Page 88 of Rival to the Billionaire

She gives a little whimper, and I stop as my heart swells.

My mind is racing. Should I do this? Can I do this?

But when she looks at me, her eyes so full of trust and love, the answer is simple. "I love you," I say, letting the words pour out of me.

She looks at me, and my heart shatters when she nods. "I love you too. I've loved you forever."

And that's when I decide it's time.

I begin to move, pressing deeper into her as she wraps her arms around my neck. She's so small and delicate, I can feel myself inching closer and closer to the edge. My heart pounds in my chest as she moans, her voice echoing through the room.

This woman is everything I've ever wanted—everything I've ever needed.

From the moment I saw her, I knew I couldn't stop myself. For the longest time, I thought she was pure fantasy. Now that she's in my arms, for the first time in my life…I know that she's real.

I feel her arms wrap around my neck, and I push myself further into her. Ever so slowly, we rock together, our bodies pressed tight. I move my hands down her back, tracing the smooth skin of her body.

I want to touch every part of her, and I can feel it, that same burning need as always but for a different reason now. It's different than before.

She leans back, bringing us together. Her eyes are closed, and I stare down at her. With my free hand, I reach up and run a finger through her hair as she nuzzles against me.

There's a moment where I think it can't last. I can feel the flood of emotions that's building, and I hear her whimper. I pull back for a second, my body coated with sweat as we rock together.

When Jenny looks up at me, her eyes are bright and full of light—full of the same joy I feel. We're bound together now, and we can't go back to where we were.

It's too late for that.

I can feel myself start to shake as Jenny rocks against me, and I bury my face in her chest, kissing her skin as she breaks down.

"Oh, Jesus. How—What…I'm going to come, Ryder," she says as we kiss and rock together. "Trying not to, but I'm coming."

I can feel it building, stronger and stronger with every moment. It's like my body is being pulled toward her with a string that's been tied to my soul.

I have Jenny Forde. All of Jenny Forde…

For the moment.

As I feel her orgasm overtake her, I silently wonder just how long. How long will Jenny let me have her? For a woman who is willing to let me into her body but not into her soul, I can't imagine?—

How long can I convince this woman to be mine?

ChapterTwenty-Four

JENNY

In the hired car heading to Seattle General Hospital to visit my sickly mother, my thoughts are much too far from medical.

I had sex. Actual intercourse. For the first time.

But not only that, I did it with Ryder. Ryder. The man that I've been loving—and hating—nearly all of my life.

I tried to lock him out of my heart. I tried to ignore the feelings he evoked in me, and I did until the moment I stopped fighting.

Now, there's no turning back. He's in every part of me.

In the backseat of the giant Escalade that's racing towards my mother's hospital bed, he holds my hand. The sensation is both the best and worst thing I've ever felt.

Being in the midst of sabotaging the only man you've really cared about is one of the closest things to pure pain I've ever experienced. And confessing that you're in love with him while doing it…

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