Page 8 of Hard Ride

“So you want to be pals again, is that what you’re saying?”Kyra tried to seem indifferent, but the fact that she closed her eyes to avoid meeting his stare despite their proximity made him certain he’d hurt her.Was still doing it, too.

And that had to stop right then or he’d never forgive himself.

“That would be the proper thing to do…” Van drew a deep breath, then admitted, “Except I’m tired of being responsible.”

“Prove it.”Kyra opened her eyes, shooting him a blatant dare from their emerald depths.

So Van did the only thing he could think of.He crawled into the bunk with her.The confined space didn’t leave much room for air.That was one reason he could think of for how hard it was to fill his lungs while Kyra’s luscious body rested beneath his.

He met her shocked gaze, mesmerized by her dilating pupils.Rings of neon green surrounded them.From this close, he noticed there were also yellow flecks he hadn’t seen before.How many other nuances had he overlooked while deliberately trying not to scrutinize every luscious detail of her?It had been torture being so close and yet never allowing himself to fully appreciate her.

Enough.He was done with that.

If it meant he lost his job, so what?Jordan had walked from his for Wren and for Kason.Kason had risked his for Jordan and Wren.Shouldn’t Van be willing to do the same for the woman he adored and had for years?

“Van?”Kyra wheezed.

“Yeah.”

“You going to lay there like a sack of cement or are you on top of me for a reason?”She lay perfectly still beneath him, unyielding.

Maybe he’d read things wrong.Maybe she’d moved on and was waiting for Ollie to call.

No!He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Van wasn’t great with words.So he showed her how he felt instead.

He settled fully between her thighs and aligned their pelvises.There was no way she’d be able to mistake the bulge of his cock against her mound.The contact made him groan.

Then there was no turning back.He dipped his head and slanted his mouth over hers.

She didn’t try to kill him, so he hoped she was onboard.

When she moaned between his lips and put her arms around him, locking him to her, he kissed her in earnest.It probably made him an asshole, but seeing Ollie doing this to her had made his instincts roar.He’d been turned on, too.But mostly jealous that he wasn’t the one making her melt.

The memory spurred him.He had to make sure she enjoyed what they were doing at least as much as she’d appeared to be getting off on locking lips with Ollie.Or touching herself.Son of a bitch, that vision was going to be burned in his brain for the rest of his life.

To increase his odds of beating the competition, Van let his hand wander from her shoulder inward.He lifted up just enough to allow his fingers to snake between them and cup her breast.

He’d always wanted to feel how soft her pale skin was there.It wasn’t that he’d been trying to spy on her, but they lived together on a bus for God’s sake.He’d glimpsed her stealth-changing or getting out of the shower more times than he could count.Hell, he’d locked himself in the bathroom and jerked off to those accidental peeps often enough that they were probably one of his top five things to fantasize about.

Sleeping directly across the aisle from her, and watching the shadows of her lithe form projected onto the curtain separating them, he’d swear he’d even seen her doing the same once or twice.At least he liked to imagine he had.Especially after what he’d just interrupted.It was going to become his new favorite thing to recall as he touched himself, he was sure.

Or maybe what they were about to do instead.

Because he didn’t have to pretend anymore.Van kneaded her like he’d wished he could have all those nights they spent so close and yet so far apart.His hands tingled finally being filled with her instead of only the thoughts of what it might be like to touch her intimately.

Kyra moaned into his mouth and arched against him.

He was glad to accommodate her unspoken request.Van increased his grip and flicked his thumb over her pierced nipples.He’d always guessed at what it would be like to suck on them.

No wonder he’d damn near killed himself attempting to appear indifferent.Did she have any idea how difficult she’d innocently made it to concentrate on his duties by being so fucking sexy?

Around her, his professionalism was always on the verge of collapse.And now…

It was too late to salvage it.

Van groaned when Kyra wrapped her legs around his hips and began to rub against him in a full-body hug.Her core cushioned his steely cock and tempted him with the lushness he was sure he’d find beneath her cotton pants.

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