Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
I wanted to demand that she tell me everything so I could finally understand what had sent her running scared and kept her glancing over her shoulder. It ate at me knowing something made her guarded enough to be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. If I was going to keep her safe—and there wasn’t a fucking question that I would—I needed to know what we were dealing with. Protecting her required knowing exactly what she was running from, and the more I thought about it, the more my possessiveness surged, leaving me restless and frustrated.
I brushed a strand of hair gently away from her cheek, my thumb lingering against her soft skin as her eyelashes fluttered. She stirred slightly, shifting against me, her body warm beneath the sheets. Then her eyes slowly opened, their soft, drowsy expression locking onto mine, and something inside my chest clenched painfully.
She looked content, vulnerable, and trusting in a way I’d never seen her before. It made my throat tighten, and I knew I couldn’t push her this morning. I could give her just a little longer to come to me willingly with the truth even though patience had never been one of my strongest virtues. Fuck, waiting would be hard as hell, but if it meant keeping her exactly where she was right now, it would be worth it.
“Good morning.” Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse from sleep. A faint smile curved her lips as she stretched slowly beneath me, sending a hot surge of lust through me. “How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to know this is how I want to wake up every damn day.” I lowered my head and softly kissed her mouth.
She responded immediately, her lips parting beneath mine, and her body pressing closer to me in invitation. I deepened the kiss, my tongue sliding over hers as my hand slid down her side to grip her hip, pulling her closer until the heat of her body melted perfectly against mine.
It didn’t take long before every coherent thought vanished, replaced by the overwhelming need to bury myself deep inside her again. To claim every inch of her as mine.
As I shifted my weight fully over her, my hips settling firmly between her thighs, I felt the warm, sticky evidence of last night coating her skin, and it hit me that I’d taken her without protection. The idea of her carrying my child struck something primal deep within me, a satisfaction that tightened every muscle in my body.
I liked the thought of her bound to me in that way, carrying proof of the bond we’d formed. At the same time, I knew that if she ended up pregnant, it would make it that much harder for her to leave. The thought should have made me pause, but it only intensified my hunger for her, my cock growing painfully hard as I pressed against her. Riley was mine now, and I intended to make sure she stayed that way by any means necessary.
She must’ve felt the change in my energy because her eyes widened slightly, and she drew in a shaky breath as she looked up at me. Her eyes darkened with need, and her thighs parted instinctively, welcoming me closer.
Fuck, there was no holding back now.
“Ryot.” The sound of my name on her lips nearly broke the last thread of my restraint. “I need you.”
Capturing her mouth again, I growled low in my throat as I shifted my hips forward, sliding against her, the friction making us both groan into the kiss. “I’m right here, baby. I’ve got you. You’re mine. You know that, right?”
I slid into her slowly, the slick heat of her body gripping me so tightly I had to force myself to go carefully, giving her time to adjust to the thickness and depth of me. Riley gasped, her eyes fluttering shut as her fingernails dug into my shoulders in a way that made my cock harden even more inside her.
Every muscle in my body tightened as I fought for control, struggling not to move until I was certain she was ready. When her hips lifted to meet mine, urging me deeper, I knew my patience had finally paid off.
Her voice trembled when she spoke, breathless and needy. “Ryot, please—”
That was all the encouragement I needed, and I began moving in long, slow strokes that filled her completely, burying myself to the hilt and grinding deep inside her. I pressed my forehead to hers and watched the pleasure unfold openly across her face. Riley’s breath hitched each time I thrust into her, her hips rolling instinctively, perfectly matching the rhythm I set.
“You’re fucking perfect,” I groaned against her mouth, feeling her pulse race beneath my lips as I kissed down the sensitive skin of her throat. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you exactly like this. Under me, taking every fucking inch I give you.”