Page 107 of Searching for Valor

She laughed. “I can tell. How do you feel?”

His skin tingled where she touched him, even through the fabric of his Henley. “Better,” he admitted. “Still have bad days, but at least now my first instinct isn’t to take a drink.”

“Progress, not perfection, right?”

“Something like that.” He nodded toward the party. “Quite the turnout for Kian’s big day. I knew Zak had a big family, but…“ He looked at the Hendricks clan and watched as Zak’sbrothers teased him while his sisters fawned over the baby. “That’s a big fucking family.”

“Bigger than mine, but only because none of my siblings have kids yet.” She smirked. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if Mateo and Monica end up at the altar soon. He’s smitten with her. And with Grace and Noah. So maybe Abuela will finally have some great-grandkids to spoil.”

“How do you feel about that? I know you were conflicted.”

“Like you were with Pierce and Rhiannon?”

He searched for his sister and her fiance and spotted them standing with Zak’s parents. Rhiannon was showing off her ring, and it made him smile. “I got over it.”

Izzy followed his gaze, her smile widening when she saw who he was looking at. “I did, too. Mateo’s happy. Monica’s happy. Grace and Noah are happy, and they deserve it after what they went through. So how could I not be happy for them?” She glanced at him, her expression softening. “We all deserve a chance at happiness, don’t we?”

His heart stuttered in his chest. He wanted to reach for her, pull her into his arms, and never let go. But he held himself back, unsure if she was ready for that. If he was ready for that.

“We do,” he agreed quietly. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe we can have it, though. That we… that I… deserve it, after everything.”

Izzy turned to face him fully, her gaze searching his. “Rylan. You absolutely deserve happiness. You’re a good man. One of the best I know.” She hesitated, then reached out to take his hand, twining their fingers together. “I know I hurt you. I’ve been trying to make up for it, but sometimes it feels like… I don’t know. Like I can’t.”

The distance between them was unbearable. He stepped closer until their bodies touched, and it still wasn’t close enough. “Because you don’t have to make up for anything. Not with me.What happened wasn’t just on you. I was angry, yeah, but I never stopped—” He paused, his throat tightening. “I never stopped caring about you.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his, wide and searching. “You mean that?”

“Yeah,” he said, the word carrying the weight of every sleepless night spent thinking about her. “I mean it. You’re the reason I made it through those six weeks in rehab. Every time I wanted to quit, I thought about you. About what it would mean to finally be someone who deserved you.”

Her breath hitched, and tears glistened in her eyes. He hesitated, then reached out, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. She leaned into the touch, her warmth anchoring him in a way nothing else could.

“You already deserve me, Rylan,” she whispered. “You always have.”

Her words broke something open inside him, and he let out a shaky breath. “You’re my… everything, Izzy. I didn’t realize it until you weren’t there. And I don’t want to go another day pretending I don’t need you.”

Izzy’s tears spilled over, but her smile was radiant. “Then don’t.”

It was so simple, so raw, and it left him feeling like the world had shifted beneath his feet. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to tell her she owned every broken piece of him if she’d have it.

But he held back, knowing this wasn’t about rushing—it was about laying the foundation for something solid and real.

They stood there for a long moment, the sounds of the party fading into the background as the mist thickened around them.

She was the first to break the silence. She smiled up at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Do you want to get out of here?”

Anticipation and desire crackled through him like a live wire. “Yeah. Definitely.”

Izzy sank down on him and let out the sexiest sound Rylan had ever heard. She moved, her sweat-slicked skin glistening in the soft light of his bedside lamp. It was the second time tonight, and still, he couldn’t get enough. Would never get enough of being buried balls-deep in her sweet heat. Her muscles clenched around him as she rode, each glide of her body stoking the fire building at the base of his spine. Rylan gripped her hip and fought the urge to take control, to flip her over and drive into her the way his body demanded. But he’d taken off his prosthetic and wouldn’t have the balance he’d need.

Besides, tonight was all about relearning each other after so much time apart. He’d already taken her the way he wanted to the first time, hard and fast the moment they stepped through the door, half-dressed and desperate, with her bent so far over the couch she bit the cushion to muffle her screams since the front door was still hanging open.

Now it was her turn, and if she wanted to torture him with this slow, maddening rhythm, he would gladly submit to her delicious torment. His gaze locked onto hers, the deep amber of her eyes darkened with lust and an emotion he dared not name. Not yet. Not until he was sure they could move past the hurt and betrayal that had torn them apart.

Izzy leaned forward, her hands splayed on his chest as she rolled her hips, taking him deeper. Rylan’s breath hissed out between clenched teeth. His hand slid up her sweat-slicked back to tangle in her chestnut waves, pulling her down for a searing kiss. She opened for him, her tongue sliding against his in a sensual dance that mirrored the movement of their bodies.

“Rylan,” she gasped against his lips, her voice a breathless plea. “I need... I need...”

“I know, darlin’.”

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