CHAPTER 4

When Rhys finally pulled away from that kiss, his body was set ablaze with need. 

He watched as Celestine opened her eyes, and the deep want for him that shone in her eyes was his undoing. 

He pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible.

“Come with me.” That came out impulsively. In fact, he was beyond thinking; all he wanted was this woman in his arms.

“I know we just met.” He added quickly when he saw her eyes widen and common sense slip in, but he’ll be damned if he lets it take root.

“And I know you want me; I can feel it. So why not let us give in to this thing between us?”

Celestine blushed “Is this how you are with all the women you take to bed?”

Rhys groaned, “I promise you, Selena, you’re the first woman I’ve been like this with. I can count the number of women I’ve slept with on one hand.” 

He nudged her with his nose, rubbing it against hers, his breath hot against her lips as he spoke.

“Will you come with me? Please? We’ll never see each other again. So why not take the risk?”

Rhys saw the look of approval on her face before she said it out loud. Tonight, he wanted to forget everything.

“Alright. I’ll come with you.”

Rhys grinned like a child who had been given permission to eat a cosmic brownie. 

He held her hand in his, gave her a quick peck, and began to pull her down to the club.

“Wait! What about this?” She pointed at the bottle of wine on the floor.

He hadn’t noticed it.

“We’ll tell the waitress to come and get it.” 

Minutes later, they were bursting out through the door, racing for Rhys’s car.

“What about my car?” Celestine asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to come pick it up.”

He was a perfect gentleman. 

Opening the car door and fixing her seat belt when he got in.

He took her hand in his right hand and only his left hand when he had to use the gear, and even then, he placed her hand on his thigh.

Celestine felt her heart stir with his actions—the way he would glance at her with a heart-stopping smile.

“Where are we going?” Celestine asked when she realized that they were only surrounded by trees and the shining moon.

“It’s a secret.” Rhys winked.

“It looks like the perfect spot to hide a body.” She should be worried that he was a stranger and that he was taking her to a place that was away from the world, but instead her heart was at peace with just being near him.

He finally stopped after what seemed like hours of driving, and the view before Celestine made her catch her breath. 

Rhys was anxious about her reaction, and it was better than he imagined. 

He watched her come down from the vehicle in a haste and run towards the water body, which was too wide to be called an ocean and too small to be called a lake.

The moon and stars were now very evident and reflecting on the water, which was so still that it only wavered slightly when the breeze touched it. 

The narrow road had given way for a large area of land that surrounded the lake, Celestine was sure. It looked like private property, and she wished they weren’t trespassing. 

“Where are we? How did you find this place?” She asked Rhys when she felt him come up behind her and hug her by the waist.

“I stumbled upon it once during my very moody days, and I bought it. It's my safe space.” 

He turned her in his arms; under the moon, she was truly serene. “I’ve never brought anyone here, Selene.”

Celestine almost felt bad. He was sharing his safe space with her, and she couldn’t give him her actual name.

Not that Selena was a fake name; it was her actual name, just not the one she went by. 

She shook the guilt away, hell-bent on spending as much time as was permitted with him. 

‘It’s not like we’ll ever meet again.’ She thought to herself, ‘And if we do meet, I’ll be married to the man my parents chose for me.’

“Why did you bring me here, Rhys?” Her voice choked because she wanted to tear up from the immense feeling she had for this man, yet he couldn’t be hers after this night.

Rhys didn’t understand why there were tears in her eyes, and he kissed her eyelids one by one. 

“Don’t cry, my moon. I know our time together is short, but I promise to make it the longest night of our lives.”

He leaned down to peck the crook of her neck. 

“I brought you here because I wanted to enjoy this night with you. Will you let me?”

Celestine agreed and gave herself up to this man. It was just one night anyway.

Rhys carried her in his arms and walked to the bank of the river. 

Their hands were undressing each other.

His eyes fell on the butterfly-llike birthmark on her right pelvis, and his fingers stroked it. 

“It feels familiar.” 

“ What?” Celestine asked, her mind muddled with pleasure.

“Nothing.” He said that and carried her in his arms, both of them naked as the day they were born, and walked into the water.

Taking his time, he’d led her in an erotic water dance, teasing her till she couldn’t take it anymore. and then he’d claimed all she gave to him, giving back all he could in return.

They’d made love under the stars, surrounded by water; after that, they’d simply enjoyed the comfortable silence around each other, had a lengthy conversation, shared jokes, and Rhys had made her laugh more times than he could count.

He couldn’t remember when he'd last been this comfortable with a stranger. But Selena was no longer a stranger to him.

The night ended too quickly for the both of them, and Rhys drove them back to the road where her car was waiting.

He wanted to follow her back to her apartment, but if he knew where she stayed, he wouldn’t be able to stay away. 

And he couldn’t take her to his home; the first woman he’d take home would be his wife. No one else. 

And so he watched him drive away with a heavy heart.