Page 47 of Dirty Martini

“That’s right,” he praises and peppers my face with kisses. “So, if that Knox asshole tries anything, who’s going to be a good boy and keep this ass solely for me?”

He twists his wrist at my head, pooling the precum at the tip to wipe it away with his thumb. “Me, Rhys— Hey!”

He lets go of me quickly and steps back. “Music to my fucking ears.”

“Finish what you started, jackass.”

“I got shit to do too,” he tells me, brushing his thumb down my neck, causing me to involuntarily shiver. “Have fun, baby. Try not to miss me too much.”

I flip him off as he exits the bathroom with a laugh. I’m flustered, hard as hell, and late now, thanks to him. Hopping off the counter, I turn to finish brushing my teeth when I see it. A combination of lust and belonging andfurystrike me when I see what that fucker did.

He goddamn marked me.

“So,are we gonna talk about it?”

“Hmm?” I mumble distractedly, trying to memorize these historical facts that don’t seem to be sticking.

“Everest,” Knox says as he snaps his fingers in front of my face. “What’s with that big-ass hickey on your neck?”

I groan, rolling over on his floor until I’m on my back and staring up at him from his position on the couch. “I’d rather not.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” With a snort, he slinks down the couch until he’s sitting beside me. “Spill.”

I nibble on my bottom lip. I tell Knox everything and this should be no different. Still, there’s something that makes me hesitate. Like voicing out loud what Rhys and I are doing will just highlight how wrong it is.

He raises his eyebrow expectantly, and I sigh, turning over again so he can’t see my flaming cheeks. “We’re… kind of messing around.”

There’s a moment of silence as Knox digests the information. I hear a sharp intake of breath before he speaks. “The same asshole who punched me?”

“Yeah…” I mutter sheepishly. I’ll never admit to either Knox or Rhys just how spectacularly hot I found that.

“The same guy you hate?”

“Yup.”

“The same guy who hates you?”

I flip over, narrowing my eyes. “Are you going to come to a point?”

He furrows his brow and shakes his head. “You realize what a terrible idea this is, right?”

Oh, I’m absolutely aware that what Rhys and I are doing will lead to nothing but disaster. I get that it’s fucked up in more ways than one but, fuck me, I can’t stop.

“It’ll be fine,” I tell him, hoping if I say it enough times, it’ll be true.

He pauses, picking at one of the holes in his jeans, trying to appear unfazed, but I know him better than that. “Are you dating?”

I scoff. “Fuck no.”

“So you’re just messing around,” he states. There’s a flash of something unrecognizable in his eyes. “What if Elton finds out?”

“He won’t,” I snap, mostly because the idea of my brother knowing terrifies me. “It’s just a fling.”

“Hate-fuck buddies?”

“Exactly.”

He worries the inside of his cheek. “He’s going to hurt you, babe.”