“Yeah, I did.” He drew a deep breath and squeezed my hand. “And you’d make a cute Alice, by the way.”
I elbowed him sharply, and he laughed.
“I worked on it after James left,” he continued. “I wanted to create a place where I could lose myself. I wanted something?—”
“Otherworldly,” I finished for him.
“Exactly.” He beamed and dropped my hand, sliding his arm around my waist instead. “It was apassionproject, I suppose, and you’re the first guy I’ve ever brought here.” The admission didn’t seem to bother him.
I couldn’t say the same for me. Ryder had been keeping this place to himself for years and then for some reason he choosesmeto show it to? He was admitting something, and the ball was in my court.
I could’ve moved. I could’ve sent him a warning look. I could’ve just ignored the comment and walked away. I could have done any number of things to stop where this was heading. A dozen things that didn’t include me sliding my arm around his waist in return and saying, “I like you too, Ryder.” I hesitated, then threw caution to the wind. “A lot more than I should.”
He grinned and squeezed my waist. “Yeah, me too.” He turned and tipped my chin up, kissing me softly before pulling me against his side and staring out across the sparkling water. My head rested against his chest, our breathing falling into rhythm as the water gurgled and bustled at our feet.
The morepork called in the distance, and Ryder chuffed. “I think he’s telling us something.” He dropped his arm and started backing away, a wicked glint in his eye. Next thing I knew, he had his shirt over his head and was eyeing me with a sideways look. “So, are you coming or not?”
I looked down and pretended to check my sweats, then deadpanned, “Not that I’m aware of.”
Ryder laughed. “What are the odds that I just happen to have a solution for that... if you’re interested, of course?” He stepped out of his shorts and briefs, and yes, I might’ve drooled over the Versailles tattoo on his back just a little. But when he bent over to scoop his clothes onto higher ground and his bare arse came into view with those cheeks slightly parted—oh boy, oh boy, oh boy—my world definitely teetered on its axis.
“I can feel you perving.” Ryder rounded, fully naked, half-hard, and grinning from ear to ear.
I blinked and lied through my teeth, “I am not. I’m simply... evaluating. Your cock gets a solid six out of ten.”
“Riiight.” Ryder laughed. “Then evaluate this.” He ran into the river, turned, and pitched himself backwards, crashing beneath the surface and creating a huge wave of icy water that drenched me to my thighs and sent me running for my life.
“Goddamn you, Ryder!” I shook my hands and stared down at my sodden sweats.
He’d surfaced, looking like a goddammed Greek god and not the least bit apologetic. Water ran in rivulets down his face, over that short sexy beard and through all that glorious hair on his chest. His skin was lit with silver from the moon and gold from the fairy lights strung overhead, his blue eyes gleaming black in the shadow of his brows—just a starry glint giving them away.
And all I wanted to do was kiss him.
Well, notonlykiss him.
I wanted a whole lot more than that, and only some of it involved being naked with the man. The rest of it was simply about Ryder being Ryder.
Which was crazy talk.
I scowled and shook my head. “You just had to, didn’t you?”
Ryder laughed, and the clear, joyous sound of it bounced off the riverbanks and wriggled uncomfortably into my heart. “You look adorable, just so you know. Do you realise your moustache wrinkles when you’re pissed?”
My hand immediately shot up to touch it, and Ryder laughed again.
He moved into deeper water and crooked his finger at me. “Come on. You may as well. You’re already wet.”
I braced my hands on my hips and sulked, “And whose fault is that? And no, I do not look adorable. I look—” I glanced down at myself. “—fucking saturated. That’s how I look. This was your plan all along, I take it?”
Ryder zipped his lips and simply beckoned me to join him again, a challenge woven into that sexy fucking smile. I considered his invitation a moment longer. Considered everything that it would inevitably lead to. I considered my self-made promise to not mess with his heart, or mine, come to that. Considered the wreck of my life and all the jumbled emotions it had left me with—anger, grief, betrayal, humiliation.
But there was something else hovering just beneath the surface of all that. Something new. A beat of small, fragile wings. Something a lot like... hope. Like possibility.
I considered it all for a good three seconds.
And thought,fuck it.
I stripped my clothes where I stood and ran screaming into the freezing water, arms flailing. Ryder caught me and pulled me close. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck; my semi pressed hard against his belly.
