Chapter Six: The Rules Break
908 Words
Ella couldn’t move the next morning.
Her thighs ached. Her wrists bore faint red marks, and between her legs, she felt the tender reminder of everything Rhett had done to her—slow, merciless, devastating.
But it wasn’t the pain that made her lie still in her bed, tangled in white sheets.
It was the need.
Not physical—that had been sated so many times she’d lost count.
No, this need was worse.
It was emotional. Starving. Addictive.
She’d told herself it was just a game. Three nights. No strings. No names.
But she knew his name now.
She knew the way he held her for exactly three seconds longer than necessary after he uncuffed her. The way his eyes lingered on her mouth like he wanted to kiss her but wouldn’t. The way he left her again without a word.
And she hated herself for caring.
---
Two days passed.
No card.
No message.
No Rhett.
Ella swore she’d wait. She swore she wouldn’t chase him. That’s how he won. That’s how he kept control.
But when Thursday night rolled around, she found herself back at The Red Room anyway.
Nina raised an eyebrow as Ella pulled open the door to leave. “You’re wearing lipstick. And heels. That’s not a library look.”
“I’m just going out.”
“To where?”
Ella didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t want to admit the truth.
She was going back to the place where she lost control.
And hoping the man who took it would be there to do it again.
---
The club was packed tonight.
Velvet and shadows and heat.
Ella stepped inside like she owned the room, head high, lips red, eyes already searching.
And there he was.
Across the lounge, near the bar. A drink in hand. Dressed in all black, sleeves rolled again. His ink visible, his presence magnetic.
But he wasn’t alone.
A woman was laughing beside him. Blonde. Tall. Her dress a second skin. She touched his chest like she knew it. Like she’d earned it.
Something sharp and possessive stabbed through Ella’s chest.
She turned away.
Furious.
Jealous.
She told herself it didn’t matter. She wasn’t his. He wasn’t hers.
But it did matter.
And that was the problem.
---
She made her way to the other side of the room and sat at the far corner of the bar. Ordered something she didn’t taste. Pretended to scroll through her phone.
But she could feel him watching.
And when he finally moved—crossing the room like a storm in slow motion—her whole body responded before her brain had time to scream don’t look desperate.
He stopped behind her.
Said nothing.
Didn’t need to.
“Did I break the rules?” she asked softly.
“No.”
“Then why are you ignoring me?”
“I’m not.”
She turned to look at him. His jaw was tense. His eyes unreadable.
“You walked away,” she said.
“You said you didn’t want strings.”
“I lied.”
He exhaled, low and rough.
Then he leaned in.
And for the first time, Rhett Wolfe kissed her.
Not like he kissed in bed—raw and dominant.
This was something else.
His hand cupped her cheek. His lips brushed hers like a secret. Soft. Controlled. But deep enough to make her knees buckle even while sitting.
And when he pulled away, his voice was hoarse.
“No more rules.”
Ella’s heart stuttered. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m done pretending I don’t want you all the f*****g time.”
He stepped back, eyes smoldering.
“Come with me.”
---
He didn’t take her upstairs.
He didn’t take her to a private room.
He took her outside.
To his car.
A sleek black thing parked in a shadowed alley. And as soon as the doors shut, he had her on his lap, mouth on her throat, his hands already lifting her dress.
“You think I didn’t see the way that guy looked at you when you walked in?” he growled. “Like you were something he could touch?”
Ella gasped as he yanked her panties aside.
“I wanted to drag you out right then. f**k you against the wall. Let the whole club hear what you sound like when you come for me.”
Her breath hitched.
“You’re jealous,” she whispered.
His eyes burned. “You’re mine.”
Then he lifted her.
She guided him in, gasping as he filled her—rough, thick, stretching her in a way that made her see stars.
They didn’t speak.
They couldn’t.
It was all teeth and hands and heat.
He drove into her like he was trying to erase every trace of anyone else. Like he was claiming her from the inside out.
And when she came—shaking, crying his name—he followed with a groan, gripping her hips like she was his lifeline.
---
After, they sat in silence.
Still tangled. Still breathing hard.
Ella didn’t know what to say.
Didn’t know what this meant.
Then Rhett reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
Softly. Quietly.
He said, “I don’t want just nights with you.”
Her heart stopped.
He kissed her shoulder.
“Next time, I want to see what you look like at sunrise.”
---
- Writer
