Page 20 of The Hellion and the Captain (Scandals and Scores #2)

“What would you say about a visit to the gardener’s shed?”

“How could I ever say no to that?”

He reached down and took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers together, and in one motion, they took off at a run across the fields.

Emmaline loved the way her newfound fitness allowed the air to flow freely through her lungs. Her breath came out in a loud whoosh of laughter as they neared the cottage.

Her hand landed on the doorknob, and she pulled it open, bringing Rhys with her.

She lifted her palms to his cheeks, tracing her fingers over his high cheekbones and the stubble of his jaw.

“I missed you all night,” she whispered, and he nodded, agreeing.

“As I did you,” he said in a low, soft voice. “It was so hard to watch you having fun with others and not being able to join in.”

“I was worried you were watching Minnie,” she confessed .

“How could I have eyes for another woman, when you were sitting there among them?” he rasped out, his hands circling her waist as he slid the suspenders off her shoulders and untucked her shirt from her waistband.

“I have a problem, Emmaline. And that problem is just how much I’m starting to care for you. ”

Emmaline’s breath caught as his nose nudged hers, and she lifted her mouth to him, but he only nipped at her lips.

“While I don’t mind how these men’s clothes show off your body, I also can’t wait to slip my hands up the bottom of your dress,” Rhys whispered in her ear, causing all the hairs on her arms to stand.

“Interesting,” she murmured. “Just this afternoon, I was thinking about how much I would like to dress up for you as the woman I truly am.”

“Maybe one of these days, you will have to join me as Emmaline – somewhere a little less… private than our other meetings.”

“I’d like that.”

His lips fused on hers, their coming together quick, frenzied, and with a tenderness underlying it all.

Emmaline slid her hands down Rhys’s broad chest, her fingers nimble as she unbuttoned his shirt. She pushed it off his shoulders, revealing the results of all the work he so enjoyed. Her palms skimmed over his warm skin, enjoying the feel of him.

Rhys’s hands were equally busy, divesting her of the masculine garments until she stood before him in just her thin chemise and drawers. He stepped back, his eyes roaming over her appreciatively. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured huskily.

A blush stained her cheeks at his words. No one had ever looked at her the way Rhys did, with such raw desire and tender affection. It made her feel cherished. Desired. Loved.

Love. The realization struck her suddenly. Somewhere along the way, amidst stolen moments and heated glances, she had started to fall for Rhys Lockwood. The gruff, stoic football captain was capturing her heart, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever feel the same.

She had never been a timid woman, but all the same, the thought of putting her heart out there for him to accept or deny was nearly too much to consider.

Rhys lifted her effortlessly, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Never breaking the kiss, he carried her to the small bed in the corner and laid her down gently.

“If we continue this,” Rhys breathed, “there is no going back.”

“Don’t be scared, Rhys,” she challenged. “Take me there.”

He lowered himself, holding his body over her, and she knew he was overthinking this.

Finally, his desire for her won out, as he rocked his hips forward and sheathed himself fully inside of her, a roar filling the room as he did so.

She cried out in turn as she was instantly filled, stretched, more than she would have ever thought possible. Physically, of course, but her soul seemed to tremble at their joining. Her eyes met his, finding his own shock equal to hers.

But they would deal with those emotions later. For right now, she was too caught up in how perfect he felt within her, how that first thrust nearly sent her right over the edge, as he hit places within her that she hadn’t known could cause such pleasure.

He rocked against her a few more times, and while Emmaline nearly lost the ability to breathe, she needed something more. She wasn’t entirely sure how to get it, but instinct told her to take control herself.

Using her legs, strengthened by their hours of training, she flipped him over so that she was on top, straddling him.

His initial shocked surprise soon turned into a wicked grin, and she loved how a man who usually took command of all situations would take joy out of giving it up to her.

As soon as she seated herself down on him again, the friction between them caused pleasure to streak through her like a bolt of lightning.

His hands wrapped around her hips as he moved her up and down harder and faster, slamming into her with the same ferocity he brought to the football field. Maybe he hadn’t given up as much control as she had thought.

She ground herself into him as he thrust, sensations beginning to grow inside of her that made her feel like she was going to shed her skin and enter another plane.

He thrust one final time, and she found herself tumbling into what felt like a free fall over the edge of a never-ending abyss of pleasure.

Rhys gave a shout as he followed her, holding her against him while he found his own pleasure, his upper body curling up toward her as his arms wrapped around her and his mouth met hers, joining them in every way possible.

When they were both finally spent, they collapsed together on the bed, Emmaline’s head falling into the crook of his arm as they breathed heavily, neither of them capable of speaking while they came to terms with what had just occurred between them.

Emmaline had never felt so cherished, so complete. Being with Rhys, joining with him so intimately, felt like coming home.

Afterwards, they lay tangled together, Rhys’s strong arms wrapped around her. Emmaline rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat.

“I don’t ever want to leave this moment,” she murmured. “I wish we could stay like this forever. ”

Rhys pressed a tender kiss to her hair. “I know, luv. But that’s not real life for us. Not right now.”

“But could it be?”

“Perhaps. One day.”

She lifted her head to meet his intense blue gaze. In his eyes, she saw her future. Their future. She just had to make him understand that overcoming any obstacles in their way was possible — as long as they were together.

Sealing that unspoken vow with a gentle kiss, Emmaline nestled back into his embrace, content — for now.