Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“You’re so fucking strong,” Ryder murmurs. “Stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
He leans down and brushes his lips against mine. It’s not a long kiss, but it’s enough to remind me of the connection we share.
“I have no doubt that if you got knocked on your ass, you would find a way to get back up,” he says. “And the fact is, even if everything goes perfectly with us, there’s no guarantee that life won’t still knock you down.”
He releases me, and with one hand, he tenderly glides his knuckles down my cheek. “But the difference between those other guys and me is that if you fall, I’ll be there to catch you. And if I can’t, I’ll be right there on the floor with you.”
“Ryder,” I whisper, my heart swelling in my chest at his words, making it hard to breathe. I drop my head and close my eyes, needing a moment to think.
There’s a chance everything he’s saying is a lie, and it won’t be the first or second time a man has screwed me over, but I refuse to live my life scared.
Marie made valid points, but the problem is, she doesn’t know Ryder. She doesn’t see the way he looks at me, the way he reads to me when I can’t sleep. How he treats my daughter like his own. And even though this isn’t our home, he’s made us feel more welcome in the short time we’ve been here than I’ve felt anywhere else in my entire life.
“Kira,” he says after several seconds. His fingers settle around my throat, and he tips my face back up to look at him. “It’s okay to jump, baby. I got you.”
I inhale a deep breath and then exhale. “Okay. I’m going to jump, but if you don’t catch me, I’m going to be seriously pissed,” I half joke.
The second I finish my sentence, Ryder’s lips descend onto mine, and he kisses me deeply. Like every time, butterflies take flight in my belly, and my lady parts tingle, begging to be given some attention as well. My arms wrap around his neck, and he lifts me onto the counter, parting my legs so he can stand between them. I’m so lost in Ryder that I forget where we are until Violet calls out my name, reminding us that we’re not alone.
I shove Ryder back and jump off the counter so fast that I lose my balance, but before my ass hits the ground, Ryder catches me.
“You see, baby? I won’t let you fall,” he whispers into my ear. “I like your ass too much to let it get bruised.”
chapter seventeen
RYDER
“Holy shit.”
When I suggested I drop the girls off at Julian and Ana’s, I did it so that I could pick up flowers and come to the door like a gentleman. And I’m so glad I did because as I stand in the doorway, staring at Kira—with her hair straight, makeup done, and dressed in a stunning little black dress—I’m glad the girls aren’t around right now.
“You like?” Kira asks, twirling around in place.
The top of the dress goes up to her neck and is long-sleeved, but it’s sheer with a polka-dot design, so I’m able to make out her black bra. The bottom half of the dress is solid black with a layer of the same sheer material on top, showing off her tanned thighs. And the tall heels she’s wearing wrap around her ankles and make her legs look a mile long.
“Like?” I choke out. “More like love. In fact, I love it so much that it’s taking everything in me not to lift you into my arms, wrap those sexy legs around me, and fuck you up against the wall while your heels dig into my back.”
When Kira’s eyes widen, I curse myself for being too forward. This is our first date, for fuck’s sake, and the last thing she wants is me acting like a damn perv.
But then her cheeks tinge a light pink, and her eyes darken to a midnight blue, as if she’s imagining what I just said happening.
Setting the flowers I bought for her on the entryway table, I eat up the area between us, snagging her around the waist and turning us so her back is pressed up against the wall.
“Is that what you want, gorgeous?”
I palm the side of her face, careful not to mess up her makeup, and she swallows thickly, then runs the tip of her tongue along the seam of her lips before drawing her bottom lip into her mouth.
“You want me to fuck you against this wall and make you come on my cock?”
Her mesmerizing eyes lock with mine, and then she nods slowly. And I swear to God, I’m so damn hard that it could be used as a fucking weapon.