Page 78 of A Real Goode Time

But…Rhys seemed obsessed with my breasts, seemed to go bonkers to look at them, and even crazier to get his hands on them, and his mouth. He made me feel beautiful. Sexy. He made me feel confident in my body, like I was a curvy, desirable woman instead of the skinny, flat-chested, no ass, boyish girl I’d always felt like. He changed that, just by the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, the things he said.

And I was falling in love with that.

How could I not?

But…how could I let it happen? The farther from Connecticut I got, the more I knew I wasn’t going back.

But he had to return. He owned a business there. He had a life there. He’d fought like hell to build what he had, and there was no way I’d ever ask him to give that up for me, and nor did I expect him to, or think he would. And going back to my dead-end life in Connecticut was no longer an option for me. I needed a change, and a drastic one—spending time in Alaska with Mom and my sisters was just what I needed. Whether I moved there or not, I was sure the change would be good. I knew I was going to be there for a while, figuring out my next step in life.

Being in love with a man who lived in Connecticut was not a convenient or realistic part of that. It was impossible. Alaska and Connecticut were about as far apart as you could get, and starting a long-distance relationship with a man I’d known only a matter of days, with no end goal in sight in terms of ever being together was probably not the best idea I’d ever had.

It was stupid, that’s what it was.

So why the hell would I risk the integrity of my heart by sleeping with him? I’d just fall all the harder, and when he went back to Connecticut, I’d be devastated.

On the other hand…

If we did sleep together, there was no doubt whatsoever that it would be…beyond amazing. More than merely magical. It would be profound. Wild. Heart-altering, mind-bending, and body-shifting.

How could I pass that up?

Would it be worth the inevitable heartbreak?

That was what I had to decide, and I had less than zero clue how to make that decision.

12

Rhys

She was working through something in her mind, I could tell. We spent a very, very long time in silence, both of us thinking. We stopped for drive-through breakfast sandwiches and coffee and were back on the road in minutes.

I, meanwhile, was completely fucked up over Torie Goode.

Last night and this morning had easily been the hottest, most pleasurable, most intense sexual experiences of my life, and we hadn’t even had sex.

I was desperate for her. Even now, I was aching with suppressed sexual need. I needed her. I needed to kiss her. To have her naked body in my hands, her hot smooth flesh pressed up against me. I needed her on top of me, writhing as she came. I needed her under me, legs around my waist, crying into my shoulder as she came apart.

I needed to be inside her.

It was a biological, emotional, and mental imperative. If I didn’t get to sink inside Torie’s slick wet sex very soon, I might just explode, and not in a sexy way.

But Icouldn’t. I couldn’t take that from her. I couldn’t demand it of her. I wasn’t even sure I was ready to be her—or anyone’s—first. I hadn’t wanted to be Emily’s first. I felt…violated, in a way, by what she’d done. She had taken advantage of me, certainly.

Torie had stopped us before we got there, and she had told me. She’d respected me by telling me and letting me decide what I wanted, what I was capable of.

I knew I was developing feelings for her—strong feelings—but I didn’t feel I could tell her. Not when she was planning on staying in Alaska, and not returning to Connecticut. And that was where my life was.

What a mess.

I was falling for a girl I couldn’t have. I finally find a girl who understands me, who shares my passion for cars, who gets it…and I can’t have her. I can’t be with her.

If she wasn’t a virgin, I’d be more likely to sleep with her and accept the consequential heartache when it was time to say goodbye. But not with Torie. I couldn’t do that to her.

I felt something powerful enough for her that I knew it was unique and special. And I also knew it wouldn’t be easy to get over her, even if I never got to sleep with her.

I didn’t want to think about how I’d feel when we parted ways.

Shit, just thinking about driving away from her made my heart squeeze.