Chapter Twenty-Eight

Everett

As we stepped out into the balmy evening, the full moon that shown overhead had nothing on the gleaming in Brynn's bright eyes.

"When we get home," she said, and I heard note of authority in her voice that wasn't there before. "You're going to tie me up, with my hands right by my sides," she said, looking me directly in the eye. She lifted her hand and traced a line right down the center of her chest, trailing between her breasts. "I want you to tie a knot, right here," she said, pointing. "You're going to use it as leverage, something to hold on to as you lick me for a solid hour."

My cock throbbed painfully in my jeans. "Kiss me," I said, reaching out for her and catching her hair in my fist. Holding her head back, she met my eyes with a grin, licking her lips. "Is that what you want?" I asked her. The way the moonlight highlighted the curve of her throat had me nearly seeing stars.

"And then," she said in that same throaty whisper, "You're going to use that knot to hold onto as you take me from behind."

My mind snapped and suddenly I had her backed up against a tree, pressing up against her, needing to feel her underneath me even though we weren't home yet. "Yes," I growled, bending to put my lips against her skin. I needed to somehow mark her as mine, right now.

She hissed as I licked, then sucked into her skin. I did it again and again, hoping that it would show, that people would see it in the morning. When I looked at those marks, just like when I saw the outlines the ropes made against her skin, that's when I knew that this girl? She was mine.

And holy fucking shit, I was so completely hers.

She was mine and I was hers and there was so much more to this than I ever thought there would be. I wanted to grab her, shake her, demand to know if she was feeling what I was feeling. What was I feeling? Did it have a name?

It did. I just had to say it.

Three little words was all it would take to make her understand. I could tell her.

But it would be easier to show her. That I understood. That I knew how to do.

Wild with need, I started hiking up her skirt. "Right here?" she gasped, but as she did she arched into me and I knew she was ready too. I was just brushing my fingers up underneath the soaked fabric of her panties when I was suddenly struck blind.

"What the fuck?" Brynn winced, squinting into the bright light that was trained on us.

"Step away from the woman," a voice blared over a tinny loudspeaker. "Raise your hands in the air."

I stiffened and did exactly what the voice said.

"Turn around," the voice continued. "Slowly."

My mind slipped into a careful blank. I stepped around, catching a glimpse of Brynn's confused face as I turned into the light.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" the voice called.

Brynn stepped out from behind me, her face still screwed up against the bright light. "Wait a minute," she whispered. Then out loud she called. "Nick? Is that you?"

My shoulders relaxed a little. "Keep your hands in the air!" Nick barked.

"Nick," Brynn chuckled, sounding relieved. "It's fine. I'm fine." She looked over at me. "We were just on a date."

"Looked like an attempted rape to me."

"Nick, stop," Brynn sighed. "Could you switch the light off please?"

I gritted my teeth, my hands still in the air. This was a blatant power play. I saw it, even if Brynn still wanted to believe the best of her old friend.

He stepped out around his cruiser, light still blazing behind him so I couldn't see his face. But he wasn't looking at me anyway. He was making a beeline towards Brynn. "I've been worrying about you," he said and the patronizing note in his voice set my teeth on edge. "That prowler you had, has he given you any more trouble?"

I took the risk of turning and watching Brynn. She looked down at her hands and then back up again. "Nope!" she said cheerily. "Things seemed to have cleared up." She gave a bright grin. "Maybe it was just a tourist passing through."

"I don't know about that," Nick said, his tone arrogant. "I've been keeping a watch on you, like I promised. It's not safe for you being all alone like that, on the edge of town. All by yourself."

"You've been watching my house?" Brynn interrupted, her voice tight. I swallowed down a growl.

Nick nodded proudly. "Just like I promised. But you wouldn't know I guess, because you're not home a lot."

At this he glared in my direction and it was achingly clear what this was all about. A tiny flicker of realization flared in my brain, but was snuffed out just as quickly, leaving me with only a vague sense of unease.

"No, I guess I'm not," Brynn said. Her bright smile had tightened until it looked like a grimace. She darted a look over at me and then turned to Nick with a renewed cheeriness. "Hey Nick? Can Rett put his hands down now? There's nothing illegal going on here, everything is fine."

Nick looked at me and I lifted my chin, waiting. A flicker of annoyance, of rage passed over his face. He would keep me like this if he could, punishing me for kissing Brynn when he couldn't. But that would make him lose face with her, lose that façade of friendly concern. I watched him wrestle with the complicated calculus of punishing me versus saving face and finally he nodded. "It's fine, McLame," he said, making sure to get in that dig. "You both have a good night."

"Thanks Nick," Brynn trilled. "So good to see you again!"

The falseness in her voice made me growl softly. She put a steadying hand on my arm and waved enthusiastically to Nick as he drove off.

When he finally disappeared around the corner, she took a deep breath. I opened my mouth to make a comment about what a fucking douchebag Nick was when she suddenly lifted her finger and pressed it to my lips. "Shh," she said, shaking her head. "I know. Believe me, I know." She shook her head again as if to clear it. I opened my mouth against her finger, wanting to ask her if she had that same tickle of unease in her brain as I did in mine. But she pressed her finger tighter against my lips. "Best to just move on," she said softly, letting her finger fall away. Then she went up on her tiptoes to brush a kiss where her finger had been. "And I have the perfect idea for a distraction."

My unease fled in an instant. "Me too," I said. "Let's get home." She yelped and then burst out laughing as I swept her feet out from under her and carried her all the way back to my house at a dead run.