Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

RHYLAN

" T ropical storm Olive has the potential to hit landfall tomorrow evening or early Saturday morning with the possibility of upgrading to a category two before then. Be advised that winds could reach up to 110 miles per hour. Please take proper precautions, as the storm may hit Sunrise Beach to the south and then travel north, depending on strength. Inclimate weather is expected tomorrow through Sunday evening. Be advised. "

The weather alert hit the smart speaker just after six thirty. My house guest distracted me, and fuck if I didn't love every damn second of her trying to get under my skin. Little did she know, she dug so far under the first time I heard her sing live that she'd taken over my every thought and made me feel worthy of someone else's heart again. Her fight, the little acts she thought would either deter me or make me falter, only served as a reminder of how she deserved to be fucking celebrated. Not caged by anyone else's limitations of who they thought she should be.

But that damn bikini was testing my resolve to let her come to me. Fuck. Her not nearly contained enough tits, and that ass?

The color against her skin drove me insane the moment I caught sight of her as she sauntered up the path from the guest house. Not a care in the world, shoulders more relaxed than I'd ever seen. A small smile on her lips. All sass and fucking gorgeous for how she owned it.

For the first time since I snuck into the songwriting showcase, the woman hiding under the surface, the once I caught glimpses of, stuck her head out and checked out the world. If I had my way, she'd never go back to hiding who she was from the world.

Fuck it. Enough with creeping like some fucking stalker in my own home. She shouldn't be out in the fading sun any longer, anyway. I watched earlier when she put on sunscreen, but the last thing she needed was a damn sunburn because she was too tired and fell asleep in the sun. I strode to the door, the glass sliding opening with nary a sound, and made my way to stand over her luscious body. Dick taking notice. Me doing my best to ignore the fact.

Skylar shifted in her sleep, tucking her hand under her chin as her legs curled up under her. The barely there material stretched across her tits strained, nipples pebbled and hard. The damn thing left nothing to the imagination. And trust me, my imagination had been working overtime since I kissed her lips and tasted her.

Non-fucking-stop type shit.

I knelt down next to her and breathed in the sweet smell that was all Skylar. "Swallow," I whispered, the urge to touch face and brush the blonde tendril on her cheek away strong. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she shifted, her thighs and long legs begging for attention. Fuck, her entire body pleaded with me. My fists were balled at my sides as she stirred, stretching like a kitten who fell asleep in the sun. Skylar squinted her eyes, then blinked, like she couldn't remember where she was. The sun was still far enough up in the sky to light her face as she looked at me.

"Why are you so close to my face, Ace?" she asked, her voice groggy and husky with sleep. Fuck, I loved it. The sleepiness in her eyes, the way her hair escaped from the twist on top of her head. I suppressed a groan as my thoughts went places they shouldn't. Like how her lips would look. Bee stung from my kisses. Wrapped around my cock. Did she bite them when she came? Fuck, I wanted to swallow her cries as I drove into her wet heat and made her come all over my cock.

She pushed into a seated position, but didn't break eye contact. A halo formed around her as the sun sunk a little lower.

"You were sleeping. And snoring."

"I do not snore!"

I brought my thumb and forefinger together. "A little."

"No, I don't."

I couldn't hold back my chuckle. The way her brow furrowed when she was indignant had to be the cutest fucking thing I'd ever seen.

Did she snore? Fuck if I knew. But it didn't mean I didn't love messing with her. Stoking the fire the world almost smothered in her was my life's fucking mission. Skylar deserved more than the label ‘gave' her when they ‘honored' her contract. Nashville's songwriting machine stole more than a few people's dreams and dulled their shine. "Swallow-"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not some bird you can put in a cage, Ace."

"I'd never cage you, Skylar. In the Bible, a swallow symbolizes new beginnings or new journeys." I stood, since my dick calmed down enough that it wouldn't be too obvious how fucking attractive I found her. "And this is our new beginning." I offered a hand to help her up, but she continued to glare at me and shoved it away.

"The only new beginning we're going to have is after I fulfill my obligations, and I'm free of you and everyone else who keeps trying to tell me what to write or what to sing." With a huff, she rose, snatched up the towel, and walked away, giving me the perfect view of her ass swaying.

Fucking bikini bottoms left nothing to the imagination and fueled my every damn fantasy.

I couldn't wait to see how she handled the storm on the horizon. Even now, the clouds were rolling in, the weather shifting and changing. The ocean crashed, wild and beautiful.

Just like the woman walking away from me.

Fucking perfect.

I sent her a text.

RHYLAN: Dinner's at 8, Swallow.

She left me on read, but those three dots jumped, like she wanted to tell me to fuck off. But, after a few minutes, they stopped. I swallowed down my disappointment. But it was only the first night, and after tomorrow, she wouldn't be able to avoid me.

When the storm rolled in, it was game on. And she might not realize it yet, but she was going to win. No matter the cost.

Skylar Coulson walked her sassy ass through the open sliding glass door at precisely ten after eight. All fire and fury, clad in an oversized hooded shirt that looked like a hoodie, but was sheer enough that I glimpsed the outline of a sports bra and a pair of those boy short things. Her nose, pink from the sun, and she lifted her chin as she stepped past me. Hair pulled into a ponytail high on her head, swaying back and forth. Her bare toes tipped in a bright blue as she padded around the kitchen.

Stunning and even more sexy.

And refusing to say one word to me. I trapped her when she tried to step around me. "Napa California salad okay with you? You do know that we're going to talk to each other while we write tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"She can speak."

"When she wants to." Her eyes bore into mine, and she placed her hand on my forearm. Electricity shot between us, and her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she flashed a feisty smile. "And if you think I am going to do anything more than write with you, you're sadly mistaken."

I stepped in closer, the heat between us palpable and breathing. She could deny it all she liked, but her pupils dilated and each breath she took came faster and more shallow. A blush spread across her cheeks, but she didn't back down. "The only thing I'm mistaken about is thinking you were going to resist me for longer." Her lips parted as she sputtered a protest, but I stilled her with my finger against her lips. "Deny it all you want, Swallow. But your body is saying something entirely different." Her nipples were visible even through the two layers she wore. I backed up, letting my finger drop from her delectable lips. "Unless you ask me, that's the last time I touch you, Skylar. Not because I don't want to. Fuck, I want to. But because when I do, it will be because you realize you hold the power here. Not me. And I will never let anyone have power over you ever again. When you realize that? You'll never be caged by yourself or anyone ever again."

I handed her the bowl I made for her just before she walked through the door and headed to the oversized dining room table that overlooked the beach and dug into the salad. My head swiveled at the sound of her bare feet as she hurried back to the guest house.

The dinner I made for her in her hands. She glanced over her shoulder one last time before she disappeared from my sight. After tonight, she wouldn't be able to hide. At least not while she was at Sunrise Beach.

I had less than two weeks to show her I meant every word I said.