Page 58 of Hidden By His Side

Summer was more complicated than anyone he’d ever known. Each layer he peeled away, each secret mental hurdle he solved, only led to the next one. He could have a lifetime with her and still not understand her fully.

She stood in the hallway, as if captured by his stare. She wore a different pajama set tonight. The white blossoms weaved throughout the gray cotton were almost delicate.

He preferred her in the pajamas with smiling sunflowers.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, her arms curling around her torso, as if holding a part of her inside, hidden from everyoneelse’s eyes.

He craved that part of her she was hiding. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had every part of her.

Ramiro’s long strides took him to her side. She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

“I’m thinking about you, baby girl,” Ramiro murmured, rewarded when she relaxed against him. “I’m always thinking about you.”

“That must be very boring,” she mumbled into his bare shoulder.

He snorted. “You are many things, Summer, but boring is not one of them.” The distance to the bedroom shrank as he carried her down the hall. “Ten years, and the way your mind works is still a mystery to me.”

“That’s not true.” The brush of her lips against his shoulder was so light he wondered if he’d imagined it. Summer lifted her head, winding her arms around his neck. “You know me better than anyone,” she whispered, her face drawing closer. “And I want you to know even more.”

Summer was going to kiss him. The realization had barely processed before her mouth moved against his, warm and delicious and not the least bit uncertain.

Summer didn’t just kiss him. She devoured him.

He didn’t have control over the kiss. Summer owned every part of it. She owned every part of him. That was never going to change.

Her tongue pushed inside his mouth to stroke, and his hands found her ass, hauling her against him as her legs wrapped around his waist on their own. The way she sucked on his tongue sent a shudder through him. She buried her hands in his hair, not giving him any room to pull away or stop.

He didn’t want to stop. If Summer wanted to kiss him, he was hers to kiss. Anything she wanted from him, he was hers. Ramiro had been made for her.

Whatever she wanted tonight, she would get. She just had to take it for herself.

Chapter 19

One of the best things about kissing, especially about kissing Ramiro, was the inability to think. Summer was all feeling. Her legs were tight around him, her chest was snug against his, and her hands gripped his hair in a way that must have hurt, but she couldn’t stop.

Everything was so good—the way he tasted, like mint and warmth and him, the way his tongue returned her strokes, sending sensation everywhere they touched. She let out little hums of need. Her own sounds were driving her crazy, but she craved his. She wanted to make him as crazed as she was.

For the first time, she really thought that was possible.

Her hands tugged on his hair to tilt his head so she could seal her mouth against his at the perfect angle. They shared the same breath. Maybe, once he was inside her, it’d finally feel like they shared the same body as well.

He finished moving to the bed and sat on the edge with her in his lap. His hands left her ass, and she whimpered in protest. The way he cupped her head was nice, but it was gentle.

Worry filtered into her mind, replacing her instinct for more. If he was being gentle with her, did that mean he didn’t want her as much as she wanted him? Was he doing her a favor again, letting her use his body even though that wasn’t what he wanted?

His hands shifted her head, and the new angle deepened their kiss. Sensation speared through her like an arrow, making her whine a little. His lips were magic. His tongue was a miracle. And his hands…

They were still in her hair. Shadowy swirls shifted in her memory, revealing a sharp tug on her hair that poured ice over her body.

She lifted her head, staring into Ramiro’s warm, brown eyes to ground herself. She’d recognize his eyes anywhere. His scent as well, that citrusy vanilla spice that she craved.

She was with Ramiro. Nothing could hurt her when she was in his arms.

“Okay, baby girl?” he asked, his voice a husky puff of breath against her lips. She’d done that. She’d made him breathless from kisses.

She grabbed his hands. He gave in to her easily, letting her draw them down her sides and around to her ass. “Put them hereagain.”

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