I nod, and for the first time in at least twenty-four hours, I smile, just a little. “Thanks.”
Ryder pulls me to him. I rest my head on his chest, under his chin. “He’s never going to hurt you again,” he says. “And I know you can look after yourself, but you don’t have to do it alone now. I’m here to protect you, too.”
He kisses the top of my head, and I close my eyes, so tired suddenly, but not just from last night’s sleeplessness. I feel exhausted, like I’ve been walking backwards for two years and finally, I’m home.
CASSIE
CH. 26
I roll over in Ryder’s bed, still half asleep and fully in his arms, soft sunlight just starting to shine outside the glass balcony doors.
“Hi,” he whispers, hugging me into him tightly, his eyes still closed.
I touch his face, running my hand across his cheekbone, down his jaw, brushing under his bottom lip. When he kisses my fingertips, my whole body warms, and instinctively, I press my hips against him. He presses back, his morning erection nudging between my thighs. We’re undressed under the sheets, just like always when we sleep together, naked and vulnerable, and yet I feel so safe with him at the same time. There’s nothing to hide behind when I’m with Ryder like this, and after our talk last night in the gym, I know now there’s no need to hide anyway.
We lie in the middle of his gigantic bed. I try to imagine how we look from above tangled together like this, the peachy tones of skin standing out from the white of his sheets, a burst of color from his sleeve tattoos. His arm is draped across my shoulder, and he reaches up to stroke the back of my head.
“I love waking up with you,” he says.
I run my hands across his taut side muscles, down to his ass. “Good,” I say. “I love being here.”
“Maybe you should plan to stay over all week,” he says. “Just in case.”
“In case what?”
He opens his eyes and gazes at me. For a few seconds he says nothing, his face long with worry. “We don’t know where Sebastian is.”
It’s true. I’m hoping Sebastian’s recent radio silence means he got the message Sunday night and that our encounter then was the final chapter of our horror story. I sigh and kiss Ryder’s forehead. “But we know he’s not at Altitude, where I’ll be with you the whole day after I run home and change clothes.”
“Leave your car here and I’ll take you to your house.”
“No, that’s okay,” I say. “I’m meeting Shelby later so I’ll need my car.”
Ryder raises onto his elbow, resting his head in one hand. Even relaxed, his torso is tight and sculpted, and I don’t fight my impulse to touch it, my fingertips tracing the sexy lines of muscle. “Then I’ll follow you to your house and wait for you,” he says. He puts his other hand on my waist, drawing me into him. “I don’t want you to be there alone.”
Although I don’t want him to worry, he’s probably right that I would be there by myself. Jamie keeps unpredictable hours. He might not even be home from going out last night.
Still, Sebastian’s already controlled too much of my life and I’m not letting him control Ryder’s now, too. Any power Sebastian had over me or the people around me stopped when I got on the plane to come home, and it was officially over last night when I finally told Ryder why I left. Sebastian was in charge because he made me afraid to spill our secret. But I’m not afraid anymore. And the secret is out, asshole.
“I’ll be fine,” I say. I comb my fingers through Ryder’s thick hair. “I promise.” I kiss him, not wanting to spend one more moment naked with Ryder doing anything but being naked with Ryder, and from the way his tongue flicks against mine, he seems to agree. My center buzzes with heat as he runs his hand up my ribcage, across my breasts, and I snuggle closer to him, his hard cock pushing against me. “Mr. Cole,” I say, my teeth lingering on his bottom lip, “are you going to make us late for work?”
“One of the benefits of being the boss, tiger, is that no matter what time I clock in, I’m never late,” he says. His hand drifts to my ass. “And if you come in with me, you won’t be either.”
“What if I come underneath you?”