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“It’s just for show.” His voice grows thick as he stares at my mouth, his cock swelling in his briefs. “For Ronin. Those Instagram posts you saw of us were taken at business meetings, but she went back and changed the captions to convince him further. Just until he retires.”

“But that’s in five months,“ I whine, stepping back so his hands fall away from me. “Does that mean we can’t…fool around anymore?”

Surprise flickers in his eyes as he tilts his head. “You’d still want to? Even after all of this?”

“Well, it’s not real, right? You and her?”

Tell me I was right.

Ryann shakes his head slowly, watching me. “No.”

“Then, why not?” I mumble, fidgeting. “I-I mean, if you do. If you want me.”

Reaching out, he grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me close, his lips brushing mine softly. “I want you. But it has to stay a secret until May.”

“It was kind of a secret before, anyway.” Crawling onto his lap, I straddle his strong thighs and let out a contented sigh, rubbing my cheek against his. “But you have to let me sit on you whenever I want.”

“Deal,” he chuckles, his hand gliding up my back. “Now, take a bath with me, doll. After the week we’ve had, we deserve it.”

He reaches over to turn the faucet back on, and I hesitate, my fingers curling tightly around the hem of my shirt. My pulse kicks up, trembling slightly.

“The… the last time I got shirtless around people, they laughed at me,” I whisper, peeking at him through pale purple strands. “It was senior year, in the locker room. I thought it was empty, so I stepped out of the shower stall with a towel around my waist.” My voice shakes as the memory floods back. “Bobby Crawford was waiting with his football friends to take pictures. They called me a girl because I had moobs and tried to rip my towel off.”

Ryann goes rigid as he pushes my hair out of my face.

“Did they hurt you?” he asks, his voice lethal.

A shiver runs through me at his tone. “No. The security guard came in to check the noise since it was after hours. I’d stayed late because the PE teacher hated me and wouldn’t let me leave until I finished running the mile. But…a few weeks later, Bobby pantsed me at graduation. I fell over. It wasn’t pretty.”

It was also all over social media. But I’m definitely not telling him that.

“Shilo, I’d never laugh at you,” he says fiercely, cupping my face with both hands. “You’re the most gorgeous boy I’ve ever seen, and those little assholes were wrong. Everything about you is perfect.”

His words wash over me, sending a wave of warmth from my head to my toes, and my heart lurches almost painfully in my chest. When he tentatively reaches for the hem of my shirt, I nod slightly, letting him lift it. My pulse races as I hold my breath, raising my arms so the fabric can slide over my heated skin.

As soon as the shirt is gone, my first instinct is to cross my arms over my chest, shielding myself.

“Don’t,” he murmurs softly, gently prying my arms apart. “Don’t hide from me, baby doll. Let me see you.”

His eyes roam over me, taking in every inch of my body. I squeeze my eyes shut, too afraid to see his reaction if it’s bad. In my mind, I can picture what he’s seeing—stretch marks from rapid weight loss, the crinkled skin. Compared to him, so fit and muscular, I must look…less. What if he loses interest?

My breath hitches, a small, involuntary sound, and then suddenly, he’s leaning me back. My eyes fly open just as his lips press to my chest.

“Ryann—“

He doesn’t stop. Keeping me steady, he kisses down my sternum, his mouth moving lower, tracing a line down my stomach. When his gaze lifts to mine, I gasp, heat pooling low at the desire burning in his eyes.

“Beautiful,” he breathes, flicking his tongue out to lick at my nipple. “Fucking delicious.” Pulling me in, our lips meet in a searing kiss. “Mine.”

That’s all it takes. That single, growled word has me dropping all my inhibitions as I throw my arms around him, desperately plunging my tongue into his mouth.

Without breaking away, he undoes my belt, lifting me to tug my pants off while keeping an arm possessively locked around my waist. His teeth sink into my bottom lip, not hard enough to break skin, but the sharp sting has me whimpering as my cock leaves a sticky mess on his abs.

“Fuck, I love those sounds you make,” he groans, standing long enough to kick off his briefs before dragging me down into the tub.

The water overflows, flooding the floor, but he doesn’t seem to care as he reaches for his pants to pull out a packet of lube from his wallet. All the while, I’m rutting against his stiff length, feeling it slide between my cheeks as I lick and bite at his shoulder, needy noises clawing from my throat.

Need him so bad.