Chapter 40 HUNDRED QUESTIONS
RACHEL
This was one of the rare moments I wished I were taller. If I were, Thane wouldn’t have to bend so much just to reach me. It was bad enough when he leaned down to kiss my forehead, but now he was aiming for my lips. And I was practically standing on my toes.
He noticed.
A low chuckle slipped from him as he watched me struggle to keep my balance while trying to hold on to his waist.
“Don’t laugh,” I muttered, frowning as I tried to pull away.
But he only pulled me tighter against his chest, his laughter filling the room.
“Dammit,” I grumbled. “Do you have to ruin the mood?”
His smile widened. “It’s not that hard, shorty,” he said lazily. “I could turn you on in a minute again.”
He leaned forward suddenly, making me stagger into him. “But it looks like you don’t need my help with that… Do you?”
His gaze slid down my body, lingering between my thighs. Heat rushed through me so fast my legs melted.
Shit. He knew. Of course he did. This was Thane Adams, for God’s sake. The only guy I knew who could make a girl wet with nothing but a look. He was that dangerously attractive. Before I could even react, his arms slid under me and he scoffed me clean off the floor.
A small yelp escaped me. I blinked at him in surprise while he looked down at me with that smug little smirk I still couldn’t decide was cute or infuriating. Maybe both.
Thane was my first. And suddenly the thought crossed my mind that he might be my second… my third… maybe even the last man I’d ever let touch me this way. The idea sent a warm flutter through my chest that scared me as much as it excited me.
God. I liked that thought more than I probably should. But I knew I shouldn’t want him this badly. Not after everything. Not when I know how easily he could break me.
The bed hit my back a second later as he lowered me onto it. A soft breath escaped me while he hovered above me, his gaze never leaving mine.
His fingers slid slowly through my hair, brushing it away from my face like we had all the time in the world. Like there was no rush. Like he wanted to memorize every inch of me.
My heart flipped wildly in my chest. My arms were still looped around his neck. Without thinking, I tightened my grip.
His body settled against mine, not all his weight, just enough to make me feel the solid heat of him. And the unmistakable hardness pressing against my thigh through his boxers.
“I figured you were struggling to kiss me,” he murmured in the sexiest voice. “So this should help.”
I blinked. Wait. He carried me to the bed because I was standing on my toes trying to reach him?
Somehow that felt ridiculously romantic. Which was stupid. But the thought still sent little electric chills dancing across my skin.
Before I could say anything, I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down. Our lips crashed together.
For a second my brain blanked. This wasn’t how I’d imagined it. I’d seen Thane with girls before, once or twice. Those moments had always looked fast, intense, almost careless.
But this? This felt different. He let me take the lead. Let me explore his mouth slowly, like he was giving me permission to do whatever I wanted with him. Like he was letting himself fall into the moment.
His hand stayed behind my head, holding me steady while the other slid down my side. Slowly, and intentionally. My whole body trembled as his palm brushed over my breast through the shirt.
He didn’t rush. He just cupped it gently, his hand warm and heavy over the soft curve, I moaned softly against his mouth when his fingers squeezed it gently, rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger until it hardened under his touch. “Aw… shit… Thane.”
My voice came out breathless as my fist tightened in his singlet. He didn’t stop. I could feel him growing harder between my legs, thick and bulging against my thigh.
His hand drifted lower… sliding down my stomach… over my hip… until it reached my thigh.
My breath caught in my lung. His fingers slipped beneath the edge of my panties just enough to reach the slick heat between my legs. But he didn’t push inside. He simply traced slow circles over my clit, spreading the juicy wetness that had already gathered.
The sensation made my hips jerk against his hand. My other hand slid down his arm, guiding him, silently begging him to move faster. But Thane refused to rush.
He kept his pace slow… maddening… like he wanted to feel every reaction my body gave him.
Oh God, this is too much. My mind was spinning. Part of me was terrified of how much I wanted this, how badly I needed his fingers to press harder, to slip inside me, to make me forget everything except him. The other part was screaming that I was being reckless, that this was the same guy who had shoved me out of his room, who had apologized for kissing me like it was a mistake.
But right now, with his fingers circling my clit in those perfect, teasing strokes, all I could do was moan his name against his lips and arch into his touch.
“Oh… Thane,” I gasped against his lips. My voice breaking.
His fingers pressed more firmly, rubbing slow, wet circles that sent sparks shooting straight through my core. My thighs trembled around his fingers, my body tightening with every intense stroke.
I was so wet I could hear the slick sound of his fingers moving against me like the gentle sound a water drop makes on a tiled ground, and the embarrassment only made the heat burn hotter.
He slowly pulled away from the kiss, his lips brushing down the side of my neck. Soft kisses trailed along the sensitive spot beneath my jaw before his tongue flicked against my earlobe. A rough moan escaped me. I didn’t even realize when my fingers tangled into his hair, gripping a handful of his thick strands and holding him there.
His mouth moved lower. Until it reached my chest. His tongue teased my nipple before he caught it gently between his teeth, sucking like it was the only thing he wanted in that moment.
The sensation sent a sharp jolt through my body. My other hand buried itself in his hair too, pulling him closer, silently begging for more.
“Yes… yes—right there,” I whispered breathlessly. “Suck… please.”
I didn’t even care that I was practically pressing his face into my breast. He groaned softly against my skin. Just as one of his hands began sliding between my thighs…
A knock sounded on the door. But neither of us stopped. We were too far gone to care. His palm slipped over me again, gentle and warm, my legs parting instinctively to give him better access.
Another knock sounded the third time. Finally Thane pulled away with a frustrated groan.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath.
He rolled his eyes. “No,” he muttered irritably. “No idea who the hell decided to interrupt this sweet moment.”
He leaned down and pressed one last quick kiss against my lips. I chuckled softly as he climbed off the bed, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before heading toward the door.
The moment he yanked it open, I saw the slight twist in his expression. He didn’t say anything though. From the bed, I heard the gruff voice of the motel owner.
“You already passed your checkout time. Please finish up in five minutes. I have customers waiting.”
Thane replied in a quietly tone, too low for me to hear. Then the door shut. Then he turned and walked back toward me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He sighed. “Just the owner. Says we need to move. Now.”
I frowned. “Wow.” I sank back against the bed with a small huff. “Well… I guess we’ll have to be fast then.”
Thane froze mid-step. Then suddenly climbed back onto the bed. My head snapped toward him just as his mouth captured mine again. The kiss was quick. But swooning enough to make my stomach flip again. When he pulled away, I found myself leaning forward, wanting more.
He smirked faintly. “I promise we’ll continue this when we get home,” he murmured. “But right now we need to leave before that guy throws us out.”
I sighed and forced a smile. “Fine.”
I climbed out of bed and quickly buttoned up my shirt. “I’ll grab my stuff.”
He nodded.
I went to my room, picked up my phone and slipped on my shoes. Five minutes later we were both downstairs.
The owner barely looked at us when we dropped the key on the counter, except for the cold glare he threw at Thane.
We got into the car. Seatbelts clicked into place. Thane started the engine and pulled out onto the road before stopping briefly in front of a convenience store even though I told him I didn’t need anything.
“Stay here,” he said.
I nodded. He disappeared inside. Almost ten minutes passed before he returned. But when he slid back into the driver’s seat, he wasn’t holding any snacks. Just a dark frown.
The moment the door shut, I knew something was wrong. “Did something happen there?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. Instead he quietly turned the key, slammed the gear into drive and sped out onto the road.
The sudden acceleration pushed me back into the leather seat. The veins in his arms stood out sharply, like he was barely holding himself together.
“Thane!” My voice sharpened.
His head snapped toward me for a second, his eyes burning with an intensity that made my chest tighten.
“Can we… not talk right now?” he said quietly. He added, softer, “Please.”
The car fell silent heavily with intensity. And I was left sitting there with a hundred questions I suddenly didn’t dare ask.