Chapter Twenty
Rygaard
Her words crush me. Staying here and not being able to have her is the last thing I want. The distance will be hard but I know we’re strong enough to survive it.
“Is that what you think?” I shout, grabbing her hand and pressing it against my chest. “That you can just throw me and what we have away like it’s nothing even though every single beat you feel,” I say, my voice shaking, “beats for you. The breath I inhale is filled with every scent known to man, but I only ever smell yours. My world doesn’t exist without you in it, Presley.
If you tell me we’re over... it might actually kill me. ”
My throat tightens, every word a struggle against the rising tide of panic. I see a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, pity maybe, but also the ghost of the love I’m desperate to hold onto.
“Please,” I whisper, the sound barely audible. “I’m going since you believe it will benefit our future.”
I reach for her hand again, hesitating inches away, terrified she’ll pull back. The air between us crackles, heavy with everything we are and everything we might lose.
Then, finally, the warmth of her hand presses back into mine, and God, I didn’t realize how much I missed her touch. Her other hand slips into my hair, pulling me down to her mouth.
My eyes fall closed. I want to stay in this feeling, live in it.
We’re good together.
We are good.
I’m not looking forward to the endless hand jobs or the nights I’ll sleep alone, but if that’s what it takes to have her in the end, I’ll do it. She’s already given me a taste of what it would feel like, three brutal days of being kept out of her bed.
“Ry?” she murmurs.
“I love you... and I can’t imagine living in a world where you’re not, ”
I silence her with a kiss, pouring everything I have into it.
I only break away long enough to slap the door lock in place. Seconds later, I'm back on her, showing her exactly how much I’ve missed her.
“Presley, I swear we’ll make it work. I don’t want anyone but you. And while I’m away, you never have to worry about some girl stealing my attention, there is no other girl for me.”
“I know,” she whispers, pressing her lips to mine while I peel off her clothes.
I shed mine just as fast, nudging her onto the bed and gently parting her thighs so I can feel what I’ve been starving for.
“Loving you, Presley, is like reaching for the moon and actually holding it,” I murmur against her skin. “I love you to the moon and back, Rygaard,” she breathes as I push inside her. “Oh God, how I’ve missed you,” she moans.
“You miss me or God?” I chuckle. “Because neither of us ever left you, baby girl.”
“Shut up and show me what I’ve been missing,” she demands, dragging her nails down my back before gripping my ass to pull me deeper.
“Someone’s eager.”
“My parents are home, in case you forgot .”
“I didn’t,” I say, nipping at her neck. “Talked to them a few days ago. Your dad wasn’t exactly thrilled when he found out I took a piece of his little muffin, but he was glad it was me and not some sleazeball from school.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” she says sarcastically, making me laugh. “Now move that ass and fuck me already.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When she commands me, I listen, always for her.
Rotating my hips, I slip deeper inside. The way her pussy hugs my cock sends a shiver through me, and I honestly can’t tell which one of us is closer.
“My God, Ry,” she pants. “Harder.”
Grabbing the headboard, I drive into her harder, faster, feeling her heels slap against my back.
“You feel so good, baby. Are you gonna be a good girl and come for me?”
“If you keep hitting it like that, you know I will,” she moans, her voice unraveling with pleasure. “Ry... I’m close.”
“Me, too, baby girl. Just a few more, " I groan, struggling for breath. "Come with me, Presley.” Her body clenches around me, pushing me right over the edge. "Yes, baby," I rasp, feeling the flood of release. "Take it all."
It’s a lot , days of restraint pouring out of me, filling her.
"Goddamn, Ry! That was the hottest thing I’ve ever felt," she gasps, clinging to me as she catches her breath.
"I had to give you something unforgettable," I whisper, brushing the hair from her face. "This is only the beginning of our future, Presley."
"I hope you’re right, Rygaard," she says softly as I roll off her.
"I know I’m right. You’ll see."
She grins, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Did Rafe tell you he’s following you to college?”
I laugh. “He didn’t need to. No way that idiot could survive without us. I figured he’d tag along.”
"We should get washed up for dinner," she says.
I hesitate, tugging my shirt back on. "Oh, uh... I’m not staying."
She raises a brow. "My parents will have your ass if you don’t sit and eat with us instead of creeping outside the window like you usually do."
I freeze.
I was so careful, so sure she never knew. But when I look at her, there's no smugness, just something heartbreakingly soft.
“How did you guys know?”
"My parents installed cameras a while back, thought kids were knocking over trash cans. Turned out it was a mama cat feeding her kittens." She smiles faintly. "But then... they saw you."
She squeezes my hand.
"Every night, Ry. Watching us eat together. My mom swears she could see it, the longing on your face. Like you wanted to be part of something that simple."
"Family is everything to me," I say, my voice thick, "even if mine’s doing a shit job of it."
"I know, baby," she murmurs. "That’s why you’re coming downstairs. You’re already part of our family."
She kisses me, laces her fingers with mine, and leads me toward her bathroom.
We went downstairs and shared one of the best meals I’d ever had, the kind that fills more than just your stomach, it fills a part of you that's been empty for too long.
I always knew I loved the Collins family, but tonight, surrounded by their warmth and laughter, I realized they were everything I’d ever dreamed of having.
Later, Presley and I slipped back to her room, hearts full and heavy, and made love, a slow, desperate kind of goodbye–before life pulled me toward the future waiting just beyond her door.
Graduation
"Congratulations, Class of 2015, you did it!" Principal Barnes shouts into the microphone, triggering an explosion of graduation caps into the air. Not mine though, hell no. I paid way too much for it to lose it in all that chaos.
"We did it, motherfucker!" Rafe yells somewhere in the crowd.
"Yeah, you asshole, we did!" I shout back, laughing as a weight I didn’t even realize I was carrying finally lifts off my shoulders. I scan the sea of people, searching for her . Knowing she’s out there, waiting for me, and will be, no matter what, is the best damn feeling in the world.
"Baby!"I hear her voice clear as a bell before I even spot her, and then there she is, my little ray of sunshine, launching herself into my arms.
"Congratulations! You did it! I’m so proud of you," Presley beams, showering my face with kisses.I catch a few of my classmates giving us the stink-eye, while others, like her best friend Agatha, just grin like idiots.
"I knew you two whores were canoodling," Agatha laughs, slapping both of us on the back. "Presley Collins! Didn’t I tell you, no secrets?" I watch Presley nod sheepishly. "Then why am I just now finding out about this?" Agatha demands, jabbing a finger between the two of us.
"We didn’t want to deal with the nasty looks we’re getting right now," Presley admits, shrugging.
Agatha whirls around, facing the gawkers. "Do you fuckers have a problem?" she snaps. "You’ve seen people in love before, right? This ain’t groundbreaking. Mind your business and carry the fuck on!"God help the poor bastard who ever tries to tame her, he’s gonna need it.
"Your level of ghetto is exactly what the doctor ordered," Presley says, wrapping her friend in a hug.
"We’re all going out to eat and then hitting the party," Presley adds, smirking. "Hope your ass is ready for some fun, Ag."
"You bet those buns of steel I am," Agatha laughs, giving Presley’s butt a playful grab.
"Hey, hands off my merchandise," I joke, swatting Agatha’s hand away. "Come on, let's get moving while the getting's good," I say, just as my folks step in to block my path .
“Son, go out and have your fun. And don’t forget.” My lip curls at his words, at the warning buried beneath them.
The night before graduation, he found out about me and Presley. About what we meant to each other.He didn’t need to spell it out, his fists said enough. I had ruined whatever plans he had for me, and now, according to him, it was up to him to "make it right."
Whatever that meant. Whatever he thought he could still control.
Another reason to get the hell out while I still had the chance.
I met his eyes for half a second, daring him to say more, then shrugged it off like it doesn’t matter. “Whatever,” I mutter, turning away from him and toward the people who do matter.
Tonight isn’t about him.
It’s about Presley.
About us.
About these last two weeks before everything changes.
And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anything ruin it.