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Chapter Twenty-Three
Ellie
“Youshouldn’tsaythingslike that,” I said, shaking my head.
Ty frowned, that line forming between his brows. “Why not? It’s the truth.”
I swallowed. “It sounds…it sounds like you mean something else.”
He arched a brow. “Something else? Like something more than friends?” He paused. “Would that be so bad?”
My stomach plummeted like I was free falling. He couldn’t say those things. He couldn’t bring us there…I shook my head but no words came from my mouth. I couldn’t find them. Fear gripped me in a vice, suffocating me. But there was also a tiny, small spark of excitement. Of longing.
Ty turned his body toward me, getting up on his knees, but staying firmly on the blanket. My toes stayed just outside the quilt’s edges.
“I know that it’s scary. I know that you may still hate me. But I can’t hate you, Ellie. And I can’t leave you here alone. Not anymore. I may not be able to save you, but I’m going to stay by your side until you find the strength to save yourself.”
My eyes burned, but I blinked the tears away. I had wanted to hate Tyson Ranes for the rest of forever. I wanted to loathe him for what he did—for abandoning me when I never thought he would. But I never hated him, not for one moment. I had always loved him. Always.
I sank to my knees, kneeling on the quilt before him. His eyes widened as our bodies inched closer. There was barely any space between us. Heat radiated from him, even in the muggy summer night, I felt it.
“Do you remember when we were kids and you taught me how to swim?”
Ty stared at me, his expression slightly confused. “Yeah.” He nodded. “You were terrified. You hated me for making you do it.”
My fingers ached to reach out and touch him. “But I learned. And when I fell into the river, even though I was scared, I didn’t need anyone else to save me.”
He smiled, and then he filled the space between us, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his forehead against mine. He breathed in deep through his nose and I placed my hands on his chest where his heart pounded beneath my palms. It was erratic, fluttering almost as fast as mine. We stayed there, both of us on our knees, pressed up against each other as if we had always known ourselves this way. As if we hadn’t spent almost our entire lives fighting what we both wanted.
“Tyson?” I whispered. His pulse spiked even more though he didn’t show it. He barely moved, only tightened his hold around my waist.
“Hmmm?”
I tilted my head to look at him. Those beautiful, deep hazel eyes that sparkled in the dim light from the lantern above us. “I never hated you.”
His hands moved leisurely up my body, as if he was trying to memorize every dip and curve until they stopped, cupping my face. “I’m so glad to hear that,” he said, his voice low and husky.
“I’m so sorry for all the things I said—”
He placed a thumb over my lips, silencing me. “I deserved it.”
I shook my head, but his thumb stayed on my lips. His eyes flicked down to them, and he caressed them gently back and forth, tracing the shape with the pad of his thumb. My mouth fell open as goosebumps prickled down my skin.
Ty swallowed, his throat bobbing. “You are utterly breathtaking, Ellie.”
Heat flared in my chest, spreading through my veins. My eyes bounced to the perfect shape of his mouth. The lips that I knew felt so good against mine.
“Tyson?” His name was nothing but a whisper.
“Yeah?” Our hot breaths mingled as we suddenly couldn’t seem to get enough air. I shivered.
“Please.” I sucked in air that wasn’t enough. “Just kiss me.”
Ty didn’t hesitate. But unlike our last kiss, when his lips met mine, they were soft and tender. Where our first kiss had been hungry and frantic, this was slow…almost torturously so. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning into him as our lips explored, tasting and sucking and nipping.
My skin buzzed with electricity. My mind focused on nothing but the feel of him, of his taste and his hands drifting unrushed along my body. His nails dragged softly down my back, sending waves of tingles along my nerves. A small noise I couldn’t contain slipped from my throat. It seemed to stir something in Ty because his lips moved faster against mine. His hands tightened, gripping my hips.
I gasped as he tugged me forward, sitting back and pulling me onto his lap. His mouth moved from my lips, roaming down my neck and I gasped for air. He went lower, kissing along my collarbone. My heart felt like it was going to explode as his hands shifted to my shoulders, slipping beneath the thin straps of my tank top.
