Page 24 of Ravaged By the Dark (The Righteous 2)
She looked away, not wanting to see any pity in his eyes. She didn’t need it, nor did she want it. He squeezed her hand, and she jerked, forgetting they were still touching. She glanced down to where their hands were connected, and then the ride came to a stop. The gentle swinging was once more making her ill, and she closed her eyes as she rationalized that jumping out would be a whole lot worse than staying put.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Renee mumbled, squeezing her eyes tighter.
Arek gave her hand a tug and pulled her into his side. At that moment, she didn’t care if she looked weak or even cared that she barely knew him. Renee buried her head into his muscular chest, wanting nothing more than to feel safe.
Where his body touched hers, she felt alive with a hum of electricity that left her breathing hard. A dark rich cologne mixed with an all-male scent permeated her senses. Unable to help herself, she took a deep breath, wishing she could bottle the aroma. Renee’s mind instantly went to images that were not conducive with a four-year-old in the vicinity.
Arek’s finger lifted her chin, and with each inch her chin ticked up, her heart galloped harder. She knew J.J. was talking and pointing at things, but what he was saying was lost as her eyes met Arek’s. Desire roared inside her, making her shiver, and goosebumps rose across her heated skin. He lifted his black-out sunglasses once more, and their eyes locked.
The world was nothing more than background noise, and before she knew it, his lips touched hers. It was but a moment, but she gasped with the powerful sensation that had her wanting to rip his shirt off and feel the skin underneath. She could almost feel her nails digging into his shoulders as she screamed with desire. She hated to admit it, but his words the first night they met rang loudly in her ears.I certainly wouldn’t say no to more, but I promise that is not my intention, at least not until you beg for it.She was pretty darn close to begging for it.
If J.J. hadn’t been right there, she had no idea what she would’ve done.
Arek made a deep noise in his throat and pulled away. When his eyes turned forward, he engaged with a very chatty J.J.
Renee, on the other hand, couldn’t stop her pounding pulse and the blissful light-headedness that accompanied being around this man. Not that she planned on telling him that. His head seemed big enough already.
By the time they left the park, she was so turned on she could barely think straight. She bit her fist discreetly to distract herself as they drove to her house, but the tension continued to build until she was choking on it. Arek grabbed her arm when the Hummer came to a stop.
“He’s asleep. I’ll grab him. You get the door.” Arek jumped out before she could argue.
Slipping from the vehicle, she watched as Arek scooped J.J. from the car seat, his thumb sticking out of his mouth as he slept soundly.
“Don’t forget the tiger,” Arek whispered.
She smiled and freed the massive stuffed animal from the seatbelt J.J. insisted on it wearing. When she stepped away from the vehicle, it locked, and she stared at it, confused.
What the hell…
But she shrugged it off and made her way to the front door.
Once she got there, she sat the ginormous stuffed toy down to dig in her backpack for the house keys while Arek held J.J. patiently behind her.
Keys, keys, come on keys…ah-hah!
She unlocked the house, and as Arek stepped through, her eyes racked over the street. It always felt like there were eyes on her even though nothing moved in the darkness. She quickly relocked all the locks before showing Arek upstairs.
As they walked up the steps, she wracked her brain over whether or not she left anything lying about that she didn’t want him to see.
Too late now.
She walked through the bedroom door and flicked on the light, and for the first time, she was embarrassed as Arek looked between J.J.’s bed and her own before his eyes finally fell on her.
“Over here.” Renee pulled the simple grey comforter back, and J.J curled into a ball as Arek laid him down. She tucked him in and sat the tiger that took up the entire side of the room on the floor beside the bed. Flicking on the little car night light, she closed the door until only a crack remained. She led Arek back down the stairs and then stood there staring up at him as he silently stared back.
Would it be rude if she pushed him up against the wall and ordered him to fuck her?
“Would you like something to drink?” she heard herself offer.
