Page 86 of Without a Hitch
I follow her orders and close my eyes. I breathe deeply. Lilacs and the ocean. Her.
My body relaxes as she gently scrapes her nails through my chest hair. “Are you relaxed?”
I nod on a long exhale, somehow knowing she’s watching me closely. “What do you want to talk about, Tilly?”
“We’re going to renegotiate.”
I crack one eye open, already feeling a smile forming. “Is that so?”
“Yes. You’ve already proven you can’t keep your hands off me, so it only seems fair.”
She’s right, and I prove it again by slipping my hand under her shirt. My palm rests on her hip, and I run rhythmic circles over her soft skin with the pad of my thumb.
“I see your point. What are your terms?”
She lifts up on her elbow, and my heart skips a beat as our swinging bed of doom rocks. “We’re not going to fall.” Leaning down, she kisses my chest, right over my heart. Could she feel it jumping around in there? “My terms are simple. If you want to get to know me in every way, spend time with me. Give me your time like you would a, a…”
“Girlfriend,” I supply and watch as her brow furrows, but she shakes her head. “I like having a girlfriend, Tilly. Or at least I used to. So, be my girlfriend.”
“For the next three weeks?” The uncertainty in her tone makes me tense.
“For three weeks, and then we’ll renegotiate, but I have some stipulations.”
A scowl forms on her face, and I feel it everywhere. I flash a smile full of emotion as I lean down to kiss her forehead. Thankfully, I’m getting used to the unnatural movement of the death trap we’re lying in.
“What?” If she were standing, I have no doubt her hands would be balled on her hips. “What are your new stipulations?”
“I want you bare.”
She glares at me, but it quickly morphs into a blank expression. Whatever she thought I was going to say, that wasn’t it. I like catching her off guard. I like the way her face transforms, hiding nothing from me. I just like her, I realize. More than I should. I’ve never asked this of anyone.
Three weeks. I can have her for three weeks. I can’t give her marriage, but I can show her—and myself—that I’m capable of love. Of a relationship. Christine may think she ruined me, but staring at Tilly’s gentle expression, I want to prove to the world that I can do this. For Tilly, I can do this. And for myself.
“B-Bare?” She hides her face in my side, obstructing my view as she laughs.
“Why is that funny?” I frown. Hooking my finger under her chin, I lift her face to mine. “I can’t give you everything, Tilly. But I want you to feel me. Feel what I mean when words aren’t enough. Nothing between us.”
“You’re trying to break my heart, aren’t you?”
“No.” Her words hurt, and I inhale air that feels too thick to breathe. “No, darling. I’m not. Not ever. I’m not the man who can give you everything you need, but I’m also selfish. I want to give you what I can and hope it’ll be enough.” I shift to my side to see her better, then immediately wish I hadn’t. My body jerks against the movement of the hammock and I tense, waiting for the impact of the ground.
My wild movements shock her momentarily before she flops her arms around my chest. “Lochlan! I promise you won’t fall out of this thing. If it were a net one, maybe, but this canvas bed is sturdy. You could roll around on here and be perfectly safe.”
“Prove it.” The words are a growled dare that light up her eyes, sending lightning straight to my balls.
“How would you like me to do that, lover?”
The last thread of my sanity snaps as I drag her on top of my body, knocking her book and whatever else she had thrown at me earlier to the ground. Her legs straddle my hips, and with no barrier between these fucking baby trackies, my arousal juts toward her opening. She grinds down on me as she positions herself on her knees, and a pained groan escapes from deep within me.
“Ride me.”
Tilly’s gaze darts around the property. It’s private enough, though in all fairness, it is still a resort. I’m not one for public fornication, but I hold my breath as I wait for her response. Will she do it? Won’t she? Does she trust me?
I don’t even realize how much I want this until she lifts the hem of her skirt over her thighs.
Her intrinsic trust in me, for me, could very well be the end of me.
CHAPTER27
