Page 82 of Redemption

“No.”

“The world has missed out.”

Victoria touched the tip of her tongue to his lip, rubbing her mouth to his. “I didn’t notice I was missing out.”

Ryder took her mouth again, deepening the kiss as she opened for him. Crazy, how familiar they were when they weren’t that familiar. Weeks felt like years. A kiss felt as if his heart might explode.

“C’mere.” Rolling to his back, he tugged her, surprised and giggling on top of his chest. “Better?”

“Think I was fine before.” Staring down, her hair fell along both sides of his face, hiding them away from the world.

Ryder ran both his hands from her waist up her back and back down, stopping on her ass. His fingers curled, tightening over her shorts, and these curves… he’d missed them too. “Then I’m better.” He gave her butt another squeeze. “So much better, love.”

“Ryder.” She laughed against his mouth. “You’re only saying that because I’m on top of you.”

“That’s exactly why I’m saying it. Did I give you some other impression?”

She shook her head, brushing her lips against his, teasing him with her tongue each time. “I guess not.”

“Temptress.”

“Says the man who dragged me to the middle of nowhere, ran around flexing his muscles, and—”

He chuckled. “Not what I was doing.”

“That’s what I was watching.”

“A temptress and a voyeur. I had no idea.” His hands ran up her back under the shirt. “What else don’t I know about you?”

“I’ve never been naked outside…”

Tall grass waved as though to remind him they had little shelter yet somecover. All alone in nature, but it was a public park. “Funny, neither have I.”

“It’s as though we have a bucket list to work on.”

Pausing at her list reference, he let the idea roll over him then threaded his fingers into her hair. “I’ll make all kinds of lists with you.”

Victoria pressed her hips down, and the pressure rubbed against his hardening cock. He spun over, rolled over and caged her—and then thought twice, freezing in a panic.

Ryder was twice her size, nearly double in weight. He knewbetter. She been trafficked, traumatized, hurt, raped, and now he had her pinned.

“What’s the matter?” Breathless, she blinked up, confused.

“Are we okay?”

Her brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Because…” His guilt hammered hard as his self-irritation killed the mood. “I just pinned you.”

“And I loved it.” Exasperated, she wrapped her legs around his thighs. “Except, I still have clothes on.”

Her strength and complaint affected him all the way down to his erection. Still, he didn’t want to hurt her and ground his molars, forcing himself to double check. “Yeah?”

She lifted her hips, pressing against his cock. “You’re bigger than me. Stronger. I liked it when you flipped me and held me down.” Her chest heaved. “I want you to touch me. I trust you. I like how it feels to have a protective man take care of me.”

Fuck, she had all the right things to say.

“Ryder, I don’t care if you rip my clothes off because nothing you do will come from a bad place.”

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