His smile is unburdened, white, and beautiful, as he pulls me against his chest. “You started something, I’m going to finish it.”
I wiggle in his arms. The roller inches closer. My head falls back and I laugh. But when the paint should be covering my face, it doesn’t.
I crack one eye and catch Ryder’s gaze. My smile fades. A dark desire simmers in those beautiful eyes. One of his callused palms drifts up the side of my neck. I shudder. He holds the side of my face. Our noses are close, nearly touching, and his lips hover over mine, so I can feel the minty warmth of his breath on my skin.
“Ava,” he whispers my name like it’s sacred. Like it’s something to be cherished.
“I’ve missed you,” I blurt out. My fingers curl around his shirt. I tug him a little closer, so our hips, our chests, our bodies collide. All this time I never realized how much I craved touch like this. Not any touch—histouch.
Then, something shifts. Ryder drops the paint roller and scoops under my thighs, lifting me. A gasp scrapes over my tongue when he presses my back against the wall, holding me there. I trap his face in my palms, our breaths are heavy as he leans closer.
“For ten years I’ve thought of you,” he rasps. “I haven’t just missed you. I’vecravedyou.”
Ryder crushes his lips to mine. Like a burst of fireworks, every cell, every nerve ending in my system ignites in a sensual celebration! It. Is. About. Time.
I cling to his neck, holding him against me as his weight pins me against the wall. My ankles cross behind his waist. I tangle my fingers in his hair. I hold him like he’s the only way to keep living.
Ryder smiles against my mouth when a soft groan slips out of me. A repressed sound of pleasure I’ve held onto until now. This is what I nearly forgot I was missing. This is how a man kisses a woman. Slow and patient. Gentle and seductive.
I part my lips, allowing Ryder a taste. My skin raises, wanting more when he grips my hair, angling my mouth. He breaks after a moment and drifts his kiss down to the curve of my neck. I close my eyes as he reacquaints himself with my jaw, my skin, my mouth.
My mind is whirling.
“This,” I say in a gasp. “This is what I’ve thought of since you left.”
Ryder pauses. His eyes burn with something deep and fierce. If I’d known it would’ve stopped his lips from working their magic, I would’ve kept my mouth shut.
“Leaving you broke me,” he says. “All of it did.”
I blink against the surprise swell of tears. “Then why leave? You made me think . . . that since it would be hard for me to have kids, that you didn’t want me anymore.”
“No.” He presses a desperate kiss to my lips. It’s rough and powerful. “No, Ava. Is that what you thought? That because of your surgery, I wouldn’t want you?”
“What was I supposed to think? You said you weren’t sure if we were going to work anymore. For a broken-hearted girl who just had a pretty life-changing surgery, yeah, that’s where my head went.”
“I hate the idiot who made you think that.”
I snort a wet laugh. Ryder kisses my neck, my jaw; he slowly shakes his head and allows me to slide back to my feet.
“Your ability to have kids would never change how I feel about you. I . . . I found out about your acceptance to the design program here, and back then I felt selfish for dragging you tomyschool when you could be reaching your goals here.”
I’m a little stunned. “I never told you about the program.”
“I know.”
“Ryder, I was looking at design programs in Washington.”
His eyes darken. “You never said—”
“I know, but we were going through some stuff at the time.” My heart thuds against my ribs. “Do you really think you were a disruption? Do you think that’s all I thought about you?” My voice cracks. “I wanted a life with you, Ryder! I wanted everything with you. I know you said it didn’t matter to you, but losing our—”
Ryder backs me against the wall again before I can finish, a furious look on his face. He yanks up his sleeve and shows me the tattoo of a date.
My heart snaps in two. “You . . . that’s the due date.”
“Everything mattered to me.” Ryder grips my jaw gently; his thumb brushes over my bottom lip. “I wanted our baby. I wanted you.”
A tear drips down my cheek. He brushes it away. “Then why would you think I didn’t . . .” My voice trails off for a few breaths.
