“Come here.” He doesn’t wait for me and drags me into his arms so my back is pressed against his chest. I snuggle into him and get comfortable—not that I need to do much for it to happen, because when I’m with him, I can relax.
I roll onto my other side so my face is pressed into his neck. His heady scent mixed with sexual musk and sweat fills my lungs, relaxing me until I’m a pile of goop in his arms.
“You didn’t run,” he whispers after a while.
I tangle our legs together and kiss his throat. “Was I supposed to?”
Ryder threads his fingers through my damp hair and massages my scalp at the back of my head. His other handgently strokes my lower back, soothing me. “I thought it would have been too much for you to handle, but once again, you surprised me.”
“You’re never too much to handle,” I whisper.
His features slacken, and his guard drops like a veil of smoke dissipating into nothingness. His gaze softens and appears hesitant, maybe even unsure.
I cup the back of his head, forcing him to keep his gaze on me. I need him to know how much I care about him, that I’m so happy he’s here with me. Whoever hurt Ryder in the past needs to go play in traffic.
I lean in and press my lips to his. Ryder doesn’t hesitate as he kisses me back, quickly taking over and turning the sweet gesture into something more frantic and needy. His pierced tongue curls with mine in a dance made only for us. He forces himself closer to me, imprinting his touch on my very soul.
Why couldn’t he have been my first kiss? Why did Mickey have to steal it away from me?
Mickey may have been my first kiss, but he sucked at it. When Ryder kisses me, it’s so different. He sets my high standards even higher, to unreachable heights. Every time Justin touches me after our wedding, I’ll only think of Ryder.
I inwardly cringe. Of course my fiancé pops into my head at the most inconvenient times. My mind is a cruel place, and I can’t ever escape.
Ryder notices the shift in my demeanor and ends the kiss. He leans back and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “What’s the matter?”
I curl up to him. “Nothing.”
“Madison,” he says in warning. When I don’t respond, he growls and fists my hair, then jerks my head back so I’m forced to look at him again. “Tell me.”
I sigh and place my hand over his chest. “I was thinking about how I wish you had been my first kiss instead of Mickey.”
Ryder’s hold slackens. “Mickey was your first kiss?”
I nod. “Unfortunately. I didn’t want to date him, but I was too scared of what he’d do if I told him no. He stole my first kiss when I didn’t want to give it to him.”
A muscle in the corner of Ryder’s jaw flexes. “So he forced you into a relationship.”
“Did you think I went into it willingly?”
He blinks and looks away from me.
He did. This entire time, he thought I was into Mickey. In reality, I tried so hard to separate myself from him without getting any dirt on my hands.
I gently push Ryder’s chest. He turns a questioning look toward me, but follows my lead as he rolls onto his back. I straddle his waist and lie on top of him, loving the feel of his rigid muscles beneath my soft body. He doesn’t make a sound of complaint with me on top, which I love even more.
“If it were up to me and I had a choice,” I whisper, “I would have saved everything for you. First kiss. First touch.” I kiss his throat, focusing on a spot that makes him suck in a sharp breath. I tangle my fingers in his messy hair to hold him still while I suckle. It’ll leave behind a hickey, and I don’t care. I like the idea of him carrying my mark.
“Someone else has touched you?” Ryder groans and grabs my hips, squeezing them with enough pressure to let me know how good I’m making him feel.
“No. You’re the only one who’s ever touched me like this.” I suck one last time, then shift to catch his earlobe between my teeth.
Ryder turns his head and catches my lips with his. He doesn’t waste any time as he shoves his tongue into my mouth.The kiss is searing as he brands me with it, marking me as his. It’s what I want so badly that it physically hurts.
“Ride me,” he orders into the kiss.
I reach between us and raise my hips as I line the head outside of my opening, and then I slide down until I’m fully seated.
“You’re so perfect for me, doll,” he says through clenched teeth. “Now show your big brother how well you can ride him.”
