Page 11 of Just Forever

I drop to the grass on my ass, wheezing and panting, trying to get my breathing back under control.

“I,” I gasp, lungs on fire, “hate you.”

He finishes stretching and flops down on his back next to me. Sunlight plays over the side of his face, and he grins at me.

“You say the sweetest things to me.”

On reflex, I quickly look around, but there’s nobody near us who could’ve heard. Ryker’s smile has turned into a look of contemplation. He doesn’t like when I “do that overthinking thing of yours” and I’m not in the mood for that conversation right now.

We’ve been circling around that same topic for months: me being overly cautious. And when Ryker says cautious, make no mistake, he means paranoid. He just loves me too much to openly acknowledge that that’s what he means.

“You didn’t win. I let you win,” I say.

His smile is back, this time with a side of indulgence before he snorts. “You’re one hell of a benevolent soul with how often you ‘let’ me win.”

“You’ve got a very nice ass, so it’s not a hundred percent selflessness on my part.”

“So, you just constantly figure you might as well appreciate the view?”

“I’d appreciate it even more if you were shirtless. Just a suggestion.”

“Is that what they call constructive criticism?”

“I’m just saying. People would appreciate it.”

“You’d allow others to check out the goods?” His lips twitch.

“It’s not like I can control where people aim their eyes.”

He studies me, squinting slightly against the brightness of the sun. “You wouldn’t be jealous?”

“Annoyed. Jealousy kind of involves me thinking they’d have a chance with you.”

“But you don’t think that.” It’s not so much a question, just him stating a fact.

I shrug. “Of course I don’t.”

He’s silent for a little bit, but his eyes go all soft on me.

“That was really sexy.”

I raise my brows at him. “Which part?”

“Your confidence in us.”

I feel my cheeks heat, which is not something I especially enjoy. I try to glare to offset my blush, but that’s not really working. Not when Ryker’s eyes have gone gentle on me, and he’s smiling at me like this.

I’m trying to be better, but too many emotions still tend to make me a bit uncomfortable, so instead, I huff and look at the bright blue sky above our heads.

“I miss the good old days when I didn’t have to spend my mornings running around parks like a motherfucking golden retriever on speed. Those were the days.”

Ryker just keeps grinning at that. “You’d miss me.”

“Would I?”

He hums in reply. “Not to mention you’d be a spinster without me.”

I half-heartedly kick his shin, and he lets out a lazy chuckle. He reaches out and trails his fingers softly over my forearm.

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