“No, you wouldn’t.” In desperation, I twist my hands in his collar and tug him down with all my might, bringing our mouths together. “Don’t listen to him,” I murmur against his lips. “Keep me.” Our tongues touch and a shudder passes through him. “Kiss me.”
“No, Clara.” He winds an arm around my waist and yanks me higher. “No.” His lips press mine wide, making room for our tongues to lick at each other. “Ahh, fuck, girl. You’ve got a little sugar mouth. It sucked me so good.”
“How could you say I touched you just to get back at my stepfather?” I whisper, planting kisses on his chin and cheeks between words. “You know it’s more than that. You know there’s something here.”
With a tortured groan, he breaks the kiss and steps back, that oversized part of him protruding behind his fly. “Real or not. We can’t see each other, again, Clara. I’ve been enough of a burden to my family. I can’t add this to my list of sins—and it would be a big one.”
I want to ask why he believes himself a burden, want to ask what happened between him and his family, but his jaw is firmed, as if to signal I won’t get anything of importance. Tonight, anyway. For right now, though, I’m not going down without a fight. I can’t let him take this incredible feeling of belonging with him and never experience it again. “My mom is surprising him with tickets to Bali tonight. They’re leaving in the morning for two weeks.”
“Why are you telling me this, dammit?”
“It’s nothing new. They go away all the time…but I have a dance showcase, two nights from now. It’s important. An instructor from my dream performing arts school will be there and I won’t have anyone there to watch me. Will you come?”
He hesitates. “No.”
“You’ll come.” A smile stretches across my face. “I know you will.”
“Don’t look at me like I’m your white knight. That ain’t me.” His tone is harsh. Mean. “You’ll know for sure when you wake up with a sore throat in the morning.”
Maybe I do have the devil’s seed between my legs, because I lift the hem of my dress and sway my hips side to side, letting him see me from the waist down. “I’ll be keeping this wrapped in a bow for you. Just like you asked, Uncle Rex.”
A heaved curse leaves him, his hands flying to the pool house doorframe and creaking it beneath his grip. I think he’s going to give in. To catch me up in his arms and take me to his home, wherever it is. Sweat pops up on his brow, his erection turning uncomfortable looking. From the direction of the main house, though, my stepfather calls my name and Rex smashes his fist into the door. And then he’s gone.
But I smile to myself as I return to the party, because I know it’s not the last time I’m going to see my big bad fisherman uncle.
Chapter Four
Rex
I’ve never been more out of place in my goddamn life.
How the hell do people fit in these auditorium chairs? The metal armrests dig into my sides and no amount of shifting dislodges them. I rummaged through my closet and found a dress jacket, but it’s snug around the shoulders. I’m seconds from ripping it if I stretch the wrong way.
What am I doing here? I should be picking up work, getting a spot on a crew until crab season picks up again in the fall—and staying the hell off of dry land. It’s what I do every year. Usually I take some time off right after crab season. But right now, I need to jump on anything to keep me away from Clara. Clara and the tight, virgin cunt she offered me.
Can’t take it. Won’t. I’m only here because someone should be supporting her on this important night. Couldn’t her mother book the vacation for one day after the showcase? Are they inconsiderate of Clara often? I don’t like that shit at all. For the last two days, I’ve thought a lot about what she told me. Not to mention what my brother said. They call her a daydreamer. Ridiculous. A baby. What other kinds of insults do they throw at this sweet girl?
And God, is she sweet. Not just her taste, but the way she pressed her face to my legs while I argued with my brother. Like…she was on my side. When has anyone ever been on my side? Unconditionally.
Never.
I shake off the unpleasant thoughts when the lights go out, soft classical music beginning to play. A group of ballerinas prance onto the stage. Soon as I confirm none of them are my niece, I begin scrolling through my text messages, the top one from a fisherman buddy of mine, Hank, inviting me on a hunting trip. Tomorrow.