Page 46 of Rushing Into Love

“Cheers,” I said, raising my glass to hers. “To not going back to LA.”

She blushed, clinked my glass. “To staying in Peachtree Grove for now.”

I hoped I could convince her to stay, at least through football season. I figured that’d be enough time to decide if we were meant to be on the same team or not.

* * *

The food was fantastic—MamaTivola did not disappoint—and we weren’t blitzed by any paparazzi, so the date was going great so far.

“You ready to get out of here?” I asked after paying the check. Her cheeks were pink from the warmth of the restaurant and the wine and her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. If we weren’t in public, I would’ve leaned over and kissed her, but due to everything that’d happened over the past two weeks, I held back.

“Yes.” She smiled. “Dinner was delicious, Ryder, thank you.” She squeezed my hand and my pulse shot up, my heart beating double time.

“You’re welcome,” I said, standing and helping her to her feet. Taking her hand, I laced my fingers with hers and led her out of the restaurant, careful to avoid eye contact so I wouldn’t get chatted up by any of the other diners.

A cold blast of air whipped around us as we hit the sidewalk. I wrapped my arm around Bree to keep her warm and we walked quickly back to the lot.

“Are you good coming back to my place?” I asked, starting the ignition.

“Yes. What time will Charlie be getting back home?”

“My mom is keeping him all night,” I said, meeting her gaze.

A smile danced across her lips and she smoothed her hair. My pulse picked up again, my heart hammering away in my chest. The wine had mellowed me back at the restaurant, but now my muscles tensed.

I drove through town, turning down my road, parked the car in front of my house. Taking Bree’s hand, I led her up the stairs to my house.

I’d left a lamp on in the living room, but other than the soft yellow circle of light on the side table, the house was dark.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

“No, I’m good.” Her eyes met mine and I stepped in closer, pulling her to me. Tilting her chin up, I ran my thumb over her smooth cheek, tracing the outline of her lips. She leaned in and I kissed her softly on the lips, savoring her slightly salty taste. I kissed her harder, parting her lips with my tongue. She let out a soft moan and every muscle in my body tensed with desire. After a few seconds, I inched away from her, taking her by the hand and leading her out of the foyer, through the living room, to the sofa where we’d been the night before. She met my gaze, gave me a slight nod of encouragement. Wordlessly, I bypassed the couch and led her to my bedroom.

Out of habit, I shut the door behind me and locked it, even though Charlie was with my mother and wouldn’t be back for the rest of the night. I turned back to Bree and she smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing pink. I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to my bed, laying her down gently.

Starting at her feet, I undressed her slowly, bit by bit, taking my time. I tiptoed from her calves to her thighs, rubbing her smooth legs with the palms of my hands. Her body tensed and arced towards me. I moved up to her waist, sliding her jeans off and letting them pool on the ground.

I paused, untucking my shirt and pulling it over my head. Carelessly, I threw it on the floor next to her jeans. Bree took my cue, peeling off her own blouse. She held it in her fingers suggestively, then let it drop to the ground. My breath hitched in my throat and blood rushed through my body, flooding my system with adrenaline. I needed to make contact with her more than I’d needed anything—or anyone—in a long time.

I kicked my jeans off, and in one swift move my body was hovering mere inches over hers. She fit perfectly beneath me, my forearms resting alongside her shoulders, her thighs in between mine. Heat shimmered between us, a pulsating current of longing. Pressing my body to hers, she arched up to meet me, a soft gasp escaping her lips. I locked eyes with her, skimming my hand down her neck, over the sharp edge of her collarbone, trailing a finger down the edges of her bra, to the swell of her breast. I thumbed lightly at the lace edges of her lingerie, tracing the outline, teasing her. She inhaled sharply, wrapping her legs around my torso, forcing me closer to her. I lifted my chest, pulling back to gaze at her in the soft light before I slowly undid her bra, easing it down her shoulders, finally letting it fall to the ground with the rest of her clothing.

I caressed her skin, cupping her breasts in my hands, kissing her lips, then her neck, then each breast in turn. She let out a soft moan, so I continued, working my way down towards her belly button, finally easing her panties off. She lay naked on my bed, radiant. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. My body pulsed with need. I stripped down, pulling her body close to mine, letting the warmth of her seep into me.

Reaching over to my nightstand, I grabbed a foil packet, opened it with my teeth.

“Probably should use one of these,” I murmured, rolling it on, as she nodded in agreement.

Taking her face in my hands again, I kissed her hard and deep. She arched her back and I eased into her slowly, her body yielding to me, surrounding me, our flesh melding into one. We started to move gently, rhythmically, rocking with each other. My nerves were on fire, need zinging through me, and my breathing was getting shallower by the second. Picking up speed, our bodies moved as one. I inhaled sharply as we crested together, riding the wave of our desire. She gripped me hard, crying out, then quivered against me. Holding her tight, I stroked her back as the aftershocks rippled through her body.

We lay there for a long while, neither of us saying a word, just enjoying the moment.

It was the happiest I’d been in forever and it wasn’t only the endorphin rush that came from finally making a touchdown. With Bree lying beside me in my bed, I was content and all seemed right in the world.

13

Bree

Ryder had rocked my world. So much for taking it slow. I’d basically just broken every rule of dating, but damn, it had been good.

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