Page 37 of Ryder

I could see it in his face, the banked tension radiating from him, as I cupped his cheeks.The thin layer of stubble along his jaw was surprisingly soft.I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.My hands were shaking, but so was he, tension thickening the air, seeming to encompass both of us in the same sphere.He was right—we both needed this, and whatever came after, we needed that as well.

I’d spent too much time ruminating over what happened the last time I was in his room, wondering where it had gone wrong and why he’d kicked me out, thinking about his cock under my palm through the denim of his pants.

I’d had boyfriends.They came in different sizes, and bigger wasn’t always better as far as a woman’s body was concerned, but I wanted Ryder and everything about him.Everything he’d said told me that despite his alpha status, he was no animal.

He was complex, with a personality that held nuances built up through all the experiences in his life.He’d said his family were all assholes and hadn’t even cared when he was rounded up and tossed in here.No one deserved such cruelty.

Not Ryder, or Sloane.

No, I wouldn’t think about that now.Sloane was safe and with Jace, bonding with him.There would be no civilized wedding, or a stylish apartment with fancy restaurants on the doorstep.She would be here in the zone under the protection of a powerful man.

I lifted my head and let my hand slip away.This was down to him now.I’d said what I wanted and had accepted all of him.I had no crystal ball to tell me about tomorrow, but if my life had taught me anything, it was to grab opportunities when they came and to experience life, because you never knew when it would be ripped away.

If I shied away from this, I would regret it the whole of my life.

“Do you think you can be still?”he asked, brushing my hair behind my ear, exposing me to his critical assessment.

His eyes, I surmised, saw far too much.

“I-I don’t know.I’ve never really thought about it.”

“How about being tied?Restrained?Do you think you can handle that?”

Heat pooled in my belly, and I swallowed.

His eyes lowered to track the movement, then lowered to where I was spread around his much larger body.

I was naked.Ryder was still fully clothed, which added an edge to the situation, making it indecorous, and I liked it very much.

“Baby, I want to do wicked things to you,”he’d said during our first intimate time together.

I trusted that he did and wanted every wicked, depraved imagining in his alpha mind played out on my body.I wanted to be tied down, restrained, vulnerable before him.He could, if he chose to, do anything to me, even without restraints.His power over me was absolute, due to a built body and an unquestionable strength many times greater than mine.Yet even knowing this, to be bound and tied was completely different.I couldn’t even begin to break free.

He hadn’t moved, but my body was rising as nerves and arousal bloomed, anticipation bringing a delectable thrill.

“Ah, baby,” he said, his face softening.“We’re going to have so much fun.”

“I never answered,” I said.

He smirked.“Em, your pussy is creaming, and your sweet scent is ripening the air.”His filthy words kicked off a heavy thud of arousal between my thighs.His big hand splayed over my tummy, making me clench.

“Do you want me to restrain you, baby, while I punish you?”

My breathing turned ragged.“Yes.”

“Good, girl,” he said.“I think you need it.I think you’re the kind of brat that can’t stay still.”

The way he said brat held affection and hunger.Did he like that about me?Did he like it when I rebelled?

I wanted to say no and for him to make me…to force me.“I want a safe word,” I said, emboldened by the heat in his stormy gray eyes.

He nodded slowly.“Yes, if you want one.”

“And next time?”I whispered, hardly daring to hope.

His lips tugged up again.He was so sinfully handsome when he smiled.

He cupped my cheek and kissed me too briefly for my liking.“Yes, next time, too.”

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