“You’re saying Sy was looking at me, and I was smiling at him? So what?”
“I wanted your smile, and you’d stopped giving it to me,” he said simply, as though his actions made perfect sense. “It made me mad. And it was making me nuts that he was enjoying looking at your body.” He said it so logically that I had the sudden urge to giggle, though I tamped it down.
“Is this about you being jealous?”
“I don’t want anyone, which includes Sy, being near you.” He nipped at the side of my neck for emphasis, which made me shiver and feel warm at the same time.
“You know that’s unreasonable, right?” I breathed deeply, trying to remain on topic.
“I know. I don’t think... I’ve experienced jealousy before. I’ve never...cared about anyone as much as I care about you.” He kissed the spot he’d nipped, and more sparks of warmth zinged me, branching out to my breasts, which began to feel fuller.
“You aren’t handling it well.” My voice had acquired that sexy, breathy, I’m-getting-turned-on tone as my heart tapped a quicker beat against my chest. I knew he could hear the change in my tone.
“I’ll do better. And I’ll try not to kill Sy in the meanwhile. You are mine.” He had that gruff, rumbly voice vibrating with raunchy suggestion next to my ear, making my toes curl with expectation.
“Oh, Ryder.” And just like that, warmth blossomed in my heart, and I turned around to face him. His beautiful green eyes were glowing with intensity, and a sense of completion that I couldn’t quite verbalize settled over me. The truth of his words was reflected back at me, and with that, I was done in, a tender smile curling my lips. He saw it, and it was like a weight lifted from his shoulders.
A sinful gleam with a smile to match slid over his face, making his eyes focus in on me with pure, lascivious intent. A sweet ache pulsed gently in response between my thighs, and I realized that in just two days, he had my body trained to respond to a look with sweet anticipation. Day by day, he was becoming a master of my body, learning it intimately and knowing just what buttons to push to make me crazy.
Purposefully, deliberately, he grasped my hips, his fingers digging firmly into my flesh, and he walked me back two steps against the wall, caging me there. His green eyes burned into mine, and he captured my lips in a deep, hot, soul-stirring kiss. It made my blood pound like a bass drum and my senses reel instantly. He was declaring himself, claiming me, owning me, and I welcomed it, wanting to be his. Ryder’s woman. “I love your lips,” he growled against them. “You taste so good.”
“You can have them.” I nipped his scrumptious bottom lip and teased him with the light touch of my tongue, inviting his invasion, his dominance. I craved him. Our energies swirled and braided together, adding to the feeling of heat and desperation.
His tongue was like rough silk as it swept through my mouth, and I sucked on it, refusing to let him go. I felt his deep, guttural moan of pleasure and his sudden loss of control. His arms curled around my back roughly, one hand sliding down to palm and squeeze my ass, curling me into his stiff erection. I found myself crushed against the wall, feeling every inch of his body pressing into mine.
“Your legs have been driving me crazy,” he growled against my lips, and he slid his hand from my ass down my thigh to yank my leg up around his hip, grinding against the apex of my thighs deliciously.
“Oh, Ryder,” I whispered with awe. There was the perfect alignment of his hard cock rubbing against the seam of my shorts, setting off sparks of sensation. “That feels so good.”