Page 72 of Wilder Puck
A sob catches in my throat, my heart cracking wide open.
“I love you,” he says, simple and sure that it takes my breath away. “I'm in love with you, Ads. Have been for years. All I can think about is you…and us…and I want this so fucking badly.”
A single tear slips down my cheek and he thumbs it away. I'm shaking, overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings, the genuine tone in his voice.
He means it. Every word.
But still, the doubts linger. Not in him, never in him. But in myself, in my ability to be what he needs. What he deserves.
“You love me?” It comes out small, disbelieving. Like I'm waiting for the punchline, the 'just kidding' that will shatter me into a million pieces.
But it never comes. He just smiles, soft and achingly sweet, and brushes his lips over my forehead. “I love you,” he repeats. “Every stubborn, beautiful inch of you. And I'll spend every day proving it if that's what it takes.”
I make a sound that's halfway between a laugh and a sob, my heart so full it feels like it might burst. “I love you too, you know. So much it scares the hell out of me.”
“I know, baby.” He grins, quick and blinding.
And then he's kissing me, soft and sweet it brings fresh tears to my eyes. I lean into him, letting his warmth and strength and love wash over me, through me.
He can't fix everything. He can't bring my mom back or make my landlord less of a greedy prick. He can't erase a lifetime of abandonment issues with a few pretty words.
But he can hold me. He can love me. He can stand by my side. He can tell me that he loves me, and my life feels a little more complete. Because with every fucking ounce of me, I absolutely love Ryan Wilder.
He cradles my face in his big hands, his touch achingly tender. “I just want you, exactly as you are, Baddie. Stubborn streak, commitment issues, and all.”
A watery laugh bubbles out of me. “You sure know how to sweet talk, Wilder.”
“I'm serious.” His thumb strokes over my cheekbone. “I see you, Addison. The good, the bad. I know you, and I love every bit of you. Holy fuck that feels so good to say. So, let me prove it. Let me show you, every day, how fucking gone I am for you.”
The way that Ryan is looking at me is like I'm his whole world. And I’ve ignored this look for years. He’s always looked at me this way. He's so certain of us. Of me. Of how he feels for me.
I want to borrow some of that certainty and be unafraid to love him. I think that’s fair. If he’s waited all this time for me to stop being emotionallystubborn, I owe him that much. I say emotionally stubborn lightly because I have been so in love with him too that it’s stupid how many years we let pass by.
“So, you’re moving, right?” he asks when we finally break apart. I’m smiling through happy tears, winding my arms around his neck.
I nod lightly.
His smile is brighter than the sun. “Fuck, I love you. I love you so much. I’m a fucking idiot for not saying it sooner. I’m sorry.”
This is real. He ismine.
“Baddie, I want you so much. All the damn time.”
My body trembles, the feeling settling low in my belly.
He takes my mouth again, hot and thorough, licking deep. I melt into him, my bones melting. God, how is it possiblethat it just keeps getting better every time? That I want him more with each kiss and each touch?
Ryan's hands skim down to my thighs, gripping tight as he hitches me up and wraps my legs around his waist. I cling to his shoulders, gasping into his mouth as he carries us to the bedroom. He lays me out on the bed like I'm something precious, his eyes roaming over me with open hunger.
“You’re all mine,” he rasps, trailing his fingers down my sternum.
I arch into his touch, my skin pebbling with goosebumps. “I am. Does that mean we’re officially together?”
A smile flashes across his face. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows hard. “I would love it if you were my girlfriend.”
My heart clenches and I reach for him, lacing our fingers together. “Me too.”
For a second, I think I made the moment awkward, maybe pushed too much, but then he falls onto me, crashing our mouths together like he couldn't hold back another second.
