My hands covered my mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
Ryder smiled and nodded. “I didn’t bring you hear to tell you a sad story. I brought you here to start a new one.”
My chest fluttered. I was feeling so many different emotions. “A new one?”
His hand caressed my face softly as his thumb ran lightly over my skin. “Yeah, buttercup. Our story.”
I’d never in my life felt this way, and I was beginning to wonder if this was what love really felt like. There was no way I could possibly be in love with Ryder. There was no doubt there was something amazing between us, but I wasn’t ready to say it was love.
“You swooned me again,” I whispered.
Ryder’s lips moved lightly across mine as he softly spoke. “I’m starting to think this swooning thing is something good.”
A moan escaped from my mouth when his hand cupped my breast. “Very, very good thing.”
The warmth of his body was gone and I instantly missed it. Ryder lifted the oil lamp and held it up, lighting up more of the space. It was then I noticed it was two stories.
“There’s an upstairs?”
Ryder smiled. “Yeah, the bedrooms are up there. Only two.”
I walked around the small room and took everything in the best I could in the light and current state I was in … which was a complete mess. From the story about his sister, to his utterly beautiful job of sweeping me off my feet. My libido was begging for me to strip down in the middle of the tiny room and beg Ryder to take me.
“Oh Ryder, this is so charming. I’d love to see it during the day.”
His arms wrapped around my body as he nestled his face into my neck. “I can arrange for that. Only if you promise to spend the night with me here.”
With a smile, I lifted my hand and ran it through his soft hair. “You have no idea how happy you just made me.”
He spun me around and looked deeply into my eyes. “Let me make love to you.”
My lips pressed together as I fought to talk without my voice cracking. I’ve never had a guy romance me like this before. I’ve heard stories about things like this, mainly from my mother when she and her book club would talk about a book they just read and their current book boyfriends, as they called them. A few friends in college would share stories about how romantic their boyfriends were, but no one had ever treated me or talked to me like Ryder did. I thought I had found something different with Johnny, but I was so wrong. I never knew what falling in love was until I met Ryder. The way he made me feel was … magical.
“Please, Ryder. I can’t wait any longer. Please.”
With my hand in his, he led me up the narrow staircase. On each side there was a door. Ryder turned to the right and led me into a room that was just big enough to hold a full-size bed and two small nightstands. The only other thing in the room was a quilt rack that housed a few quilts on it.
“Everything is clean; my mother thought I might want to stay here.”
I nodded my head as I tore up the corner of my lip. What if I sucked? I mean, I thought I was pretty good in bed, but I never really thought to ask any of my past boyfriends how they rated me.
Ryder dropped my hand and walked over to a side table. Placing the oil lamp on it, he turned and looked at me.
I frantically began rubbing my hands together as I barely said, “I’m scared.”
His face was so beautiful in the light; I felt tears beginning to pool in my eyes. “Why are you scared, Ava?”
With a quick shrug, I shook my head. “What if I’m not any good? Like, I really suck in the sex department and you’re so disgusted you have to leave in the middle of it all.”
Ryder pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed to the side. “Nonsense. There is nothing about you I don’t love.”
Oh. My. God. He said the L word. Do I panic?
No.
Do I say it back?
Hell no! He didn’t tell you he loved you, Ava. He said he loved everything about you.
Isn’t that the same thing?
No. Totally not the same thing. He’s thinking with his little man and that’s all. It was a slip of the tongue.
As my mind argued with itself, I watched Ryder remove his boots, and then his belt. One quick push down of his pants and I was gasping for air.
Holy living shit balls. He was for sure not thinking with his little man, because he was far from little.
“I don’t think you’re going to fit inside of me!” I blurted out without thinking.
Ryder laughed as he took himself in his hand and I had a mini orgasm right there on the spot. “Okay well … you have successfully caused my panties to go wet.”
Lifting his eyebrow, he stroked himself slowly as he walked up to me. “Do you want me to undress you, Ava, or do you want to undress yourself?”
This was getting embarrassing. I couldn’t pull my eyes from his hand stroking himself. It was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. Forcing myself to move, I quickly undressed myself except for the tan lace panties and matching bra I had on.