but I just go stone-cold and fear rips through me.
Rick stops, like he can gauge every expression on my face without effort. “You okay?”
I nod a little. “I think so, but I just… I just got really scared. I don’t know why.”
His eyes meet mine. “The guy outside church. With the knife.”
I can’t believe he just figured me out before I could. He always seems to know me better than I know myself. I nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
He reaches for my hand, and the second he touches it, the fear is gone, and I feel invincible again. “I’ll always protect you. You’re safe, I promise.”
I don’t even think I make a conscious decision, my feet just start moving with his. My body is on autopilot and would follow this man anywhere. My heart speeds up because we walk out of the light from the main path, and I can barely see him. He maneuvers behind me and his hands wrap around my chest.
Rick inhales a deep breath, then exhales his words against my neck. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know. It scares the shit out of me, but you deserve it. It’s a long conversation that will take hours to unpack. Can we set a time? This week? I know you like schedules and order. I’ll tell Decker I won’t be able to work during those hours, non-negotiable. It’ll be one hundred percent dedicated to everything you want to know about me until you’re satisfied. Is that acceptable?”
I nod, knowing I want to know right now, but I want him to do this on his terms if he’s going to do it voluntarily. “Yes. We need to be at the church on Monday night, so Tuesday evening. Can we do it then?”
His hands slide up my ribs. “Absolutely,” he says right in my ear.
“Rick?”
“Yes?”
“Nothing you tell me is going to make me go anywhere. I want you to know that.”
“Okay.” As soon as he finishes the word, he cups my breasts in his hands.
My eyes widen and my first instinct is to push him away, but I don’t. I’m so turned on my nipples harden against his hands, but hello, we’re in the middle of Grant Park. Anyone could walk up and catch us right now.
“Need you now. Can’t wait.”
Is this really happening?
His hands massage me from behind, and I want him so bad, but I’ve never done anything like this. I’m not saying I haven’t fantasized about it, but it’s one thing on your couch thinking it, and another when you could get arrested and have your mugshot plastered all over the newspapers.
“Rick, I don’t…”
His hand dips down the front of my skirt, and his fingers slide into my panties. I lean back into him as he does it, and my body is on fire right now. How does he know every erogenous zone in my brain, and how to push every button on my body?
When his hand rubs across me, he whispers, “Look how wet you are, Mary.” His index finger circles my clit, and he kisses down my neck.
I can feel his hard length up against my butt, and I rock back into him, wanting more and more friction, despite my brain telling me this is a terrible idea. He’s turning me into a sex addict.
I glance around and I can barely see anything. I’m not even sure I know the way back to the trail. I do my best to stifle any sounds I make, telling myself over and over we’re not in an apartment, but out in the open where sound carries. Rick slides a finger inside me, and his other hand clamps over my mouth. It’s so hot every time he does it.
“I. Need. You.”
I can practically feel his heart beating faster up against my back. His hand slides out of my skirt, and he yanks it down by the hem, exposing me to the cool night air.
This is happening.
My senses are heightened to an all-time high. I’m operating solely on sound and feeling and it’s so intense, more intense than ever. I hear his zipper, and the sound of him tearing open a wrapper with his teeth. He doesn’t make any kind of movement to pull his pants down, but suddenly I feel his erection sliding back and forth underneath me, and I don’t know if he’s ever been this hard before.
It sends my adrenaline spiking through my bloodstream. Without warning, a large, strong arm wraps around my chest, and