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Well, I lied a little bit. I only drank wine like twice, but I felt terribly sophisticated when I did it, even though it tasted kind of awful. Rhett doesn’t need to know any of that though.
He shifts his stance, leaning back against the old building, which makes him almost at eye level with me. He’s so tall, it’s kind of nice to face him without having to tilt my head back. “What exactly do you want everyone to see?”
“I don’t know.” I do, I’m just embarrassed to admit it out loud.
“Here’s what’s funny, Will.” He levels that gaze on me and it’s like he can see right through me, which is unsettling. “I think you know exactly what you want everyone to see when it comes to you. You’re just afraid to voice it out loud.”
I remain quiet, vaguely disturbed that he’s able to figure me out so easily. No one else takes the time to do that. Not even Iris, though I don’t blame her for it. We’ve known each other since birth. I’m sure she believes she knows everything there is about me.
But she doesn’t. Not everything. Just like I’m sure she has a few secrets of her own.
“Come here,” he murmurs when I don’t respond, tilting his head to the side. He settles onto the slight ledge that sticks out of the building, his expression expectant. He’s waiting for me to do something. Say something.
Hesitating, I part my lips, confused. Part of me wants to reprimand him for trying to tell me what to do because he doesn’t own me, but the bigger, more secretive part of me wants to immediately give in to his gently-spoken command.
He has a confidence I aspire to. Like he fully expects everything to work out for him because he’s just that lucky. Or maybe he doesn’t even believe in luck. Confident people don’t need to—things happen because they want them to.
“Come on, Will. Get your pretty ass over here.” He actually pats his thigh like I’m going to … what? Sit on his lap? In his dreams.
Hmm, in mine too.
I take a tentative step toward him. Then another. When I draw close enough, he lets out a frustrated growl and grabs my hand, yanking me to him. I collide with his big body, a soft “oh” emitting from my lips, and I almost squeal when he whips his arm around my waist and settles me on his thigh, having me sit on his lap, just as I imagined.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, bracing my hand on his chest when his thigh dips lower, jostling me around.
“Go ahead. Act like you’re into me.” He leans forward, his mouth settling at my ear, murmuring. “Your friend is watching us right now.”
I freeze for a moment, just about to check and see who he’s actually referring to when his arm tightens around my waist like a band.
“Don’t look,” he warns before he slowly pulls back a little bit so I can see his face again. “We need to play it cool.”
“What do you want me to do?” I lift my chin, staring into his eyes. This close, I can definitely see the flecks of green, and the golden-brown mixing in. Oh, his eyes are beautiful.
Everything about him is beautiful.
“Go ahead.” His voice sounds like a dare, resonating inside me. “Give in to what you want, Willow.”
My skin prickles at him calling me by my full name, something he rarely says, and it’s just the fuel I need to do exactly what he’s telling me.
I lightly touch his face. Can feel the faint stubble on his cheek prickling against my palm. I slowly streak my fingers downward, my gaze wandering, blatantly drinking him in. Lingering on a tiny scar that I see on the left corner of his mouth.
“What happened here?” I trace the tiny scar, coming perilously close to his lips.
His smile is lopsided, not revealing his teeth. “Accident when I was five. Fell off my bike.”
“Must’ve been bad.”
“I barely remember it.” His gaze drops to my lips. “I’m not kissing you tonight.”
Disappointment floods me. “Maybe I didn’t want you to.”
“You do.” His lips curve.
“You’re terribly confident.”
“I know you want it.” He leans in once more, his mouth brushing my ear lobe, making me shiver. “I want it too, but not out here in front of everyone. I want to do it right.”
Rhett pulls away and I’m breathless at his words. Mindless. Confused and exhilarated and all of the things. “What do you mean, do it right?”
