Page 14 of Striking
“Actually, little bee, you live on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, not the world. I can get you back to Kroydon Hills in less than eight hours.” He drags his thumb along my jaw, and I fight the shiver that desperately wants to work its way down my spine. “Come home with me, Bellamy.”
Can I do this? Hop on a jet and fly to Mornea?
I have a job. Granted, I’m not completely thrilled with it.
But that’s why I got my master’s. To do more.
This could be more... Or it could be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.
I’m not sure I’ve ever done anything this impulsive in my life.
I’m a planner. I always have been. When I was little, my tea parties had set menus.
My best friend likes to tease me because I like to write down my daily to-do list. She’s always on me to just use my phone. But it’s not the same. I like to be able to actually check things off my list. I get off on it.Metaphorically speaking, of course. I’ve even been known to add things to my list after they’re done, just for the quick hit of dopamine I get from crossing that bitch off.
Basically, I’m the least impulsive person I know.
But right now . . .
Just this one time... I think I want to throw my carefully constructed plan away.
What can it hurt? I wasn’t planning on flying home yet anyway. I lift my chin and lick my lips. “I didn’t pack any nice clothes.”
Ho-ly Hell.
The smile on this man’s face would incinerate my panties if I were wearing any.
“Come with me, and I’ll take care of the rest, love.” His voice holds a promise of so much more than clothing. One I desperately want to take him up on. One I should probably be scared to death of.
“How long would I stay in Mornea? Wait...” Anxiety takes hold. “Where would I even stay?”
“How long were you planning on staying here?” he counters.
“A week,” I whisper, unsure of absolutely everything right now.
“Then I’ll have you home in a week. And I’ll make sure to help you study every day between now and then. If you don’t mind my obnoxious brother, you can stay with us at Lilihill House. It’s big enough that if he does drive you nuts, you’ll have plenty of privacy to escape to.”
“Do you have an answer for everything?” I mutter as my pulse pounds like an anthem in my head. “Wait. Don’t answer that.”
I think about his offer.
About the vacation time I already have scheduled because I’ve built up so many days that if I didn’t use them, I was going to lose them.
The test I’m supposed to take in a few weeks.
And then I think about my empty townhouse.
The one I live in alone.
The one I hate going back to at night.
The one with walls that feel like they’re closing in on me.
“One week, and you’ll help me study every night?” I can’t believe I’m even considering this.
Rhys’s lips tug up on one side in a sexy, crooked grin that makes this already gorgeous man absolutely irresistible. “One week, and if you decide you don’t want to take the position, I’ll fly you home on my family’s jet myself.”
“What . . . do you double as a pilot?”
