Page 73 of Crazy for You

He hauled her up against his chest and kissed her senseless. “Baby, that was so much better than you could ever know.”

“You working tomorrow?” Ryan nuzzled his face into Emma’s hair, breathing in her fresh scent. They’d made it back to her place after their little rendezvous on the back of his bike and he’d fucked her senseless here in her bed. Funny how his need for her never seemed to lessen. If anything, it grew stronger each day.

She shook her head in answer to his question. “You?”

“Not ’til noon.”

“You want to stay?” she asked, her arms tightening around him.

“Yeah.” He wanted it more than anything. “But I may need to make a run for some food. I’ve been hungry all damn day.”

“You missed lunch,” she murmured.

“And supper.”

“Oh wow.” She sat up. “You are hungry, then. I think I have steaks in the freezer. We could toss them on the grill?”

“Sounds great.” He climbed out of bed and started pulling his clothes back on.

Emma did the same. She went into the kitchen while he went out onto her patio to start the grill. By the time he had it nice and hot, she had the steaks thawed and seasoned. “I threw a couple of potatoes in the oven, too.”

“Steak and potatoes. You know the way to a man’s heart.” He had no idea where those words came from, but he’d blame it on being famished.

Emma gave him a funny look but said nothing.

They didn’t talk much while they cooked, and while he was still somewhat tongue-tied over what he’d just said, the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. Once he’d devoured enough food to fill the aching void inside him, he sat back with a satisfied sigh.

Emma slid closer, her shoulder bumping into his. “You want to tell me about it now?”

“Yeah.” He did, too. “Trent’s parents came to see me tonight.”

“And it didn’t go well.”

“No. And then I lost my cool, which was stupid.”

“You’re only human, and they’ve been awful to you.” She ran a hand down his back. “You did wait until after they’d left to punch your fist through the wall, though, right?”

He choked on a laugh. “Yeah.”

“Good.” She smiled, but it looked sad. “I’m sorry. I thought this would be your chance to finally set things right with them.”

“Yeah. I was hoping that, too.” And now he felt only a bone-deep weariness. “Trent’s an adult now, legally. They can’t stop him from visiting, but I hate for the kid to feel like he has to choose between us.”

“They never should have kept you apart,” she said softly.

“No.” In that word, he felt all the pain come crashing down on him, the pain of being an eleven-year-old kid all alone in the world, of being an eighteen-year-old who’d aged out of the system with nothing to show for it. No home, no family, no place in the world. The pain of all the years he’d spent searching for Trent, when all it would have taken was one phone call from the Lamars to set it right.

Emma was still in bed when Ryan left the next morning. They’d been up late, really late, and she wasn’t feeling in any hurry to move. She rolled over, replaying in her mind the naughty things they’d done on his motorcycle. Ryan pushed her outside her comfort zone, except he didn’t—because he was never the one pushing. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone when she was with him, and she liked that. She really liked that.

She liked everything about being with him, and she wasn’t even trying to deny—to herself at least—that she was in love with him. Nope. She was all in, but she was a big girl. She’d always carried a torch for Ryan, and she could continue to bear it after they broke up. If they broke up. Because she wasn’t an idiot. This thing between them wasn’t just sex.

He’d come to her last night when he was hurting. He’d opened himself to her, let her comfort him. They’d shared things, done things, that spoke to a much deeper connection.

Would he ever be ready or willing to admit it? She didn’t know. For now, she was content with things the way they were. They’d only been together a few weeks, after all, and Ryan was still adjusting to a more stable life here in Haven.

If she got accepted at the University of Georgia, then it would be time for them to have a serious talk about their future together. Otherwise…

With a sigh, she climbed out of bed, sending an offended Smokey stalking off in the direction of the living room. Already naked from her mostly sleepless night with Ryan, she headed straight for the shower.

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