her fingers curled into determined little fists. “If you want me, that is.”
She barely finished speaking before I lost the battle not to touch her. I pulled her to me, stepping around her so her back was trapped against the railing, and I caged her in with both hands. Her eyes were wide, and a pulse beat in her neck. My girl was excited, and I knew how she felt. I’d never felt like this. Signing the deal that had made me a billionaire hadn’t given me a high like this. Making money took headwork and sacrifice. Being wanted by Chloe wasn’t something that could be earned or bought. It was priceless. I felt like a king as she looked up at me.
“Do you want me, Rhett?”
“Sweetheart, you’re all I want, now, tomorrow, and every day after that.”
Her soft fingers pushed against my lips, keeping them closed. “Don’t say that. Don’t make promises. It’s not what I’m looking for.”
“What are you looking for, Chloe?” I asked, my voice a low, deep growl.
She studied me, building confidence, and reached out for my hand. She brought it to her chest and slipped it across the silky bathing suit material until my palm closed over her breast. Her nipples were points of need, pressing shamelessly through the thin material.
“This. I want you to touch me everywhere. I want you to be my first… everything,” she said in a rush on an exhale.
My beautiful girl was nervous about asking me to pop her cherry. Fuck’s sake. She might kill me. “Sweetheart, if you invite me in, I’ll never let you go. I need you to know that first and accept it,” I told her thickly.
“I told you I don’t want to talk about the future. Don’t break my heart in advance. Just be here, now, with me,” Chloe implored me softly.
Damn, if my heart weren’t already hers, that would have done it. My sweet baby girl had no expectations of a future with me. She had no plans to drag out a relationship or get money or status from me. She just wanted me. I didn’t quite know what to do with such a pure, genuine woman.
Scratch that. Yes, I did. I was going to marry her, whether she knew it or not.
I lowered my head toward hers and kissed her.