Page 46 of One Spicy Summer

I don’t knock.

I just push the door open, and find her curled on her bed, crying.

"Ry?" she sniffles. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" I demand, my heart cracking wide open. "Presley, I graduate soon. Can’t we talk, please?"

She stands, wiping her cheeks, her voice trembling. "There’s no easy way to say this... but I think it’s best if we go our separate ways," she says, her voice breaking me. "You want to stay for me. I won’t be responsible for ruining your future."

The ground disappears beneath my feet.My world, my everything, shatters.

Chapter Twenty

Rygaard

Her words crush me. Staying here and not being able to have her is the last thing I want. The distance will be hard but I know we’re strong enough to survive it.

“Is that what you think?” I shout, grabbing her hand and pressing it against my chest. “That you can just throw me and what we have away like it’s nothing even though every singlebeat you feel,” I say, my voice shaking, “beats for you. The breath I inhale is filled with every scent known to man, but I only ever smell yours. My world doesn’t exist without you in it, Presley. If you tell me we’re over... it might actually kill me.”

My throat tightens, every word a struggle against the rising tide of panic. I see a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, pity maybe, but also the ghost of the love I’m desperate to hold onto.

“Please,” I whisper, the sound barely audible. “I’m going since you believe it will benefit our future.”

I reach for her hand again, hesitating inches away, terrified she’ll pull back. The air between us crackles, heavy with everything we are and everything we might lose.

Then, finally, the warmth of her hand presses back into mine, and God, I didn’t realize how much I missed her touch. Her other hand slips into my hair, pulling me down to her mouth.

My eyes fall closed. I want to stay in this feeling, live in it.

We’re good together.

Wearegood.

I’m not looking forward to the endless hand jobs or the nights I’ll sleep alone, but if that’s what it takes to have her in the end, I’ll do it. She’s already given me a taste of what it would feel like, three brutal days of being kept out of her bed.

“Ry?” she murmurs.

“I love you... and I can’t imagine living in a world where you’re not, ”

I silence her with a kiss, pouring everything I have into it.

I only break away long enough to slap the door lock in place. Seconds later, I'm back on her, showing her exactly how much I’ve missed her.

“Presley, I swear we’ll make it work. I don’t want anyone but you. And while I’m away, you never have to worry about some girl stealing my attention, thereisno other girl for me.”

“I know,” she whispers, pressing her lips to mine while I peel off her clothes.

I shed mine just as fast, nudging her onto the bed and gently parting her thighs so I can feel what I’ve been starving for.

“Loving you, Presley, is like reaching for the moon and actually holding it,” I murmur against her skin. “I love you to the moon and back, Rygaard,” she breathes as I push inside her. “Oh God, how I’ve missed you,” she moans.

“You miss me or God?” I chuckle. “Because neither of us ever left you, baby girl.”

“Shut up and show me what I’ve been missing,” she demands, dragging her nails down my back before gripping my ass to pull me deeper.

“Someone’s eager.”

“My parents are home,in case you forgot.”

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