Page 5 of Paradise (Alphas Forever 4)

Ryan

Gemma, Gemma, Gemma.

She’s all I can think about now.

And the craziest thing is that I see her everywhere I look. Yesterday, I almost chased down a short blonde I spotted in a bait and tackle store on the other side of the island. Turned out to be some young surfer guy.

Good thing I didn’t grab his ass.

Even the fucking curves of my boat remind me of her. I’m on the deck right now, giving the ol’ girl a wash, and every time I run my hands over the sleek curves of my boat, it makes me wonder what it would be like to run my hands over Gemma’s rounded body.

It’s almost too much for me to handle.

I don’t know how I spent hours sitting next to her the other night at the pool without reaching out to touch her. Her suntan oil slicked legs were inches from my fingers, just tempting me. And when it reached the hottest part of the day and little beads of sweat collected in the cup of her stomach, I wanted to bend over her and lick them off. Sweet fucking Christ. She gave me a quick a hug when I stood to leave, and I swear I can still smell the scent of coconuts and berries that drifted off her skin.

“Ahoy, Cap’n. Permission to come aboard?”

I whip my head up to see Gemma standing at the edge of the pier, one hand cocked over her brow in a salute. She’s got on some little white sundress thing with thin straps, and when she drops her hand, her breasts sway back and forth under the light fabric, making me wonder if she’s got anything at all on underneath there.

“Permission granted, sailor,” I say. “What are you doing here, Gemma?” I help her step over the rail of the boat. She’s got a bag with her, too.

“Brandon’s gone again, some shark emergency in the gulf, I guess. Anyhow, I was bored, so I found a bike on his patio and decided to take a ride.” She grins and holds up the bag she brought. “I brought subs and sodas. Feel like having lunch with me?”

“Sure, I could eat,” I say. “Let’s find some shade. You really rode all the way over here?”

She shrugs. “The ride wasn’t that bad. It was kinda nice, actually.”

I grab her bag and lead her to where a Bimini top covers part of the deck, shading it from the sun. I park the bag on the table underneath and pull out a chair for her.

“Thank you,” she says. “Gosh, it’s hot today.” She lifts her hair off her neck and fans herself. Every ounce of me wants to bend over and bite the soft spot at the base of her curls.

She pats the seat next to her with a smile and starts to pull the food out of her bag, setting up lunch for us. Shit, this girl is so precious. I’ve never met anyone who seemed to be so sweetly charming. And I’ve never had a girlfriend who showed up with food in the middle of the afternoon.

Not that Gemma is my girlfriend.

But as she’s munching on chips and sipping at her strawberry soda, I realize that I really do want Gemma to be mine. Whatever that means. Girlfriend, wife…it doesn’t matter. It’s not just the months I’ve gone without a woman. It’s her. She’s the first girl I’ve known who doesn’t just make my dick hard. She also makes my heart soft.

“Gemma,” I say.

“Yeah?”

I hesitate. I want to tell her how I feel, but suddenly I’m a bit hesitant to. What if it freaks her out?

Our eyes meet, and she lifts her lips from the straw in her strawberry soda. She smiles. “What?”

“Do you even know how gorgeous you are?”

She blushes. “I don’t know about that. But thank you.”

“And sexy.”

She bites her lip.

“I want you, Gemma,” I say.

She draws in a quick breath. “I want you, too, Ryan.”

She nearly knocks me over as she flies around the table and lands on my lap. She straddles my legs, her thighs pushing tightly against mine. She presses her mouth into mine. She tastes like strawberries and sugar. I slide my fingers into her hair, tugging lightly, all while nipping at her lips.

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