“She’ll be a great source of information,” I agree. “She’s sweet.”
“She’ll also be a great source of gossip,” Rhys says with a chuckle as he leads me into the elevator and presses the button for the penthouse. “Are you tired?”
“No, I’m feeling good.”
After the first trimester was over, my energy seemed to come back in full force. Morning sickness is gone. I feel great.
He pins me in the corner of the elevator and his lips tip up in that sexy smile of his. “I’m glad to hear that, because I have some plans for you tonight.”
“That sounds promising.”
He nods and kisses me soundly, passionately, until the bell dings and the doors open to our floor.
He takes my hand and leads me through the penthouse to the master bedroom. His body is tense. He’s been broody and intense all day. For the first time in a long time, I’m having a hard time reading him.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Fine.”
Hmm.
I kick my shoes off and reach for the zipper on the back of my dress, but Rhys turns me away from him and unzips it himself. He kisses down my spine as he slowly lowers it, then kisses his way back up as the dress falls around my ankles and I’m left in a black bra and matching black panties.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers against my ear. “And mine.”
“Yes,” I agree.
“On the bed, please.”
I glance back at him, still not able to read his mood, but I comply, crawling into the middle of the enormous bed and lying on my back.
“On all fours.”
“Rhys, are you okay?”
He raises a brow. “I’m fine. I’ve had a lot on my mind today.”
Okay.
“What do you need?”
“I need you to turn over, please.”
I’m watching him, his deep green eyes, his face. He’s still tense, but he’s also watching me with the love-filled eyes I just can’t get enough of.
So, I turn over onto my hands and knees, already wondering what he has planned.
“Do you trust me?” he asks. I can hear him shucking his clothing, and then the bed dips when he joins me, kneeling at my side.
“Of course.”
“Grab onto the headboard,” he whispers into my ear, sending shivers all over my body.
Oh, this is going to be so damn fun.
I grin and stretch out, the way I did when we were still learning each other, and grip onto the headboard. His hands are everywhere, rubbing down my back, my hips, my thighs, then up between them so he can tickle my folds with his fingertips.
“I have something I need to get off of my chest, baby.” His palm is circling over my ass. Gently, lazily, in big wide circles around the cheeks, up my center and crack, then around the opposite one.
It’s freaking amazing.
“What is it?”
SMACK.
I gasp and look back at him, my mouth gaping and eyes wide. “You just spanked me!”
“You let go of the headboard.”
His face is sober, but his eyes look…hurt.
I lean back down and grip the bed and Rhys resumes caressing my body, turning me on, making me sweat.
“You say you trust me, but you didn’t trust me before, Gabby. You immediately assumed the worst about me, believing that I’d left you for good.”
SMACK.
I bite my lip, caught between the sting of the slap and the pure pleasure of his hands and mouth all over me. I’m sopping wet. My hips are rotating, begging for more.
“You say you trust me, but you didn’t tell me that Colby had been harassing you the entire time I was with you.”
SMACK.
Oh my God.
I thought I liked being spanked before, and that was nothing compared to this.
“My actions speak for me, Gabby. I did nothing but support you. Care for both you and Sam. And you devastated me by jumping to the most horrible conclusion there was.”
SMACK.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper and bite my lip. He’s right. I told him I trusted him, but I didn’t. Not when it counted.
Not when he needed me to the most.
“Is it going to happen again?” His voice is raw now, full of what sounds like unshed tears, but I can’t move my hands from the headboard long enough to look at him.
I need to look at him.
“Rhys—”
“Not yet. Is it going to happen again, Gabby? What if there’s a misunderstanding again? What if I can’t communicate with you as often as you’d like when I’m on the road? Are you going to automatically assume that I don’t want you? Or that I don’t love you?”
SMACK.
“No, never.”
I can’t stand it now. I move my hands and flip around so I can take his face in my hands and look him in the eyes.
“You moved.”
“I don’t care. You can spank me again later. Rhys, I’m so sorry. Why did you wait all of these weeks to tell me how hurt you were?”
“I don’t think it hit me until we were here in Chicago and Susan was telling you about the number of marriages that don’t work, for all of the ridiculous reasons that they fall apart. And Gabby, jumping to conclusions is a big one. There will be times that I have to travel without you. I couldn’t handle it if I didn’t think you trusted me. And based on what happened before, you said you trusted me, but obviously that’s not true.”