Chapter 12
TWELVE
ryder
Her words hit me like a bolt of lightning, lighting up my veins, sending all the blood in my head rushing straight to my cock. I can see the way her pulse flutters at the base of her throat, pupils dilating as she holds my gaze.
“That’s not good enough, kitten,” I murmur, my thumb still tracing the curve of her bottom lip. “I need you to be sure.”
Her swallow is audible and I feel her body tremble. “I’m not sure of anything anymore—not since you showed up.”
I lean in close, my mouth hovering above hers. “Then let me help you figure it out.”
Closing the distance, I capture her lips with mine.
The kiss is much different from the frantic, adrenaline-fueled one from outside the bar.
I make this one slow and deliberate. I can taste her hesitation, the slight resistance as her mind battles with her body.
But then she melts into me, her lips parting on a sigh that I swallow with a brush of my tongue.
My hands grasp her waist under the water, pulling her so close, she’s practically sitting in my lap.
Mouth tasting like vanilla-mint and desire, her hands slide up my chest to tangle in my hair as I back her against the smooth stone edge of the pool.
Bracing one hand against the rock beside her head, I slide the other down to squeeze her tight round ass beneath the water.
“Fuck,” I breathe into her mouth. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you passed out on your desk.”
She pulls back slightly, eyes wide and dazed.
“Tell me,” I murmur, my forehead resting against hers.
“This is… insane.” Her voice is breathless, shaky. “I should push you away, pretend this never happened.”
“But?”
“But I can’t stop thinking about how you make me feel.” Her hands are still tangled in my hair and I’m loving it way more than I should.
I brush my lips along her jaw, tasting the sweet mineral water on her skin. “You deserve someone who looks at you like you’re the fucking sun and moon. Someone who can’t breathe when you’re not in the room.”
Her pupils dilate as I cup her face in my hands. “Someone who wants to memorize every inch of your body with their tongue.”
I shift, shoving my hands beneath the thin fabric of her bikini bottoms, fingers digging into the soft flesh of her ass as I claim her mouth. When she gasps against my lips, I seize the opportunity, deepening the kiss as I slide my tongue against hers, exploring every inch of her mouth.
The water swirls around us as I lift her onto my lap and she straddles my thighs. Her wet skin slides against mine, creating a delicious friction that makes both of us groan into each other’s mouths.
My hands wander, tracing the curve of her ass before sliding between her legs from behind. When my finger glides up her center, she breaks the kiss with a gasp, her head falling back. Even underwater, I can feel how hot and slick she is for me.
She whimpers, her hips instinctively rocking against my touch. “Oh, god.”
“Eyes on me,” I command softly, and her eyes flutter open. The sight of her pupils blown wide, lips swollen from my kiss nearly undoes me.
Her thighs tighten around my waist as I continue to stroke, slowly circling my finger at her entrance.
“Ryder,” she moans, nails digging into my shoulders. “I can’t—”
“Yes, you can,” I growl.
When I increase the pressure, her eyes fly open, panic replacing the haze of desire as she shoves against my chest and I slide away, too stunned to stop her from climbing out of the water.
“Where are you going?”
“I write slow-burn romance, and I just realized what we were about to do wouldn’t happen until at least halfway through the book.”
“Seriously? We have at least thirty minutes left.”
“Seriously. You really want to help me write, clear my writer’s block? Then you need to take it slow. Make me burn for you.”
“Right. Kind of like what you just did to me.”
“What did I do to you?”
I grab my cock under the water and squeeze, hoping the pain will somehow make the blood rush back to the head on my shoulders. “Well, for starters,” I say, my voice strangled. “You left me hanging with a raging hard on.”
“And what an impressive one it is,” she calls out from behind the bamboo screen.
“How do you know?” I scoff.
“Duh. Not only was I just sitting in your lap, but I wrote you into existence, didn’t I?”
I scrub my hands over my face and groan. “You’re killing me.”
“Thought about that, too.”
What the fuck?
“Are you messing with me?”
A snicker filters from behind the screen as I pull myself out of the water.
“Careful what you wish for, kitten.”
The rustling sounds stop abruptly.
I grab a towel, wrapping it around my waist as I stalk over to lean against the wall, close enough I can hear her labored breathing.
“Are you going to answer me?”
“About what?” she asks, her voice carrying a teasing lilt that makes my blood simmer.
“Were you seriously thinking about killing me off? Or not writing about me at all?”
Silence sits heavily in the air. Then she steps out from behind the screen fully dressed, hair damp and curling around her shoulders. The vulnerability in her eyes nearly knocks me off my feet.
“Of course not. Why the hell would I kill off one of the leading men in a series, silly? My readers would cancel me for sure.” She shrugs. “Besides, why do you care? I’m still not convinced you’re real.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “You, know. I’m starting to think you’re using the whole ‘you’re not real, just fictional’ line as a bullshit excuse to keep me at arm’s length.”
“Maybe I am,” she admits quietly.
“Why?”
“Because, in just the past couple of days, you’ve made me feel more than Eric did in our entire relationship.”
“How long were you together?”
“Seven months.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I cock my head. “That’s not very long.”
She stomps over and jabs her finger into my chest. “Don’t be a dick. It’s still longer than I’ve known you.”
Completely closing the distance between us, I back her against the cool stone wall. “Your mouth is saying one thing, but your eyes...” I trace the line of her jaw with my knuckle. “Your eyes tell me you’re scared shitless.”
Her breath hitches. “I’m not scared of you.”
“Maybe not,” I agree, leaning in until my lips brush her ear. “But you’re sure as shit scared of how I make you feel.”
She shivers and I can feel her pulse racing beneath my fingertips as I gently wrap my hand around her neck, tilt her head back, and squeeze.
“You can run all you want, kitten,” I whisper-growl. “But we both know that our story… is just getting started.”
Stepping back, I give her space to breathe. “I brought snacks, but how about we go home and make some lunch instead? I’m starving.”
The relief on her face is almost comical. “Food. Yes. That’s… Um… a great idea.”
Knowing I’ve thrown her completely off balance, I grin. Good. That’s exactly how I want her.