Page 24 of Hook Up

“Did you really want to dance with that guy?”

“Not particularly,” I remark, glancing at the handsome gentleman across the floor.

“Do you want to dance with me?”

Moving my gaze to meet his, I capture my lower lip between my teeth, fully aware Ryder is watching my every move. “If I say yes, that makes it too easy. Women always come easy for you.”

Ryder chuckles, his lips moving against my ear. “Greer, I’ve waited twenty years for this moment. Nothing about you has been easy.”

“You weren’t waiting for me.”

He stops moving, his gaze focused on me with such intensity I fear I might melt into a puddle. “My heart was.”

And now my heart pounds like a runaway freight train, my entire body trembling under the weight of his words. “That was really good. Next level good.”

Dipping his head, his mouth grazes against mine. “Good enough for a thank you kiss?”

“Definitely.” I press a chaste but soft kiss on his lips, pulling back before I totally lose myself to the moment.

Ryder skews his mouth, shooting me a mock glare. “I’m not sure how grateful you are with a kiss like that, and I know you have the most amazing mouth in the world.”

“Shall I show you again?”

“A million more times.”

I can’t fight the high I feel being in his arms, or the sparks flooding my body as his hands press me ever closer. Then I hear the familiar strains of my favorite Elvis song. “Two for two. Lucky guess?”

“Not a guess, a photographic memory. I told you on New Year’s Eve that I remember everything about you. It still holds true today, but for the last eight years I’ve also carried the knowledge of how you kiss.” His mouth nuzzles my neck, and I tilt my head to give him better access. “How you taste. Your body has always been gorgeous, but now you’re absolutely incredible.”

Ryder runs his tongue along his lip, the hunger raging in his face.

Rising on tiptoe, I press a kiss to his ear. “You should see me naked.”

His breath hitches, but his grip never falters. Instead, his hands slide down my spine to wrap around my hips. “I plan on it, Gigi. And one more sexy as fuck statement from your delectable mouth and I’ll be forced to strip you down right here.”

Damn, doesn’t that sound tempting? “Is that a fact? What then?”

He grips my chin, his lips hovering against mine. “Then everything. Everything I’ve waited years to do. I’m not leaving here without making you mine. In every possible way.”

Ryder claims my mouth, his kiss hot and demanding as he splays his hands across my ass.

But unlike the slow, sensual kisses from that long-ago New Year’s Eve, this kiss borders on possessive, and with every second that passes, my body nears implosion. Ryder isn’t holding back as he hauls my body flush against him, his hands firmly against my skin.

A whoop sounds from my right and I glare at my brother, who shoots us a thumbs up. “I knew it.”

“What an ass,” Ryder chuckles, his mouth dancing against mine.

“He’syourfriend.”

“He’syourbrother.”

“Exactly. I had no choice in the matter. You went willingly.”

“I’d go anywhere to be near you,” Ryder replies, and I know my heart doesn’t stand a chance against his romantic inclinations. Or his grace on the dance floor.

“Who taught you to dance?” Yes, I’m changing the subject. I need to maintain some level of space between me and the world-famous playboy.

Ryder smiles, inching me closer. “When my dad was in the hospital, my mom wanted to keep my mind off things. To be honest, she wanted to keep her mind off things. So, she taught me to dance in the waiting rooms, swaying to the ridiculous elevator music that all hospitals play.”

---