“I think we should get your ankle x-rayed,” Ryder breaks into my thoughts and tightens his hold around me.
Snuggling deeper against his neck, I breathe him into my lungs. He always smells so good, putting me in a constant state of arousal.
I shake my head. “It’s not broken.”
He sighs and I wonder if he will fight me on it. Instead, he says, “I’ll strap it up but you’ll have to rest it for a few days.”
I nod. Anything is better than spending hours at the hospital. I breathe him in again and sigh. Knowing that I shouldn’t, but feeling that we’re in our own cocoon, I let my tongue slip between my lips and lick his neck.
His whole body shudders as his hands shake and flex against my waist and legs where he’s holding me.
“What are you doing?” He meets my gaze.
Feeling a blush rising on my face at my bold move, I inhale and reaching up, I cup his face in my hand—my thumb caresses along the edge of his lips. “I don’t really know.” Meeting his beautiful eyes, I feel a tear escape my eyes and see the pain reflected in Ryder’s. “I hoped my feelings for you would disappear this afternoon.”
Ryder lowers his eyes, and swallows a few times before I pull his face back to me.
“But they’re still with me,” I continue. “They’re still strong. You’re still inside me, Ryder. But . . . but, I can’t do this with you knowing that you belong to . . . someone else.” My voice breaks. I can’t carry on.
Burying my face against Ryder’s neck, I feel his arms contract against me as he reaches his truck.
“Can you open the door?” he asks, sounding distressed.
Reaching out, I get the door open and Ryder turns so he can slide me onto the seat. He removes his hands from under me, but rests them against the seat on each side of my hips. “I belong to you.” He covers my lips with his fingers. “I’ve never belonged to her, and since the minute I met you, I knew you were the one I was meant to be with.” He kisses me on my forehead.
“You didn’t like me when we first met,” I blurt out.
Ryder pulls back and smirks. “I liked you just fine. It pissed me off thinking you were with Reece when I wanted you. But because of my past, I was trying to keep my distance. It got to the point where I wanted to see one of your smiles directed at me.”
He shakes his head and continues, “That’s a lie. I craved having you smile at me the way you did Reece.” He offers me a wry smile. “We’d been friends a few weeks when I finally got that smile, except it was a lot brighter than the one Reece usually gets. You’ve no idea what that did to me.” He takes hold of my hand and kisses my fingers. “I want to see that smile back on your face for me.”
With those final words, he moves away and closes the truck door between us.
Running around the front of his truck, he climbs in and navigates the truck into a U-turn to head back to Kix. I can’t help noticing the sad, resigned expression on his face. I hate seeing what today has done to him as well. I shouldn’t have any sympathy for him, but I do. The word that keeps running through my head is separated. The only thing he’s done wrong is keeping everything a secret while showing his attraction to me.
Knowing I’m going to be punishing myself later, but unable to stop myself, I reach for his hand and entwine our fingers together. I let my head drop onto his shoulder and stay snuggled against his side for the five minutes it takes us to reach Kix.
Chapter Four
Ryder
I hardly got any sleep last night with worrying about Dahlia and how she’ll react to everything. She already knows part of it but there is just so much more to say.
Last night after I’d carried Dahlia to her bedroom, and wrapped her ankle, she’d pulled me down to her. We sat there, a breath between us, words left unsaid as she searched my eyes. Then she kissed my cheek, before turning away and settling down to sleep. I’d wanted to climb in and sleep with her in my arms. That wasn’t going to happen any time soon, if ever.
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“You’ve made me breakfast.”
I quickly turn and see the woman who is never far from my thoughts, standing in the doorway of her room, and looking sexy as hell while rumpled with sleep. She takes my breath away, and I’m glad I’m standing behind the breakfast bar to cover the instant reaction my body has to her. “I did.” I can’t keep my eyes from roaming over her body, imaging what it would feel like to unwrap her as though she’s a present. Those thoughts aren’t helping my condition any. I cough to clear the obstruction in my throat. “Um . . . You ready to eat?”
She nods, and tries to walk toward the table, but her ankle gives out from under her.
Cursing, I dash over and sweep her off her feet.
“I’m sorry. I forgot about your ankle.”
She gives me a sheepish look. “So did I.”