She is Mine: Steamy Instalove

In an hour, she’ll be back.

In an hour, I’ll have her for real.

Chapter Three

Taylor

I did everything wrong. Every single thing. How did I get so caught up in the kiss that I forgot about the interview completely? How did I get so distracted that I managed to leave Ryker behind without even saying goodbye?

I must have gone mad.

I barely paid attention throughout the entire interview. I was too shaken up by the kiss in the car. I’ve waited three years for that moment and it ended far too quickly. How the hell was I supposed to think of anything else for the rest of the day?

I know that I managed to answer the questions at the interview, but it was like I was on autopilot. I smiled at all the right moments and gave perfectly good answers to all of their questions, but I might as well have not been in the room. Every part of me except my body is back in the car with Ryker. My heart, my soul, my mind. He has them all.

Now I’m leaving, shaking hands with the woman who interviewed me, smiling as she tells me she’ll be in touch. I have no idea if I’ve done enough to get the job, but somehow, even though it was my dream to get this job this morning, it seems meaningless now. Nothing matters, but Ryker. Nothing matters but that kiss, and carrying on from where we left off. But I have no way to find him. I have no way to contact him. I feel like Cinderella running away from the ball, but unlike her, I don’t have a glass shoe to help him find me.

I rush out of the building, my heart racing. I should be looking for my dad, but I’m looking out for Ryker in his Mercedes.

I see the two cars at the same time. Ryker’s car is still parked where I left it, him leaning out of the window as he waits for me to return to him. I feel a jolt of happiness until I see the other car pulling up behind it.

It’s dads.

All my emotions wash over me at the same time. My anger at my dad for abandoning ship once again. My lust for Ryker fueling my heart, keeping it beating, keeping me alive. And it’s not just lust anymore. I know it’s something much more.

I’ve been in love with Ryker for a long time. As I watch him get out of his car, his dark eyes meet mine and I feel drawn to him. I feel my feet moving toward him involuntarily. I know I’m about to do something stupid. Something reckless. Something I can’t control.

I’m going to kiss him again.

I fall into his arms and we kiss like it’s our last chance. My arms wrap around his neck even as I hear my dad slamming the door of his car, rushing toward us. It’s a betrayal on our part, but he let me down first. How can he ever condemn my actions when I’ve spent my whole life waiting for him to make the right choices? He’s never chosen me first, so for once, I’m doing it for him. I choose me, and I choose Ryker.

“What the hell are you doing?” my dad cries out as Ryker and I finally break away from the kiss. We don’t even look at him. Our gazes are locked on one another, silently agreeing that we’re in this together, that we’ll never leave one another, that we love one another without even having to say it aloud. Later, we will, but for now, this is enough. We’re letting each other know that we’ve made our choice.

“Something I should’ve done a long time ago,” I whisper. “Ryker...let’s go.”

Ryker moves back to the car and opens the door for me, letting me in. My heart is pounding as my dad stares us down. Ryker ignores him as he moves to get into the driver’s seat. The scene we’ve made has attracted a few looks, but I don’t care. I know I’m doing the right thing for once in my life.

“Get out of that car, young lady!” my dad shouts, but his cries are muffled as Ryker closes the door. My father’s face contorts with anger. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Taylor!”

I wind my window down, fixing him with a hard glare. “I don’t owe you anything, Dad. I want to be with Ryker, and that’s what I’m going to do. You lost the right to tell me what to do a long time ago.” I turn to face Ryker. “Let’s get out of here.”

Ryker doesn’t hesitate to start the engine. Before my father knows what’s happening, we’re back on the road, driving away from him, driving away from normality, and toward a crazy life that only we have control of. I’m breathing hard, unable to believe the way I stood up to my dad, unable to believe I’ve finally grown a backbone, unable to believe that I’m running away with the man of my dreams. I glance at our surroundings, wondering where we’re going.