She nodded.
Arian shifted so that he was turned toward her. “Ryder is a good man. We all make mistakes. Immortality doesna mean we’re perfect. In many cases, we make more mistakes than mortals.”
“I couldn’t handle another heartbreak like that.”
“I was never in love before my Grace, so I can no’ pretend to know what you’re feeling. Although, I can tell you that you’re no’ the only one sitting at this table who’s been hurt in the past. There’s Sophie, who was hurt terribly by the man she loved.”
Kinsey looked down the table to the left to see who Arian was looking at. There was a redhead with a vibrant smile who gave a nod to them. Kinsey looked at Arian. “So she forgave him?”
Arian made a face. “In order to move on with her life she did. It also gave her the power to love again with Darius.”
In other words, there wasn’t a soul at Dreagan who was in her same predicament. No one could begin to understand her worry about trusting someone who had ripped her heart out before.
“Everyone deserves a chance,” Arian said. “Con’s giving you one because Ryder asked. Consider giving Ryder another chance. You just might be surprised.”
By the time dessert arrived, Kinsey was more confused than ever. Her emotions were all tangled and mixed so she didn’t know where one ended and another began.
She wanted to be with Ryder, but the fear stopped her cold. The past three years had been the worst of her life. Lonely nights, lonesome holidays, and empty relationships that went nowhere.
They—whoever the hell “they” were—said that whatever didn’t kill you made you stronger.
Kinsey wasn’t so sure of that. She felt trampled, crushed by all she’d endured. Yes, she’d survived because a new day dawned and she had to work to pay her bills. So she got up, showered, dressed, and went to work.
At least there her mind was mostly occupied. It was after work when she had to think about dinner that got her. All her friends were in relationships, and she hated being the third wheel, so she never went with them.
Grocery shopping for one was miserable, but worse was when she went to the movies by herself. She hadn’t thought it would be a big deal. It’s not like she ever talked during a movie.
But it was sitting alone, no one to elbow at the funny parts, or cry with after a sad movie that struck her the most.
So very many lonely nights spent at her cottage. The few times she’d allowed her friends to set her up with blind dates had been disastrous—as they always are. And the dates she found online weren’t much better.
It wasn’t as if she got through a month and shouted for joy that she’d survived. She kept her head down and plowed through one day after the other, only belatedly realizing every New Year’s that another year had passed.
It wasn’t until she reached Dreagan that she felt like she was alive again.
All because of Ryder.
Their gazes clashed, locked. Held.
She knew what he wanted. It was there in his hazel depths. Kinsey gave him a smile. That’s all it took for Ryder to stand and walk around the table to her.
He held out his hand for her. Kinsey didn’t hesitate to give it to him. Neither looked around as they left the dining room and headed to his bedroom.
Whether she could open her heart to him or not, her body wasn’t going to be denied.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Ryder shoved open the door to his room and pulled Kinsey in after him, not bothering to turn on any lights. She yanked at his shirt as he pushed her against the wall for a kiss.
They frantically removed each other’s clothes, losing their balance and laughing through their kisses. The laughter died the moment they were finally skin to skin.
With his chest heaving and desire coiling tightly within him, he ran his hands down her back and over her shapely bum to her thighs. He gripped her legs and lifted her so that she straddled him.
He pressed her against the wall, kissing her deeply. Her nails gently scoured his scalp as she moaned and shifted her hips.
Ryder tightened his grip to keep her still. But she was having none of that. She reached between them and grasped his engorged rod, her fingers stroking and teasing.
He moaned, belatedly realizing Kinsey had broken the kiss and somehow managed to slip from his hands. Ryder looked down to find her kneeling in front of him.
His cock jumped eagerly when she lifted her face to him and smiled seductively. A breath left him in a whoosh when her lips slid over his head, taking him deep in her mouth.
The pleasure of her warm mouth over him was exquisite. He closed his eyes and dropped his head back as he fisted his hand in her hair.