He grins. "I thought you had done that already."

"I did. But I want to do it thoroughly."

"I like the way your mind works," he grins, his eyes twinkling. "Do whatever you want to do."

"Okay." I place my hands on his shoulders and push his body all the way down towards the soft, down-filled bed so that he's laying down flat on his back with me hovering over him.

"You're gorgeous," I say, reaching over and cupping his face in my hands. "I don't think I've ever been this close to you before."

"You've seen me nude before," he says, cocking his head to the side.

"We were like two years old at the time."

He smiles. "It counts."

"I've never seen you like this, though," I say, looking down at him, taking in his lean and his hard, perfectly proportioned muscles. "I've never considered a gym membership more."

"It's all for you. All yours," he says, his fingers running through my hair, his eyes locking onto mine. "I know that now. I didn't know that before. Felt damned to admit that you were everything I ever wanted."

I bite my lip. "In spite of your previous rejection, you mean."

I feel him tense up beneath me, then I see his face light up as he bursts into laughter. "I'm such an idiot."

"You are," I say, and lean down and kiss him again, our lips and bodies so close. So ready for each other. I place a hand on Ryder’s chest, sucking in a deep breath as his hard muscles ripple in the dim light.

"I've waited for you for a long time, Ryder," I whisper against his neck. "Waited for this. For us. I've never waited for anything like this before."

"You're worth waiting for," he says. "So very worth it."

And he pulls me in and kisses me again. I wrap my arms around his neck and taste him, loving the way his lips are soft and firm and masculine at the same time. He tastes perfect. The ambrosia of arousal and devilish desire.

His taste is my drug. My addiction.

And I know now that I will never get enough.

I take in his hard chest just for a second, feeling the muscles tighten as I run my hands down his bare skin, and he gasps, sucking in a breath between his lips. "Fuck, Jen."

"Does that feel good? My hands on your skin?"

"It does. It feels good. Feels better than good."

"Good. Please. Please keep saying that."

"Is that a hint?" He grins. "You're giving me the go-ahead to describe how this moment feels?"

"I'm giving you the go-ahead to do whatever you want. Do whatever feels good."

"All right." He runs a hand through my hair and presses his mouth against my neck, kissing and licking his way to my ear. "I love the way your skin tastes, Jen. I love touching you. And I love that you're exploring my body. Right here. Right now."

I press my lips together, holding back a moan, my body already responding to him, already choosing him over all else.

"I want you to do more than that," I tell him. "Much more than that."

"Okay." He grins and looks again into my eyes. "Here we go. I'm about to touch your bare skin. And it's going to feel incredible."

"Please." I nod. "Please touch me."

"I will," he whispers and pulls off my shirt, working it off my body and over my head. The cool air hits my bared breasts, making them tingle, and I shake with anticipation as he pulls me against him and plants a series of gentle kisses on the skin of my throat. "Jesus Christ, Jen. Fuck a gym membership. You're absolutely perfect."