Page 74 of Save Me

“Youarebeautiful,” he said gruffly, caressing her cheek. His gaze lingered on her face, taking in the slight flush in her cheeks, the glossy pink of her lips, and those green eyes that were far more stunning than all the emeralds in the world. “This is what I see when I look at you, because this is who you are.”

She sighed his name, her cheek resting in his hand. “I don’t even know what to say, Ryker. No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.” Letting out a low laugh, she added, “Hell, no one’s ever told me I’m beautiful. Only you.”

“I am many things, Ryleigh, but I’m not a liar.” His other hand came up to frame her face. “That leads me to something else that I need to tell you.”

“O-kay…”

Suddenly, he felt nervous and unsure of himself.

Was this the right time? Was he prepared for the chance she might reject him?

But as he studied her face, he knew this couldn’t be put off any longer. Even if she told him she didn’t feel the same way, at least he’d be done living in limbo.

“Ryleigh…it’s never been a secret how I’ve felt about you. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were someone I wanted to meet.” Swallowing hard, he continued. “When you kissed me that night in the parking lot, I couldn’t believe my good luck. Then I wanted to curse it because you weren’t coming to me because you truly wanted me. I was just a means to an end.”

“Ryker, I…”

“Please,” he interrupted. “I need to say this.”

Wordlessly, she nodded.

“I went along with your plan because I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to get to know you and give you a chance to get to know me.” He caressed her cheek again. “And you’re so much more than I ever imagined. But…” He paused briefly. “But I don’t want to pretend anymore. And to be honest, I don’t think either of us has been pretending much lately. Everything I’ve said and done is because I care about you. A lot. And I think if you were being honest with me, you’d tell me you feel more for me than just a guy playing a part.”

She blinked up at him as he held his breath and waited for her to say something.

“I don’t…I don’t know what you’re saying, Ryker,” she murmured.

“Yes, you do,” he countered. “You know exactly what I’m saying. You’re far too brilliant to play dumb with me like that.”

“I’m not sure what to say,” she blurted out, stepping away from him. “Part of the reason this has been going so well is that there’s no pressure, no expectations. What if we go from goofing around to being a real couple and…and…things don’t work out?”

“You don’t think I worry about that too? Hell, I’ve been wanting to have this talk with you for a while now and I’ve been too damn scared because I thought you’d just tell me goodbye!” he shouted. “I can’t keep going on with that kind of pressure, Ryleigh! I already changed who I am once to deal with a difficult part of my life. I don’t want to do that with you. I want you to give us a chance. Givemea chance.”

With a shaky breath, she paced a bit before walking over and picking up her wine. After downing half of it, she met his gaze head on.

“You know that now the stakes are real, right? Like…if we hang out with my family and they disapprove, it could make things awkward with us.”

He nodded. “I’m aware.”

She had already told him about the big breakthrough with her mother last night, and even though everything seemed to be settled, he knew they still had more to overcome.

Plus, he wasn’t an idiot. He’d seen every guy Kate Donovan had brought out for her daughter, and Ryker didn’t resemble any of them. He knew most parents looked at him like he was their worst nightmare, but he also knew he’d do anything for Ryleigh—especially to make her life easier and cause less stress with her family.

Well…he would once he was certain of what she was saying to him.

“So then…you agree? We’re done playing? This thing between us is 100% real?” he prompted and almost sagged with relief when she nodded.

Taking the glass from her hand, he put it back down before hauling her in close and kissing her.

And he swore it was better and sweeter than any kiss they’d ever shared.

ChapterTwelve

For some reason, Ryleigh kept expecting things to be different, but…they weren’t.

She was waiting for her feelings for Ryker to change, but…they didn’t.

But more than anything, she was prepared for people to suddenly come out and voice their disapproval, but…everything was quiet.

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